have Z. need it to go faster.

[nevrgr0wup]

i am the proud new owner of a 71 240. My grandma was the origional owner, according to grandpa it was one of the first 10 z's shipped to monterey county ( but hes old so not too sure about that one). it was sitting at thier house for a number of years and i took it upon myself to fix it up because i just couldn't take it anylonger... its totally stock with an automatic. they have constantly had problems with electricle/ carburation/ timing/brakes/steering/ whatever else could go wrong. some engine work has been done but nothing major.... the engine has 194,000 miles on it now.... all grandma miles though. i have jumped into this thing head first not knowing much of anything about z's (im a chevy guy) but since i have had it .. it no longer backfires, it doesn't diesel or hesitate on take off i fixed the leaks and cleaned the windows! What i would like to know is a good place to start with upgrades... with the mileage i was thinking about a complete rebuild but it doesn't smoke at all and still has good power. just want some simple (at home)upgrades and info on some z shops or clubs in my area. im in san jose area. also thinking about changing to a manual trans... (wich one?) triple carbs would be nice too.... but where to get them? any help at all would be nice.... and all info. thanks.

[Royce]

Well, I get the impression you are not going to keep this thing original so here goes... since the engine is running pretty good and you are considering a trans swap I would start with gear ratios.

I couldn't imagine driving a Z that is an automatic, but maybe that is just my style. If you change to a 5 speed I recommend a 81-83 280ZX 5-speed. You could probably get an earlier one cheaper but the gear ratios are a little better and the overdrive 5th is a lot better for keep the revs down on the freeway, probably close to 600 revs lower than a 280Z 5-Speed. There is also a T-5 available in ZX Turbo cars but would be even more money and it's strenght would probably only be needed if you swapped engines to a Turbo Z or V8. There is a place up here called Autogator that sells reconditioned ZX 5-speeds for about $450 last I checked.

Next, the stock diff. on a 240 stick shift car would be 3.36 but your stock automatic would be a 3.54, all the better if you ask me. If you go with the ZX trans you could even go to a 3.9 or 4.1, but you would have to find them out of other Nissan products, ei. 200SX or 4x4 truck. Let me know if you want more information and I will go see if I have the specifics written down someplace. I also looked into this with Autogator and they knew what year car to get the desired ratio from. In fact they had 4.1 R180 for $175.

I don't work for Autogator but they are the closest Z parts source to me and I have had good luck with them in the past.

Also, get some decent high performance tires and head for Skyline or HWY 1 and enjoy. From there you should be able to determine what is the next place to spend money, either suspension or engine.

That's my opinion, questions or corrections welcomed!

Royce

'71 240 series II, custom L28/E88, Z 5-speed, 3.7 R200 saving money for a ZX 5-speed.

12/74 260 parts available

Orangevale, CA

[John Coffey]

What's the serial number? If it is indeed an early Z, you would be better off financially restoring it stock. Look for the serial number on the driver's door jamb, next to the master cylinder on the firewall, or on the plate attached to the right front strut tower in the engine compantment. The number should start with an "H".

[ninja240z]

Since you are a chevy guy by nature you might come out better converting it to a chevy V-8. It may be cheaper in the long run and faster.