aegean

I think you're right. Strange thing is that I can't see where the hell they used to go to, or why ?

I guess Repco will be out of stock now then !

That's good, because the boat anchors are going anyway !

I have two mystery wires coming from the cables that feed to the carbies. Any idea what these are for ? I can't find any missing terminals that they should connect to, but they appear to be "factory" and not something that has been installed at a later time.

While going through and cleaning up my car recently, I discovered that I have a pair of "Datsun" branded rubber mats in the front, and, although they need a pretty good clean, they are in very good condition - no tears and any real wear marks to speak of. Were these a factory install, or a dealer option ? Are they common ?

I don't know about anyone in Melbourne, but I use a company in Brisbane called WW Shock Absorbers, and they have rebuilt a number of shocks for me. I haven't had any Z ones done, but I think they can rebuild just about anything. I have the same idea - although not so much heavier oil but putting an additional seal inside i.e less compression, to make the ride firmer. I don't know the way they do it so this was only my idea but I am looking for a solution to make my '60 Buick handle better than the typical American "boat". Give Craig at WW a call - he might be able to recommend someone in Melbourne, or alternately, send them up to him. His number is 07 3265 2133. Tell him Craig with the Tatra recommended him !

Reasonable amount, but the reason for the rear engine is because the engineer that designed it was a specialist at air cooled engines, and Tatra had been building air cooled engines since the 1930's. Tatra also wanted a car that could hold 6 people comfortably and with a completely flat floor, it does what they wanted. The car at Shannons was built in the last year of production, and belonged to Izzy Herzog. He was a Czech immigrant and wanted some reminder of the homeland. The reason he told me he was selling was that he had too many cars. The Cd is around 0.32, which is pretty good for a modern car - let alone one that was designed in the 1950's. Earlier models, such as the T77, T87, T97 and Tatraplan had a Cd of around .20, so they were very aerodynamic. There are 5 in Australia including mine (as far as I know) and prices are moving up quite a lot in Europe. Averages prices are now in the range of 15 - 20,000, which is pretty much where the one at Shannons sold for ($15,000 plus buyers premium).

All alloy engine as well - only weighs 185kg and 4 bolts remove it from the gearbox and 2 more that support the front and it's out - aka VW. Just to show I have no shortage of projects, here is the one after the Z. Only need to replace the sills on this one - the rest is OK - so far ! This one has an original 58,000 miles on it. Too many projects and no money - not a good mix !

And this is the one I restored before the Tatra - just to show that I haven't been slacking. If you're wondering why both cars have UK plates, it's because the Tatra was bought from the UK and hasn't yet been registered, and the Mercedes was originally sold in Scotland and the rego number is the same as it had when first registered there and I was lucky enough to get the same number in Queensland, so I had the plates made up in the UK. Not strictly legal but no one has stopped me yet, and it is only on the front. The rear one is conventional Qld plates.

I must admit to having been a bit slack getting around to working on it, but I have been working on two restorations since i bought it and just haven't had the time. My current project should be complete by Easter, so I hope to get started on it after that. Fortunately, the dash is good, and if I remember correctly, it has done either 86 or 96,000 Kms. PO bought it only to rescue it from someone that was going to drop a V8 in it, and he thought it was too original to do that to. This is my current project - it's a 1963 Tatra 603, and has an air cooled V8 in the rear. The photo of the motor isn't mine, but it does show it better than in the car. I don't think I will pass too many going to the supermarket !

I did buy some vinyl spray from the US - it is supposed to match the Datsun cream vinyl. The brand is SEM. Question - should there be a plastic cap on the drivers seat that hides the mounting bolts for the back rest ?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200319006203&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=010

I will probably put it on club permit rather than full registration so that I can al least move it around from time to time for ongoing repairs.

I have finally given my 2 + 2 a clean after having sat in storage since Oct '06. Should have a new windscreen installed in a couple of weeks and can start to get a few things done. Photo is a little deceptive - it does have some rust bubbles, but nothing too much (visually) considering it has never been repaired, as far as I can tell. New replacement seat covers have already been purchased, and carpets, but that will wait to be installed until all the rust is treated and repaired.

The headlight covers turn up on eBay US fairly frequently. I bought mine for $69.95/pair, plus freight. The ones with the chrome frame will however set you back considerably more.

Just wait until next years super statements ! They will have to turn the graphs upside down to make them look positive !

The seat belt regulations appear to differ between states. As I understand it, the ADR regulations are the base upon which the individual states can form their own regulations i.e. a minimum level. In Queensland for example, you have to fit seat belts to a car if manufactured after 1960, whereas the ADR regulations, only state from 1969. Why we cannot have uniform regulations in a country less than the population of California is beyond me.

You are not the first I have heard this from. I believe they don't actually produce the seals either - they are made by a company in Sydney.

The MityVac has a good reputation, but in the end, I settled on the Motive Products one http://www.motiveproducts.com/

The "universal" type caps that come with the US pressure bleeders have a chain that goes down both sides and under the MC - bit like a battery hold down. You would need to drill a hole either side of the rubber cap and make up a couple of J rods, get some chain, and a couple of wing nuts.

I found someone that will supply and fit onsite for $185 so that seems to be a reasonable deal.

Checked with National Windscreens today and they quoted $225 installed - with me supplying the new seal (which I have). Anyone got a better deal in Melbourne (Clayton) ?

This is about all you got http://www.classiczcars.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=3566&cat=4

I think in general, prices have gone up. The average for a 2 + 2 seems to be around $7,000 at the moment, based on eBay ads, Drive, Car Sales.com, etc. Of course, the current economic climate might change that, but it can only be a positive if prices are rising - except for those still looking of course