boyblunda

This thread discussed the differences between 240Z and the 260Z some time ago and may be of some use. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?p=232780#post232780

FWIW this Western Australian restoration was done with a Subaru WRX rack and a 280Z pump. I do not know anything else about the car or the details of the mechanicals but it is one good looking car from the photo provided. http://wazregister.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=316

Can you please check your VIN # again against what you originally posted and confirm its accuracy? There are some registries that people might be able to use to approximate the build date but I am not sure if there is much readily available on Japanese market cars if it is your 280Z you are referring to. Do you know much about the history of the car?

Good question. The only other car that really appeals to me is the Lancia Stratos. The 1970's Stratos was the first ever purpose designed rally rocket and turned rallying on its head. It had a choice of Ferrari engines (Dino 246??), a sound like no other, and was a real performer. I think only just over 400 were ever built although there remains some question as to just what the accurate picture of production and homologation really was. See http://www.stratossupersite.com/ However, the Stratos was built to accomodate smaller bodies than mine and I think the Zed remains my number one all round preference.

Sorry I did not see this earlier and hope this information might still be useful. In addition to, or to complement some of the information already presented., Nissan Motor Co Service Bulletin 215 , 1974, outlines the main differences between the new 260Z models, and the earlier 240Z. It does not go into detail on some of the additional differences required for specific markets eg the bumpers for the USA. Without going into detail of the additional differences between the newly introduced 2+2 model, a summary of the INITIAL changes introduced in 1974 follows below. Keep in mind that additional changes were introduced as the 260Z progressed through to 1977 including hood louvres, console design, carburettors, seat brackets, a bend in the rear stabiliser bar, new horn body, gauges, washer tank, interior trim features, tyres, and others that do not readily come to mind. L26 engine Fuel System The fuel strainer and its bracket have been relocated and the rubber hose between the strainer and the pump modified. Fuel piping running through the floor tunnel was moved to the inner side of the right side member under the floor. The shape of the fuel tank was changed to increase fuel capacity. The layout of the two breather hoses between the tank and the filler hose was modified. Radiator Oil hose connector on the automatic transmission option was changed from a screw in to an insertion type. Exhaust The bending radius of the exhaust centre tube was increased and the tube moved 20mm downward to cater for the relocated differential mounting front member. Clutch The clutch design was changed to reduce weight. Axle & Suspension The position of the front strut and hose bracket was changed. Springs New coil spring options were introduced. Strut Upper Mounting Insulator Height of insulator increased by 20mm, in response to the heightened floor. Front Brake Hose Length increased 40mm The connector was redesigned to prevent hose twisting due to incorrect installation. Brake Piping Brake piping running through the floor was relocated. Rear brake piping lengthened and three way connector relocated. Handbrake Installation angle and length of link lever changed. Adjustment nut moved from rear to the centre of the rod. New clevis pin added to the nut. Radiator Core Support Opening in the radiator core support enlarged. Reinforced protector welded to the front crossmember. Splash Board Slightly redesigned – no details given. Floor Floor tunnel redesigned with heightened floor surface 20mm. Right floor member lengthened downward by 20mm. Seating bracket relocated to accommodate enlarged floor tunnel Seat bracket redesigned for increased strength. Differential mounting extended 20mm downward. Rear strut housing heightened by 42mm. Spare tyre housing moved 30mm to right to accommodate enlarged fuel tank. Rear Panel Cutout enlarged to accommodate the exhaust tail tube. Vent hole provided to relieve hot air from the muffler. Tie down hook mounting hole and its mounting surface redesigned. Front Tie Down Hook Strengthened hook installed on each side of front cross member. Moved outward due to enlarged radiator, redesigned splash board and radiator core support. Electrical Addition of relay bracket in engine room harness. New condenser style turn signal flasher unit. Three pole insertion type connector for horn relay. Horn body modified. Improved harness connectors

Just a little suspicious about where this might be going Rick but I will put my hand up as a mild fan although by no means an authority. Saw Dolly Parton live in the 80's and had to give her points as a real performer on the stage. The Gambler is my number one song of all time.

Now that I have been able to look at my cars I find that my 2 seater and the parts car both have the earlier angled rear bolt mounting and both of my road cars have the later vertical rear bolt mounting. This is something that I did not expect in trying to reconcile my the May 76 date of manufacture of my black Z against the information I have from the parts catalogue. All I have to really offer here is that there are two different slides for Zeds and that the, or one of the, difference(s) seems to be in the rear bolt mounting. If your car is a 77 then I would probably expect that you have the rear mounting where the bolt is vertical. Maybe it would be a good thing to check this before you purchase any parts. Hope that this is of some help. BTW, these parts are reasonably heavy to carry around so be prepared for that if you are going to carry them in your hand luggage on the return trip. Regards

G'Day James Just looking in my parts catalogue section 144 I see that there are different listings for seat slides for 260Z's : From August 1976 From September 74 to July 76 The difference in the parts catalogue pictures appears to be in the rear mounting point of both brackets with the earlier model having a bolt that goes into the floor mounting at an angle while the later model has a bracket that gives a vertical angle for the mounting bolt. I am sorry that I do not have the technical knowledge or equipment to post a picture. This apparent difference does not seem to be reflected in the part numbers and pictures 86500-E4100 Assy Slide With Lever RH to November 1973 86500-N3400 Assy-Slide with lever RH December 73 to Aug 74 supersedes 86500-E4100 86500-N4500 Assy Slide with lever RH September 74 to July 76 supersedes 86500-N3400 86500-N4700 Assy Slide with lever RH From August 76 supersedes 86500-N4500 (This does not appear to be possible given the pictures of the parts) Substitute 87500 for 86500 to get the corresponding LH parts numbers. The opposite side slides (no levers) have similar differences with the models. I will have a look at my cars tomorrow and post again. Regards

Hi Jayhawk I think I see what you mean with regard to what comes up when you go to the Store item on the home page. I suspect that this is likely due to the processes involved in the site upgrade that Mike is currently attending to. Maybe either give it a week and try again OR post to the recent thread that Mike put out about the current site upgrade. Hope this helps.

I have just ordered several DVD's from a NSW group called Motorsport Memories or www.torquenpower.com They now have three Southern Cross Rallies from the 70's transferred to DVD. Unless someone beats me to it (I am away for a few weeks) I will let you know about the contents and quality of the items. They also have a video showing Datsuns in rallying from 1977 - 1987 Decade of the Datsun or similar name. His email to me includes the following: "include the 1973 Southern Cross which I have just finished. This DVD has clips of some of the works Z cars in it. Also I am working on a new Datsun DVD called Other Dato's which will have a lot of Z-car clips in it.( I will keep you posted on that) Regards Michael Motorsport Memories Australia. www.torquenpower.com" This guy seems good to deal with and sells on ebay to both Australia and overseas. If you want to buy several DVD's he seems willing to make a concession on postage. A sample of the 1989 Esanda rally with some Zeds can be seen on youtube

Thanks for that one Arne. We have a couple of less than famous identities on Australian Ebay and if we do not already have the change you described it is likely coming our way. There are some bidders and sellers that I just stay away from and it looks as though they can now conceal their identity. Good one Ebay. Another issue that I do not like is one where the identity of the bidder is hidden once bidding goes above AUS$200. I really do not like secret auctions and I often want to know who I might be up against. what there previous bidding history or tactics might have been etc. I am sure that there are reasons for this change but the advantages seem to go to the seller. I recently had to open a dispute with a seller which was eventually resolved , but no thanks to anything to do with ebay. Never heard a word nor saw anything from ebay outside their automated processes. In the past I have reported misleading item descriptions and even one seller who made me a direct offer for an item that had just been sold by auction - not a single response from ebay. I do not know just what it takes to get ebay cranked up but I would agree that they are probably more likely to get active if it threatens their income or commissions. We can only keep in mind the often repeated BUYER BEWARE when it comes to ebay.

Sorry to hear about your car but relieved that it is not badly damaged and will likely be easily fixed. One thing that insurance companies do NOT like is being fed incorrect information so I think you have covered yourself in the best way possible by playing it straight down the line. Too many things outside your control here to even think about doing it any other way and the consequences of being caught out just not worth thinking about.

Glad you thought I brought up something worthy of consideration with regard to this vehicle but mine is just one point of view from the other side of the world. The vehicle looks good from the photos and the triple webers could be a bonus if you want to end up with something of that ilk but I think that there could be additional and more informed comment available here, particularly with regard to : * the value of such a vehicle in your market * the photos you posted of the rust spots * any possible difficulties of getting a vehicle with triple webers registered in California Whatever you decision on this particular vehicle, it seems that you have a level head and a good sense of investigation that will serve you well in considering the information that comes your way in this post and in the archives. Keep us posted on what you are thinking. People here are really helpful.

Hi Sounds like there is a bit of work to do on this car but that will almost always be the case with cars of this age. If you are good with your hands and can do the paint and panel yourself then this might be a good machine for you provided that you can be confident that you have identified the extent of the rust. However, even then there will be expenses involved in the suspension, carpet and interior items you have listed. Maybe if you were to list the inescapable expenses you might be up for with this vehicle and think of what you might be able to buy with the total amount of the purchase price plus the minimum additional costs, then you might be surprised at the quality of other Zeds you can purchase for an equivalent amount. I do not know what the full story is in North America but in Oz it seems that you can get some reasonable mid range priced vehicles that have already had a lot of work done on them and are in quite good condition. Keep looking around while waiting for more informed comment than mine to arrive on the pics you have posted. All the best to you in your quest for A Zed.

Craig, Duncan Motors were the original Western Australian distributor and still operate as Duncan Nissan today which must make them one of the oldest dealers in Australia. At the time of their appointment in May 1961, Duncan Motors were also a British Ford Franchise specialising in truck sales. Duncan Nissan is now owned by the Automotive Holdings Group which deals in several makes of vehicles. Carl, the quote from yourself that I initially snipped was correct with regard to the fact that there were "few" Australian distributors at at the end of 1970. The list of distrbutors that I have been able to ascertain from my one reference reads : From 1966 Nissan Motor Co (Australia) Pty Ltd ran their own distribution in Victoria (initial distributor Arthur Wylie Motors through Hartnett Holdings) and in 1968 took over distribution in South Australia (from Carcycle of Cornell Ltd – David Cornell until 1964 then Exhibition Motors until 1968). Distribution in other States as at the end of 1970 was handled by the originally appointed distributors : New South Wales - Capitol Motors (Mr Arnold Glass) Northern Territory - Cavenagh Car Sales (Clem Chilman - Darwin Group Developments Pty Ltd) Queensland : Ira Berk (Qld) Pty Ltd - Ian Selvage Tasmania : Holyman Motors (Mr Ian Holyman) Launceston. Western Australia : Duncan Motor Co owned by Canberra based Gregory's Pty Ltd who in 1970 bought out the original distributor Duncan Motor Company (Bert Duncan) I know that this might be very dry information to some but I do feel that unless this sort of material is recorded soon while information might be verified and discussed for accuracy, that we will have misinformation and less informed debate in the future.

THREAD SPLIT?? Hi All Kats, what fantastic vehicles. Your efforts are truly interesting and inspirational. I really admire the passion you have for your cars and am sincerely grateful for the way you share all of your information with this forum. There has been a digression of discussion into the matter of dealerships around the world which is interesting and valuable to me at least but is something that might not be rediscovered by others searching the archives in future years. I have started a new thread for this topic and hope that the discussion might continue in a place that is easily referred to in the future. Do we think that this might be better discussed and recorded for posterity at http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26254 ? Hope I am operating within appropriate forum ettiquette here.

I am not trying to further arc up a situation here but I think we are all interested in subscribing to clarity and substantiation in discussing and defining matters of Datsun history. Not that I am a model for same but I do try. I have been reading the thread on Kats’ cars http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=25575&page=4 and noted the digression into the realm of the number of Datsun dealerships that existed in various countries in , or at the end of 1970. Some snips from the quotes from these posts are listed below but these extracts do not fully convey the context of all that was said. Quote: Originally Posted by Carl Beck In 1969/70 there were over 940 (later amended to 922) Datsun Dealers in the US, plus another 65 or so in Canada.... Can you name a country in the world that had over 10 Datsun Dealers outside North America? Quote: Originally Posted by Zedrally You serious Carl, 10 Dealers outside the US, please, I supplied you with the list of Australian Dealers which listed over 330 Datsun Dealers. Quote: Originally Posted by Carl Beck With farther research I'm sure we can identify at least 10 Dealers in Australia as well - but so far we have only a list of Authorized Distributors there for 1970... some of which were still listed as Prince Distributors. Quote: Originally Posted by Carl Beck I'm not really sure that Nissan Motors Ltd. in Japan actually had franchised Dealerships, in the sense that we did here in America. Where large inventories of new cars were on display, large Parts Departments socked huge inventories of parts and Service Departments handled all warranty work and mechanical work after the sale. Quote Originally posted by HS30-H who queried whether : …… all situations in all territories should be compared using the situation in the USA as the benchmark. The topic is one that does interest me and raises questions that I would be interested in hearing more about. One of the difficulties here is that there could be varying understandings of what is a dealer or a distributor in various markets. The only contribution I can personally make to this discussion would be in support of Zedrally’s contention that there were more than 10 dealers in Australia in 1970. While I do not have a definitive list I can post these quotes from Denner George R. (1978?) Introducing Datsun To Australia, Endeavour Press Melbourne. The author was “totally involved in all facets of development from the first presentation of the 310 model Datsun at the Melbourne Motor Show in 1960 ……… to the establishment of a manufacturing plant.” The early introduction of Datsun, the first Japanese car ever imported into Australia, in the 1960’s was severely hampered not only by universal problems associated by the lack of supply from Japan, incorrect perceptions promoted by rival manufacturers, and importation and finance legislation that discriminated against Japanese vehicles. With specific regard to the development of a distributor and dealership network in Australia, there are some fundamental differences between Australia and other markets, not the least of which is a small and sparse population eg my home State of Western Australia is nearly a million square miles in area and only had a population just over a million people at the end of the 60’s and the Northern Territory is even more sparsely populated. This may have affected the style of dealerships and distributors in Australia when compared to those in other markets. Some early dealerships in Australia sold several makes of vehicle eg Datsuns and Studebakers where there was no direct rivalry between the two makes. Page 20 “Two small dealer outlets were established before any State Distributors were appointed … the first being Mitchell Flannery Motors in Shepparton Victoria and the second was Topline Motors in Mt Gambier South Australia.” Holyman Motors of Launceston Tasmania became the first Australian distributor in 1960. Distributors were subsequently appointed in all States by the end of 1961 and in the Northern Territory later in the decade. NOTE the difference in terminology between Distributors and Dealers. A distributor is responsible for dealing direct with the manufacturer and then on selling the vehicles to the dealer networks in their area of responsibility. In the first year of their operation, the respective State distributors appointed : 27 dealers in Queensland 15 in New South Wales 12 in Victoria 8 in South Australia 5 in Tasmania 0 in Western Australia A Northern Territory distributor was appointed in 1963 and quickly appointed three dealers. Page 31 In 1963 a National Spare Parts Store as established to help circumvent the problem of stocking the full range of parts for the geography of the Australian market and to establish a line of accessories as optional equipment. Each State Distributor committed to carry a full range of parts adequate to service all vehicles sold or operating in their respective territories. In 1966 the Nissan Company moved to take control of distribution in Victoria under the name of Datsun Motor Sales Co Pty Ltd but changed their name to Datsun (Australia) Pty Ltd later that month and then to Nissan Motor Company (Australia) Pty Ltd. It was also in 1966 that the first Australian assembled Datsun rolled off the assembly lines. Sales were increasing steadily and the success of Datsuns in their rally and racing program added to the profile of Datsun. Page 50 The result of a special Sales Incentive Scheme held for the period April to June 1967 resulted in 120 Australian Datsun dealers being taken to Tokyo to visit the International Motor Show. Sales continued to grow – particularly with the expansion of local manufacturing - and a repeat of the sales incentive scheme in 1970 again saw “many” P.58 Australian Datsun Dealers go to Expo 70 in 1970. Unfortunately, my sole reference does not include a list of dealers at any given point in time, but it does indicate that within the Australian use of the term “dealer”, there were at least 120 successful dealers (as determined by winning recognition under the Sales Incentive Scheme) in 1967 and that there is no reason to think that number would not have grown given the continued success of Datsun in the later part of the 1960’s. There were 67 dealers operating in Australia by the end of 1962. So depending on whether or not an Australian dealer is counted as a real dealer by whatever criterion might be applied, Zedrally might well be in the running for his “prize” for being the first to name a country outside the USA that had more than 10 dealers at the end of 1970. Zedrally, perhaps you might have more details or more specific information that could help us to further define this issue. People reading this post should also read others in the thread quoted above to get additional background on this matter from posts by those quoted above.

Missed the 5 minute edit period and a light came on. I am nort familiar with the north American market but I think there were also differences forward of the windscreen and dashboard between models and / or years of production with regards to carbies or feul injection, gauges, and the front bumpers

With regard to differences forward of the windscreen the intent of my sentence was meant to say that there are few (as in not many) differences forward of the windscreen. There may also be some differences in the front struts between some 2+2 models but other than those that you have mentioned - and thanks for naming those -I do not think that there are any others I could name. However, the intent of my comment was that the situation changes once we start heading towards the rear with variations in seat mounts (even, I think, between two seater models), door, rear tail lights and the obvious differences in body panels. I am sorry that I am not well informed enough to be able to immerdiately produce a definitive list. None of the above detracts from my support for the purchase of a 2+2 as a functional complement to the 2 seater as one of a stable of cars in the family garage. The original post did ask whether or not there was a high degree of compatability between the two seater and the 2+2 models and I was trying to respond to that particular query. Hope this is clear. Perhaps others can chime in here.

The 2+2 does have the advantage of more passenger space and is also a very nice touring car for longer trips - I personally think it rides (rather than performs) better for longer trips on the sort of roads we have in this area of my home State. Further, if you are looking to extend your current Zed with a new motor or some other project then you have the enjoyment of still being able to drive a Zed while your current vehicle is in the garage. With regard to parts, there are some differences but a lot of parts are common to both. Other than the obvious differences in the doors and the rear panels, I think that there can be differences in some suspension components and around the rear tail lights. However, I think that there are few differences forward of the dash and windscreeen.

Two previous threads on tow hooks and rings follow http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9247&highlight=tow+hooks http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23171&highlight=tow+hooks

The ZCCA produced a poster some time ago and these sometimes pop up on ebay - some were signed by Mr Katayama and are thought to be more collectible. See this thread. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22646&highlight=Katayama+Poster Hope this helps.

53 in July. Hope to still be playing with my Zeds for many years to come.

I have got two on the road and FWIW I believe they are an excellent touring car on our rural roads for the extra wheelbase they have. I also appreciate the passenger carrying space for rugrats. However, I am looking out for a good 2 seater body as a project car and believe that 2 seaters are a better car for a full restoration from the point of view of holding their value.

The Haynes manual quotes the 240Z as 165.2" in length so a 1:24 scale would be approximately just under 6.9" or 17.5 cms in length.