Finally got my 240Z!

I posted on here a while back when I was looking at ads and now I've finally had the time and space in my garage to pick one up. The car is in great shape with no rust and the engine is solid. Bought it from a guy in WV off of eBay... the whole process actually went pretty well.

It has a couple problems that I'll be working on soon... few paint chips around the corners of the hood, parking brake doesn't work and there is a strong fuel smell in the cabin. So I'm sure I'll be on the forums here a lot asking questions.

Anyone else here from the Maryland area and are there any clubs around? Seems like a lot of people are further out west.

Also the humidity down where I am in southern Maryland is really high so I'm thinking about getting a dehumidifier for my garage to try and keep it around 50%. Good idea and is it worth it?

Welcome SBK! That is a great looking 240z you got. You will find the community here is top notch with tons of info and advice. In regards to the fuel smell, check your fuel tank vent lines and the seals around your tail lights. These are common "need to replace" items if they have not already been done so. The vent lines run in to a vent tank on the passenger side behind the plastic cover in the hatch area. We look forward to seeing more of your car and hearing about your progress.

Thanks Hardway! I'll take a look at the vent tank tonight and smell around to see if I can figure out where the odor is coming from exactly.

Welcome - that's a really nice looking car. +1 on Hardway's comments on the fuel smell. Bad seals around the taillights can also be the source of dangerous exhaust fumes. Have fun with the new ride.

Welcome and best wishes to a new owner of a '72 240Z. Looks like you picked up a beauty!

Found the Ebay auction for your car as I had been watching it to see what it goes for. Given the condition and amount of work that was put in to it by the previous owners I think the final bid price is very fair. Again, great looking car!

Datsun : Z-Series Z series in Datsun | eBay Motors

Nice Z! Welcome to the club.

Nice car. Make sure your brakes and suspension bushings are up to snuff. As stated, the toughest issue will be getting rid of the fuel smel (I assume it is raw fuel), but exhaust has a way of wafting in as well. Until you get that worked out, drive with the fan on and leave windows open when parked if possible.

Great looking Z , I have always liked the orange and black . Speaking of the vent lines issue , is there any vendors offering a full kit as opposed to shopping around for suitable gas rated hoses . A kit would be far easier than hoping for the right parts .

thanxz

Chris

Nice car. Dehumidifier? Your better off making sure everything is undercoated and drill hole to fill inside of ur frame and crevasse with some sort of lubricant or waxy substance. Also there is no such thing as no rust . U just haven't found any yet. Some z cars are more than others.

Yeah that's a nice car, I really like orange with black interior. I have orange with white. Want to trade? I have a dehumidifier that runs 1.5 hours then off for 1 hour, it's plugged in through a timer, and I empty the gallon? bucket sometimes twice a day and it stays about 65%. A pedestal fan keeps the humid air moving towards the appliance. Welcome to your new favorite web-site.

Thanks everyone. Yeah I'm going to put the car up on jack stands and check everything brakes, suspension etc next weekend. The brakes feel a bit soft to me but then again I've never driven a 40 year old car before so it may just be me getting used to it. Is a rear disc conversion worth it? My parking brake doesn't work so if I do rear discs I might as well just hold off on that and do it all at once.

I smelled around last night and couldn't quite figure out where it's coming from but I only ran it for a few minutes in the garage since it was raining last night (yes I left the garage door open ). Today if it's nice I'm going to take it outside and see if I can narrow it down better.

I love the orange and black interior! I usually don't like orange on cars but it looks so good on the z. That white looks pretty sexy too.

I checked the humidity in the garage last night with a reader and it was at about 85% so I think I'm going to pick up a dehumidifier with a drain hose attachment.

The bottom has already been undercoated but I'm not sure about the frame and lubricant, never heard of that before.

Also where is the best place to order parts around here? If I was looking for vent hoses, tail light gaskets and such.

You can get the tail light gaskets through Nissan. Even vendors like Motorsports Auto (MSA) send you Nissan parts. Courtesy Nissan in Richardson TX is one of the best known places to get parts and they are one of the dealerships I have ever seen that allow you to buy parts online. Check out Courtesyparts.com

Other great vendors include Classic Datsun, Banzai Motorworks, and Black Dragon Auto to name a few. There are also vendors on Ebay and you can even get some parts on Amazon. There are also part specific vendors like Z Therapy for carb work and parts.

In regards to the vent lines, check out the sites below. No one as far as I know sells them as a kit but MSA carries the individual lines when they have them in stock. Be prepared for some sticker shock as the one line that is almost impossible to replicate is over $100. One item to note on the site, the 1/2" 4ft hose, buy 6ft of it. I bought 5ft of it online thinking I would have more than enough and I needed an extra foot.

http://www.jrdemers.com/280ZX/tankvents/tankvents.html

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/engine-drivetrain-s30/46611-fyi-fuel-tank-vent-hose-info.html

When I did mine I was able to get most of the hoses through my local auto parts store but had to order the larger diameter stuff on Ebay. Some people have said marine/boat shops carry the larger diameter fuel safe hose so that may be an option too. Unless you are going for a 100% factory correct look I would skip the factory style lines. It will save you 60+% on what all the lines cost.

Edited July 12, 201311 yr by Hardway