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I drove one of the S30.world 'test' cars fitted with their NISMO reinforced 6-speed just a few weeks ago whilst assisting Nostalgic Hero magazine staff who are doing a feature on their operations. The six-speed (paired with a 3.9:1 ratio R180) worked really nicely behind a well behaved street-tuned L24 (still on Hitachis) and was a pleasure to use. Don't know what else to say about it. It makes a lot of sense cost-wise as an alternative to a full rebuild of an A, B or C-type transmission (especially so for the Servo synchro variants) and the ratio spread seemed just right. We covered urban, 5-lane highway and winding 2-lane road mileage, so a good mix of conditions. That car is now on a road trip where it has been driven from Hungary, back through to France and onward south for some serious test mileage. I can't imagine the transmission conversion giving any cause for concern. The NISMO Reinforced RRS50 6-speed is used in several other conversion kits for the S30 (notably by ESCORT) and I've never heard of any problems with them. There were some production delays at AISIN - who make the transmissions for NISMO - due to flooding after the recent typhoons, but that situation should be improving by now.

Hello from the Netherlands! My name is Henry, originally from Colombia, but living in the Netherlands for quite some time now. I'm the proud owner of a 1973 Datsun 240Z, which I like to call my Blue Lady 😁. She's an automatic L24 car, and I'm slowly working on bringing her closer to the way I'd love to see her. My first big project is converting her to a manual transmission, followed by a few carefully chosen improvements while keeping as much of her original character as possible. I'm not here to build a race car, just to enjoy the journey of improving this beautiful machine, learning along the way and hopefully meeting some fellow Z enthusiasts. I've already received some wonderful help from people in the Z community (@dutchzcarguy) , and I'm looking forward to learning more, sharing experiences and contributing whenever I can. Happy to be here! Cheers, Henry And now some photos of the lady:

Half of the enjoyment I get in this process is using bits and pieces that I already have, researching youtube and forums for hours to figure something out, and never paying "the pros" unless I've exhausted all other options. I dunno what that is, but it sure scratches some itch in me. 😅

Hello: John here in Portland, Oregon. I own a 77 280Z in 305 blue. It is lightly dressed as a 240Z (Bumpers), but not trying to fool anybody. I prefer the 280, having owned a 240 as well. I just never liked the 280 bumpers. I look forward to another club where I can learn things. Sometimes you need several POVs before jumping into something. Thanks in advance. JJ

Because it was sitting in my moderator queue and I just got around to approving it. I made a change to the software so all new members must go through a moderator queue until they have enough points. Once they reach my points threshold, they no longer go through the moderator process. This is to help reduce spam posts.

Raise the front up with ramps or jack stands when you're doing the valves or pretty much anything. It'll help when you try to stand up the next day.

In my opinion, S30.world provided enough information on their website and in their videos to get me off the sidelines and ask them directly for more information. This is not a crowdsourced community project. The reality is that there is engineering time invested into the design and manufacturing of the kit parts and the people behind it can decide how much of their IP to share publicly. If you can only work with information from their site for your planning and can't message them directly for some reason, then you can do like I was originally going to do and plan the conversion yourself from start to finish. (Believe it or not, the S15 transmission onto L-Series conversion has been documented online well before Escort or S30.world kits became available) Another note: the amount of information that s30.world has provided in their videos and on their website more than makes up for any information they are choosing to keep private while they continue the development of their transmission conversion kit.

+1 on everything stated by @siteunseen , including the addition of a small resonator to eliminate drone. Keep in mind I got the system 15 years ago so there are no guarantees that everything matches in quality today. Here's a pic of the 6-1 header on my L24, a perfect fit into the engine bay with no interference.

Hello all, This is my 5th 240Z over the years. Actually thought I was done with them after sold my track-prepped RB26DETT ‘73, just too raw to drive, with rollcage and gutted interior. BUT less than one year later itching for a street trim Series 1, not a fully restored one since I want to enjoy working on it in increments. This 10/70 build has very solid bones - chassis, frame rails, floorboards, tire tub - although have some rust on the common areas - dog bone, lower fenders, hood, hatch sill - but doorsills are clean! Goal is to update the mechanicals first. Suspension, brakes, cooling, fluids etc. I want a solid running driving Z even with some patina. Color and paint look original, not hiding anything. She’s just old but not neglected.

Check out Vintage connections

The inside of my US Wheels slotted wheels were aluminum. I've never seen painted ones.

If you take the whole distributor off as a unit, it doesn't change the timing (except for the small amount of play in the mounting bolt holes). By "as a unit", I mean like this. The engagement shaft is asymmetric and only fits one way. You can pull the whole thing and put it back and not change the timing:

@jayhawk Thanks for the comments! I really enjoyed working on your car and am glad it has done so well. Let's see if we can get another winner with SN 00042 here. We should with all of the help I am getting 🤣😂

Hi, DrFeelGood, What you are pointing to in the photo is not a shim. It is simply the section of the countershaft between the front gear retaining snap ring and the front bearing. The shim fits between the front bearing and the front cover. If your measurement is 3.92 mm, or generally above 3.61 mm, this could result in excessive axial preload on the countershaft bearings. I would dismantle the countershaft and check the adapter plate bearing is fitted correctly. Note: The bearing in the adapter plate most probably failed because the countershaft is subjected to both radial and axial (thrust) loads. The adapter plate bearing takes most, if not all the axial load in the countershaft. The other bearings primarily support radial loads. A deep groove ball bearing is not really the best choice to withstand thrust loads. The axial force is generated by the gear mesh. The helical gears produce an axial thrust that can push the countershaft towards the rear of the transmission. If the front bearing shim is too thick for the measured clearance, it can create excessive axial preload, potentially contributing to premature bearing failure. In premature, I mean it failed and the other bearings didn't.

Today marks a big milestone in my project and a big step forward. But let's start from the beginning. Over the last weeks, I was very busy cleaning parts. From media blasting dirty bits: And enjoying the view of the shiny freshly blasted pieces: To recutting hundreds of threads on old OEM fasteners: To chemically cleaning and preparing parts for replating. I'm still looking for a good plating company, but at least the parts are piling up for being replated: Of course, the packages kept arriving, too. with various parts and documents: And some more: And then I got an information that my car will be picked up soon. So I realized, I need something to transport the engine safely. I quickly had an idea to repurpose an old Euro-pallette. Cut it in half and layered it: Used an NOS oil pan to creat the cutouts for the actual engine bottom: Testfit: Addd some cardboard for protection and to have enough space to have the pallette-roller underneat it without touching the pan: Done. Seems pretty safe. And then? to assemble the car. I spent an entire satuday, to go from this: To this: Most things went unexpectedly smooth, and then the smaller bits took forever. For e.g. the rear bumper with the EU lower number plate lighting, which didn't fit. I realized there are many different versions and in the end, I built my own version, which I thought looked the best. It's basically a modified OEM look. still close to the original, but stlightly cooler. Oh and wherever I had them ready, I used the OEM fasteners. Unfortunately, most still need to be replated, so in some cases, I still had to use temporary fasteners, which is no big deal, given that the body goes apart, soon again. I installed all hood, door and hatch locks without any alignment, just to keep the openings shut, during transport, but since it will go on a long journey, I decided better to be safe than sorry, and re-tightened all fasteners, and added some extra safety measures, to ensure nothing will pop open on the Autobahn. Also added some cardboard, to minimize rattling... And then, today, a friendly transport driver showed up. We loaded the engine first (now wrapped, to protect it from the rain): And then, the shell on the trolley: And off it goes to the very capable peeople at S30.world. The plan is to work on the car for about 10 months. This will include a lot of things, but first mainly body and engine. I will prepare a second shipment with all the smaller bits and pieces. As much as I love doing things myself. I've been working on it for more than 12 years, with minimal outcome, and lots of costs and time lost. I Just started a new, great job, and rather than having it sitting in my garage with slow progess for another 10 years, I decided to speed things up and giving it to some of the most talented S30 specialists. That doesn't mean there is no work left for me. there are plenty of bits and pieces to restore. So no worries. The updates will come. Both from the guys working on the car, and from my end. After all, I'm very excited to see the result in 2027. And I hope I can visit the car some days in between. Have a save trip, mylady:

Interrupting this thread to bring accolades to Motorman7 about a 240Z that he restored in 2019. In 2018 and 2019 Motorman restored my 240Z that I had bought new in 1973. (https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/60309-were-bringin-back-the-flat-tops/) It came out so well that I've had fun taking it to ZCONs and local Concours and other judged shows. I had registered for this years huge (500+ cars) Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, CA, but was considering not attending, as it was right after ZCON in Phoenix. But I started getting calls and emails from the JCCS staff that SEMA wanted my 240Z in their booth at JCCS. At first I ignored the calls because why would SEMA want a bone stock car, since isn't SEMA is about aftermarket mods and tuner upgrades? Turns out SEMA has a group called ARMO, Automotive Restoration Marketing Organization, and they wanted my car in the SEMA-ARMO booth. Well, Motorman's restoration won the JCCS Shokunin (Master Craftsman) Award for Best Stock Restored among the Vendor cars exhibited at JCCS. There were 3 restored stock Japanese cars up for that award, so Motorman's work outshown a couple of other professional shop restored classic japanese cars! Here is the Award that I will be shipping to Motorman soon: Thanks Again Motorman! Hope number 42 comes to ZCON 2027.

I drained the old gas out of the 240Z last week. Today, I got back to work on her. First, I installed a new battery. Then, I removed the valve cover and spark plugs so I could put oil in the cylinders and on the cam before turning the engine over. After that, I put a gallon or so of fresh gas in the tank and used a syringe to add gas to the float bowls and to the fuel line between the filter and fuel pump. After a spray of starting fluid to make sure combustion could happen, I tried to start the car. She fired right up and purred like a kitten. I'm looking forward to moving her to my new shop so I can do the rest of the work she needs: new vent hoses, springs & struts, and new rear brakes.

Not today (too much rain) but earlier this weekend I took the kids out for boba tea and as a fun excursion in the 280Z. Also took my almost 85-year old Dad out for a ride and to dinner last night. Probably would not have been able to do either if I didn't have a 2+2, as the rear seats came in handy to include both my kids and their best friend on the first excursion and my son rode in the back and was helpful in helping my Dad get in and out of the car. I think he was really impressed and was the first real chance he had to ride in it and get the full Z experience.

Alright, another little progress update via pictures as usual. First up, cleaned up the gas filler area before reinstalling the tank. Satisfying before and after. Don't say I don't listen to yalls advice. Installed a fuel pressure gauge. Aeromotive makes a good gauge, and they were on sale. She's back on her feet. Hot dog!! Really happy with the vintage color scheme, faded and worn though she may be. Really happy with how the gold looks with the silver and white letter tires. I'll be lowering her a bit in the future to reduce that gap as well, but for now, not bad! We're making the most with what we got. Probably didn't NEED to do this, but it would've been on my long term to-do list anyways so what the heck. Adjusted the valve lash. Man, I forgot how much I hate this task. It's not so much the task itself, but the horrible posture you have to hold to do the job. My back!!😬Overall, each valve was about 1 or 2 thousandths loose. Not bad at all. And now it's done and within spec. Was getting ready to take it around the block when I was reminded of this minor issue. Held together with hopes and dreams🫣 Thinking about how me and the previous owner were blasting around his neighborhood with this tie rod. Looks fine. Fixed. Yes, I see my sway bar bushings. Extra crispy. They're on the list, but still just trying to get it smogged first... Make-shift alignment setup. Listen, it looks rudimentary, but I'd say it get's you 80% of the way there. Big Alignment Industry has been suppressing this method for years 🤪 And here's where we're at now. As previously mentioned, I'm trying to set a baseline for the AFM air bypass screw. Screwed it all the way out to count the total number of turns, only to see that I'm missing the o-ring that's supposed to be on the end. The threads are numerous and and very fine, so I doubt I'm getting much of a vacuum leak due to the missing o-ring, but obviously I'm going to find a replacement nonetheless. Took this picture from Atlantic Z website, and you can see where there should be an o-ring... Hopefully my next update will include some updates on how it's running and driving, along with some smog test results. I won't hold my breath for a passing result, but we gotta start somewhere...

I have the MSA 6 to 1 ceramic coated with their Premium Exhaust all the way back. Had to have a $20 resonator welded into the 280s pipe, had annoying drone on the interstate at those speeds. 240 with the same and it is wonderful, no resonator. Screams bloody murder at high RPMs and I love it. For the money I would do it again and again and again. I used Nissan manifold gaskets. Not sure if they're still available. N47 gasket, 1977 and '78.

So close Mister Bot, so close. Keep at it! 🦾🤖

My name is Jeff. Located in North San Diego county. I've restored multiple muscle cars over the years - mostly 68-70 Camaros. I owned a240Z 35 years ago and want to have some fun working on a Z car now - my garage is empty and I would like to fill it back up. I hope to find an un-restored, or older restoration need of a refresh. Preference is to find a running car (or close to it) with all/most of the car all there. Maybe a car that someone has lost interest in... In any event, I look forward to learning more about these cars and hopefully contributing to the forum. Thanks.

The FS5C71B isn't just a Euro 'box, the rest of the world got it in some form in a S30, even in different models other than the S30. This -N3130 'box is a non-Euro 'box looking at the parts microfiche, probably why it ended up in the USA. We aren't short of FS5C71B 'box here in the UK (I have 2 myself spare), its finding a good one or the parts is the harder bit.

I just dropped a PDF of an old online Z Registry spreadsheet into the Z News section of the Knowledge Base. The post is not showing in the current topics so I added this post. Check it out.

This is a pretty neat before and after video.

And don’t forget Junk Yard Jenny. A lot of folks here to help along the way.

You could rule out in tank problems by rigging up a temporary fuel source with return lines

I was a member of GROUP Z WAAY BACK when I had my 1ST Z car-71 240Z - I think it was 1982 after 5 different Z cars I'm back to a 73 240Z recently. This is/was a track car, w Real nice race gadgets from 1999. I'm taking it to the streets ! Lot's of work ahead, but keeping the Gadgets. I recently stripped the interior for new sound proofing and carpet, how ver, does anyone out there know IF there is a pattern for the rear shock towers? Instead of buying an entire KIT, all I need is the tower and wheel arch patterns OR some old intact vinyl ???? Anyway, I will share photos as soon as it is worthy-working on It everyday

http://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/IMG_3778.webp Three Z Cars Three Ways by Larry Chen We are excited to be part of a new episode of Jay Leno’s Garage featuring Larry’s own beloved SR20DET-powered 1970 Datsun 240Z, legendary John Morton’s personal Datsun 240Z and our KN20-powered Datsun 240Z. See Larry Chen’s message below and a few photos from the video shoot: “Filmed with legends yesterday Somehow I convinced John Morton, Rob Fuller and Jay Leno’s Garage Car Care to come together to do an all 240z show. Three different Datsuns modified three different ways. Can you believe that John got his first ever 240z at 82 years old? He waited that long to join the club. Keep an eye out for this episode on the Jay Leno’s Garage Car Care YouTube channel. Thanks to Z Car Garage for bringing the twin cam Honda K- Series Datsun Works car down. The last slide is of Jay ripping on the 350hp twin cam car.” http://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/IMG_3771.webphttp://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/IMG_3781.jpghttp://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/IMG_3783.jpg http://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/IMG_3785.jpg http://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/IMG_3777.jpg More photos in the gallery! View the full article

The hose circled in red is a vent hose for the float bowl. It does not pressurize the float bowl. If the hose is disconnected from the air cleaner, it means you were pulling in some unfiltered air. The hose circled in blue goes down to the exhaust manifold, but it is open to the air, not connected to the manifold. When the flap is in Winter position, it blocks most of the air coming in from the front of the air cleaner, causing more of the air going into the air cleaner to pass over the exhaust manifold. It basically helps with drivability in cold weather. Have you downloaded the factory service manual for your car? They are available on this website in the Resources section. Also you can find owner's manuals here: https://www.xenonzcar.com/s30/ownersmanuals.php Both can help you on your path to get your Z running better.

Looks like some other stuff going on in the bottom of that picture. What is the toggle switch and wire nut all about? @Patcon I did mean spark erosion, in that I think it eats through the aluminum faster that brass/copper. It happened to mine. I have an older CDI unit on my set up as well.

Broken bolts fix. Ended up being able to remove both the broken drill bit and the easy-out. Decided to finish drilling out the stuck bolts and tap a M12x1.25 (original bolt was a M10x1.25). Had to enlarge the bolt holes in the link mount brace to 1/2 inch so everything aligned. Suspension back in place. Thanks to everyone for the support.

I bought a hand-operated transfer pump so I shouldn't have any trouble putting in the 1.5 L of Redline MT-90 when the engine and tranny assembly is firmly bolted into the chassis. Thanks, all, for the warning about tranny tail leakage as it's not mentioned in the FSM that I have.

The alternator came with an 800 number to call and unbelievably someone answered right away on a Saturday afternoon. He said the 2-pin readings were normal but the power pole resistance to ground meant it had a problem. Said send it back to z store.

I wouldn’t advise filling the trans before installation. Plenty of opportunity to do that while putting the cross member and shaft in.

After around 15 years of restomod work, I finally got an engine back into my car. It's a 3.1 L stroker. Oh, that looks so good to me. Next, I added the Findanza flywheel, clutch disc and Centerforce II pressure plate. Woohoo!! Feeling omnipotent, I tried putting in the 5-speed tranny and discovered that there is not enough clearance between the 6-into-1 header and the tranny tunnel to allow this to happen. I'd have to remove (and then reinstall) both the exhaust and intake systems to open up the space, so I reluctantly decided to remove the engine and attach the tranny to it off the car. Because I removed the original engine and 4-speed tranny as a unit when I started this project way back when, I should, with the help of an assistant, be able to put the same size assembly back into the car. Indeed, that's what the FSM says to do. So, a bit of a setback, but it's all good, right? Unfortunately, I then discovered that one of the two M10x1.5 holes in the tranny bell housing where the starter motor attaches is stripped. So now I'm cooling my heels waiting on a threaded insert kit to arrive. At least it gave me time to remember that I needed to put oil in the tranny: Redline MT-90. Better to do that off the car than have a Doh! moment and have to crawl under it to complete that task. Now to blast and refresh the drive shaft.

Thanks. I do still own it and drive it regularly. In fact I'm just heading out to meet a group of friends from my local Z club for a drive on the scenic and twisty back roads near me.

Garden flies

I finished the interior rebuild of my 1970 car this summer. It was originally blue, then got a 'restore' to black interior in 1991. Some of the panels are in pretty good condition, some of them are not (one of the quarter window panels is pretty bad). Door skins are ok condition. Anyway, don't consider these to be 1970 originals, that seems very unlikely to me. Free local pickup in twin cities area of MN, or I can try to ship them if you want to pay shipping. I can't imagine these panels are going to survive shipping intact. they are much thinner than the reproduction ones I put in to replace them (not saying thicker was better, made install a pain). passenger and driver dog legs Overhead plastic trim passenger and driver quarter window panel trim passenger and driver rear deck trim passenger and driver door skins (new) shift boot - this is not original style with the laces. Ended up restoring the one on the car. (new) E brake boot with snaps - accidentally bought 2 of these

These came with my January '70 car #957. 1970 original Owners Manuals from, 20th December 1969, 20th March 1970 and 20th July 1970 plus a factory service manual set from 1st November, 1969.

A little side project while waiting for parts from Japan (and finding a transmission window) was to repair the passenger side lock cylinder. It just won't work with the key. I decided to take it apart. First, to get it out. There is a very small pin on the back holding the push rod mechanism on. Release that pin, (hold onto it tight as it will drop into the bowels of the door) and slide off the lever. Once that is off a quick pull on the clip and the lock is out. Some thorough cleaning and a dry lube saw it working right as rain. But, I did notice the lock hinge was quite filthy. well, take it out and clean it as well. A quick removal and cleaning had it working perfectly as well. Getting this far meant I had to take the door card off and that revealed a completely hardened outer rubber belt and an inner felt belt that was non-existent. I ordered a new inner felt from MSA and it will be here in Aug, Sept, Oct? Pending on that. I did get the outer strip and it is produced by Precision. None of the holes lined up with my original but that was not a problem. some new holes and it fits nicely. This all meant I had to remove the glass and regulator. Well, it turns out that the little plastic dust covers on the regulator pulley wheels were done. I wondered what they were when I noticed them sitting in the bottom of the door. Thankfully, user scottan from Thingiverse uploaded a file so I could 3d print some out of TPA. A wee little stretch and perfect. I also noticed that the door skin had come free from the internal "reinforcement" beam. I re-adhered it and that went a long way in reducing the buzzy vibration. The big step to reducing that was some 8mil Killmat panels. Now that did the trick. Still waiting on that felt....... Cheers

Love the "Do Not Strike" sticker. That was the only way I was able to get the old Ford starters to engage back in high school. We called it a technical tap.

I'm not convinced that you have an ignition problem. First, you said that the spark at the points is weak and intermittent. My reaction that it "Good. Your condenser is working." In other words, you don't WANT a spark at the points because any spark there will eat up your points. The whole reason for the condenser is to suppress the spark on the low voltage (the points side) of the coil in order to extend points longevity. Don't consider a weak spark there a problem. Consider it a benefit. Second, you say you're getting 8.5 Ohms between the open points and ground. I do not necessarily believe that is a problem either. What you could be measuring is the load to ground of all the other things that are tied to that same B/W wire elsewhere in the car. Such as..... Your fuel gauge, your water temp and oil gauge, the tach, your choke light, etc. I could easily be convinced that all that stuff in parallel works out to your 8.5 Ohms. So... Have you looked for spark at a spark plug? A nice hot spark there would be desirable!! If you have good spark at the plugs, then have you put a timing light on it

Well, that insert is now in the tranny - likely until the sun engulfs the earth in a few billion years - and the starter is now attached. The only issue was that I wanted to use stainless steel bolts to hold on the starter. The problem was that all M10x1.5 SS bolts have 17 mm heads and that size head makes it impossible to get a wrench or socket on the upper bolt (at least with the starter I'm using). So, I used my bench grinder to turn a 17 mm hex head into a 14 mm one and it works beautifully. First photo shows top "14 mm" bolt and second has a 17 mm one alongside for comparison.

I was going to comment this as well. Aside from leakage out the rear ( 🫤 ), the level/angle of the unit may result in over/under fill. My 2-cents.

I messed with it for a minute or two. Not done yet though. I'm going to pull all the old out and replace. $5.99 a quart for dot 3. It had air in there..

I put those self bleeders on my 280 in 2011. Can't remember why I didn't use them on the 240 in 2015-2016? I've used a contraption I came up with when I realized the cup wasn't holding the vacuum, too small of an oring wouldn't let it seal. Messing with brake fluid on 54 year old paint freaked me out when I found a small drop by the inspection lid above the brake stuff. I had driped a little refilling the clutch master. Washed that whole fender down with Dawn soap and water. Staying away from the 240, I've done my beater D21 pickup with good results. My shade tree correction for the crappy oring not sealing was a wood clamp.