richard1

I bought a lot of OEM from MSA and for the others here on this board who don't understand, my car is not a Trailer Queen. I am wizz off when I am asked to pay seventy bucks for a weatherstrip that don't fit a 72 but will fit a 76 I found in a junkyard. If MSA has two business standards, it is about time they update their catalog. As far as the others offended.....take a break and cool down....I am nor trying to destroy the hobby........the parts side of this site is a joke. For the others who think they are bright and really innovative to tell me to get a look at Courtesy Nissan for OEM......well, I probably bought there before you did and furthermore to some Canadian dealerships

the stuff MSA sells is cheap Taiwan repro aftermarket and yes.....when it is cheap and doesn't make sense, I send it back. It is the reason I don't but anymore electrical components from them if it is not genuine Nissan. Good for those who are happy and like to throw their money for cheap repro parts. As far as I am concerned and for my need, I will not install a poor quality weatherstrip that don't even fit the body lip properly and is not the original rubber extrusion, no matter I am told it is the same between early 70-73 and up. Two weeks ago, I found an original 76 280z in a scrap yard with the weatherstrip I was looking for. Back home, when I looked at the one on my car and the one I picked up, THEY WERE NOT THE SAME SHAPE. I don't pretend to be a early Z guru here but please, my car is not a basket case and the original parts are shaped right and most of the repros are wrong, cheap and expensive. Where can I find an original genuine Nissan body weatherstrip of this kind if it is still available that I could cut a 30" part of it to fix my particular problem? The price is not an issue for the right part. The original part number is 76912-E4100 from the factory parts catalog 70-73.

Today, I received one from MSA. The part is a generic from Taiwan and not a right fit for the 70-72......supposed to be the same for 70-78....it is not true. Furthermore, it is garbage...... with holes in the corner sides and it shows clearly that it has been assembled from multiple parts. Please.......can somebody provide me with an option to have a "real" one or at least a part of it as I asked before? Here, we are supposed to be a club to help each others. It is not fair the administrators remove my previous posts when I am asking for assistance in a matter of support from members. If the rules are now "shut off" , don't ask for support with very specific hard to find parts, don't express your frustration and get out of the board .....where is the purpose of this club? We are the largest Z community to keep our rides as enjoyable as possible and we are restricted to ask for very specific need.......If so, I will quit. I am detail oriented about my car because it is a first generation original. Unfortunately, there are a lot of politics here who try to restrict communication between members who could be very helpful on the boards to help to solve a specific issue about a very specific part we may all need one day or another. My question to the administrators.......are we supposed to help each others or set restrictions to help members?

In my eyes they have more value because they were added option and even with A/C, they were fully loaded cars with all the comfort. The A/T is bullet proof and it is true. Mine has been rebuilt last year at 110K without any problem. Parts are available without any issue and cheap to rebuild by local trans shop. How many clutch and trans service do you have to do on a stick shift in 100K? As far as I am concerned, it is as peepy as a stick shift if the engine kept in tune.

I REALLY need a part of the original one of about 31". I have the expertise to repair original sets and match broken pieces with the real original set up as per the factory standards. I hope you pick up my point. I am not starting a weatherstrip business......I just want a piece of JUNK about 31" coming from the side hatch of a parts car. It is my personal car. Nothing more.......

and i was in my first college year. From my student part time job, i started to make improvements and among them, installing driving and fog lights. I was living close to an independent parts store and I bought and installed a set of the big 7" Marshal driving lights on top of the bumper and a set of Cibie 7" fog lights below the bumper. I will always remember my buddies telling me my car was a Christmas tree. I was living in Canada and the driving lights were never used in town because they were too powerful. Well adjusted on the bumper, the were shedding a beam to half a mile. I have enjoyed this car so much.

weatherstrip on mine seems to be a four piece set....the top, both sides and the bottom. May it be the way it is molded on the original to look as a four pieces set? There are no splits at the joints after 37 years.....maybe they were glued together at the factory during installation. It is the reason I only want a piece of the original weatherstrip coming from a parts car.

and are going through a lot of pain just for a refresh. You deserve praise for doing so. When I bought mine in 2000, it was perfect down to the last Cad or Zinc plated nut or bolt. Today, it is still nice and I enjoy it as an original that is not anymore perfect as nine years ago but I like it the way it is.....a well maintained full original. I have gone through two full nuts and bolts restorations in the last twenty years with other cars and I will never invest anymore this way. I spent a lot of money and I will not do it again. My Z is original and I keep it running in the very harsh summer in the desert. I wax the 37 YO original paint three times a year and I am happy. It has a couple of oil drips what I consider normal. for an engine that has never been opened for overhaul. I maintain a Castrol oil change schedule at every 2K and the engine is happy at 128K with just half a quart between the oil change. I am not anymore the perfectionist I was ten years ago about a perfect show car. I just enjoy the way my Z is as reliable, performing the maintenance myself and expecting to forward to my son as it is.....just a very nice original. Congratulations for your hard work.

I need info on the original inner body hatch weatherstrip. Is it a three or four piece set and how does it compare to the repro set sold by MSA and others?

in my 240z and it is cold and first class. After much research and comments from the experts, i must say that it is the best choice for an original vintage system with typical rubber hoses of the time. 102 F here today and it is very comfortable in the cabin.

as concours original and superb it was, the only option was to hide the stereo unit and install better speakers. I made a duplicate bracket for a left speaker and bought a performance stereo to match the speakers. They are in the fender well as the original single speaker. Where is the unit? guess where..... ENTIRELY CONCEALED behind the right seat storage compartment. It cannot be better....no wires...nothing...and the original radio still lights up when the lights are on. I will try to post pictures. All the original tools fit in the left compartment.

for 240z? Are they available in US and with just one pipe as the OEM system? My exhaust is still the original from the engine to the rear muffler since 1972 and I am looking for options to stay with the stock look. I have had Ansa on a fully restored 65 Austin Healey 3000 MK III and it was marvelous sound.

but I hope you have not wasted your money. My rotary A/C system has been completely rebuilt two years ago by a MB A/C certified tech working for himself. It cost me $1500.00 including everything and it runs as cold as my Taurus daily driver. I hope for piece of mind, you replaced all hoses, fittings, valves, dryer and other bits. I run Freeze 12. I know the York is the piston unit but how complicated maintenance is or rebuilt cost....I don't know. The rotary compresssor type is very quiet.

I need to repair a MSA kit I installed in 2001.

the MSA kit is not of good quality and my driver's seat bottom is starting to split in the middle. Any sources where we can buy the fabric being the same pattern as the middle section and the side pattern bolsters? I would like to have the driver seat redone by a trusted shop in town. I don't want to pay again three hundred bucks for a full set when the driver seat is the problem and the passenger is perfect. I complained to MSA but they don't care.

I live in Vegas.....115 in the summer, I have a 180 T and temperature rarely goes over the middle of the gauge and goes below when driving or stays in the middle. I run A/C full time (240Z). Percolating is my problem even I have an electric fuel pump I start on severe heat condition combined with the mechanical one. It idles better in traffic. But, this spring, I made the decision to install a pusher fan in front of my A/C condenser. I will see if it will help my A/C to perform better in severe desert conditions.

buying "reliable" parts at Autozone but my experience has not been a good one. Two years ago, I bought a new alternator. Two months after it was defective. They gave me another one. In the same period of time it failed again. I made the decision to buy a nissan original rebuilt from NAPA and the problem was fixed. Here in Vegas, it is impossible to find an air filter replacement for s30 models and it is not even listed as available at Autozone, Pep Boys or Checkers. My only option is to buy from MSA or Courtesy (plus shipping) and it become very expensive. It is the reason I switched to KN. No problem to find original fuel pumps at the NAPA warehouse and even point sets, rotors and distributor caps with real brass components under the STANDARD brand name. they are the best products after the OEM Nissan parts. Maybe it is because we are in the middle of the desert here but it is impossible to find major maintenance parts at local parts stores aside of NAPA and Carquest and they are not even listed on many of them. We have an import parts supplier in town, Meyer Auto parts. They have jobber parts under the name of OEM. Once, I bought a distributor cap with aluminum contacts. my engine was idling bad. Even points sets from MSA are garbage and don't fit right with gap set right. The engine don't start at all because the parts are not manufactured to quality standards required to have the cars to run properly. To conclude this comment, this is my own story with after market parts and how costly it can be to have good parts to have a reliable daily driver in what I consider severe climate in my case or just a week end driver to go to the grocery store. I have owned several classic cars in the last twenty years and they have all been ground up restoration projects. My Z is the only one that has never been restored because there is no need to do it. My goal is to maintain as an original as far as I can but being able to enjoy it as a daily driver that i would not be shy to bring to a car show. It is far from perfect and not a trailer queen. It is the way I enjoy my driver....shiny original paint, ugly original hubcaps, A/C serviced and.......I enjoy the ride.

-left front bumper guard -A/T plastic T handle shifter and plastic PRNDL bezel and stainless cover plate -Original radio face plate if available richarddube@cox.net

they are generic parts that fit a Chrysler, GM or a Ford product and they will fail only after a few months and cause more problem on your electrical system.(believe me....i have facts) It is lifetime warranty because it is garbage to bring you back and buy more parts that most of the time are not available to their network. Have you ever tried to find an air filter for your original twin carbs engine? You will never find. The only option is the K&N at 50 bucks you can clean and put back. Cheap parts are not making an old S30 Z reliable.......and believe me, I have learned from the last ten years. I would not say that we need deep pockets to maintain an early Z but if the new member wants to buy for his pleasure of the hobby, cheap stuff to service his car is not the right way to go. My opinion only......cheap price VS long term reliability

buy the best you can find, have it inspected by a knowledgeable member and don't be shy to spend top dollars for the best you can afford. Atop of that, be aware that they are close to 40 YO cars and you will have to spend time and money to have your toy reliable because if you expect to drive it on a daily basis, one day or another it will need major work and don't expect to find "reliable" parts at Autozone. Better to pay more and go to NAPA, CARQUEST and MSA. Depending of what has been the previous traceable maintenance records, you will never know what to expect about maintenance to come or potential breakdowns. Try to buy a documented car you will be able to check what has been done in written and don't rely on what you will be told. Ten years ago, I have been lucky to buy a very low mileage fully original and I paid big bucks at the time. Today, I know exactly what to expect from my car to be reliable. The key is very meticulous maintenance to be sure that everything is running fine and A LOT OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE. I never read on this board posters speaking about preventive maintenance and I believe that it is the key to have our Zs on the road and be reliable.

for 72 Z. I just need the metal guard and the chrome must be perfect. I don't need the rubber part. richarddube@cox.net

I am speaking of the oval or round key for the model produced 04/72. The key is round with black background enhancing raised "NISSAN MOTORS" letters.

is there a source available for original oval keys for the early 240Z ?

today I realized that my 240Z tail light panel would deserve a refresh. The car is original and I don't want to remove the panel for a complete restoration of this part. Is there any alternatives? The left side is still a darker grey color but the right side is discolored by the UV and is light grey colored. My questions are as follow: 1-Is it plastic? 2-Is the original color dark grey as I can guess on the left side? 3-What are the suggestions to match the light grey right side with the darker left side? It may seems silly but has somebody ever tried black shoe polish? Any suggestion would be appreciated.

After mostly two weeks now since the system has been serviced with the Freeze 12 as rebuilt....works perfect and up to specs. Very happy....thanks to everybody.