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Stock V6? How long have you had the Z? Dennis

There have been many tries over the years. Lots of "announcement" threads, followed by eager and enthusiastic potential customers pledging to buy a set or two, followed by silence. But, the chrome trim always turns out to be more difficult to reproduce than the well-intentioned fabricators realized. It would be interesting to see what the original factory fabrication process involved. Dennis

Interesting that none look like they have crash damage. They just died and were scavenged for parts. Kind of like finding the legendary elephant graveyard. Dennis

Thanks for the kind words. The engine is a 2.7 liter. The original 2.0 is in storage in case the next owner wants to put it back in. It's crazy how prices have jumped the the six cylinder 914s in the last few years. I've had this one since 1992. It's been judged Best in Class at the annual Porsche Club of America Parade and by the Porsche 914-6 Club USA, and the Porsche 914 Owners Association. It's retired from car shows. Leather interior, heated rear window, original tool kit, all the extras. History documented back to the original owner. I'll sell it before I sell the Z, however. Dennis

Fun topic! We've gone from buying a Z, to buying a Porsche, to buying a Ferrari. Is this an eclectic group of car enthusiasts, or what? What we haven't discussed (getting back to the original topic, sort of) is that there are a lot more good jokes about Porsche owners than there are about Datsun owners - another reason to buy a Datsun Z instead of a Porsche. I can't remember ever hearing a Ferrari owner joke. BTW, here's a picture of of my Porsche - a 1970 914-6. Dennis

Set of 4 alloy truck wheels with tires that still have tread for just $59.99? The guy doesn't care if he cracks a couple vertibrae and can't walk for six months, he has to get it done before Obamacare gets cancelled. Dennis

A huge benefit of belonging to a group like this is that if you buy a Z over the phone or on line and can't check it in person, there's probably a member of the group who lives close to the seller and is willing to to check the car for you. I've checked cars in the past. Dennis

As a Porsche and Z owner, I can agree with your statement about the high cost of Porsche repairs. It's interesting that the 911 link you posted states the car has a bit over 60,000 miles. Could be the owner checked the cost of the 60K service and decided to get rid of the car. Not uncommon. Operating cost per mile on the Z is significantly lower than the Porsche. For the budget you mentioned, you should be able to find a good west coast Z and ship it East, if a Z is what you really want. dennis

Stimulating! Dennis

Would a proper sized firewall grommet cover the old paint circle and allow the antenna base to fit tightly to it? Dennis

Forty years go isn't recently, but iI remember correctly on mine, it goes between the control panel and the face plate. Is there a second set of nuts that can be turned down to allow the shafts to extend further through the face plate? Mine is in a box in the garage and I'm away for the weekend. I can check when I get home in a few days if you're still having problems. Dennis

Snap up one of those babies and store it away for 50 years. 1000 to the US and 250 to Canada? Grab a Canadian one with the metric speedo for global collector value. Don't let this one get away, it could be another 40 years before the Black Pearl Leaf arrives on the market. Dennis

Secrets? You mean like the pleat and rolled upholstery on the door panels and the deleted hood emblem? At what serial number did the newer style slotted spoke steering wheel show up on the 1970 Z? I love a good Z story. Dennis

They are a little pricey, but they often sell for less than the current BRE covers which go for $579. Dennis

Good luck with the search. I installed the BRE covers in the early '70s and they held up well for a few decades. I've got an old BRE catalog somewhere and don't think the covers were too expensive when they were offered in the '70s. I still have the headlight pods with the metal mounting tabs like Galaxybj mentions above. I've got a spare set of pods and will be mounting factory style covers with metal trim rings before too long. They've rested in a box way too long. Dennis

Not in 1971. Dennis

If you do a search on weatherstrip in the forum archive, you'll see that the most frequently noted problem is "doors don't close". You'll also see that the solution for that phenomenon is to let the car sit in the sun for a few days with the doors closed after installing the new weatherstripping. The weatherstrip will compress and conform to the size/shape of the opening. I experienced the problem with weatherstrip from MSA. Couldn't slam the door hard enough to make it latch shut. A couple days outside in the summer heat and the seals conformed and enabled the door to close tightly without slamming. On the other hand, as Patcon mentioned above, Kia weatherstripping from a junkyard is reported to work first time, every time, for those who use it. Cheap, too. Dennis

Your question brings up more questions. Which four plug wires do you disconnect? Four cylinders in a row or two, skip one, then two more? As for escaping or becoming lunch, how fast and far can you run if your spark plug wire equalizer wasn't a wise decision? Dennis

The stock AM radio on my '71 was the first thing to go when I started looking for things that needed to be upgraded. It sits in a box on a shelf in my garage. I replaced it with an AM/FM stereo radio in about 1972 and added a new speaker behind the right rear speaker opening. I have a stock Datsun AM/FM that will eventually replace the aftermarket radio that's been in the dash for decades. Dennis

My neighbor has a main character role in the series and said it was interesting when they all had to go in for their physicals prior to filming this new season. The doctor joked that one of them was getting a physical for just one episode.

There have been many vendors of fiberglass front fenders over the years. I see them come up for sale from time to time. No idea on worth, but probably a little pricey on shipping if you plan to sell them. The good news is that they look like they fit well and are the only parts on the body of your Z that won't rust. Do you plan to replace them with metal fenders? Dennis

The mounting studs on the fiberglass headlight scoops are very easy to replace if missing. A machine screw with the proper metric thread is about 20 cents at your local Ace Hardware, Lowes, or Home Depot. File down two sides of the screw head to make a "T" so it doesn't spin in the hole and epoxy in place. A bucket without studs is usually easier to find and far less expensive than one with studs intact. I've fixed a few - quick and easy. Dennis

That's just wrong. Interesting to hear the engine revving and see the brake lights on at the same time. Perhaps, in that country it's the DMV road test to get your driver's license. Dennis

Actually, according to the Consumer Price Index inflation calculator, 200 1970 dollars would be equal to $1,241 in 2016. Bring back those days when $3,600 bought a new Z and $30,000 bought a very nice four bedroom house in a good neighborhood. How times change. Dennis

But, if we're talking about 1970, retail price on a new Rolex was just $207. Not Timex price territory, but not totally beyond reach. Granted, that was about two months take home pay for a minimum wage worker at that time in history. But, not out of the question for a nattily dressed steely eyed sports car owner of that era. Wish I had bought mine in 1970.