Carl Beck

Looks great in the pictures - tell us more about it. When was it refreshed, how did you come upon it etc. How many did you go look at before you found a good one etc.? Are you going to keep the 280ZX as well? Carl B.

Interesting: In the first listing they state that there are 18 original Scarab's accounted for - yet they list only 16 (12 with door tags and 4 without). What happened to the other two? In the first listing, in the Q&A section - they acknowledge the fact that the Red #153 exists - and provide an explanation for why two would have the same Scarab series number. Yet this time they fail to mention that fact - again. Either they don't believe the story, or they don't want potential buyers to know about it.. I wouldn't be too happy if I found that out after I bought the car... because with any controversy like that - I wouldn't have bought the car to begin with. Might be part of the reason that the actual owner doesn't want to represent nor sell the car himself, and is hiding behind a professional dealer. On top of all that - personally I wouldn't buy a car from a used car dealer in a private auction anyway. FWIW, Carl B.

Sailor: Just go down and order one from your local Nissan Dealer... or though several aftermarket automotive parts stores.. Maybe a vendor in Canada would have to charge less postage??? BTW - who quoted $20.00 for shipping? FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Chris: Actually - the brochures came from the owner of the 510 presented on E-Bay as a BRE car - but was disputed as being a real BRE car. According to the owner of that car, the Project was not used by Nissan/BRE. So it was a proposal, for Nissan to market a BRE Decor Package for the 510's though the Dealer network, according to the owner of that car. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Mike: Just so there is no misunderstanding. The "70 Poster" that you posted at #38 - is NOT the poster I was talking about in the lines quoted - when I said that Gayle said it was NOT a BRE Generated Poster. The BRE Poster painted on aluminum is a completely different one. Gayles response to the one I showed her - as below was: "I've never seen that poster. I showed it to Peter and he of course has. We don't have one. He said it was a poster Nissan put out." As you can see - the Nissan Poster from 1970 - looks a lot like the BRE Poster for 70/71.in terms of size/shape and track section.. Personally I like the brighter colors in the Nissan 70 Poster a lot, and I might have it reproduced if I can find a good source around here. FWIW, Carl B.

Most certainly !! And keep it well stocked for visitors !!

Hi Paul: Yes, I'd love to know more about 0999. Maybe if were lucky some will show up with more of its history and/or pictures. Some of my first experiences with "Sports Cars" involved running a Corvette in with the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Club in the early 60's, in one of their POR like events in Ohio. What a hoot.. the wonders of the Plastic Pig. Winch that sucker out of the mud, and you began to realize why everyone else was using those tiny TR-3's and 356's... Over the years I've been trying to collect more information about the Z's used in North America for SCCA Pro-Rally and/or Vintage Pro-Rally use. Mostly because of liability issues here in America - Pro-Rally events are few and sparely covered by the media. Indeed the organizers seem to avoid publicity of the events, for fear of having the "Safety Nuts" and Lawyers get wind of them. One of the guys in Canada bought one of the Z's that ran in the 1997 Panama to Alaska Rally, by Rick Hintz a few years ago. {picture below} But I don't know if it's still there or not.. http://zhome.com/Racing/RALLY/Hintz.htm FWIW, Carl B.

Unless some PO wired in a relay that fused high/low individually. I think we had a thread on that subject some time ago.. where the pros/con's of left/right vs high/low wiring of the headlights was discussed. The fact that both low beams were out is what reminded me of that.. High/Low dimmer is most likely - I was just tying to think of other things I've run into.. FWIW, Carl B.

Who is "they"?? Can you take a picture of your wiring?

Looks like a great car to serve as the basis for a complete refresh or restoration. Once you get the garage done, start looking for some good Package Racking.. at least 6 and better 8' wide by 4'deep, and with at least 5 shelves. That will give you a safe place to put the doors, hood, deck lid, seats, dash, front fenders and other large parts. Check your local Yellow Pages for vendors that carry both new and used Package Racking. It will be one of the best things you buy for the project and your garage. FWIW, Carl B.

See if this will help. http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/MalloryDist.htm I don't know how different the wiring in the 280Z is from the 240-Z, but there might be something there you can use. FWIW, Carl B.

We have at least two people in this group, that after 20+ years, found their cars. So I don't think that finding the one Wick restored is a lost cause. The odds are against it but long shots do come in... FWIW, Carl B.

-Is it possible that both low beams have burned out? -Is it possible that some PO installed a headlight relay.. and one side of that is out? FWIW, Carl B.

It might be too late - but maybe not. Make sure your garage door openings are at least 9' instead of the usual 8'. Most four post lifts, that have mobile capability ( you can roll them around when the ramps are down)... have Posts that are 8'4" to 8' 10". Which means you can't roll them out the standard height garage door. At times you'd want to roll the lift outside - to pressure wash the undercarriage perhaps... and you wouldn't want the water inside the garage. At time's you might want to roll the lift outside, just to get it out of the way for a few hours.. so other operations can take place in the Garage..

Hi Mike: As I understand it - different Vintage/Historic Racing Organizations had different rules, or local officials that interpret the rules differently. Mostly its a political issue - if the Porsche Guys hold power in the organization they do everything they can to exclude the 240-Z. It's just too embarrassing for them to constantly look at the Z's tail lights. The above being said - there are organizations that state "built before Jan. 01, 1970"... and there are a lot of 240-Z's racing in various Vintage/Historic Races. I don't know who said no 240-Z's were sold in the US prior to 1970. Several most certainly were, but the next problem is proving it, past that point, the definition of "sold" becomes a sticking point. Is the car "sold" when a contract is agreed to and signed by both Buyer and Seller? Is it sold when money changes hands to pay for the car in-full? Or is it "sold" when the Buyer takes physical delivery of the car? I actually bought my 1970 Z, in March of 1970. At that time the Dealer had about 18 customers that had signed a sales contract, and paid for the cars in-full prior to Jan. 1970. Did the Dealer keep the sales records from 1969? NO. Did Nissan USA keep any records from that period? NO. Three of our Original Owners - have 1969 production year Z's... but they all bought them after Jan. 1970. So no proof there. My HLS30 00020 was sold and titled as a 1969 Datsun Cpe. and it is still titled as a 1969 Datsun Cpe. - - but due to the Federal Privacy Laws.. I can't get copies of the original filling of the MSO showing a Dec. Sales Date... So all I have is a "story" from the second owner that the first owner told him... but we all know what stories are worth... I keep hoping that some day - an original owner of a 69 Z will show up with his original Bill Of Sale dated prior to Jan. 01, 1970. Or perhaps one of the Datsun Salesmen, that sold 240-Z's at the L.A. and N.Y. auto shows, will have kept some of the documentation from sales made there.. hope springs eternal.... FWIW, Carl B.

I'm pretty sure that this has been discussed here - in an earlier thread someone posted pictures of their modified shift lever - they had cut it off and rewelded it in another position, then bent it. Nissan Competition used to sell a "Competition Shifter" that was made to install the newer Type B Competition Transmissions in the Series I/II body. It looked a lot like the MSA Short Throw Shifter. See: http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/AandBtranny.htm Note that both the above - change the pivot point at the transmission as well as modifying the shift lever itself. I'm not going to tell you to use the "Search" function - but this is a case where it might do you some good. It doesn't look like anyone is actually going to measure theirs and send you information... per your request. good luck, Carl B.

Hi Mike / Bonzi Yes - that is a new one for the "List of 69's Found To Date". Bonzi - when you get it - let me know what the original engine serial number was. It should still have its engine compartment Data Tag, so you should be able to tell the original engine serial number. Sounds like it is worth saving... good find... I'm sure that several of the people that called wanted it for Vintage/Historic Racing... they wouldn't care if the original engine was in the car or not - they just need a build date prior to 1970. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Ron: Actually qw know it's not the math - - - the answer is: 2 Z's plus all the other junk that it takes to refresh one... Work Bench Parts Cleaner Compressor and Air hoses Package Racking to hold the parts Tool Chest + roll around tool cart Torch Set Pressure Washer & Steam Cleaner Shop Vac Small Parts Storage Ben Engine Stands Engine Lift Jack Stands Jacks - at least two Car Washing & Detailing Stuff - buckets etc. Lets see - what else am I squeezing between, triping over or having to move around?? Oh yes - a couple of cars:tapemouth If I could just put a 24x24 addition on this garage, I might have some room to workROFL FWIW, Carl B.

Hi mally002: Looks like the construction is coming along quickly... Now is the time to build!! Tell us about the "loft area" - - does that mean you'll have enough height outside the loft to put a four post lift in? Sure wish I had made my garage with 14' high walls, instead of the usual 8'. I just didn't realize how inexpensive four post lifts would become... keep the pictures coming... FWIW, Carl B.

OK - I'll bit.... "tibZ" ??? wannaz I understood... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi ohio260Z That is very interesting - for the benefit of us all - could you show us the page in your regular insurance policy, where it states " Agreed Replacement Value $8,000.00". I would guess it's on your Declarations Page or within the Comp/Collision section... I'd just like to see it in the Policy, to see exactly were it is, and exactly what is written. So we all know where to look and what to look for... thanks, Carl B. BTW - I lived in Ashland, and when in Columbus I worked for Nationwide for a while... small world...

Hi Jim: Advanced Auto - at least shows the correct part in their On-line inventory... They did not have one in Stock at the Store, nor in the Stores in this Area (nothing new), but said they could order it. I didn't order it, because I needed it now of course. Bumper To Bumper Auto Parts said they showed the number on "backorder" and did not have a "expected date" shown... I wound up over-hauling the one on the car. Searching on line, it looks like you are right. All the "new" one's show pictures of the 9/71 Forward, and the reman's show the correct master - but without the reservoirs. Interesting... FWIW, Carl B.

Just FYI - - Our local Advanced Auto Parts (as well as others) sell a couple different after-market brands/types of Brake Master Cylinders for the pre 8/71 Z Cars. One type is $135.00 - but it comes WITHOUT the fluid reservoirs - so you have to remove the old one's from yours and put them on the replacement. Another type is $185.00 and comes with new reservoirs. NOTE - the rubber stoppers in the reservoir caps will dissolve in brake fluid over time. They turn into a thick black gooe.. So if you use your old reservoirs, be sure to order new caps. This is a very common problem with cars parked in the barn for 6+ years... FWIW, Carl B.

As I recall, 810 was the model number. The base model got only the model number, and the "Maxima" was an upgraded trim package, that included A/T on the 77/79's. As I recall the 80's Maxima was V6 with Front Wheel Drive.. actually much better styling. However the Toyota Cressida with an in-line six and far better build quality was the market leader in that class from 81 forward, although the class was small. They were both relatively expensive for a Japanese import and Datsun/Toyota buyers were not for the most part looking for high prices. One of the managers I worked with had a 82 Cressida - very impressive car at the time. If I could find a low mileage example - I'd buy one today. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Poindexter: For SURE... with the right routing coming from Ohio South.. you could do the Tail. Here is picture from one of the Annual ZDayz in Fontana, NC. Large Z Car Meets there, along with my white 72 at one of the scenic stops along the Tail. It's beautiful scenery and wonderful driving in a Z just getting there and going home.. http://www.zdayz.com/ FWIW, Carl B.