26th-Z

Bwaaa-ha-ha-ha! (Can't help it) Well, he put a V8 in his Z. What does THAT tell ya? Bwaaa-ha-ha-choke-cough-sputter! Lee, you're sure taking a bunch of it, but you seem to be holding up well. Tip-o-the hat to you!

I haven't changed my mind about stuffing a V8 in an S30 chassis. It's not an upgrade, there's no honor in it, and it's no longer a Z. Disregard those opinions. Sorry to disappoint, but puke is puke no matter how much stupid money is spent on it.

Will, Position is key with regard to Hooter's girls, as you know. I have no doubts, though. I have a position preference.

Agreed, John. That's why I said argueably. The domestic accessory market may be considered different from the import market, the import accessory market began well before the introduction of the 240Z, what market drove what, all good talking points. I just wanted to point out how well entrenched the accessory industry was at the time and what we now consider modifications were not duringthe period. Good comment. Chris

Really great thread, Will. Way to pick an emotional topic! So, with complete disregard for those whom I may wizz off, I have the following comments. I don't see anywhere in this thread the point of influence Datsun had on the aftermarket parts industry. Only inexcusable ignorance would pass over the context of modifying the Z-car or most imports of the period. Certainly VW played an initial role in establishing the accessory / modification market in America but the flood of Japanese cars in the mid to late 60's flamed the industry to epic proportions. Argueably, Datsun played a leading role in the development of the aftermarket accessory market in the United States. One MUST understand this influence when deciding what is 'Z' and what isn't. So all you guys with J.C. Whitney taste (read side protection molding) get a reprieve. Yes, you can still be part of the Z club but you don't get to use the secret handshake. If, however, you win a good taste award at some prestigious car show, a good taste award at the hands of your Z-club peers, you may use the handshake. The engine is the heart of the marque. It is the size, shape, and horsepower that the chassis was engineered for. To install a V8 in an S30 chassis and pretend the car is still a Z is vial wretched puke. It is no longer a Z. It is another name like Scarab (if you're lucky) or Flexy-Flim. Has anyone here ever driven an early Cobra? (Perfect illustration; an AC Ace with a 289 Ford V8 is not an AC Ace.) Off to the drags with you! The Z-car is a road car. A very well tuned masterpiece designed to turn right AND left at speed. A V8 in an S30 is serious automotive redneckism. You can still hang out with us, but your opinion is automatically disregarded. Recreate a famous Z-car with your Z-car and you have a recreation. I have seen two good ones and they get to use the handshake. The rest are wannabee recreations - no handshake. Then there are the guys who modify the hell out of their Z-car but it still looks similar to a factory produced Z-car model. This includes serious engine modification, recarburation, ZG body kit, flares, racing seats, rear disc brakes, modified suspension. Hell, I know a guy who put an S20 engine (how come no one mentioned an S20 swap?...ignorance) into a regular Z chassis in order to create a Z 432R model. Mr. K himself had a ZG nose put on his regular HLS30. (I absolutely loath the pictures of his car used to discuss the 240Z. It's NOT a 240Z.) The automotive world has a name for these deviates - outlaw. Outlaw deviants are prefectly acceptable when and only when the owner / builder admits his / her non-conformist attitude. The same rule applies to the 'outlaws' that is used with the 'accessorized'. If the cuffs match the collars, you can still play with us. However, an outlaw car with any semblence of taste might demand a "nice car" comment where a nicely accessorized car will only get a "nice purse". "Stock Wanabees", the guys who try to convince me that their car came equipped from the factory that way. Awe come-on! No, your early hose clamps were NOT yellow cad plated! Handshake rights suspended until you fix the offense! And one last comment about something that really pisses me off. Yutaka Katayama did NOT design the Z-car. He certainly engineered the marketing and sales of the Z-car, and did it remarkably well for all Datsun products, but he did NOT design the car. He wasn't behind it, ahead of it, or on top of it. He SOLD it. Stop this perpetuation of ignorance at once! Go back and take third grade over again. READ! You might have something valuable to say again. Thank you. I'm done.

Mid eighties AutoCad would have been version 2 or so running on an 8086 processor. Yes, we've come a l-o-n-g way.

Yo, Bill. Good to here from U

I have original art like the piece you have, Wing. I have the various paint scheme art proposed for the IMSA GTS 300ZX and the IMSA GTP Lolas. I also have (can't seem to find them right now) some layouts for the NISMO calendars. These drawings are fairly crude and they have edit notes written on them. Similar, but not as nice as your example. Who knows what they are worth considering that you probably have THE only example.

I have to comment that the 240Z community is fortunate that brand new parts are still available and that we are not generally faced with the costs of reconstructing a part to maintain originality. Unfortunately for the 'stock' guys, at least for me, the new part is sometimes not the same as the original as it is the superseded number. Enrique, that car is without doubt radical. Why on earth would anyone want to build a CorZette?! Yes, a radical flavor with a slight hint of FiberFab Avenger.

Ha,ha! You guys are great! 'Illegible' means not clear enough to read. "His handwriting is illegible". Perhaps the Z is so fast (blurred to vision) that it can't be read! Mathieu, I'm making plans for the 24hr next June. I'll be in touch. Perhaps you can teach me some French! Chris

I agree. You have an early floor mat that has been cut out for the spare tire, early jute and early (style) carpeting. The carpeting should velcro to the spots on the car and the jute should have cut-outs for the velcro to attach the carpeting. Shame that the floor mat was cut. Would love to see pictures of the footwell floor mats. The snap connection to the firewall insulation is the correct connetion for either the floor mat or carpeting.

Rear view mirrors are not original. Too bad its an automatic.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread45765.html

I think you'll like it. Brock makes some of the very same points you made - especially about the commercialism (sales pitch) involved in racing, how that relates to the construction rules, and the tendancy within the sport to resist change. A very well described position on the topic.

I suppose you would read the articles found with the internet search?

Just got my copy of the July issue (#157) of Classic Motorsports magazine. Peter Brock wrote a very intersting editorial in his BROCKON column; "Deltawing: Racing's New Era". I recommend it as it addresses the difference of opinions we have been discussing. You'll recognize the issue immediately. The cover article is; "Rising Suns - Japanese Cars: Is It Time To Call Them Classics?" Great article, but for another thread...

Stephen, Although the front track is very narrow, the car has four wheels. Actually, the front suspension is quite ingenious. 75% of the weight is on the rear wheels but the underbody aerodynamics make a significan amount of down force. The Deltawing concept was originally proposed for the spec Indycar (the Dallara chassis was chosen). Development then went to Dan Gurney's All American Racing and from what I have read, Phil Remington was involved. Nissan, with their 1.6L turbo came late to the process. The transmission was custom built for the car. And the car is VERY light weight. The point of all this work was to demonstrate that a very small engine, using far less fuel, could compete with the larger cars. It was expected that the Deltawing would use less than half the number of tires used by other teams. It's a 'green car' concept which is why everyone is so interested in it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeltaWing Read more here. And now my comment about the driving I saw. I looked closely at three 'accidents' including the Deltawing shunt. In each case the overtaking driver was, IMO, at fault. I don't know about you guys, but when I did my driver training I was told that the overtaking driver is responsible for not hitting the slower car. I think every one of those drivers (including Allan McNish) should be penalized. You all may remember that Allan hit a red Ferrari last year also. My opinion of him and his driving skill just went down the tubes. Crash McNish!

"Built of the 1978 International car show..." http://www.theisca.com/ Read all about what inspired this creation.

I concur. The 1971 brochure you picked up, Fred, would have listed the export (HS30) Fairlady 240Z and ZL equipped with the 2.4 liter engine but not the home market S30 for the 1972 model year. Another source "know for sure" would be Brian Long with his publication; "Datsun Z - From Fairlady to 280Z", Veloce Publishing 1998. I would be willing to bet that the owner is not aware that his engine is the 2.0 liter and is assuming, (because 240Zs came with 2.4 liter engines - right?) that his car has a 2.4 liter. I wonder. It seems highly unlikely but would a Tokyo dealership in 1981 have an export 1977 version for sale?

Best of luck with the engine. I have known Eiji for years and I'm not surprised with your praise. Love your valve cover. Polish off the raised lettering :-)

Ahhh...(smile) and the Austin Healy Sprite made #5. I'll bet I've owned a dozen Sprites.

Profile on Bob Bondurant. Thought it would go best in this thread. http://www.sportscardigest.com/bob-bondurant-interview-and-profile/

Wow! You don't see many 2+2's and certainly not in THAT shape! Love the wheels.

In that pic, the lettering is all black.

You have it on the picture. Yuasa Battery Co. Ltd. / YUASA / + Yuasa - / and N50Z