Carl Beck

Hear hear !!! and Amen... Carl B.

Lets see... that 240Z weights 2500 lbs and a E-Type might be 3500 lbs.... Wonder just how big a lift one really needs... the smallest Challenger seems to be 12,000lbs.. Personally, I have got to have that Eagle - Extreme Duty Four Post Lift - 40,000 lb lifting capacity... Instead of lifting a car - hell, I'll lift the whole garage and park four more cars under it ! I wonder why Eagle doesn't put the Eagle name on their Mechanix MS-7000? I wonder why Eagle doesn't offer a comprehensive, assembly / operation manual for their Mechanix MS-7000? I wonder why Eagle shows you more information about their Eagle SS series lifts - when you hit the "Click here to read more about our Storage/Service lifts"... on the page that shows the Mechanix Lifts.. Do you wonder why there is $900.00 difference between the Mechanix MS-7000 series and the SS-7000 Series? decisions, decisions.. but you know that Mechanicx lift looks a lot like the "other brands cheap lifts" that they show you on the Backyard Buddy site... hummm... Nonetheless, at $1850.00 - the Mechanix MS-7000 would most likely hold our 2500 lb Z's without too much risk... and it includes jack tray, caster kit and aluminum ramps... Just knowing about it might help you swing a better deal on some other lift... Get ahold of the right salesman, and most of these companies will deal off their full retail prices... FWIW, Carl B.

The length of the throw-out bearing collar - is related to the clutch assembly used - not to the type of transmission. Both the A and B type tranny have the same input shaft length. Originally the 240Z Clutch Assembly (mainly the Pressure Plate) was THICKER when measured from the Flywheel to the Top of the Pressure Plate Fingers. Stronger springs were used in the 280Z Clutch Assembly (Pressure Plate) and the result was that the 280Z / 280ZX Pressure Plates are THINNER. So today - if you order a clutch assembly for a 240-Z - you'll more than likely get a 280Z Pressure Plate anyway - as they are considered suitable replacements for the 240-Z units. In fact it's all most impossible to get the older thick 240-Z style... There are three or four different lengths of throw-out bearing collars.. The shortest is used with the older 240-Z Pressure Plates... the medium and longer one's are used with the 280Z Pressure Plates.. The problem you describe - would indicate that you need the longer throw-out bearing collar.. If you don't have access to a good junk yard - you'll have order the part from your Local Nissan Dealer.. Is the clutch assembly you purchased - an OEM Nissan Part? It it is, you should be able to find out what year/model it was originally specified for (ie not superceded by) and then order the matching throw-out bearing collar. If the clutch assembly is aftermark - you might have to try a couple different throw-out bearing collars... This picture was on Eric's site... but I can't find the URL for it again.. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Rich: Backyard Buddy has NEVER had a lift fail. Big as any garage is, you don't want to take up too much unneeded room. Depending upon where you want to locate the lift - most people have to keep in mind that the typical garage door is only 16' wide. Which means that they would want to be able to center the ramps within an 8' area to the right or left of center of the opening. If the Posts are too far apart - it leave little to no room on the other sides of the opening. For example, if the Posts are 10' apart - the remaining side of the garage door opening will only have 7' left open. Just some other things to consider.. regards, Carl

Hi Rich: Yes, I'd buy from Ben Person again - they now have about 35 years of experience. It would depend to an extent on them having the type/size lift I wanted and of course a competitive price. (competitive with other high quality lifts). I've seen several of the other vendor products at the National Street Rod meets in Tampa, as well as having several friends with commercial or private lifts. Having had some longer term personal experience with lifts - I always look them over a little more closely. The Backyard Buddy is really tailored to the private homeowner or Classic, Collectible and Special Interest hobbyists (although they have now expanded into the commercial market as well). Many of the four post lifts in the commercial market are simply too large for a private garage. I liked the smooth operation of the BYB as well as the numerous accessories they offer. Mostly I like the quality of the materials and design. They are not the cheapest... Nonetheless, they do have some good information on their video's on their site. Kind of gives one at least one benchmark to keep in mind. <ahref=http://www.backyardbuddy.com/ TARGET=NEW> BACKYARD BUDDY</a> FWIW, Carl B.

Never mind..... see edit above... Carl B.

The person on HybridZ was talking about Ben Person lifts... In 1975 I owned/operated a Muffler Shop - had a new Ben Person Pipe Bender and two 4 Post Lifts. After I actually learned something about the business... I realized that I should have bought a Huth Pipe Bender... and I found that Ben Person was a young company at that point. One day I was letting a car down, as I watched a fine young girl walk by outside... distracted to say the least... My attention was returned to the car when I heard it sliding sideways and threatening to fall off the lift!! YEA GAD !!! One of the "stops" had failed to retract on the Left Front Post...so that corner was still at its uppermost position... in the mean time the other three corners were allowed to come down... The car was sliding backward on the ramps, as the Right Side was now about four feet lower than the left front... As the car slide - it the lift made a horrible noise... twisting posts, drive on ramps sliding across the cross braces... I jumped back away from the lift.... as the Customer exclaimed "Watch My CAR!!"... Everything was at a "ALL STOP"... and I stood there wondering how I was ever going to get this customers car safely back on the ground... After I calmed down... I called Ben Person in Arkansas. They put a "technician" on-line... I explained what had happened..... cute little arse and all.... and he said; "no problem, just go out and push the UP button and raise the car back up... then make sure all the STOPS are up and let the car down". I told him I was not intending to get too close to that mess, because I was afraid that it would either fall on me, or go through the side of the building. He said; "then take a broom handle, stand back and push the UP button... I will give you my word that if anything happens, other than the car returning to the full up position - then coming down properly - Ben Person and Company will pay all damages". He added the fact that he was the lead engineer there - and that lift had 4 times the strength required in every aspect of its design build. He also said he was one of the Principle Owners of the company.. So I took a boom handle - stood back - and pushed the UP button. Among much loud creaking, screeching and poping... the car did in fact return to the lifts full up position... and all four posts returned to their former unbent state. I put the STOPS up and let the lift and car down... The Customer, now some three hours into this venture... exclaimed "I'll be damned!"... "if I hadn't been here to see that - I wouldn't have believed it." Needless to say, there was no charge for the work on his car... Two days later the man from Ben Person was in the shop to inspect the lift... and find out why one stop had failed to retract. He OK the condition of the lift ... and three months later a service team from Ben Person was in the shop installing a new mechanism for raising all the STOPS.... At that point I found out that I had two of the first twenty 4 Post Lifts they had designed and built for the Muffler Shop industry... Bottom line - don't buy a lift from anyone that hasn't been in business for at least 20 years. Don't buy a lift from anyone that builds their lifts outside the USA (to avoid product liability suites)... Don't PAY for anything purchased from ANYONE until it is delivered to you (the exception is when you are dealing directly with the factory, that has been in business for at least 20 years). Way too much FRAUD with retailers and resellers or "factory rep.'s".... If they don't have the working capital to order and deliver your lift - prior to payment - RUN... I'd by a Back Yard Buddy... FWIW, Carl Carl Beck Mad Hatter Muffler Clearwater, FL USA http://ZHome.com

Depending upon the design of your roof, and the trusses that hold it up - - it is quite possible to re-configure four or five of them to allow space for the car to rise above the standard ceiling height of 8'. The Z needs about 4.5' of clearance sitting on the ramps of the usual 4 post lift. You need about 5.5' of clearance below the top of the drive on ramps (as the Z sits an additional 0.5' above the top of the ramps. So it would be easy enough to re-configure about five of your trusses to a scissor type for example and that would do it. There may not be a need to put "stops" in the lift - if you re-configure the trusses.. because most 4 post lifts don't lift the car higher than 6 to begin with. The main problem with the four post lifts in standard garage is that the Posts themselves are over 6' 8" high. If you add wheels to the lift - they raise the height even more. The standard garage door opening is 6' 8" high... so once you set the lift up inside, you can't roll it outside unless you have taller openings in your garage. FWIW, Carl

Hummm...... I haven't seen too many Edsel Dealers around lately. Come to think of it, where did all the Oldsmobile Dealers go? I think we can drop Ford and GM from that list.... There are a couple of "reasons" given for the use of the DATSUN Brand name by Nissan for it's Exports. The Nissan story is that not knowing how their venture into export sales would fair, they didn't want to risk the Corporate Name and have a potential failure associated with it. Looking at the actual history of Nissan and its actions in China during WW-II, and given the fact that it's Founder and CEO was charged with war crimes, sent to prison and banned from holding any Corporate Office in Japan - it seems logical that the Brand Name of Nissan may not have been broadly accepted in other parts of the world during the 50's. No matter how it was rationalized, I firmly belive that the destruction of the DATSUN Brand Name was part of the attempt to destroy the legacy of success associated with Mr. K. Most business analysts also agree that it was one of the largest corporate blunders of the 20th Century. If Nissan gets strong enough to launch an entirely new Model Line, you might see the DATSUN Brand come back to America. It hasn't bee ruled out... although I do agree that it is unlikely in the near future. It might be generational now - but I believe that the vast majority of the Baby Boomers all recognize the DATSUN brand. Given that they are still the largest generation in the population - I'm not so sure that the "average" public wouldn't remember Datsun. Especially given Nissan's broad advertising campaign a few years ago to remind everyone ... Dream Garage?, "Dogs Love Trucks"... FWIW, Carl B. Carl Beck Clearwater, FL USA http://ZHome.com

Thanks... we can keep wishing for now... The BMW Z1 was really a trail forerunner to BMW's later efforts at re-establishing their Sports Car image. The Z 07 and Z8 that followed later, was in my opinion one of the most beautiful cars BMW ever produced. If I won the lotto... the Z8 would be at the top of my list...Although I'd rather have it with the in-line 6. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guys: Thanks for the kind words... I was simply trying to get Nissan to think once again of their end Customers. Build the car we wanted to buy, rather than the one they wanted to sell. It was too bad that Nissan simply was not in a position at that point in time to either think "out of the box", or take on the R& D for something completely new. It's hard to argue that they didn't make the right decisions, given the successful turn-around that followed.. Still there is a large gap between surviving and flourishing. For now at least the "Z" has survived.... maybe next time they will take the risk to flourish... Why be limited to one or the other? After 36 years, I was ready for a new Z, but that didn't mean I would ever give up my 240-Z. We weren't asking for a new version of the 240-Z, but rather a new incarnation of the original spirit of the Z Car. Beautifully styled in the curving sensuality of a more classic form. A lightweight Sports/GT that offered loads of Customer Value, as well as some practical utility. A Z Car that was once again would actually establish a paradigm in the enthusiasts market. FWIW, Carl

So what did you wind up painting them with? Carl B.

Not being able to see who is bidding on this car - now that e-bay has changed their auction rules - kind of leaves me cold. Just too much chance of his brother being the second highest bidder. At any real auction you can at least see who your bidding against... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guys: I ask my Daughter to look at the two wheels pictured below - in indirect sunlight. She is 12 years old but quite the Artist with all the charcoal, oils, pastels etc in her many Artists Kits.... She and her Mother really have "an eye for color" so to speak. At first glance she said; "they are black".... then;... "well actually they have a slight hue of blue underlying, so technically they are a blue based dark gray". "Black is the absence of any color, so if I were mixing oils to match that, I'd have to add some dark blue, some white and maybe some others to get that exact color". I said; "well I can't go to paint store and by a dark blue based gray - is it charcoal gray or black?" "As dark as that is, I'd go with black", she replied. "But if you took the wheel to the paint store, and told them to color match it - they would mix in colors other than black", she added. (she and her Mother have been to the Paint Store and had various colors - color matched - for her room. So she knows the process by now.). OK - I used a "semi-gloss black"... lacking a good can of flat black, and I lightly sprayed one half of the wheel on the Right with it - the white arrows show where the new paint starts/stops. The wheel on the left is an 11/69 and the wheel on the right is a 7/73. The square in the middle of the wheel on the left is sprayed with a couple coats of semi-gloss black. I have to agree Arne - other than being semi-gloss and fresh non faded paint - the two (old and new) are very close. If on the other hand I was trying for a 100 Concours Car.... I'd most likely go with a very dark blue based gray... just off pure black. I think Bonzi Lon's "Graphite" might be a better description... Given that these wheels are now 30+ years old, and given that Nissan used cheap paint to black or Graphite them the out - - - no matter where they were stored - - that original paint simply evaporated over the years leaving the graphite color we see today.. That may partly be the result of having the gray undercoat as well. Bottom line - if you pain them black, dark charcoal or graphite... most people won't have the color perception needed to tell them all apart unless they are held side by side. I called it black once and dark charcoal once... so I'll call it a draw, or still a toss-up. FWIW, Carl

Hi Ron (everyone): Yes, that is the original cage - Dr. Logan purchased the car from Mr. Brock and he assures me that other than putting it into "Street Clothes".. everything was left the way BRE built it. The exceptions included removing the original 26 gallon fuel cell (which he did not keep), replacing the original BRE modified hood with a stock hood ( he did thank goodness keep the BRE hood and that came with the car), replaced the stock interior (but didn't keep the BRE Racing Seats).. and putting it on street tires (didn't keep the original LeMans wheels either)... Other than that it was still in it's as raced configuration.. I was hoping to get it done by Jan. 1. 2007, but that may be delayed another month. Still working on getting that 26 Gallon Fuel Cell recreated. That may take 4 to six weeks to get the bladder/safety foam custom built. Of course I have get our seats done too ... past that it's just a matter of many small items... like rewiring the car for the lights and the BRE instrument panel and gauges in etc. Still need to find the right size batteries...I found that the original battery frames from BRE were still welded to the floor behind the seats, when I removed the carpet and pads Dr. Logan had installed! I don't know if anyone noticed or not in that picture - but when BRE put the "spreader-bar" on the front shock towers, they notched the valve cover in order to keep the spreader-bar straight. Kind of unique...(pictured below). Ron - I'll e-mail you with details on the seats.. FWIW, Carl

Yea Gad... first it's colors and now its numbers...!! WFIW Cral....

Hi Arne: I said that three years ago? .... "black" .... what was I thinking? Either my eyes are getting worse... or my memory was clouded... So tomorrow in the sunlight, I'll go out to the garage and dig out some original wheels.. I will then spray a color chip with flat black to hold beside the wheel ... so maybe side by side I can tell the difference if there is any ... I'll let you know how that turns out (just got new glasses too;-)... Shades of Gray... Carl

Hi Ron (everyone): Gee..that looks a lot like mine <vbg>. However I have an additional bar at the front of the rear deck area... behind which the 26 Gallon Fuel Cell sat... Note the metal "divider" on that brace to keep the seat belts from sliding... As front bars were mentioned.. When BRE put the front bar in - it was referred to as a "spreader-bar" in Off-Road Vehicles Mag (Oct. 73)... now known as a strut tower brace... thought some would get a kick out of that... FWIW, Carl B.

My new Red Top Optima came with a removable plastic base - intended to bring it up to the standard height of a group 24 battery. The problem is the Optima is ever so slightly smaller in width and depth. So - I took the plastic tray off the bottom - and cut parts of it out - and used the remaining parts as spacers on top of the Optima... the spacers fit between the OEM top hold down and the battery along the front and rear edges... they are wide enough to bridge the gap in width and depth between the battery and the OEM battery hold down frame. The battery is now held down securely.... even if it is a bit Jerry-Rigged... by the original battery mount. At some point in the future... I may make a very OEM looking battery hold down frame.. downsized slightly to fit the Optima... but that's way down the priority list right now... Just a thought.. Carl B.

Hi Arne: I may well be color blind - but the wheels you have pictured, aren't flat black as far as I can see. Charcoal Gray...perhaps. I've always felt that the wheels were sprayed with the same charcoal gray that was used on the rear tail light finisher and the grill. Because of the underlying colors there is ever so slight a difference in the finished product... If you call Les... I'm pretty sure he'll say the same thing. He sells that OEM Charcoal Gray in a rattle can.. I suppose that if you sprayed a very very thin coat of flat black over a silver wheel - it might come close to a charcoal gray finish... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Steve: I believe that the "respect" is already there among all serious Car Nuts.. Polls among many "automotive experts" taken over the last decade - always result in the DATSUN 240-Z placing in the top 5 Sports/GT ever built. Yea gad - in AUTOMOBILE's "Sports Car Of The Decade" series - the DATSUN 240-Z placed second only behind the Ferrari Dayton Coupe for the Decade of the 70's. How much "RESPECT" can a car get? On top of that - the Daytona should really have been in the Decade of the 60's - but I think the pannel couldn't decide between the Ferrari 275GTB-4 and the Datyona 365GTB-4....so the bumped the Daytona into the Decade of the 70's. The only people who don't respect the DATSUN 240-Z for the rare and true Classic it is - are morons or simply spousing "sour grapes", ignore them. I don't hear from any of the Collectors - any indication that they are moving into a selling phase, but rather are still in the buying phase at this point. It may be two to three years before we see serious Collectors trading serious cars at the Classic Car Auctions. That will happen only after all possibility of private sales taking place - had been exhausted. The smartest most forward looking Collectors are at the present time buying up the #1 and #2 Condition cars that are still, or were, in the hands of the Enthusiasts; and in some cases the Original Owners. That supply has already started to dry up.. but there are still a few really nice cars that can be bought for $20K to $30K from that group. (you won't get a serious Collector to sell a car at that price today!!). All these Special Interest Classic Cars seem to go though various phases. Just in the last three years have the more advanced, serious Collectors, started to look around and gather up that 3% of the Classic 240-Z's that have been put in. or maintained in, #1 and #2 Condition by the Enthusiasts. Prices for these cars are usually between $20K and $30K right now, but sales outside that range have been completed... high of $40K and a low of $6k. This shows you that the rarity and desirability of these Classics is only just now becoming known among their present enthusiast owners. Once the number of the Real Collectors that are starting to notice and gather the 240-Z's grows to critical mass, there is a secondary effect. An even broader range of Collectors start to get involved as they realize that #1 and #2 Condition examples have doubled in price in the last couple of years. These are the Collectors that hadn't really thought of a Datsun 240-Z before... but now that they see them in more and more Collectors garages.. they too decide that they need one. Thus demand and prices start to go up - as the original supply is sucked off the market. The third order effect starts when "Speculators" begin to realize that serious Collectors are now in the market in significant numbers. The Speculators then scurry around attempting to buy up any remaining examples, and/or start pushing 240-Z's though quickie "restoration" processes...Nonetheless this pushes prices even higher - and starts to drag the values of the #3 and #4 cars up along the way... The very cars that the enthusiasts want and used to be able to afford... These second and third order effects will take place over the next two to four years..they don't happen over night. Might even be the next three to five years... but it will happen before most of our eyes. Just look back a few years at the Big Healey's... and realize that one #1 condition example sold at a recent auction for $110K. A car you could have bought ten years ago for $18,500.00. So.... 240-Z's bringing "big" (big for them) money at a major auction.. I think it's still five years away. The next major milestone the 240-Z's need to break is the $50K barrier... and I think you might just see that surpassed in the next three to four years. A car that sold for $30K this year, will sell for over $50K in four to five years if the market follows the usual trends... Keep in mind that we are talking about the best of the best here.. not #3 nor #4 Condition cars. We are also taking about "Stock Production Cars".... not historic race/rally nor very limited production "specials". Most of them are already way over $50K and some are already over way over $100K. They too have the effect of dragging the prices of the #1 and #2 Pure Stock examples ever higher. Just how I see it at the present time... and one can vary the price and time frame by 50% one way or the other.... only time will tell. IMHO we are still ten to fifteen years away from a Stock Production 240-Z selling for over a $100k.... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Max (everyone) Thanks - to look at the future, I'll review a bit of the past.... I made that presentation to Mr. Kitahora and Mr. Katayama in Dearborn, the week that Mr. K was inducted into the Automobile Hall of Fame. At that time Mr. Kitahora was the Senior VP of Marketing and Sales in the US. Because Mr. Katayama had personally invited me to the induction ceremony I was in Dearborn the day before, the day of and the day after the event. I had an opportunity to trap Mr. Kitahora in a more or less private and somewhat captive audience (arranged by Mr. K after he reviewed the presentation with me the day before.) I believe that Mr. K fully understood the "concept" in both an overall and detailed manor. Mr. K supported it very enthusiastically. I'm not so sure that Mr. Kitahora really grasp the concept in it's entirety. I supplied them both with copies of the presentation along with notes for each slide. While I was kept fairly well informed over the following years - I actually did not receive any formal feedback from Nissan as to the viability of the design... or any of its component parts. As the situation unfolded with the Renault take-over, I knew the whole idea of a clean slate design for the new Z was dead. As I said earlier, I did see a couple of the ideas presented, show up in the 350-Z... but only minor one's that could have come from anywhere.. I still believe that the next generation Z has to offer far more than the competition in terms of real Customer Value. Something that can not be purchased everywhere else... As for going forward again.... At the present time Mr. K is still our best hope for a "real" Z Car again. I do try to keep in touch with some of the friendlier faces in Nissan and if the opportunity presents itself again - I would respectfully suggest that Peter Brock should be one of their design consultants on that project. Faced with supporting and promoting the 350Z, or having no Z Car return to the US it is my belief that Mr. K reluctantly chose the former. I on the other hand, took purely a "Customers" perspective and broadly and publicly dis'ed the badge engineering as being nothing short of re-inventing the AM-X. Needless to say that didn't win me any political friends in Nissan Corporate... I also believe that it is Nissan that needs Customers as friends and supporters - not the other way around. There were and still are voices in the Z Car Community that woo Corporate favor by telling the people at Nissan what they want to hear, rather than telling them what they need to hear. Many of us that have worked in major corporations know how that game is played... but in the end it does neither the corporation nor its customers any real good, and indeed usually leads to long term harm. 36 years is a long time to wait for the second coming.... but for all the right elements to fall in place again it just might be another 36 years at Nissan. In the meantime - lets all keep our old Z's alive and well as we wait for the return of DATSUN. FWIW, Carl B.

Preservation is your first step and main goal at this point.. Get on that as soon as possible. Sand the rusted area down to shinny metal where ever you can. Even then, you will still have rust in cracks and crevases. Go to an Automotive Paint Store and get a quart of Ospho. Ospho is a mild phosphoric acid solution. Applied to rust, it will chemically convert the iron oxide (rust) to iron phosphate. That will stop the rust. Ospho is mixed at a mild solution level, so it won't hurt painted surfaces if rinsed off with water... but you don't want to let it sit on a concrete floor for more than an hour without rinsing it off with water. You can strip the entire body down to bare metal, or do individual spots at a time - but address any rusted area's as soon as possible - rust grows EVERY DAY. Once the rust has been stopped..(about 24 hours after the application of the Ospho), wipe the area down with lacquer thinner and apply an epoxy primer to seal the metal against moisture in the air. I would not recommend using POR-15 as a primer... a good epoxy primer over bare metal will allow you to sand the area later when your ready to actually do the paint and body work.. Carl B.

It will be lucky to bring a bit of $8,500.00... The best 240-Z's never make it to an auction today.. they are sold via private sales at this point. Demand far out strips supply for true "Collector Quality" examples (#1 and #2 condition cars in the $20K to #30K range). Perhaps in three to five years, you'll start to see true "Collector Quality" cars making it to the auctions. That will be because with a gathering of several buyers - willing to pay high prices - in one place at one time - it will start to make sense to have the car available there for personal inspection, by everyone - prior to the auction. Just my opinion... FWIW, Carl B.

Sounds like a lot of hassle for you - but "might" be worth it - IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT. If you can buy the car for $2K or less.. then spend another $1,500.00 to have it put back together... and when you are done - have a car that's worth $5,500.00 to $6,500.00 it "might" be worth it. How much spare time do you have - and can you spend that on the car? On the other hand - do you really have the time during the week, to deal with a professional shop.. get the car and all the needed parts gathered up and transported to that shop, then stay on top of the "repairs" to see that they get done in a timely manor? Can you afford the "risk" that someone will make a stupid mistake (it happens to the best of them), which will result in a second trip to the shop.. and perhaps a second tear down of the engine? I really don't think that $1,500.00 would be out of line, for a professional shop to do the needed work - using your Parts... if you can find one. Does it need a new water pump, how about a new oil pump and a rebuilt starter and/or a rebuilt alternator - need new motor mounts?... might as well do the clutch while the engine is out... Now all new hoses/belts and a battery.... Too bad the block wasn't boiled out - to clean the water passages and oil passages... you might want to have that done before you start putting it back together. You could wind up spending as much on this car in total actual dollars - as what you could have bought a clean, good running car to begin with. Keep shopping until you find a nice car you can drive home and enjoy... you don't need a project at this point from what you have said... FWIW, Carl B.