Carl Beck

Hi Mike: Great - I was looking for pictures of that car a few weeks ago... thanks, I'll add it to my collection... FWIW, Carl B.

I have to respectfully disagree. I think there are too many errors there. Wrong. The E31's came on all 69, 70 and 71 240Z's in North America. That would mean that there were about 46,000 Z's equipped with the E31. They were used for racing by BSR and BRE in 70/71, but both switched to the E88 heads when they came out. The E-88's had better flow through the intake/exhaust ports, and a slight milling brought the compression back up. The E88's also had better castings, as the E31's tended to crack around the exhaust valves. 42.4 cc combustion chambers, with 42mm intake and 33mm exhaust valves. Wrong - There are at least four different heads that carry the E88 casting number. 1. The E88's started showing up on the last of the Series II 240Z's. Although carrying the E88 casting numbers, they still had the smaller combustion chambers of the previous E31's ie. 42.4 cc 2. The E88's that were standard on the 1972 Model Year or Series III 240-Z's. These had the same combustion chamber design as the E31 and early E88's... only increased to 44.7cc 3. The E88's that were standard on the 1973 Model Year or Series IV 240-Z's. These were emissions heads. The combustion chamber design was changed to improve emissions control, and the size was increased to 47.8cc. This is not a good performance head.. and it is difficult to rework to make it good. 4. The E88's that were standard on the 1974 Model Year 260Z. These were the same combustion chamber as the 73's but with a larger 35mm exhaust valve. I believe that these are better references: http://ZHome.com/ZCMnL/tech/128combo.html and http://ZHome.com/ZCMnL/tech/head.htm and http://ZHome.com/ZCMnL/tech/E31andE88Heads.htm FWIW, Carl B.

As Mike B. noted - the hood hinges were painted body color - but the torsen rods were black away from the hinges. {at least on every car I've checked} If you order NOS hood hinges from Nissan - they came Yellow/Gold Cad. plated. At least the set I have did. FWIW, Carl B.

That would be the 280Z body he used, after totalling the BRE #46 240-Z. Dan said he used many of the parts off #46 to build this car. Thanks for the pictures... Carl B. IZCC #260

No no no - if you're going to swap in an L28ET - then use the 260-Z. If you were going to keep either one stock - then the 240Z would make a better choice. It will be easier to find parts for, it would hold it's resale value better and be easier to resell later if you need or want to. There is a reason the 260Z is $2,000.00 less expensive - so save the money for your new engine. FWIW, Carl B.

A front "inner fender" is usually that part of the car that is toward the inside of the car, relative to the back side of the wheel/tire - and which protects and/or forms the engine bay. In that case, Yes there are innerfenders on the 240Z. They are listed as ASSY-HOOD LEDGE LH and RH in the parts catalogs. I don't believe that rocks can hit the under side of the top of your front fenders. Rocks would hit what we usually call the front fender horns - but which the parts catalogs list as ASSY-REINF HOOD LEDGE RH & LH. If you take your front fenders off - you will see that these parts are under the tops of the front fenders.. FWIW, Carl B.

?????????????? N42 blocks all have dished pistons unless modified - - FWIW, Carl B.

Depends on how much you have paid for it. Hard to tell from the pictures, but the good parts might be worth more than the car. Bumpers, Tail Lights, Hood, Front fenders, read deck lid... Can't really tell from the pictures - No way to fix it - at any reasonable cost in terms of dollars or time. I'd strip it for parts and crush it. FWIW, Carl

The Series III 240-Z's started production 9/71. All automobile manufacturers start producing their next "Model Year " cars ahead of the current calendar year for sale in the U.S. So YES it is a 1972 Datsun 240-Z, with most of the improvements for 72 included. The Date Of Manufacture is on the car because the US Safety and Emissions Regulations are made effective as of certain specific dates. So any car made on or after that date had to be in compliance with the laws in order to be legally sold to the public here. Early 72 Model Year cars did not have the retractable seat belts, nor the seat belt warning light on the center console that cars produced a few months later did. The car still has the ARA - Dealer Installed A/C evaporator and thermo contol installed in the interior, but I don't see any compressor under the hood. So when you refresh the car, you can eliminate them as well. Looks like the heater core may have been leaking, or one of the hoses let go. So the water inlet/outlet hoses have been cut off - and a loop put in the tubes on the block. When you take the old A/C evaporator out, you'll want to replace the heater core and get new hoses to hook everything back up. If nothing else you'll defrosters for the windshield in Northern Calif. Personally - I like the 72 Z's about the best of any of them. I also like that color combination - so I'd strip that car down to a bare shell and start on a complete "refresh". It could easily be a stunning example and a wonderful car to keep for decades to come. FWIW, Carl B.

What Casting Number is on the block?

See Attached...

Mansfield Ohio - - a side note off subject... Is Furggie's (spl?) Blue Note still just off the square? How about the Boston Spaghetti House - is it still in the flats? Do the Moyer Brothers still have the Junk Yards around Mansfield? Are you a member of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Club? Is the "Friendly House" still there for boys? Ah... memories of my youth.... FWIW, Carl B. Ashland, Ohio... got out of there as soon as I could...

So now the State Sales Tax people are checking to see what you reported as the Sale Price when you paid the sales tax upon transfering the title. On average - according to the State Sales Tax records - first generation Z's sell for $500.00 or less here in Florida. When you have an accident, the Insurance Claims Adjustors draw on that data base to determin the ACV of your first generation Z. Then you have fun trying to convince them it's worth $8K. "tell me what you paid".... your kidding - right? Anyone with a brain might tell you what they told the sales tax collector.... FWIW, Carl b.

Some people are just LUCKY...!! Did they have to coil the long brake/fuel lines - or were their tanks long enough to put such parts in without bending them? Carl B.

Hi Kats: Glad to hear that you have found, and/or met another person directly involved during the 67 to 69 period. Can you ask Mr.Tamura if he is talking about the shape and total size {ie. area} of "that area" being what it is on the rear panel, or if he is talking about the specific off-set location of that area being where it is? Understandable that the area pressed was limited in size/shape to reduce excessive shrinkage in a large curved panel. The original question was related to why it is offset from the center of the panel. FWIW, Carl B.

Exactly - what good are kids if you can't use themLOL There is nothing I like more than working on my Z when my son is here to help. I figure that if he puts enough work into it - he'll appreciate it more when it's his anyway. FWIW, Carl B.

Wow - Congratulations Greg ! That is some pretty significant company to keep... Carl B.

Hi Mike: Good to see you here. I'm sure there are several people on this site that will be glad to tell you where to goROFL At one time, there was an article somewhere that outlined using a Ford Mustang II Power Steering system on the 280Z 2+2. So if you really want or need P/S it can be done. Just a matter of time and money... I'm sure you will enjoy the Z... Carl B.

They look great... it's a matter of personal taste. I do have to agree with Stephen and Rob... Personally I think the four spoke factory wheels look the best.. but then I'm more or less a four spoke person.. American Libra's have always been my favorite... FWIW, Carl B.

hummm.... I've had the BRE Spook on my 72 since Dec. 71, and it has been just fine. The only time I've seen the Spook bend any of the panels is when you hit parking curb's with it. It would seem that securing the rigid Spook to the sheetmetal panels, actually reinforces them. There really isn't all that much force on the Spook itself - as it simply redirects the air flow up into the radiator opening and on up over the hood... the reduced air flow under the car, and the increased airflow over the car account for the reduction in lift or additional down force... but that pressure isn't applied directly to the Spook itself. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Webdawg1 I bought the same brand/type trailer that cbudvet pointed out - - only I did not buy it on E-Bay. The trailer on e-bay was $3995.00 PLUS $1.45 per mile for delivery.... that would have added at least $396.00 to final price {maybe a couple bucks more}... so $4391. Cash in Advance and wait 5 to 10 days for production and delivery. The manufacturer also had another dealer, that had placed on-line adds outside of E-Bay with a price of $4095.00 but they offered a Tampa Drop Off Point for $200.00 addition fee. Bringing the final price to $4295.00. Hey, a hundred bucks is a hundred bucks...!! I was calling local dealers to see if any of them could be competitive with the Internet Advertised Prices... The sales person at a Tampa Dealer - said they had a 8.5' x 20' V-Nose coming in next week - and it would be $4695.00. When I ask for the specifics and specifications - it sounded like the list of standard equipment of the trailer on E-Bay, and which I had seen advertised other place on the Internet. So I ask - what is the manufacturer of that trailer - - answer - Freedom. I told the salesman that they had ad.'s on the internet for that trailer for $4095.00 + $200.00 shipping to Tampa... He answered that they were indeed the drop off point... and after checking, he said that they would sell the trailer they ordered for stock - for the same price. $4295.00 plus tax and tag transfer - {cash/check price no charge cards}. I'm supposed to pick it up when it comes in next Wed. to Friday. Cheap trailer, but at that price I can use it a few times as needed and resell it without a huge loss... Given how hard it is to find a used trailer, it should be easy to move at $2950.00 used, or I can just keep it for storage... Now we'll see if it actually arrives in Tampa next week - - - Some of these Trailer Dealers are worse than used car dealers... That's the story so far.... Carl B.

Hi David: Mr. Brock was kind enough to send me pictures of the BRE Car Hauler as it was being designed and developed - but he isn't "kind" enough provide one at anything close to my meager budget. I couldn't afford the shipping from Washington State to Florida!! At $16,996.00 it's a bit over my budget - - I think Mr. Brock designed his for the Daytona Cobra Coupes... Maybe next year??? It sure is nice however.... FWIW, Carl B.

Funny - I always thought that Nissan did a much better job of styling the 2+2 with the 280ZX. The 260/280 2+2 always looked a little bulbous to me... Of course the best job on the 2+2 was the 90+ 300ZX 2+2... you have to look closely to notice it being different than the coupe. FWIW, Carl B.

What is your Budget? How much time would you have to devote to getting a car though the Body Shop process? If I wanted a Racing Green Z - I'd just pay the $35K+ for a nice one and be done with it... FWIW, Carl B.