Carl Beck

Bob Sharp did these special Dealer Packages as Sales promotional items. One like that sold on E-Bay a couple years ago.

I haven't seen a VZ change hands in the past three years for less than $40K. I doubt you could find one for sale for less than $45K, unless it was not maintained as it should be. When Nissan moved its HQ - they did let a couple go, thrugh the Dealers at bargain prices but that was a long time ago. If the economy recovers a bit more - in a couple years I'd expect the VZ's to be in the $65K range. More if the Collector Car market heats up a bit more. FWIW, Carl B.

Over-all a nice article with lots of praise for the Datsun 240Z. Yes, a few mistakes / misstatements.. but we are getting used to that by now. Also agree that the Comments from the Forum Members there were very positive about the 240Z and nice to read, instead of the usual trash talk. Sad that Nissan gave them their Vintage Z without first assuring that it was tuned properly.. That car has been ridden hard and put away wet too many times. It was one of the first Vintage Z's completed and has been used by Nissan as their Press Car since the introduction of the Vintage Z's. It has had no where near the care that most of the other Vintage Z's in private hands have had. FWIW, Carl B.

The Firestone Wide Ovals were around before the Z - but still popular in 1970. We put lots of them on 240Z's with wider mag.'s. One magazine also installed them with a set of Minilites as they bolted on performance items. AIR that was Car & Driver. In the late 50's and early 60's it was common to use white tire markers to "paint" the lettering on tires - especially the Firestone cross checkered flags on their 500's. Back then the 500's were biaisbelted and would last about 8K miles at most on a 50's/60's Corvette. FWIW, Carl B.

I ran Goodyear Eagle GT's with raised white letters on my Z for decades. The last time I bought new tires - about five years ago - I looked high and low for any 14" tire with white letters - - could find NONE. Personally my Z with plain black walls - now looks dull to me - like something is missing. Good luck with your search.. FWIW, Carl B.

Many people do - some people at least put a filter on the outlet, or redirect it to a catch can. It won't hurt the engine to leave it open. FWIW, Carl B.

That is your PCV valve and hose. During both the Combustion and Exhaust strokes - vapors can blow by the piston rings - and wind up in your crankcase. As the rings wear, the amount of blow by will increase. Because the crankcase is sealed to prevent the vapors from blowing into the atmosphere - the PCV hose and valve are in place to redirect them back into the intake manifold - and back into the cylinders to be burned. This happens only when the pressure in the crankcase is greater than the pressure in the intake. On older engines {prior to about 1966} these vapors were simply vented to the atmosphere so they didn't build up. If they are not vented - they contaminate your engine oil and lead to sludge build up. Not to mention making your engine work harder on the intake stroke and reducing efficiency of the Power stroke. As suggested replace both the Valve and Hose - and change the oil & filter. If that problem has existed for some time - which it sounds like it has - might be a good idea to drop the oil pan and clean it out as well. {but that is not a real easy job}. FWIW, Carl B.

The idea is that with Front Engine and Front Wheel Drive - you have more weight over the drive wheels - and thus more traction to pull you through snow, or get you going on ice. Likewise Rear Engine with Rear Wheel Drive. I lived in Ice and Show for 30 years. For a Daily Driver in Ice and Snow - I'd take the Front Engine/Front Wheel Drive. With the 240Z in Spokane - in the Winter - I ran Pirelli Ice Spikes on all four wheels. Still had to Chain-Up to get into the Mountain Passes.. Getting Moving wasn't a problem - steering and stopping were. FWIW, Carl B.

As I recall 6 to 8 ft/lb. sounds about right. Most people don't have torque wrenches that work at loads that light. Just snug them down with a 1/4" drive socket set - then give them another 1/4 turn. Check them after you have ran the car a few times.. and snug them down again. Too tight and the gasket flattens out and leaks. FWIW, Carl B.

The entire steering system has to be well within Factory Spec. - anything out of spec. will cause the "shakes". Bad shocks, worn steering components, bad ball joints, tension/compression rod bushings that are shot and of course wheels/tires out of round and/or out of balance. Once the "shakes" start it puts additional wear/stress on everything else in the system. So by the time someone addresses the original problem - there are usually additional items that need attention. If your Z has the "shakes" - just rebuild everything at the same time and be done with it. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi DJ - exactly what is the measurement you are getting at the front bumper? Where did you find the stock height as measured at the front bumper? If you get over here to the Clearwater area be sure to stop by and say hello! thanks, Carl B.

Are we talking about the $336+Million Dollar Lotto that just ended? Of which the "Winner" gets to actually keep just over $110 Million? You guys are wayyyyyyy to easy to please.... That or you are afraid to say what you would really do if you had that kind of money!! Booze and Women would be at the top of my list... I'd drink and let Danica drive... FWIW, Carl B.

Great looking Z - I'm sure you'll love it for a long time.. I have a 4.11 with a mild mod L28 and 83 5spd. That stroker can easily spin the wheels in 1, 2, 3rd gear with a 4.11. IMHO a 4.11 is way to much gear for that car - - - I'd go with the 3.9 or even a 3.7 with that engine and those wheels/tires. FWIW, Carl B.

$175.00 for a Right Side Outside Rear View Glass Mirror??? Many of us have switched to "electronic ignition"... time to switch to electronic rear view as well. With the availability of very small wide angle digital cameras and small high resolution digital displays - - - -we could easily mount side and rear view cameras that wouldn't even be noticed - with the display replacing the original inside rear view mirror. A digital camera with a powerful ZOOM could look back the road behind for half a mile - and spot most of the "unmarked" patrol cars. I'm just saying..... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi MB: LA is a huge area... maybe if you can pin it down to a more specific or local area of LA - - someone will have an Upholstery Shop that they can recommend. I do recommend that you first get the seat upholstery kit that is closest to your original seats, and prehaps the new foam needed to rebuild them. Then take the materials to a professional for installation - if you have the materials in hand it makes it far easier for the shops to give you an estimate on the labor. Motorsports Auto in Orange county can most likely provide anything materials you need. Motorsport Auto 1139 West Collins Ave. Orange, CA 92867 E-Mail: info@motorsportauto.com Web Site: http://www.zcarparts.com The guys at Motorsports might be able to recommend a shop as well. If you are anywhere close to them - stop in and see them. FWIW, Carl B.

I'd have to know a lot more about your 240Z - as it stands now. How many miles? Pure Stock at present? The first thing to upgrade are your driving skills. The truth is, most drivers can't push a pure stock 240Z anywhere near its limits. A really great driver will take a pure stock 240Z and turn better times than 90% of the people running in higher and/or modified classes. Successful track days are really all about the drivers ability. Past making sure the car is "safe" and in good mechanical condition - the first upgrade most older 240Z's need - is a compression test and then a good fresh valve job. Second would be a good set of S.U.'s that are tuned properly and aren't sucking air past the throttle shafts. After that - I agree - Electronic Ignition and proper distributor timing curves and ignition advance. Next - better brake pads and fresh rear shoes - there are several newer technology pad compounds available - start with them. Next - good shocks and better tires. Next - 2.25" or 2.5" free flowing exhaust Next you have to decide what "class" you want to run in. Personally I think it is better to start in a STOCK class - and learn to be competitive there with a basically stock 240Z. Once you are running at the front of the pack in that class - then start adding modifications and moving up to higher classes. {that will also give you time to see other Z's in the modified classes and talk to the owners to see what they thought was important or not} A stock 240Z will give you lots of warning before it lets go and spins off the track. A certain amount of body lean, lots of tire squeal.. Once you start upgrading the cars road holding ability - you get less and less warning that the car is ready to leave the road... So I would work on gaining seat time first in a stock Z - then later moving up. But why add expensive modifications at all - - Why reinvent the wheel? Arizona Z Car, Triple Carbs, Racing tires, Suspension upgrades etc etc... ???? - - -- - Keep your Stock Z for pleasant weekends and road trips.... Then go buy a used race car that has everything already done, including a lot of the safety equipment alread installed - it will cost about less than half as much as modifying your car ... If you start Track Days etc in the STOCK Class - you'll have a season or two to find the best deal on a used race car... Better still - your "stock Z" will retain most of its value if you ever need to resell it - and if you buy a used race car at the right price - you won't lose your shirt on that either. Just my opinion... FWIW, Carl B.

Ask your friend - if his friend can scan them at a fairly high resolution? A good digital image from a scanner would be good enough to duplicate.. IF HE HASN'T Put them on the car already...

"it" what is it? Did you mean to say that after you "reinstalled" the same transmission, the pressure was gone? Or are you saying that you replaced the clutch line? Big difference between reinstalling and replacing.. Did you do anything else when the trans was out? BTW - DID you know that was a 5spd? Or is it a 5spd. You didn't say to begin with.. Carl B.

Yes Yes they are all the same NO - not if you changed the clutch Pressure Plate. The collar has to match the pressure plate. Almost all the replacement Pressure Plates are now the size/height of the 280Z and/or 280ZX pressure plates. So as mentioned already - you will most likely have to get the collar for a 280Z/280ZX. Lay your NEW and OLD Pressure Plate flat on the floor. Measure from the floor to the top of the pressure plate fingers. The original 240Z Pressure Plates were thicker so the collars were shorter. The New Replacement Parts are thinner so the collars are longer. If you measure your older and newer Pressure Plates and they are the same height/thickness - only then would you use the same collar. {you never know what some previous owner put in there - so you can't assume its the original Pressure Plate}. FWIW, Carl B.

Weren't there two styles for the 240Z's One early with a flat tip and a later one with a pointed tip?

Looking at the pictures - I suppose that Guy also has a Silver Cherry Picker for use on the Silver Z and a White one etc... Notice also how "presentable" the Yellow Cad Plating on the original fuel/brake lines are? A very low mileage example.. FWIW, Carl B.

It is a VERY misleading Ad. The First Issue of the Franklin Mint 240Z Model was Orange. I believe they produced 1000 in Orange. They are hard to come by. The Second "Limited" Edition was White and they produced 2500 of them - they came numbered and with White Gloves included. I bought two of them a couple years ago for $65.00 each as they were being cleared out. The Seller has the WHITE one for sale - and they usually don't bring the money that the Orange one will. What is even harder to find is the Display Case.. Nonetheless - the Franklin Mint Models are very very detailed - where all other die casts are far less accurate. You can read the VIN on the Dash of the Franklin Mint Models. IMHO the original Orange Franklin Mint Models were worth the original $125.00 price if you appreciate fine detail and craftsmanship. Bill restored the car and sold it - the following owner re-restored it and put a lot more time and money into the restoration. Then it was used as the model - to produce the Franklin Mint die cast. FWIW, Carl B.

Are you sure it's a "Roadster" box and not one of the early Competition Boxes? To use the 5 spd from the roadster, one had to change the bellhousing, the output shaft and the tail housing. Nissan Competition sold the parts necessary to accomplish the reconfiguration. In which case you wound up with the stock gearing that came in the roadster. An alternative - was to buy the 5spd.'s from Nissan Competition Parts - which was available with three or four different ratio gear sets. Some of these early Type "A" competition boxes can be very expensive to buy today depending on which gear set is installed. So I'd be sure to determine the exact gear ratio's in that early box - before you try to sell it. FWIW, Carl B.

Wheels DOWN on Mars... !!!!! AMAZING... Pictures Coming through... wheels on Mars Did I mention that the entire System.. had never been tested? Couldn't be tested on Earth..!!

Carl kicks himself for not buying that car!! {but glad Guy did}. Carl B.