Arne

Good catch, Mike. I drove my car to work today, so I just walked out and looked at it. My label is faded, but it is oriented as you noted, bottom of the lettering towards the front of the car, or upside-down when looked at from under the hood. More important, the two characters do appear to be a date code. My car is 7/71 build, the label says "1 G" on it, which conforms to 1971 July.

Mike, my car also has the oval one in the first picture. Not a very good picture, but it's there.

May I suggest not just posting the year, but also the build date, and (in the case of engine compartment decals) which transmission your car originally came with. Some emissions stickers vary by build date, not just year.

And I'll have to side more with Chris, or even go a bit farther. The early cars are interesting, and different. But I don't know about the "Special" part. Unique in a way, yes. But the release of the S30 itself was the special part that changed the automotive world. The first few cars were just the advance scouts, that's all.As for putting it in a museum, well to me that's just wrong. The people who designed and built these cars - even (or maybe especially) the first few - designed and built them to be driven and enjoyed, not sealed up in a climate-controlled room somewhere. I truly enjoy the fact the #13 has had a long life with numerous owners who drove it, and not just let it sit. And I enjoy seeing other low-VIN cars move around under their own power, not be stored away somewhere. I really appreciated having Mike B actually drive #32 several hundred miles to Canby last year. So my vote would be to refresh it, not restore it. Then enjoy it. That's what I'd do if it were mine...

Unlike the British auto industry (where you can request a complete build history for a fee), Nissan does not have (or perhaps just won't release) that info. Unfortunately, most of our cars either no longer have the original documentation, or if we do, the dealers didn't always complete them properly. Mid-year in '77, IIRC. Seems like all '76s had the engine number on the data plate, and some '77s as well. Good point. What we are discussing here may not be applicable for cars not built for the North American market.

Nope.

It's a Type A, yes. (Refers to the early style shift linkage.) But it's not a standard 240Z Type A (speedo cable wrong side, plus the bell housing is integral), not does it appear to be the Type A 5 speed (similar visual reasons). 'Twould be interesting to open it up and see what's inside! Looks like it might. But I don't have any idea if the length is correct, nor if the 240Z driveshaft will slide in. If you want, send it to me and I'll be happy to try and give it an extended test!

I've closed the poll, and sent the following message to the manufacturer:

That one is about as good as they get. I looked for a long time for a truly accurate diagram,never found one any better than that. Its pretty much the same as the one in my '71 FSM. It's biggest failing is the complete absence of the heater fan wiring...

I didn't post an explanation of the link because the URL is pretty much self-explanatory. I mean, really. What else is www.autoappraisalnetwork.com going to be about?Also hard to see how that might be off-topic. You want to get an idea what your car is worth? Don't try to look it up yourself, or even worse, take a guess at it yourself. Hire a professional to do the research for you. They send someone to meet you, they inspect the car, take loads of pictures, and view any documentation you may have to show them. Then they compile a list of similar cars and document the cr@p out of it. Hagerty is simple - you tell them how much you want to insure it for, they give you a quote. The onus is on you to set your own value. You pay for what you ask for, no more, no less. Those of us who don't use Hagerty or similar specialty insurers don't have that luxury. Your average insurance company isn't going to take your word for the car's value, you'd best have something to back it up. The best backup is a professional appraisal, done by people who do them all the time. The outfit I linked even has a service to come and testify in court as to the accuracy of their appraisal, should it come to that.

Jody, the difficulty in finding a set will depend on how particular you want to be. If you want a full matched set with appropriate date codes (generally you'd want the same month as your car was built, or perhaps one month earlier), you'll want to start posting at the various Z websites now, and start crossing your fingers. If the date code is not important but having the original 4 1/2" width is, that will be a little easier, as any rim up through 8/71 build date will work. Those narrow rims do limit tire selection severely, as you shouldn't go wider than 185 cross section on them. So the only modern sizes that are close to correct are 185/75-14 and 185/70-14. There are still one or two choices in the original 175-14 size too, but they're hard to track down. If date code doesn't matter, another option would be to use the 14x5 wheels from a '72-78 Z. They look identical, your hubcaps will fit them perfectly, and they allow a bit wider tire, 195/70-14 fit fine. I seem to recall reading that the Vintage Z Program cars all got 14x5 wheels with 195/70-14 tires, even the '70-71 cars. Don't know that for sure though. Similarly, some of the 280ZXs came with steel wheels, theirs were 14x5.5. Like the 5" wheels, these still look the same other than the width, and your hubcaps will fit just fine.

If you can't figure out what that's for, I'm not going to bother to try to explain it.

Tuned Port small block Chevy, probably out of a mid-80s Camaro Z/28.

http://www.autoappraisalnetwork.com/

Yes Jon, in theory you'd think they should work OK. I'm not a suspension engineer, so I can't explain it. I only know two things for certain: 1.) KYB's documentation is very clear—GR2's are not to be used on lowered cars. 2.) My personal experience backs that up. I put a new pair of GR2s in an '81 Scirocco with a set of VW factory Euro-spec GTi springs and factory bumpstops. Lowered the car about 1 1/4" (30 mm). The car was in excellent condition, only a couple years old at that point. Felt fine at first. But after a few months (about 3000 miles) the front had gotten very pogo-like, as the rebound damping was non-existent. Others can certainly try them on lowered cars if they want. I do have and like GR2s on my car now, but at stock ride height. I do know that I won't use GR2s with lowering springs again.

That style was introduced to the USA by Enkei in the late '80s or very early '90s (I can't recall for certain). It was almost immediately knocked off by dozens of wheel makers including lots of small wheel casters all over the country. Yours are not Enkeis, nor do they appear to be made by any of the big names such as American Racing. It may be nearly impossible to identify maker with absolute certainty.

First, the definition of a sports car is personal, and has changed over the decades. When I was young, sports cars not only were 2-seaters, they were all convertibles. A "sports car" without a convertible top was laughed at. And if number are all that matters, look at MGBs. 500,000 sold in 17 years. One model, basically unchanged for that whole period. Of course, trying to sell late 50's technology into the '80s is why MG died off.

I looked at the pictures in your gallery. Those are probably 14x5.5 aftermarket slot mags, unknown maker without more info and pictures of the back side. Not "stock" in any way. But they should fit your car fine. Those tires should be OK size as well, that's the size I am running. Damn! I just noticed that the wheels you pictured appear to have the oddball angled valve stems I need for my wheels! (Still need 3 more.) How come I can never find any of those!

Because KYB says not to use their struts with lowering springs. I ignored that warning once in the past (a non-Datsun) and the struts were worthless after 6 months use. The theory is that KYBs aren't designed to withstand the extra work caused by having less than the stock suspension travel. Here's hoping that yours will hold up longer than mine did.

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. You probably could get what you needed from http://www.vintageconnections.com/

Go to your local Nissan parts department and order part #13015-W0400, list price about $10. You'll also need the matching longer bolt, part #13012-W0400 for about $4. Or you can order these from any of the online dealers such as Courtesy, NissanParts.cc, etc. But that's also assuming that your L28 head will accept the mechanical pump, many will not. Some of the later heads don't have the hole in the side of the head machined. Better check that before you order any parts.

Well, interest seems to have topped out at this point, at about half of what I was told we need. I'll leave this poll open through the holiday weekend (here in the USA), and then contact the manufacturer to see what options we might have at this level (if any).

Jody, in North America the original wheels for all 240Zs were painted steel with chrome and gray hubcaps. Since they were steel, there were no "casting" numbers, but the size and other data (including the production date) were stamped into the face of the wheel. The width change was in '72, not '71, so your '71 would have come from the factory with the original 14x4.5" wheels and the early style hubcaps. From '72 through '78 the steel wheels were 14x5", and there was finally an alloy factory option (14x5.5") added in '77.

Looks like a ZX E12-80 electronic ignition to me.

Assuming no rust repair, you pull all the trim and glass out, no color change, and no work in the engine compartment but including door and hatch jambs, figure $3000-5000 for good (but not show) quality work. Add some extra for the replacement weatherstripping and other miscellaneous bits. This would be what I'd call a thorough refresh, not a restoration. I did mine last year. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30588