26th-Z

You must be on-line with me, Alan. I was going to say the same thing about the air cleaners. The car didn't go fast enough to consider anything like "ram air". I was visiting my local British car friends this morning and looked at an MGTD having body frames replaced from termite damage. Although oak to replace ash, the frame pieces are available from Moss. Imagine....

I read a review that said the '72 was oversold, Carl.

Yes, Mk II Sprite or Midget. Could be later. Is that a 1275? The hood is not attached to the hinges.

Alan, The Neko Publishing "Fairlady - I" shows the S30 as well as the S30-S without rubbers. I didn't think the 432-R had bumpers! But isn't this a 432-R? So...should we refer to the solid chrome bumpers as 432-R bumpers?

Kats, Is the film with the cylinder head off the car from the heavy maintenance period, November 1969? This would be after they made the Southern run to New Orleans and back? Notice the mustache bars laying on the floor? I wonder if they had drive shaft problems during that run.

Remember? VB has that big missing gap in the 1970 range? The later models may be pretty good, but still...isn't the production date stamped on the door jamb?

Very good explanation Ben! Yes, the 218,079th HLS30, Lachlan. Up to the 260Z, the serial numbers were 5 digits - ie. HLS30-00026. Hey! I want to point out that the production date is stamped on the door ID plate, no? Why are you guys talking about the VB reference? We have discussed that inaccurate document a bunch of times!

Adam, Of course you can put 240Z bumpers on a 280Z. Hell...people are putting V8 engines in these cars! It is going to take some work. The mounts change and you are going to have to adapt your body shell a bit. You will probably have issues with the front valance panels and the rear fenders do not have the indentations, do they? Do keep in mind that the 240Z style bumper is NOT going to protect the car from any sort of contact. Not only will the bumper fold up, but it will take your body shell with it because the ends bolt to the sheet metal. This situation may have insurance consequences. So I always comment to someone considering such a move that they should understand that hitting things with your car is against the rules. Now, there is nothing "Euro" about the bumpers you are describing. This "Euro" term must be a crossover from the BMW and Porsche guys or something and I usually consider its meaning as "aftermarket" in these discussions. The solid chrome bumpers you describe are most likely replicas that have not been drilled for the rubber strips. I have a front one and it is identical to the authentic one - just no holes. Use chrome head carriage bolts to attach them to the brackets. I'll also add that the solid bumpers painted charcoal to match the grill and tail light valance is a real good look. Have fun.

Bravo!! Bravo!! Thanks Kats. Great. I like the custom sound effects!

Looking closely at the pictures I posted, there are some things to notice. There is a Z car in the garage with the hood up. The number plates from one picture do not match the number plates from the other picture, ie. 4 distinct cars. Not only is there one gumball in the middle of the roof, but smaller lights to either side. The 432 car seems to have a radar pod mounted to the roof as well. To make a 432 replica patrol car would be a little expensive to begin with. Don't you think? A 280Z-L 2+2 might be a little more reasonable. Your model looks excellent, Guus.

He wasn't in the stock class, Will. Good move on his part. He "got away" with lots of "modifications" in the daily driver class. My opinion about correctness has only to do with show car judging and beer drinking conversation. In the stock class "correctest" rules and you make a good observation - it's a visual thing. No one is going to tear down my engine. On the other hand, I'm going to great lengths to have my original 40 amp alternators rebuilt rather than simply replacing them with modern 50 amp units which I can still buy. Correctness is also a great subject whilst swizzling beer and carousing with your Z buddies. It's like a game. On the one hand, it makes for great pride in the effort it took to make it right and on the other hand, a great opportunity to use the POS word. But to answer your poll directly - with my opinion - a '73 replacement part that is not identical to the original '71 part is not appropriate for authenticity boasting rights.

Chris, they are metal short little things covered in a black rubber like vinyl stuff. The long plastic ones go on the side of the body and there's a difference. Mark, that is the same as the rotor first one I posted - I had it turned and powder coated. That poor rotor fell out of the box when I bought it and it was lost in the back of a FedEx truck for a few days. I don't like the powder coating - the experiment that convinced me to paint instead of powder coating. Patrick, the early amp gauge went to 45 amps and the early oil pressure gauge went 140 pounds. Very early speedometers (20mph) have flat slotted screws holding the face plate on instead of phillips head screws. The early tail light panel had no access plates to change the bulbs. I have been looking for one of those.

Lets not forget seat belt hooks. I'm looking for three of these! Dave, remember my mold making idea? I'm going to a class / seminar March 5 on making molds and hope to get at the seat cushion guard ( or whatever you call it).

Brand new Vented hat rotor

No, no! Don't touch that fair lady! Those are just pictures I grabbed from the thread you refered to, Alan. Not to take any smoke out of Kats' fire, this is great. I can hardly wait for the next episode "where Doris gets 'er oats"!

I think this is what he is talking about, Alan.

Here is the "vented rotor" Dave is talking about. I call it a "vented hat" rotor. The hub is slotted. Remember, the backing plate for this brake is ducted?

I screwed up that post. Yea, it's worth $200 and if you would like to pass the whole lot over to me, let's talk. Here's what is peculiar to the early, early cars: rad ****4 hub caps( D or Z caps- don't know) chrome window frame(both) rear windowframe(hatch) ****hatch glass (no defrost) ****hood vents (the ones over the battery) ****starter motor-alternator ( 40 amp alternator ) pair arm rest pair seat sliders door mirror running lites(3 of 4 in great shape) ****center console ( varies - choke plate, ash tray ) rear brake drums pass door glass 2 window mechanisms(wind ups) duct work ****seat belt stuff(rough shape) ( early buckle ) pair wiper arms & blades ****20-160 speedometer ( pretty much all the guages per series one ) ****tach(7-8 rpm) ****feul amp & guage ****temp& oil guage clutch and brake master cylinder ****trunk lock & key universal joint ****orange breather ( without the flapper ) ****floor mats ( perhaps rubber mats ) All of this is fairly peculiar to early series one cars. I don't need the console and depending on how nice it is, they can bring $300 alone. I don't need the 'D' caps either. I am interested in all the rest. Here are a couple of shots of early inspection lids. Notice how the hood tab / seat for the hood cushion is riveted on. They have a slot on the back for the plastic clip. Also - early hood bumper.

Yes, I think it's worth $200. I know a fellow in Tampa looking for clear hatch glass. Of course, the 'D' hubcaps are valuable - IMO $75+ each. Let's see...I would like the hood vents. The 40 amp alternator is early. I have yet to see much difference in the starter motor. Peculiar interior parts would include the seat belts, console / ashtray, seat belt hooks, seat cushion guards, "red dot" center mirror, and perhaps the floor mats.

If you are looking at those hinges on eBay, they are probably the correct replacement part. Wouldn't surprise me to find them cad plated, but correctly, they were painted along with the body.

It is probably quite incorrect to use a Muslim reference these days, but whilst outside the homeland, one must make pilgrimage to the various substantial collections around the world. Thus Z Mecca in Tampa. We had a gathering this weekend and we were talking about you, Alan! Our gathering had a very distinct Japanese flavor as you might guess. Yes, I noticed the Kameari reference and the very reason I sat up and took notice is because I know you are well aquainted with their performance parts. Much of the catalog was explained to me this weekend. I'm still in a mild state of drool.

Hi Eric, I didn't realize what the DVD was when I was watching it and I will have to ask about it and the region free situation. Give me some time and I'll see what kind of advice I can get. The video I watched was in Japanese - there's hope!

Thanks Guus! Nice reference. I collect 1:24 kits and have quite a few.

Hello Kats! Great video!

The same thing happened to me, Carl. I right clicked and saved to file on my computer. So thinking this was the neatest video, I took it and a catalog from "Pit Road" http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~kyuusya/index-3.htm up to Z Mecca in Tampa this weekend. While there, I got to see a video of Japanese drag racing, two of the Sagamiko events Alan posted pictures of, and that "Best Motoring" video we talked about. Geez! I thought I had some good footage?! Slapped on some Japanese this weekend I did... Eric, where can I get a copy of the Best Motoring videos? DVD. They were cool. Got a big lesson in cylinder head design from the Japanese drag racers. I saw mid elevens and one 11.2 These guys are spending $15,000 on their engines. Something like the LY head is unobtanium. You have to know someone who has one well enough to obtain one. The OS Giken heads are pretty much the same story. They trade privately. What is so great about the video is getting a glimpse at hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent!