Carl Beck

Hi Steven: It wasn't the "project" that caught my attention - it was more specifically Sunbelt Performance and John Williams. Some of us know John, and were just talking about his driving etc at the recent ARRC... Sunbelt Performance and John did the rebuild and restoration on my BRE Z's engine... Sorry to say I did miss your earlier thread about the exhaust system... I'm sure I would have followed it had I seen it. I owned/operated a muffler shop for a couple years... built a lot of exhaust systems for Z's in the mid-70's... Glad to see that MSA seems to have improved theirs... FWIW, Carl

....and the reason you didn't share it with the rest of us at that time....is??.....

Hi Guys: Just so we aren't taking across one another - nor giving conflicting advice to Shoottathril200 - - my response was really aimed at the original Post - wherein Shoottathril200 ask about "adapting" a 280ZX F.I. system to his 240-Z. Not really talking specifically about racing, nor increased performance in his case - - more about being able to properly tune out a F. I. System for his L24 and using modern aftermarket parts that are easily available and relatively inexpensive etc. I wouldn't swap out the OEM system on a stock 280Z/280ZX... nor recommend it. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Stephen: I worked for DATSUN in 74/75. The 260Z's built on the 280Z Bodies had to be sold and titled as 1974 or 74 1/2 Model Year Vehicles here in the U.S. The L26 could not meet the U.S. Emissions Standards in effect for 1975. If that 260Z was titled as a 75, it was a title error or mistake of some kind. It would seem that it would make it very difficult for it to pass the CARB standards for a 75 model year in California - at least in years prior (if it was in California when still requiring vehicle inspections for emissions etc). FWIW, Carl B.

See: http://www.classicmotorsports.net/news.php?cat=14 FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Jared Well my conclusion may have seemed a little too insensitive - but I hope the rest of it was more a consideration of the technology, than just my opinion. Lets face it, can you plug your P.C. into your Jetronic System and reprogram the fuel maps, adjust the volumes and air/fuel ratios to account for different engine displacements, head flow rates, new cam profiles, or different spark timing curves? Don't get me entirely wrong - I love the 280Z's and yes they run just fine with the system the factory equipped them with 33 years ago, but the system wasn't programmed for the best performance possible. I agree that for it's time, the system was pretty effective and mostly easy to work on. But given the options available today - I would not recommend going back in time..while trying to improve the performance of an L24/L28 etc. FWIW, Carl B.

Interesting article in the Nov. Classic Motorsports Magazine, on their Z Car project. Engine rebuilt by Sunbelt Performance, Balanced Performance Motorsports and John Williams in Atlanta, GA. Stock L24 started at 134 HP at the rear wheels... and 169 HP after the rebuild.... FWIW, Carl B.

I agree with the recommendation to replace the studs when you have the intake/exhaust manifolds off. With water cooling running through the aluminum head - I would not recommend using Stainless Steel studs. Far less electrolysis, corrosion of the studs and galling will occur using the Cadmium plated steel studs from Nissan. The Cad. plating is a sacrificial coating, so new studs with their full depth of coating should always be used... and old studs that have given up their coatings should be discarded before they corrode. FWIW, Carl B.

The Fuel Injection System on the 280Z/280ZX's were put there by the factory to meet the US Emissions Standards. They are analog (ie hard wired) systems, and the only way to "tune" them is by feeding false signals from the sensors they use. By todays standards they are historic junk... Making the situation even worse - call your local Nissan Dealers Parts Dept. - and price a new set of Nissan Injectors...CARZY!!! If you feel at home with Fuel Injection Systems in todays digital world... by all means look into what is available in the aftermarket... Todays F.I. systems are very "tuneable" and a way of overcoming the limitations of the tapered metering rod's in the S.U.'s.. Visit hybridz.org and go from there... lots of guys have installed various F.I. systems on the older in-line sixes - to yield great results. good luck, Carl B.

Because I said; "In the case of our DATSUN 240-Z's ....." I could have said; "In the case of the Datsun 280-Z's.." the "H" stands for the 2.8L engine.... but wasn't thinking along that line at the time... Why Nissan used "R" for the 2.6L in the 260-Z, then reverted to the "H" for the 280-Z's.... we'll most likely never know ;-) FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Bryan: Wrong - VIN's existed before 1980. They were simply "standardized" in 1980 and the new standards included more information, that both the government and consumer groups wanted to see related to each vehicle. The "VIN" was required to be visible, from outside the car for all 1969 Model Year cars sold in the USA. (check the dash of any 69 Model Year car sold here in the USA). In the case of our DATSUN 240-Z's the complete VIN is comprised of two parts. Vehicle Identification Number = Car Model Information + Chassis Number HLS30 XXxxx H= 2.4L engine L = Left Hand Drive S30=Sport Coupe XXxxxx = the chassis serial number for that model FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Chris; Is there a page missing? the article seems to start in the middle.. thanks, Carl B.

Hi Michael: Well it's about time!! ;-) Great photo's and it's easy to see that a lot of elbow grease along with a lot of money has gone into that 280Z. It's got to draw a crowd where-ever you take it. Hope you have a few weeks of good weather to enjoy it before the ice and snow come... regards, Carl B.

Hi Warren: Good to hear that you got your 240-Z back. The pictures look great.. Now the real fun begins... Having the car there with it's finished body and paint work gives you an incentive to devote more time to the project; and every bag of old parts you open, clean, refresh/restore and get back on the car yields a great deal of personal pleasure during the process, and satisfaction upon completion. Personally, I'd refresh/restore a lot more cars if I didn't have to deal with getting the body and paint work done... Keep us posted with your progress on the project.. Carl B.

Not quite what you said - - from the comments that followed Post #7 it still seemed to me that it would be helpful if people knew both the starting number as well as the ending number, along with the starting and ending months of production. Just wanted to add some information... FWIW, Carl B.

Just my opinion.... Failure to sell the car - at this point in time - isn't about the price of the car at all. About the SALESMAN: The reason the car isn't selling - is because you are failing to "Sell It". The pictures you Posted with your Ad - are tuning prospective buyers off before they go any farther. Drag that car out of that dark, dingy garage, clean/polish the chrome, stainless and especially the tail lights... Don't "detail" it, don't gloss anything over - just clean things up with soap and water!! (shinny chrome on the tail lights would be worth $500.00).. Show it as it really is - not at its worst. THEN - take clear pictures of the important details, to both Post in an Ad. - and Send to prospective buyers. You know enough about the Z's to know what details prospective buyers want to see - if you don't show them, buyers will know that your description is most likely BS - - and that your trying to hid major flaws in the car with crummy pictures (that's just the way it works isn't it?). Put the car up on a lift - pay a shop to put it in the air for you - and take good pictures of the floorboards and frame rails. Pull the carpets and take good pictures of the floorboards from inside the car. That will help confirm or dispel the talk here about hidden rust issues there etc. I can see rust spots on the rear bumper - are the bumpers rusting through from the inside out? Can you poke a screwdriver through these spots? Are the bumpers dented, twisted? Show clear pictures if you expect to get many calls about the car... (bumpers are VERY expensive now), and if they are rusted through - you can't do anything with them except throw them in the trash... Anyone can see that at least the rear of the car was re-sprayed.. and a sloppy job at that.. so show clear pictures of the inside of the rear panels - so we can see they aren't crumpled, and with bondo sticking through... You have to show off-sets - for every flaw that shows... Bottom line is - show everything clearly, don't hid anything... the right buyer will accept a few flaws in a 37 year old car.. About the Buyer: The car would sell to the people looking for a 240-Z, that they want to refresh or restore themselves. They want to do it themselves because they like the hobby (enjoy the process of restoring a classic), or they want to know that everything has been done the way they want it done. That person loves the Datsun 240-Z's, either has one or more, or has wanted one for a long time. $3K, $4K, $5K won't matter a hoot to the person above - they just don't care about a couple thousand dollars one way or the other - when they find the car they want to start their project with. They know it's going to take a couple years and $20K + to get the car the way they want it - because they have researched the subject, have friends that had done the whole nine-yards etc The have the money and they can easily afford to do what they want... There are a lot of potential buyers that fit the above description out there - but you have to do far more work in presenting the car to them. They aren't bargain hunters, they aren't thinking of building a driver, they are a completely different group than that. They are the people however that have been driving the price of "restorable" vehicles up over the past couple years... About the Car: I agree with you - a Series I, 240-Z, with a crack free, perfect dash (which you completely fail to show clear detail pictures of), with less than 60K miles, in unmolested condition - should sell easily for $3,500.00 to $4,500.00 on the East Cost... The problem is, you aren't really "showing" anyone "that" car. You have described it, but your pictures do not at this point, match your description as far as any prospective buyers are concerned... rather the pictures you have simply raise suspicions ....(as you can see from many of the comments here - I hope). On the other hand: If the floorboards and frame rails ARE rusted to the point of needing replacement, if the rockers are really much worse that expected... if the damage to the rear panels are more extensive than expected... it's a $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 car in non-running condition, and it isn't the car that the buyer I outlined above, is looking for - he wouldn't buy it at any price... FWIW - as I said, just my take on the situation... good luck, Carl B.

According to one factory document: Aug. 1977 thru June 78 HLS30 420001 - 470009 So 470009 should be the last 280Z produced (but I wouldn't bet too much money on that) FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Pete: Thanks - I hope you guys in that area realize how lucky you are to have a resource like John anywhere close to you. Great guy, loves the 240-Z's and there isn't anything he can't do, or hasn't done a hundred times already. Very reasonable shop prices for first class work as well. Not to mention a very competitive driver... I usually try to make it up to Atlanta for the ARRC, but this year it conflicted with a local Concours event I had earlier committed to attend. Also it conflicted with the Historic's at Daytona... Sure wish these event organizers of major events would coordinate a little better here in the South East at least. FWIW, Carl B.

Seems to have shown up here full size.... looks great... What happened to John Williams? Carl B.

Hi Shane: You'll have to look for a little more information on the car and let us know what you find. 1. Look at the side of the engine block - just below the #5/#6 spark plug's -you should see to flat pads cast into the block - and on them you should see L26 (if it's a 260Z) or L20 if it is a 2.0 Liter Fairlady Z.. on the second pad is the serial number of the engine. 2. Look on the firewall - just below the drip rail, where the hood closes down.. Stamped into the firewall should be some letters and numbers... sometimes you have to clean the dirt off to see them. You should see something like "GS30 xxxxxx or GS301 xxxx"... 3. On the data tag, that is under the hood, screwed to the shock tower - on one line or another.. you should be able to see "L20-xxx" or " L20E xxxxxx" or "L26 xxxxxx" stamped into the metal somewhere... Of course digital pictures will help a lot too - if you have a digital camera, up load a few pictures showing the engine, interior details etc... Whatever it is - I'm sure you'll have lot of fun with it... FWIW, Carl B.

If you can't tell the difference - why put them on the car? Just build a double glass sided display case and keep the solid core's for display/conversation pieces. Put the hollow core's on the car. Both my "DATSUN" scripts from the decklid, are hollow from #20 and #587... The 240Z Scripts from the quarter panels are solid, and the 240Z script from the trunk lid is hollow (only have one, and it's not from either car) I don't recall ever seeing a solid DATSUN script from the decklid... neat... I'd keep it for display.. FWIW, Carl B.

I'm still at 10.3.9... yes I have the Flash Player. All other video's everywhere else load and play (u-tube, xxx etc)... FWIW, Carl

These recent "click here to play video" things..... doesn't seem to work for me. When I click there - I just get a page with a lot of white space, and some advertising... I'm useing Firefox on a Mac... Carl B.

Hi Fred: I had something like that on my Christmas list too - so I decided to buy it for myself now. I ask a few people about current digital camera's, then did as much research as I could on the Web... wound up buying the Nikon D40x... although the Cannon offering was also highly recommended. I bought a Nikon CoolPix 950 about five or six years ago, and it is a pretty good camera still today... so thought I'd just stick with Nikon. You know how to use a good camera, and I have one that I don't know how to use... so we'll have to spend some time together. At the present time all I can do is point and shoot... on the fully automatic settings.. My wife tells me I need to learn how to stage the settings and pay attention to composition first - then worry about the quality of the photo itself .... (she's usually right)... Here's a shot from Jim's back yard..(of course all you can see is the low res. version on computer screen). The St. Pete Yacht Club's show runs from registration between 8:30 and 10:30AM - then the show runs till 3:00PM... with awards directly following. Their Web Site is: http://www.spyc.org/ Just hit the "EVENTS" tab... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Fred: What for example would you consider a decent camera to be? I'd say the pictures taken with the camera you used - most likely would have turned out even better, if you catch the Sun at the right time of day... and/or have the car in a better orientation to the light source... {not easy to do in Florida this time of year...} The Z looks great... adding the Aero/Ground effects kit makes the car look much sleeker.. There is a good classic car show at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club this Sunday... right down town just North of the Pier. It's held in the Park just North of the Club.. very nice setting, lots of very nice people.. A few of us will be there... come on over... FWIW, Carl