Everything posted by Carl Beck
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NH 1972 240Z in classifieds
The story I got goes something like this - When the Vintage Z Program was first getting started - the people at Nissan had no real idea what the cost of restoration would be. The previous owner of that car had already done a major "refresh" - and Nissan bought it. As the real costs of the restorations started to become known -Nissan realized that they had put too much into the car to begin with - so they held it with the intention of selling it back into the Used Car Market. So it got stuck in the Nissan warehouse to be delt with later. Later never came and the car sat there. Personal changed and the car was simply forgotten about - Until Nissan decided to move out of California.. When people started looking at what was in the warehouse - the car was mistaken as being one of the Vintage Z's - because it was sitting there with two other Vintage Z's that Nissan had kept. The cars were covered with years of warehouse dust and grim and it the warehouse was dimly lite.. So the VIN on that car was included on a list of VIN's for the Vintage Z's by mistake.. Once everything was brought out into the light of day and cars cleaned up - Nissan realized that it wasn't one of the Vintage Z's.. so it was sold into the used car market - as I recall it went to Courtesy Nissan for sale.. then to it first buyer in Atlanta, then to a second buyer in Atlanta.. Nonetheless it was a pretty nicely "refreshed" 240Z - as I recall the only issue with it was that the floorboards had not been fully replaced with new ones - only patched in. Which was fine for the intended use of the car, by its previous owner. BTW - I think the cars history does add something to the ownership experienced. How or if that converts to an increased value at this point I don't know.. FWIW, Carl B.
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Rear driver's side plastic rear trim panel instll
The Bracket is welded to the car - but it is smaller than the part of the strut that attaches to it. So take it out. Secondly - 40 years ago, the plastic panels were new and could stand a lot of FLEX.. today that is no longer true. The advice above is correct.. with the understanding that you have every panel already out - and your starting to put them all back in.. FWIW, Carl B. FWIW, Carl B.
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Datsun Competition 5 Speed
It is not only the Type "B" shifter - it is a two piece case - ie a Type "B" tranny. The only way to know that it is a Close Ratio Competition box - is to take it apart and look at the gears and synchro's. I suppose one could count input/output rotations in each gear and at least get close to a picture of each gear ratio... but that is easier to say than do accurately. If it is a Close Ratio Competition box - then it should sell quickly at $1500.00. But for that kind of money - I'd pull it apart before I left the seller.. FWIW, Carl B.
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Headlight covers with chrome trim.....
No - none that are for sale. Not wood anyway.. Carl
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Headlight covers with chrome trim.....
Hi Jim: The "Happy Rabbit" was just something to use as a trial run.. although it is pretty neat for a Kids room etc. Local Artist does them.. But it still hasn't sold... humm... Nonetheless - An NOS combination Choke & Hand Throttle Assembly - sold in 2 minutes $595.00 Sold one of three - NOS Wood 4spd Shift Lever Knobs for $95.00 and a pair of NOS 240Z 1/4 Panel Emblems - METAL for $249.00 - all sold in 3 or 4 minutes of listing. It would seem that if anyone wants to find something on EBay - they better have something set up to search the listings every few minutes - and notify them when whatever they want - is listed. Maybe that explains why we never see really rare items go to auction.. and why the headlight covers sold so quickly.. FWIW, Carl B.
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Headlight covers with chrome trim.....
Jim - EBay ID is: beckatbecksystemscom Only a few things on EBay right now - but I'll be adding stuff every day for the next few weeks.. mostly NOS stuff, but a few harder to find good used parts as well. Some smaller stuff I may just group into Package Deals - as the packing and shipping costs are so high. I don't want to sell 4 hose clamps for $15.00 then charge $10.00 to pack & ship them. {if you know what I mean}. thanks for asking.. Carl B.
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Headlight covers with chrome trim.....
Man - that was a very nice "donation" to say the least... Now you'll have to keep us Posted on the progress you are making on the restoration of your Z. Maybe I need to raise the prices on some of the NOS Parts I'm putting on EBay.. Good luck, Carl B.
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My E39 touring project
Wonderful! Great information .. I appreciate it. Carl B.
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My E39 touring project
Looks Great to say the least. Gee.. "what kind of Gas Mileage does it get"? On a swap of this nature - I always wonder about connections to retain the OEM Tach, Oil Pressure, Coolant Temp. gauges - as well as the OEM A/C hookup and Cruise Control etc. Did you attempt to retain any of that - or did you just swap everything like that out - and replace it all with after-market stuff? Carl B. What did you do?
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Overheating tips and lessons!
Ah.. the joys of owning and driving OLD cars. First - most of our engines have cast iron blocks - the internal coolant passages on which are not coated with any corrosion protectant. What protects them is the use of anti-corrosives contained in what is commonly called Anti-Freeze & Summer Coolant. We used to call it Permanent Anti-Freeze, but that term was actually misleading to many people - they thought you left it in the car Permanently. Nothing could be farther from the truth - to remain an effective anti-corrosive protecting that cast iron - you have to change that coolant every year or two at the most. {depending on mileage/conditions}. The anti-corrosive chemicals do get diluted and are no longer effective past that point. Not too many people change their coolant every year or two - so most engines build up a lot of corrosion on top of the cast iron coolant passages. That acts somewhat like an insulation - and reduces the efficiency of the cooling system. In effect, the coolant is not making as direct a contact with the cast iron as is needed to extract the maximum amount of heat and carry it away to the radiator. This is not something that can be easily cured when you have an over-heating problem. It is something that needs to be addressed - usually over time - to prevent a problem. First step is to flush the cooling system, getting rid of all the old coolant and as much curd as it can carry away with it. After a through FLUSH - you need to add some type of Coolant Flush and run that though. Usually that requires leaving it in for a few days - so that it can dissolve and absorb as much of the built up corrosion as possible, then carry it out on the next Flush... Cleaning these old cooling systems out in the above manor - can reveal other "issues". Some say that these Flushings can "cause" other issues. In some heater cores for example - it is the built up corrosion that is the only part of the metal left - remove that and the heater core starts to leak. The only question is - do you want to be revealed while you are at home or when your on a long trip? Corroded Radiators are easy to deal with - you just pull them and have a trusted Radiator Shop flush and pressure test them - then flow test them. After you have flushed that old block a few times - you need to return with fresh Coolants that contain the proper anticorrosion chemicals and water pump lubricants. Then keep up with it - clean it out every year or two. FWIW, Carl B.
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Datsuns Triumph at Mid Ohio in 2012
The name does sound familar - Robby I think.. The Club had a fairly large and very active membership. Around 1967 I joined the "Classic Thunderbird Club" in Columbus, Ohio. Another great group of people, but far more reserved. My Ashland High School 50th Class Reunion is this Fall - if I make it back there - it would be the first time since the late 60's. How time flies.. Carl B.
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Datsuns Triumph at Mid Ohio in 2012
Joined the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Cub in 1963. The track came later, but it was the first road course I ever drove on. Had a 1959 Corvette then - aka "the plastic pig". Great group of people... Monthly meetings at the German Club of Mansfield's Beer Hall. Carl B.
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I need a hand throttle
PM Sent.. Carl B.
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AutoZone and crap from China
- Hi Bart - yes, and beyond that for Manned Space Projects. However my interests in Dr. Deming has more to do with his work in Japan for the Japanese Auto Industry among others. Deming and Juran actually. Amazing guys. FWIW, Carl
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Temperature?
Burl: Looks about right for 90 degrees outside. But one always worries that it will go hig If you are already running a 50/50 mix of water and anti-freeze/coolant - then add a bottle of Red Line Water Wetter to the radiator. That will usually bring the temp down 10 to 15 degrees. Also, if you are not running a synthetic oil already, you can switch to something like Mobil 1. That too brought my operating tem's down about 10 degrees. FWIW, Carl B.
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A different perspective
Interesting. I had a 1967 911S before I bought my first Z. I drove the Z for a few months before I sold the "S", and never looked back. Of course now, I wish I had just kept the "S" and stuck it away. But I'd still keep the Z and sell the "S". -
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AutoZone and crap from China
If AutoZone is buying crap from China - they can just as easily buy crap from any number of different Countries - including the US. If AutoZone wanted to buy top quality products from China they could. Apple seems to be able to - my Mac, iPod, iPad and the iPhone are all made in China. Wonderful products all with very high quality. Harbor Freight buys perhaps the best quality 42", 13-Drawer Roll Cabinets that I could find - for anything under $900.00. Then they put them on sale for $349.00. Low price and high quality. Quality is defined by the Customer. If an inexpensive set of screw drivers from Harbor Freight meets your needs - then by Dr. Deming's definition - they are of good quality. They may be inexpensive, but they are not based solely on price - cheap junk. FWIW, Carl B.
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A different perspective
What year 911 does your friend own? What did he think about your Z? Carl B.
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Frint suspension ball joint question.
Just a second answer to your question: Get a copy of the Parts Catalog for your Z - it has the illustrations, part names and part numbers. FWIW, Carl B.
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New to group drsib260
See: McMaster-Carr McMaster-Carr That - or you have to take a piece of the old seals to the junk yard with you - and match them up... FWIW, Carl B.
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Some interesting and expensive Z's
I think a documented and show room new - ie "perfect" 240Z with 1200 original miles would bring $45K or perhaps quite a bit more.. Other than that - I agree - these guys are dreamers.. but it never hurts to ask.
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Sweet 280ZX with only 73K miles $7777
Very clean, properly cared for, low mileage 280ZX's are really a bargin at this point. Seem to be lots of them with less than 70K miles that are sold for $5K or less... just not much demand driving prices at this point.
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warning about hybridz
Another possibility is that the site is in fact NOT infected - and the security software is giving out false Positives. I've seen that happen a lot with different "security" software programs as well as SPAM filters. I will say that if I were the Site Admin - for any site - I would have appreciated knowing of any possbile issue related to people getting to the site. FWIW, Carl B.
- Ebay floor pans
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5spd output shaft housing availability?
A 5spd. for $100.00 sounds like a good deal to me. "it might need to be rebuilt" - that can be said of any used 5spd. found outside a running car. Large gap between 2 & 3 - yes {but not SO large} Plus 1st & 2nd are better matched to your stock 3.36 rear gear - than the later 5spd.'s are. Everything is a trade-off of some kind. Which options you choose depends on how you are going to use the car. No question you can find/buy a better transmission - heck if you have the money, buy a rebuilt from a known source - put the $675+ into it right up front and be done. But then that won't gain you any experience rebuilding transmissions... FWIW, Carl B.