hr369

I took off the finisher panel around the steering column. Be careful when you are seating the cap. The area of the cap around the tach and speedo is very thin and it got hung up on the rim of the speedometer and bent the edge of the dash cap. check the alignment of the glove box door before the glue dries. Mine was a little off. Not sure if my dash had warped over the years or it was my install. I had to adjust my glove box door a little by slotting the holes on the bottom.

Most body shops out there would have pulled that out and just put a new quarter panel on. I'm surprised they went to this extreme. They must have a frame guy thats really good at putting on clips.

mine has 77k original miles. there is a welded in patch on the gas tank where it must have rusted out from sitting so long. a/c with R12 still works too. Original seat covers but has a dash cap. I also had original carpets but tried washing them. Like you im trying to keep it as orginal as possible. You should pull your valve cover and check the condition of the cam and see if the spray bar was clogged. I've seen a few where an oil hole clogged and it ate a cam lobe. You can also see if they ever changed the oil in the engine by taking the valve cover off.

what city in the bay area did you get the car from? That car looks like the classic "barn find" If the carpet isnt too frayed or smelly i'de keep it. If its faded you can always paint carpet using upholstery spray paint. DO NOT put it in the washing machine. It falls apart when you do that. Even that back hatch area is rust free. It must have been inland from the ocean and fog. After you free up those brakes, you should pull the gas tank and clean it out. It's gotta be nasty from sitting that long. My marin/sonoma county 280z had more rust on it than most bay area cars. I suspect it was driven into the city daily. Check the front hinge area for rust bubbles. Thats where mine rusted. I have another 280z from San Jose calif that was a "barn find" like your 240z. Virtually no rust garage queen. How are the dog legs and floors in that car? How many miles does the odometer say?

Sun nite and preferably after 1st of month...payday

No, its not my project. I just stole someone's dash swap pics off the net. This 200sx dash swap looks like the old z dash with the 3 gauge pod on top but more modern. It looks like they cut off the ends. Probably a real pita putting ends on that one. It was done in oz if I remember correctly. I do like the addition of the airbag with the more modern dashes. The 200sx heating and a/c unit looks close to the 280z unit doesn't it? I applaud your efforts. This is one area that doesn't usually get much modification and there is lots of room for improvement in these old dash's design.

This is advertised on ebay as original factory. Ok mythbusters real or fake?

mercedes dash looks similar i.e. the rounded instrument cluster

Going to this link its interesting to see the attrition rate for datsuns in the UK. I just typed in datsun with no specific model and it pulled up all model datsuns. From the looks of it their numbers are falling fast in the uk. http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/ BUT what really gets interesting is type in 240z and you will see the numbers go up over the past 10 years. http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?page=3&q=datsun&utf8=%E2%9C%93 And here is an exerp from an article on the net.... As a researcher for Automotive Mileposts, one question I am asked time and again is: "how many cars like mine are left?" The question may seem simple on the surface, but it really isn't. Providing a correct answer can be quite elusive. There are services that will tell you how many cars of a particular year, make, and model are still currently registered, but this really isn't a good indicator of how many still exist. These services check with the various state agencies across the country to identify currently registered cars. What aren't accounted for are the cars that have been shipped overseas or out of the country over the years, as well as the cars that haven't been registered in recent history, yet still exist. Consider how many vintage cars are tucked away in garages, barns, and warehouses. Add to that all the cars parked in fields, behind houses, next to buildings, in dark alleys, and the number grows significantly. Also to be factored in are the cars located at the salvage and parts yards, often in complete and restorable condition. One can quickly see the difficulties of coming up with a realistic number of cars that have survived the years. Often a service will provide a report which states that only 200 of a particular car are still around. Yet a check on the current cars for sale listings will show 20 or more for sale at any given time. Is it realistic to think that a ten percent turnover at any given time is accurate on a rare car? It may be possible, although that seems a bit high. And one must also question the low number of survivors. Is it realistic to think that fully 96-97 percent of a model haven't survived 35 years? This statistic becomes even more questionable when one considers the collectible status of many of these cars. Is it reasonable to assume a higher percentage of collectible cars have been stored away for a future restoration project, or to be sold for a higher price when the value comes up? I believe so.

yes but that is ALOT of work and its dirty, smelly work. I like the idea of a newer more stable foam material with the 780$ one on ebay. However that one on ebay may have been a onetime only deal.

I thought for sure they were going to wreck that poor z

test the voltage at the dome light. try wiggling the door switches around see if light gets brighter momentarily. i've had corroded switches that did that

He would still be alive if he had kept the better handling 240z. egads those front tires look like there is no tread.

Apparently z's that were owned by "celebrities" are worth more. Curious to see how far this one is run up. Was this guy "world famous" ??? Never heard of the guy and I grew up in the 70's Car looks like a solid numbers matching car and the sellers are open to international buyers. This one is probably going to end up overseas. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CELEBRITY-OWNED-BEAUTIFUL-1971-DATSUN-240Z-NO-RESERVE-/140895078422?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item20ce004816

Look on Craigslist and hook up with people on the boards that live In pix. When I lived in pix I sometimes would find them at the. Pick and pull. Those fools crushed A beautiful rust free straight 73. I tried the best I could to strip it. Lots of new parts. It was someone's Restoration that ran out of steam or money. I had better luck at the Vegas pick n pulls. Stop there if you're passin thru

yes and if strategically placed in the photo they can hide rust or primer spots like in this photo.

I had to go 2600 miles to see another z. There are very very few in the state of Hawaii The one I saw was a silver 77/78 in the town of summerlin

thats a subaru

Is that a factory nissan seal or aftermarket? I have never had this problem myself but others have commented on the problem. This is from another website. "If the mating surface on the crank is grooved, you can adjust the depth of the new seal. Instead of bottoming out the seal where it rubs on the grooves, it can be positioned slightly rearward so that it seals on a fresh ungrooved area of the crank. As long as it is square to the crank and inserted into the block far enough, it will still seal."

Find another with the foam intact. Northern cars Usually have less sun damage. That's the cheaper Route. Google steering wheel rebuild I'm sure some guys Have DIY. Pages for the more rare wheels

not ebay but yahoo japan auctions. I bought a set of euro spec tail lights for a 280z for 148$. shipping was only 18 more to my mother in laws house in osaka. It would have cost another 90 to ship to the usa so we will put these in the suitcase next spring when we go to japan. i'm thinking this was not a good deal and was thinking of getting other parts to sell in the usa to offset these new toys. I know the euro spec 240 tail lights can sell for over $500 bucks for a good set but am not sure what these usually cost in the usa. i was bidding on a brand new right side headlight cover but was outbid. I should have used the buy it now for $320 edit: just found them on msa's website. $140 each for new reproductions so i got mine half price and used. fair but not a screaming deal

Your return on investment is probably much Better than stocks or real estate. I've got a line on a set of these tail lites But for a 280z. Think they're worth buying?

Yes,sent a series 1 radio to Blackpool, Lancashire. i saw in one of your pictures that you didn't have a radio in your car. since that was an arizona car im betting you're finding lots of sand inside the car. was there much rust in the underside of the frame rails?

i would love to see a picture of that old guys garage with 30+ zcars in it. sound advice given here to not tear the car all apart at once. i would bet that old red paint might buff out to look presentable from 10 ft. Get used to the car beforehand and see if you like the car. you might decide that zcars are too primitive or too much maintenance for you. btw: i love those rear fender flares.