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Got tires this week

Here's another great S30.world article, this time focusing on the development of the 'Euro' spec Datsun 240Z, exploring the circumstances which necessitated its creation and the people behind it. It includes some - precious! - original hand-written development note documents which we are privileged to have access to after all this time, thanks to our fellow member @kats Very nicely put together and written up by another of our fellow members here Nils @JDMjunkies.ch Tip of the hat to Florian at S30.world too. This is a topic not often acknowledged let alone discussed, and yet it is a fascinating window into a significant part of the S30-series Z's family tree. Recommended reading: https://s30.world/articles/european-spec-datsun-240z

It's quite hard to pin a current market value on a 432 or 432-R, but - in Japan, where the majority of them reside - they can change hands privately for stratospheric (in S30-series Z terms) figures. The 432-R is often valued at three or four times that of a 'normal' 432, but there's a limited data reference as so few Rs are sold 'on the record' and in public view. Japanese buyers and sellers can be very secretive (most individuals are circumspect with regard to their personal financial circumstances) and quite a few of these cars have been owned by people who are now of senior age, coming to the end of their safe driving life. That's a situation that can be taken advantage of by younger family members, friends and/or people in the old car business. @kats can tell you of a case late last year where a genuine 432-R, owned by an elderly gentleman, was bought at an unusually low price (by somebody in the right place at the right time) and was very soon being 'flipped' at a three or four times multiplied figure. Sad that the elderly vendor didn't get a more honest buyer. I feel that it's important for these cars to go to good homes, which I guess is not always about money. And that's something we can also say about this 'PS30-00218' for sale via Takeey's. It may well have a cloud over its authenticity (which all hinges on whether it's chassis number has been altered or not...) but it exists, is an attractive car in it's own right - nothing wrong with a 432-R 'tribute'/'replica' - and as long as any new owner knows exactly what they are buying, and the price paid reflects that, then OK. It just needs to find that 'Mr Right'.

Finally got my car back from a long repair and restoration cycle. Paul Krimmer (Z Car Guy Cinci) did a fantastic job of restoring my 72 240Z back to "Better than New"condition. I purchased my 72 back in 2012, and it came equipped with a 2.7L motor, Schneider Stage 2 cam, headers, 5 speed and limited slip rear end. Last June I was taking pictures at the Mid Ohio Race Track, and my car was hit from behind during a noontime parade lap! Other guys insurance paid for the damage. When the car is the shop during the winter months, more things I wanted fixed for a long time finally got done. The original riveted-on side trim strips were deleted, entire car including air dam and engine bay completed a glass-out respray in "Arrest Me Red". Looking forward to the driving season - lots of activities coming up.

This is a little bit wide of the mark, but how about this Z on an album cover...

Sorry for geeking out. I was on a roll. 😄

ECCS was first used on the 430-series Nissan Cedric in Japan (June 1979). ECCS stands for Electronic Concentrated (Engine) Control System. Electronically-controlled (via an ECU) injection was introduced on a 230-Series Nissan Cedric 'EL' model at the 1970 Tokyo Motor Show: Nissan was actively using a system ECGI (Electronic Controlled Gas Injection) back in 1971. Nissan group affiliate Diesel Kiki licensed the Bosch D-Jetronic system patents and re-engineered it to use with double and triple sidedraught throttle bodies on competition cars:

Hi Steve, This is a well-known - perhaps I should say somewhat 'notorious' - car with some er, baggage... I have it down in my notes as having a "re-stamped" (re-engraved?) firewall chassis number, and there has been a fair amount of gossip about the car between interested parties over a few years. I have photos of the car from when it was for sale in 2018, so it's been knocking around ostensibly 'For Sale' for a good few years now. The website you link to is actually for a somewhat parasitic forwarding company, hoping to get in on the sale of the car and the shipping/handling thereof and taking a margin from both seller and buyer. Best to look at the car with the actual seller, well-known Japanese old car vendor 'Takeey's' based in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka prefecture. Here's their website: http://takeeys.com/index.html ...and here's the car for sale (price = 'ASK'...) on the Takeeys official site: https://www.goo-net.com/php/search/spread.php?baitai=0600834&area_cd=15&goo_car_id=700060083430240917001&ef_flag=1 Chassis number 'PS30-00218' is a genuine chassis number, but - more specifically - it is a known and official chassis number for a PS30-SB 'Fairlady Z432-R', the very limited production super lightweight variant of the 432. Genuine 432-Rs are on another level in terms of rarity, desirability and market value in comparison with 'ordinary' 432s. However, there are question marks around this particular car. You will note that Takeey's are not claiming it in writing as being a genuine 432-R. They are selling it as a '432', which it almost certainly is. The question is whether a standard 432 has been 'sexed up' with many 432-R specific parts and details and has - nefariously - assumed the identity of 'PS30-00218' which was a genuine 432-R. We can spot many 432-R specific details and parts on the car (console delete, trans tunnel-mounted ignition switch, plain vinyl trans tunnel cover, spare wheel well delete, 100 litre tank, etc etc etc - there are too many to list) but only a genuine 432-R would have the super lightweight type bodyshell with its thinner gauge sheetmetal. Almost impossible to fake that. @kats will be able to tell you much more than me, and perhaps a little more diplomatically!

I suspect that JAlex's problems may be the result of poor local fuel quality combined with local high-temp conditions. Not sure that any of us are qualified to provide proper guidance on that combination. Maybe not even Nissan. It may prove difficult to find qualified tech help in Panama. That said, I hope the new mechanic proves to be up to the task and this will end with JAlex piloting Panama's best Z on his local streets and highways.

After exchanging emails several times with Chris at s30 it was determined that the initial gas tank shipment was lost. They finally resent it about a week ago and now they estimate that it should arrive the first week of May (per Chris in today's email). Twelve weeks after my initial order. It's a good thing i wasn't in a big hurry. They say they have added the door rubber strips and emergency cable to make up for the inconvenience. I'm out of town for two weeks starting tomorrow. I'll post an update if/when this thing shows up. Rodger

Don't forget the "black box" or the "voodoo" part. "Dr. Bosch's Black Box of Analog Voodoo and Wizardry". That's what makes the engine go vroom. * "DBBBOVAW"

I'm just going off what here. They call it an ECU. My FSM calls it a "control unit". Either way, the analog wizardry box that makes the engine go vroom.

Time to put gas in it and build fuel and oil pressure. As I was siphoning gas into the tank, I decided to check the fuel gauge, turned the key, and watched my oil pressure gauge slowly rise. The fuel gauge did nothing. After freaking out a little bit thinking did I mix up the wires somewhere? Got my spare gauges out and the connectors on the back are the same, but the oil pressure/temp gauge has 4 wires instead of the 3 wires going to the amp/fuel gauge. So I stuck my head up behind the dash with a light and saw they were connected correctly. I unhooked my oil pressure wire at the engine and now I had no oil pressure showing. This car came with a NOS oil gauge press sending unit that I had installed. I put my original sending unit back on and now the gauge zeroed when I turned the key. I moved the connectors a bit at the tank, now my fuel gauge worked. The NOS gauge I had is part #25078-32200. Found out that's not for this car, maybe for a 280z. If anyone needs it, I don't. I removed the spark plugs, the valve cover and cranked the engine over. No oil getting to the cam oiler, which is a Michael Yoes upgrade. I did a little research here and someone mentioned galley plugs. That's the first I've ever heard of them. Were they removed and if so were they replaced? I don't know. I called my machinist who did the block and asked him if he removed the galley plugs. He said, "of course I did! it's standard procedure!" I asked him if he replaced them, "Of course not, that's the assemblers job!" Oh no! I don't remember anything about galley plugs, did they come in my kit? So, After a little more research I found out there are 2 galley plugs, 1 in front, 1 in back. I found a picture I took of assembly, the timing chain, and aha! there's a galley plug in it. Found a picture of the back and the plug is there. They were never removed, thank God! I did not want to pull the engine again. So, I found a great tip here, which was to remove the oil filter. Get a piece of clear hose and stick it in the hole to the galley and shove it as far forward as it will go. Get a small funnel, and fill it with oil until no more oil will go in. I did that, re-installed the filter, and the valve cover and cranked it over. I immediately felt a change, I had oil pressure, my pressure gauge went up. I guess I had to prime the pump. Next I took a vacuum pump and sucked fuel from the tank to the filter. I removed the fuel pump and connected a hose to it into a jug of gas. Back filled it with gas and let it soak in a bit, then pumped with my hand. I had gas squirting out in force! Reinstalled the fuel pump. Cranked it over a bit until I had gas in the carbs. Got some distilled water and started filling my radiator. Used just water because I didn't want antifreeze everywhere when I found the hose clamps I forgot to tighten. Turns out, the water pump seal had dried up and water came pouring out that little hole. Several day later, which was only 2 weeks ago as of this writing, I get my new Aisin water pump from Rockauto and install it. Fill up the radiator, no leaks. It's time! I turned the key and It didn't even make 1 revolution and fired right up! Wow! It started revving up so I shut it right down. My linkages needed adjusted. Got the idle down and after adjusting the clutch a bit, drove this thing out of my shop on it's own power. Yahooo!

For best life and to minimize vibration, drivelines should operate at a slight angle, and not be perfectly inline. The small angle is to ensure that all of the needle bearings will see load and rotate. When I design drivelines for industrial applications I use about 2 degrees of parallel misalignment. That said the likelihood of an automotive driveline being perfectly aligned is probably zero.

I think that part of the disconnect here might be that Mike is a social media focused guy who happens to like Z cars, while many of the more active members here are car guys who just use the internet to learn about and talk about cars. In the end it's a compromise between the two mindsets. As for the drop in activity it might be that what several of us have mentioned plays a part. In social media world you're supposed to stay "logged in" at all times, permanently engaged. In internet privacy world you stay logged out until you feel the need to engage. With the current state of CZCC.com if you click on a link to see what the latest posts say while you're logged out you get taken to the first post in a thread no matter how long it is. You have to log in or go through the hassle of scrolling and clicking to get to the new stuff. So, many of us just bail out and click on some other internet site. In short, the site is just harder to use now, less enjoyable. Instant gratification has been diminished. Overal though the site is still one of the better car-based sites on the inernet. I visited zcars.com a while ago and it is chaotic. Even after you find a sub-forum that you might be interested in viewing it has about 20 pinnned threads that you have to scroll through to find the new stuff. The "Topics Last ..." format at least avoids that, although I did see some pinned threads here that confused me. It wasn't obviuos that they were pinned. Also, while I'm here, and I've already mentioned this, potential new members have to pay $10 to join. If you're searching around the internet to talk about your new Z car, you can join Hybridz or zcar.com for free. Pretty obvious that people will do that first. So, fewer new names popping up, just us old-timers here resisting change.

I like to view the last 24 hours looking for something I might can help with. Now it just shows the title and nothing else as far as questions or brief parts of the question. I miss that. Well, well, well now...Just figured it out. You need to have an instructions page for using the forum. LOL! If you click the box to the right in the smaller red circle it goes back to what I like. Who posted and a few sentences about what they said. Below is a screen grab after I figured it out. A few minutes ago it just said "Lily build" Zed Head posted a post (which is kind of silly sounding, maybe redundant)? "Zed Head posted in a topic". It's my nutty brain that sees these odd to me small things. Time to eat dinner was my first one when I was a kid. "time to eat dinner" what the hell else you supposed to do with it? It used to look like this and I didn't like it.

Black/yellow - 12VDC switched from key in START. Black/white - 12VDC switched from ignition relay. The ignition relay coil is energized by the key in ON.

Any time! LOL

Thanks everyone. I’ve identified #4 as p/n 30501-K0401. Still available through Nissan. Should have it by Friday. Still available since it Fits later model cars and trucks. I’m running the T5 transmission from a 83 ZX 280et. I’ll report back once everything comes in. Thanks for the help. Much appreciated.

The mice chewed the warped spare tire cover, so my daughter and I went to home depot and bought a 4' x 8' sheet of 3/16" pressed hardboard. It looks identical, might be a hair thinner. Traced my old one and made a new one

Captain! Yes, they did completely rebuild it. It cost a little more than I was quoted because they said the plastic reservoirs were brittle, and cracked. Thank you for the information, I knew it was probably from car #1042, but I didn't know there was another version. I appreciate all the help you and others have been on this project. PM me your address and I'll send you a couple choke handle screws. 1 for using and 1 for losin.

Disconcerting that your AFM numbers went a little leaner when you tightened everything up. The tightening might be related, or it might be a red herring. But disconcerting either way. So did you ever try giving it a little bit of choke enrichment with the lever while you're driving? Does it react as expected and the numbers come down?

Yesterday I gave #957 an overdue wash/detail, top and bottom. I've had six months of ownership, and been caught in the rain a few times during the 700 miles I have put on her so far.

Completely dismantled, cleaned, and lubricated. Motor checked for correct operation. The damaged OE antenna mast was replaced with a aftermarket stainless steel unit. The top section of the mast was rethreaded to accept a 240Z bullet tip. This is a six section mast, the same length as OE. A new drain tube is installed. Note: The mast has a different profile and finish from the OE chrome mast so it is not correct for a 100% stock restoration. $275 with standard domestic shipping. Payment via PayPal. Comparison of OE mast on the left and replacement on the right:

Thanks for that info, Mark. So, it seems like I should focus my efforts on the driveshaft. While I had the driveshaft shortened and balanced by a reputable driveshaft shop, I am thinking I will need to have it checked. There are actually several driveshaft shops near me, I found out today. I also am unsure if the alignment of the transmission to the differential is off. I need to check left to right of each as well as vertical angles of the rear of the transmission and the front of the differential. Raising the engine a small amount from stock (via the new motor mounts) may be a factor. I am going to buy a digital inclinometer to help with figuring these angles out.

Another great share, Alan. I caught a glimpse of the link to the article on Facebook, but I didn't have the time to click on it then. I know there are plenty of us who appreciate the chance to understand what was different in other markets and why. Thank you @JDMjunkies.ch for making the time to write the article.

For some reason, I can't locate my pictures of this, but the hardest part was finding the rubber. It's in Australia somewhere. Lol, sorry but I also misplaced my receipt. Edit: It's called "Old Auto Rubber" Update: Found it! Here's the part number, the old rubber, haha and the new one. I took a razor blade and sliced off this protrusion all the way along. Now it matches real close. Okay, get a dremel tool and grind or sand the staple folds or if the heads of the staples holding the rubber are showing, I took a small cutoff wheel and ground the heads of the staples off so the rest of the staple can be pushed through. Remove the old rubber strip. Then I had some T-50 staples, I took the same cutoff wheel and made them the correct length, even pointed the ends. I cut my rubber strip to length, held it in place and I believe I took a small drill bit and going through the staple hole in the stainless moulding, drilled through ther rubber. After installing that staple, and crimping it over with small pliers, I continued that process until all the staples were replaced. I remember in the YouTube Video I saw, he used rivets. I thought they would stick out too far, so I went like the original, with staples.

I think I would richen that mildly with the mixture nuts. I wouldn't really want to be on the lean side of 14.7 except on deceleration

Carefully stripped of previous finish to preserve wood fibers in the rim. No cracks, scratches, or gouges. The rim was refinshed with two coats of hand-rubbed, oil-based stain, topped with two coats of gloss spar urethane, wet sanded amd hand polished. The spokes and hub are refinshed in two coats of SEM Satin Black. The horn mechanism is original and in very good condition (no horm pad). $385 includes standard domestic shipping, payment via PayPal.

Looks great Jim!

I've been busy dealing with life recently, but that doesn't mean I forget spending money on more or less useless automobilia :-) First, the Japanese L-series Service manual. I have it in various language, but never had "the original" one from JP. And since it popped up for a reasonable price, I had to have it. Then i got another Datsun Switzerland price list. This time from April 1980. As usual, you can find all of them scanned in high-resolution for free download, here Some may know my List of various Japanese L6 Intake manifolds, carb kits and Turbo / Surge tank kits. And thanks to a hint, I recently acquired this lovely Japanese printed ad from the very first FET / HKS Turbo Kit. You can read a lot about it in my Intake / Turbo surge tank post, here. Thanks to a hint from Mymechanix, i got a beautiful Differential strap. The originals are usually worn out, and this replacement belt from Aliexpress has the perfect fitments and dimensions. All other alternatives come either in a leather look or rubber, this one is much closer to the original design. Unfortunately the surface is glossy and has some prints on it (see the one on the left) so i will try to sand it down, to get as close to the original look as possible.

I found this and thought it was cool... so here I am sharing it with y'all

Or just log in... What's the point of using guest mode?

Just thinking through the option of adding a longer duration of time that the piston takes too drop - that would occur with higher weight oil. Probably wouldn't be the way to address the issue, because it would only add say another second or so (just guessing), before the piston would reach the same point of travel (and the needle reach the same point inside the nozzle) where it goes really lean. I found I was able to tighten all of the nuts holding the carbs to intake manifold as well as the intake manifold and header to the engine. Some I was able to tighten nearly a quarter of a turn. I fired the engine up after that, and I got a wildly different AFR at idle. So! It was raining and I didn't want to take the car out. I will revisit and see if I tightening up those things has perhaps eliminated an air/vacuum leak.

I love it when a plan comes together! Fully operational below dcoe throttle body actuator for DBW ITB. Mostly hidden!

Thanks Guys, ya CanTechZ I saw the note, thanks again. I had a hell of a time with my first set on installation but that was definitely a "me" thing so Chris was super kind to send me a replacement of the rubber side. I will definitely have a second set of hands with me to preserve the integrity of the the 90 degree joint, plus I'll move the car into the driveway for way more space. I'm really looking forward to installing these seals, and I also have an S30 fuel tank to install as when I restored mine, I have always felt there is powder coat inside the tank that continually fills my filters way too soon so I went nuclear with one of their reproduction tanks. It looks really nice, too. Cheers

I have done mine although my door hardware is not complete yet. But they are very nice and soft and latch like factory weatherstrips

Click on X hours ago - go to post that happened X hours ago Click on title of thread - go to first post in thread This how most other forums work, across the internet. This is how CZCC used to work, logged in or not. We've all become used to this format. Something changed when you started customizing.

Plus 1 on the drop down menu's at the top

I really got into following the Peking to Paris Rally when Chris Bury and his father built a car for the rally.

Hey guys, yes the biggest challenge is competing with the social media sites. As I've been thinking about our approach I want this place to continue and promote our strength. Our strength is our knowledge and large database of ideas and experience. This comes in the form of information and users who are pro's at what we do. I am far from a social media guy but it doesn't hurt to try new ideas. The best ideas will stick. In an effort to remain relevant in our purpose, we need to keep up with our code. Some of the new ideas that I've tried over the past several months is a result of new software features. Today I implemented a new idea putting the menu on the left side (desktop users only). Let me know what you think. I've also gone back to the traditional forum views since it seems nobody really likes the hybrid 'feed' views on the main page. I agree the subforum navigation (with checkboxes) was pretty confusing so I also reverted back to the traditional format. If it works better, then I think we should stick with what we are good at. Our content was based on a forum view, so that's what I'll stick to. This place will always remain free to browse. New members are no longer required to pay money to join. I originally did that about a year ago to protect our members from fraudulent accounts and scams. As you can tell, we have been seeing an uptick in spam bot accounts so I need you to continue helping me identify those. We do have an anti-spam account check but some bots have gotten through. However, if we can make this place easier for legit new members, it's a risk I'm willing to take. Lastly, guys remember this place costs me money every month. I've been doing my best to keep ads at a bare minimum but it will be impossible to exist without them. I've also got a good relationship with MSA but I have a feeling they will be focusing on the forums that bring in real sales this year. So we have to prove we are worthy of their support. Our interests are very similar, we are the go-to online resource for the Classsic Z, and they are the go-to resource for parts. I appreciate all of your feedback and have made adjustments as result. Let's keep up the healthy feedback and we can continue forward. As I learn new programming techniques, I'm sure there will be more. ;) Mike

I admire that you're spending so much time with Tres Hombres. ❤️

I have a bookmark set to show me unread content with my preferences. I also agree, traffic seems down. I know there is an S30 forum on Facebook and I have seen members posting there. Maybe that is slowing traffic on CZC? I would rather be here than Facebook!

Update to this thread is that Chris at s30 has responded. He said I should have received the tank long ago, checking the warehouse to se what happened. shipment is insured. Fingers crossed.

To SteveJ , unfortunately i have to agree with your language joke as being right on. There is another one about two Americans visiting England and having trouble understanding the locals. They finally said to the person "we don't speak English, we're from America". And so it goes.

You can reach out to them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/s30.world

The one above goes down inside the speedo cog housing, the O-ring goes on the outside where it slides up into the transmission from what I remember. espirist shows it here: I found a picture of the O-ring I'm thinking about. Uploading Attachment...

Maybe this seal? https://www.thezstore.com/product/3008/factory-speedometer-pinion-o-ring-small-70-86-240z-260z-280z-280zx-300zx There is also an O ring that I think goes in the cable end. IIRC

I needed to tweak my hold down bracket a bit but this Noco NLX24 look and fits great! Yes, it’s a Group 24 but the top is 12mm smaller in both directions so it needs shimming. I bought a sheet of 6mm thick rubber and sliced shims for the top, which I held in place with some RTV. I cut the leftovers into pads to raise the battery 6mm so the bracket is horizontal. Fits like it’s supposed to be there. I just need to get the ground strap back on, which will be a cinch since this has four posts. Good stuff.