DeesZ

The factory parts catalog shows earlier shell not interchangeable with later ones from 07/72 mfg date forward...

Dualies, you'll likely get 5 different suggestions here.... so here's mine: On my '72 (manual transmission) I use a Pertronix, and am quite pleased with the results. Installation was also very easy, and it is only a trained eye that will be able to detect that it is there.

Thanks for the confirmation on the doctored-up emblem. It (to me) looks pretty nasty, and I would have remembered seeing one like that if they had been distributed in my corner of the world. I think that flat black would have made a better presentation, but to each his/her own.... I will not be competing in the bidding frenzy on these rare items, so y'all have at it and I'll watch. "Some of his stuff is ridiculously priced. ( Mr Camouflage )" "Some"....? I must have missed the reasonably priced ones..... He (she?) must have determined a reasonable price for things and applied some sort of an inflationary multiplier! Some of these prices seem to reflect what they may be in the year 2025. Get 'em now at future prices!! The funny thing is that some of it will likely sell.... it's eBay, remember, and somebody somewhere is looking for a rare trailer hitch and hood emblem for their Z. (This may prompt me to dig the spare out of the early '71 sitting out in the driveway!)

I saw an interesting Datsun hood ornament on eBay.... Is this something "rare" as claimed by the seller, or a paint job done by someone after-the-fact? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-240z-Blue-and-Red-Hood-Emblem-Rare_W0QQitemZ350009601849QQihZ022QQcategoryZ33643QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Also interesting to look at the other stuff offered by this seller... a spare tire for a small fortune, a trailer hitch....

Welcome aboard! You have certainly found the right place to be if you are looking at doing restoration work. There is a wealth of knowledge here to support you. Consider investing in a digital camera as a part of your restoration equipment. You'll really enjoy the before & after pictures, and the most valuable use will be taking pictures of things so that you will be reminded how they go back together. (We like pictures here, too!)

Another fine example of why there would be a necessity for a thread with the title "Where are the girls??". Well put, Stephen.

My car really made out.... Got a left dogleg for the body (really needed) from Arne, and wiring harness upgrades from Zs-ondabrain Dave: a sidemarker flasher conversion, a tail light conversion, and headlamp conversion harness which incorporates some awesome custom work to accommodate some of my other electrical needs. I have promised the headlamp conversion to her for several years. Awesome work, Dave. I can't wait to install these upgrades! And Arne brought me a big step closer to getting some needed body repairs under way.

Nice! The second submission looks a lot sharper. You ought to submit that in to one of the contests over at beterphoto.com. A paint job like that on a Z could be interesting, too.

NICE!! Is that a vintage piece, or is TEAC still manufacturing? I had a TEAC 4010-S w/auto reverse years ago. Best sound I ever heard. Bought it in Tokyo when on R&R back in the early '70's. I still have the amp and speakers from that set.

Well, in response I must adapt a statement once made by former U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton.... That all depends upon what the proper definition of properly is... There seems to be no legal way to dispose of that stuff. The contraband was incinerated and rendered to ash by the Bic, and the bowl thereafter was rendered inop and discretely disposed of. I strove to assure that there was no contraband on my property quite shortly after the discovery, and was quite successful in my efforts.

A FSM & receipt from BRE in one of them. In another, a bunch of change with some silver quarters & dimes, along with a PSU winter down filled coat.... must have jammed it in there to give some support to a sagging seat.... I washed it and wear it on cold days. And in the last one... some hash, a bowl, and a Bic..... (which were of course properly disposed of).

I'd stay away from an eBay purchase on an L28 rebuild - unless you know the vendor and the type of work that they do. I've sold a bunch of 240/280Z stuff on eBay, and some of the (as advertised) used and less desirable stuff went to a guy who sells rebuilt engines on eBay. I have no idea what he did with my cast-offs, but by the same token would not be buying a rebuilt engine from him. Matching numbers is a selling point in my opinion, but I do agree that by some it may be over rated, and in some situations completely meaningless. (Perhaps that is just burnt into my brain as a result of collecting firearms for decades....) Granted, in the Z-car world, it means most to the hard-core collector, not the person who wishes to modify a car. But there are a lot of us in between those two points who do put some value on matching numbers. I did when I bought my car, anyway. IMHO I'd at least keep the block for the time may come when you wish to sell it and without the original block some people may not be interested. By the same token, it is your car, and your desires are a bit different than mine, and your opinion counts more. If you want performance and feel that you need an L28 in your 240 (that's what you are driving, right?), go for it. By most accounts you'll see a pleasing performance difference. I've driven some L28 turbo set-ups that have been simply awesome.... made going back to my L24 with SU's a bit disappointing, but I got over it quickly. If doing a rebuild with some mods, Rebello has a stellar reputation and would be my choice if I could afford the up-scale. I have a spare L24 long block, and will be rebuilding it (or the one in my car) as close to factory specs as I can keep it. There are several people locally that I would trust to do the job for me (long term experience in the profession and lots of L-Series experience), or I may take it on as a project/learning experience myself.

You have a creative 'camera eye'..... Nice shot!

All things being equal in condition and finish, the TURBO cam cover seems to bring more than the OHC cam cover. I base that on eBay sales over the last several years. And of course the "2400" and JDM "NISSAN" bring the most as previously mentioned. I guess it's a direct function of 'availability'. The scarce ones bring more, and the OHC covers are the most common. Now, there is the issue of "paint" that you brought up. To what degree do you want to consider painting; the whole thing, or just some 'detailing'. Ones with a full paint job don't seem to bring very much. Let's face it, if you are buying one of these, you likely already have one on an L-Series engine. If you want it painted, you can do it yourself in the color that you want (not what someone else has chosen). There is always the issue and debate about getting paint to adhere well long-term on aluminum, too. If you want to score $$$, "polish" it. Do a nice polish job and you'll see probably between $100.00 ~ $200.00 for a simple "OHC" cover, depending upon who is in the mood to buy at the time that you offer it. It's work, but if you've got the time, well worth the effort. Personally, I think well polished aluminum has a better appearance than chrome plate.... (not wanting to argue that, it's my opinion). I'll attach a picture I snapped last fall of some of the cam covers lurking in my garage. The one on the engine was bead media blasted, detailed with high-temp black and high-temp clear coated overall. On top, from left to right: an OHC polished and detailed with Nissan orange and black (final polishing still needs to be done), an OHC literally out-of-the-box never mounted NOS, a '2400' that has seen use and is waiting for me to decide what to do with it, and an OHC from a U-pull-it yard that had been painted then power washed (was originally gold color but nasty other stuff on top of that). The value in that bunch IMHO lies with the polished one and the "2400" one. The other OHC covers will get polished as time allows (I need to retire to get some of this stuff done).

Not a bad price for a doo-dad that is in our field of interest - a nice conversation piece.... and cheap considering it's the equivalent of about 2.5 gallons of gas.

That car does ring a bell from not too long ago. Another zero feedback seller here, and IMO a red flag requiring extra caution if interested. Let me qualify that a bit, too..... Some of my best purchases over $500 on eBay have been from zero feedback sellers. The fact is that their lack of feedback scares off a lot of potential buyers and bidding competition. I have always made an extra effort to get to know these folks in all ways possible before bidding. About 2/3 of them have not earned enough of my confidence to get a bid out of me. If a seller in question is willing to communicate with you, do so and judge your comfort level with them. Pretty much common sense. As an avid eBay seller I do my best to avoid zero-feedback buyers... about 85% of them are deadbeats that consume a lot of your time and never pay. But hey, buying or selling on eBay.... you gotta start somewhere (but really, I would not start out with big-ticket items).

I like both looks, with and without side markers. Right now I own two Z's, one configured each way. I prefer the stock look somewhat better. Bottom line is that it is your car and it's your pleasure to have it the way you wish it to be. You would be wise to check the DMV regulations where you live... it would be a big pain in the rear to have to convert back to keep it on the road after all of that work. Dave and Arne... I really like the multi-function that you are doing on the side markers. The older I get, the more I feel that I need to be 'seen' as well as to 'see'.... not for vanity, but for safety. You guys going to be marketing those or publishing a "how-to"?

Welcome aboard! C'mon... you're not that old.... Some of us here go beyond your tender years. You are only as old as you let yourself be (& I wish I could convince my body of that).

Hi, bkelly.... go to that page you referenced us to from Sears.... then click on "Read Reviews". There is a pile of information there referencing how to get that sucker to work. Most users are somewhat pleased, but they also have tips on how to get it to work properly... some have cautions about the assembly of the unit, others about the media, etc.... very informative, and directly related to exactly the unit that you own. (Only one reviewer condemned it, and his issues could likely be solved if he read the other reviews!) Please let us know how it works out. I'm looking to get some sort of a blaster myself, but don't know which one.... I've got all the air I'll ever need, now I need something to cast about some media. Please be certain to use some protection for your lungs... sand / silica can be deadly if inhaled (as can many other things).

Here's a picture of what came on my mid-'73 mfg. date w/ flat tops (one of the few things remaining from her that rust did not eat).

Well, I had a 911 in the years long gone by.... also at least one each of Healey 100-4 / 100-6 / 3000, MGA (twin cam), MGB, Triumph TR3 / TR4 / TR250 / TR6, Jag XKE, '72 240Z, '74 260Z, and some American muscle stuff - a '65 Chevelle SS 283 being my favorite of those. Now own a '72 240Z. By far the Z-car was among my favorites (God, I did love those roll-up windows and a defroster that worked!!!). I drove my first Z for about 10 years and was sorry I let it go ever since the day that I did. Affordability and maintenance costs were considerations when I decided to do stage 3 of my midlife crisis thing and I got my current Z. If funds were not an issue, I would have a '72 240Z, XKE, MGA, and a '59 100-6...... and I would likely drive them about equally. And probably a CJ2 or an MB Jeep for riding around in the hills where the roads are not paved. Aahhh.... I dream. Powerball shall be my earthly salvation.....

That eBay sale was interesting even in post-sale activity - the zero feedback seller had feedback within an hour or two from the winning bidder who backed out of the sale and let the runner-up have the purchase. Hmmmmm.

I agree with Bigoak... the description and pictures are lacking in a very big way. I'm surprised that it is fetching as much as it is basically sight unseen in some pretty critical areas. It could be inexperience on the seller's part in that he has "0" feedback, or who knows what... for me "0" feedback is frightening.

Very attractive 280Z. Welcome to the site and Z-Car ownership. You should enjoy both.

Wow! Do you have pictures of that installation!!