The Lime Green Machine Restoration Thread - 1972 240Z

[Hardway]

With the air cleaner pods selling I ran the Z up to a local shop to get the exhaust coupler welded on and get it inspected. Unfortunately the inspection sticker looks like a 5 year old put it on. This is a big milestone for the car as it has not been street legal in a year and a half. On my way to the shop I even got up on the highway to see how she did at 80mph. To my pleasant surprise she ran strong and cool and tracked straight. With it being 100+ everyday right now the Z will not see too much road time. I am hoping to get it out more once fall comes around in October.

[Patcon]

Always good to be legal and road worthy. It will be good driving weather soon...

C

[EuroDat]

Grats with the inspection pass. Feels good after all that work, doesn't it;)

[CG240Z]

The header is definitely a quality piece. Seems to be very well made and look at the size of the flange! That baby should never warp.

Awesome thread. I'm in the middle of a rebuild too. Who makes this header? I'm going to need to pick one up soon. It looks like a pretty beefy one.

[Mike W]

I believe that it is from MSA. At least they sell one like it which is where I purchased mine.

This is a 6 into 1 and the header is ceramic coated. I've had mine on for 2 years now and no complaints. The entire exhaust system bolted in pretty easily and was a straightforward install. I did end up changing out the MSA provided muffler from Dynomax for a slightly smaller unit from Magnaflow and am very happy with the results.

You can find the MSA header here:

Motorsport! MOTORSPORT TBC Coated 6-1 Header, 70-76 240Z-260Z-280Z - The Z Store! Nissan-Datsun 240Z-260Z-280Z-280ZX-300ZX(Z31/Z32)-350Z-370Z Parts

Mike.

[CG240Z]

Thanks! I'll bookmark it now.

[Hardway]

Sorry guys. Been completely swamped with work and have not been on the boards in awhile. Mike W was spot on, the header is a MSA 6 in to 1 piece. The only modification I had to do was trim one of the ears on the transmission bell housing. I highly recommend the stud kit MSA sells, totally worth it!

[gtom]

Nice work! I just got my 'Tennis-ball green' recently. Look forward to seeing the finished product!

[Hardway]

I have a small update but unfortunately no pictures as none of them turned out good for some reason. The clutch pedal in my car has suffered the same metal fatigue at clevis pin hole that so many others have experienced. The clevis pin itself had been worn down as well and this was creating 2-3 inches of free pedal play and reduced the effective travel of the pedal. I cleaned up the hole and used an extra suspension bolt that I had purchased from Fastenal for my front suspension rebuild. It was a class 10.9 bolt which is equal to a grade-8 bolt. I cleaned off the zinc finish and welded it in to the hole as a plug. Then I chopped off the ends and drilled a new hole in to the pedal using my drill press. Once done I cleaned up the pedal and shot a fresh coat of satin black paint on it. While the paint dried I worked on the clevis pin. Since it was worn down I used another class 10.9 bolt to replace it and drilled a hole in it for retaining clip. Once the paint dried overnight I greased the bushing at the top of the pedal and reinstalled it. The end result is a very crisp and precise clutch pedal. Total time spent was about 2 hours all together. Cost = $0 Another small project done! After I wrapped it up I took some time clean and dust off everything in the interior which made a big difference.

As of right now I don’t have any more plans for the car in the short term. I need to put pen to paper on what the floors, body work, and paint are going to cost from a financial stand point along with personal and professional labor. From what I have read a full floor pan and seat rails replacement takes around 40 hours. I think I will get some drive time in now that it has cooled down before tackling anything else. That is all for now.

[Hardway]

It is a bitter-sweet day as I said goodbye to my 1972 Datsun 240z. After a year and a half of work it still needed many more hours and lots more money to get it to where I would be happy with it. Knowing this and having it at a state in which it could be driven again I put it up for sale after several weeks of thought and debate. It is headed to Canada where the buyer plans to finish what I started. He got a great deal and it will hopefully provide him and his family lots of enjoyment once it is complete. I will leave all the photos up of my work so others can use them in the future as reference or guidance. I still have my '88 300zx 5spd turbo car and it is heading to the paint shop today to get a little work done. I still love the classic Z cars but the next one I buy will be DONE. My new job keeps me very busy and I really want a car I can just drive and do not need to restore or overhaul. I am now in a financial position to just buy a really nice one. What does the future hold? Who knows. In the near term my plan is just to save my money and be patient which is what I should have done from the very start. I have also been looking at air cooled 911's, Honda S2000's, and C5 Corvettes.

In ending this car chapter I want to say thank you to all the forum members that have helped me along the way. The classic Z community is second to none in my book and I look forward to keeping up with everyone and their projects. I am not going anywhere and I will still be looking around and posting on a regular basis.

[Virto]

Sad day, but it sounds like she'll be loved where she's going. And the whole time it's on the highway on that car carrier, every few miles someone will catch a glimpse of her and say "wow."

[240260280z]

I'll always look you up when in Austin area.... come and visit me in Nova Scotia when you miss a Z and want some cool air.

Philip