bobc

Learned today that one of the club members from this site purchased the car from the original owner. Also heard they got it at what I would consider an incredible price. Well, if both parties are happy then I guess that's a good thing! I'll let them decide if they want to disclose their new ownership. But congrats to buyer and seller. Best, Bob

Michael, My composition teacher would be mad at me for that one! Good catch. No, what I meant to say was if I had bought the Z, I would now have it and the money from the insurance for the Porsche instead of two cars. And, if I was in the VZ I wouldn't have been in the wreck in the first place! Bob

Sorry, I've got two dogs already and that's one too many! But I will take the car! Carl, I've got really lousy timing. Last year when Randy called me about buying the Lemon/Lime VZ, I had just purchased a 997 Porsche two months prior, so cash and room were running out. Guess what I just totaled? I really wish I had bought the VZ now!!! Bob

Hey Guy, if you ever want a new home for that lemon/lime car give me a shout! Bob

Steve, I'd say probably yes, but I didn't go through invoices, registrations, etc. to check. One look at the car and you know it's not 122K! He's got a few odds and ends, like an original can of touch up paint, original sales receipt, etc.

Mike, I believe the first is a tube that has something to do with the automatic transmission. Probably kicks down the transmission into a lower gear when vacuum is increased, but autos aren't my specialty! The second is just the speedometer cable. Bob

Not sure if he's come to a final decision, but I would say high teens to low twenties. I sold my vintage car for a lot more than that. This one isn't some shops remanufactured car, it's like it came from the factory. I (personal taste) like this one more. If it wasn't orange and an automatic (again, personal taste!) it would be in my garage right now.

Hey all, I was asked to take a look at a low miles (22 thousand plus) 1972 Series II Z. I finally got around to going over to see it today and what a treat it was! The owner is a very nice older gentleman. The car was his wife's and they drove it on a few trips in So. Cal, but otherwise just for short drives. It's an automatic. The dash is perfect. Drivers seat has one small patch on the bottom (the owner said it came with a small hole so he glued the vinyl patch over it when he got it. Underneath the car and battery area are like new. Outside there is a very small nick in the drivers front fender and another one above the quarter panel on the drivers side where he hit it with a ladder. Both can be taken out using paintless dent removal for probably around $200. Chrome on the door handles is worn and pitted. These will need replacing or rechroming. Bumpers could use a good shining. I have nothing to do with the sale, but thought there might be someone in the club that might be interested in buying this time capsule before he starts advertising it. I've got a few more pictures, but unfortunately I was so focused on looking at the usual trouble areas (there are none on this car) I didn't take shots of the whole car! I'm not going to post his number, but if you're interested, PM me and I will send it to you. If you're not interested in buying it, please enjoy the pictures (you don't see them like this often!) but please don't waste the owner's time if you're just kicking the tires. He's a really nice gentleman.

Motorsports Auto in Orange, CA on Collins Street.

Grant, Nice work. glad it's running well. Noticed the plugs you used in your exhaust manifold to fill the holes left when you removed the air gallery tubes. What did you use? Thanks, Bob

Sounds like an air leak to me. Probably a small vacuum leak that's causing the rough idle and stalling as the car runs lean. When the car is cold it's probably not bad. As the engine warms up and expands, the leak opens and hence the sound. As you increase the RPM's the vacuum increases, but the tone changes because you have changed the volume of air going through the leak. Kind of like the difference between whistling and just blowing air through your lips. Could be one of the emission control valves too. Not a bad suggestion. The best thing is to try to start isolating where the sound is coming from. Try using a long handle screw driver against your ear or a piece of hose. Once you get in the general area, you should be able to start isolating the sound until you find where the sound is coming from. For my two cents, it doesn't sound or act like a bearing. Bob

Arne, Funny you bring up shift knobs. My vintage car had one of the new ones on it and it never felt right! The second I went to shift I could tell the difference between the VZ and my 1970 with an original knob. I found several other items that changed over the years on the VZ as well. I guess over the years, vendors change, spec change, materials change, etc. Bob

Unbelievable! IMHO the seller should have taken the $15,300 and run! Best, Bob

Man, you guys are tough. It doesn't sound like you've done a television interview before, because if so, you'd realize that it isn't that easy to do. Fred didn't say 432 cu. in., the interviewer did. If you know Fred, he IS the nicest guy in the world, and you would recognize the pause he made was him trying to figure out how to correct the interviewers mistake and not make the interviewer look foolish. Come on guys lighten up. The point is the publicity for the museum. 95% of the audience wouldn't catch the mistakes you guys did. As far as a good ole boys network on the cars in the museum, I can personally say I haven't seen it. If you want to put your car in the museum, give Fred a call. He's always looking for interesting cars. I'm sure her majesty would look great in there! I'd also say that before you criticize Fred or the museum, get your check book out and write a check to support the museum. At this point, Fred and Betty along with very few others have been responsible for making the museum happen. They could use your support as well as your criticism. Best, Bob

Wondering what happened to you. 1. You can try soaking the broken thermostat bolts with liquid wrench or kroil (kano industries, only available online), then trying to get them out with a bolt extractor. If so, be very careful NOT to break the extractor off in the bolt. After that you are pretty much done, because you will not be able to drill into the broken extractor. You'll have to have a machine shop with an electric welding device that literally melts the bolt do the work (expensive!) or 2. wait until you pull the head and let the machine shop try to get the bolts undone. The fabric coated brake booster hose is NLA. You can get a Nissan hose that will duplicate the bends, but it does not have the braided cloth on it. Best, Bob

This is the car that was discussed before here. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33903 Looks like the owner is seriously trying to sell it. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-240Z-BRE-Tribute-Car_W0QQitemZ180368469720QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item29fecc6ed8&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A317%7C240%3A1318#ht_500wt_1469 Here are some additional pictures.

Casey, I've got to run now, but I'm going to send you a private message with my phone number in it. I'm in California, so I'm 3 hours behind you. If you need anything, just call me up until 10:30pm. Otherwise tomorrow. You can find the PM (private message) box up in the upper right hand corner of the screeen. If you click on it you should see my message. Bob

Nope, the housing is not threaded. Smooth bore that the bolts go through to the block. Also, when I said pry, I didn't mean to stick a screwdriver or other tool between the housing and the block. You're working with aluminum and you don't want to score it. You'll end up with a anti-freeze leak later.

P.S. Whatever you do, don't break the screw extractor off in the bolt, especially if the bolt is sheared at the block. That can get expensive to fix!!! Hey, just saw the pictures. I think if you tap the housing with a rubber mallet or hammer on each side a few times, it will break loose. Don't pound it. Just work it off. From the look of the fittings, you've got some rust issues for sure! Bob

Casey, Ok, good start. If both bolt heads are sheared off, you can probably remove the housing. It's more than likely stuck to the head by the gasket or gasket sealer, but you should be able to work it off. Just pry gently from side to side until it breaks loose. Once you do that, it sounds like you'll have the bolts showing and you can work with them with vise grips. I'd try some liquid wrench or Kroil on the bolts overnight at least before you start trying to get them out. Bob

Casey, Some pictures might help us give you better suggestions. I'm assuming you are trying to remove the whole housing from the block and not just the top of the housing (where you would change the thermostat. Also, you didn't say if when you drilled the first bolt if the reverse tap broke off in the bolt. What didn't work? Next, with both bolts sheared off, are you able to get the housing off? Assuming this is the whole housing and not just the top part, are the bolts visible or did they shear at the block? Ok, enough questions. I think you'll find plenty of people here who will be glad to help, but the more information you provide the better the advice will be! Best, Bob

Rich, Wow!, It's going to look great when you get done. Glad I'm retired from the show circuit! Did you try Zaino yet? If so, what did you think? Bob

Tend to agree with Arne. This used to be an easy fix, but now it seems to be much more finicky. I have been advised by some knowledgeable Z mechanics and I think it even says so in the MSA catalog that you should change both the slave and master cylinder at the same time. Also, I've found what you use for fluid makes some difference in pedal feel too. Silicone tends to be the worst, especially after the car has been sitting for awhile. One mechanic told me that no matter how bad the fluid gets (black!), don't change it. He said I'd regret it if I did. And...he was right. I didn't listen and I ended up replacing the master cylinder twice and the slave once. For some reason, I never could get the first master to work right. It's not easy to get all the air out of the clutch line either. First, I'd recommend that you bleed the line (either through vacuum, pressure, or the old have your wife pump the pedal for you and hold it down method) several times. If no improvement, then go to the master, which BTW doesn't have a bleed screw like the brake master. If you have a bleed kit, take the fitting that fits the master and after disconnecting the line from it insert the fitting and insert it in the master. Then bleed it like you would a brake cylinder. (make sure you always have fluid in the cup.) Pump it several times, and then refill the cup. Then take out the bleed fitting and reattach the clutch line quickly, before the fluid runs out. Then, bleed the whole system again at the slave. Oh, and don't forget to put a towel or absorbent cloth under the master cylinder so brake fluid does not get on your paint! Also, if you keep backing the nut inward towards the slave cylinder (towards the front of the car), with the spring off you should reach a point where there is play in the clutch arm. Keep going in several more turns. Now with the clutch depressed, you shouldn't be able to shift gears at all. Then, put the spring back on and work the nut outward, towards the back of the car a couple of turns at a time. Have your wife push in the clutch and see if she can change gears. When she gets the gears to change, you should be able to go a couple of turns further. Take off the spring, and see if you have play in the arm. If not, back off 1 to 2 turns and see if you have play. You need to have some play or your throw out bearing will be in constant contact with your clutch plate. This will wear it out. The way you are describing the problem is that the gears shift, but the clutch is slipping. this sounds like you have too much adjustment and need to move the nut inward towards the cylinder. One more thing. Randy don't you have two Z's? If you do, or can check out a friends. Look or measure the travel of the slave cylinder (the amount the rod moves out and in) on a working Z and then compare it to yours. You shouldn't have the same travel if you have air in your system. Good luck! Best, Bob

Check your bearings and make sure they are set properly. 240Z's have to have the front bearings set just right, or you will experience a shimmy.