boyblunda

You could read this thread for some previously discussed relevant information http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27798&highlight=240Z+260Z+Differences

Hmmm. Money hungry developer / exploiters at one end of the continuum versus tree hugging greenies at the other. I am not too sure whether all of the blame should be lumped at the door of the greenies at this point in time. No doubt there was an assessment of the risks associated with such an operation that identified strategies to circumvent anticipated problems with this underground mine. There will definitely be a thorough enquiry and additional influencing factors will be identified - I thought I heard that there had been some problems with this operation prior to the explosion. On the matter of fires in Australia, I cannot believe how some populations of people want to build and live so close to and even within envelopes of eucalyptus trees. Why do insurance companies provide cover at standard rates to these properties? Maybe there are two sides to many coins in some arguments and less so in others.

Hi Tomohawk Did a suspension renovation a little while ago and was one of the most worthwhile things I did for my Zed. Just a query or two on your project. First, what sort of bushings are you looking at putting into your car? Second, given that it looks like you are going for a major refurbish in this department are sway bars a consideration for you in this effort? Finally, does this lead into a further stage of refurbishment or is this just what you feel needs doing for now. Would like to hear some more detail about what components you are intending to use. All the best with this new chapter for your Zed. Regards Dave

There is a seller on Australian Ebay running items for front and rear bumper rubbers plus the end rubber caps. Auctions currently have 25 days to go, items are said to be in Australia. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DATSUN-NISSAN-240Z-260Z-FRONT-BUMPER-BAR-RUBBER-INSERTS-/130450238499?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1e5f70ac23 Front rubbers are BIN AUS$69.95. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DATSUN-NISSAN-240Z-260Z-REAR-BUMPER-BAR-RUBBER-INSERTS-/130450239094?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1e5f70ae76 Rear Bumper Rubber Set BIN AUS $79.95 http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DATSUN-NISSAN-240Z-260Z-REAR-BUMPER-BAR-RUBBER-END-CAP-/130450248725?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1e5f70d415 Bumper Rubber End Caps Pair BIN AUS$30.00 Might be easier to go with what somebody else already seems to be doing rather than going to the extra trouble yourselves. I know nothing about the seller or the quality of the items. Looks like this seller has them in some quantity and has likely accessed a manufacturer / supplier. The ads I have noted from this seller in the past have all been for reproduction panels and parts for older cars.

Hi Dave I have just had a roll bar made and fitted to my 2 seater and I also have (2) 2+2's. While I do not have a definitive answer to your query, there is no way that I can visualise a roll bar for one model fitting into another. Any side view of the profile of the two S30 models will show that the difference in the length of the two cars is most evident in the length between the doors and the rear wheels and strut towers - the critical areas into which a bar would be mounted.. I think if you view the the MSA website you will see that the roll bars for the two seater mount into the rear in a way that is not transferable to the 2+2. It might be possible to do so but only with some additional work or modification in which case I think I would prefer to start from scratch and have a bar fabricated for the specific model under consideration. There are many people on this site with North American competition experience who might provide their views on this matter. Perhaps you could post some details on the year of manufacture of your 2+2 and the intended use of vehicle so that people with specific knowledge of your situation might be able to respond as appropriate. One of the additional thoughts that crossed my mind is that comparatively few people compete in 2+2's compared to two seaters. If you are developing a competition vehicle then it might be best to float and confirm your vision before commiting to such a project. Do not be put off by what I have said - I only urge you to continue to research your options before initiating the development of your project. Regards Dave

Good thread. I am looking at replacing the seat belts in my own cars and this is good information. Just a note about who you might get to do any stitching on seat belt webbing and not wanting to put a dampener on a cheap solution to a problem. Up until recently I have been involved in vertical roping (climbing, caving, rescue) including the testing and evaluation of equipment. Seat belt webbing is used in some equipment manufactured for these purposes and the stitching is most important if the webbing is supposed to be able to perform the way we would want it to work when it is shock loaded. I am not saying that a boot maker cannot possibly do this work to the degree required for these applications but I would think that personally, I would be generally more comfortable taking the items to an outdoor shop that deals in climbing gear and have them send it off to an entity they recommend for the task. As an additional consideration, with vertical activity software - harnesses, ropes, slings - there is usually a maximum life specified of up to a maximum of five years even for equipment that is unused. I am not suggesting that this be applied directly to seat belts but it is something to consider for our 30+ year old cars. Certainly any belts that have been involved in a significant incident or that show any signs of wear, should be replaced. FWIW Dave

I am going weak at the knees looking at these beautiful yellow cars. I do share the view that engine bays should match the external colour of the car with the possible exception that a black engine bay can be appropriate when viewed as part of the underneath of the vehicle. With regard to the choice of whether or not to paint the same colour under the guards I think I would be influenced by the sort of roads I might be driving over. I cannot avoid driving on unsealed roads in my location and for my situation lean towards a colour that can be easily touched up and does not readily show stone chips. However, the cleaner single colour look would be my choice for a vehicle that is going to spend all of its life on sealed roads. I can certainly see the sense in your philosophy that you put as much effort into the car and how far you go with a job as your investment warrants ie only painting the visible bits when not going all out with the expense. It seems that you are fortunate to be able to be sure that you have the right person doing your work - nothing like strong personal recommendations from others to give you confidence about this part of your project. All the best to you on the final product.

Painting with a colour change is a serious undertaking and you look as though you are going to give it a red hot go. What are your intentions with regard to the guards, interior floor and firewall, doors and engine bay? I am up for a colour change with one of my cars in the not too distant future and have conflicting recommendations from panel shops about how it might best be done with regard to the removal and stripping of doors and guards, whether or not to do the same colour through the wheel arches and the engine bay, stripping the full interior to paint the interior firewall, and even whether or not to pain with the windscreen and rear window mounted on the car or not despite the fact that ALL of the seals and rubbers will be replaced at the time!! I personally think that the full body of the yellow DougN has on his car looks really special on the S30 - I think I remember him saying it was a Lamborghini yellow. However, we are only talking about the finer differences in shades of the same colour of the spectrum here and the final decision really comes down to a personal choice. Look forward to seeing the final result here when you finish.

I have both on my vehicles and while both work okay, prefer the retractable antenna primarily because it gets the object out of the way whenever I want to put a car cover over my car and the non retractable option occasionally gets in the way when I am washing the car. I really only want the antenna to be visible when I am listening to the radio.

In addition to the strategies suggested in the links provided above, this product is available in Australia as a shield against moisture, insects and rodents for valuable cars in short and and long term storage. www.carcoon.com.au They have a sealed and ventilated fully enclosed system in various sizes for both indoor and outdoor applications - 24 different size and material combinations for bikes to Bentleys. The prices range up to about US$1570 on todays exchange rate.

Motorsport Auto have a few offerings in fibreglass and carbon fibre fenders, front and rear spoilers, hoods and vents. They also offer a club discount to CZCC members.

#7 for me. Thanks for the early advice Ron and Mike. I had been wanting to buy a good quality BRE model for some time and was lucky to read your post at the same time that I was ready to purchase. This model will sit nicely in my memorabilia collection alongside the poster signed by Mr K. Anyone interested in purchasing a model signed by both John Moreton and Peter Brock should note that only 146 autographed models will be available and only through BRE. Get in soon.

Hi Thac and welcome. Your car looks like a good clean start - a 1977? is it? The 2+2 is an excellent touring car. I noticed that your car has recent Western Australian plates and thought you should know that there is a WAZ Register club that operates in our home State. Several people in this forum are WAZ members as well. When you get time get along to one of the meets and meet a few members - the contacts will be invaluable both for information and access to parts and information about suppliers. Look forward to catching up sometime. Regards Dave

I totally endorse the thought processes behind possessing and driving multiple Zed cars. I am in the process of refreshing two cars and have a third to drive while the others may not always be available to me. The third car is also the one I drive in any weather, park in nearly any car park, and do not mind driving down dirt roads etc. It is really nice to always have a Zed to drive and some days I have a triple Zed day when I get to drive all three. Mind you, the attitude I perceive from She Who Must Be Obeyed could only be described as minimally tolerant but then, you cannot win them all. Look forward to hearing more details in due course.

Tyrone, the Mazda RX-7 is there at #5.

Thanks Alan for nailing an important issue here. The impression I have is that the author intended to nominate the 240Z made commonly available in Australia without realising that there were earlier and more exotic members in the Datsun family. The article is a little inconsistent in that a very specific model of RX-7 is nominated but the 240Z nomination is nowhere near as well defined. I think you also make a very valid point with regard to the alternate suggestions you made being more suitable nominations for such a list.

Yes MikeW you are right. According to the article only two road legal versions were produced to meet the requirements to enter the vehicle at Le Mans in 1997, but neither were sold. The R390 seems to be a bit of a left field entry on this list from the view that no road going versions were sold. The article did not confine itself to cars sold in Australia as the Mazda RX-7 listed never reached Australian shores. These lists are sometimes like a list of the top 10 boxers of all time - really only an opinion of the author. The twin turbo 300Z would seem to be a more appropriate inclusion than the R390.

Australian Motor Magazine July 2009 has a couple of interesting articles including a suggested Top 10 Japanese Supercars listed as : 1. Nissan R35 GT-R 2. Honda NSX-R 3. Datsun 240Z 4. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Makinen 5. Mazda RX-7 (1990's model twin turbo) 6.Toyota Supra RZ twin turbo V6 7. Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R 8. Subaru Impreza 22B 9. Nissan R390 10. Toyota 2000GT I do not want to get anybody's blood up here but the Toyota 2000GT is described as "originally penned for Nissan by a German (Albrecht Goertz) but after it was canned in '65, Toyota picked up the pieces". Whatever we might think about such a list, and much might be said, four out of the top 10 come from the Nissan stable. The place of the 240Z in this list is exemplary given that of all the cars on the list, the 240Z was probably the most affordable in its day. Elsewhere in the same magazine is an article comparing the 350Z, the 370Z and the 240Z with a few photos of Adelaide's Peter Hall in his 240Z. This article did not go into the reasons for describing "the slide of the mighty Zed from 240 through 260 and 280 ..". I think it also failed to point out why the 350Z might be considered in some aspects to be a little superior to the 370Z. Regardless of what we might think of the rest of the article, the author seemed to give the nod to the 240Z by concluding "the old fella, as they say, still has it".

I hope I am not going off on a tangent here but as I think I remember from long ago, there are 6400 mils in circle = 360 degrees. If you know the metric equivalent, then divide by 17.77 to get the correct reading in degrees. OR Somebody can save us the arithmetic if they know the proper imperial reading.

From Wikipedia: ""Lies, damned lies, and statistics" is part of a phrase attributed to Benjamin Disraeli (and others) and popularised in the United States by Mark Twain: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." The statement refers to the persuasive power of numbers, the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments, and the tendency of people to disparage statistics that do not support their positions."

I think your friend may have punched the wrong button on the calculator. Without going into the nuts and bolts of how he or she came to the totals 96 and 79, 96 is 21.52% greater than 79, and 79 is 17.71% less than 96. However, please do not be distracted by the above. Your friend obviously needs both profesional help and the support of friends and you should concentrate on providing whatever assistance you can.

If your 260Z is already missing some hoses and the condition of the carbs and the resultant performance is questionable, you might do better to consider replacing the flat top carbs with round top carbs from the earlier model. The flat top carbs and emission control gear are often held to be a problem although some members have achieved satisfactory results with them - the round top swap is a common alternative and may be an easier solution unless you want the car to remain original.

My parts manuals, dated December 1973 and December 1977, which are for right hand drive cars, only shows part #26370-E4100, with a pictorial representation showing the lower of the two arms in your photo. This arm, from memory, is similar to that which I had on my Datsun P510 years ago. However, I have just looked at three of my Zeds, all 1974 or older, and they all have the other arm shown in the upper part of your photo. Sorry I cannot help beyond that. Anybody else?

The parts manual for Australian cars shows different part numbers for all three sections of the rear finisher panel although I cannot say what the difference is beyond that which is visually obvious. The Haynes manual shows a 0.8" or 2 centimetre difference between the two seater and 2+2 models and if I remember correctly, an earlier discussion where this was raised received clarification that the panels at the front were the same and that the difference in width was in the rear panels - sorry that I do not know if this affects the rear panel finishers. Maybe someone else has tried to interchange these parts?

Very very nice. I am impressed and envious at this addition to your garage space. My infinitely better half has advised that I may need to make my next garage big enough to live in so maybe the batchelor pad is not such a bad idea. Mind you, it is a good thing to have out of the way storage space for things that otherwise just get in the way. SBlake your cave looks to be a well refined retreat and work space. Computer in the garage - great idea. Randy, can you tell us a little about the rally poster above the toolbox on the right and the floor coating you used on the floor? How durable the floor coating to oil stains, tyre marks, pressure cleaning and the like? Regards Dave