Hardway's 1971 240z #8011 - Build and Repair Thread

[Hardway]

Mine is number 8011 so it is a four digit vin.  It is not super low like two or three digit vin but it is well under 10,00.

[Hardway]

It has been awhile since I posted an update on #8011.  I have actually been quite busy with various projects on the car, many of which are posted throughout the forums on the site.  With each project that is completed the car shines a little brighter or performs a little better.  

Back in February I was on a mission to seal up the rear of the car to reduce and hopefully eliminate the exhaust fumes that were coming.  Additionally, I wanted to replace the hatch vent grilles as the grilles on the car had been drilled and riveted for installation.  This project went down a rabbit hole fairly quickly as I discovered my car was missing the unique clips that hold the vent assembly together and provide the locating point for the barrel clips that secure the grille to the car.  With the help of some dedicated owners I ended up having a local sheet metal fabrication company make a run of the clips.  You can see the entire saga in great detail here -> http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/57001-series-1-hatch-vent-duct-clips-restoration-info-needed/  

 

 

[Hardway]

Another project in the rear of the car was installing new taillight gaskets and re-sealing the vented interior hatch panel.  This project was fairly straight forward and was critical in eliminating the exhaust fumes.  The 'before' pictures show just how bad everything was.

With the taillights off, now was the time to clean them up and polish them.  Looking back on it I wish I had polished them more along with cleaning and painting the center bar.  This can still be done with them on the car but having them on the bench does make it easier.  For now, the before and after picture shows just what a little elbow grease can do.

With the new seals in I also installed the black filler panel I have had for a few years.  I think it provides a better contrast in the rear versus the silver panel that was on the car when I purchased it.

The interior hatch panel was cleaned up, the rubber flaps were flipped over so they lay flat, and a new perimeter seal was applied.  The panel was re-installed with no issues.

[Hardway]

Another project I tackled around the same time as the exhaust fume reduction project was addressing the sagging rear suspension.  At first I thought it was just the strut inserts and sure enough, once I had the rear assembly apart, the strut was pretty much dead.

Using a 2" socket and making some modifications with a heavy duty rotary tool and a grinder, I made myself a gland nut removal socket.  This made removing the nuts as easy as pie and also did not damage the nut or any other components.

Seeing that the strut that came out was a KYB I wanted to try something different.  I found a set pair of rear strut inserts for $30 shipped from a place on Ebay.  They originally labeled as being made by AST, see picture below.  But what arrived was labeled Maxorber.  I notified the seller since I bought them thinking they were made by AST who happen to be a performance suspension manufacturer.  The seller has updated their pictures last I checked.  

They were packaged well and upon closer inspection I started to notice some things.  Here is one next to the old KYB insert.

What I noticed was the construction all the way down to the welds was very similar if not identical to the KYB.  Furthermore, they even share the same part number.

 Since I had them I went ahead and installed them.  The Maxorber insert sits a little high in the tube but the included gland nut compensates for this.  Even though it was yellow zinc plated I applied a fiar amount of anti-seize to the threads just in case.

Installation went as planned with no drama.

 

I figured they had to be better than the old blown KYBs.  Only time will tell for how long and how well they hold up.

Edited May 25, 2017 by Hardway

[Hardway]

After driving the car a little I quickly determined the suspension was only slightly then before.  Since the rear springs are from 1970 its safe to assume they are worn out.  I did not want to lower the car which pretty much left no options from a stock replacement spring standpoint.  After researching the the Moog spring chart I settled on a part of CC223 springs.  After cutting three coils out of them they make for a very good stock rear replacement.  You can read more details about them here -> http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/57675-my-stock-rear-spring-replacement-wmoog-cc223-springs/

Originals vs. CC223

Coils cut and spring installed

During my coil spring trial and error phase, one of my rear wheel cylinders stopped responding.  They have Tokico cast in to them so I am unsure if they are original or replacements from back in the day but I will hang on to them.  Seeing that OEM wheel cylinders are several hundred dollars now I opted for a pair of Centric brand wheel cylinders for $60 shipped from Amazon.  The biggest difference is the brake line location between the old and the new that requires either bending the old brake line or shaping up a new one.  Since the fittings on my brake lines were pretty chewed up I opted to bend and shape up a new pair of lines using the old one as a guide.  I bought the 20" brake line from O'Reilly's and used the round body of my bench vice to shape the new line along with some hard line pliers.  All in all it took about 10 minutes per line including test fits.

With the wheel cylinder and new brake line in all was left was to reassemble everything else.  The shoes looked almost new so they were re-used.

[Hardway]

With the brakes wrapped up I bled the system with the help of my wife.  The new springs accomplished what I was going for but as a good friend of mine Mike W suggested, my car would really benefit from some taller tires.  I fully agreed and went about finding a set that looked good on the 14" mag wheels but did not make it look like a 4x4.  The old tires were on the mag wheels when I bought them.  They were 185/65/14, made by some off brand, and I had no clue how old they were.  After a few conversations with a tire shop but not liking the actual tire they offered, I went with a set of Douglas tires in 195/70/14.  I bought them at Wal-Mart, they were $40/each, had a great reviews, and they are MADE IN THE USA.  They were just the ticket!  On a brief but spirited drive they handle well, there is no increased steering effort, and seem to compliment the stock suspension nicely.

With new tires!

[Hardway]

As ZCON is quickly approaching and will be in Austin this year, a lot of the work I have been doing has been in preparation for the various events I will be attending.  One event I am looking forward to is the parade lap at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).  Even though it will only be a parade lap, I am leaving no stone un-turned on the car as I do not want anything to spoil this opportunity.  A few weeks ago I had noticed a very small amount of coolant coming out of the rear driver side of the engine block were a temp. sending unit had been installed.  Wanting to resolve this I figured I would pull the sending unit and use one of my thousands of bolts to seal and plug it.  Unfortunately that was not the case.  Once I had a temp. sensor off I determined the previous owner used a piece brass pipe which was not the correct size or thread for the boss on the block.  After trying a lot of different metric bolts, nothing I had fit correctly.  A 12mm bolt was almost there but still had a little wiggle room.  My research showed 13mm is pretty much obsolete so using an online calculator I determined 12.7mm = 1/2 inch.  Could this be the only standard non-metric bolt on the entire car?  I went Lowes and purchased a 1/2 inch bolt in both course and fine thread along with a cap screw in 1/2 inch fine thread since it was in the same drawer.  After a quick test the 1/2 inch fine thread bolt was the winner.  I tested the plug just for good measure, wrapped it in some yellow sealant tape, and installed it. JOB DONE!  For anyone that needs to buy one of the cap screws, it is a Hillman brand fastener, model 880938, Lowes item 137329.  That's it for now.  I am ready for ZCON and looking forward to meeting many of you in person.

[Hardway]

Today marks the last page in the final chapter of owning #8011.  Owning this Z has been very a rewarding and educational experience.  I had a lot of fun with it, met more people in the Z community, and looking back on it, I got to drive it more than I worked on it.  Over the past three years the market for stock series-1 cars has risen and any modifications would ultimately hurt its value.  I know many would say "its your car, do what you want" but this car has remained stock all of its life and a large amount of work by the previous owner and myself have continued that legacy for the car.  It would be a shame in my opinion to put bigger brakes on it, lowering springs, triple Webers, etc. even though those items would enhance the driving experience.  With the rise in values, more Z cars seem to be coming on to the market than ever before so I believe supply is starting to meet demand.  With this in mind I put the car on Ebay and even though it did not meet the reserve, the high bidder made me a fair offer after the auction and I accepted. It is headed to Florida and I hope the new owner joins the forums and keeps us posted on it.

For me, I am not going anywhere.  The classic Z community is one of the most welcoming and supportive groups I know.  I had a blast meeting many of you at ZCON this year in Austin and I plan to be at ZCON in Atlanta in 2018, in a classic Z!  My first order of business is to get my shop air conditioned so I can work in it year around.  I have already started the hunt for another classic Z but this one does not have to be a 240z as my plans for a modified Z car can easily be accomplished with a 260z or a 280z.  Below are a few final pictures to share.  I will make a point to get on the forums and contribute where I can.  Thank you to all of you for your support and I look forward to sharing my next project with you.

[240260280]

3 Perfect Pictures!

[jfa.series1]

Jeff,

You did really well by this car, congratulations on a job well done!  We'll all be looking forward to the next chapter in your Z life.  It was a pleasure to meet you and the car in Austin, looking forward to catching up with you in Atlanta (if not sooner).

Jim

[JSM]

10 hours ago, Hardway said:

  With this in mind I put the car on Ebay and even though it did not meet the reserve, the high bidder made me a fair offer after the auction and I accepted. It is headed to Florida and I hope the new owner joins the forums and keeps us posted on it.

Where in FL, just curious.

[Hardway]

3 hours ago, JSM said:

Where in FL, just curious.

It is going to Jacksonville FL.  The new owner is excited to get it!