psdenno

If you watch the hatch lifting at the 14 minute point, you see only the left side of the hatch with the strut, not the right side. I'm sure a helping hand is lifting the hatch off camera on the right side. Movie magic! My '71 didn't do it when new or with a replacement factory strut more recently. Dennis

Trying to second guess the collector car market is like trying to out guess the stock market. Some cars will always have high, and increasing, value while others go in and out of favor. It's probably healthiest to just think of your collector car as a hole in the driveway into which you pour money. If you're fortunate enough to sell it for more than you have in it at some point, good for you. If not, just reflect on the pleasure it's given you along the way. In addition to my Z, I have owned a 1970 Porsche 914-6 for 23 years and a 1963 supercharge Studebaker Avanti for 40 years. Both are "rare" cars with production of just a few thousand each. The 914-6 is riding high currently with examples similar to mine selling more than twice what I paid for it. The value of the Avanti has barely kept up with inflation. I've put more money into my Z than I could ever hope to recoup. I enjoy them all and have no plans to sell any time soon. Dennis

Probably not enough Teslas making it to the local Pick A Part to be able to score a drive train. The 25 mile range makes it a fairly expensive golf cart. A nice experiment, but not likely to generate much excitement among buyers. Dennis

His web site says the range is 25 miles, although he's gotten over 50. Also says it has a tach. I wonder what RPMs it measures. Dennis

Quite nice, quite expensive. I'll stick with my 1970 air cooled and carbureted Porsche, however. Dennis

I think we may be adding this thread to the "Well Intentioned, But Unfulfilled" file along with all the others that have attempted to reproduce headlight covers over the years. The OP hasn't visited this site since the end of September, a couple weeks after opening the thread. It's a complicated and expensive process. Dennis

Thanks for the snow pictures. They remind me of why I left northern Wisconsin and moved to the desert. Dennis

Dead link. Removed from CL. Dennis

Now you get to be a detective. From underneath the tank, look to see if the gas is dripping directly from a small hole in the bottom of the tank or running down the side, then to the bottom middle, and then dripping. Is it a static drip or a pressurized drip when the car is running and pumping fuel? Did you fill with gas up to the top of the filler neck? That when mine used to leak due to a cracked filler neck. Good luck tracing the source. You may end up dropping the tank. Be safe. Dennis

I think the fuse box cover will be popular. Nice job! Dennis

A thought about the brake booster.... I wonder why rpm didn't drop other times he hit the brakes - only in heavy traffic, not when he pulled into home parking spot. When my booster went bad it happened every time I hit the brakes. dennis

Not sure why you mention opening the "float valves'. Do you mean float bowls? There's not much that you can do with the valves actuated by the floats except to make sure they're clean and not stuck open or closed. The gaskets on the float bowls can often be reused and are available through Nissan parts departments for a couple bucks if you do need them. Have you considered using a Colortune device for synching the carbs? (http://www.amazon.com/Colortune-for-14mm-Spark-Plug/dp/B000E9VGNM). The Colortune replaces a sparkplug and allows you to see into the combustion chamber while the engine is running to view the color of what's happening. You can tune your carbs to an exact "flame" color and see if it's rich or lean by the color of combustion in the cylinder. Do it once on the front bank and once on the rear and the carbs are synched. I've used one for 40 years and find it to be a good tool for fine tuning the carbs in conjunction with following the adjustment steps in the FSM and using a Uni-syn. Dennis

Interesting. I told you the radiator was fine and not the cause for your problem on January 4th. Could have saved $3 and 10 days by listening. My point is that you've received wonderful advice from experienced Z owners and ignored it. Stanley's post above is another example of great advice. A Uni-syn, or similar carb tool, to synchronize the carbs is essential. Guessing won't do it. Dennis

What a fantastic model! If only my model building skills hadn't stopped improving when I was nine years old. Dennis

Perfect pictures to show to his first Prom date. Dennis

Now you're going all James Bond on me. Only get a cotton windbreaker if it has a Datsun logo patch on the front. As for the plain jumpsuit, keep checking the local thrift stores for one piece leisure suits. The older generation is dying to get rid of them - literally Dennis

When you get the tweed jacket, make sure it's the one with the leather patches on the elbow area of the sleeves. A pipe is also a nice touch, even if you don't smoke. Just carrying one and using it as a pointer adds to the aura. Dennis

But, if you're going with the turtleneck, stringback gloves, and driving cap, a flowing neck scarf the color of your Z would be classier. Dennis

He went out in style with a new album and video released last Friday - must have known the end was very near and had been "sitting on it" waiting for the right time. Video has him in a hospital bed and lyrics mention "look up here, I'm in heaven". Way to go! Dennis

Making a pattern would be the easy part - mostly flat,surfaces. Stamping a copy would be the problem. I would imagine that a welder could replicate it to some degree out of seven or eight individual pieces on a jig. But it would be labor intensive. Dennis

Why do you think there's a problem with the radiator and how could it cause a rough idle and stall? You don't have an overheating problem. Do you have the only Z in Panama? My guess is that there are others. Find out who they are and who works on their cars. Dennis

You keep mentioning that the temp increases to 3/4. THAT IS NORMAL. Let me say that again, THAT IS NORMAL. Your car is not overheating. You measured the temp with the heat gun at 185 degrees. 185 degrees is at the 1/2 hash mark on your gauge. Your gauge is not accurate and is reading high - no Bueno. See the red zone on the temp scale near the 250 on your gauge? If the needle was there, you would have a problem. I would be more concerned about low oil pressure since you mentioned that the engine has a new oil pressure sending unit and your gauge reads near ZERO. Carb adjustment is critical and MAY be the cause of your rough idle and stalling issue. Clogged fuel filters can also be a reason for what you're experiencing. Good luck with future troubleshooting. Dennis

I think we can rule out overheating based on the temperature readings you took. Actual temp is within normal range, gauge reads,high. So, some questions. Did the Z ever run well after you bought it? If so, how long, weeks, months, days? Did anyone check the running condition of the car for you before you bought it? if I remember correctly, you're taking the previous owner's word for what was done to the Z mechanically before you bought it. The engine rebuild was provided by a questionable vendor who has had many complaints about shoddy engine rebuilds in the past. You won't know what's in the engine unless you tear it down and rebuild it - a costly process. I'd suggest looking for an experienced Nissan mechanic and start over if you plan to keep the car. Dennis

If you look at your temperature gauge, you'll see that the numerical range is from an indicated 120 to 250 degrees. That means that the center mark on that scale would be, wait for it, 185 degrees. If your temperature gun reading of 185 on the radiator is an accurate measure of coolant temperature and your dash temperature gauge was accurate, the needle should be at the half way point on the scale, not at 3/4 as you show in the picture. I would suspect an inaccurate temp sending unit or gauge out of calibration and not worry about the reading on the dash gauge. Now, on to the stalling issue. Dennis

A search on this site, and other Datsun Z sites, for "Datsun Parts LLC" and "California Datsun" will bring up earlier message threads that will offer insight into what may be the reason for the engine problems you're experiencing. Shady engine rebuilding history with many complaints of unwillingness to stand behind completed work. Dennis