240Z two button Rally Clock

[taz0162]

Looking for the two button rally clock for a 240Z

 

 

[PB260Z]

Gidday

 

Maybe try shooting Ron "zclocks" a PM

 

Hello AUSZCAR members . My name is Ron Bradley and I probably reside farther away than any other member, I'm From Seal Beach, CA USA

I've had my 75 280Z since 1979 and  put 380K miles on her as a daily driver. In 2003 I started a rolling restoration which ended up as frame up

restoration and still going on today.

 

As life goes everything got in the way of my car, including a business, which was related to Zcars. A good friend knew I was an engineer

and tried to test my knowledge with his 240 clock(which didn't work). Many months later I redesigned and built my first 240 quartz clock. I received

so many requests from 240z owners that I started Zclocks.com

 

I have refurbished many clocks from AUSZCAR members 240,280 and Rally clocks. I would gladly answer questions about clocks and have information

on my web site(zclocks.com) on how to identify your clock and Rally clocks.

 

Thanks...... Ron Bradley

[gav240z]

I don't think Ron has any in stock... I already responded to a PM but figure it would be useful for others also searching for 1 to respond here also.

 

First of all, thanks for sending me that link to the eBay auction.

http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,3484.msg171791.html#msg171791

 

From time to time I do come across the 2 knob rally clock's on Yahoo! Auctions, the problem is they are almost always missing the oscillator box. The clock itself is mostly gears so without this box it won't function. As the oscillator contains all the logic, I have photos of the inside of this box (you can see the tuning fork).

 

See here:

http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,15361.msg166864.html#msg166864

 

Ron at Zclocks.com is by far the most knowledgable person I know with regard to these clocks and by proxy I've learnt so much from him. It's amazing. He told me he has a bread board for the oscillator box but to reproduce the box was going to go upwards of $2000 USD which is where the interest in reproducing the boxes died off - as you can imagine...

 

So without this box you have a paper weight, a few things to be aware of when looking for 1 of these.

 

1.) Even if it works, the oscillator is a stubborn piece of old electronics and can fail not long after running - especially if woken up from a long slumber...

 

2.) Many of these clocks have had people tamper with them, probably trying to make them work and as a result wiring is not standard, housings and bezel's are messed with and sometimes components in the clocks are wrong. 1 of mine had a bent sweep hand and incorrect size gear and worn/incorrect bearings etc..

 

That 1 on eBay you sent me looked good in that it didn't look messed about with....that's the exception not rule from what I've seen so far.

 

3.) The clock face is 'printed' using a silk screening process. I bought a Calendar clock that had cracked numbers and delimiters on it's face from possible UV exposure? Unfortunately it's difficult to repair and as Ron has told me silk screening is quite difficult to do as a hobby and very expensive to do on a small scale for a specialist part like this. Example below of cracked face. (this isn't the clock I have for sale btw)

 

4.) Damaged lens, bezels, housings and missing knobs are another problem altogether and will add to the cost of restoration.

 

5.) There is actually 2 versions of the 2 knob rally clock. The earlier version that suits what many would refer to as a '240z' dashboard, but I would refer to as early S30z (early style dashboard) or 'zenki' and the later style which would suit a '260z/280z' dashboard or S31 (later S30z) - 'chuki / kouki'.

 

See here.

http://s30zed.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/fairlady-z432-two-knob-rally-clock.html

 

I have it on good authority they are basically the same, apart from the housing which will suit either dashboard and wiring loom plug.

 

Ron can rectify most problems and I can't recommend him enough (I mean look at what I wrote above, it's as if I know what I'm talking about), but all this information has been passively absorbed from Ron.

 

If you must have the 2 knob version - I won't judge and totally understand.

 

But if you want something that is almost the same and is less than half price. The Calendar clock is possibly the more 'sensible' version and more reliable thanks to its Quartz movement over the older tuning fork method. The early clocks are Jeco made, the later calendar ones are CITIZEN made.

 

I have a Calendar Clock for sale. Slightly neg.

http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,15588.0.html

 

Here's a video of mine running after Ron restored it.

 

We had a hiccup with it and I sent it back for repairs and I recently got it back, it's working better than before so far - more quiet (can't hear the oscillator hum and only a small ticking noise from the clock itself). But we can't work out why it's running slow, seems like it might be my test bench 8x1.5V AA batteries. So going to test with another set up. Since Ron had it a couple of months and said it was keeping perfect time.

 

I'll keep an eye out for you and if I could across 1 (w/oscillator) I'll let you know.

 

I originally sourced 2 and was going to sell 1 to help offset the cost of the first, however after seeing them both restored I couldn't bring myself to let them go. Like many things it's financially painful at the time but that soon becomes a past memory and they are worth more to me now than the satisfaction of the money in a bank account earning exactly jacks%6& worth of interest... 

[rb240]

He told me he has a bread board for the oscillator box but to reproduce the box was going to go upwards of $2000 USD which is where the interest in reproducing the boxes died off - as you can imagine...

 

Gav, do you know why they were going to cost so much to reproduce?  Was it $2000 each, or was that the engineering cost?

[gav240z]

Not sure best to ask Ron. It might be development cost.

[rb240]

I don't need one myself, but I'm an electrical engineer so I could help to develop a replacement if others need them.

[gav240z]

If I can ever find 1 as a spare you'd be welcome to have a look, but I got the impression from Ron that JECO used a lot of proprietary technology back then and it wasn't the easiest to replicate.

 

However I believe he was also looking at making them a QUARTZ movement oscillator box.

 

Anyway I'll defer to Ron if he wants to chime in here.

[gav240z]

Just as an FYI, this has been on Yahoo! Auctions a couple of weeks.

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h203321071

 

No oscillator, so essentially a paper weight, the paint chipped off the sweep hand indicates someone has taken it apart (which was like how 1 of mine was and they bent the sweep hand).

 

The wiring also looks a mess...

 

On the positive side, the lens, bezel, housing looks good and the 2 knobs are still intact.

[gav240z]

Your lucky day?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-2-knob-rally-clock-fairlady-z-s30-240z-260z-280z-working-/111715679976

[PB260Z]

Your lucky day?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-2-knob-rally-clock-fairlady-z-s30-240z-260z-280z-working-/111715679976

 

 

Wonder what it will go for ? any guesses ?

 

[d3c0y]

Woot i just won the one on Yahoo auctions with no oscillator.

 

 

Gav you don't want to either:

a) Put your oscillator on a CRO so we can map the output

b) Send me one of yours and i'll do it and reverse engineer a box to make it tick.

[gav240z]

Woot i just won the one on Yahoo auctions with no oscillator.

 

 

Gav you don't want to either:

a) Put your oscillator on a CRO so we can map the output

b) Send me one of yours and i'll do it and reverse engineer a box to make it tick.

 

Well done, I was going to bid on it for spare parts but decided to let it go last night. I will send you a PM.