26th-Z

Are you a pin-up, Carl, or a poster child?

Ok, I will lift the console and report back. Right now it is very cold in Florida. It was 6 C last night and I hear it is supposed to freeze tonight. I don't think it will freeze at my house, though. I live close to the Gulf.

Ah, the mystery of old worn out cars! Some of the mask material is on the finisher, but why would it be ripped to show the slot? Strange. I promised myself that I wouldn't take 27th apart until I finish 26th so we will have to wait and see what is below the console. I plan to restore the car with a hand throttle.

Arne correctly discusses the existance of 40300-E4600, a 5-1/2"x14" steel road wheel shown as optional, however I have never seen one either. It is not listed in the Fairlady parts catalog either. That catalog shows the 4-1/2" rim applicable to the L20 versions and the 5" rim applicable to the L24 equipped models. I should also note, while we're talking about stock wheels, that the magnesium road wheel 40300-E4200 was 5-1/2" and applied to the PS30 models.

Kats, This is a picture of the finisher from 27th. It matches your picture 009 except your picture shows square knobs. In the case to 27th, the finisher has a blank plug for the defroster switch. There is no "on" lettering for either switch. Only the defroster symbol was painted white. And, of course, the patina resembling a 45 year old dancer from Ft. Wayne, Indiana is stock. The material which covers the blank slot for the hand throttle is there, although damaged.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32410&highlight=North+American+Rally

There's something wrong with my prescription, evidently. I apologize. You guys are right. The brow is for the later years. 26th and 27th don't have brows. Boy! Did I ever just blow it! Sorry. Yea, strike my comments above about the engine numbers also, please.

Dan, Just the other way around...26th and 27th have the brow. And back to the build date thing, 27th has a door plate date of 10/69 with an engine number of L24-2162. 26th is dated 11/69 with engine number L24-2338. Your engine number is fairly high, Gab. Who said it was right in line with production? NOT! HLS30-00048 should have an engine number in the 2200s at most. But look at the engine numbers of the cars around your serial number. It's the same range.

Thanks for the pictures, Mike! The car looks like a very nice restoration. I noticed that the center air vent is not "correct". It has spacers in between the vanes. I cannot tell if the map light has a hood or not. It should have a "brow" over the lens. Check to see if the exhaust manifold is plugged for the emission hardware before you believe that this is a "Canada non-emission" car, Kats. My engine looks just like this and I went to the effort of installing a non-emission manifold. The ventilation control panel for the early cars is cast of clear (or opelescent) plastic, chromed, and then painted black. If it looks faded, it's because the paint is faded.

Anyone have any more pictures?

I haven't heard a word about this, but then, I haven't asked, either. However, if this is true, the car sold for the BIN price, then what is being said about the value of these cars is holding true. The value is steadily increasing. Here is a perfect example of argueably 14% return on investment. Maybe more, depending on how you look at it. This is also a perfect example of what kind of car is trading at these prices. If, on the other hand, the car had sold for the eBay high bid, the sale would have represented a net loss. I think it is important to keep both of these viewpoints in mind. One, represents collector market value and the other is general market value. I suppose, true value floats somewhere in between.

I took mine apart just as you guys are talking about and it was full of crud. I blame it for one rear wheel locking up under heavy braking. After soaking the valve, I blew it out with air pressure. On the nuts, try using something like PB Blaster.

The highest offer ( of five offers ) it had on eBay was $25,000 but the auction shows ending with BIN for $39,500.

I was just reading an article in which the point was being made that the S30 was primarily a chassis and styling exercise and the running gear and drive train were "off the shelf" parts. Seeing what you have posted, Alan, to my surprise, reminds me of that essay. I seriously doubt that anyone is going to dink points because the hubcap is not the absolute correctest, Johnny'O. We might snicker behind your back, but nothing public!

Engine oil coolers were available from Datsun in the sports options and competition catalog. 21300-E4100. They require a special fitting for the hoses at the oil filter. BRE also offered an oil cooler 1162050 with their own version of the fitting. You may have either one and it is worth selling, not throwing away. Although not the same benefit as in a racing application, an oil cooler is nice to have.

Kats, I don't think the B&W car would be so light if it were red. I don't think red would give that much contrast. I'm no expert in Photoshop but I tried to adjust the colors from the middle picture Mike posted. At first, I thought the car might be green because of all the red saturation however I'm satisfied that the car is red. The air filter box is indeed light blue and I noticed the screws. I don't see any hood bumpers and the cowl screws are not painted. In the last picture Mike posted, notice the undercoating in the fender well. My, my...factory undercoating... Carl, Ok, I should have looked this up. The Fairlady Z parts catalog lists 62650-E4100, front bumper, applicable to models PZ and ZL. E4101 applies to models ZS and ZSA. E4103 (less rubber holes) replaced E4101 in 5/70 and applied to models ZS, ZSA, HZS, and HZSA. E4102 replaced E4100 in 5/70 and applied to models PZ, ZL, ZA, HZ, and HZA. The bumper rubber, 62690-E4102, shows the models ZS and ZSA excluded from application. So what this means is that the stripped down versions of the S30, both domestic and exported, were not equipped with bumper rubbers, hole-less bumpers are not "Euro", and not necessarily reproductions either. Hope this helps.

Carl, All the information I have about European destination exports show bumper rubbers. I seem to recall discussing this some time ago. There is no such thing as a "Euro" bumper. I believe the bumpers without holes are reproductions. Thanks fo the slides, Kats. What a great find, on eBay of all places! The coloring of the slide film has deteriorated with the typical "Kodachrome" red remaining. My 16mm films are in the same condition. It might be worth it to have the slides restored to their original color. I did not notice an ID plate in the engine bay.

And miss that one indeed he did, Alan! Carl, would you please send me a photo of a "JDM 240Z"? Wouldn't you rather be an expert and use the nomenclature properly? I believe you wanted to say Fairlady Z or Fairlady 240Z, didn't you? Now, I haven't been completely correct either. A 3-speed automatic transmission was available in the Fairlady Z-L (S30) from October 1970. It was not available in the S30-S until March of 1971.

Stopped in to say hello to Z-Point. Greetings Guus! Yes, the world was watching what was for me the most interesting presidential campaign I have seen.

Dan, Personally, I would question that if a Nissan replacement part was allowed in any circumstance, what would define stock? And if we have two cars identically prepared but one has the correct part and the other has a replacement, how would that be judged fairly? Or a restored car vs. a survivor? You see, there is no easy answer. The whole thing is subjective and it appears there is wisdom in the ZCCA approach to emphasized cleanliness. The windshield example was not an S30 and the glass for that particular car is available but the question remains valid. What are we going to do as parts become unobtanium? I can't see getting dinged for a quality reproduction. A good reproduction shouldn't be noticable. I'll also add that the ZCCA judging guidelines are about to change and I hope and intend that this matter will be clearer in the future. Chris

That comment applied to batteries and tires. Taken literally, one could put a '72 dash in a '70 and maintain stock. Not so. What Kats is showing (Hi Kats!) is technically correct for his year of production as it matches the factory service manual (pages FE-3). Silver muffler - not black. Now, before everyone goes out and paints their mufflers silver, have a look at your documentation. Judging, as was previously mentioned, in mostly about cleanliness. It would be rare for a judge to nip a car because the muffer was painted the wrong suposed color. On the other hand, in Cleveland, a car did not win a gold medallion because the windshield glass was not a Nissan part.

Their web site is up although incomplete. http://www.zcon09.com/ The track day page is running and the schedule of events page is up. They are excited about the North American Z Rally with appearances and parties in Houston (Sterling McCall Nissan), December 1st and Dallas (Jotech), December 2nd.

Follow the new Nissan 370 Z as it tours North America begining November 19th at the L.A.Car Show and concluding in South Beach, Miami, December 9th. Check out the web site http://www.followthenissanz.com/index.html and sign up for tour updates. Nissan is putting on a show! If all goes well, you will find me at the Orlando Hard Rock Hotel event. Z-ya! Did you notice the new Z logo?

And I agree with Arne on the A/C issue. A/C just makes the car slower and who cares how hot it is...roll down the windows!

I'm v e r y surprised to see a car of this caliber hit eBay. The Z rally banners are mentioned also - very surprising...almost disappointing. Putting this on eBay almost cheapens it...to me. Vintage Zs were constructed by four private businesses under contract with Nissan USA as part of a brand identity advertisement campaign in 1997 called "Dream Garage". Used HLS30 / 240Zs were purchased in the Southeast area, refurbished in California, and sold alongside certified 300ZXs (Z32) in the Z-Store program - ten selected dealers throughout the nation. Vintage Zs were sold "as new" with a 12 month / 12,000 mile warrenty. The "factory" reference dates to an article in Road & Track magazine; "Datsun 240Z, Factory Resurrected" by Douglas Kott in June 1998. That's where the F-word started. This particular example is "Ol' Yeller"; one of the later completed examples by Pierre Z. The last time I saw it, it was in new condition AA++.