GongZ

The restored white 1973 240Z that I referred to in post #127 (July 21, 2015) reached £25,099.00 (AU$53,567.12) on eBay (UK) with the reserve not being met. This was the US market car that had been converted to RHD and beautifully restored. It also came with a personal recommendation from HS30-H;

Regarding the green car; I still had the page open from 8:25pm last night and have attached a screen capture to confirm that the price was at $38,000 and the status as "DEPOSIT TAKEN - Awaiting full payment.". While I am talking about it - no-one else commented on the incorrect door mirrors, the missing luggage straps and the re-chromed but unpainted hubcaps. It is still a very very nice car though.

I had a look at that John. As I read it, Adam used a red 260Z shift pattern button (supplied by you) in a wooden 4-speed knob. I have attached a pic from Adam's build log as per your link. It looks nice - but not like an original 240Z item. ** Edit - I just realised that the author of this post is another Adam - the Adam referred to above is acf321 Adam (the builder of the famous 'Brown Hornet' 240Z).

They are not bad alternatives. I have already bought a 'genuine' 4 speed US version and a 5-speed reproduction knob from eBay which was made by C&G Woodcraft (Connecticut USA) and is shown below. The obvious difference with the reproduction buttons is that the shift pattern buttons are only 2-dimensional. In the original buttons the shift pattern and gear numbers had depth/height as you can see in the close up pic attached. From what I have read and seen, the buttons that Taylor made (tailor-made buttons? ) were moulded and therefore had depth. For this reason - I am keen to buy one of Taylor's if he ever makes more.

I followed this advice; From memory, the Superpro bushes are harder than rubber, but have a bit more give than other brands of urethane bushes. The other thing to mention is that Superpro bushes are purple !! Edit - just saw this subsequent topic (260Z 2+2 Bush kit - Help by d3n1s) where PB260Z has posted a link to the list of 260Z Superpro bushes;

Did you mean 1.2mm?

Hi Bonkers, I was on the track with Skaife, but I didn't see Mr Kenny's incident. I do remember being very impressed with the performance of the standard car, but who knew what a great race car they would become?

Are you actually looking for an engine splash pan like the one shown below? These are not designed to protect the sump from anything more than a nasty old splash of muddy water, but they apparently have aerodynamic benefits. Most people removed them and threw them away it seems - and if you can find one - it might be quite expensive. There is currently a repaired and powder coated one on eBay USA with a buy it now price of US$750 (over AU$1,000 at today's rate); http://www.ebay.com/itm/Datsun-240Z-Splash-Pan-Extremely-Rare-Complete-with-Mounting-Bolts-/171868868085?hash=item28042ecdf5 Also note that the 280Z version was different.

You are quite right there George - my bottom is just plain wrong!

The attached pic shows the differences in shape and wood grain that Gavin has mentioned - obviously the original knob is the one on the left. The knob in the yahoo auction link in Gavin's reply looks like what is currently sold in the US as a 'genuine 240Z 4 speed shifter - but with a 5 speed pattern (as shown on the right in the pic). The second attachment to this reply is a diagram I drew showing the dimensions of the original 240Z gear knobs. This was done using dimensions given to me by several members on the Classic Z car forum in 2012.

The face plates which are wider at the bottom are for 240Z's - which had the radio in the bottom of the dash. The 260Z and 280Z had the radio in the top of the console and therefore had face plates which are wider at the top.

There is also an Australian source; http://streetlens.com/japanese.html He does amber or clear lenses for $76.00 each + postage. He has also made 260Z housings and half-width amber lens inserts in the past, but did not have any in stock last time I asked (about a year ago).

This brought back memories of doing some practice laps around Lakeside in my 240Z as part of the first national Z Car meeting over Easter in 1990. It was great fun, apart from being repeatedly lapped by some young bloke called Mark Skaife who was driving a showroom stock burgundy coloured GTR.

Thanks for posting the pic Triptych - it looks pretty good to me.

Hi Andrew, the 'fuse like wires' are in fact the fusible links, i.e. big fuses. Have a look at this topic for some good information; http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php?topic=10463.0 And here is the Z Store's "Fusible Links & Covers" parts page; http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic10a05

The 240Z 5-speed shift knob (specifically the shift pattern button) is a very elusive beast that I have been hunting for several years. Unfortunately, my car came with a very original T-bar handle. :'( There seem to be quite a few people that would love to find one, and therefore a willing, if not huge market for someone to capitalise on. This link shows this topic discussed extensively on the Classiczcars site; http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/44587-5-speed-knob-reproduction/ You may recognise some of the people who have contributed to this thread.

OMG - Aunty Jack (aka Grahame Bond) joined the police force!! I found it here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2yo8YWZ5e4

Hi Taylor - I am also interested in buying one if you get around to it. Do you (or anybody who bought one of these) have a photograph of how they turned out? I wonder why B Projects decided to make the R red? :'(

Great video/racing ! - thanks Richard

Here is a very nice Z432 that was sold in Florida on March 14, 2015 for US$253,000 (currently about AU$346,000). http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1072399

It looks like Mr Lee has his eye on this one too. Here it is in one of his Youtube videos; The video and the commentary show that it has; - 260Z style bonnet vents - Watanabe wheels - cold air box removed and (I assume) aftermarket ram tubes fitted - aftermarket extractors (one of you gurus will know which type) - been bored out to 3 litres - but at about 4min:15sec into the video he says it might be 2.5 litres (I know that L series can be taken to around 3.1 litres by boring out and using an LD28 crank - but what is possible with an S20?) - radiator fan replaced with an electric fan - front and rear strut braces - oil cooler added (possibly dry sumped too) - full roll cage and racing harness - seats that are similar to Z432R seats but with lots of 240Z style vents - Brembo disc brakes front and rear - had suspension 'changed' - Nakamichi + Bose stereo - fire extinguisher mounted behind the seats (please don't tell me its a nitrous bottle :'()

Thanks John - that was an interesting read.

Hello Gavin - I just read this through this topic again and this time I picked up on this statement; Can you please tell me where you got a replacement button, and where you discussed the technique to replace the button?

I found this car interesting - because I have never seen an example of a LHD 240Z being converted to RHD before. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DATSUN-240Z-1973-RHD-SIMPLY-STUNNING-/261972600172?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cfec8a56c "1973 Datsun 240z. Complete nut and bolt restoration. Built from the body of a genuine Californian dry state shell. (Imported personally by me). Professionally converted to right hand drive and body prepared and painted to present one of the best 240z available today. Work completed by one of the leading marque specialists in Europe. Restoration completed in the summer of 2013. This is my own personal vehicle owned since 2007. Less than a 100 miles since restoration. Built to factory specification ,using many now unobtainable new Datsun/Nissan original components to arrive to this example ,which looks like it's just rolled out of the dealership showroom in 1973. Using genuine period Japanese RS Watanabe wheels to enhance the look and drive of the ultimate 'Japanese Ferrari'. ... Additional info in response to an influx of similar enquiries/queries: Body: Floor pans, hatch slam panel, sills, doors, wings, spare wheel well and rear arches etc are all original. All factory spot welds present and correct. No rust repair work was required at all. This was a genuine unmolested original shell imported from Santa Barbara in California. Mechanicals : Brakes completely overhauled. Engine fully rebuilt. Gear box (5 speed) rebuilt. All engine ancillaries replaced new or reconditioned. Suspension fully overhauled. The car is just as it should be, from the Factory stereo and electric aerial and luggage straps in that back,right down to the correct zinc wire hose clamps in the engine bay." At the time of writing - the car has had 4 bids and is at £19,500.00 (AU$41,160) - Reserve not met

Here's a laugh - this US car has a "factory sunroof"; http://www.ebay.com/itm/161767526442?forcerRptr=true&item=161767526442&viewitem= Well I suppose the sunroof was made in a factory somewhere.