240z – Page 5 – the DAILY DATSUN

December 31, 2012December 31, 2012

Happy New Year from Daily Datsun!

Well it’s another year of motoring in the rear view and a new set of twisty, winding roads on the horizon!

It’s been a great 1st year for the 280z and certainly a memorable one for DailyDatsun.com. Since getting the 280z in late 2011, I’ve managed to restore and renew this car into a daily driver. We’ve replaced the rubber weather stripping, side molding, attended Datsloco, installed new carpets and seats, and even got married in it on top of all that! It’s also been a historic year for Datsun, marking 40 years of the Nissan Z!

Looking toward 2013, there isn’t too much more I need to do: bumpers (!), fuel pump change. Though, there certainly things I WANT to do with the car: shocks / lowering kit, bushings. I’ll certainly have my hands full with Datsun activities like rides and events as well. Additionally, my brother, dad and i recently picked up a beautiful 1963 Corvair Monza 900 (remember that post?), so some of my car fixing time will be devoted to that.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the help of a few friends and family along the way. A sincere thanks to my Mom & Dad, Kris, Dana, Kathryn, Jake, Erik, Jerry and Kennie for all of their help. A special thanks to my wife, Thanh, for her love and support… and allowing me to keep the car :]

With that, i’ll leave you with a nice video from MotoMan about the 40th Anniversary of the Z.

Cheers & Happy New Years!
DailyDatsun

December 6, 2012

Yellow Doppelgangers

I’m an avid craigslist watcher – about 4-5 times a day I’ll be on there looking for Datsuns. In the past month or so, there’s been huge spike in Z cars in the Bay Area. Everything from $875 (sold by the time this was posted) to nearly $40k (see below), daily drivers, barn finds, weekend track stars, show cars, you name it. Two of which caught my eye – these two yellow Z’s. I had to do a double take on the first one because my work garage looks exactly like the pictures, I thought someone was selling it from under me. The $40k version looks like it’s been severely Hulk’d. Which one would you pick? Enjoy!

Datsun 280z – $5350 (mountain view)

1976 Datsun 280z manual transmission
– new fuel injectors. all replaced. OEM
– new ignition coil and ballast
– new alternator
– new fuel pump

the engine runs great, has never had any problems. the body is in excellent shape. she is sweet and sexy, nice and lovely.

**1971 HIGHLY MODIFIED 600HP 240Z** – $39500 (dublin / pleasanton / livermore)

600 (NORMALLY ASPIRATED) HP OF PURE FUN!! READY FOR A FUN DAY AT THE TRACK OR ON THE STREET. HAS WON NUMEROUS CAR SHOWS INCLUDING SEVERAL GOODGUYS AWARDS.

“Complete, detailed AD with ALL specifications and Photo Gallery at:
http://zcartrader.com/wp/?auto=1971-datsun-240z-v-8

Daily-Datsun-CL-yellow-280z-600hp-121205-2

Just a note, these links may not work after a while because it’s either sold or too old on Craigslist.

November 25, 2012

Hot Models

The holiday season is upon us, and it’s got me a bit nostalgic. Everyone remembers being a kid. And nearly every boy has had a toy car of some sort. Maybe they were a Revell scale model kit, slot cars, Hot Wheels or Micromachines – we were lucky to have experienced all four.

Certainly, if you haven’t got the garage (or the cash) for all those dreams cars, chances are they’ll fit on the shelf. And what if those dream cars aren’t in your favorite livery or paint scheme? Check out this sweet build for a BRE Datsun Hot Wheels:

Post like these reminds me of of the larger 1:32 scale slot cars my dad used to have. He and my uncle would pull them apart, paint them, race them, pull them apart again, re-wind the coils, race’m some more.

Of course we grew up racing with the smaller slot cars…and whata know, they make a 1:24 AND 1:32 slot car Z’s!

Silver Line - 240z rally slot cars — 1:24 scale

Sources: JNC, Slot Car Today, Slot Car Illustrated

October 14, 2012

Datsloco, Livermore – My 1st Meet

Dat’s right! Datsloco!

My previous posts have all been car shows (which i’m quite fond of) like the Willow Glen classic, but this was my 1st MEET! I was super excited to say the least. Datsloco is a local meet organized by a guy named Gino, usually held in the Livermore area, and simply just peeps and their Datsuns. Well of course they had plenty of parts for sale, bbq (supposedly Gino makes an off the hook carne asada), and even a guy workin on his tranny in the parking lot.

Before the meet though, first things first: a pint. Campfire stout @ Tap25.

Highwater Campfire Stout

Though we got there a few hours from the end, there were plenty of Datsun trucks, and every variety of 510’s possible: 2-dr, 4-dr, Bluebirds, Coupes, and even a RHD from Japan. Two other Z’s remained when we rolled in. Additionally, a Nissan 240sx and 70’s Toyota Corona rounded it out. OK, HOODS UP!

Gino’s Bluebird Coupe – if this doesn’t make you want one…

You can just hear the snarl on this one.

Super hilarious!

Dean’s 240z w/ Fairlady Z432 grill

Hoods up!

Triple carbs on a L28 engine w/ polished valve cover – love it.

There were a few Crown Royal bags around

A RHD Bluebird Coupe from Japan!

Someone testing out some gold Watanabe wheels. I like Wats, but the wheels he had on already looked great.

Powder blue wasn’t no slouch – just check out where all the color is…

October 7, 2012October 7, 2012

Jay Leno visits Datsun / Nissan, asks a few questions

Latest on Jay Leno’s Garage is his visit to Nissan earlier this week. He gets to tour the Nissan Zama Warehouse (aka Nissan DNA Garage), drive a Fairlady Z (Japan’s 240z), and even visit their design studios. With Nissan’s 80th Anniversary coming up, Jay asks if there’s a new “240z” in the works. Of course there’s not straight answer from Nissan’s Chief Creative Officer and friend Shiro Nakamura, but we get to see a spread of concepts in the background and watch them talk about the Z.

My favorite part is when Jay details the best part of the Datsun Z to wash, and I HAVE to agree. Best part to wash AND wax. Check it out.

Source: Jay Leno’s Garage – Nissan Fairlady aka Datsun 240z

September 13, 2012September 13, 2012

Cruise for a Cause – Willow Glen Car Show 2012

This past Sunday, I get a text from my brother: willow glen classic car show.

To which i responded: i’m there.

Willow Glen’s Cruise for a Cause car show has been about family, fun, a food drive and, of course, classic cars. And I was hearing it has been for over 50 years. This was truly a wonderful spectacle of classic cars ranging from oddities (like the purple Henry J) to the wild (a Jag E-type…w/ NOS). And believe it or not, it was the first car show the 280z has ever been to!

Despite the Z being a spectator, I gotta mention, it got plenty of looks / comments. No sooner than a minute after parking did a friendly guy named John come over w/ his girl and family. “Hey, you’ve gotta park next to me”, he smiles out. See, John rolled over to the car show in his red 240z. :]

I got there around 1, but for the few hours it took to roll around all the cars, we were the only two w/ Z cars. Actually, it might even be safe to say, the only two vintage Japanese cars from what i saw! Not a bad thing – we certainly stood out among the gorgeous Caddies, awesome Ford Duces and the rest of the American muscle that dominated the show. 280z’s first show, but certainly not it’s last! On to some pics!

John just picked up this fantastic lookin 240z after getting t-boned in his 280zx. Lucky he’s unharmed and even luckier he now drives a 240z.

While rockin’ the fender flares and mirrors (a look originally on the Japanese version), the American Racing rims keep it USDM grounded.

Definitely a head turning daily driven, daily datsun!

Additionally it sported Fairlady Z badges and a stacked Monza exhaust.

Amazing rims on this Caddie

Check out the underside! Notice where the rotors are?

Gorgeous Chevy truck interior – simply gorgeous

My favorite car of the show – all business

Check out that jeweled suicide knob! At least you can loose your thumb in style.

This Barracuda was jet black and easily one of the best cars there.

You could squeeze the flyer under here, that’s about it.

I like interior shots, especially this Corvette’s.

Millimeters off the ground - Daily Datsun

July 26, 2012

Datsun 240z and a laptop

How does a Datsun 240z and a laptop have anything to do with each other? Maybe if you’re Mitsubishi, who made both computers way back when* and cars, you’d be in the running. No no, there isn’t going to be any Nissan computers, but there is a link between the 240z and the Ampere WS-1 “knee-top” computer: Kumeo Tamura.

Kumeo Tamura is one of the industrial designers who penned the Datsun 240z… and apparently a laptop. To have such an iconic car under your belt is amazing enough, but then have the breath to stretch into tech space, well that’s pretty awesome. Read the original post here (thanks Oscar!): read more

*I remember my dad brought home a Mitsubishi computer a long long time ago in the 80’s.

July 13, 2012

Z Owners of Nor Cal Annual Car Show – Brisbane Marina

Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) are having their Annual Car Show at the Brisbane Marina on July 28th, 2012!

Wow, that first sentence just sums it all up. There’ll be plenty of 240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 350Z and 370Z cars you can shake a stick at, with a special section just for the older cars. Of course plenty of 510’s, Datsun Roadsters, G35 coupes and GT-Rs will also be there in full force. I won’t be entering in 280Z just yet (plus i don’t want to spend 5 hrs there), but I’ll certainly be there to check it out. Should be a blast to see what everyone’s done with their Z cars up close and personal.

For more information go to ZONC’s website: http://zonc.org/

For photos of last year’s event, check out Z-Car Garage’s page. Rob’s got a host of photos to gawk at.

June 25, 2012July 3, 2012

Spotted: White / Gray S30

Took the McKee on ramp to 101 this morning only to find a white S30 (240z or 260z) pull up behind me! A pleasant surprise! A quick wave to each other and we zoomed off in separate directions. I noticed as it turned onto McKee that it had a gray passenger front fender amongst it’s relatively all white body.

June 19, 2012July 3, 2012

Spotted: 240z w/ 280z parts

Cruisin’ around downtown with Thanh, taking a different route to a familiar restaurant, and spotted a red Datsun 240z! Of course I had to make a u-turn and check it out :]

This 240z is a little worse for wear, certainly looking like it gets used. It does have some interesting features to it though: sports a modern valence, side skirts, wheel well lip rubber, and look at that, a 280z hood. I wonder what’s lurking underneath…

Rolling on 280zx wheels – perhaps another hint at it’s internal upgrades.

Check out the body color single side Turbo mirror.