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Don't forget to grind back the shifter base above the pivot (fore and aft), or it will hit the casing - at least my 75 shifter in the 280ZX 5 speed did

I use a razor to temove the trim. Don't try to remove it from an old weatherstrip otherwise or you will warp it

I used the one from vintage rubber, and I was happy with it. I think it was $150 or so, which is a good compromise compared to $400🫤 I installed with dash in place using the typical rope method. As far as removal, carefully remove the stainless trim pieces, then use any manor of razor blades, putty knives, flat heads, etc to remove the old brittle rubber, being careful to not chip or crack the windshield.

This is good avice. You don't even need to put the clip on the pin. You can check it before the transmission is installed. It will be obvious. But, loose bushings will make it worse.

Sorry I wasn't clear - I used 2 short & two long - my pic had 5 - 3 short, but I only used 2 of those. 4 in total

I'm thinking theres a fuel vapor leak and its being pulled into the cabin in the same way as exhaust does with that vortex that forms in the back or via the firewall as my grommets are old. Either way its definitely a gasoline smell and not exhaust which is why I was curious about the gasoline vapor smell. My garage also smells like fuel when the car sits in there overnight. That said, if we're talking about cereal box gaskets, I'm more of a frosted mini-wheat guy and heres why - stick with me here - it's the only cereal where you're not hungry after about 30 minutes. That cereal has substance, I'm tellin ya, with sugar infused to make it palatable.

There's no fuel in the cabin so if that's where you smell it it's gotta be the weatherstripping. Easy way is to extend the tailpipe, maybe turn it down too. The rear hatch is usually the suspect. If it's under the hood, most likely the cold start injector if everything else is right. You can make a new gasket out of a cereal box or gasket material. I used Fruity Pebbles or Coco Puffs, can't remember? Stay away from bran.

Thank you all for your comments regarding the suspension and the carb restoration. I have some good ideas now how to proceed. Vapor or dry-ice blasting seems to be a good solution. For the moment, they will remain in the box until i completed some other projects. So a few days ago, I got this delivery of a Nissan Factory adjustable Competition / Sports option / NISMO suspension set, and I finally found the time to do the research. First some Details, I got the two sets (front and rear) from two different sellers in JP, and it's a lucky coincidence that they actually fit / belong together. The Part numbers are: Front: 54303-E4622 & 54302-E4622 (Atsugi) Rear: 55303-E4622 & 55302-E4622 (AMPCO) On all four strut housings, each of the two platforms / adjustment rings are adjustable in height, and none is fixed, like they are on some other kits. I assume that those sets were made by both Atsugi and AMPCO, that's why they have two different brands stamped on them, as most factory suspension for the Z was available from both suppliers at the same time. The suspension set is listed in the January 1978 US sports option catalogue as "Gas variable type" and you can also see the Spring length of 171,5mm (front) and 205.5mm (rear). The same set is also listed in both Marc and September 1978 Japanese sports option catalogues. It is also mentioned that those parts are approved for Group 3 / closed circuit racing and are harder than the factory suspension setup and allows you to lower the car. The older race and rally preparation manual still lists the predecessor with the end numbers -E4621. Please note that the springs remained the same -E4621, even with the new -E4622 suspension. As the older -E4621 is also listed in the March 1976 Competition parts catalogue, my guess is that this kit was introduced around in 1976 or 1977. According to Alan Thomas, the term "gas filled" refers to a system where the "open design" dampers are oil-filled but gas-charged to help stop the oil from foaming during heavy race use. Unfortunately, the previous owner opened the rear suspension and now that gas is gone. See here for more details on the open / cartridge strut inserts comparison: https://www.jdmjunkies.ch/wordpress/2017-01-19/240z-the-ultimate-guide-to-factory-suspension-and-options/. According to Alan, there are companies that add a threaded hole to the upper strut section with a valve, so you can add gas again later. But he also mentioned, that the Gas is only really required for heavy race use and it will work without it. Alan was also kind enough to share this photo of the factory gas filling setup / tool. To be honest, i don't really know how it works but it looks nice 🙂 You may have noticed that the front struts came with these additional aluminum spacer disks. According to the above competition manuals (Part no 12), those were used on two-seaters built after 1974 and all four-seater cars, but they were meant to be used on the Rear suspension of the car. It appears that people used them also in the front to gain additional ride height. The competition manual mentions that they are made from aluminum (which mine are) and are 20mm thick. I quickly measured the thickness, and it appears I was lucky to get a free set of probably rare Nissan competition spacers included with my suspension. Remember that mystery adjustable suspension I bought a while ago? I never figured out which car it belongs to. It seems it's not listed in any of the competition / NISMO / Sports option catalogues i found. But now, i finally got to compare them, and it appears that it's definitely not for the 240Z / Fairlady Z. (Left = Mystery, right = 240Z) The length of the strut housing, the length of the thread, the strange upper mounts, and most obviously the brake caliper / brake dust protection shield mounts are completely different. Also, the mystery set got an integrated switch to adjust some settings. Lower = mystery, Upper = 240Z: Since the mystery set is quite incomplete (it only came with one spring, some of the adjustment rings seem not to be original, etc). I think the best I can make out of it is to keep the original adjustment rings from the mystery set as spares for my original set. The smaller, lower adjustment rings have a strange size of 101mm. That shiny one, which seemed to be an aftermarket / homemade item, had a diameter of 100mm, while all original Nissan ones had 101mm. So I'm very happy now to have a complete set, even though from two different manufacturers, but that doesn't really matter, as it's only a small stamp on the strut housing which is different. I will yet have to figure out how I can restore them back to factory, especially the strut inserts might be tricky to find a good solution, but it's definitely doable and definitely worth to bring back this set to former glory. A big hat-tip goes out to Alan for all the Inputs and the nice photos. Your knowledge is of huge value to me, a and I owe you at least a gin-tonic next time we sit at a bar again!

I have lots of pics of the car. Just let me know what you would like to see, and I can post them. Here are a few body shots.

#1 at my house way back when. Now I'm a Frosted mini-wheats guy too, no milk, straight out of the box. No dairy...how bad that sucks, I miss cheese.