26th-Z

Have the hood boxed and padded. Greyhound is probably the least expensive way to ship something that large but Greyhound is NOT going to handle it with loving care. Assume that packages will be stacked on top of the box. Otherwise, great way to ship the larger stuff.

Oh drool, drool, drool! Hope they go to a good home.

Well put, Alan.

I get all nostalgic with this Datsun thing and I'm not all that thrilled with what I'm reading. The 'Datsun' isn't coming to the U.S. That's clear (even though we could USE more economical cars). Datsun represents some form of grace to me. But true, Datsun history goes back to the early thirties. Don't forget the 1933 Datsun fire truck!

There were four shops; PierreZ (which did the majority of them), Classic Datsun, Datsun Alley, and Old Car Service. They were part of the Vintage Z restoration program, part of the Z-Store program, part of the 'Dream Garage' advertisement campaign in 1997-1998. In fact, many stock parts were re-manufactured for the program. Many of those parts are still available today.

Looking over the comments to this and the other threads, I was surprised not to find this description and photograph from the factory service manual and owner's manual. Then the discussion about judging and 'originality'. I would be surprised and somewhat disappointed if deductions were made from the tie-down hooks remaining. I read what Carl wrote some time ago, and with no disrespect for Carl in the five years I have judged and organized car shows for the ZCCA, I have never seen Carl judge a car / participate in the judging activities. I would question his qualifications, frankly. Love his opinions, as always, but they are opinions. I have yet to see any Nissan documentation directing how the cars were to be prepared for sale.

Shaved. I had a Z that looked just like that once.

Norway brochure

Ted, My first impression is that the car is not within your price range. You said that you thought $2,000 for all that work done would be a good price...well I think that would be a damned good price! Over the top damned good price! But such is not the case, eh? In your title, you mention "56k beware" and I'm assuming you mean that by the time you are finished you will have $56,000 in the car. Yea probably. That being said, look around at what other collectors are doing to other marques and you will probably agree that what you are contemplating is not all that bad. What I'm seeing in your pictures can certainly be repaired. Probably the best advice I always hear is spend the big bucks, buy a nice condition $20,000 car, and enjoy it rather than spend all your time and money repairing a car. Different strokes for different folks (I'm repairing my cars) but if you think this rust is bad then you would probably be better off buying something that needs less serious work. Best of luck!

Dan Banks won a Gold Medallion for his Z restoration several years ago and he was on a quest for the original caps which is how I know about all this. Charlie got dinked 4 points?! Something's not right, there. Those caps were fairly common on all Japanese cars of the period. I would imagine they are easier to find in Japan. The new ones can be ordered by the box and I forget what a box of them costs. Best of luck and my greetings to Charlie.

I had to go search through the old computer to find this info: Pacific Industries Ltd. www.pacific-ind.com Cap_Valvestem_Pacific-A-2000A.pdf

Yes, that is a correct valve stem cap for the model and year you describe. I thought I had better pictures but I can't find them right now. Pacific is still in business and you can order a valve stem cap that very closely resembles the original.

Arne, I had to go back to my profile and look up my join date to see if I qualified to post on this thread! Ha, ha, ha,...This site is a study in social discourse! Somebody should do a research project! Laugh, giggle, laugh, ha, ha. Of all the crap I've seen over the years! OMG, I'm going to wet my pants! Chris

You said it 'smells' like... If it smells, inside the car, you have a cabin leak in the back. Quite common. The exhaust is getting back into the cabin from something that is not sealed back there. Check all the grommets around hoses passing through the body shell and check the seals around your tail lights. If it really IS running rich, your spark plugs will be black and sooty. So check your plugs before you go tearing into your carbs. I'll bet you have the cabin leak issue if you think that smell...ohww that smell!

Hey, thanks for the links, black gold man. Chris Blair, by the way, incorrectly calls the ad campaign title as "Enjoy the Ride". I own a copy of the Nissan literature - the full kit - including all the television videos. It is "Life is a Journey. Enjoy the Ride". I have no doubt that the Dream Garage commercial appeared during a super bowl, it was probably aired during a rebroadcast of "The Rockford Files" for all I care, but it would be misleading and historically incorrect to state that the ad was a super bowl ad. And I don't mean anything rude, Stephen. It is just that I have spent too much time and money researching that moment of Nissan history and I see the Dream Garage commercial mentioned as a super bowl commercial all the time. Including by some who profess to be an 'expert'! Stephen, you point out what is most likely the root of the misconception. Americans don't pay as much interest in the olympic games as they do football. Of course, the rest of the world doesn't pay much interest in American football!!!

Opps! Gotta step in on this old thread and set the record straight again. The Dream Garage ad was NOT a Super Bowl ad! The $200 million national advertising campaign designed to rekindle consumer brand identitiy began during the closing ceremonies of the Atlanta Olympic Games August 4, 1996. The Z Store project you mention, Stephen, was part of the campaign as was the Vintage Z restoration program.

I use anywhere between 91 and 93. I don't think the cost of an additive offset by the pennies per gallon difference in octane rating is going to result in any significant savings. What with gasoline at $8 per gallon (or more) in Europe, $5 per gallon is pretty cheap. I think if you really want to save money with the cost of fuel, maintain your tire pressures, change your oil regularly, drive slower and drive less. Not a real 'sports car' thing to say, agreed, but there it is. Just imagine how much you are saving over the cost of driving a Ferrari!

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?37608-Hatch-Hinge-Seal-Covers&highlight=hatch+hinge+seals

AMCO Parcel Bar. Best of luck finding one. They're around. eBay

I agree with Hardway that television has contributed to an inappropriately inflated market, but that's the nature of television, isn't it? Still, at $11,600, I think the subject car is underpriced.

Got this web link from Vintage Motorsport magazine. Vintage racing film in the making. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1657954692/help-save-vintage-racing-today?ref=live Check it out.

If you do some archival research on this site you may find that you picked up a fairly rare item at a very nice price. Congrats! The cigarette case Fairlady 240Z came in three different finishes and were mostly Japanese dealer gifts.

Yes, HLS30-51391 would have been built around October / November 1971 and could very well be a transition car.

The VIN is S30-04679 which denotes a Japanese market, right-hand drive, L-20 engined Fairlady built around mid January to early February 1971. I attached a scan of 1971 model variants for the Japanese market (probably credt AlanT for the info). If the car has an original 5-speed, it is probably a Fairlady ZL model.

Black Gold Man is incorrect. Arne and Marty Rogan are correct. The upper portion of the exterior face of the radiator support is hand (brush) painted black.