DougN

Actually, if your talking about the same part I need, I don't think they are #9 (maybe someone else can clarify)? since they are a 1973 only part. In the MSA catalog (pg 144), they look a little different and are listed under "Fillers" as parts 32-1091 (left) and 32-1092 (right) with the right one listed as in stock, and the left as out of stock (limited availability). Although mine are not too bad, I would like to get a new set if I could find them, but they do seem hard to find!

Sounds like a good reason to get to know your local Z-Car specialist and contribute to their holiday gift fund :classic:

i wonder if these have been repainted (and done very well), as so far (as far as I can tell), i have only found them in white or yellow (both with stripes and number 120) at the store. Also the bumper is not painted silver on the "factory" ones either. These look much better and I actually plan to repaint mine to match my cars as well! Did you guys (Arne and a7dz) get these at the store or on eBay?

What year dash is it?

Yes, I have bought a half-dozen at the local Wally World for $.97 each :classic: WalMart gets new stock in every week so you should be able to find them if you check often. It took a couple of weeks before I found any, but then I was able to get all I wanted. My WalMart also had them in two locations, so if you go there, be sure to check the entire toy section for an additional rack!

My 8/72 240Z - 98389 (titled as 72), came with roundtops, my 10/72 240Z - 108501 (titled as 73), came with flattops.

Congrats on finally getting your new baby! Don't forget to update your avatar photo! :classic: BTW, did you every find a set of hubcaps or a radio?

Bruce -- search the threads with "Hagerty" in them for lots of info on classic car insurance. What you want is an "Agreed Value" policy.

Instead of masking the part to remain chrome, simply paint the emblems black and then sand off the overspray on areas to remain chrome with some very fine grit sandpaper (4000 or finer). You should be able to pick some up at the same place you get the model paint. I have done several this way for a friend who has a pile of them and it works great.

I have to agree with Arne on this one, I prefer to see someone's own car as their avatar. If everyone does that, its like a mini-car show down the left side when you read threads! :classic:

Randy, you could try Eddie Radatz (e.radatz motorsports) here in Atlanta, I know he has quite a few hubcaps and possibly may have a radio. He is a good guy and you should have no worries dealing with him. Phone 770.926.6609. Tell him I sent you! (He works on both my Z's)

Out of curiosity, where is your car coming from? When I bought the '73, it took a month to get from Southern California to Atlanta! :(

Ron, you may be right, I have not talked with them for several months. Based on the way the guy ran his business, it would not surprise me if they did close up. If they did close up shop, I wonder what happened to the inventory?

Actually, I got mine from Kaufmann Tire (do you have them up there?). I was also able to negotiate my price from them. MSA list them, but for high retail price. IIRC, someone else on the site got a great deal for them from an online rims/wheel place, but I don't remember the details right now. You can always do a google search on American Racing AE/Sprint wheels and see if anything comes up :classic:

I have dealt with the shop that has the car now, Classic Showcase, in Oceanside, CA before. This guys target buyer is the millionaire who doesn't have a clue what a car is really worth, and will make an "impulse buy" when they see the car at his place. His focus is/was restoring old E type jags and then selling them for $100K. If you look at this inventory, everything he has is listed for at least 3 times what they would typically be sold for. Also, he doesn't appear to have any interest in negotiating price on his inventory.

Maybe I'll bid on it to see what happens :classic:

If you want new wheels, you can get a 15x7 American Racing AE/Sprint Wheel for around $500~$800 for a set of 4 (retail is the high number) (see my gallery for pics). If you stick a 195/65/15 tire on them, you'll be at the stock tire diameter of 25", so your speedo should be accurate.

Yes, this is an odd auction. Looks like you could bid, win the auction and claim all 7 cars and their parts based on the way it is posted. With no current bids and a no reserve starting price of $1, you could get a lot of cars for cheap!

Perhaps it is possible to use the plastic emblem from a new "fat" knob on an original knob? If so, then you could simply refinsh the wood part of the knob, and replace the plastic shift pattern part of your original knob with onse from a new "fat" knob.

Car looks great! Congrats on getting her on the road, hows it feel to finally get to drive her?

Make sure your wheel/tire combo is around a 25" diameter and you should be fine. You'll need to be careful how "fat" (wide) your wheel/tire combo is however, as you don't want fender rubbing.

I have a two-word solution to your problem Mark -- GARAGE LIFT :classic:

Arne, I keep trying to tell you -- go with the "D" caps and 195/70-14 tires and you'll be all set!! I really like the hubcap look on my '72 and plan to keep them on the car. Put them on your car for the time being and if you just can't bring yourself to keep them on the car full-time, you could also go for the 15" wheels and tire set up I have on my car for the daily driver wheels. They look period correct, but I have never seen another Z with these wheels, so you will be unique in your part of the world :classic:

Yes, you are correct sir. The closer you are to the original diameter, the less pronouced it will be. This tire size calculator will tell you how far off your speedo will be with different tire sizes: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html Also note that if you have a low mileage car (like Arne's, my two Z's and others), it will also accumulate miles faster than it really is!

Actually, 175/70-14 is not very close to the original tire size diameter (using my original 1973 175/SR-14 spare for measurement). My original spare is 25" in diameter, and a 175/70-14 is only 23.6" in diameter. I recently moved from 195/60-15 (24.2") to 195/65-15 (24.98")to get closer to a 25" diameter tire on my car, and now the speedo is dead on (based on GPS and the police radar sign they put beside the road to tell you how fast you are going). So if you want your speedo to work properly, you'll need to get a tire as close to 25" diameter as you can. You could go with a narrower 195/50-17 (7.67" width), and get a 24.7" diameter, and still have a narrow enough tire to tuck into the rear wheel well without rubbing.