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I have owned my 1971 240Z for around 12 months now, but this week I have finally been able to start work on it. I have been going hard on my other project, a 1973 Porsche 911 RSR inspired build, but I am waiting for custom engine parts, so I can finally start my Z project.

Here is the episode.

My name is Clay and I bought a 1970 Datsun 240Z (HLS30-01121) about three years ago.  My intention was to drive it on the weekends and save up some money for a full restoration.  I am stationed in San Diego, California and found the car on Craigslist.

Hello, everyone. I haven’t been on here in quite a while. My dad is a regular (diseazd) with 5 amazing s30’s. I have had many Nissans and owned a 72 510 for a few years but have never owned a Z. The S30’s are just too expensive for me and for some reason, over the last few years, I cannot get the Z31 300zx out of my mind. I almost bought one a year ago and then went on to other projects.
 
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Hello everyone. I saw this Z being sold locally, but the lowest the seller is willing is 16.5k. What do you guys think?

Here's the latest update:

All - ZCON 2018 host hotel will be at the Sonesta.

In order to book your hotel, you may use the following link and Group Code. They promised to simplify the code after the new year, but this one works so you can get your hotel now.

The event is October 16-20 in Atlanta, GA - the website is www.ZCON.org. Event registration will go live 1/1/18.

Get booked now within the room block for $105/night with free parking and free wifi included. We've extended the group-block two days before and after the event for those coming in earlier or wanting to enjoy the area after the event.

https://gc.synxis.com/rez.aspx…

USE BOOKING CODE: 10166823ZC

The area you call a garage... What do you say?

 

While removing the manifold studs on my rebuilt head to replace with new studs from MotorSports, the front one broke off below the head surface!    The one that broke was already broken to where only a 1/4" worth of thread was usable, and I couldn't double-nut it, so it had to be replaced.  The others came out okay after a good soaking with Kroil, a bit of heat, and double-nutting to loosen.  But the front #1 exhaust wouldn't budge and broke while trying to remove with vice grips.  Lucky for me the engine is on a stand, easier to work on.  I figure I'd post some pics of the Helicoil job since I didn't see one around here, in case someone else has the "joy" of doing this in the future.   I've done a few, but definitely not an expert.  Feel free to add your thoughts or tips to the thread.


Above shows broken stud.  I've already center punched it to help get the drill bit centered. 


Here was my first choice, screw extractor and left handed drill bits.  Tried 2 different sizes, no luck.  Plus I'm always afraid the extractor will break off and make further drilling a real pain, so I didn't crank on them too hard.


Since I already had the stock M8 1.25 stud kit, I opted for that size instead of going to a stouter 10M stud.  Ordered a real Helicoil kit instead of cheaper knockoff.  Kit includes some threaded inserts, a tap, and tool to install inserts into newly tapped hole.  Didn't include the 21/64" drill bit, which I had.


Carefully drill, keeping hole perpendicular to surface, and no deeper then existing hole, and centered.  I started with 1/8" hole, 1/4", 5/16" then the final 21/64".


Tap the hole, using oil to help get a clean cut.  Work tap back and forth and remove a few times to clean out debris.


Insert is threaded in using the tool.  There's a little tang at the bottom of the insert that you break off after you get it in place.


Done.  Be sure to use anti sieze on the threads when installing new studs.   I'm not sure how well this will hold up in the long run, and the repeated hot/cold cycles.  I guess I'll find out.

 

 
 Mr. Matsuo's First Datsun...Baby


 


 


 


 


 

 



 


 


It looks like Hitoshi Uemura?

 

 


 


 

 

Designed for more road clearance:

 

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fclicccar.com%2F2017%2F01%2F27%2F440405%2F&edit-text=&act=url


 


 


 


 

Has anyone found a modern or commonly available hydraulic strut for the rear hatch? I need to open and close mine 3-4 times before it will pump up enough to stay up.

Thanks,

Chris

Well, my choke knob gave up the ghost after 40+ years of being yanked on. It snapped just above the set screw.  I saw that the '72-73 know was NLA but a new '70-71 was still available, different symbole, but I figured it would still fit.

No such luck, the hole in the knob that fits over the metal tang is too small. Has anyone tride to modigy the knob to fit?  The hole seems to be deep enough but either the width or the bredth of the hole would need to be filed to enlarge the hole to fit. My worry is that it needs to be a tight fit so as not to wobble, the set screw seems to do little more than hold the knob in place.

Has anyone tried this?  Any advice?

Thanks.

Steve   

I am back!  After selling my series-1 240z on August 21st I picked up my new 240z yesterday September 11th.  To be honest, I did not think I would be in another Z so quickly but my friend Mike Cooper, who never sells anything asked if I would be interested in buying his red 240z.  He needed the room more than anything and had owned the car since December of 2000.  I had seen the car many years ago parked in the corner of his garage but never saw it up close.  After a trip to look at it and another trip to drive it, I knew it was the one for me.  When I sold the series-1 Z I had a goal of taking the money and getting my shop air conditioned before getting another car.  The next car would be a classic Z I could modify and not affect the value.  It could be a 240, 260, or 280 as I wanted to do triple Webers, springs, sway bars, different seats, etc.  Mike's car already had all of this and more.  The highlights include a 1mm over '78 2.8L engine w/an E88 head, triple Dellorto carbs, '83 280zx Turbo 5spd w/Hurst shift and custom shift handle, '85 Turbo differential w/Precision LSD, Susp. Techniques springs, front & rear sway bars, and seats from a Mitsubishi Eclipse.  The car is a 1/72 build and is number 65,283.  As you can see in the pictures it needs a deep cleaning, the paint needs a careful cut & polish, and there are lots of little things that need to be addressed, mainly just items that need to be replaced due to age.  The car was originally silver with a red interior and one day it may return to that color scheme.  For now, it will be tinkered with and driven alot!  When I first saw the shifter handle I thought I thought it looked a little ridiculous but I can testify it is totally functional.  It puts the shift knob right where you want it and the throws are short and precise.  I will keep this post going as I make updates and repairs.  I look forward to showing it to everyone at local events in Austin and at Atlanta in October 2018!












And it came with a few parts too!  Believe it or not 99% of what you see was packed in the car when I picked it up.  Who needs an SUV?

I've been lurking here and some of the other Z boards for a while, and after wanting a project car for basically my entire life, I finally pulled the trigger a couple weeks back so I guess it's time to join; hope y'all have room for one more!
 
So here it is, my new 1978 Z, as it looked when I brought it home:
  
 
I scoured CL for a while and any reasonably-priced cars were getting snatched up in hours.  I checked out a handful of cars in my desired price range and 
 
they were all projects well outside my budget or capabilities, so when I found this one I jumped on it.  It looked pretty good, and I knew it would be some work, but have uncovered some unexpected surprises in the last couple weeks.
 
The starter died when I brought the car to the shop so someone more qualified could take a look at it. It failed smog with an illegal cat, gross polluter numbers and an EVAP leak, and almost every nut and bolt I take off has revealed some bodgy-at-best repair work by previous owners.  All part of the fun!
 
I have a lot of plans and a whole lot of work to do, and I sure am grateful for all the helpful folks who have already walked this path before me.

Planning to rebuild the seats in 2017.

I have a 1987 M6 that I have dumped thousand$ into but there is no market for them at the moment so instead of selling it for 30 cents on the dollar I was thinking about keeping the freshly restored S38 (inline six 24 valve, dohc) engine an 5spd and part the rest the car out.
I've done the measurements and it will fit nicely into a Z.
What do you guys think?
Would I be creating too much of an odd ball?
Thanks,
Chris

Today, September 13, 2017, is the 45th anniversary of my ownership of my Z-Car. If someone told me when I first bought the car that I would have it for 45 years I would have said “you’re nuts”!  Most of what follows is copied from the similar thread that I started on the 40th anniversary ( http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/44418-me-my-z-40th-anniversary/?tab=comments#comment-402126   )  and updated to cover the past 5 years. This is the story of the car… I read the road test of the 240Z in the April 1970 issue of Road&Track magazine and recognized the car as a great value. Then, in 1971 I visited my brother down in Miami and he pulls up in a blue 1970 Z - so that was my first ride. Between the article and that ride, I said to myself: I should get one of these someday... Bought my Z new in 1972 while in the Marines, using a re-enlistment bonus to pay cash for the car. Had a BRE/Interpart header, spook, and rear spoiler installed by the dealer at delivery. After I had the car for a while, drove up to the BRE/Interpart shop in El Segundo, CA and bought the Mulholland suspension package. In ’73, put in a hotter cam. Also in ’73 I put in the Interpart TC kit. In ’74, bought a new WR OD 5-speed, driveshaft, and R-190 LSD w/4.44 gears from Datsun Comp ($575 through a mechanic friend at a dealer). The car scooted pretty good with that gearing. Car was up on blocks for a year while I was stationed in Japan in late ’74 into ’75.  By 1977, I wanted more power, so skipped the triple carb scene and went with a 331ci SB Chevy – 11:1 forged, cam, Edelbrock Tarantula manifold, 650 Holley double-pump carb, headers. Had to pull the R-190/4.44 out and put a R-180/3.36 in for the V-8 (the R-180 lasted while the V-8 was in). In 1978, I had the Acra-Trac front suspension mod installed (who remembers Acra-Trac?). Sometime during this period, I had the short steering knuckles put in. After 5 years with the V-8, I got married, needed a better transportation car, and was getting caught up with smog/legal issues with the swap, so in 1982, put in an L-28 with just a slightly hotter cam, and another Datsun Comp 5-speed. In 1983, the R-180 pinion gear finally failed while I was doing a spirited 1-2 shift (must have been something to do with the V-8 service!) so put in an R-200/3.54. Also in 1983 I made the +1 upgrade to 15” wheels. In ‘86/’87, did a moderate refresh of the car – went through the mechanicals, had it repainted original color (901 silver). Then, didn’t do much but drive and enjoy it for nearly 20 years. In late 2005, I started a mechanical refresh again (mostly suspension). In December 2005 (unfortunately) the head cracked and I had an oil pan full of coolant – so, an unplanned engine rebuild. As long as the engine was apart, went with flat-top pistons and a hotter cam. In January ’06, decided to go to the MSA show, so I worked on the cosmetics a bit and finally refreshed the interior. In 2007 I installed Z-Therapy carbs with SM needles. After those refreshes and rebuilds, I figured the car would be ready for another 20 years of trouble-free driving.  In 2008, I moved from Southern California to rural Tennessee. I had planned to drive the Z across but couldn’t make that work with the household move so it was shipped to TN.  Since the move, the car is used mostly to get me to my local fishing lakes, but occasionally I take it for a spin down a deserted country lane and blow it out with a couple of fast runs.  Over all this time, the car has only been out of service (not counting the year on blocks while I was in Japan) for about 6-7 weeks due to engine swaps/rebuilds, paint, etc. It was a daily driver for the first 17 years, about a “twice a week” driver for the next 17, and has been about a “once a week” driver for the past 11 years.  It’s been a long, but fun, 45 years of ownership. Future plans?  Five years ago on the 40th anniversary I reported that perhaps I would reverse some of the mods I made to the car over 40-45 years ago (mostly non-stock instrumentation and other interior mods). That at some point in the future, with upper body strength diminishing, I’d have to consider pulling out the quick steering knuckles and putting stock ones back in, along with perhaps a larger diameter steering wheel, to reduce the steering effort. I haven’t done any of that. I’m 65 now and can still turn the wheel (although parking is a bear) so no changes to the car yet. I just keep driving it and “enjoy the ride”…  A problem that will continue to get worse over the future years may be finding appropriate performance tires for 15” wheels (of course, as I age, perhaps I shouldn’t be exploring the capabilities of performance rubber!). Otherwise, the car is mostly good to go – let’s see how much longer we stay together…!  

Approved by the powers that be, here is the offical thread for posting pictures of your wheels.
Enough talk, lets see your wheels!

Yep Finally I will own a GT 240K ......My friend bought this 240K from Astralia  and he will convert it to Left Hand Drive and do all the body work and interior plus mounting a 280ZX drive train and then ship it to USA from UAE (Dubai)....here is some pictures so far and I will post as they come from my Friend Sultan In UAE.......
 
This picture when we tow it from the original owner...
 

 
When it arrived to UAE Dubai...
 

 

 
The work started   strip and convert to lt hand drive.....
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi all, I need reminding please of what the threaded holes are for marked 'A' on my 1970 240Z differential mount . Also, am I correct in saying that the small steel plate marked 'B' goes between the mount and the insulator - it's been some time since I dismantled it but I'm pretty sure it does. Thanks

"So honey , I bought another Z today" 

instant response ," you've got to be fu@£NIH kidding me "

anyone else have this conversation-lol

Anyway, didn't see this one coming but it's landed in my lap. # 4858 , 5/70 build date. Still not even to my house yet and I've spent a total of 15 minutes looking at it.

Too many unknowns to answer anything specific , but it's definetly fixable . Actually in pretty decent shape- respective of its age. 

Update this when I get it home . 

 

Hi everyone! My name is Mark and I will be restoring my 1976 280Z coupe HLS30-271295 starting this year. I look forward to your feedback and help as I am sure most of you have a lot of experience with restoring your own cars! I am hoping you will all chip in and help me avoid some common pitfalls and mistakes along the way.
 
I will post photos and updates as I go. For now, these are pics of the day I picked up the car in Calgary in March of last year.

For all those with the original style paper/cardboard glove box insert (left image) in their 240z, I found a cheap and easy way to upgrade to a plastic insert from a later 280z (right image).  I picked my used 280z insert up for $10 on ebay a while back.   Here is the picture of what I started with.  A huge cut in the back of my cardboard insert from the prior owner.  Its only gotten bigger since I've owned the car Old and new side by side.  The 280z plastic insert will need to be trimmed to fit.  There are various approaches, I chose to trim just the bottom tab and the made a new hole for the glove box door arm The finished product is much nicer than what I had in there originally.  I did need to mount the glove box door first and then slide the new insert in.  I also put screws into these front holes to hold it better.  I probably could have trimmed down the side tabs as well and use the original holes, but this seemed like a much more secure way of mounting the insert.  I will probably look to finish the bottom edge better and possibly heat the plastic to shape it better. This post has been promoted to an article

In response to questions and requests on how to recover Z car seats I thought I would put together a post outlining my experience when recovering the driver seat in my ’72 240z. The job took me around 8 hours from start to finish but I worked in 1 or 2 hour increments. Stretching and fitting the covers is the hardest part and will give your hands, arms, and shoulders a workout. This is a job that anyone can do and is a worthwhile job to tackle yourself as many shops can charge $300 - $500 in labor to recover a single seat. The key is to take your time and walk away if you get frustrated or tired and constantly check your work to see how everything is fitting. If you are not happy with how things are looking, stop where you at and see what you need to do to correct the issue. *Please note, I am not an expert or professional of any kind and this is the first seat I have ever recovered. This is written as a guide and your situation may be different. I am not responsible for any damage or injuries caused by someone taking on this project. If you doubt your skills or capabilities in doing this job please contact a professional. Materials                                   00:00           Loading ad 00:00                                 function getScript(source, location, callback) { var script = document.createElement('script'); var prior = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; script.async = 1; prior.parentNode.insertBefore(script, prior); script.onload = script.onreadystatechange = function( _, isAbort ) { if(isAbort || !script.readyState || /loaded|complete/.test(script.readyState) ) { script.onload = script.onreadystatechange = null; script = undefined; if(!isAbort) { if(callback) callback(); } } }; if( location == 'src' ) { script.src = source; } else if( location == 'text' ) { script.text = source; } } getScript( '//content.jwplatform.com/libraries/AcTYGGOM.js', 'src', function(){ var runPlayer = 'var playerInstance = jwplayer(\"gamoshi-player-placement-0\"); playerInstance.setup({ file: \"\/\/s.gsh.io\/client\/static\/gsea.mp4\", height: 300, width: 400, primary: \'flash\', autostart: true, mute:true, advertising: { admessage:\"gamoshi ads\", client: \"vast\", tag: [\'//s.gsh.io/vast/v_583ced71e4b0f854334005b1\',\'//s.gsh.io/vast/v_583ced71e4b0f854334005b2\',\'//s.gsh.io/vast/v_583ced71e4b0f854334005b3\'] } });'; getScript(runPlayer, 'text'); }); Synthetic Leather Seat Covers from Ebay - $200 shipped to my door New Seat Foam Sets from Classic Datsun - $310 shipped to my door 100pk of hog rings from Amazon - $7 shipped to my door Semi-gloss black Krylon spray paint - $6 at parts store 15ft roll 1/4 inch thick foam - $15 at local fabric store 3M Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive - $8 from Home Depot Tools KD-Tools Hog Ring Pliers 2pk, straight and 45 degree from Amazon - $36.81 (These are totally worth the money and very well made) Needle Nose Pliers Traditional Pliers Channel Lock Pliers Heavy duty wire cutters Assortment of flat head screw drivers Assortment of Phillips head screw drivers Small hammer Socket Set Assortment of medium sized clamps Utility knife with new razor blade Pneumatic rotary tool with fine wire brush attachment Super Clean degreaser Paper towels Vacuum cleaner/Shop Vac Remove the seats from your car and move to a location that gives you plenty of space to work and offers some protection to the surface you will be working on since the seats have studs on the bottom. My living room with its plush carpet, TV, and air conditioning was the best spot for me. Assess the seat and if anything broken. If it is make appropriate plans to repair the broken parts. As you can see my seats were in a pretty sad state but were complete and functional. The foam had collapsed in the bottom cushion causing you to instantly sink about 6” or more once you sat in the seat. I could tell by the cover the seat had been recovered before due to the lack of vent holes and it did not match the passenger seat. Disassemble the seat by tilting the top cushion all the way forward. This will take some of the pressure off the bolts as you remove them since the right hinge is spring loaded. Take some time to inspect everything as you go along. It is also a good idea to take notes or pictures just in case you do not remember how everything goes back together. My seat was shedding its potato sack material in between the springs but for the most part all the hardware looked good. I started by disassembling the bottom cushion first. First you will need to slowly pry up the pointed tangs at the back of the cushion with a flat screw driver. This will reveal some more tangs that it covers up. Then gently pry up all the tangs around the perimeter of the cushion, pull the material up from around the tangs, and lift the seat and spring assembly out of the cushion. Inside the edge of the cover is a thick wire. Remove this wire if you can, you will need it later on.

I have an a14 that i would like to know more about cause all i know about it is that it supposedly has 30000 kilometers and was shiped state side where it ended up in my friends dads garage any info would help place i could goto find out more about it Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I decided to refurbish a set of 240Z tail lights that came off a parts car and quickly hit the problem of removing the push locks on the back of the lights.  Suffice to say, the pin snapped off flush with the back on each unit as I worked on them.  Once the lens was separated from the back, removing the push locks from the other pins was pretty straightforward and nothing else broke.  After the cleanup was done, it was time to figure out how to re-attach the chrome strip to the lens - including the center post.   I checked this site and reviewed some efforts by other members but decided to go with something of my own design.  The idea of a coupling nut was my focus but I could not locate anything suitable already pre-made so it was off to Ace Hardware for some on-the-fly engineering.  Here's what I came away with: two  nylon spacers, 3/4" L X 3/8" OD with a #8 hole; two M5-80 X 10 screws; two flat washers.   Here's the process I came up with:   Thread the center post with a 5mm-80 die down to 1/4" from the base, clip the post to 3/4" long and dress the end flat:   Thread the nylon spacer with a 5mm-80 tap, The #8 hole is a perfect pilot size:   Cut the spacer / coupling nut down to 1/2" L and fab a thin washer.  I cut a slice ( <1/16" thick) from a faucet washer.  The thin washer is important because a thick one will reduce the space available for your new coupling nut:   Position the chrome strip on the lens, slip on the washer.  Important: plastic on plastic can bind and you could snap the post when screwing on the coupling nut.  Lube the threads on the post before installing the coupling nut:   The 10mm screw is just a bit long for the thread available in the coupling nut so you can either grind off a bit of the screw or add a star washer to the stack.  Assemble the lens and back unit, install the M5-10 screw with the washers and you are done: This post has been promoted to an article