Wow, hadn't thought about Z Rims in a long long time. Those are the ones with the circular hole between spoke nipples that showed the metallic rim tape, yeah?
If the wheels I am thinking of I recall them being around in the early to mid 80's. Typically hard anno black with either silver or gold tape showing through. I had issues with them personally in that they simply weren't as strong as the comparable Araya and bent/warped a set or two.