Black92si's Family Owned 1973 Datsun 240z

[black92si]

Hello everyone. New to the forums and thought I would begin by sharing my Z. 1972 Datsun 240z was purchased by my uncle from the dealer and then later sold to my father. About a year and a half ago my father passed away and left the Z in my care.

I pulled the Z out of storage last winter and over the spring have begun to work on her and so far she is being very receptive to being woken up. Trying to sort threw a high idle issue that I hope some fellow Z guys can help with. So without further wait here is some pictures I've taken along the way.

[LeonV]

Looks like it's in great shape! BTW, that's a '73 model year judging by the equipment.

[siteunseen]

Yes, great looking family heirloom. It has flat topped carburetors from '73 like Leon says above but the ID plate on the driver's door jamb will say for sure. Unscrew the black knobs on top and make sure they have oil in there. I just bought some at Lowes, 3-in-one 20 wt. in a blue and white bottle for $2.99.

[Pop's Z]

The renowned Mr. Brown likes his twin brother very much. What a beautiful example.

Cheers, Mike

[black92si]

Thanks guys!

You are correct it is a 73. It was late last night when I made the post.

My door plate says 11/72 and the hood and title say 73. I assume being a late model 72 they threw the 73 stuff in and out the door she went.

I have unscrewed the caps and half pulled them out (scared of the carbs ) I felt resistance so I assumed they still have oil. Do you pull them completely out and flash light check?

I'm in the process of sorting a high idle issue. When the motor gets to temp the idle settles in at 2000 rpm. I'm replacing all rubber hoses that ive come across so far but with no luck.

[Arne]

The 1973 model year actually started with production in August. I'll correct the thread title.

Welcome! It's a great looking car.

[tlorber]

You may have seen on this site, or if not you soon will, that a common swap for '73's is to put '72 or earlier carburetors on in lieu of your existing "flat tops" that the two posts above refer to. These are a bit simpler and more reliable once you get them set up, and they allow you to bypass a bit of the smog equipment. Nevertheless, I think the flat tops have similar idle speed adjustment screws that you could try backing off to see if the idle speed comes down. One of the stickers on your air box may even show their location. Other than that you may have a choke that is sticking and causing the idle speed to be too high.

[black92si]

Thanks for correcting the header of the post admin.

Tlorber I have read about the 72 swap but i'd like to keep my Z in as original condition as possible.

Honestly I've always been a early 90's Honda guy and have no real experience dealing with carbs. I've been trying everything I can think of doing to avoid touching the idle screws.

If I do decide to do the route do you have to adjust both at the same time?

[conedodger]

As original as that looks. I would not touch the carb swap idea.

[Arne]

I'm with Rob on this one, much as I liked my round-top carbs. We are 40+ years down the road now. There are very few 240Zs left that retain this kind of originality. Like my previous car, I would not do anything to that car that was not 100% reversible, and even then I'd want those reversible mods to be hidden if possible. You can see modified Zs anytime. A stock '73? Not so much. I'd start hunting for a nice set of stock hubcaps if it were mine.

[grannyknot]

Butterscotch interior! You don't see that much, very nice. Good to see that you are going to continue to take care of the car in the family.

Chris

[EhlersRS]

JD,

I agree with your decision to keep the original carbs since this car already retains most of it's originality. I was also thinking about Arne's comment and would guess a lot of the '73 240Z's no longer have the original carbs. In the past I've seen a few posts (on here) regarding the flat top carbs and getting better performance out of them. As far as original hubcaps, they come up for sale occasionally on Ebay, Craigslist, and Datsun Classified and generally run between $200 to $900 for a pair (depending on the condition).

Robert S.