Carl Beck

Hi Rick: We are pretty sure that the external colors and interior colors listed here are correct. http://ZHome.com/History/colors.html Note that interiors called "white" in 72, became "Beige" in 73. An off white that was Flame Retardant per FMVSS for the 73 model year and forward. Although if they are not sitting side by side, they both look white to most people. Also note that there were some different mixes for Canada

Hello FastWoman: The Z - is the 1972 Datsun 240Z that was owned and driven by Mr. Katayama while serving as President Of Nissan Motors USA. It has a "G-Nose", custom mix Yellow Pearl Paint with firemist metal flakes, wire wheels and Automatic Transmission. When Mr. K. retired before returning to Japan, he gave the car to his long time Administrative Assistant, Johnnie Gable and her son Kenny Ueda. Kenny owns it to this day and Nissan Mortors still uses it for advertising/promotion. It was most prominently featured in Nissan's $500,000,000.00 Datsun Heritage advertising/promotion campaign in the late 90's as Nissan struggled to tie its past glory with Datsun to its then bleak present. The Super Bowl Ad - "the Dream Garage" lead a series of T.V. Ad.'s featuring a representation of Mr. K {played by an Actor} in the Ad.'s. I believe that there are still sources for the "G-Nose" if you would like to add one to a 240Z. It was offered on the Fairlady 240ZG in Japan, but was not an export model. Pictured below: Photographic copy #260 of 300 - represents my IZCC Membership number - 260 Photo of the "G Nose" FWIW, Carl B.

Hello GrandPrixGreen: To put the full concept of the Datsun Heritage Museum into concise terms is not really possible here, but if you are interested in gaining some understanding of the intent - I'll give it a try. Nissan Motors Ltd. Japan, established their own sales and distribution organization here in America. To protect themselves under U.S. Law, they established Nissan Motors in USA Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of Nissan Motors Ltd in Japan. {there is no public ownership of Nissan Motors USA}. First - clearly understand that there is a huge difference between a "Datsun Museum" and a "Datsun Heritage Museum". A "Datsun Museum" would have a primary focus on Datsun Vehicles, it would be all about the cars and trucks. An attempt to capture their history via snap shots in time. On the other hand - the "Datsun Heritage Museum" is all about the people involved with the Datsun Brand of cars here in America. It is about the people that built something of significance, something of value and who then passed that on to following generations. Things of value go beyond money, they include personal values of individual effort, integrity, pride, cooperation with others, connection with and contribution to one's community. etc etc etc. Human values flow from generation to generation and within organizations they originate and flow from the top down. Your heritage is comprised of things of value passed from one generation to the next. The Datsun Heritage Museum here in the U.S.A., was founded by private investors with no help/funding from Nissan. Their intention is to capturing the story of how the Datsun Brand of Japanese automobiles were brought to America, how people had to strived to overcame many cultural, financial and business obstacles during their startup years - while laying the foundation for future growth and future success. Growth and success not only of the Datsun Franchise, but of the people involved. We hope that "story" will be captured in hundreds of individual examples. People that worked for Nissan Motors USA, people that became Datsun Dealers, people that bought Datsun's and received something more than just a car. People that raced Datsuns. people that repaired them, people that drove them. "The Heritage" that has been passed on now to two and in some cases three generations of American's, is a heritage rich in the values of individual hard work, risk taking entrepreneurship, personal growth and development. The Datsun Heritage in the USA, is rich with stories of economic upward mobility provided by free and open markets, where competition from all corners of the earth can be matched or beaten. The Datsun Heritage here in America is one of individuals recognizing "Opportunity Knocking", grabbing it and fully developing it. The Datsun Heritiage here in the USA is one of a major corporation willing to reach down to enthusiastic individuals of limited means, then working together with them for mutual benefit. {a business model that the major US Auto Makers had long before forgotten}. Nissan U.S.A grew from very humble beginnings along with its first 10, 100, 500 and 1000 Datsun Dealers. Many of the people that helped found the distribution chain of Datsun Dealerships in the early 60's, started with very little to no personal wealth, no experience in Dealership Management etc. etc - and twenty years later retired as multimillionaires. Still others continued their growth and development to this day. One of our Board Members is Mike Sage for example. His Father was one of the first Datsun Dealers on the West Coast. Today Mr. Sage owns the Sage Auto Group, which in turn now owns/operates Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, Scion, Toyota and Nissan Dealerships. Mike Sage understands the value of the heritage passed on to him from that original Datsun Dealership. I bought my first Datsun from Paul Jaremko in Spokane, Washington. Paul's parents were one of the first 50 Datsun Dealers in the US. Prior to gaining a Datsun Franchise, they owned operated a used car lot. Now some 40 years later, Paul is passing on that heritage to his son's via Jaremko Nissan Saab. Paul by the way won Datsun their first SCCA Regional Championship in 1963 driving a Datsun 1500 roadster, he and his son still race Datsun roadsters in the Pacific Northwest, and his son has won several SCCA championship titles. This family is rich in Datsun heritage . Within the physical museum, there are and will be many Datsun vehicles and many items of Datsun memorabilia. In and of themselves they are an interesting and fun bit of history - - but in a more abstract sense they are all icon's that remind us of the heritage of unlimited opportunity we Americans have inherited. Unlimited opportunity based on the values of individual effort and self-reliance in a land that provides individual freedom and liberty, combined with a capitalistic system operating in free and open markets. A heritage that Nissan shared in by coming to America with their Datsun Brand. {opportunity denied to them at the time in many closed or restricted markets around the world}. Yes, we hope people will come to the museum to see the cars and things - but we really hope they will leave with a deeper understanding of the things of lasting value, passed on from generation to generation long after the Datsun Brand disappeared in America. This Classic Z Car Club is itself a part of the Datsun Heritage. While the Z Car brings us together with a common interest, we hope that there is something of equal or more value here. Hope that gives you a little better understanding of the purpose of the Datsun "Heritage" Museum here in America. FWIW, Carl B.

Moved...

Very Interesting. I want to make sure I understand the distribution and sales organization in Norway. 1.Nissan built the cars in Japan, then sold them to Marubeni who transported them to Norway and then distributed them to their {Marubeni's} local Datsun Dealers. Would that be correct? 2.Later Marubeni collected and restored the cars - and then sometime later sold them off to the public. Would that be correct? 3. Do you know how many Datsun Dealerships were in Norway between 1960 and 1980? thanks, Carl B.

Hi Rick: Here is one for you - I found a buddy's 240Z after several years of looking... http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31481&highlight=Bill+Jones FWIW, Carl B.

Thanks Bruce. MEZZ: By all means let us know what you find - you never know till you go look. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Bruce: So - - in effect you are telling us that Steve bought and now owns the #30 car - Yes/NO ? Or are you telling us that Steve is servicing the car and storing it for David? thanks for the update... Carl B.

Hi richard1: Can you post a picture of the NOAH on your Z? Is it as much a "custom" fit as the original BRE Covers? thanks, Carl B.

To much vibration and noise transmitted into the cabin for a street car. Not a good solution. The rear end already makes too much noise...

Hi TimG: Thanks for posting the links - great vid's. Your Z looked great, sorry you had a problem. Nonetheless it had to be a ball .... Hats Off to you... FWIW, Carl B.

As far as I know - it was used only on the 73 Model Year vehicles. I don't believe it would have been legal to use it on the 72's without certifying it with the EPA for 72... and that would have been a time consuming and expensive process, that Nissan would have wanted to avoid. BTW - that chart that Jim Wolf put together lists the 73 E88 as N33 and the 74 E88 as N33/P50. The 72, 73 and 74 heads all have E88 cast into them externally - I think Jim used N33 and P50 as references to the Nissan Part Number for them - so that they would not be confused with the casting numbers.. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Frankie: I am enjoying your reports from your Road Trip - but sorry to hear that you lost a Tranny. It can be a real bummer to be stick out on the road so to speak and expensive to resolve as well. We'll all hope that the transmission you have coming is a good one this time. It might be helpful if you specified exactly what town you are in. The bottom of MN is a pretty large area.... FYI - in general terms... Transmission Fluid is a usual name for Automatic Transmission Fluid. It is actually a very high detergent 10 weight oil. "Tranny Fluid" lubricates the moving parts in an A/T but its main function is to provide hydraulic pressure upon which the A/T operates. A/T's use a transmission cooler usually built into the radiator of the car to dissipate the heat. Years ago, in the 40's - DeSoto had what they called a "Fluid Drive" transmission - so who knows - maybe that is where the "fluid" term for A/T's got started. Gear Lube or Gear Oil is the usual term for the very thick lubricating oil used in standard transmissions and differentials. It is usually 75 to 95 weight and contains additives to prevent foaming when it's stirred by the gears rotating though it. Its main function is to lubricate the gears and bearings - and secondarily it carries heat generated at the gears to the transmission case - where it can be dissipated externally. Keep us Posted on your progress - we'll all be pulling for you. FWIW, Carl B.

From memory - The Vintage Air Evaporator Kit was something close to $495.00. That gives you the evaporator that includes a heater core, A.C. Controls and wiring, outlet vents and piping etc. The Vintage Air UniFlow Condenser {for R134a}, and Dryer was around $225.00 A rebuilt Hitachi Compressor from the 280ZX was expensive at $325.00, but I could use the compressor mount from the 280Z and the belt tensioners etc. Custom Built hoses were around $270.00 total Installed it myself so labor was free. $1315.00... plus a few other small items. I did this a few years ago so price will be somewhat different today... I would not recommend using the Hitachi compressor - it was too expensive compared to other offerings - so you might save a couple hundred in that area. Not really a perfect option if you want to maintain a pure stock look - but the Vintage Air unit will cool a 240Z here in Florida - something that the old style add on units that suck though the evaporator and then blow though the stock heater/vents would never do. With the new Vintage Air totally electronic controls - it would be possible to maintain a pretty stock look, but it would take a bit of extra work... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Dennis: Prices change to reflect the ever lower "value" of the Dollar. Interesting that adjusted for inflation - using the questionable CPI - What cost $325.00 in 1972 would cost $1654.79 in 2008. Pretty close - yes? FWIW, Carl B.

First - are you certain that the "72" cylinder head is a "72"? The reason I ask is because cylinder heads from 73 and the 74 260Z's were also cast with the E88 casting numbers, but their combustion chamber design is quite different. The 73/74 heads are designed to meet the stricter emissions standards of those years... not for the best performance. You can see the difference here: http://ZHome.com/ZCMnL/tech/E31andE88Heads.htm The combustion chamber design is the same on the 70/71 E31 and 72 E88. The E88 combustion chamber has a 2.3cc larger volume. {42.4cc vs 44.7cc}. The E88 has slightly redesigned intake and exhaust ports. The radius of the curves in the ports was changed to improve the heads breathing. So with slightly lower compression but better flow though the ports the E88 produces the same HP as the E31 when mounted on an otherwise stock L24. The exhaust valve seat casting was changed slightly in the E88 as well. The E31's suffered from cracking around the exhaust valve seats. If you plan to use the E31 be sure to have it checked for fine line cracks in that area. Any good head shop can weld them up if they are otherwise good, but it isn't cheap. Since you have both - I'd have a good head speciality shop inspect them both - then use the one that is in the best condition. Consider the condition of the valve train at the same time.. New rockers and cam's aren't inexpensive. good luck with the rebuild... FWIW, Carl B.

Another alternative is the fairly simple solution used on the SCARAB's... Simply bend a 3/8's steel plate to wrap around the bottom of the cross member and put some rubber between it and the cross-member. Then bolt it to the stock mount. Search for Paul Richer Differential Mount on HybridZ.org. Simple to make and cheap too. FWIW, Carl B.

Mike: #22 is indeed 10/69 #27 and #36 corrected on the Register - thanks. Rick: We may never know exactly how cars came out of the factory - nor when the data plates were applied. We do know that they were required by our Emissions and Safety Regulations, and I have to guess that the employees of Nissan did everything they could to comply with our laws. "Waste not want not" - is certainly a possibility. Of 100 69 production cars reported with original engine numbers - 16 are 10/69 75 are 11/69 9 are 12/69 Still - someone needs to go see what car is for sale... FWIW, Carl B.

Put a jack under the front of the diff.. first...;-)

Hi Rick: #16, #17 and #19 are all 10/69, while #20, #22, #23 and #26 are 11/69. Then #27, #29, #30, #32, #36 are 10/69. The cars didn't come out of the factory in perfect sequential order. For some reason some were held-up during assembly and completed at a later date. As you can see from above -HLS30 00019 is date stamped 11/69 while HLS30 00020 is date stamped 10/69 etc. etc.. Since we have only seen about 1/4 of the 69 240Z's produced - we may never understand why there is such a mix of VIN's and Dates. #94 is a 10/69 production for example, #587 and #589 are stamped 11/69 while #48 is stamped 02/70... We do know that 52 240Z's were produced in Oct., 388 in Nov. and 97 in Dec. Their exact order of completion, nor the process for stamping and applying the required Date Of Manufacture data is unknown at this point. Two of the units were Right Hand Drive - so no date stamps on them. I seriously doubt the car in question carries a Sept. production date. I have #328 listed as: was in a scrap yard in Penn. - - reported parted out in Winter Park, Fl ????? Could this be #328 saved from the crusher???? I guess someone will either have to buy the car or at least go look to see what the VIN is. FWIW, Carl B.

Great news - and very trusting of your wife to get so far away from home on the first trial run. Good to have someone to share the experience with;-) Current pictures? Carl B.

Hi Rick: We always hate to see a 69 production year 240Z crushed. On this one we'd need far better pictures, and then we'd have to go inventory all the parts to see what is or is not there. Too much can get misplaced over the years. Low price aside - it looks pretty rusty. If he has new quarters, it is most likely because he felt the car needed them. I can't tell from the pictures -but that might just be more surface rust on the left rear quarter - instead of a factory hole.. Might be farther ahead to start with one in far better condition that hasn't been taken apart - even if it cost four to six times as much. $6K to $9K for a fairly sold, complete and restorable 69 is not out of the question today. An "unfinished project" with scattered bits and pieces - is always a pig-in-a-poke... it has to have a very low price to off-set the risk. One members several years ago - got a very good "deal" on such a project. After buying it and putting far more money into it - he found out that the doors wouldn't fit within the door openings on the body, nor would the windshield go into place. More time on the frame rack and he found that the body had just the slightest of twist and bend... nothing that more time and money wouldn't cure but ..... time and money he hadn't planned on. but who knows - it is worth going to physically inspect ... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Coop: Alan's advice and that on the Web Site he listed - pretty much agrees with the advice given by the guys in our Materials Lab. {Honeywell Space Systems}. I'll add: These old mag's usually suffer from years of accumulated oxidation damage, which in turn results in pitting. Pits in turn offer the greatest opportunity for stress cracking to begin. X-Ray is a must if you plan to race on them or do any high performance driving. I have to say that I wouldn't use them for competition. Magnesium alloys can become unstable over time when subjected to stress. The guys in the Materials Lab said they wouldn't trust a magnesium casting produced to Manned Space Quality Requirements - for more than six years, subjected to Earths atmosphere. {keep in mind these guys are at the extreme end of risk/reliability and they never consider "cost" - you know the type ;-) }. I resorted my LeMans wheels for the BRE Baja Z - FOR SHOW ONLY. I'll drive the Z on them at reasonable highway speeds, in light traffic. Other than that - I'd switch to a set of Libra's. To your question. I had the wheels media blasted. Alan's site says to use only aluminum oxide - I used fine glass beads at relatively low pressures (60 psi) per the guys in the Materials Lab. Second step was to take them to a machine shop and have the outer rims / lips turned down - a few thousands of an inch, usually cuts the pits out. All of them had fine pits in the lips. See attached pictures - first is a closeup and second is the wheel after being turned. Past that point - I coat my wheels with Gibbs Brand Gun Oil. Ron said he uses WD-40, to shield the metal from moisture. I did not want to paint them - rather I wanted the magnesium to age to its natural deep gray on the spokes, while keeping the rims/lips polished. I polish them with Nevr-Dull wadding, then coat them with Gibbs Oil. This is usually done at least once a month... they are a real PIA... in the last picture you can see how the centers have darkened with time. I'm sure that if you are using them to race on - you'll want to have them treated and painted. For sure you want to have the inside of the wheels - inside the tires - painted, as well as the back side of the wheels. BTW - Les found another set for me - so the pressure to sell them to me is off. ;-) I now have a complete set of FIVE for the BRE Z plus a couple extras as spares. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Clive: Yes - I had that car last listed as belonging to Al Leri, IZCC #2925 in Peckville, PA. Thanks for the link - I now have File Pictures.. FWIW, Carl

Hi Mark: Yes - it is good to see the segments, more or less combined in one viewable series. I too get hooked when I start watching - and I can't stop! The work and video production are both amazing.. He is a very talented man, and he's put a lot of effort into sharing the experience with us. FWIW, Carl B. You have to love working metal, to take on a project like that!