Mike B

When I bought #32 last year, the paint was pretty good, but it had a couple of dings that needed to be fixed. It had been painted silver in the 70's by the original owner, and then repainted the original 903 blue in the mid 80's. About 10 years ago, the owner's toddler decided to take batting practice on the front of the drivers fender, just behind the sugar scoop, with a big plastic bat. There was a small dent above the gas lid when something fell against the car in the owner's garage. Also, the seam between the quarter panel and roof on the passenger's side had flexed and cracked the paint. Originally I was going to see if I could just get these three areas repaired and touched up for now and then do a full repaint in a year or two. However, there were also quite a few small rock chips in the hood and sides and the windshield was not the correct one. I decided to just pull all the glass and do a full exterior repaint while I was at it. I have a NOS early untinted windshield that will go in it. The guy that did the paint and body work took some pictures, but hadn't burned them to a disc yet. I'll post some of those when I get them and take some more pics after I get it all back together. -Mike

Don't tell me you haven't seen the 1984 cult classic "Repo Man"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repo_Man_(1984_film) Car deodorisers shaped like evergreen trees are placed in most cars. These items were one of the few sponsored items (along with Ralph's generic goods above) in this movie and hundreds of these deodorisers were donated to the filmmakers for this movie. It is mentioned in the DVD commentary track that these air fresheners were actually unscented, and it is suggested that they were only given to the film because they were defective (and thus, unsellable). Miller, the mechanic-philosopher, also noted the pervasive presence of the scented pine tree deodorisers in repossessed cars, telling Otto, "You'll find one in every car. You'll see." Later in the film, one even appears on a policeman's motorcycle. They can also be seen hanging from the ceiling in the scene at Miller's house. -Mike

I'm not sure which 6 digit number you are referring to. The 5 digit number next to the city name (in bold) is the zip code. -Mike

If you have your original owners manual it is probably in there. Two of my cars have the original manuals and it has the dealer information filled out. -Mike

For those looking for Datsun dealership information, here is an old thread that may be helpful. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29732 I think the 1971 list I have at home also has Canadian and Mexican dealership information, so I can look up the Ontario dealer info for you when I get home Zak's Z. -Mike

I think this one is from a 73, although it is a little rough. Not sure where I got this from. It was posted somewhere, maybe on this site. If it belongs to anyone here, sorry for not giving proper credit for it. -Mike

It might be tough to use the one Zulator posted though, since it is a photo shot at an angle with glass reflections on it. If you seach on the site you might find a scan of one for a 72, if that is what you need. -Mike

Welcome to the club. Is this the car you bought? http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31247&highlight=blue+edmonton I agree with Marty. Original cars retain their value more, but you can still make some mods to it, as long as they are easliy reversable and you keep the original parts. Good luck with it and post some more pictures when you get a chance. -Mike

No, but I have seen people post scans of originals, so it wouldn't be too hard to make your own. They changed over time, so you would need to get the correct one for the year of your car. -Mike

Ronnie, as I noted earlier, I have been in contact with the guy that made reproductions of these before (same ones sold by Zedddsaver) and he should have another knob ready soon. I think Will will also be making reproductions fairly soon. -Mike

Yes, he is a dead ringer for Mr. K don't you think? ROFLROFLROFL -Mike

Its actually pretty easy to get out as long as you're not trying to save the rubber windshield seal. I use a thin metal spatula and carefully remove the two small upper corner trim pieces and the small center piece at the bottom. Then take the spatula and slide it under the outside edge of the trim. Continue sliding the spatula straight down parallel to the windshield rather than lifting up on the trim. This cuts the outside trim channel and after you cut all the way around the trim just lifts out. -Mike

Yes, sorry I couldn't make out the bracket in your picture before, but that does look like it. If you can just unscrew and remove the stud then it should work fine to use the correct bolt, washers and rubber insulator. -Mike

Is the picture you show of the 72 bumper you have? If so, it must have been modified. The original bumper for a 72 does not have a stud with a round rubber spacer on the end. It has a bracket with a captive nut and you attach a bolt from the inside of the fender to secure it. There is a thick rubber square with a slit in it that covers the end of the bracket with the nut to protect the paint on the car. I happen to have my front bumper off my 72 now, so I can take a picture and post it tonight if you want. -Mike

Les at Classicdatsun.com has the correct orange air box paint. I took a quick glance at your list and it all seems correct to me. -Mike

Looks like the car is up on eBay now with the same three camera phone pics. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Z-Series-240z-1971-datsun-240z_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6187QQihZ012QQitemZ220358711800QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW -Mike

Wally, your car is looking great. That is a serious looking fuel pump on the engine too! -Mike

Did you use the same wiring harness that was in your old dash or did the new dash come with a harness and you are using that? -Mike

Actually, it was based on the two pictures you attached in post #66 above. Why paint it blue with the block if you are going to paint it black this week? -Mike

Here is one on eBay with no holes for the rubber strips. It is in Australia. http://cgi.ebay.com/DATSUN-NISSAN-240Z-260Z-FRONT-METAL-CHROME-BUMPER-BAR_W0QQitemZ140300374393QQihZ004QQcategoryZ6763QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem -Mike

I see that you painted your oil pan blue to. I think it and the engine mounts were originally painted black and then had varying amounts of blue overspray as the engine blocks were painted. Here are some pictures of the oil pan on my 1972. Notice the blue engine overspray. I would probably just go all black, unless you are trying to duplicate what you know was the original overspray pattern specific to your car, but that's just me. -Mike

You may want to refer to this thread regarding replacing the various gas hoses with OEM or not. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25857&highlight=gas+hoses -Mike

Zeddsaver didn't make them. The person I know did, and Zeddsaver bought them from him. -Mike

The guy that has made them in the past got back to me and said he would probably be able to make some more. It sounds like he needs to revise his mold a little, but that shouldn't take too long. I'll let you know when I hear more. -Mike