gilltech

Gawd. What next. 121,000km and the engine has already been rebuilt?

We're probably all wondering why we didn't dig deep 5-10 years ago and buy up Zeds too when they were still cheap* as compared to now... * (My opinion, not that of that you-know-who troll who was on this forum not so long ago...)

You can open the barrels up with care. They have a number of small parts inside with IIRC rectangular holes that correspond to each key indentation. Suggest you try a locksmith, take the hatch barrel in along with a door barrel and ask him to match the hatch barrel to the door barrel if he can. He might have to fabricate some new bits if they are very different and can't be just rearranged in a different order to suit a given key.

Au contraire mon ami, that looks correct to me. Or at least it appears to match my '74 RS30.

No, well not on my RS30. One single-edged key for ignition only, and different one, double-edged, for all of both doors, hatch, petrol flap and glovebox. Replacement key/barrel sets I see advertised online though don't seem to include those last two.

I wouldn't waste any more time and money, and would start again with another car. I'd use this one as a parts car, cut it up and sell off all the portions and parts I didn't need.

FWIW, I forgot to add that Mr Reg Cook as mentioned above is an accomplished race car driver in NZ, from the '70s to the present day. I can recall him racing Datsun SSS's back in the day with a great deal of success.

I suppose they've mostly all been melted down by now but once there were loads of alloy wheels of different styles ex the 280ZX models, and other earlier Dattos, in NZ when I lived there. Cars arrived literally by the boatload as 'Jap imports' as the local assembly industry started to peter out in the '80s. Many were polished turds with clocked odometers and rust issues so didn't last long. The 280ZXs that succumbed provided a ready source of alloy wheels and 2.8L engines though for the S30 enthusiasts.

All the best with your project.

Just as per Linton's advice above. The 260Z air cleaner (for flat-tops) and 240Z air cleaner (for round-tops) bolt up differently. The 260Z air cleaner is more bulky and has additional fittings for the 260Z emissions gear. Linton could advise if the 240Z air cleaner is a straight bolt up to British SUs, or if needs minor mods, I haven't tried that combo. The 260Z unit should be easier to find than a 240Z unit, but you will have to modify it somewhat to suit. FWIW, not all '240Z style' air cleaners are exactly the same, nor necessarily off 240Zs either; I say that because I have one here which looks the same externally but I suspect was originally from a 2L engined Fairlady or 240K or something like that as the internal holes are sized for slightly smaller diameter carbys. But hunt around and see what comes up. As you say it's surely better to install one or other in lieu of a pair of the aftermarket chrome units if you think the inspectors will be looking closely. Both the 240Z and 260Z air cleaner elements are available, look on eBay, there is a nissandatsunparts supplier who has them, I just got a new 240Z element from him last week.

One thing which hasn't been mentioned and I don't see in your photos, is what air cleaner set-up do you have?

I suppose if the WA inspectors start comparing your set-up to pictures of what the car would have been sold with originally then you could have a problem, unless you can get some kind of dispensation based on the 240Z round-tops set-up perhaps even though your car is a few years newer. But fingers crossed they won't be that picky! You wouldn't want to have to fit a set of flat-tops along with the matching air cleaner and all the connections just to get the car registered..... PS. if you can get hold of a 240Z balance tube it's a whole lot 'cleaner' than the 260Z one with all its lumps and bumps and drilled bosses for all the emissions add-ons.

Nice work. Looks like you have SU-style round-tops transplanting the original flat-top carbs (good!), but retaining the 260Z intake manifolds with the emissions gear. Ditto what Linton says above. You don't really need water circulating through the inlet manifolds and the emissions gear can be dispensed with. It's just more to go wrong with all the extra connections. And you don't need to plug the holes through the manifolds unless you think it looks prettier. Just change the heater hoses to by-pass the circuit round through the carbs and you're good. On my RS30 early on I had one of the small hoses burst just on Xmas, so I disconnected the water circulation circuit to keep the car mobile and later removed it all completely. The metal pipes were rusty inside on mine too so had to go. No noticeable difference or ill effects and I used to drive my car in all sorts of conditions in NZ, away for winter sports etc. Later I ditched the flat-tops in favour of the 240Z round-tops and better running, although I also used the 240Z manifolds which look a bit 'cleaner' IMO. So unless you're going concours-d'elegance then keep it simple. (And if you are going concours-d'elegance then you have the wrong carbs for a 260Z anyway and good luck finding the correct Nissan braided hoses and other bits. )

I used a fine hacksaw and a gas torch to remove mine (carefully burnt the rubber bushing cores out). A long slow but effective process. That was more than 3 decades ago, they were well seized up when the car was only about 12 yrs old. I installed new pins and bushings with generous amounts of copper grease as advised by a mechanic friend. They are still free to this day, I've checked. I wonder whether Nissan used any lubricant at all.

Suck it up Hayden, the market speaks.

Factory tolerances back then were not what we expect today. But then my '70s Zed is a good step forward better in that respect than my '60s Mustang. So maybe I'm being over-critical when I say that my Zed sill/B-pillar slip joint tolerance was a touch generous to start with. The RH side on mine fits well on the curved face, but the horizontal face not covered by the aluminium sill trim has a lip where the B-pillar section overlaps and doesn't finish level with the sill. Whereas on the LH side the opposite is the case. So any swaged depression formed at the end of the sill panel to enable it to better slip inside the B-pillar panel is then partly negated by a sloppy fit. Add to that the complex shape. So I'm sure what you are doing will be a marked improvement over the factory effort so long as you can reshape the dogleg piece to exactly follow the curve of the sill. Good luck with your work.

Maybe I can help, I have an early RS30, long ownership, unrestored, although I did finally repaint just the sills a couple of years ago to replace tired original paint with decades-old stone damage and scuffing on the sills. Sills and doglegs are originals. Looking at your top photo, the top and adjoining side face of your sill/B-pillar junction is typical - the sill panel slips inside the B-pillar panel, a few spot welds, some seam sealer, painted and that was factory. No fancy flushing/blending of the joint to conceal it. Of course the top and adjoining side face is covered by the aluminium sill trim panel. But the rest of the joint and downwards to the seam is just a slight concave finish under the paint warts and all. On my car the RH side is a nice neat fit and better done than the LH side, annoying, but no doubt was factory tolerance. The sill and dogleg section are pretty much dead in line, except the sill runs inwards ever so slightly (the thickness of the steel) for about the last 150-200mm so it can tuck inside the B-pillar section, if that makes sense. Your dogleg section should be flat along your straightedge, not slightly bulging as it is. Basically any work you do to improve that joint can only be an improvement on the factory effort. Some restored Zeds I've seen still had the seam evident under the paint, whereas on others the seam has been concealed. Anyway, I hope that long ramble helps some. I can send you a photo tomorrow once it's daylight.

Nice work!

Would there be any advantage to having an 'Export Brace' (google it) such as used on early Mustangs? A heavy gauge one-piece ribbed steel brace in a V shape that connects the top of the front strut towers to the central part of the firewall, replacing the standard rather weak bolt-on angle braces. Along with a strut brace it triangulates the front clip.

I think they were addressed to some extent weren't they? From my observations the 260Z shell is an improved construction over the 240Z, albeit heavier. But then people also complain about the added weight. So I guess much depends on how the car is to be used. But certainly if a car is being stripped down to bare metal for a complete rebuild then that's the time to seam weld it in various areas rather than rely on spot welds. And putting a strengthening kit to tie the front end to the rear end better, such as is being discussed and designed here, is a great idea and a great initiative.

As Gav240z says. Asking prices for Zeds in any condition are steadily climbing due to increased demand and a very limited supply. Watch and assess the market and you will get a feel for how much you will likely have to pay whether a 'barn find' project car or a running/registered car. Not easy though currently as there aren't many for sale. Demand is such that even very rusty cars that a decade or two ago would have been stripped for parts and the remainder abandoned or sent to the crusher are being repaired. Which is a massive job in itself, especially with the limited amount of aftermarket support by way of replacement panels and body shell sections. If you see a car advertised that interests you then you best get on to it ASAP or it will be soon gone if the asking price is sensible. Good luck.

I'm sure it will only be a short-lived hiatus before you are back in the mancave Zed workshop again. And, for those who are missing the point, Rudi has a 2+2, not a 2-seat, so it all fits perfectly... welcome to the world baby Alexis and well done and congratulations to mum and dad!

Hmmm... that's pretty good money for a tribute car then... I guess the original is priceless. That obnoxious troll who was on this forum a month back telling us the Zeds are worth stuff-all would have a heart attack. BTW, why does the original No.11 have a RH headlamp bucket in the outdoor video and yet that's missing in the Zama museum photo?

Oh dear... dare I ask, what did they hit, an elephant? The body shell looks like one large ripple... There's that jacking point, another detail...

Thanks for the Zama photos. Drool. Well that's two of the race/rally cars. Love those bonnet-mounted driving lights. I'll have to google the US scene, wondering whether any of the BRE and other well known race cars have been preserved. Anyway, IMO there's always a place for 'tribute' cars, even a token, to keep the history alive. Just so long as no-one tries to pass one off as the real thing when it changes hands of course. That's a whole separate discussion in itself.....