The Lime Green Machine Restoration Thread - 1972 240Z

[Hardway]

Thanks for the compliments guys! Always good to hear about the progress other owners are making.

Hey Newtonhubcap, sure! I still have all of them written down and will type it up one evening this week and post it.

[Hardway]

I was back at it this past weekend and determined to get a lot done since the weather was perfect. All week I had been contemplating whether or not to change out the other rear wheel bearings. After much thought I decided to do it since I was pretty sure what was in there was the factory bearings based on the lock nut. Once I had it apart I was glad I decided to change them as the grease had turned to a gooey plastic.

I did not photograph the rest of the assembly as it was an exact copy of the other. This will let me rest easier knowing they have been changed and should provide many years and miles of use.

With rear differential buttoned up I bolted on the half shafts and mustache bar. I ordered all new nuts for the half shafts as what came off the car was a mix of different sizes. They are a very unique size so only Nissan and MSA had them.

After a quick check and wrapping the ends of the half shafts with rags as not to scratch them up I went about raising the differential back in to the car. Once it was in place and I started bolting up the mustache bar, I noticed everything was tilting downward. I instantly knew what was wrong, the bump-stop on the differential mount was too long as others had reported the same issue in the past. This was quickly solved by cutting off the bottom layer of the bump-stop. This was also a saving grace, as I was unbolting the bump-stop I noticed the bolt for it was hitting the parking brake cable equalizer thus not allowing it to go all the way back. I marked it and cut off the excess with my cut off wheel. Also, in an effort to reduce the height I used a lock washer and traditional nut as see on the far right versus the flat washer and tall lock nut that came with it.

Here it is reinstalled. You can see the scratches on the equalizer from where it was hitting before. In the picture it looks like the nut is hitting the pin in the equalizer but it is not, it’s just the angle of the picture.

[Hardway]

With the bump-stop issue resolved I went about a second attempt on raising the differential and this time it was a success. Everything else went on according to plan with no surprises. The control arms took some real effort to get on since the new poly bushings basically have no give to them. I had to basically walk the front control arm brace on from side to side. The brackets in the rear were a little easier. Once everything was tight everything still moves like it is supposed to. It felt so good to see it all come together. Plus all my hard work of cleaning, stripping, and painting everything really paid off. I know it would be better if the whole car received the same treatment while everything was off but this is the best I can do for now.

[Hardway]

Since my wife was busy tonight with work stuff I decided to put in a few hours on the Z. I started by gathering everything to install the struts and springs. I am trying out a pair of Chevette springs in an effort to regain the original ride height of the car. These were used back in the 80’s and early 90’s as a stock replacement performance spring. The uninstalled height of the Chevette spring on the left is 14 2/8 inches while the King lowering spring on the right is 12 1/4 inches. I have another thread going to discuss this and will post my final results in this thread once I have them.

I got everything together and hung the assembly on the car for now. Not too bad for a few hours worth of work.

[grannyknot]

Hardway, what diff are you using? I just did the same install with TechnoVersions RT mount and an R200 diff and I had to cut 3 layers of that bump stop off.

Chris

[Hardway]

I'm using an R200 differential. Really, they had to cut off 3 layers? I'm going to run mine as is for now. If I need to cut off more I can do it later as the effort will be the same at this point.

[reddzx]

I have enjoyed reading your WIP thread Jeff, I'm looking forward to seeing the same level of documentation at Z31P when you get a Shiro

[Hardway]

Thank you Red. I am a big believer in doing it right the first time. Documenting it while I am it is a bonus as I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Plus it helps other owners and members of the community. Doesn't hurt either should I choose to sell it on one day as it is easy to prove what has been done and how.

[Hardway]

It has been a busy week so I am just now getting around to posting an update. I got a lot done this past weekend but not everything was photo worthy. I crossed items off the list like re-attaching the drive shaft and some other odds and ends. As others have reported the lower control arm must spread open a little to get the hub assembly in place since the new poly bushings are thicker than the originals. A strong piece of threaded stock along with some nuts and washers made quick and easier work of this task.

I also opted for new hardware from Nissan to secure the new spindle pin. I made sure to lube the pin with anti seize in an effort to make it easier to remove should I have to in the future.

When assembling the passenger side strut I ran in to an issue with the glad nut which I have started another thread for here -> http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/suspension-steering-s30/49279-new-gland-nut-refuses-screw.html

Once I had everything together on the driver side I did a mock test with the wheel on to see how far the suspension would compress. Using the Chevette springs in an un-cut state did not allow the rear suspension to compress at all. So I pulled it apart, cut 1.5 coils off, and put it back together. The second mock looked good but the real test will be once its back on the ground and has some time to settle.

[Hardway]

Since the strut assembly was secured to the car I went about installing the drum brakes with all new hardware and components. Everything went together well until I attempted to reinstall the original brake hard line. I had not noticed when I was installing it but the hard line attachment point on the back of the wheel cylinder is different than the original. Below is a picture of the passenger side hardware to illustrate this. See on the left the line goes in at the front of the wheel cylinder where as on the new one it goes on the back.

This required a sharp 90 degree bend to be put in to the hard line. Unfortunately the original line was not up to the task so I went about bending a new line. This is the very first piece of tubing I have ever had to bend in my life and it took the better part of an hour for me to do it. I have a decent little tubing bender from the parts store but also used just about every round thing in my garage to help me. The column that is part of my floor standing drill press provided the most assistance. After a lot of triple checking, fitting, and bending I ended up with the piece below on the left. It is not the prettiest piece on the car but it works and is hidden once installed.

More importantly it fits and rather well I might add. Plus it was great to have all new fittings as the originals were a bit gouged from their removal. With that task complete I went about installing the rest of the brake hardware, springs, and shoes. Job done!

Since I was at a stand still for the passenger side of the rear suspension I switched gears and moved to the front to swap out the yellow King springs with a pair of cut Chevette springs. Everything was straight forward with no surprises. The end result makes everything look like it is all stock replacement components.

[Hardway]

With another weekend ahead of me and making progress during the week with the final strut tube I was bound and determined to get the car back on the ground and moving under its own power. For starters I got the passenger side strut assembly wrapped up and on the car along with all the brake components on Saturday. Since I had the car in the air I wanted to replace the clutch slave since it was leaking so I attacked that on Sunday. I also picked up a new clutch master cylinder and braided SS hose.

Once I had everything off the car I noticed the difference in push rod lengths on the master cylinders. After some quick checking here on the forums it was confirmed I needed to switch these. All in all it is an easy task, the spring clip in the original can be a little difficult but its nothing some coordinated work with two picks could not solve.

The new one bolted up just fine along with the new clutch slave. My wife was a big help today as she helped me bleed the clutch and brake system. Once I was satisfied with how everything looked and felt I put the car on the ground and quickly noticed it was sitting a bit nose high. No biggie, I will cut off half a coil on each spring next weekend as I am happy with how the rear looks. That should bring it down and help it sit level. So I reconnected the battery, hopped in, and turned the key… it fired it up for the first time in over six months and with little hesitation. As I eased it out of the garage several things became apparent. One, I need to adjust and possibly bleed the clutch some more as it was barely disengaging. Two, the brakes need to be bled again since as soon as the booster got vacuum the pedal was pretty soft. Three, I need to take up the rear brakes a little more. And four, the driver side backing plate is rubbing against the drum so that needs to be addressed.

All in all I accomplished what I wanted to and my wife brought home a Dairy Queen Blizzard to celebrate the occasion. I was really happy to get it to this point and even happier to get it out of the garage so I could sweep and clean everything up. I did take the Z to the end of my cult-a-sac and back so I could turn it around. It’s great to have it running again!

[CW240Z]

Looks great! I recently did a front suspension rebuild on my Z similar to yours. I noticed the front end sitting high like that, but about 10 minutes of driving in a bumpy field allowed for the car to settle down back to stock height.

Chase