Mike B

It looks like blakt out's restomod Z sold for $60,100 today. It may be less than half what he has into it, but it still seems like a good price. -Mike

MSA sells them for $300 each. http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/SIC05A01/40-2061 http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/SIC05A01/40-2062 Not sure if you can get them at a US dealer or not. Some parts are still available in Canada, but not in the US for some reason. -Mike

I just use a black Interstate battery with the Nissan battery cover and it looks the same (except for the Yuasa logo). However, I think that if you don't have a Nissan battery you will get dinged for it if you show a car in the judged stock class at a Zcon. Keith, that is the 1970 US brochure and some people have said that car was HLS30-00007, but based on the type of brake booster hose bracket it has I don't believe that is correct. The first couple hundred cars had a different bracket as noted in this thread http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38918. The 1969 pre-production brochure was the only US brochure that showed a car with a hand throttle (along with several other items that were added or removed before retail production began). Here is a bigger picture of the engine compartment from the 1970 brochure. -Mike

That DHM webpage hasn't had any real information about the museum in months. After it was changed it to advertise for the fundraiser they had last November, they just left it like that until they changed it to link to the Zcon site recently. I doubt there is much chance of them relocating to another location. -Mike

I think that is because the engine isn't installed yet. The pictures show the empty engine bay and the ad says "This magnificent one-off 240Z is estimated to be ready for customer delivery on or before May 30, 2011." -Mike

It looks like we have a battle for the self proclaimed titled of "the worlds finest 240z" http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Z-Series-240Z-RB26-N1-Worlds-Finest-240Z-RB26-GTR-N1-Nur-Spec-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem1c1a8b43adQQitemZ120704418733QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks. This one has one bid at the staring price of $49K with the reserve not met, a BIN of $69K, and 9 days to go. Time to start putting RB26 and SR20DET engines in your Z I guess. -Mike

No need to apologize Keith. I am not sure I understand your last post though. You said the photo of the battery in the red car was inadvertently uploaded, but then you were also mentioning the black case instead of the blue and white case that the FB battery has? Are you saying the battery in the red car is an original? It looks like is has a red top (look at the area around the terminals under the black cover) and black sides. It seems the FB battery with blue top and white sides may be original for 1971 and later 240Zs and the Yuasa battery (all black) original for the 1970 model year. Not sure when the change over was, or maybe there were just two OEM suppliers? I am certainly not an expert on the batteries, just going by what I have seen. -Mike

Rich, There are some pictures in the service manual that show the original YUASA battery. See attached pictures that Kats scanned from a set of maintenance slides (same photos as the service manual). It seems pretty basic, with a black case and the word YUASA stamped on the front like the sketch from the parts catalog that you attached. The top doesn't really matter since the removable black cover hides it. Zed2, the only thing original about the battery in the photo of the red car you attached is the plastic cover on top and the frame. The battery itself and battery cables are not original. -Mike

It looks like the guy that had these made stopped selling them on ebay and MSA started selling them for $74.95 about the same time http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/SBC1A09/30-8062. I guess our friend Al bought some from MSA and decided to jack up the price and resell them on ebay with a starting price of $100 (although he refers to them as "Fresh Air Ducks"LOL:stupid:. I was really surprised to see this set sell for $152.50 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160562281866&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT. People need to do a little research before just bidding on something they haven't seen before. They could have bought two sets for that much. -Mike

I bought an early value cover that had been powder coated silver a few years ago. I think it looks pretty good. I guess it is all personal taste. I don't really care for the look of polished aluminum valve covers. -Mike

Carl, how could there be thousands of 240Z's in the US by March 1970? According to the official production numbers that Kats' obtained there were a total of 1,553 export S30s produced by Jan 1970, 2,061 by Feb 1970, and 2,745 by March 1970. I would think it would take several weeks to a month or more to ship them to the US and have them delivered to dealers. I also thought the production changes that severely slowed the Dec 1969 production kept most of the cars that had already been built prior to that from being shipped right away. The few 1969 production cars that I have seen records of were sold in April or May. Chris' HLS30-00026 was sold on 4/29/70. My HLS30-00210 was sold on 5/11/70, and so was HLS30-00196. HLS30-00415 was sold on 4/1/70. Of course other cars were delivered before them, but I doubt there would have been thousands in the US by March (some of the export cars went to Canada and other countries too I assume). Since the Chicago Auto Show started on Feb 21, 1970 I would think the car would have been build no later than January, so it must have been one of the first 1,553 export models. Ok, I stand corrected then. I was referring to the "International Preview of the Datsun 240Z - at the Pierre Hotel in New York, 22 Oct. 1969." that you posted about being a gold car on the CTZCC thread I linked to. I don't think the gold car at the Chicago Auto Show is HLS30-00013, but I guess nobody knows for sure. -Mike

Yeah, but it also looks like (HLS30) #16, #42, and every other Safari Gold early series 1 left hand drive 240Z that was made... HLS30-00009 through HLS30-00012 (and maybe some other lower VINs) are also unaccounted for too. Thanks Arne! -Mike

This really belongs in another thread, since it isn't a "vintage racing picture". Maybe an admin can move this and the prior post to a new thread? Anyway, here is a picture of the front of the car posted in another thread on that same site (v8buick.com). It looks like the Chicago Auto show was held Feb 21 - March 1, 1970. Carl Beck thought there may have been a Safari Gold 240z at the NY auto show in Oct 1969 http://forums.ctzcc.com/viewtopic.php?t=4577&sid=57e741b4514cde6bf3f938fe006077ff. Maybe it was "lucky #13"? -Mike

You might want to meet up with whomever you want to park next to before you get to Golden Gardens. They probably wouldn't be too receptive to someone wanting to save spots, but I've never been so I could be wrong. -Mike

People say you can't do a frame-off restoration on a unit body car like the S30, but if you restore that car it would prove them wrong . -Mike

I had four sets of the trim strips rechromed a couple years ago, so I don't need any more. I can't recall exactly what they cost but I think it was more than $100 per pair, so if you can get reproductions made for less than $90 it would be cheaper than having them rechromed. Also, if you rechrome originals the fine horizontal lines in the middle need to be in good shape or they will loose their detail after the chroming. Eprist had complete reproduction taillight sets made. I mentioned to him that people would be interested in just buying the chrome strips if he sold them separately, but he never addressed that for some reason. It's too bad, since they looked like they were really good quality (in the pictures he posted). As for mounting the trim strips, I just used "Automotive Goop" (yes that is the what it is called). That stuff will hold them forever. I just reused the putty-like original material that holds the lens to the housing, since mine was still in really good shape. Since I don't have the clips in the back I can take the lens off and clean it again if I ever need to. Arne I agree the chrome strips are all the same (none were ever metal). The early lens may be slightly darker, but it is hard to tell and I am not sure that the part number is a good identifier. Early North American market lights are all marked 220-24152 (L or R depending on the side) and most of the later lights are marked 220-24166 (L or R depending on the side). However, I have also seen some later lights marked 220-24152 that are not darker like the early ones. My 5/72 production car has a 220-24152 on the left side and 220-24166 on the right and they both look the same to me (see pictures of the red car below). There is a way to differentiate the early North American market lights though. On all three of my 1969 production cars the only markings are the ones on the bottom of the lens (220-24152 Koito Japan SAE STIR 69) and the markings on the left and right side of the flat rectangular piece in the upper part of the lens. Later lenses have other markings on the outboard side of the lenses (left side on the left lens and right side on the right lens) and some more markings on the flat rectangular piece. I've also attached some pictures of the early lenses from HLS30-00032 after I installed the rechromed trim strips. -Mike

Bobc, I think that explains alot and $14-20k is much more reasonable. Here is my reply to motorman7 from that I typed up yesterday, but decided not to post: I'm sure it is a nice car. My point was I think $38,750 is a bit much for a 72 with 26k miles and an automatic transmission in this economy, even in fantastic shape and completely original. For example, there were two Z's that sold in the Seattle area last year (a 71 and 72) with manual transmissions that had less mileage and were in nice original unrestored condition (granted one had been stored indoors for many years). I think they both sold for around $18-19K http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39801. Maybe the one you linked to is in better shape, I just don't know if it is $20k better. I see it didn't sell on ebay; maybe it will eventually at that price, who knows. I have seen it listed on yahoo japan before also with no takers at that price. -Mike

AZ-240z just gave you a solution (use a copper tube inside). That's what I would do if I wanted an original looking hose. At least until reproductions are available. -Mike

Like the Hagerty info I posted before says, their insurance is for limited use (although there is no mileage restriction). If you want to daily drive a classic car, it is not designed for that purpose. Here is more info from their site regarding why some cars don't qualify for their collector car insurance: Hagerty specializes in coverage for collector vehicles. Regrettably, there are some vehicles we do not cover due to their limited collectability, the way they are used and/or the extraordinary risk their use may pose, including: * Camping, off-road or utility-type vehicles * Daily-use vehicles * Commercial-use vehicles * Motorcycles with performance modifications * Any vehicle modified with nitrous components * Dune Buggies Here is some info on the 1990 and newer cars they insure: Some cars are immediate classics, attracting a loyal following. Rare or "limited production" vehicles, model years 1990 or newer, such as Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Dodge Vipers and Plymouth Prowlers, etc. are just a few examples. Depending on their use, these contemporary collectibles could qualify for our program. -Mike

Actually Hagerty doesn't have a mileage limit. From their website: Freedom to enjoy your car We believe cars are made to be driven. So our policy allows limited pleasure use with no fixed mileage limits. Whether it's a drive on a gorgeous summer day, a trip to the ice cream shop, attending club events or going to shows, you're covered. If you have specific questions about usage, especially if you own a newer vehicle (generally 1990 and newer), we're happy to discuss them with you. -Mike

Check the old motor mounts and see if they are the same as the new ones. Also make sure they are on the correct sides. I believe the left and right are different sizes. -Mike

Here is the hood part number 65100-N4200 and a link to an online parts catalog http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsuns30/DatsunFairladyZIndex/tabid/1543/Default.aspx. Like Marty said, if you give any Nissan dealer a part number they will be able to order it (if any are still available, which seems likely). -Mike

It just goes to show that you can ASK anything you want for a car, but it may not be anywhere near what someone else would pay for it. -Mike

deleted. My original post is meaningless now after ajmcforester deleted his chart of numbers and replaced it with formulas. -Mike

That's interesting Jim. All of the original early fuses I have found with paper tags in them are labeled "Life - Japan". -Mike