jcdozier

dhayes5: Sorry, but I can't directly compare the ride quality between stock and stage 1 springs. Concurrent with replacing the springs I also put in new strut inserts and did a complete replacement of rubber bushings with polyurethane. I can tell you that the ride has been significantly improved - feels "tighter" on turns, no more steering wheel wobble on low-speed braking, much less rear dip on acceleration and front dip on braking. As far as I can tell the springs I took off were the thirty-year-old originals. The strut inserts were in sad shape as well - more like trombone slides than shocks. I suspect any spring and insert replacement would have resulted in an improved ride.

2MantZs: I put Suspesion Techniques (Stage 1's, if memory serves) on the little darlin' last year, replacing the original springs. Eyeball only, without actually measuring the ride height, neither my son nor I could tell any difference in the before and after height. Guess the original springs were pretty tired after 30 years....... The son and I also did a complete "polyurethane replacement" along with swapping in Tokiko non-adjustable strut inserts. Right now, the car has no front dam or spoiler. I would prefer the smaller "BRE spook" type that tucks under on the front valance, but I have only seen them in fiberglass. Looks like I will be going with a larger air dam to get urethane, unless I can find a source for a urethane spook.

OOPS! Reference my last post, in case anyone was interested inthe transmission conversion writeup, it is at the ZCar site , not ZDriver.

Thanks. I found a write-up on the conversion into a turbo 280ZX in the "Articles" section over on ZDriver that I'm mulling over. Says use the 82-83 Maxima unit with a shortened drive-shaft from the 84-89 300ZX. I had been thinking of using the Maxima drive-shaft, shortened and with the curent diff "connection" welded on. Any comments on the drive-shaft??

My '71 with the "dealer option" slot aluminum wheels is 25" at all four wheels - no wonder I bottom out on the higher speed bumps!

Yeah, 2ManyZs, I read your post so I know you didn't do it, but the opportunity was just too good to pass up . (Sorry if I offended you.)

"Shutters" sounds like fun . Be sure to let us know how they work when you get them installed. In addition to hood vents, our good friends at MSA offer a couple of different options, (or did - my MSA catalog is 2-3 years old). They had a louvered steel hood - four rows of louvers - for about $400. The also had louvered inspection lids for about $45 + core (i.e., you send them your old ones). The catalog doesn't specify whether it's $45 each or for a pair (who would buy just one ). IMHO the louvered inspection lids would be more for looks than cooling.

Urethane is a better choice for "sloppy" drivers like me. The first time you angle park into a curb (kerb) that's higher than you thought, the fiberglass is probably going to be damaged. Even is you miss the embankments that 2ManyZs favors, there are a surprizing number of "opportunities" out there. If you have already lowered your Z, even some of the more robust speed bumps can be troublesome. I "bottom out" on the speed bumps in the parking lot of the local municipal court, (jury duty, not defendantI ) and the curb at the local post office is a challenge for "normal" cars.

Good advice posted above, especially the reference to ZTherapy. For a good bit less than a set of their state-of-the art SU's, you can get a rebuild kit for the ones you already have. I rebuilt mine last year, and compared to rebuilding something like a Holley 4-barrel, it was a stroll in the park. SU's are simplicity at work, and they work well. IMHO, every SU owner should get a copy of ZTherapy's video "Just SU Carbs" that Scot Bruning made while he owned ZTherapy. With that and a flow meter (MSA sells them) you can tune your own SU's just as well as the "experts" at the Z shops.

Ditto Dan and 2ManyZs on a front spoiler, and it doesn't have to be one of the big ones that replace the bumper and displace the parking lights to work. Besides looks, the rear spoiler is probably better at disrupting the air flow and reducing the amount of fumes sucked back into the car than it is at improving handling at anything less than legal-plus-ten speeds. I have a small hatch-mount rear spoiler on my 240 and I don't have the inside-the-car fume problems so many folks report. Of course, I also have good fuel-tank vent hoses and a good hatch seal............

There are a few Type-1 240's with an auto trans - I have one of them. The "A" auto trans was first used in the Z's starting about September-October 1970, and the Type-1 production continued into early 1971. Fairly early in 1971, Nissan switched to the "B" auto trans, so not many Z's have the "A" trans - most, if not all Type-2 and later Z's will have the "B" auto. If you are like me and have an "A" auto in your Z, too bad. Can't get parts anywhere - MSA says nobody has made any for a loooong time. Parts houses, like NAPA, only have the "B" trans in their reference books. I was planning to get a "B" from the junk yard, have it rebuilt and replace the tired "A" trans. However, after seeing Dutch's and Bean's posts, I think I will start looking for a Maxima overdirve auto trans instead. Anyone know what year Maxima has the right transmission?

TOM: Just think of all the possibilities for the bucks you save by not putting in the stereo..............

In addition to ebay, as suggested by "beandip", both Z-Car and Z-Driver have a "cars for sale" section on their web sites. www.zcar.com www.zdriver.com Good hunting.............

I strongly suggest you take Daniel's advice and fix it fast. One of my sons (the mechanically-challenged one) learned to pay attention to the ammeter the hard way - blew the side of the battery out. We had a major clean-up job, with LOTS of baking soda to neutralize the battery acid. Even if your battery doesn't leak, or worse, explode, overcharging causes the electrolyte to boil. That isn't condusive to long battery life.

I have a '71 240-Z that "lost" it's shroud sometime in an earlier life. When I had stop-and-go overheating problems, I installed a thermostatically-controlled fan in front of the radiator - "cured" the overheating problem for me. "Pull" is probably a little better than "push", but I didn't have the room on the back side of the radiator.

STOCK_Z: Take a look at www.zdriver.com - their "cars for sale" list has 62 entries. You might find something there.

I, too, am the owner of a "great pumpkin" 240-Z (1971 Type-1). I almost passed on it because if the color, (and the automatic transmission) but I had been looking for six months and was weary of the search. Over time the color has grown less objectionable, (or perhaps that's the onset of senility). My sons still occasionally tell me the color looks like something one finds in a baby's diaper, but they still drive it when their ride is in the shop. This is another 240-Z that won't get a second look at the car shows, but then I didn't buy it to show it - I bought it to drive. Except for the Mallory electronic distributor and Promaster coil, almost none of my "upgrades" are visible, (ok, I painted the 4WD calipers red and they can be seen through the slots in the wheels). It does have the slot "mag" wheels and a small rear-hatch spoiler, and since it is third on the list for the 2-car garage, it also has louvers on the hatch to save the carpet from sun damage. I have considered a color change, but to do that right the car has to be disassembled. More than the bucks involved, the time without the ride has been the reason I haven't done that. Maybe I should get another 240 for a ride while this one is "down" for the color change?

These 4WD creations keep poping up - this is the second I have seen this year. I have a 240-Z and a 4WD Toyota 4-Runner - I wonder how difficult it would be.................???

One event in March, six in April?

No rust - L28 engine - electronic ignition - 5-speed - new cluch -only one small body ding - looks good in the pictures. Even if you have to pay a little more than $2500, it LOOKS like a pretty good deal. I'd say it is worth an hour's drive to check it out.

Great pictures, Bill. It looks somewhat better than the early version, but it's still butt-ugly. (And I'm not referring to JLo's butt, either.) Did all of the current automobile designers have mothers who were frightened by a big triangle? Seems round and square lights are a thing of the past.

I had the same kind of problem with my 240 when I bought it - couldn't put more than six gallons in the tank without gasoline running on the ground. The problem was the vent lines - replaced them and was able to top off the tank at anytime. As KMACK points out, the longer vent line taps in just above the tank seam. My experience is that it is the one to go first and also most often - mine is weeping now. You'll need to remove the inside rear panel and the inside passenger-side panel at the back of the car to get access. MSA has replacement lines.

Carl Beck has a write-up on insurance at the IZCC site (www.zhome.com). Scroll down the left side to Collectible Car Insurance.

I have what looks to be the same slot rims on my 240. They were tapped by a PO for the screw-on caps. I replaced the old, discolored caps last year with a set of the MSA ones. I didn't order the "Z" paste-ons - I like the "clean" look, (and besides, I don't care if anyone else can't figure out if my car is a Z). If you're after the original look, why not get the MSA's now and add the "Z" later when they get them in stock?

PETERPIT: Glad you found your part. I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 25 years, and while there I almost exclusively used MSA. I found the Z Barn while looking for something closer to where I am now (Clemson, SC) - shipping from MSA in CA ain't cheap. Now I usually check with Z Barn first - with a big boneyard they're great for used parts. For info, I understand Courtesy Nissan (Richardson, TX) offers a discount to IZCC members. They have a website - www.courtesyparts.com - I haven't used them, so I can't comment. For used parts, Eric Neyerlin in Pt. Richmond, CA also has a website - www.zparts.com - I haven't bought from Eric either, so I can't comment further. Eric also has some informative repair articles on his site.