psdenno

When you say, "Mint Z", are you referring to flavor? Dennis

A flexible magnet (the kind with advertising on one side) will give a clue to what's under the paint. If it's fiberglass or Bondo, the magnet will drop to the ground. Dennis

Price dropped $1,000 because clutch needs to be bled? As they used to say 2,000 years ago at the Used Chariot Lot....Caveat emptor. Dennis

I'm always amused by why there are odometer measurements in tenths of a mile. Typical road signs warn of upcoming exits in quarter mile increments (1/4, 1/2, 3/4), not tenths of a mile increments which can be measured by the available instrument. Why the discord between automotive engineers and highway engineers? Would it be so difficult to move a quarter mile warning sign a little farther from the exit and have it read "Next Exit 3/10 Mile"? Dennis

Welcome to the Group! Always good to see another '71 being put back on the road. You might also want to change the spark plug wires if they have a few years on them. As mentioned, "T"s for the washer are available at most auto parts stores and hardware stores. The squirter assembly is a junk yard piece or may be available from someone in our Group who is parting out a Z. If the washer fluid hose is bad, you can use aquarium tubing available at WalMart for a couple bucks. It looks like you have a good clean Z to start with from the pictures. I had the same AC unit and replaced it with a modern kit a few years ago. Dennis

On behalf of my aging eyes, thank you for the link! Dennis

Great story! I'll be celebrating 41 years of ownership in a couple months. As there are many original owners in this group, it might be interesting if we all shared our memories when we hit a milestone date - things like what other cars we considered before buying the Z, what we traded in for the Z, what was the dealership like, waiting list, what we've done to our Zs over the decades, and Z adventures. Had someone told me in 1971 that I'd be driving a 41 year old car in 2012, I'd have thought they were crazy. Dennis

Depending on how important it is that you get the valve stem caps, you could skip email and go "old school" by phoning them in Japan at: [sales] TEL +81-584-28-0105. Or call their USA office at 8935 Seward Road, Fairfield, Ohio 45011 U.S.A. TEL +1-513-642-0055 FAX +1-513-642-0056 Dennis

That makes perfect sense. Years ago, my wife gifted me with a few days at the Bob Bondurant Driving School. My "in car" instructor was Johnny O'Connell of Indy 500, LeMans, and 24 Hours of Daytona fame. While a big part of the course was "go fast" driving on a track, handling and evasive/defensive driving techniques were also instilled. A couple months after taking the course, I was driving my pregnant wife to an appointment in her Porsche when an inattentive driver blew through the red light at an intersection I was entering. The Bondurant lessons kicked in and we avoided being T-Boned. I'm a strong believer in driving skill/training and awareness of others - especially in this age of texting while driving, which I see on an almost daily basis. Dennis

The steering wheel spokes appear to have been clear coated, although he says they're not, and look a little rough. I've seen better restorations, so I have to agree with him when he says, "i do not know anyone to restore these wheels to these standards!!". Here's a somewhat better job. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread21485.html Dennis

The generic aftermarket covers probably won't fit well with the original chrome trim pieces. They mount and fit differently. I had a set of the trim less clear covers on my Z for years and liked them. I now have a set of the factory style repros with chrome trim from Japan that will get installed eventually. Dennis

Had YouTube been around in 1970, we might have seen a similar video made by a Z owner missing the the funky seat of the pants driving experience found in the MG and Triumph cars that predated it. Dennis

Roll bars and a 5 point harness seem like overkill, if you'll excuse the expression. What kind of daily driving do you plan on doing - demolition derby, NYC taxi driver? Certainly a "circle of safety" is important, but good driving skills and a watchful eye are probably your best upgrade. Dennis

Don't forget to let us know how they hold up by posting more pictures in one year, five years, and 10 years. Dennis

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