Arne

Dustin, please don't take this wrong, but your recent questions in this and other threads lead me to believe that you do not (or can not) do much work on your car yourself. We here on this forum can not give you accurate service quotes, as we're not the ones doing the work. If your car requires work that you can not do yourself, I'd recommend finding a local shop who can work on an older Datsun and get your quotes from them. If you need help finding a shop, perhaps some of our Texan members can help you with recommendations, if we knew where in Texas you are located. You'll find that a large majority of Z owners here do all their own service and repair. For that reason we really don't know how much labor costs.

This thread is one of the best on this subject: http://classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22619

To convert from automatic to a manual transmission takes more than just the transmission, you need a pile of other parts as well. Plus you'd better plan on at least 8 hours of shop time if you can't do the job yourself. Could be rather expensive to have to pay someone to do it. Here's a link to a write up I did on this conversion in an earlier 240Z. The process will be similar for your 260Z but some of the parts needed will be a bit different. http://classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21274

I don't know how rare, but it is/was an aftermarket part made by Amco. Many dealers installed them prior to original sale to pad the price. Edit - found this picture in an earlier thread. Magazine ad from the early '70s.

The mark on the crank pulley can be misleading if the engine is built up from mix-n-match parts. The pulleys and timing marks were not all the same for various years of L-series engines. When assembling the engine, you want to find TDC for certain (via cam lobe position and/or piston travel) and verify the timing mark, remarking it if necessary.

If you won't mention the pinstriping, I won't mention the fuzzy dice, either. :tapemouth

But do NOT offer him dark beer. He only drinks the pale stuff. :wink:

Here's a set in Salem, but no caps or lugs, and will need to be stripped and refinished. http://salem.craigslist.org/car/527448567.html

And following this statement above is a very well written analysis. Excellent explanation, Carl. I agree with it all. Exactly the point I wanted to make. Although I must admit that I did pay more than $6k for mine - a full $7k in fact. And - as an enthusiast, not a collector or restorer - I will admit to you guys here that the slow refresh that I am performing has brought my investment up to almost $10k now. And that is before the still needed paint, carpet and seat rebuild.But here's the key. As Carl pointed out, the subject of this thread will need all the same stuff that my car needs, even for an enthusiast, who is probably the least picky buyer of the bunch. So add $5-8k to the purchase price to have a high #3 or low #2 car to drive a bit for fun. So I still think it's a $10-12k car, being on the East Coast. A bit less if it were here out West.

They will definitely look good on it, can't wait for pictures.

Here's a current thread with some of that.http://classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29271

Just like for the bra, there is no problem leaving the cover on when the rain is falling. But you DO NOT want to let the cover sit on the car while it dries. Especially if the sun comes out. So I would recommend removing the cover prior to the storm, then replacing it when the car is completely dry. Or -- you could move to a place with a carport or garage... :wink: Edit: I have never understood why this forum doesn't have a winking smiley!

Last year Classic Motorsport Magazine (March 2007 issue) put the 240Z on their Watch List, saying that clean rust-free cars (mostly from the West Coast) at $7-10k were a good buy, and sure to get more expensive in the coming years. This year's Watch List (March 2008 issue) still lists the 240Z, but they now claim that clean rust-free cars are frequently trading for $10-15k, and that we should buy them now before they get to $30k in a few years. FWIW.

I just installed a plastic fan and clutch on my car a couple weeks ago, Steve. I only have a two row crank pulley though, so I'm not sure how much clearance I have down there. My understanding is that the clutches for plastic fans were all the same until the ZX came out. The 260 and 280Z fans were apparently a bit larger diameter than the 240Z fans. But the one I used is a 260Z fan, and it still even clears my original fan guard on the top radiator tank. I don't have my car with me here at work today, but can look at it later this evening.

No 12/70 car came with a hand throttle, that was in the lowest of the low-VIN only.

That car reminds me so much of my later '71, it's almost scary. The big plusses it has over mine are the lack of sunroof, and (to some people) it being a Series 1. But a $20k reserve? If it were a low-VIN, sure, I could see that. But for a 12/70 car, that might be a bit of a stretch. I suspect that my car with 63k, just as original, but with sunroof and 7/71 production date might bring $12k, maybe a bit more on a good day. Like the auction car, mine could still use some mild refreshing. So the question is, does the lack of sunroof and and Series 1 status add $8k to the value? Like I said, a bit of a stretch, but not impossible given its East Coast location.

Mine is sitting in the garage right now with 63,512. Which is about up to your average, considering mine is a year newer. Since we're both here in the Pacific NW, we'll have to get the two together sometime.

Don't get me wrong guys, I never claimed it was a good idea. But it's not totally unheard of, either. I've seen several examples of this in my 2+ decades in wheels and tires. And while I personally don't think it can be as strong, frankly I can't recall ever seeing a wheel like that broken in the center, either. So it might not be as bad as it seems.

Most certainly. Not overly common, but I've seen it before. These days, those are two of the most common bolt patterns, so by combining them on one part number give the most coverage for the least inventory. Simply economics.

Norm at Zeddsavers can re-chrome the trim if the plastic itself is in decent shape. He did a pair for a7dz a few weeks back. Jim is very happy with how they turned out, but I haven't seen them in person yet. But even Norm can't fix them if the trim you have is too far gone. So repros will be welcomed by many.

Yup, saw those. 13" won't fit a Z...

Well, if you spent the later half of the '70s, all of the '80s and most of the '90s making a living by selling custom wheels like I did, you'd probably feel pretty comfortable making definitive statements like that as well.

Any noise coming from the transmission itself requires the tranny to be removed and disassembled for repair. Here are a couple of threads discussing various transmission noises and what parts might be causing them. http://classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27674&highlight=transmission+noise http://classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26203&highlight=transmission+noise

I know for a fact that more than one company made this style. I've seen them with both pop-in and screw-on center caps, and at least two different size center holes for the pop-in type.

Good luck with the Black Dragon harness. Other Z owners haven't had much good to say about it. But maybe they've improved it.