1973 240Z Refreshtoration – 901 Silver

[motorman7]

Thanks David, not sure if I want to do another '73. The plumbing for the flat tops is a bear. I think my next venture will be to the dark side. I want to put an LS1 in the yellow Z.

Finally got the drivers side door panel on. It is really in great condition-very happy about that. That was one of the best things about this car was the interior, except for the carpet. I held off putting on the panel because I broke the rod that goes from the door handle to the 'unlock' mechanism. Not sure how I did that. So, I went to visit Les at Classic Datsun, and of course he had one. He also had some other hard to find parts like a new smog hose that I really needed. It's great to have his shop so close. Spent $85 there on parts, but $20 was for the yellow Z, so the grand total has now climbed up to $5429.

Now, this is something that always happens when you are putting a car back together. I was trying to find where I had placed the screw that secures the coil in the bracket. I checked all my labeled baggies, extra parts drawers, shelves, boxes, under rags and such. Over the course of 3 weeks, I am sure I spent over 30 minutes looking for that screw. Anyway, finally gave up and bought a replacement screw from home depot. I put a yellow chromate finish on it and installed the coil. Now to hook up the coil wires. So I go to my picture file of all my 'before' pics to confirm the wiring. As I am looking at the picture, I notice there is a hole where the screw should be.:stupid: There was no screw there in the first place.

The other thing that happens all the time; could not find the little cable that goes from the solenoid to the wiring harness. Again, spent at least 20 mins looking for that thing. So, I get a used one from Les when I was at his shop (he actually gave it to me for free since it was in bad shape). I get home and start to fix it up to put it on the car, and what do you know, I find my cable under the zincing crock pot. Of course, I never would have found it had I not picked up one from Les. Not sure why stuff like that happens.

Anyway, got all the fuel hoses on and most of the plumbing attached. Put the balance tube parts on. Only thing I need to do now is get on the Air box and heater hoses and I am ready to fire it up. Air box needs a bit of work though so may take another week. Eventually I would like to get all wire clamps in the engine bay. Right now it is a mix of wire and standard clamps. Also would like to get all braided hose, but some of that is near impossible to find. Anyway, here is the progress.

One more thing I am going through big time here is not sure if I can actually sell this now. I love it and it looks really nice in my garage.

[motorman7]

Well, we are getting close here. Spent the last couple days cleaning up hoses, repainting the air box and zincing some final parts. Got the smog pump in and all the attachments.

The hoses on this thing are a small nightmare. It is hard to find hoses for a '73 anywhere. I was able to get the smog pump 'Air In' hose from Classic Datsun, but that is it. The PCV hose and 'Air Out' smog hose were in bad shape. So, I got some cloth tape from Home Depot and tried to wrap them similar to the hose I got from Classic Datsun. Not a perfect match, but much better than the old look. I did get the air box on and all the 'millions' of hoses hooked up. Need to get Decals for a '73 if available. Need two for the radiator and one smaller rectangular for the air box. Also need to get the gold decals that go on underside of the hood if possible

I put oil in the motor and gas in the tank and cranked it over. Unfortunately no quick start. Didn't have much time to check why (movie night) so will work on that another day. Hopefully I can be driving this around next week. Really love how this has turned out. Once the motor is up and running, I will work on cleaning up the underside.

[Montezuma]

Nice work Rich, looking forward to seeing the finished product. I was up by your house yesterday, my daughter's 22nd birthday lunch at Stone Bistro. I really wante to call on you but had the family in tow, they don t seem to share my Z passion. They are all women, that might have something to do with it.

[motorman7]

they don t seem to share my Z passion. They are all women, that might have something to do with it.

I don't think anyone in the family has the same passion as me, but then again, I have probably gone off the deep end. My wife and daughter do like going to the shows. Actually got my wife to drive the '71 Z to the Vista show while I drove the '70. They usually crochet or read while I chat with people at the show. While I was touring the show, they actually filled in for me and answered questions that people would ask about the cars. My daughter likes the shows more than my son and she has a little bit better taste. Once I get the silver one done I can bring three to the shows. Will make it a big family event. Now, if we only had more events. May have to move to the east coast for that.

[rtaylor]

Maybe we should start our own event Rich. "Build it and they will come."

We could call it hte R&R Datsun Motorcar Extravaganza. The RRDME.

Edited January 19, 2011 by rtaylor

[motorman7]

I put oil in the motor and gas in the tank and cranked it over. Unfortunately no quick start.

Found the problem; oil pump/distributor rod was 180 degrees off.:stupid: Pulled the distributor, dropped the oil pump and rotated the shaft 180 (lower, rotate, lift) using a pair of needle nose pliers. Re-assembled. The whole process took only 15 minutes, much less than I thought. Turned the key and got a short 2 second run of the motor. Went to the carbs and fully tightened the big screw on the left flat top. Turned the key again and the car started right up- very nice. Took out my Uni-syn and balanced the idle air flow, so idle is running nice.

I increased the throttle to adjust high RPM air flow and got a screeching from the smog pump belt and some light backfires so I shut the motor down. Ran out of time, so figure I will do final tuning of the carbs on Saturday. Nice to have it idling well, that's a big step. Should be able to take this out on the streets Saturday. I can't wait. Just need to put gear oil in the trans and fill and bleed the brakes and clutch. There are still some interior items to take care of, but nothing that will keep me from driving the car.

The amazing thing is that there are no water leaks. Was kind of surprised as I was expecting at least one or two with all the hoses and fittings on this motor.

Got some great wire hose clamps from grnsky for my hoses. Now they will all match. Will clean those up, re-zinc them and install in the next week or two.

Total project cost is now $5450. $15 for 10 wire clamps (such a deal) and $6 for the hose tape. Definitely looking great for the money I have into it.

Maybe we should start our own event Rich. "Build it and they will come."

We could call it hte R&R Datsun Motorcar Extravaganza. The RRDME.

Yes, I have 3 to enter. That's a good start. I am really hoping that MSA pulls through with a show similar to the 2009 show. That one was awesome and huge – twice the size of ZCON. I contacted Joseph at MSA and offered our club’s (ZCCIV) support if he runs a similar event in 2011. We could provide a number of volunteers to help out. I will try and get all the SoCal Z clubs to support if moves in this direction. Otherwise, I will just keep going to the local Rod shows with my ‘Furin cars’.

Rich

[240dkw]

Need to get Decals for a '73 if available. Need two for the radiator and one smaller rectangular for the air box. Also need to get the gold decals that go on underside of the hood if possible

Rich: is this one of the hood decals you need, it is off a canadian car, not sure if they are the same.

Dan

[cygnusx1]

See below...double post..

Edited January 23, 2011 by cygnusx1

[cygnusx1]

You can buy nylon "stockings" for the hoses that looks half way decent. I use it on most of my hoses when I build. It comes in colors but of course black is what you want. It's a bit glossy but if you hit it with a little bit of flat black after you slip it over the hoses, it looks pretty good.

Here you can see it on my heater hose in its original gloss.

I think I bought a generic braiding kit from Summit but I don't see it listed anymore. Here is another source http://www.electricalhub.com/braided-sleeving?gclid=CIDTrvOTz6YCFQY65QodXV6cIw

Edited January 23, 2011 by cygnusx1

[motorman7]

I am really thrilled here. Got the motor running nicely with just a few tweeks. Tightened the alternator belt to get rid of the bad Screech on acceleration. Added oil to the flat tops and that took care of the back firing. Motor revs nice and smooth and runs great (I like my flat tops ). Got the Oil in the trans, fluid in clutch and brake cylinders and bled both.

Took it for a spin around the neighborhood and promptly lost the fender emblem. Spent almost an hour retracing my tracks but couldn't find it. Will check e-bay to see what I can find. May buy 2 just to have a back up.

Well, since I got it going, had to take a mini photo shoot. Unfortunately the sun was setting pretty fast so pictures aren't the best, but not bad. I like the colors together.

Was able to clean up the license plate pretty well. used scoth brite and a coat of clear to make it look descent. The bottom and sides were pretty rusty so ended up rubbing through the paint in some areas. Hopefully the frame will hide some of that.

Garage is looking nice with 3 Z's. Wife hasn't complained yet about me booting her car out.

Rich: is this one of the hood decals you need, it is off a canadian car, not sure if they are the same.

Dan

I think they are different. Under the hood, mine had two gold decals with a lot of writing.

You can buy nylon "stockings" for the hoses that looks half way decent. I use it on most of my hoses when I build. It comes in colors but of course black is what you want. It's a bit glossy but if you hit it with a little bit of flat black after you slip it over the hoses, it looks pretty good.

I think I bought a generic braiding kit from Summit but I don't see it listed anymore. Here is another source http://www.electricalhub.com/braided-sleeving?gclid=CIDTrvOTz6YCFQY65QodXV6cIw

After doing inventory of my hoses, I found that I have most of the original braided hoses. I even have the original heater hoses. I am thinking I will save up for a bit and pop for Espirit's hoses at MSA. I have them on my '70 and they are beautiful. They would look nice on this one.

Edited January 24, 2011 by motorman7

[cygnusx1]

Haha, thumbs up, the pair look great together! The first thing I did when I fired up my second Z, was to take it up the block and back. The second thing was to mount the hood. The third thing was to park it next to my other Z and take photos.

[motorman7]

Haha, thumbs up, the pair look great together! The first thing I did when I fired up my second Z, was to take it up the block and back. The second thing was to mount the hood. The third thing was to park it next to my other Z and take photos.

Yes, couldn't wait to take it for a drive and get some pics. I love driving it around.

Well, since I shouldn't have much more in the way of expenses, I popped for two new fender emblems from 'Parts for my Nissan' on e-bay ($95 for the pair after tax and shipping). I called the number of the seller and got Tustin Nissan so the emblems should be pretty nice. Cost for the project is now at $5545. The emblems arrive today, so hopefully I can put these babies on SECURELY and drive the car to work tomorrow.

I estimate that I still have about two months worth of work to do (weekends mostly) on the car and then it should be pretty much done. I need to fix the center console and install the old AM radio. Then I will work on the underside and clean up the gas tank, rear suspension paint, front disc shields, etc,and undercoating touch -up.