boyblunda

In 1971 my first car was a 1963 Mini Minor - 850cc front wheel drive, quite unsuited to Australian bush conditions. Spent more on repairs than I paid for the car. Followed shortly after by a Volkswagon beetle. Laugh all the louder if you think about trying to pick out a kangaroo on the edge of the road with a 6 volt electrical system. Finally in 1975 bought a second hand P610 then two years later bought my only ever new car a P610 off the showroom floor. Sold the new car six months later so that I could buy a P510 rally car which I ran for 9 years (one new shell in the middle of that period). A succession of Holden and Ford Panel Vans and wagons so I could tow the rally car, cart my paddle craft around etc. From 1991 I spent three years without wheels at all where I rode a push bike everywhere before I got a small Toyota wagon which I still have today - 467,000 kms on the clock. A return to sanity in the past year and half now that I also have two 260Z 2+2's. Oh it is so good to be back in the world of the living. Regards Dave

I just happened to be browsing through a copy of the Complete Book Of The World Rally Championship by Henry Hope-Frost & John Davenport - a good read which amongst other things includes a chapter on all results of WRC events since the inception of the WRC in 1973. I noted that in the 1973 Press On Regardless rally in the USA, that Jim Smiskol/Carol Smiskol came 3rd in a Datsun 240Z. 1 110 Walter Boyce/Doug Woods Toyota Corolla 1600 418.47 min 2 J.Walker/T.Palmer Volvo 142S 439.96 3 J.Smiskol/C.Smiskol Datsun 240Z 453.60 4 J.Buffum/W.Zitkus Ford Escort RS 459.03 5 J.Rodgers/E.Brooks Datsun 510 465.01 6 R.Mucha/R.Zyszkowski Polski Fiat 125P 477.51 7 W.Dodd/R.Kren Ford Capri 484.91 8 J.Callon/G.Hays Datsun 510 488.20 9 S.Dorr/R.Andersson Datsun 510 489.47 10 C.McLaren/D.Leverton Datsun 510 496.21 In the 1974 Rally of Quebec John Smiskol/Carol Smiskol came in 8th in a Datsun 240Z while Canadian Bo Skowronnek came in 6th in his 240Z. These were the only top ten placings I could find for a USA driver in the WRC. My question here is whether or not John and Jim Smiskol are one and the same person or are they related in some way. It does seem too much like a coincidence that they have the same initial, same navigator, and drive the same make of vehicle. Results of these events in other threads also give the surname of Smiska to the same results. It would be good to find and clarify the detail of this USA pioneer in WRC events, and the history of the 240Z in these events. If anybody knows more about the above events or if I have got anything wrong, then I would appreciate getting the record straight. Edit: Oops. This is not meant to cast aspersions on the driving ability of any driver or nationality. The results described above are better than any recorded by any driver from my home country.

I am usually happy without the sound system as the sound of the motor is enough for me - most (98%) of my driving is on good touring roads, not brain dead highways or frantic stop start metropolitan traffic. For my favourite songs I have to confess to Kenny Rogers with "The Gambler" or Cold Chisel with "Que San". For a favourite soundtrack, if I had to choose one, then Forest Gump takes some beating from my perspective. Whoever chose the songs for that movie made some excellent choices. However, for the road the sound of either of my Zeds do it all for me.

There has been a considerable amount of discussion and some excellent comments already made in this forum with regard to Xenon lighting versus look alike blue headlights. If you dial the word Xenon into the search facility and do some quick reading these you will very quickly receive a breadth of comment and opinion that will help you in deciding your options on this one. Regards

Good questions and ones well worth considering before venturing into a major time and financial commitment. Thanks for making me consider my personal position in this. My reasons for wanting to restore a Z can probably summarized under the following : Style & Character : The Zed has always been the car that really appeals to me. Yes I also think that there are V8 muscle cars that also appeal to me but the only car that ever truly rivalled the S30 Zed in my mind is the Lancia Stratos - a very limited production purpose built performance machine and the Zeds arch enemy in the East African Safari rallies. How many heads turn when we drive our Zeds around? It was, and remains, a classic car of its time and the lines of the Zed match anything I see on the road today. Driving & Handling : The driving position of the Zed is exceptional and gives the driver to ability to really feel what the car is doing through the seat of the pants sensations. Versatility : The Zed can be a tourer, a competition vehicle, and anything else I want it to be. A muscle car might outperform a Zed in a straight line but how will it travel through tight twisty roads of varying surfaces? Affordability : The Zed is still available at reasonable prices although prices are climbing for good cars. Availability Of Parts : Most parts are readily available although it is more difficult for those with a strict philosdophy on what comprises a stock car. Sentiment and nostalgia do play a big part as I have memories of the sound and look of a Zed as they were pedalled around on Rallies in the seventies both on the international scene and within Australia. I do not think many who do a restoration want to let common sense get too much in the way of what they feel for their vehicle and the satisfaction of being personally involved in the detail of their restoration. Certainly the cold hard commercial argument of what your car might be worth at the end of investing your time and money in such a project has logic but no feeling. The considerations come from opposite ends of the spectrum. I do not intend to sell any Zed I restore so it is not a consideration from my point of view. The answers to these questions are going to be different for each individual and I suppose at the end of the day we all have to make our own decisions. Certainly, if you do not have the real personal passion for the Zed then perhaps a $35000 restoration project is not the thing to get into. Many of the reasons above might apply to all vehicle options you might consider for a restoration project but the two key factors that set the Zed above any others in my mind are the driving "feel" and the "character" of the car.

I endorse MikeW's comments that it would be great to consolidate these offerings into a database - and he has even offered to take on the task. Can't get better than that. The WAZRegister is currently accumulating data from Australia and New Zealand Zeds and is using VIN, Engine #'s both original and current, colour, transmission, month and year of manufacture, interior and location as the key information collection headings. They also collect information of deceased cars which could be useful in tracking some history. Regards Dave RS30 000783 1/1974 L26069091 GRS30 010961 5/1976 L26148904 GRS30 016298 6/1977 L26170257 GRS30 015336 L26115352

Anyone currently looking for a brand new OEM heater **** valve for a 240Z might be interested in this ebay item (no I am not the seller). http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7984108790&category=33548 Regards Dave

Chris I saw that in Sunday's paper and did not think it would last long. You could not go wrong for $88 - that would have to be one of the cheapest buys for a very long time. Looks like a god set of rims on the car. If you are taking extra pics and posting how about a few interior pics as well. The WAZ register guys can be extremely valuable contacts for anyone living in Western Australia and they have started a register of Zeds - I am sure they would welcome details of your car. All the best with your project. Regards Dave

I have two GRS30 260Z 2+2 one of which is bone stock and the other almost so - it has a body kit, different radio and the upholstery has been redone in a fabric rather than the original vinyl. I am leaving the latter car as is for the moment but will likely return it to bone stock when the time comes for it to be restored. Am looking for a 2 seater sometime in the future once my bank account recovers.

TomoHawk's reference to the Audi Quattros of the 80's got me thinking overnight as I remembered that they absolutely blitzed World Rally Championship events early in their existence. I remember Hannu Mikkola doing some great stuff and also Michelle Mouton and co driver / navigator Fabrizia Pons (both females) performing at the highest level and winning some major events. Then along came former Saab factory driver Stig Blomquist who showed them all how the Quattro needed to be driven to extract the maximum from these cars. My memory of the Quattro was that it was a little front heavy and not as well balanced as it really needed to have been - it won a lot of early events because it lead the way in the revolution in all wheel drive turbo technology, significant factory support, and the outstanding drivers Audi contracted to the factory team. It also coincided with a time when a number of other manufacturers found themselves in a bit of a void - particularly Ford. I also remember an Audi driven by a Chris Buffham?? from North America entering several WRC events and being one of the few north American drivers to make a mark on the international scene in that era. The advent of the Quattros was the dawn of a new era in WRC that saw some very potent cars enter the fray - the Lancia S4, Puegot 206, Austin Metro (?) and others that become "too dangerous" for the way they were being driven. The death of Henri Toivenen made a similar impact on WRC to that of the death of Ayrton Senna in formula one, and saw the beginning of the end for the super cars. I do not want to start anything here, and please excuse my struggle to effectively communicate what I am trying to say, but I could not help thinking of another racing thread as I thought of Michelle Mouton as the first and only female driver that took it up to the guys for a sustained period of time at the top end of the sport. This is definitely not a criticism of the potential or achievements of female drivers but rather should be a commendation for anybody who must have had to make the absolute most of every opportunity in their competition life to get to where she did with a factory drive. Michelle Mouton became the first female winner of a World Rally Championship event when she won the San Remo in 1981 and followed up with three wins in 1982 in the Rallies of Portugal, Brazil and Greece (Acropolis Rally). She was runner up in the WRC Drivers' Championship in 1982 and was later to hold the Pike's Peak record. The attitude of some to women drivers at the time was expressed by words ascribed to WRC Champion Walter Rohrl when he was supposed to have said "If the World Rally Championship was won by a women it would have no value". Harsh words given that Mouton was renowned for driving to win and had some great results on the board.

Climb Dance is indeed an award winning super spectacular piece of video work and Ari Vatanen would have to be one of the greatest and most spectacular rally drivers ever seen in the past thirty years. I used to buy a lot of rally videos from Duke Marketing http://www.dukevideo.com/ in the UK and particularly like the stuff from around 1970 to 1985 which featured the Escorts and the awesome purpose built Lancia Stratos before the new age Quattros, Lancia Deltas and the like took over the scene. Regrettably, Datsuns did not feature strongly in much of the footage available from that era. Go to the home page and follow the rally threads to get into rally history etc. They have got a lot of stuff on DVD and video. Some rally video classics I still enjoy include: The Flying Finns The Vatanen Touch and Vatanen Touch Too the in car Vaatanen footage from a Manx Rally in an Opel Manta (pace noted) Regards Dave

Was that you tickling that point between my shoulder blades with a sharp pointy object of some kind Craig? If so, a bit lower down and off to the right should get that itchy spot. :laugh: I know I paid a lot for my second 2+2 but the body is such a good head start that I reckon I wil save some money in the long run. My philosophy for a person that does not have body repair skills, is to start with a good body in the first place and save money in the long run on panel beating and rust repairs. Regards Dave

You might try this link from WAZ REgister http://www.wazregister.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17 Regards Dave

Auction finished without a single bid registered!! Did anybody look at this vehicle?

I do not know if anyone has posted this before. Auction closes on June 22. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=102220&item=4556076206&rd=1

Glenn Lucky lad to get hold of a Z with only 31000 miles on the car. If these are genuine miles, and it seems that you have the history of the car available to you, then you have a vehicle that is well worth the investment of further expenditure on areas that require attention. With regard to the suspension noises, I could not diagnose the problem from your description but would be tempted to look at installing all new bushes available in the kit from Victoria British or similar. If the suspension rubbers are original, the expense is relatively small and should result in an obvious improvement. There is a lot of valuable comment on this site with regard to the queries you have with tyres and paint if you venture into those sections. Regards

Well there is a question for us all and I would anticipate you receiving a mixed response to this post. I tend to agree with Alfadog that 15k might leave you more than a bit short of your desired end point with a restoration project where you cannot do a lot of the work yourself. Then I think that even if you could make it happen, and squeeze an extra couple of k, I question whether or not I would take out a bank loan to do it on a 2+2. Do not think that I am bagging the 2+2 here as I have two such vehicles on the road as we speak and I love them both. However, I think the value would sit better in a 2 seater. The 15k would or should buy a very nice Z 2 seater with all the work pretty well done. That would leave your current vehicle as a parts car or even possibly a few k for the motor you are wanting to purchase one and go that route. If you are really thinking of going the restoration route, the thought of having to pay for the substantial restoration of a body with rust in it, remove dents, and then paint the car is one of a number of major considerations. Richard advertised a straight 5/71 tub for $1250 just recently and I would think that you could save yourself a heap of money by starting with a good base. My bet is that a restored early Zed is a better investment, and possiby a little more fun to drive, than a restored 2+2. Then there is the matter that only you can answer with regard to the choice of a 180sx versus a Zed. This is a non issue in my mind as my soul is with the Zed but only you can really put a value on the relative merits of the two vehicles. 15k is a big loan for someone thinking of entering a restoration project that I think could easily blow out to a larger figure. I have only done one restoration project and ended up spending 70% more than I thought I was in for. It was two years later before I got the car on the road!! Your garage space and financial resources will play a big part in the balance of your considerations here. My recent personal solution was to buy a nice car for 10K with 5k to spend on it to bring it up to (my) scratch. I did consider a restoration project with another purchase opportunity but when I did the sums I found myself way too short. All the best with your deliberations.

Sorry to hear about the damage to your car. I have got two Zeds at the moment and am driving one while doing some work to the other. I love being able to continue driving a Z at all times and even when both are running fine, there are times that I might prefer to drive one car over the other depending upon distance, weather, parking, road surface etc. My first Z has many more miles and quite a bit of rust in it and I am currently vascillating over whether or not to eventually restore it or to use it as a parts car. Parts are getting harder to come by in Western Australia and having your own source of parts can be really useful and economical provided that you have the space for storage - it looks like we are going to have to build another garage to cope with our interests even though we have a 5 car garage at the moment. I cannot see myself selling either of my vehicles and I am still looking out for a third. On the consideration of US$1000 for your neighbours vehicle it sounds like a good deal on the basis of the fresh motor, carbies etc. It sounds like prices of Z's are cheaper in the USA than here but the asking price seems good value given the finite resources Zed owners have at their fingertips. Grab it before your neighbour sells to someone else! Dave

Having had a look at the photos, I am now thinking that the shell is easily worth $1000 and should probably fetch a higher price given that you are not in fire sale mode. However, if I were in your shoes I think I would be exploring every possibility of being able to retain the shell for a possible future need. As 240C says, good shells of that vintage are not commonly available. Keep us all posted on your intentions.

Richard This is not an easy one as the value will, to a degree, vary according to the need and location of the prospective purchaser. About 20 years ago I thought I got a good deal when I was able to purchase a P510 shell for AUS$400 (approximately US$310) that was immaculate, straight, seam welded, gusseted, and absolutely no rust. If I was in your area I would be thinking of AUS$500-$1200 for a 240Z shell in extremely good condition with its original production plates. As Bambikiller has said, the bolt ons are able to be purchased from some of the lesser bodied cars on the Australian market for AUS$1500-2500. A major part of the restoration cost is in the preparation of the foundation body shell. Getting something that needs no work would be a significant cost saving for anyone thinking of getting involved in a restoration project. Hope this helps. Dave

Hi Raven, Not sure if this helps as it could be the blind and inexperienced leading someone who has never seen something they are looking for. The item in your blank spot might be, or could be similar to, an item posted and sold by Mr Camouflage on : http://www.wazregister.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=76 Sorry that I do not have the computer skills to copy the photo posted at this site. This item varies between models and I am unsure of what might be similar or different between USA and Australian models. Forgive me if I am leading you up the garden path here. Dave

Thanks for that confirmation Rick. It does indeed seem to be the same vehicle that was recently sold on ebay for $12,000 to a West Aussie. The ebay ad was earlier listed on another thread by Gavin. ebay ad excerpt "XDP 123 Factory 162 HP motor, 8 Seconds to 100kmph. Much more collectable than the 2+2. This car is in almost new condition. Stored by the previous owner for 18 years under a car cover in a garage. Now on historic Rego in SA til 2007. New Licence plates since photos. It has just had the brake booster and master cylinder replaced. The waterpump and radiator have just been replaced and engine serviced. A pager alarm has been added for peace of mind. The original hubcaps and a set of steel rims are also included. Ultra rare white interior Want to own a piece of history ...... " Prices of cars do seem to be on the up and good cars a little harder to find. The cost and work involved in restoration makes me think that it is cheaper to do a restoration on something that has always been a good car rather than trying to revive a total wreck. This particularly applies to someone like myself who has limited skills in bodywork repairs. I looked around for quite some time before purchasing my first Zed last year at $2800 - needed some immediate work and will require a lot of body work within a few years. In Western Australia there are is genuine one owner 2+2 that has been on the market for about two years at AUS$12 - 14k but has not sold. I have just paid $10k for a 2+2 that needs another $2k of work to get it up to what I would like it to be. Project cars seem to go between $1500 and $3500 with parts cars as low as $500. I have thought that some of the cars that have been advertised in the last six months as project cars might be better viewed as parts vehicles. One attractive project package that I viewed was that of 260 freak advertised elsewhere in this discussion forum - 260Z 2 seater with a 2+2 parts car. I think our general expectation over here is that all prices will start to increase. Dave

With regard to the car in Just Cars magazine, is it the same orange Z with historic plates that was recently sold on ebay for $12,000? It would be quite a coincidence if two 260Z's of the same vintage are advertised as having been garaged in South Australia for the past 18 years. The ebay vehicle is on its way across the nullabor.

A useful thing to help observers of in-car rally action interpret the calls of the co driver, is to keep in mind that the co driver is often calling the feature that is often one, sometimes two, features ahead of the actual feature they might be negotiating at the time. This assists the driver to set the car up for the next feature as it exits the current corner. The "Oh S---" call for rollovers reminded me of the in car video of Ari Vatanen and Co driver Terry Harryman in an Opel Manta? on the 1983 Manx Rally. Vatanen was fully on the loud pedal despite a deflating tyre and got the car crossed up at high speed as he approached a cattle grid (narrow heavy duty iron frame that allows vehicle traffic but has gaps between the transverse rails to stop stock from crossing). The car straightened just as they got to the obstacle and all you could hear inside the car was "Oh my dear lord" as the right foot went down hard on the accelerator again.(Title : In Car Manx 1983 from Duke Marketing)