Carl Beck

Hi Jonu: Search some of the more recent Threads related to the Unilite's. I would at least seem that the quality of the current product is far less than what they have been. Several people have complained about the Unilite's just dying suddenly - and shortly after being installed - It is possible that today - current owners of the newer production lots - would not recommend buying one. FWIW, Carl B.

The mountains in May are simply Beautiful! The resort setting for the Event is GREAT! I drove "the Tail" for it's scenic beauty at a very safe speed{several times during the week} - and enjoyed every minute. I may buy a cabin in that area - if I can find one I can afford. The only problem for me with ZDAZ, is limited rooms available at the Event Site itself..which means you have to book early.. I usually don't know if I can go or not until a week or so before the event.. and by then there is no place close to stay.. Nonetheless - it is a Must Attend Z Event... FWIW, Carl B.

What Brand and type was your original spare? I have a few up in the attic.. What did it cost to have the luggage straps restored - how did they turn out? Carl B.

I just went though a similar process. Looking for something that the Wife and I could enjoy in a more or less Classic Car or Special Interest Car. We really didn't want a "project" as much as something that was ready to drive and enjoy. Had to have: Modern A/C for Florida {her main objection to the 240Z} Convertible - she missed her last one... Sporty..to Sports/GT Classic Car Insurance The requirement for modern A/C pretty much ruled out most 40 year old sports cars. A retractable hardtop seemed to be the best of both worlds ie Convertible with good A/C. Mecerdes Benz SLK 230 Sport FWIW, Carl B.

Nice - looks like every picture of a Z was taken directly off the color charts, contributed by Michael Perdue on the Z Car Home Page. 70-78 Datsun Z Paint Code Gallery In the picture presented - the color looks closer to 903.. but it could just as easly be presented as a 115 car. You would have to see it in person. FWIW, Carl B.

In todays market - it is hard to find CASH buyers at anything much above the $14K to $16K range. Until you get into the serious collectors - but they want at least #2 condition, pure stock examples. What you have is a very nice "Enthusiast" car. One you could drive anywhere and take to local car shows, where the people are not Z Experts {so they wouldn't nit pick it to death}. Although the enthusiasts love the 240Z's - most won't or can't pay much above that $15K range. I agree that one could not most likely duplicate it for less than $20K - but most enthusiasts have $10K to $12K to start with - and they can over time put the additional $6K to $10k into their own car. They just can't plunk down $14K to $16K to start with. One could simply get lucky - and find a buyer that is replacing a totalled Z - when they have the insurance money to buy a finished car... It all depends on how long the owner can hold the car, now much effort is put into advertising it - and of course being lucky enough to reach the right buyer. Depends on one's personal situation as well - but $14K Cash in hand today - might be better than the hope of $16K in a few months. In the end - EBay might be your best method of reaching enough serious buyers, to actually get the car sold. BTW - you have done a great job with it.. FWIW, Carl B.

As they say in the Mafia - "it's just business - nothing personal". , Carl B.

Well it is at $27K now - still hasn't meet the reserve. Have either of you two guys gone to look at it yet? If it is ACTUALLY a 7K mile car - that has been maintained in road worthy condition and kept in proper storage - with absolutely NO damage of any kind... $27K would still be a bargain. Try to restore on to that condition and you'll spend a year or two and far more money than that. Looks like it might be a Survivor Class Winner.. IF IT CHECKS OUT... if it does - it might easily be a $35K car.. FWIW, Carl B.

Amazing... My Unilite has been running fine for 35+ years now. Maybe Mallory is buying cheap parts from suppliers in SEA now.. I switched to the Unilite because I got tired of having the Points wear slighty out of spec - then having the engine pop, spudder and break-up on a hard launch or above 5500 RPM. The only time my Z stopped dead - and refused to restart - was when the insulation on a wire from the Points wore off - and grounded the wire on the inside of the distributor. Nissan later added additional protective insulation to that wire.. Hope you get it sorted out.. FWIW, Carl B.

There are NHRA and I believe SCCA approved Fire Extinguisher Mounts for use in the car. Some have two straps to hold the extinguisher in place. You can usually get them from most Racing Supply businesses. It is a good idea... they can run $15.00 to $60.00.. In a car you want an easy method to "arm" the extinguisher - once you get it out of the bracket - you will want a large Pull Ring, that you can grab and pull OUT - for example to enable the trigger to be depressed. Secondly - most automotive fires in accidents are Fuel related. Electrical fires usually burn the wiring, and may ignite a paint fire, but it is the gasoline that is of most immediate concern.... So a good "B&C" rated extinguisher will handle most auto fires, and one filled with Baking Soda will do the least harm to other automotive components. With some ABC types - the damage done by the chemicals in the extinguisher can be worse than the damage done to the car by the fire. There are lots of really cheaply made "consumer" Fire Extinguishers on the market. Stick with the older or better known brands - and be willing to pay a few extra dollars for Quality. A good 2.5 lb extinguisher will cost around $40.00 to $60.00 {chrome maybe $70.00 to $90.00} Look for U.S. Coast Guard approval - these extinguishers are tested by UL for the Coast Guard to meet certain standards.. It is just one "check" for quality products. Third - find a local company that sells Fire Suppression Supplies - to your local Fire Departments. Then go pick an extinguisher up. Shipping some higher pressure extinguishers can get expensive. Secondly - you may need to have a good extinguisher - refilled, and in that case a local supplier is easier to deal with. FWIW, Carl B.

Just my personal opinion - the XJ-S is a beautifully styled automobile. Bank vault like is body rigidity, silky smooth on the road and whisper quite. A truly beautiful automobile - it is a shame it hadn't been built and sold by Toyota or Nissan. Great design but bad execution We loved ours until the typical electrical/electronics problems started to raise their ugly head - then there was that engine fire - that sent it to the scarp yard. If someone gave me an XJ-S, I'd build a "replica" of the Group 44 XJ-S { only with a Chevy v8 under the hood}... stunning!! FWIW, Carl B.

"Talking" - is what the whole project was about. Getting people to talk about the Z's and more importantly about the 370Z. The problem for Nissan is that as far as I can see - over 90% of the positive comments were about the Datsun 240Z and its Owner. FWIW, Carl B.

The Future... turbo diesels..

I think the owner of the 240Z got Sandbagged.... Should never have let "NISSAN's" Driver drive the 240Z. Did anyone really expect that a guy sponsored by NISSAN - would let the 370Z come in second to a 40 year old model. They should have had any current SCCA 240Z racer drive the 240Z. Seat time is important, and the Nissan Driver has had lots of it in the 370Z's... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Brian: I guess that pretty much covers the spectrum. A Green 70 Barn Find {deserves a full restoration}, the Yellow Street Mod {pretty much ready to drive} or the Blue numbers matching fully refreshed 71. I'd grab the Green 70 and just stick it away. Then buy the Yellow Street Mod with the L28 if it sells for a reasonable price - For about $16K you could have the best of both Z worlds. Five or ten years from now - if you did a Show Quality proper Restoration - the Series I Z would be a Classic Car to keep. In the mean time you could drive/auto-cross the Yellow Z. I'd like the Blue 71 a lot more - if the undercarriage had not been undercoated. If it was clean, rust free and original I'd like to see it kept that way. Nonetheless it looks like it could be very nice Z to own and enjoy..The modifications like Euro Bumpers, 260Z seats, somewhat incomplete engine {no air pump, part of an A/C system} Speakers cut in the door panels etc - all lower the value of the car at this point. But that might be a good thing for the Buyer.. decisions decisions.. FWIW, Carl B. FWIW, Carl B.

Same Color..

bacarl: If you are serious - you'll look for years trying to find a better "Project Car" at anywhere near that price, anywhere East of the Mississippi. Of course that is a "restorable" example - and you would have to be willing to put the time and dollars into it - easly to spend $20K+ along the way just "refreshing" it. Full and proper repaint {stripped down to a bare shell by you} perhaps $6500.00 to get the job done in a couple months. Full suspension rebuild, with the component parts stripped and painted etc. Good Shocks, brakes, all suspension bushings replaced andmaybe new springs for autocross... another $1000.00. Fresh valve job with minor head enhancements at least - and maybe a full rebuild. {scuffed the cylinders and wiped out the cam/rockers as they threw a battery in it and cranked it over - who knows?}. Ah heck have the whole thing rebuilt - $3500.00/$4500.00 depending..{L26 crank and an over-bore maybe}. Then new tires with some "grip" and wider wheels another $800.00 to $1000.00 {with mounting/balanceing and sales tax or shipping charges}. Rebuild the radiator and cooling lines. Add new starter, alt. distributor and rebuilt carbs.. another $1200.00. Drop the fuel tank and clean it out.. New carpet and a set of racing seats.. another grand.. And so it goes... don't start out thinking you can get the car they way you want it - for $10k, nor even $15K.. "refreshed" you'll have $20K and a lot of personal time in it.. Or you could start with something like this one -if the bidding doesn't go to high.. pretty much finished {but you would have to have it checked over before buying}.. EBay Item Number 161008859120 Datsun : Z-Series 2 door coupe in Datsun | eBay Motors FWIW, Carl B.

Yes, the subject can get complex. That is why I qualified it by saying - listed on the window sticker, should have said Monroney Window Sticker - just to rule out Dealer Added "Supplemental Stickers", But to your point - After the fact, when the Monroney Sticker was long lost, an owner had options himself. As you mention he could have had an After-market system like the ARA's put in - or he could have ordered one of the Nissan Supplied A/C Kits for the 280Z's. For that matter the Dealer could have installed the Nissan Kit at the Dealership before selling the car {but in that case it wouldn't have shown up on the Monroney Sticker as an extra cost option} It's been a long time - but as I recall the A/C that was actually installed at the factory had a 5spd. fan switch and the Nissan Supplied A/C Kit {27000-N4225 etc} either Port or Dealer Installed came with a 4spd. fan switch. So you could tell at a later point if the A/C was factory installed or changed in later. Either way the A/C units from Nissan for the 280Z were a big improvement over the earlier after-market units. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Andrew: Yes, the Arm Rest among several other items are shown in the 1972 Accessories brochure for the 240Z. Most of these items had Part Number that began with 99990. 240Z Accessories FWIW, Carl B.

Hi bacarl: I wish you the best of luck in your search. Lots of advice here on the forum about what to look for ect. Of course it depends on what you want - A car that is ready to drive and enjoy, a Project Car that needs refreshing or restoring, A Classic Z for show or one to Race. The Body Protective Side Moldings were usually Dealer installed prior to the original sale of the Datsun 240Z's. Some owners over the years have deleted them when the car was refinished. It is for the Hazard Warning Lights Switch - the switch was required, by our Safety Standards to be marked for the 1972 Model Year. The Hazard Warning Switch was a different design and Lighted on the 73 240Z's - so no decal on the side of them either. See: Details About 240Z Dashboards Not really. The transmissions were "improved" with the 1972 model year. The shift linkage gave a more positive feel in the newer Type B transmissions that the older Type A trany with the "monkey motion shift linkage. There were other improvements as well - but the old type "A" were pretty much trouble free for 100K miles if not abused. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Jamul: The response from La Jolla - is a great example of why we should enter our Z's and other Japanese cars of Special Interest in higher end Events like this. Yes, you might be there alone the first couple of years, but as the number of Japanese entries grows - the Organizers of these events take notice and reach out to the community by opening new classes. Past that we have to work with the orginazers - to properly sub-divide the Japanese Class as the number of different models show up. Modern Sedans, Sports Cars, Competition Cars, Micro's vs. Pre WW-II ect. Then way down the road - - shouldn't a Datsun 240Z be in the same class as Porsche 911's, Corvettes, E-Types, and all other Classic/Collectiable Sports Cars of the 70's. So all cars are classed by Type rather than country of origin? Ah.. nothing is ever perfect.. The idea is to support, participate and enjoy the Event. FWIW, Carl B.

I think you are pretty much correct. If "factory option" means a Nissan Part that was not standard equipment on every 280Z produced, yet available on select cars from the factory. In that sense, factory options on the 280Z like 5sd., A/T, A/C or Black Pearl Paint & SAP which were listed as extra cost options on the window stickers. Even if a Nissan supplied part was used in the case of the subject 280Z - it would have been installed either at the Port or Dealership. Unlike the normal factory installed options mentioned above. Several optional parts are shown in the Datsun/Nissan Parts Catalogs, but here in the US, if they weren't installed at the Port, you or the Dealer had to order them from Nissan Parts Dept. and have them installed here. The usual things we see are Nissan Headlight Covers, Optional Springs {aka Euro Spec}, Racing Stripes and Vinyl mats for the rear deck area. Then there were a lot of Nissan supplied parts offered in the various Datsun/Nissan Competition Parts Catalogs as well. FWIW, Carl B.

Polished Stainless Steel is very nice - but not "original". So if "original" matters and the price doesn't go too high - this one looks like it could be a very good deal. I've seen Front bumpers that needed to be re-chromed, but were otherwise straight and free of dents sell for $350.00 or more in the past. It cost about $375.00 to have one re-chromed around here.. I haven't tried to order a New bumper from Nissan lately - it seems the last time I checked they were NLA for the 70-72 cars. FWIW, Carl B.

Since it has been repainted - it won't bring anything close to $23K at this point. At $15K it would be a bargain and $18K it would be a reasonable buy. You would of course have to get under it and check the usual places.. Looks like a very nice 240Z.. FWIW, Carl B.

Great Going Rich!! Good for you!! Actually good for all of us too. Carl B.