The Lime Green Machine Restoration Thread - 1972 240Z

[Hardway]

After several checks of all connections and a preliminary test of all the systems I poured 3 gallons of fresh fuel in the tank. With a fire extinguisher close by I turned the key. The fuel pump began to whine and saw the fuel filter begin to fill up. It was at this moment I saw fuel pouring out the front of the carbs. CRAP! I knew I had 2 problems, either too much fuel pressure and/or the floats were out of adjustment in the carbs. A quick run to the parts store yielded 2 carb rebuild kits. I replaced the float valve in each carb and double checked the float setting. Another turn of the key, no leaks! The engine turned over a few times and roared back to life. She sounded good but I could tell was running way too rich. My fuel pressure showed to be at 4psi, the max limit for the carbs so I shut it off, let the garage air out, and ordered an adjustable fuel pressure regulator. A few days later it arrived and was installed. Another test start and warm up, adjusted the pressure the 2.5psi, the engine ran much better. The carbs required very little adjustment to get them in sync and the throttle response was crisp but it still was running rich. I messed with the mixture adjustments on the bottom of the carbs and even turn all the way lean it still smelled rich. A full rebuild of each carb is probably in my future but that is a project for another day.

[Hardway]

Back to Work – Seat Recover

On the days that it was too hot to work on the car in the garage I decided to tackle some projects I could inside without making too big of a mess. The first of these was the driver side seat. I did full write up and How To here - http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread47221.html Needless to say it is a night and day difference on all levels and I have new found respect for guys and gals that do upholstery work as a profession.

Seat Mount Repair

The rear corner pedestal that the seat bolts to had rusted and cracked. This would be my first attempt at a structural repair with my welder. After I was done I wish I had laid down just a little extra weld to fill in the last gaps and grind off so it would be 100% smooth. Oh well, not too bad for my first time.

[Hardway]

Brakes and Suspension

I had ordered a set of braided stainless steel brake lines and clutch hose during one of my parts spending sprees. I also picked up some Toyota 4x4 calipers, pads, etc. After some research and discussion with other owners I changed direction and decided to go with stock replacement calipers for now. I had already seen that the front suspension was pretty worn as I crawled around working on the oil pan. Upon closer inspection I discovered the ball joints were beyond shot as their boots had been ripped open a long time ago letting in tons of contamination. Since everything was original everything was going to be replaced. I ordered just about everything from Rock Auto but purchased the Energy Suspension bushing set and Nissan strut mounts on Ebay.

The front suspension was completely apart in a day. The struts were shot with no pressure left in them. The major points of frustration were with the brake lines. They were completely seized and required lots of heat and the use of Vise Grips to get them apart. I am going to try and salvage the fittings on the car’s hard lines but will attempt to bend some new S shaped hard lines.

[Hardway]

In order to remove the front control arm bushings I first drove the center out with a ball joint press/clamp kit. To get the residual rubber out I used a propane torch to melt and solidify the rubber which would then harden and scrap off with a screw driver. Anything that was left came off with my dremel tool with a drum sander bit on the end.

Seeing that my air compressor had a hard time keeping up with my die grinder when I was wire brushing my gas tank I decided I needed something I could plug in to strip the suspension parts. After some research I bought a Makita Variable Speed Electric Die Grinder. At $200 on Amazon its pricey but after using it I can testify it is a fantastic tool to have! The variable speed tacks on an extra $80, that is what makes it so expensive but I think its worth since I don’t need it running at 8,000 rpm all the time. I also used my bench grinder with a wire wheel to clean off smaller pieces and the results were very nice.

[Hardway]

As any Z owner will tell you these cars are great to work on as they are pretty simple in terms of complexity. However they do offer a few pain points and one of those is removing the strut cartridges from the strut tubes. The pain can start with just getting the gland nut off that secures the cartridge in the tube as was the case with the passenger side unit. With the strut tube in my bench vise and using two different pipe wrenches, one of which had a spring loaded top jaw, lots of heat on the tube, and brute strength the glad nut finally came off. Next came the task of extracting a very stuck strut cartridge. I had seen two friends do this years ago by tying the end of the cartridge piston to a tree and the tube to the back of their truck, pulling/ripping the components apart. It worked but was very dangerous. So I tried my own version but using ratcheting tie downs. After about 30 minutes and putting too much tension on the straps for my liking I abandoned the effort.

I took a break from the passenger side unit and switched the driver side. The gland nut was just hand tight (SCARY) and the strut cartridge just slid right out. (Got to catch a break sometime)

[Hardway]

So back on the internet to read about other owners methods to getting stuck strut cartridges out. One forum member indicated his shop would place the strut tube in a vise and pull the cartridge out using a slide hammer. This seemed to be the most practical and affordable method so off to the parts store to rent a slide hammer. They had one to rent but it did not include any of the attachments. All 3 parts stores near me were set this way and they did not even sell the attachments. So time for another tool purchase. I ordered a KD Tool 5lb Slide Hammer kit for $65 at ToolTopia. When it arrived it was exactly what the doctor ordered. I quickly went to work using the Vise Grip adapter so I could hold on to the nut on the top of the strut. After about 15 minutes and moving my bench away from the wall by 3 feet the cartridge was out. It was coated with its own shock oil. Judging by its level of nastiness and the fact it had hardened this strut gave up a long time ago. With each passing weekend it surprises me more and more that anyone drove this car as a daily driver. They must not have had to drive far, the road must have been very smooth and very straight.

[Hardway]

It took a few weekends to get everything cleaned off and painted but the end result was well worth it and very satisfying. I placed a large order with Fastenal to replace just about every nut, bolt, and washer with new class 10.9 yellow zinc plated fasteners. Let the assembly begin! I started by replacing the steering rack bushings with the new poly units from the ES kit. The ball joints and steering arms were next which went together nicely. *When I did the assembly and took the pictures I had forgotten that the TC rods bolt on top of the ball joints. This will be corrected upon final installation. I went about installing the control arm bushings but discovered I needed to drive out the outer shell of the old bushing. A few minutes with my reciprocating saw and a cold chisel and both were out and the new bushings went in. The ball joints quickly followed once the new bolts came in. Control arms DONE!

[Hardway]

As I waited for some other parts to come in I started working on the rear brakes. The adjusters were pretty buggered up so I am replacing the entire assembly with new ones along with new shoes and hardware kits. I am still debating on if I want to tackle the rear suspension and bushings now or wait.

Next came the strut assemblies. Everything went together well but I ended up buying a set of professional grade spring compressors. Since I was reusing the King lowering springs I could have probably gotten away without compressing the springs but doing so made the job so much easier and safer. The assemblies went back together with new KYB strut cartridges, Nissan strut mounts, Monroe strut bearings, and the ES bump stops that came with the kit. I coated the outside of the strut cartridges with copper anti-seize along with the threads on the gland nuts to hopefully make the job easier the next time around if and when I or someone else has to do it.

[Hardway]

I went about removing the outer tie rods but like many other parts on the car the jam nuts were seized in place. Using my cut off wheel I cut a section out of each nut so I could break free. Once off the rods spun off freely and the boots came off as well. I cleaned everything up, the inner rods were clean and still tight so they were keeper. I installed the new outer tie rods and rack boots. All went well except the jam nut for the passenger side takes a traditional M14x1.5 right hand nut but a left hand nut came with the rod. No one local carried them and 1 nut from Fastenal or any other bolt supplier was going to run me $10 with shipping. So I picked up a lug nut which is the same thread and shaved it down to size using my grinder, problem solved. A quick shot of black paint on the tie rods to prevent rust and they were done.

To mount the new strut assemblies I started by installing the control arm and then loosely connecting it to the outer tie rod. I then slid the top of the strut mount in to place and secured it with 3 nuts just hand tight. I bought the control arm up and secured it to bottom of the strut assembly. I then removed and reinstalled each top strut mount nut with its lock washer and tightened everything down. Everything was tightened on the bottom as well. I reinstalled the brake dust shield and should be ready for the caliper and TC rod in the very near future.

[Hardway]

In the spirit of “while I am at it” there was good bit of rust on the driver side inner fender. Knowing this would be easier to tackle with all of the suspension hardware out of the way I went about cutting it out to the point I had clean metal to work with. I can only assume the metal was there to cover a hole in which the metal cover it arc welded to the inner fender. Of course with the gaps at the top it allowed water and debris in thus rusting from the inside out. This same panel on the passenger side looked really good so I am leaving it alone. My plan is to weld in a new in piece to fill the hole and then spot weld a piece on top so it looks correct only without the gaps at the top. Once finished I will shoot it with some undercoating to protect it.

[surfer.tech]

Are you the guy from speedhunters? The first picture is familiar.

Anyways, great job! I too am a lime green owner.

[esmit208]

Nice work H-Way. As well I too am a lime green owner, well at least the interior is. You are going to love the way it feels when you are finished.