Mike

John Beck tells a very familiar story about his first Z in 1971, selling it for a (cough) Volvo, and then finding another classic Z with John Coffee in 1999. A fun short video about why we do this kind of thing. Enjoy. https://vimeo.com/101361546

Jon Le Roux posted a photo on Classic Z Car Club's wall: Sold my Z and the G-nose I ordered from Japan finally came in... (20 likes, 24 comments) View the full article

John Engelke wrote on Classic Z Car Club's wall: What color and type of coating was the underhood hardware (engine bolts, plug wire holders, vacuum line brackets, etc.) on a 75 280Z? I want to get mine refinished and go original. Silver or gold colored coating? (5 comments) View the full article

Adrian Chum wrote on Classic Z Car Club's wall: Anyone know of any reputable Datsun mechanics in or near St.Paul Minnesota? View the full article

Mike Gholson wrote on Classic Z Car Club's wall: Looks like a great delivery to me!! (12 likes) View the full article

Gerardo Lalo Aguirre posted a photo on Classic Z Car Club's wall: Thank you for accepting me this I my 79 280zx "project" its my baby tho actually working on taking off all of the plasti dip atm then going to paint it soon. (5 likes) View the full article

Kevin Krueger posted a photo on Classic Z Car Club's wall: Found a '78 280Z at the Ecology junkyard on Gas Line Road in Victorville, CA. Dash was in really good shape along with a lot of other parts. Top end of the engine was pretty well stripped already. Just arrived a few days ago, will hang out for about 3 weeks before they send it off to the crusher. (8 likes, 25 comments) View the full article

Using Wallflux.com you can access the RSS-feed of your Facebook group. This is the demonstration message at the Regular Wallflux Feed for a Facebook group ID. #67035574376. View the full article

Casey Brush posted a photo on Classic Z Car Club's wall: New addition to the z. (26 likes) View the full article

Mike Gholson shared Nissan Fairlady Z Lovers's photo to the group: Classic Z Car Club. (45 likes) View the full article

Tim Herron wrote on Classic Z Car Club's wall: I installed 6 LS truck coils on L28et. Does anybody now how to make the stock tachometer work with LS coils? (2 comments) View the full article

Yea, I noticed that and fixed the post. You should've had edit capability, let me check to see if it's turned on. m

You up for the job?

Hi guys, Would any of you be interested in helping out around the club? At this time I could use some help in our events area. I need someone to cruise around the web and find events that can be added to our calendar. We could also use some additional photo coverage in our gallery. Let me know if you're interested and we can exchange numbers so I can take you through the process. Thanks! Mike

Just posting for those who might be looking for an early series car. This 1973 Datsun 240Z is a largely stock, matching-numbers example that was thoroughly restored in 2006 by the previous owner. The car has been repainted in its original silver and benefits from rebuilt suspension and a new A/C system. The seller purchased the car from the second owner in Florida, and promptly drove the car 2300 miles back to Winnipeg, Canada without issue. The restoration left the original interior intact, and the seller is a knowledgeable collector who says typical wear items on 240Z’s have been addressed. The A/C blows cold and the car is said to handle beautifully on proper sized tires with new front struts and rebuilt rear suspension. This an unmodified Z that comes with a large history file from its two previous long-term owners. Many detail shots are included in the gallery at BAT. Paint finish is now ten years old and shows a handful of small stone chips on the nose, but remains very good overall. We like the OEM hubcaps and absence of dealer added side trim. The seller says the car has never rusted and illustrates the point by describing a recent rebuild of the rear suspension with OEM bushings and shocks that was a breeze as even the smallest 10mm bolts were easily removed with a quarter inch ratchet. Other notable details include Vredestein Sprint tires and factory stacked exit muffler. The seller says the interior is original including good upholstery, carpets, and crack free dashboard. All gauges, lights and instruments work well, and factory A/C blows cold following a full system replacement with all new OEM components. The only non-original item to be found inside is a later ’90s Pioneer cassette deck, but its twin dial design looks better than more modern LED units. The rear hatch view looks clean, including in the corners, and several chassis shots viewable below show that the car retains all of its factory undercoating with no visible rust. Front struts were replaced just prior to the seller’s purchase in April of 2011. Completely unmodified apart from a thermostatically controlled electric auxiliary cooling fan, the original engine is said to start easily, idle smoothly, and pull hard throughout the rev range without any unusual noises or smoke. The electric fan was added to better cope with Florida heat, though reportedly it now only comes on in very hot weather when the A/C is on. The car has twin fuel pumps which help hot starts, and properly tuned SU carbs have never been an issue under the seller’s ownership. The seller has a large collection and is primarily drawn to original, low-mileage survivors. He says the the 150k miles on this example is a bit higher than he normally likes, but the unmodified and original condition drew him to the car. The initial 2,300 miles back home to Winnipeg were not out of character for the seller, who drives every car he owns and says this Z is reliable and smooth. Included documentation dates from new and takes up four large envelopes. Be sure to check out the full photo gallery here on Flickr. http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-datsun-240z-6-2/

I really enjoyed this Discovery episode of Wheeler Dealers 2015. It's about a refurbishment of a 240z automatic into a proper drivers car. If you are interested in seeing a couple of guys swap out an automatic for a 5-speed and do a mild cam swap, this video is for you. Sit back and enjoy this full episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8G8s-LwCco

Peter and Gayle are selling some nice ones over at BRE2.net http://www.bre2.net/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=B&Category_Code=car_covers

Hi Jim, sorry to hear about your situation. Do you have some photos of the car? I encourage you to visit our local classifieds as well as datsunclassifieds.com if you still wish to sell her. Good luck to you! Mike

testing a reply

Testing to see how well Facebook share works with the Classic Zcar Club.

BMW has the mesh pocket attached to the transmission tunnel. Not a bad option, but I'd only run the mounts through the carpet/vinyl and not through the sheet metal.

Here's a link to their "print it now" feature: http://dealer.carad.com/dealer2/viewitem/printit?item=29760765 Would be nice to grab the images.

Great article over at Petrolicious! Thanks guys for referencing our images. Reference: http://www.petrolicious.com/ten-ways-the-240z-revolutionized-the-sports-car In the late 1960s, the concept of a foreign, high-performance car in America was relatively new, with existing models in this category occupying the extreme periphery of both the market and of the popular consciousness. Cars like Jaguar’s E-Type, Porsche’s 911, various Astons, Ferraris, Maseratis, and other similarly hand-built and very expensive machines from Europe were viewed largely as playthings of the rich and privileged, and then only by those who were likely to even be aware of their existence—enthusiasts, in other words. The vast, working-class majority of this group were already a generation deep into a love affair with inexpensive British roadsters, but charming and beautiful these cars may have been, they lagged significantly behind their more exclusive import brethren when it came to performance and sophistication. This relatively small but very passionate niche market and their latent desires for more and better—more power, more style, better engineering, reliability, and packaging—was ripe for the picking. Enter Datsun, whose 1970 introduction of the now-classic 240Z simply revolutionized the American performance car marketplace. The dawn of the affordable, advanced, Japanese sports car had broken, and there was no turning back. 1. Designed principally with the American market in mind, the S30 (Nissan’s internal chassis designation for the Fairlady/240Z) was priced to compete with Triumphs and MGs, but offered similar performance and engineering sophistication to sports cars costing many times more. 2. Yutaka Katayama, AKA “Mr. K”, was instrumental in Nissan’s decision to build the S30—it was at his behest that the car was engineered, styled, and marketed in a way that would appeal to American enthusiasts. The Z’s vibrant, well-defined character is often attributed to Mr. K’s near total control over the project—the machine’s personality mimicking that of its creator. 3. Between model years 1970-73, just under 150,000 were bought in the U.S. alone—a figure likely greater than the entire number of foreign sports cars ever sold here up to that point. 4. Equipped with a 2.4 liter, 150 HP, SOHC straight six, the 240Z was capable of 60 MPH from rest in eight seconds dead, with 125 attainable flat-out—very impressive figures for the day. 5. Suspension was fully independent by way of four wheel struts, MacPherson type in front, Chapmans in the rear. Combined with front wheel discs and rack and pinion steering, the Z was an accomplished dance partner right out of the box. 6. Though nearly all were equipped with four-speed manuals, a small number of three-speed autos were sold starting in 1971, while a five-speed stick was available in Japan from the start. 7. Another Japan-only option was the Z432 specification, which packaged the Skyline GT-R’s S20 straight six in place of the normal car’s L24. With twin cams, 24 valves, three twin barrel sidedraft carbs, and a conservatively-rated 160 HP , the two liter S20’s race heritage was obvious not only in its exotic spec, but also in its high-revving nature and gorgeous soundtrack. Roughly 420 were built. 8. In 1998, following the Z32 300ZX’s departure from the States two years prior, and in anticipation of 1999’s 240Z concept (itself conceived to drum up excitement for 2002’s 350Z), Nissan purchased a number of original 240Z’s which were treated to high-quality restorations and re-sold at selected dealerships for $24,000. 9. Driven by Shekhar Mehta, an S30 placed first in the 1973 East African Safari Rally—Mehta’s first of a record five victories in the legendarily brutal event. 10. Now approaching his 104th birthday, Mr. K is retired but still serves as a trusted corporate Nissan advisor. In addition he still frequents important Z gatherings in both the US and Japan, his enthusiasm serving as inspiration to generations of Nissan/Datsun enthusiasts. The 240Z’s giant-slaying spirit lives on today in the Porsche-rivaling 370Z, and in the stupendously good GT86/FR-S/BRZ triplets, themselves a revival of the thriving Japanese sports car culture of the 1980s—widely remembered today as the peak of an era that owes everything to Mr. K and his brilliant little Z car. Defining this culture and lifestyle we all love so much is his famous mantra “love cars, love people, love life!”