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We have time machines in Canada. You can go back in time and change the gender on your birth certificate so an odometer reset is down in the noise. btw the guy in the pink shirt in the middle is our prime minister. Yes, sadly the real world is worse than South Park could ever parody.

Well after purchasing a 71 240Z off Copart and basically receiving a polished turd due to all the internal frame rust issues, I did some searching and found a local early model 260 I will be able to start my 302 project swap on. Someone started this and made an attempt at patching the floor and sealed some things up, but I'm thinking it might be best to just replace the whole floor than to trust the segments of lap welds. The project is influence by @Home Built by Jeff and RWB Jeff, as well as many others and I can't wait to dive both feet into it. More to come as I get the old car out of the garage and the new one in, but I guess at least I have a parts car now ?

Well she is up on BaT, here's hoping they don't eat me alive. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1977-datsun-280z-31/

Great question, I'm not sure the amount of money spent on the car makes any difference, in the case of your 280zx it can never be a new car if it is a restoration with a VIN from 1979. That is if you are going for stock original and trying to be true to the original version. Now if you are radically modifying as Wheee is suggesting then all bets are off. Seriously modified cars may be based on an old car but they are not trying to recreate or restore to original and in that case the ODO's mileage only reflects the mileage on the ODO.

My opinion is that who really pays attention to what the odometer reads on an old classic vehicle with a 5 digit odo. So, go ahead and do whatever you want and don't feel guilty about it. Just make sure that when someone asks (buyer, etc) if the mileage is accurate tell the truth and say no. Shoot, in Texas the titled mileage on old cars is stated as "exempt"...even the state knows the information/mileage cannot be relied upon. In full disclosure, when I restore a vehicle, I hook a drill motor to the speedometer and advance it to the next 1000 mile increment. Much easier for me to remember the mileage at restoration completion. Is this unethical? BTW, when I purchased my '72 Z, the odometer was not working. How long had it been this way? What is the exact mileage...I did not care. Almost forgot...replaced the speedometer/odo so really the reading has nothing to do with the actual mileage. Was it unethical to replace the speedometer? If no, what is the difference in resetting the one you have.

That 15% is exactly what would make resetting the odometer illegal. The car has a serial number. It was sold and registered at one time and regardless of how much has been replaced, the chassis has mileage which is what the odometer represents. You could, of course, claim that the odometer has "just turned over" or was replaced, but if someone complains there would be little if any defense. It's illegal to tamper with the odometer.

Don't Google "240z factory restoration program" because the "factory" didn't "restore" them. Let's get that misconception cleared up right away! Short answer; Nissan USA hired a number of "contractors" to recondition previously sold 240zs and then sold them through selected dealers with 12 month / 12,000 mile warranties. Many many parts were replaced in the process but the speedometers were not replaced in all cases and odometers were not reset to 0 miles.

I hope your advice is not too late! I've given it a few partial turn. I'll get it "re-set" and hope for the best. Thanks for the other tips. I'm getting a strong vibe that once you get it running, the rest is a fine art of balancing the variables. And that exactly what you need to do to get it in tune is different for each "instrument." (As an IT guy for years, I am really fascinated with the difference between "getting the bugs out" of an analog system, like the Z, and a digital system as found in any code. A great experience.)

I would not mess with (17) as the alignment of 15 will shift (which is no fun) FYI: Having the jet go all the way up is just a nice way to set the needle relative to 0 turns of the jet. The Jet will never be that high in operation so no worries if you follow these two steps: 1. Just use a depth gauge to set each top of jet 2.5mm down from the bridge and you will have a starting point. 2. The shoulder of the needle should be flush with the bottom of the piston, not the ceiling of the groove.

The rod moves up and down at the control arm with the suspension also, so there is a side force on the back/tip of the rod from the bushing, as the bushing restricts the motion. I think that it causes metal fatigue and that's what breaks the T/C rods. I had urethane on the back of mine for a while and the front end groaned over bumps for a couple of months then the tip of the rod finally broke off. If a person had some time they could mount just the back of the rod and move the front up and down by hand, just to feel the difference in effort required. Might be illuminating.

Oh sure... blame it on the guy down in Texas, he's such a bad influence on everyone! And, certainly I'm also responsible for the extra purchases as well. bad dog!!! I installed that ball and socket kit many years ago (still have it) when I also swapped out the front control arm bushings for eccentric bushings. I was doing a lot of autocrossing back then. The changes did tighten up the front end but at a cost of civility in the everyday drive experience. The kit came out in favor of rubber T/C bushings when I restoed the car. I see it as a good option for a track or AX intensive setup. My work on the shock swap will also wait until a break in the temps - still running mid-to-high 90's here.

@grannyknot the Laine family page has is also a go to for me to setup the engine and transmission, that is such a gorgeous build. Planning on using the Apex Engineered suspension setup as well as I LOVE the look of the cantilever rear shocks in the back. I think that paired with the AGI roll cage (at least a copy of one made Stateside so I don't pay shipping from AUS) is going to be a kill combo. BUT I get ahead of myself, still have a lot of disassembly and some rust repair to start with :)

Nice additional very honest write up you did. Car looks great! Out of interest, and I may have missed why, is there a reason why you did not paint the hood vents blue 305 as opposed to black? Up to 11k so far, best of luck with sale ...

Here is a little inspiration, https://www.lainefamily.com/240Z_V8_Conversion.htm

I think those spacers are to bring the rear of the car up to match the front. The front has bearings where those spacers would be to allow the steering to work.

Here's more info to add to Jonbill's answer. Thanks to @240260280 http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/suspension/comprod/ball&socket/index.htm

Put down the brochure and back away slowly...

The MSA Summer Sale email pushed me over the edge. I just ordered a full set of Koni's and the gland nut tool Sale price + free shipping + no sales tax. Rationalization rears it ugly head!

I have a set of those louvers as well, sorry I don't have a spare key but I made a quick drawing of mine if it helps. Mike (oops the blank looking file is a 3d pdf of the model that I attached by accident) Interpart Key - 3D PDF.pdf Interpart Key.pdf