psdenno

Having reupholstered my Z a couple times, I'm guessing any wrinkles you're worried about will smooth out as the covers 'stretch to fit" when you sit in the seats for a while. Parking outside on a sunny day also helps. Good looking job, by the way. Dennis

A fuel pump cut off switch is effective & inexpensive. I also pull the distributor rotor off when leaving the Z for an extended period. I've found that very few car thieves tend to carry a spare rotor for a '71 Datsun in their car stealing kit. Also, choose your parking place wisely so the Z can't easily be towed or loaded on a flatbed. Dennis

I think you can award innovation & time when the car is not in stock class. Reward time & effort when the car is presented as stock. The more the car moves into the custom category due to body, engine, and interior modifications, the more innovation time, money and good taste come into play. As for the guy who buys a car "ready for show" is he any less a car guy? It's the car that s being judged, not the owner. Of course the attitude and smarminess of the owner is easy to personally judge - just no trophy to take home. Dennis

I haven't entered, or attended, a Datsun Z car show, but have participated in several national/international Porsche shows as a judge, organizer, rules committee member, and entrant. My favorite events have classes for stock, modified, and custom, as well as "senior class" for class winners who have won three 1st place awards at the clubs earlier shows. The senior class pits top cars against top cars and opens up the other classes for new opportunities to be a winner. It's important to keep everyone competitive with a chance at the top class awards and to level the playing field. Dennis

I think we've probably moved a bit off topic here, but just for the record......a gasoline powered hearse is not everyone's only option for that ride to the final resting place. SpaceX, owned by the same guy who builds those expensive electric Teslas can lift your remains into space. Your "Star Trek fantasies" reference doesn't really support your premiss in that James Doohan, who played Scotty on the original "Star Trek", is eternally orbiting as I type this. See link http://tinyurl.com/8k722yh . We now return to the regularly scheduled "Spill the beans" discussion. Dennis

I don't think the Tesla http://www.teslamotors.com/ and the Fisker http://onward.fiskerautomotive.com/en-us/karma/overview/ are ugly or plastic and their prices will only go down - just like calculators, computers, and plasma TVs have done over a 20-30 year period. I'm sure horse & buggy drivers felt the same way about those pesky gas powered cars 110 years ago. Dennis

Mission accomplished! Welcome to the group. Dennis

So far, my 40 year collection of Porsche, Avanti, and Datsun spares hasn't encountered any of the above. However, the garage sale or trip to the dump that my family will deal with after I'm gone makes me chuckle. Dennis

That one may be pushing the envelope when it comes to the poll question of "What Mods make you question whether a Car is still a Z". Lots of work involved and I'm sure the results made someone happy and proud. Just not my cup of sake. Dennis

Not quite as good as Apple stock. But, on the other hand, little chance that the cover's value will drop to zero like stock could. There's something to be said for buying two of everything and packing one away to use or sell at a later date. Dennis

So does that mean that my 41 year old Z is as good as a "hot" 2012 sports car or that the Scion is not much improved over a car that was built 41 years ago? Dennis

One factor worth noting is that the headlight treatments on the majority of the cars shown are a significant design consideration - not just added on because cars have to have headlights. The Corvette, the XKE, the Miura,and a few others incorporated the lights into the form of the car which was visually interesting and relatively unique at the time of manufacture. The Z with headlights under "glass" in some cases perpetuated that theme. I've talked to Porsche designers and engineers who point out that they try to make the front of their cars menacing and intimidating so that when they're seen LARGE in the rearview mirror, cars pull over to let them pass. That's fairly standard for most performance cars. Dennis

Summing up the last 300+ opinions and rebuttals, it's probably fair to say....If it looks like a Datsun Z, sounds like a Datsun Z, and drives like a 40 year old Datsun Z, it's a Datsun Z. The more it's modified, the more it becomes less a Datsun Z to many of the members of this forum. Owners of highly modified Zs are probably more comfortable among members of other forums that revere modified cars or race cars. I doubt that this discussion has changed anyone's mind about what makes a Z a Z. The vast majority of us appreciate our Zs for what they are and tend not to make too many changes to what we feel is a highly adequate sports car. We get pleasure from our Zs by working on them and driving them - not from telling others how much they cost or how many modifications have been made to the basic concept. For the most part, we play well with others. There are exceptions to that last statement, but that's why there's an "Ignore List" that I've found can make everything all better. Dennis

Here's a link to a picture of the '73 inner shift boot: http://www.thezstore.com/store/merchant.mvc? You'll also need a metal retaining ring that fits over the bolt holes and secures the boot to the tunnel. It's an ebay, junk yard, or local high school metal shop project item. I used the high school when I needed to find one. Dennis

Since newer cars have very few components and fluids that can, or need to be, checked or serviced by the owner, the trend has been to enclose everything under covers for a tidy appearance. Hundred thousand mile tune ups and totally sealed automatic transmissions have become the norm. I still prefer the "old" days when you could open the hood on a car and see the engine and all its components as well as the ground below the car. Many of the older engines were works of art just like the car's exteriors. Dennis

So, let me see if I'm correctly interpreting what you wrote..... You, like the rest of us, own a Z because you like some things about it. But, you're emotionally secure and mature enough to not have to mention the wonderfulness of your Z in just about every message you post. You realized long ago that we all bought Zs for as many reasons as there are Zs and "beating your own drum" doesn't make you any better than anyone else. While an owner can make the car special, the opposite is rarely true. Good attitude! Dennis

That's essentially what I did when I replaced missing/broken studs on my headlight buckets. Rather than using threaded studs that could twist out again, I used screws of the proper thread size. I ground down the roundness of the heads just leaving a "crossbar" at the top of the screw. The result looked like a "T". I then put the screw, head first, into the drilled out hole where the original stud had been and packed it with epoxy. The "T" anchored the threaded part and kept it from turning or pulling out when the nut was tightened down. Dennis

Welcome back! Always good to hear from another '71 Z owner. Dennis

Or is it a CorZed? All the king's horses and all the king's will have fun putting this one back together again - if ever. Dennis

I've had an aftermarket 1970s vintage exhaust system on my 240 for about 35 years and prefer the throaty sound over the stock exhaust note - especially on a foggy morning. For me, it adds to the sports car's appeal. After years of driving "quiet" contemporary cars, I was pleasantly surprised by the burbling sound of the exhaust on my Infiniti. It adds another dimension to the driving experience. Dennis

Great '71Z story! Tracing a car back to its early owners can be an adventure. I've done that with a '70 Porsche and got car loan documents from the wife of the original owner. Enjoy the Z! Dennis

As Gary pointed out, the votes tell the story. There's no manipulation of the data. Certainly, the 60 members who voted have made it clear that THEY feel engine changes and exterior modifications change the nature and intent of the Z. Of course, coming to a clear conclusion based on the results of 60 voting members out of a stated club membership of 26,634 is a bit like the tail wagging the dog. In most cases, I find it easier to tolerate, or even enjoy, a modified Z than to tolerate an out of control Z owner who goes on and on about the perceived wonderfulness of his or her car, how much it cost, and why it's better than the original. That behavior tends to place one on the fast track to being viewed as an unlikeable twit. Dennis

Grant, thanks for posting the Tootsie Roll Pop commercial. Can't remember viewing it. I see it's from 1969. I was keeping the world safe from Communism at that time and missed a lot of TV. I'll add the Owl to the Frito Bandito and the Speedy Alka Seltzer guy as lasting memories of the '60s. Dennis

I agree. If cars have a soul, it's in the engine. Replace the engine and you have a different beast. That's not to say I fault those who change to a more powerful motor. Everyone has the right to do what makes them happy. They just need to realize their happiness may not be shared by everyone who views the end result. My experience is that great cars tend to speak for themselves and don't require the owner to constantly toot the horn to get attention. Dennis

OK, tried "pissin' up a rope"....4'7" was all the better I could do. Perhaps we could get a poll going on how high other members of the group can get. Maybe I should have asked, "Has anyone changed their mind about what makes a Z a Z or what modifications go too far as a result of the poll and comments of others?". Dennis