jcdozier

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.

You might consider giving the folks at Z Barn a call (1-800-247-2793 9-5 EST). They have a web site - www.zbarn.com.

Oh, yeah - Christmas again! (Too bad Santa doesn't pay the bills.) I find I have to ration my time with the catalogue - it's chock full of goodies I would like to have.

I went with the Tokiko non-adjustable strut inserts - they were the most reasonably priced back when I was looking around. I also went with Suspension Techniques springs - they supposedly only lower the car about 1.5 inches. After 30 years, the old, tired original springs were already sagging the 1.5 inches, so I can't tell any difference between the before and the after look. I also replaced all of the old rubber bushings, including the steering rubber, with polyurethane while doing the suspension project. The handling improvement was significant. Good luck with your project.

Like 2ManyZs, I have the MSA coolant reservior. Also like 2ManyZs, I haven't installed it in the car. The "logical" location on the driver's side closest to the radiator cap is already occupied by the big Promaster ignition coil. Lots of room on the opposite side of the engine bay - probably have to relocate the voltage regulator - but it's a long tubing run and across the radiator. I'll probably wind up putting it in front of the radiator mounting panel (I know there's a proper name for the sheet metal panel across the front of the engine bay, but I don't know what it is). If the one from Pegasus is smaller, it is probably a better choice than the big MSA unit - smaller will give you more options for a mounting spot.

Akir-ra: Now you know one of the reasons the early Z's came with a 15-inch diameter steering wheel. You'll want to check your tire pressure often. Parallel parking will give you a mini-workout, especially if you have wide tires or low pressure.

BadDog: Congrats on the "new" car. In addition to MSA and VicBrit, you might want to look at the Z Barn - they're in Tennessee which might give you a break on shipping over, say, MSA. No catalogue - their web site is www.zbarn.com - they have some new stuff and lots of used parts. I've had good experiences with them. Eric Neyerlin is another source for used parts, but he's in California - www.zparts.com. I haven't dealt with him, so I can't give a recommendation.

The threaded rod w/ flat washers & nuts spreader is a good tip for getting the front control arm back in place. The control arm comes out MUCH easier than it goes back in. As far as removing the pin in the outer strut mount on the rear, 2ManyZs may be a master at understatement, ("a little work and patience....."). You may want to schedule a full afternoon and a case of beer for that job, (a six-pack won't be enough).

2ManyZs comments about the fan shroud are spot on. Mine "disappeared" when I had the Z-shop install the oversized radiator, and was probably a big contributor to my overheating problem. The electric fan cured the problem, so I didn't worry about the shroud. (It's still on my list of things to get someday.) I picked up a vapor lock trick from a Nissan mechanic - insulate the two metal fuel lines that run along the top of the engine. The quick and dirty way is to wrap them with plain old kitchen aluminum foil. Looks tacky, but works - someday I will get the real insulation tubing and put it on (it's on that list too).

guy_geo: If your question is about installing an electronic ignition, and that ignition is something like the Mallory Unilite, the short answer is you can do it yourself in an hour or so. I have the Mallory Unilite electronic distributor and a Promaster coil on my 240-Z. The whole installation took less than two hours, and that was double checking everything as we went along, (plus the required beer breaks). No "playing with electric stuff" worries - an electrician is not required. The units come with step-by-step instruvtions and easy-to-read diagrams. As was pointed out in an earlier post, the after-market electronic ignition systems aren't cheap - paying a mechanic to install it would be a little like adding insult to injury. OBTW, I used to keep lots of the old parts for "emergency replacement" too. Don't do that any more. Replaced all that old junk with an AAA card and a cellular phone.

Sorry you didn't get the car, but a bad interior is harder to fix up than a lot of the other rough spots. Your mention of dynomax rang a bell somewhere way back in the grey matter, so I went to www.google.com and entered DYNOMAX - it returned the Dynomax muffler folks web site. Try www.dynomax.com. You might want to refer back to it when you get the new Z.

I guess I'm just one of those superficial types, but I believe life is too short to drive an ugly car. (I'm also one of those who thinks every change Nissan made to the appearance of the original 240-Z was for the worse.) I have been following the picture trail and IMHO, the 350-Z is just plain butt-ugly, both inside and out.

$20,000 is a lot to pay for Z-car that's almost 30 years old. Most of us with grease under our fingernails either don't have the $20,000 or or wouldn't spend it for a car that we can't tinker with. I know I would rather have a Z that I could "improve" with things like electronic ignition, Suspension Techniques springs, Tokiko strut inserts, etc. than one merely to maintain in pristine original condition. I know there are those out there who value the original restoration, and I can respect that - life would be pretty boring if we all had the same values and opinions, wouldn't it?

I think the heat problems started with the 260's that had all of the new emisions controls, although some 240's (mine) and some 280's have also had heat problems. My early 240Z would overheat in stop-and-go traffic during the summer. I back-flushed the coolng system, went to a larger radiator (the original 240 radiator was pretty wimpy) and installed a thermostat-controlled electric fan on the radiator and cured my overheating problems. There are hundreds of Z's out there running with the plain bonnet. So long as your cooling system is "clean", you shouldn't have a problem. The electric fan is an easy installl that can provide extra cooling in high temperature situations.

Before you buy new from MSA, why not check some of the on-line Z parts folks for used ones? A couple who come to mind are the Z Barn in Tennessee (www.zbarn.com) and Eric Nierling in Pt. Richmond, CA (www.zparts.com). There are others as well if yo search around.

DANIEL points out the "problem" with the early Z's thin "wooden" wheel. I have long been looking, albeit casually, for a thicker wheel but haven't found one yet that looks as nice as the original. My son has a built-up-wood wheel in his Mustang that is nice, but it is only 13" in diameter. With the Armstrong Power Steering in the early Z's, the 15" diameter original wheel is more than just a luxury. I don't think I'm up to parallel parking the Z with a 13" wheel.......... You might try driving a Z with the "wooden" wheel before you make your decision.

Don't know about the swap, (although I believe it can be done) but there was a string of IZCC posts recently that went on almost forever about whether the wheel was wood or plastic. Turns out it is plastic, I think. There was a good article on refurbishing the plastic wheel in an issue of SportZ magazine last year.

If anyone is interested in more SU information, go to the IZCC site (www.zhome.com) and scroll down the left side to the "Index of Technical Articles, open it and go to the article on "SU carburettors for the early Z". Here's a bit from the article by Scott Fisher: "You can also modify your car's throttle response characteristics slightly by adjusting the viscosity of the oil in the dashpot damper. SUs are set up so that a thicker oil will resist the piston's attempt to rise in the dashpot for just long enough that the engine's increased load (when the throttle is opened) will pull more fuel across the bridge; this enriches the mixture and temporarily bumps power up to help the engine achieve higher speed more readily." Happy Tuning.

IMHO, any time you have made any changes to the suspension or steering, an alignment check is a pretty good idea.

From the pictures and description, I think $3,500 was a very good deal. You should be able to eliminate the backfiring with some carb work, but the cold sluggishness is probably not going to go away - early Z's are notorious for their cold-running characteristics. My 240 has taught me patience with that first cold start of the day - we don't move until the temperature needle moves. The $500-$600 clutch job reminds me of the statement I heard years ago - "A man can afford a wife or an old car, but not both." Enjoy your new ride.

If it's a Type-I (vents in the rear hatch, storage on the floor in front of the back deck instead of in the deck, etc.) it might go for a little more than a later 1971 Type-II. However, I think anything over $5,000 is too much, and it would have to be in great condition for that much.

$4,000 doesn't sound bad. When I totaled my '71 back in 1992, I got $2,800, but it was a pretty rough car, not in good shape like yours was before the accident. Good luck finding a replacement.