1970 240Z... my first

[WyreTheWolf]

Well, where do I start?

First I guess I will say HI to everyone here... very nice site ... and the people seem to be quite helpful!

Six months ago I started on a new project... A buddy of mine owned a 1970 240Z that was in bad need of some TLC... It had sat in the weather for 4 years (for unknown reasons)

During this time the beautiful red paint was no longer beautiful, dry rot had set into the hoses, belts, and tires...

But the absolute worst thing... The battery (still in the car) had leaked down the inside of the fender well, and down onto the right front frame rail...

After surgery, involving many hours of removing body panels, and carefully cutting out origianl welds... I had the entire front frame rail (subframe) removed, and a new one was welded into place.

Removed the stock ignition, replacing it with a 280ZX electronic ignition (which was simple, and straight forward).

Now keep in mind that this engine had not been started in a VERY long time... and to tell you the truth I was worried.

I pulled all of the spark plugs with new Denso spark plugs, put a good helpoing of Marvels' Mystery Oil in ech cyclinder, and let it sit...

Two weeks later I get back over to my buddies house, and we get the starter hooked back up properly... at this point I am starting to really wonder if this car is really worth all of this work...

I put the new battery in the battery tray (now replaced with a new one)

Replaced a whole plethera of hoses, belts, and tires...

Drop the key into the ignition, set the choke to full, and hit the key...

It turned over a few times... but nothing...

I try again... it turns over a couple of times... still nothing... I check the spark (the whole screw driver in a spark plug wire trick) I have spark, I have air ... but do I have fuel?

OH NO!!!! one of the SU carbs is SOAKED in fuel... great... trace the leak back, and fix that (a bad hose ... one I actually missed while replacing all of them.

Get back in the car...

KEY... check!

CHOKE... check!

PUMP THE GAS ... check!

turned the key... It turned over a total of one time, and started!

So far I have the Engine running... but she (yes ... SHE... as nothing this sexy can be called HE, although I can see why some would choose to call a car HE.. I just cant bring myself to do it) is still not on the road...

Tried getting the rear brakes apart... but the aluminum/steel problem faced me down... and won I am now looking into replacing the entire rearend (suspension and all) with the rear suspension from a 1983 280ZX ... that will also give me the added benifit of having rear disk brakes.

had to replace the fuel hardlines, relace a broken brake line... bleed the brakes, and the clutch lines... after finishing all of that... I got to the brake lights... they dont work ... at all!

the fuse box has the same melted out section that I have heard about from so many people ... but I have a spare fuse box...

The electrical is still fighting with me ... and I have not had the chance to drive the darned thing yet... but after so many months of working on her... the time is rapidly approaching.

This is something else that I have found odd... After replacing the Ignition system ... the tach doesnt work at all anymore... it pegs out while I am starting the engine... and then hits 0...

I want to keep the stock look... is there any kind of a trick to getting the stock Tach to work properly again?

I will try to keep this post up to date as I continue to rebuild this most beautiful of cars...

Cant wait to take her for a quick drive!

[kmack]

Congratulations on getting the car started. That's usually the toughest part. The rest is sort of minor beyond the rust issues.

I am now looking into replacing the entire rearend (suspension and all) with the rear suspension from a 1983 280ZX

I would be careful here. i don't believe that the ZX suspension bits will bolt right up to a 240Z. The diff. and the halfshafts can be made to work, but the struts and the rest I don't think will.

As for the electrical gremlins, that's usually caused by coroded connections at any and all the plugs. Especially at the fuse box. Make sure all the connections are clean.

[WyreTheWolf]

Thanks for the advice! I read somewhere else on this forum about using WD-40, and cleaning the sockets out really well. As far as the fuse box... it is a new fuse bow... so, I dont have to worry about clean connections too much... The hadest part was replacing the right front subframe... I am not going to do that again... EVER!

That was the only bit of bad cancer that was on the car... The rest is just light rust here, and there.

[LanceM]

I just read somewhere, either here or another site about how the tachs are hooked up. Seems the 240's hook up different somehow that the rest of the models.... I read it because I have a 240 and it was interesting, not because I needed to know and I'm afraid that I've forgotten the high points!

Anyway it's probably not the tach but how it is now hooked up with the new ignition. Sorry I can't be of more help

[WyreTheWolf]

Well, I found a 280ZX tach... I am going to take the 240Z tach, and the 280ZX tach apart, and use the needle, and body of the 240Z tach, and the internals of the 280ZX tach... that way the tach will match the EI system, and the tach face, and needle will match the speedo!

Bit of a pain in the arse... but at least it should work properly.

[EScanlon]

Your plan to replace the inner workings of a ZX tach into the body of the original tach would work IF you make sure that the wiring going to the tach from the coil is corrected.

The early 240 tach used a loop of wire going through the resistor and the coil. When you replaced the dizzy with the ZX one, did you remove the resistor? What did you do to the wiring? That's important.

That your tach is maxing out and then zeroing tells me that you're hooked up to the resistor side of the wiring, but that there may be a problem inside the tach.

I have a 240 with the original tach and the ZX dizzy and I've gotten it to work, so it IS possible.

Post back so we can help you troubleshoot it.

Enrique

[WyreTheWolf]

Well the trick is ... that all the wiring has been replaced, and the resister is no longer in the wiring diagram... I have it wired like a 280Z right now...

that is the reason why the stock one isnt working... I looked at all of the internals... and not only is it possible to replace the inside... but it is going to be a drop in replacement... all the mountin is the same... so, I am just going to complete what I have already started on... this weekend I will test out the revised tach, and report back my findings.