EhlersRS

Brent, Thanks for the update. Charlie's inner rockers appear to be the same high quality as yours, so it's great he's able to continue this service for the Z community. I'm glad I was able to get an early set from you. ? Robert S.

Dan, I've heard that Les at Classic Datsun is no longer able to ship cans of spray paint due to regulations in California. Do you have any knowledge of this? I agree this would be the easiest solution to match paint, but if it's no longer available my plans will have to change. Thanks, Robert S. Sent from my [device_name] using http://Classic Zcar Club mobile

Great! Thanks for confirming what you used on the hubcaps and taillight finishers. We're hoping to buy a bigger home this year, so hopefully I can start working on the Z again after that transition. Robert S. Sent from my [device_name] using http://Classic Zcar Club mobile

Motorman, I had my 'D' caps rechromed and still need to repaint them. What steps did you take on the hubcaps and what products did you use? Also, how closely did the paint you use match the original color? Thanks, Robert S. Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Tapatalk

Hey guys, I was doing some research on the original owner of my friend's '73. He bought the car in 1981 from the Nissan dealer in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The dealer told him he was the second owner of the car. The car was originally purchased at Dependable Dodge Datsun in Lafayette, Louisiana by Murphy J. Foster III of Franklin, LA. A Google search quickly revealed the 53rd governor of Louisiana was Murphy "Mike" J. Foster III from Franklin, LA. He served as governor from 1996 to 2004: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy_J._Foster_Jr. Governor Foster typically went by "Jr." but technically he was a III. It appears he may have a son who goes by Murphy Foster III. So far I've only been able to find circumstantial evidence that leads me to believe my friend's '73 was originally owned by the Foster family. Is there anyone in southern Louisiana that may know more about the Foster family? Thanks, Robert S.

Phuong, I'm behind on reading posts. Glad you got her home! I look forward to seeing your progress! Robert S. Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Classic Zcar Club mobile

Ziggy, I didn't notice the "Y" and "U" subscripts on my tags until the post of your '72 belt tags. The "Y" on my tags are on the female end lap belts and the "U" is on the male/receiver end lap belts. On the remaining shoulder strap tag, I don't see any extra markings. It also looks like the female lap belts and shoulder strap tags have the same lot number of "2501" and the male/receiver lap belt has a lot number of "0510". The font and text of your '72 belts looks identical to mine, except your model number has a "B" at the end of the "7001". I have no idea what the extra letters represent! If you decide to make new tags for your '72 please let me know. Robert S.

Ziggy, Your work on the early seat belt tags is great! I recently dismantled the belt buckles for rechrome on my 2/71 early Series II and wanted to add the photos for reference. The belts on my Series II were made in 1/71 and the tags have a different style from the '69 tags. At some point I'd like to have new tags made for my belts that match the original design. Robert S. Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Classic Zcar Club mobile

Phuong, Congratulations again! I have dreams of one day owning an early '69 car or a Vintage Z. Since that will probably never happen, I decided to embrace the fact I do own a Z and it's a very early Series II. So far it's the 5th earliest Series II still known to exist, so I'm always on the lookout for Series II produced before mine (21244). I look forward to seeing the progress on your new car and so glad it found you! Robert S.

Hey guys, I finally had some time to take some photos of my 'D' caps and center medallions after rechrome. The new chrome turned out great! The back sides will need some rust prevention, so I'm open to any suggestions. I have received advice to spray the back sides with Rustoleum. Obviously, I don't want to apply anything that could potentially affect the new chrome on the front sides. The D center medallions also turned out great. There are two broken posts on the set of medallions, but that's a minor issue. I tried one of the rechromed medallions and a NOS medallion on a cap and the all chrome look is certainly unique. Robert S.

Hello Thomas, I'm not sure how I missed your previous posts, but I also have an early Series II produced in 2/71. My car is HLS30-21244, so it would have been produced very early in February 1971. Last October I sent the heater control panel in for re-chrome and I don't remember anything being mounted in the two screw holes you pointed out. Also, my car was purchased unrestored and mostly original (minus the rust), so if you need any other assistance I'd be glad to help! Robert S.

Considering how bad the wheel covers looked before the rechrome, I'd say they look decent! I like the contrast between the paint and chrome on the original caps. I wonder if painting them would conceal some of the pitting, or at least make it less noticeable? Like you said, these aren't show quality and it's still rare to see a set of original caps on a 240Z! Robert S.

Thanks for the advice on the center "D" medallions. I still have the piece that broke off from the plastic post and I would like to use retaining clips again, but I wanted something else to ensure they don't fall off. I don't know why I didn't think about using emblem adhesive tape before, but that would be a good solution! Robert S.

Thanks for sharing the update! I'm anxious to get my replated parts back from Mike. From his last email the plastic parts were done, but the metal parts were taking longer. Also, when I took the center 'D' medallions off my caps, one plastic post snapped off. I was being gentle, but what do you expect from 45 year old plastic! Since I don't trust the old metal clips, I've considered using this product from 3M to secure the medallions to the caps. Jim Frederick (Z Mecca) said he uses this to reseal taillight lenses. Robert S.

Thanks for the advice on the Eastwood product. These pans are definitely made from a thin gauge panel! Robert S. Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Classic Zcar Club mobile

Hey Patcon, This pan came from a guy in NC and I think it was originally on a '73 model. I paid $100 for the pan and $30 for shipping. From what I've seen a pan in average to good condition will run around $200. After the pan arrived here, I noticed there is some pitting on the area you mentioned. I'll decide if it needs repair after blasting the rust off, otherwise I'll just repaint it. Robert S.

Also, keep in mind the splash pan for the '70 - '74 is different from the pan for the 74 1/2 - '78. I think you can still get the later splash pans from Nissan and the mounting holes are located slightly off from the early versions. Robert S. Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Classic Zcar Club mobile

I bought this used splash pan a few weeks ago. It obviously needs to be cleaned up and painted. It would take some work to fabricate a pan with similar dimensions, but no one is making new pans that I'm aware of. Robert S.

Brent, I have a spare battery tray taken from a '72 if you need one for comparison and measurements. Z Car Depot is currently selling new battery trays in steel and stainless: https://zcardepot.com/exterior/sheet-metal/battery-tray-bracket-stainless-steel-240z-260z-280z.html https://zcardepot.com/exterior/sheet-metal/battery-tray-holder-sheet-metal-240z-260z-280z.html There definitely isn't anyone fabricating the corner / firewall area! Robert S. Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Classic Zcar Club mobile

Hardway, When Marty Rogan was selling his pristine set of "D" hubcaps I posted this from the restoration of my caps: "The cost of re-chroming was dependent on the current condition of the hubcaps. My caps were straight without any dents, but they did have minor surface rust on the back sides and a little rust on the front sides. The cost to re-chrome the caps was $348 (set of 4) and the center "D" medallions was $100 (set of 4). Considering a good pair of "D" hubcaps is around $800 for the set, I thought this was a fair value!" I sent my caps to Mike at Vintage Chrome last October and look forward to seeing the new chrome! As you may have read, he's discontinuing the service, but I'm hoping someone else can take over the business for him. My caps were in better condition than yours in terms of rust, but since these "D" caps are getting hard to find, I think your caps look like good candidates to restore! Robert S.

Brent, Thanks for the advice! It's always helpful to get advice from people that have traveled further down the road. I still have to remove the interior from my car so I'm not able to inspect the inner rockers from inside the car. However, I took a closer look at each end of the passenger side which is probably a little worse than the driver's side. On the front end the rust seems to be contained inside the rocker panels, with some rust creeping past the top weld/joint. From the outside the A pillar where the doors are mounted appears sound, with minor surface rust. Again, I'll have to confirm how this area looks after I get some of the interior out. As expected, the dog legs are shot, but I have new quarter panels. I peeled back the dog leg and like the front, the rear rocker area is rusted through but seems to be contained to the lower rockers. Looking up the rear quarter and inner wheel arch, the rust damage is all down below. I also have new inner wheel arches. In regards to a timeframe to order the full kit, I still have to save roughly half of the price. So I'll be ready to order the kit in late February or mid March. It's definitely more of a slow marathon and not a sprint for me! I was wondering did you use the Tabco outer rockers or did you can fab your own? Your outer rockers look better than the ones I have from Tabco (MSA). I'm thankful for your services because it would be difficult for me to fabricate these parts on my own! Robert S.

Brent, I was able to get some photos of the rocker ends on both sides of the car. Judging from the photos, I'll be saving for a complete set of your inner rockers and tie ends. Yes, there's a lot of rust damage, but I'd like to know what you think since you've already repaired these areas in your Z. Robert S. This first set is from the passenger side. This second set is from the drivers side.

There was a discussion about this 240Z restored by Les Cannaday on Facebook (Dec 15, 2016, Datsun 240Z Registry of America). According to Les the customer wanted a nice "daily driver" restoration, so this is by no means a concours restoration. It was also pointed out this car has passed through several dealers and now resides at a dealer in St. Louis. If this car has gone through several dealers, that could explain the high markup on the asking price. It's certainly not worth $70K but it is a nice example of a 240Z! Robert S.

Brent, Thanks for sharing this with us! My car will need new metal in these areas, so I purchased a set of rocker panels several years ago. I don't know how extensive the rust damage is yet on the inner panels, but I filled up a dust pan of rust from the front rocker areas after removing the front fenders! When the time comes to repair the rockers, it's good to know your services are available! Robert S.

My last order from BD arrived today. I bought the quarter window seals, external voltage regulator, oil pump, complete wheel bearings set, and a few odd pieces. The whole set of wheel bearings was around $155 and a lot less than the complete set from MSA. I wish that I would have bought more the first time around before things sold out, but I'm happy to add more new parts to the collection. Robert S.