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Hey guys, long time between post. I would like to share some good news. I picked up my S30 for $500 dollars.It had the usual rust issues, battery area, passenger side floor board due to ruptured heater core and spare tire well.But other than that being a Texas car and being stored on gravel it is pretty solid. The biggest issue which would have been make or break was the Rad Support. The car look like it had incident with a curb. The front of the front drivers side frame rail was wrinkled along with the Rad Support on that side. Someone tried to straighten it in the past with little success. To make long story short i couldn't find a replacement in the junk yards or online anywhere. Let me introduce you to Auto Panel Solutions. They are a Mom and Pop business based out of the UK. The contacted me on Facebook to let me know about their new kit. I ordered it immediately. The quality is good, though I haven't fitted it yet. Here is a pic,I can upload more.If you check them out on Facebook they have a multitude of patch-panel solutions for the S30. They are based in the UK so you know they know about rust and how to fix it. Any question I would be happy to answer.

So for some reason I have not had a lot of luck with the rebuilt aftermarket starters that are available through most of the normal outlets. I have gone through numerous ones, both the original style as well as the gear reduction style, and for some reason they just don't seem to last. The most recent episode of this was while I was visiting my brothers in the Chicago area. I had hauled my Z up to my brother's home outside of Chicago and over the course of the week, we attended numerous shows and cruise ins in the area. Was a real blast until the last day, when the starter appeared to have failed. Removed it and took it to a local O'Reilly's to have it checked (my brother works there so it was an easy deal) and sure enough the starter would spin but the pinion would not extend. I ended up ordering a replacement (rebuilt) from O'Reilly's, got it installed the next day, and was back on the road again. When I returned back home to Austin, I decided that I needed to invest in a spare starter that I would keep with me when I trailered the car. From all that I had seen historically, new starters were NLA either from Nissan or aftermarket dealers, so I was resigned to the fact that I would have to go with another remanufactured version. So the search began. As I expected, all of the normal retail outlets could source a starter for me, but all were remanufactured (early as well as gear reduction style), were all in the $80-$100 range, and all required a core deposit ranging from $20-$30. So I headed over to eBay to see what I could find there. Hundreds of postings came up but on the surface, nothing new. So I hit the "new only" filter and as I expected again, the vast majority of listings were "newly remanufactured". However, as I was getting ready to leave eBay, I did notice one listing that actually said NEW, not remanufactured, so I decided to check them out. The listing was weird as the highlighted vehicles that this was meant for was a series of Massey Ferguson tractors, but further down the listing, sure enough the Nissan 280ZX was also listed. This was a gear reduction starter and so I looked at all of the pics and it almost exactly resembled the OEM one that I had on the car. After some further research I found that the supplier of this is a USA based company called DB Electrical. You can find more about them here but basically they are a distributor of auto electrical components (claim they are the biggest) and have direct relationships with the actual factories: https://www.dbelectrical.com/ After some further research I figured out that there are multiple distributors of this product and all of them list the 78 280Z as well as all years of the 280ZX. I also figured out the part number to be SHI0150. You can see details of it here: https://www.dbelectrical.com/products/starter-for-massey-ferguson-mf1010-mf1020-mf1030-mf1035-tractor.html Ironically, the part number that DB lists, item number 16584, is the exact same part number that O'Reilly's uses on the remanufactured one I purchased from them in Chicago. In any case, I decided to pull the trigger and try one out. DB had the best price $81.41, free shipping, and no core charge. Got it in a couple of days and already have it installed. The build quality is excellent, fit and finish is excellent, and most importantly it works like a champ. I have found only 2 differences from the original, but in the end they really don't matter all that much. The first is that the mounting plate of the starter is a little thicker than the original, so I had to use slightly longer bolts for the install. The only other difference is that the solenoid is clocked slightly differently than the original moving it a little closer to the fender well. No big deal and in fact made it easier to get to the top attachment bolt. All in all, very pleased so far with this upgrade. The only bad news I can give you is that it is manufactured in China and so I won't know for a while how reliable it is going to be, but from the looks of everything, I'm expecting its going to last for a while and can't be any worse than all of the remanufactured ones, which are probably also done in China. Here's some pics for your enjoyment. Hope this helps some others. Mike.

I completely forgot about that. I had talked about it before, but by this time, my brain was full. So I slotted mine some and it's almost back to where it should be. I'm confident with a new set of non-worn guides, I'll be able to make that work fine. Thanks for the reminder!!

I paid $640 shipped, taxes and customs, with the exchange rate. You can buy all the individual pieces of this kit separately, I just chose to buy the the whole thing.

Evidently so in the case you show, but I'm surprised that people don't seem to be ready to accept the possibility of a little chaos theory sprinkled through all this. How about the possibility that Mr Suzuki's pot of yellow paint was running a little low, and that a little bit of thinner was added to save him opening another one? Or that Mr Yamaguchi preferred a thinned consistency whilst traditionalist Mr Mori liked a well-stirred thick daub, and young Mr Ito - who had a late night last night - didn't stir his pot as well as she should have? And all that on just one shift... I think we should be cautious of creating set-in-stone definitions for what are human-added elements subject to natural variation.

S20 had nothing to do with Yamaha ! If Mr. Goertz ‘ s statement were correct, it would have been meant all two-seater , fastback coupe in the world were designed by him , influenced by him after S30 debut. The designers in S30 design team had already known world’s beautiful sports cars and have taste of those essence. The A550X was never be an model which they started to build . And Mr.Goertz left Nissan way before the project, he didn’t touch / teach any part of the S30 body . Mr. Goertz would never be able to answer for our any single question . Those who want to know about , visit here

In that case what "prototype" with a 4cyl engine was sent to the USA, and ended up with a 6cyl engine for production on Katayama's say-so? Nissan's most successful models in the north American market all used 4cyl engines. As I've pointed out, those "couldn't keep up with Freeway traffic", "dangerously slow" and "more power needed" stories come from the first Datsun models sent to the USA in late 1950s. Yes, they were underpowered and Japanese consumers - just as much as anyone else - needed a better product. The likes of Nissan, Toyota, Prince, Honda, Isuzu, Mazda and others were busy making that a reality less than 15 years after the total devastation of war.

Are you citing this as evidence of fact? I'd say it makes it even clearer that we are talking about the work of many hands, most of them not even getting a name-check. Hitoshi Uemura, for example. Personal anecdote: I stood in front of Yutaka Katayama in Japan and listened while he said "I designed it". But he was already well into his nineties and I didn't take it literally. He was standing next to Yoshihiko Matsuo, who didn't bat an eyelid. If we are going to research and curate the history of these cars we have to weight up all evidence and come to a studied and balanced view. Relying on one source - as though it is the font of all truth and wisdom - is just not enough.

So I just thought I'd report back on how it all worked out. As suggested, I removed the valve cover and poured fresh oil all over the cam shaft/rockers. Replaced the cover and topped off the oil/installed new oil filter. Next, I filled up the tank with 15 gallons of fresh ethanol-free gas. Even with a full fuel tank the fuel level still wasn't high enough to allow fuel to flow to the electric fuel pump inlet. So I removed the supply line from the fuel pump inlet and, using a cheap siphon pump, pumped the siphon bulb until fuel flowed to the inlet. Reattached fuel inlet hose to pump. Next I removed the fuel hose from the fuel manifold inlet pipe (just downstream from the fuel filter) and stuck the hose end into a plastic bottle, disconnected the spade connector mentioned above from the starter solenoid and turned the ignition key to start to run the fuel pump long enough to nearly fill the plastic bottle with fresh fuel. Reconnected fuel hose to fuel manifold pipe. Reconnected starter solenoid spade connector. Turned the ignition key to start and engine cranked for about 5-10 seconds before starting up. What a great feeling. Took her down from the jack stands today and drove her down the island for the first time in over a year! Thanks again for all the good advice.

Also got my Jeep cas back from the machine shop. It’s nice and tight on the keyed shaft. Should work perfectly. I used the original dizzy collar as well.

Oh, and I'm not worried about the valve timing. I've got a lathe and I've already verified that I can set-up to bore the locating pin hole: I didn't cut any metal yet, but if I need to, I can adapt to the offset bushings.

A bearing condom?

Been there, done that!

So I’ve had my Z since 1980 and in that time, it’s had 4 colors, original white, Porsche Guards Red, Chevrolet Hugger Yellow and now back to white. I recall 4 engines. The original, two that I built (stockish with compression bump and balancing) and now the Rebello motor. The motor is still out because I decided to repaint the engine compartment and it exceedingly tedious. I’m down to the firewall now though, so we are getting close. My question is, can I stab the engine in with the headers and intake installed? I’ve always done them after it was in. Pictures for interest...

@Av8ferg I just uploaded a drawing of the key to our downloads section at the request of another user. Previously I uploaded models of the lock parts as well. Just sending this in case you need to make your own parts HTH Mike

Charles, Good to hear that someone else has used DB Electric and with positive results / reviews. They are only the distributor in this case but they appear to be a very solid company. Phil, Yes I think you can interchange a number of the individual parts. I was considering using the new motor, solenoid, gears, etc from the new one and the casing from the original Nissan one, but I haven't made that decision yet. Having said that I do think that swap would easily work. Mike.

FWIW, I followed the recommendation of another CZCC member and used HVAC aluminum tape to replace the peeling factory plasti-chrome. I did this two years ago and the job is holding up nicely. The blue plastic 'rib' substrate has to be thoroughly cleaned and degreased to ensure a good result. The tape surface does not respond to polishing, but it has (and retains) a near-chrome sheen. I think you would be hard-pressed to tell the difference from the original unless they were placed side by side. I was very pleased with the results. The challenge with this job is that the blue plastic rib has a highly convex surface contour. Before using the aluminum tape, I tried a 'chrome' tape with a peel-off backing strip that I found in my local auto parts store. It's about 20% shinier than the aluminum tape and would probably be indistinguishable from the OE chrome. Unfortunately, the tape is made from plastic and it's a bit stiff. This is especially noticable across the short dimension of the tape and it wasn't happy being asked to form and lay down over the contour of the blue rib. The adhesive just wasn't up to the task of holding the long edges down and they would almost immediately start to lift. The aluminum tape is metal rather than plastic, so it formed very easily over the rib and there was no 'memory' effect trying to make it go back to flat.

It is a small city "Naantali" where the Moomins stay. Very close to Turku. This is fun. You people know things about Finland. In Youtube Jay Leno tries to prove that people from U.S. think Europe is a country and Paris the capitol of it.

The people care about soccer. The media networks don't because they can't show as many commercials. Still, it is growing despite that. https://www.mlssoccer.com/

It's garbage, but India is not to blame for it.

Thanks everyone, this is very interesting to discuss. When I home , I will write what I think . I need to review Mr. Tamura’s Letters which describe what was happening when he worked so hard on the clay model . That will indicate when and what made S30 went to have six - cylinder engine. And of course I need to read through again Mr. Uemura’s book , Mr. Matsuo’s book ,and old magazines which were featuring an interview to the “ chief “ of design, engineering, marketing, etc . It seems very difficult to have one answer for everyone ( who is the father , mother , or MVP kind of things . I think each one can have whatever who wants in his mind ) . However we are seeing “what and how they did “ and “ who did that “ at that time . Kats

It's been slow but steady on the Z31. After a major hiccup where some of the threads pulled out of the block at 95 of 105 ft lbs on the ARP studs, all holes have been replaced with timeserts. The engine is now assembled and ready to be picked up. Still lots to do on it though of course. Bodywork is coming along and the rear bumper although a significant challenge, has become well worth the extra effort. One of those minor details that will make such an impact on the look of the car. The 86 bumper has been cut into numerous pieces, sectioned and shortened then shaved to replicate a stock 87-89 shaved/shortened bumper that meets the 86 body/tail lights. He wasn't happy with the slope of the top on the first try so he cut the top to add a filler piece so the lines are perfect. The next and last part will be eliminating the front trim from hood/fenders to bumper and massaging the carbon JDM lip to perfectly fit. Then the 920 will be layed down and judging by the Bronco he just finished, it's going to be incredible. Cool feature on the Skyline by my friend Mike Burroughs if anyone is interested. http://www.stanceworks.com/2019/08/brandon-millers-1984-r30-nissan-skyline/

An I6 (L20) was first produced in 1965.( Reference). Planning, design, and development for this engine must have been in 1964 or earlier. S30 design and Nissan I6 are well aligned in time for anyone to say the obvious: "Hey lets put that big engine in that car!".

Try doing this without the needle in place and without the damper in place. Here are some causes of piston binding when dropping. 1. buildup of carbon on dome-to-piston margin. The piston binds in the dome. 2. mechanical alignment of dome (as @siteunseen addressed). The piston binds in the dome. 3. nozzle holder misaligned and hole centre does not align with needle. The needle binds in the nozzle. 4. bent needle. The needle binds in the nozzle. 5. debris in damper tube or damaged damper piston. The small piston in the damper assembly jams in the piston's damper tube. I am guessing #3 or #4 is your problem.

There's only one person to blame for the "Goertz Myth" and that's Goertz himself. He was busy at the 1970 New York show telling anybody who would listen that he had "designed" the 240Z that he was standing in front of. The journalists didn't come up with the story out of thin air...

I've only done one but I used a hammer and lots of tapping. Should have just used my oven and some welding gloves but I had free time.

Don’t worry about chain slack, go for the CR you want . Move the guide to take up slack. Advance cam timing a bunch and roll with it! I have .050+ off my e88 , no shims . Plug in 39cc chamber numbers for the MN47! I got my fingers crossed for my engine .

I do it all at room temp with the hydraulic press. No muss, no fuss. Just money.

Hi Kats: Mr. Hara was also part of the team that brought the first Datsun’s to America in 1958, to see if Datsun’s could be sold here. It was a four member team. Nobe Wakatsuki (Marubeni Trading Co.) and 3 Nissan Engineers: Teiichi Hara (Senior Member of the group) Kuniyuki Tanabe (a disciple of Gorham) Shin Maki If you haven’t read it - David Halberstam’s “THE RECKONING” is a great book about Nissan/Ford. One Chapter “The Victory” (racing with a VW) is devoted to the team that brought Datsun to the USA in 1958. Mr. Hara is one of the people that advised Mr. K to take the assignment in America, to do a market survey in 1960. When ask in 1996 who designed the Z Car - Mr. K responded as shown here: http://www.zhome.com/MrKLetterToBill.jpg FWIW, Carl B.

Sometimes the tie rods are right in the way too.

Hi Kats:I think #2 and #3 are correct. No question that Executives in Japan wanted the S20 for the Sports Car in Japan as Mr. Uemura reports. Mr. Matsuo however tells us that as well in his Z Car Story, only Mr Matsuo reports that Mr. K wanted the L24 for America - so Mr. Matsuo ask what 2.0 liter engine would be used for Japan, and was told to use the S20. So before the Z left the styling studio - it was designed to hold both 6cylinder engines. Then is was up to the Vehicle Development Dept. to figure out how and get it done. Mr. Matsuo writes: = = Quote = = "A Prototype Based On 'Plan A' From 1967, work began in earnest producing full-sized clays based on the Plan A proposal. One of the key Z styling features evolved during this period, namely the "sugar scoop" headlights. The SAE regulations stated they should be 60cm from the ground, but plastic covers were not allowed in America at the time. However, we offered the latter item as an option in Japan. The final clay we produced was very close to the ultimate shape of the Z. Although the body was still a touch narrow, the roofline a little too high, the bonnet much too low to accept the six-cylinder L24 engine, and there remained a lot of detailing to do around the windows and tail-end, I was basically happy with the result By coincidence, at the time of its completion, Mr Katayama was back in Japan to see the 5I0 before It was launched. During his visit, he asked to see the next generation sports car, so we lined up the various clays (including the early ones depicting convertibles), and his eyes went ~- straight to the last one we had built. He said this was just what he needed in America. With Mr Katayama's support, the project finally started to progress and the engineering department became involved. Eventually, by the early Autumn of 1967, we had produced a glassfiber prototype. It was allocated the 'Z' designation (an appellation that would stay with the car throughout its production life). However, when the technical staff arrived to discuss the project, we found a number of problems. Mr Katayama had requested the 2.4 liter L24 power-plant, while the Japanese market had exorbitant taxes on vehicles over 2,000cc. Nissan had just taken over the Prince concern, and we were told to use their two-liter S20 twin-cam unit (this eventually became the famous Z432 model, incidentally). These powerful engines would require a stronger transmission. and the automatic version of the L24-equipped model required a much wider transmission tunnel: this in turn led to a reduction in interior space, so the only solution left open to us was to increase the width of the body. At the same time, the bonnet height had to be altered to accommodate the engines, and the roofline was adjusted to suit. = = end quote = = Mr Uemura tells us that indeed the Z Car was styled first - then the engineering was done - the opposite of the normal vehicle development process. So both the L24 and the S20 for Japan were Executive Management decisions. Mr. K was part of Nissan’s Executive Management team - indeed he was President of Nissan Motor Co. in USA. The English language version is easy to get - just order it on-line. http://www.lulu.com/shop/hitoshi-uemura/datsun-240z-engineering-development/paperback/product-22879948.html FWIW, Carl B.

tips: I recall once jacking the back up at the differential to get better angles when the garage had a low ceiling for the engine crane. Getting the engine as high as possible helps. Ensuring the bottom of the crane can slide under the car to line the engine up on the centre line is important. Do a test run of the crane with no engine first. Sometimes a low air dam is a problem.

Now if only the weather in Texas would cool down!!!

I'm thinking with jonbill on this. Sounds exactly what my 240 did when first bought. The tank was full of crud. After it all settled back down it ran great for about 15 minutes. Buy a fram g2 for a couple of dollars and next time it happens put it on and see if it runs better.

I bought a couple of used control arms recently and wanted to pass this pix along to reinforce the idea that the yellow used by the factory was pretty thin.

I would say that @Mike B will be a great resource for references on this particular car. Hopefully he'll be watching.

I would expect the material of the Z-S rubber mats to be the same as those the very first Export cars, but of course the shape would be different in RHD vs LHD configurations with the details for the pedal areas also differing. Rib pattern area is port-to-starboard rather than fore-to-aft. I think the photo on question might show an extra foot mat over the original full-length mat? Here's the passenger side Z-S floor mat in my 432-R replica for comparison:

It's the 'Seibi' sticker. Maintenance/check precautions. Annoying Nanny State stuff which used to be known as common sense... If the printed writing is still legible its a good pointer to a little-used car I'd say. Enthusiastic cleaning rubbed them bare.

It is an identification plate on the door and is in japanese.

Thanks for all of the input, we actually have 3 other 240Z's 1 1970 and 2 71's. I ahve pics of two of them with one being the white one. I will be looking to sell them as well but doing all of my research to determine proper value for each of them.

I had a thread over on Hybridz about the variations and there are a bunch, with reverse synchro and double synchros on some gears, along with the different ratios and wider gears . And they're not all called 71C, they go all the way up to 71H. The truck variations might have the wider gears, outside of where the 240SX was sold. When nicoclub had all of the Nissan manuals online you could browse through them and see the differences. Nissan got all snooty and claimed copyright, forcing them to remove them from the site.