26th-Z

Thanks for the link! Yea...I was going to respond to Tomohawk to go talk to another rad shop - someone who knows what they are doing.

With pleasure I post these bumperless Z cars. Recognize that big square grill opening? And all these guy around here say the 350 isn't a Z ! ? !!

Hey, this is a great thread! I'll throw in my 2 cents. I just rebuilt 26th's engine. Stock except balanced. By a Nissan oil pump. Buy aftermarket water pumps and replace them often. New head bolts is a good idea. It doesn't matter where you get them. I would do the alternator upgrade if I were you. I don't think the engine bay harness is too difficult to rewrap. Nice touch and I don't like the sticky electrical tape - although Will posted a "correct" 3m refference. Humble or Vintage Z checklist? Can't really comment on the starter thing. Or the alternator upgrade for that matter. I'm stuck with 1969 POS. As far as POR is concerned, I hate the s**t. That's all I have to say about that subject. If you are going to autoX, a performance clutch is in order. Centerforce will do nicely. I would look into stiffer mounts for the gearbox. There was a suggestion about MSA parts and I concur completely. Most everything I have ever bought from MSA or VB has been very satisfactory. The dry cell battery is a good idea.

90950-E4101 - hatch deck grille outer. The plastic ones? The parts books list a self tapping screw, suggesting a different mounting than the molded pins. I have new ones at the shop. I'll check the number. They are plastic. There is a thread in the archives that talks about the grills and vent tubes. The "hoovers" as Chloe used to call them. It goes on and on about how that arrangement is mounted in the hatch. I always wondered if the grills were ever chromed metal; screwed into place. This club sells an excellent part reference on Cd. Well worth the investment. I bought one and at great time and cost, printed it out for a three-ring binder. For me, the parts catalogs are a basic requirement. I have tow other catalogs and the illustrations are what make them. Great illustrations. Hurricane season starts officially in June. 27th damned near got hit by a tree during our third one last summer. I think one of the reasons 26th is taking so long is because a good part of their roof was blown off. Some times in spring we get cold fronts blow in from the Gulf and they can be serious blasters. We call then "no-name" storms. A no-name was responsible for the Skyway bridge collapse years ago.

Yep! 26th has been with me for twenty years and is currently completely apart and her body shell is being dipped / derusted. I found 27th on eBay last summer and she is rusting comfortably in storage while I restore 26th. They are both racing green with butterscotch interiors. Both will eventually be restored to "pretty damned original" condition. 26th is scheduled to be enhanced with Nissan / Datsun optional and period correct parts. 27th will go dead stock. 26th went to the dipping "spa" last November and she is still there. She was supposed to be done in March but there has been a hurricane-or-two delay and I expect her back 100% rust free / bare metal very soon.

Welcome to the club and glad you enjoy our topics! I have one of the Z-less Fairlady emblems and they aren't easy to find. Best of luck. I can help you with your pillar emblem questions though. There are several varieties and I'll briefly discuss each. 76807 / 76808-E4600 - up to 1/70 - probably either solid cast or hollow cast metal and the Z is chromed to match the numerals. There are two different chromed Z castings. 76807 / 76808-E4601 - from 2/70 to 12/70 - probably the hollow cast metal white painted Z. The Z is recessed in the casting and back painted white. This casting is different from E4600. 76807 / 76808-E4602 - up to 12/70 replaces 4601 - probably the plastic version of 4601 76807 / 76808-E8200 - from 1/71 - probably the round vented emblem. Hope this helps. Let me know if you find a solid cast chrome Z.

Welcome! Check out our web site. http://www.suncoastzcarclub.homestead.com/ Are there any Z car owners.....

You need to fix the windshield wipers.

Hey Chickenwafer! I'm glad you started out this thread with your conversation of "Lust, Then Love". The white 240 in the book is a Vintage Z Restoration car. In my opinion, "Lust, then Love" is required reading for anyone who might pretend to be a Z fanatic. I think a lot of the 350Z and I will point out that it is a lot closer to the original Z concept than most give it credit. The book is well worth the price and is an excellent piece of Nissan propa...promotion. I seriously recommend it. I looked up what $3,600 in 1970 dollars would buy today and you can hardly buy any new car today for $17,000, so comparing price is irrelevant. The Porsche guys argue about this all the time. It basically boils down to the wind-suckers vs. the water-haulers. The bottom line is that a Z is a Z, but you all know that I'm a House of DAT kind of guy.

Hah! You schmuck, seerex! You are indeed lucky. I wasn't here to defend my bid. I'll get you next time! Bens' comments are right on and Zclocks can probably fix you right up. Nice clock. Those particular clocks are fairly common and go for around $75. The rallye clock with the oscillator goes in the $150 range. Although, these days you never know. To the best of my knowledge, zclocks replaces the guts with an electrical unit and it hums rather than ticks. I have several clocks to do including a rallye clock. Who has had luck with oscillators?

The oil cap is missing. Thanks for the heads-up, Jim. Nothing like a serious drool on Sunday morning!

I think I was the one who brought up the sun roofs and flag holders, Mike. I was only refering to the way some of the cars were fitted for Ontario Speedway duties and suggesting the features as possible ways to identify a car. I would not necessarily assume that those pace cars were "factory" prepared at all. I wonder if the grill badge is a JAF emblem?

That was great! Thanks!

Thanks for the link! I think that is a much better looking spook than the BRE. I found this old picture in a box the other day, Lachlan. It was taken at the Daytona 24 hour race. I do not have a model of that particular car. The one kit I found was rather expensive - about $100 compared to the $25 kits I have of the later R89s and R90s. The same model kit brand makes the R87G car, for about the same price, and I am left drooling. And just to keep this close to topic. The aerodynamic engineering of the spook and spoiler combo makes a significant difference in the way a Z handles. The "Euro" look is not just for looks. The effect these pieces have on the car is impressive.

Carl, I saw reprint owner's manuals on eBay not too long ago and they were reprint dated 1997 which means, probably, that they were done for the Vintage Z program. At least this is what I think at the moment. I lost all three (70, 71, 72) auctions to the same buyer who outslammed my last minute slam every time. PMO It makes sense that Courtesy would have them as they are a Z Store. A real November 1969 owner's manual would go for well over $100, Jason. I lost one of those to a fellow club member not long ago.

Nice new avatar, Alan.

I think if someone paid for a manual, spent all the time scanning it and creating pdf files, and put it on the internet for free, they would be overly gracious and perhaps a little stupid. I might also sarcastically remark that if you can not buy a service manual, then don't work on your car. Neither the owner's manual nor the service manual will tell you what fuse controls what circuit - directly. You have to follow the wiring diagram to figure it out. Wiring diagrams ARE pretty common on the net and free. Thanks for the tip, Carl. Sounds like Courtesy has exactly what I am looking for.

Here, CandyorangeZ http://datsunprojects.org/zpaintcodes/ If you want to buy spray cans of paint - www.towerpaint.com Lots of Z guys use tower. They have engine blue, tail light valance grey, all the datsun color numbers. E-mail any questions. They are most helpful

Jim, I used to give the same advice. But then I bought my beauty sight unseen. I was told by a friend that the actual car couldn't be much worse than the pictures. He was wrong.

No serious effort at all, Rick. I was on to one of those some time ago until I realized what Alan pointed out. Fourways has what I think is a reasonable aftermarket approach. Furthermore the center valance with the captive nuts does not fit in 26th's chassis. This was the project that allerted me to the differences in chassis and valances. Go figure. Early cars are different from later cars. The mounting tabs are spaced differently.

Yes, I like the pictures. I like the general looks of the car. I agree with the price range. I would look at the car with the intention of buying it. There would have to be something seriously wrong to change my mind and it doesn't look like the pictures reveal anything like that. Nice looking car. Let me revise buy pointing out that the engine has the smog hardware removed and the air cleaners need some....err....attention. But doesn't change my opinion, though. How does it drive?

Rick, The spoiler you are talking about did not appear on US imports. If you look in Brian Long's; "Fairlady to 280Z", page 89, there is a color photograph that shows it pretty well. Actually, the captions for the photos on pages 89 and 90 are reversed, but you can see the configuration. You are correct that the turn signals are mounted above the bumper. For the spoiler installation, the entire lower valance is different from the US spec. Here are some pictures of the actual spoiler. It is flexible - vinyl / plastic / urethane / rubber covered foam. Same material as the early rubber floor and deck mats, only thicker. I think the real ZG bumper is made of the same material. You will notice the embeded bolt tabs. They bolt to holes along the lower edge of the valance with welded captive nuts. As you can see from Long's picture, the spoiler bolts to the turn signal wings as well as the middle valance. I have never purchased anything from Fourways, but I see their advertisements all the time in English magazines and I have heard several success stories from friends. PM me if you want this center valance. Chris

Cool pics, thanks. Looks like you were having fun.

Yea it probably is, George. The age condition might support your thought as well. ZCCA stock rules list Frigiking as dealer add-on legit in the class. Your sticker sounds unique and valuable. Post a scan.

The "Buy it Now" seems pretty reasonable. Have a look. 1970 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4545347518&category=6187