Z car Mission

[lcdck]

Hi all,

I bought my first 240Z in college and now, more than a decade later, I will once again be a Z car owner. In six days, I will fly to Indianapolis, where my parents live, to pick up a '72 240Z that has been sitting in a garage for the past 5 years. The owner of said car, me, stupidly (and stubbornly) held on to it instead of selling it, when he (I) moved to NYC.

I don't know what condition it will be in when I see it. It ran well when I drove it into the garage, but I expect it will need a good deal of work before I can drive it out again. The plan is to do enough work to it to drive it back to NYC and use it as a weekend getaway/beach car for the summer. Keeping my fingers crossed until then.

Below are two pictures taken of it a few days before going into "storage."

Edited June 15, 2011 by lcdck

[5thhorsemann]

Looks like you will have a good bit of work to prep for a 1000 mile run. Good luck and we are here for you.

[spitz17]

Goodluck w/ the drive!

[lcdck]

Thanks!

After reading through some old forum posts regarding cars that have sat for a long time, I'm starting to think that driving it half-way across the country is overly ambitious.

[gogriz91]

Carry a cellphone, a charger and a good tow plan with your auto insurer and you'll be good to go!

[ajmcforester]

A couple spare parts like fuel filters would be smart

[JLPurcell]

I live approximately 75 miles east of Indy in Richmond. I am sure you will be passing through on 70 east, if you have any problems nearby give me a call. PM me and I will give you my cell number. jlp

[240260280z]

Quick Checklist

0. Visual Inspection: belts, hoses, wiring, rodent damage/nesting

1. drain gas and flush tank with acetone.

2. drain oil

3. drain coolant and replace thermostat, flush out system with a garden hose (there is a drain on the block near cylinder 5 on drivers side).

4. pull plugs pour ATF or spray anti-seize (pb blaster/liquid wrench) into plug holes

5. turn motor at crank nose to ensure rings are not seized

6. remove valve cover, oil cam, remove oil bar, use canned carb cleaner and straw to spray all holes in oil bar to back flush

7. re-install oil bar, replenish oil, and crank engine with plugs out and watch for oil bar to start squirting. Make sure all holes are oiling the 12 cam lobes.

8. blow gas lines back into tank

9. replenish coolant and gas

10. crank and check for spark

11. overhaul carbs (clean lines, clean carb internals, check fuel flow and fuel bowl operation) set jet and needle

12. Check electrical system. Voltage at battery should be 12.6 to 12.8 with car off and ~13-14.5V with car on . Also check for corrosion in wires and at fuse block.

13. Check fuel and brake system

14. Check suspension and wheels/tires

15. Start car and check gauges/engine function/exhaust/ cooling system/ charging (watch for burning wires in cabin, coolant leaks in system and in cabin)

16. Take on a few drives within pushing distance to your home and resolve any issues. (gunk in fuel tank may take a mile or two to clog the carbs or fuel pickup!)

Stuff you may need to replace:

fluids

plugs

plug-wires

coil

distributor cap & rotor

tires

battery

mechanical fuel pump

water pump

air filter

clutch slave (seals)

rear wheel cylinders (seals)

fuses

Thermostat

Edited June 16, 2011 by Blue

[lcdck]

Thank you all who have read/responded so far. It's great to get so many good opinions and advice. Keep it coming. I wish I had more information as to the state of the car but I won't know until I get there.

[240260280z]

I forgot fuel filter in the list of consumables

You may also wish to check compression too.

[79FairladyZ]

I stored a 72 for 22 months when we moved to Korea and when I came back even though I had "prepared" it for storage it still was a bear to get running. After I got it back to where I could start it it took me dragging it behind my van for a few hundred feet in gear and the key on to get it started. When it caught I have never seen a smoke screen as good as this one. But after a few minutes it cleared out and it ran another 10 years until I sold it. Can be done as my 79 Fairlady sat for 22 years and the guy I bought it from got it running really well. (Cost him $3K) He ran it a year or so and when I bought it last month my wife and I just drove it from Indiana to AZ with no issues. Now I would drive it any where.

Good Luck. Let us know if when you get it running.

[ajmcforester]

Have some fun with this. The last Z I bought I drove it from Detroit to Cherry Hill, NJ. It almost made it the fuel-pump had one of the springs in the valve go out in Philly during rush hour 7 miles from destination, and on the wrong side of the bridge. Now I've worked with similar pumps in a former job and noticed it was pushing but not pulling so I took a gas can mounted to the hood and got her home.

Take a week to prep the car before driving her back