Carl Beck

Why do you cal this a SCARAB? No SCARAB I.D. Tag, no SCARAB Valve Covers, so much changed I don't see a lot of "SCARAB" left. Was it a SCARAB Factory Bulid at one time? Is there a SCARAB Invoice or other documents? The reason I ask - is I know a person that is looking for a real SCARAB. thanks, Carl

As far as I can tell about 99% of the Low VIN Datsun 240Z's - HLS30's were sold in the North American Market. Generally among Collectors - the term "Low VIN" is used to describe the 240Z's produced in Calendar Year 1969. As I recall that was about 543 units - the first 12 of which were not released for public sale. Out side of the serious collector market - Low VIN is relative.. might mean 1300 or 2000 to some. Why are the really low VIN's more valuable than later production cars in like condition? For one reason - some Vintage/Historic Race sanctioning bodies make a cut off date for cars produced before 1970. {many people think that was done in an effort to prevent the Z's from competing against the earlier Prosche 911 and Triumph TR-6's etc - because the 240Z's beat them too often}. So if you want to go Vintage/Historic Racing in those circles - you have to find a Z with a product date in 1969. There is a pretty limited number of them still in existence... so higher prices for them. Simple supply and demand. Another reason - is that serious collectors that know a lot about the Datsun 240Z's, recognize that the 69 and very early 70 {Jan/Feb} cars have a lot of detail parts that are unique to them. That adds interesting details that are rare and more fun to own. Some of these items are pieces or symbols of the cars history - which can add to interesting discussions about the car when shown. For example - the 240Z Emblems and DATSUN Script on very early production cars.. #13 through..??? we don't know exactly when... were solid cast pot-metal/chromed parts.. which were actually pre-production prototypes. Cast in very limited numbers to gain approval for full production runs... then hollow core pot metal/chromed parts were produced. In both cases the "Z" on these emblems is flat chrome. On later production cars the "Z" was cast with a raised outline - the painted white inside the raised outline. So having a very early VIN with the original prototype emblems adds historic interest to the car for serious enthusiasts. There are several other items on the very early cars that are exclusive to them and which all add to the historic interest of the car. Another reason - the 69 production cars are a known limited quantity. There were something less than 530 of them produced. So far to this date only 175 have been found to still be in existence - many of which are beyond reasonable financial restoration, some are merely rusted shells... Nonetheless the one's that remain are rare and desirable - the two factors that push values up on all Classic/Collectible and Special Interest cars. FWIW, Carl B.

Hello Everyone: Mr. Matsuo, the Designer of the original Z Car visited California this past summer. He spent some time with MotoMan doing a video with Randy Rodriguez who's concept skecthes were the basis for the design of the new 370Z. You can see the resulting video at: You can also find at: Apple iTunes http://www.CraveOnline.com Boxee DivX TV Roku Samsung HD TiVo Verizon FiOS OnDemand Vizio VIA I think everyone will enjoy this... IF you were lucky enough to be at the Z Car Convention this year, and to have meet Mr. Matsuo - you now know why there is enough room in the engine bay for a V8. Turns out that Mr. Matsuo is perhaps the Charter Member of Hybrid Z - he wanted to assure that there was room between the shock towers for a Nissan V8... and had quite a few disagreements with the engineering and production people about that... in the end Mr. Matsuo had his way - there was room for a V8... Pictured below is Rick Rawe, Mr. Matsuo and Rick's Ford V8 powered 240Z. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Gang: I received the following this AM. Passing it along for your information - and to encourage everyone to donate what ever you can to the cause. Of course if you are in the area by all means attend the event. http://DatsunHeritageMuseum.com FWIW, Carl B. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = This coming Saturday, Nov. 20, The Datsun Heritage Museum is holding a fundraiser to save the museum. I wish I could be there but I'm working. It's going to be a fun night and you should be there! My buddy Rob Schneider is hosting and I hear they've got some pretty great stuff to auction off too. George Barris, the King of the Kustomizer will be there too with some one of kind Barris items. Legendary Datsun racer, John Morton will receive the Datsun Legend Award presented by Tommy Kendall. Plus it's a host bar! This museum is important to me and if you're a Datsun fan or a car enthusiast, I bet it means something to you too. I know times are tough, so if you go online now to datsunheritagemuseum.com, they're offering a general admission ticket for $75. Just click the "donation" button and enter $75 per ticket. There may also still be some VIP seating available. Don't wait. Buy your tickets now! Sincerely, Adam Carolla

Not a good idea to block them. They are not a source of fumes. The fumes most often come in around the rear hatch seals, the tail light seals, the hole in the threshold plate for the latch, and anywhere that the seam sealer has dried out and cracked. Additionally any holes in the bodywork caused by rust or accident damage. Additionally, the seals around the gas vapor lines that run inside the car. In short - everything in the rear of the car has to be sealed up. In my experience adding a front and rear spoiler helps too {but they are not necessary if everything is sealed up}. The cars didn't leak exhaust gas when new... and they should not do it now if properly resealed. Fumes from the engine can also find their way into the car - check the gear shift lever rubber boot {seal} and all the firewall plugs/passages. FWIW, Carl B.

Sorry - the privious owner is simply wrong. There were NO Special Order Options for the Datsun 240Z in the US in 73. If you wanted a 5 spd. - as mentioned above - you ordered it over the Parts Counter and had it put in after you owned the car. So... don't repeat that previous owner story around people that know anything about the 240Z's - they will laugh at you. If it has a flange on the output shaft - it is the Type A 5spd. Same as the Datsun Roadster, with the bell housing and tail shaft housing changed out.. Datsun Competition Parts offered the transmission and the kit to convert it to use in the Z FWIW, Carl B.

Well “actually†in addition to the roadster 5spd. you could order a Type “B†5 spd. Over the Parts Counter in 73 and have it installed. There were several option’s related to gear ratio’s and synchro. types. The 5 spd. was standard in the 240Z’s sold outside of North America. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Tony: Thanks for a wonderful story - I'm sure I would have enjoyed knowing Eddie. When I first started out in Aerospace - I worked for a Senior Engineering Fellow, Don McConnel, in the Manned Space Division; your description of Eddie would have fit Don to a tee. Don was a car, airplane and speed boat nut {anything that moved FAST...} .. when he found out that in my earlier life I had a Pilots License and had owned/operated a muffler shop... I became his #1 assistant. Aerospace Systems Engineers were a dime a dozen - but I could bend pipe and weld!! { so much for degrees..} Thanks also for the links to Polycore.. Wingy's Trailers is pretty much the concept that I'm looking at - only on a much smaller scale. Hi Derek: Thanks for the suggestion. Something along those lines might just fill the bill for some of the roof panels... Carl B.

Hello Everyone: Does anyone here have experience or knowledge related to fabricating anything using honeycomb core aluminum sandwich panels. ? I'm thinking of building a trailer to haul a car - using them possibly for the floors and side wall's of an enclosed trailer. A labor vs. materials trade off, plus possible weight savings. I'm seeking info related to strength, fabrication process, panel joining etc. thanks, Carl B.

Hi Tony: Good points.. I qualify the following by saying "As I Understood It At The Time". The time - was a discussion years {decades} ago on this subject on the old Z Car List. From a vague memory, I believe it was Mike Kojima {but don't want to certify that unless I can dig though the archives and find the thread again} - - that made the remark when the subject of the operational problems with the 73's were being discussed and the changes to the combustion chamber design were brought up. {looking for a change plus a distinction or cause/effect relationships} Yes - the EGR was intended to reduce combustion chamber temperatures - When they were reaching their Peak. NOx concentrations are greatest as the combustion temperatures approach 2500 degrees. That is at periods of sustained highway cruise or mid range acceleration and that is when the EGR system is kicked in... Increasing the "normal" lower level combustion temperatures at other times reduces CO and HC... So the L24's in the US were setup to run slightly hotter in 73. They weren't to the point of needing sodium filled valves or anything, but they did run hotter than the earlier cars. In-turn the exhaust manifolds ran hotter as well. So - yes to two solutions did work together, but each had its desired effect at different engine loads/rpm and manifold pressures... etc. FWIW, Carl B.

We had at least 4 heads cast with E88 here in North America - so you have to be careful when you are buying one. 1. Early E88 - This head is found on late year production Series II {Late Model Year 1971 Z's} and a few very early 72 Model Year Z Cars. It has the same combustion chamber as the E31 and the same 42.4 cc volume. As I understand it, this head had improved castings and materials to address the cracking found around the exhaust ports on many of the E31's. 2. The standard E88 found on the 1972 Model Year 240Z's. Same combustion chamber shape as the E31 only 44.7cc combustion chamber volume. This head had improved exhaust and intake port runners. So the lower compression from the E31 was off-set by better breathing and the 70/71 & 72 L24's were all rated at 150 HP. 3. The E88 for the 1973 Model Year - this head had a redesigned combustion chamber to meet the stricter 73 emissions standards. 44.8 cc 4. The E88 for the 74 Model Year L26. This was the same combustion chamber design as 73 only with the larger 35mm exhaust valve. The L26 used a longer stroke than the L24 but the same bore - so the L26 blocks had "eyebrows" cut in the top of the cylinder bores for the larger valve to clear. If you put the late 71/72 E88 side by side with the 73/74 E88's it is pretty easy to tell them apart. The earlier combustion chambers have a raised or protruding area around the spark plug - the emissions heads don't. The 73/74 E88's have a raised quench area to increase combustion chamber temperatures... good for emissions but bad for HP. This is a subject of some debate. Some say that the increased volume of metal cools combustion chamber temps. Others say that when you compress a gas you increase its temp. Nissan said they increased the combustion temp. to control certain emissions... If you are going to build a higher performance head - you are going to re-work a lot of factors anyway - so find a good straight head, with no micro cracking and go from there. FWIW, Carl B.

Richard Owen took this photo at Amelia Island Concours last year. I know I must have some others somewhere.

Nothing but drawings or artists renderings - not a single picture of a complete/finished car. No "news" since Feb. 08... Looks like it went down the tubes before making it out of the dream stage. Most likely wasn't helped by the financial meltdown - wonder why they didn't get a bail out? Short of spending $225,000.00, I still have not seen a Sports/GT to match the original Datsun 240Z. Nothing even close... FWIW, Carl B.

Here is an example - and not the best one that one can find.. Just on the Tool Box. Looks to be in pretty good shape... Snap-On Box $6000.00 http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/tls/1127740257.html Looking at the Snap-On On-line Catalog: http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/catalog.asp?tool=storage These are close to the same. Riser, Workstation, 54", Red, BrightTrim (27 1/2" depth) $2890.00 Stock #: KRL7954APBO End Cab, 8 Drawers, Red $2525.00 Stock #: KRL1011APBO Roll Cab, Triple Bank, 22 Drawers, Red $10394.00 Stock #: KRL1023APBO $15809.00 plus 6% sales Tax $948.54 - $16,757.54 I'd bet that if you took CASH - and a truck - you could haul it home for $4500.00. It's been on Craigslist since last month. The REALLY GREAT DEALS sell the same day, so you have to keep checking and have the CASH on hand... This could be at least a good deal.. if you love this style, layout etc. Sellers don't want to hear "I'll have to check with my bank"... When they hear that - the price stays at $6000.00 - standing in front of them with $4500.00 CASH - - will usually buy the whole deal.. Hard to let CASH walk away when you need to sell...

I love Snap-On Tools... Best advice I could give a young man starting out is: 1. DO NOT GO INTO DEBT - - for anything you can save your money to pay cash for. You spend your future income only on a house to live in. 2. The only way to buy Snap-On tools - is to buy them used. Today there are tons of them out there. Shop CraigsList today - I was looking in this area just for kicks. Lots of nearly new Snap-On boxes going for 1/4 of what they cost new.. Show up with CASH in hand, and a truck big enough to haul everything away - and you can do better than that. If you shop used - lay all the real Snap-On tools out of any Snap-On tool box, if your looking at buying a complete used set. See what is really Snap-On in that box, and what isn't, as well as what is missing from wrench/socket sets etc. Don't take the seller word for it that there are $15K worth of tools in that $8K box... Once you lay them all out - and throw out anything that isn't Snap-On.. the sellers will usually lower their price - because at the point they see what is really there, not what they thought was there. FWIW, Carl B.