astrohog

Just took my stock '71 out for a spin. She has been running great and a joy to drive lately!!! I usually do not drive her in the rain, but had to take a little spin tonite in the light sprinkle. A few miles into my drive, (I assume) the alt. belt starts to squeal, so I start to head back home as it was annoying. Halfway home, I notice the temp gauge is just about maxed @ 250!! I pull over and let her cool down until the gauge is strait up and down and make an easy 3 mile drive home. Just as I get to my driveway, the temp. guage is at max again. I shut her down and raise the hood to let her cool down. most of the steam is coming from around the water pump. Could this have been caused by a loose or glazed belt, or could the water pump have gone gunny bag? Is there any easy way to check the water pump by hand? I am writing this as I let her cool enough to go out and check the coolant level. I am hoping I didn't do any damage by driving her hot!! Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated!! Regards, Astrohog

Try CRC "Knocker Loose" it is a copy of Kroil and is available anywhere that sells CRC products. It DOES work as good as Kroil. CRC also has a product out called "Freeze Out" (I think) that is good for "shocking" stubborn parts free. They also have a new version of Knocker Loose that incorporates freeze out with knocker loose! BTW, these products all cost at least 1/2 of what Kano charges for Kroil! Regards, Astrohog

I recently bought a similar one for my '71. I did have to drill out the pin on the hatch side and then drill a slightly larger hole in the 90 deegree mounting bracket so I could put a threaded ball on that end to accept the strut, but it works great! I think I paid under $20.00 for mine at the local NAPA store, though. Hope this helps, Regards, Astrohog

Nobody has thought of this yet...... If nobody restored cars (because you cannot make any money doing it) than there would not be any restored or almost restored cars for the rest of us to purchase....... SO......... Continue on gentlemen, and have FUN doing it!!!!! Now where did I put my tool box and those new parts....... Regards, Astrohog

Okay, I finally got all of the A/C components removed from my '71, now I have a big hole in the fan housing.... Is there a part available to cover this hole, or do I have to make one myself? Anybody that has done this have any advice as to how to go about this? Materials, patterns, etc?? How about finding a new housing or fan unit? are they available? and if so, are they affordable? Thanks for any suggestions!! Regards, Astrohog

UHHHH....look at post #29. $300.00 and so far, very much worth it! Astro

This one worked well for my (12/70) 1971. metra 44-PW22 I will get pics next time I am out to the car (probably tomorrow) It was a clean, easy install and I think it looks as good or better than the stock one (biased? maybe.) I picked mine up off the shelf @ Best buy for under $60.00 and I found them online for as little as $39.99. Regards, Astrohog

BTW all, Astrohog's DVD install went well! THANKS DAVE! I had a great time and LOVE the new unit!!!! The antenna that Dave mentioned earlier in this post is a great deal and a good match for the Z's! No, not EXACTLY oem, BUT, it is a good match and fits well right outta the box. As for the DVD player..... I never dreamed I would put a DVD player in the Z (much less any other car I own) BUT, I am a guy (guys like gadgets!!) and the price was the same as the head unit I had decided on (middle-road Pioneer). SOO... that was kind of a no-brainer! My future plans for the Z is to "upgrade" certain things while maintaining the original flair the Z's were designed with. I think this CD/DVD player fits that bill perfectly! The screen is not so big as to be overwhelming, but it is big enough to see easily. Along with IPOD control and DVD capability, it also has a mini usb plug on the front face AND an sd card slot, so viewing all of the "before and after" Z pics is easy to do at any gathering!!! PRETTY COOL! Thanks again, Dave for all your help! You are one of the many reasons this Z community is so special!!! Regards, Astrohog

Dave, Excuse my ignorance!!! No, I did not know you did car audio! Otherwise, I wouldn't have made my appointment here! Send me a P.M. and let me know if you have any experience w/ the Soundstream products. I am not familiar with that brand, however, it looks like that one has it all!!! (no kitchen sink???) I can (and will) cancel my appt. here if you have units there and we can hook up sometime next week while I am on vacation (preferably Tuesday, April 10). P.M. me the details, cost, avail, etc. I will check my P.M. throughout the day as I can get Wifi, and I will get back to you!! Regards, Astrohog

OOPS! NEXT Tuesday!!! Too bad, I always like meeting you guys in person. Maybe next week! Regards, Astrohog

Zs-Ondabrain, Thanks for your offer to help! I did some searching and was able to find the antenna you mentioned on the shelf here locally (Best Buy) for under $60.00, PLUS I realized I had $25.00 of Best Buy Bucks in my wallet! It looks really straightforward to install (the key being the strap they include to cut/bend to fit!). I will be putting this one in this weekend and I have an appt. at the local car-audio place to install the head unit next Tuesday! It will be sooo nice to travel with tunes!! (might even make me forget about the fumes!!) haha!!! I will be heading to Z Specialties hopefully Tuesday afternoon to buy some asst stuff (including rear hatch weatherstrip, maybe the fumes will be a thing of the past!!) and then on to the ZCCW club meeting at Performance Nissan. Thanks again for your generous offer! Regards, Astrohog

Thanks KTM! Not having much "mechanic" background, I don't like to get in over my head, it is very frustrating to me! Sounds like this is a job for me to go ahead and tackle! THanks again for the support! Regards, Astrohog

Thanks, SBlake, Simply put!!!!! Astrohog

Not sure where to post this, so it ended up here. I have done numerous searches on gas tank removal, and not found the answer to my question. I did see the link to the fuel tank removal guide somewhere here, but it did not mention if any other components of the car need to be removed to get the tank out. If no other parts have to be removed, then I can follow the instructions on that link. I have limited tools where the car is stored, so I would like to know in advance of me planning the removal as to how involved, how much time it may take or if I need to bring any additional tools. Thanks for any light you may be able to shed on this for me! Regards, Astrohog

Arne, Not sure how short it is. When I removed it the first time, it was not connected to anything as the arial was missing (completely broken off while extended, I assume). When I removed the metal housing, and tried to replace the housing, the white plastic was so brittle, the little bit of bend it had, caused it to break again in a couple of pieces ( DOH!!!). Astrohog

Zs-Ondabrain, Right now I just want tunes!! I have a speaker panel that came out of my Uncles Z that has 2 - 8" subs and 2 - 2 ways w/ crossovers. They are cheepo speakers, but he has been in electronics all of his life and said that it sounded GREAT (too much for him) w/ a 4 X 50w head unit. That is my starting point for now. If I do not like it, I will look into different optiosns. I am trying to focus my attention on getting the Z to be a tight, reliable driver and protecting her from future corrosion by tackling a few minor rust issues. Once I have accomplished that, I am sure she will be a "work in progress" for quite some time!!! I sent you a p.m. and would like to come down and visit soon! I am gonna look around at my options as far as getting the arial and "pusher" piece locally from Schucks, but just curious, where would a guy order the antenna you mentioned and how long would it take to arrive? Regards, Astrohog

Wow! Three pages on antenna electrics! Who woul've guessed! I am still a little unclear, though on my particular situation. It looks like the P.O. replaced the original radio (12/70, 1971 240Z) when the F.M. stereo version became available and the antenna switch was relocated to the glovebox. When I have a modern head unit installed and keep my original antenna (assuming it still works) I want to wire the MODERN antenna power wire (from the head unit) to the Power terminal on the OLD switch, and all three wires from the switch to the antenna and it should operate as it did originally? For example: Turn radio on (nothing happens to antenna) push switch to up (antenna goes up) push switch down (antenna goes down). Am I understanding correctly? I am going from memory here on the wires as The Z is still in storage. Regards, Astrohog

Thanks for the replies, guys! Arne - pictures are worth a thousand words!! I cannot tell, however how the piece of wire is attached? I have two pieces of that wire that "fell" out of my seat as I removed it and had no idea how they attached, or where they were supposed to go! Mine seemed to be joined in the middle with a small ring so they could form an " X " shape? Also, when I am attaching the webbing, should it be as taut as I can get it, or should there be a little "give/sag" to it? Bruce - that looks like a really good idea, let me/us know how it works! Also, being that I have not removed my old covers/foam yet, I do not have any idea what the seat "framework" looks like. On the parts that I can see on mine (hinges and mounts) I have some surface corrosion that I would like to remove before recovering. Will I be able to safely bead blast the works and rattle can the frames, or is there some danger/sensitive parts to be aware of if I attempt it? Again, thanks for the invaluable info...keep it coming!! Regards, Astrohog

Arne, YOU DA MAN!!! I hope to get to meet you one of these days as we are stuck in the Northwest together!!! I always take the time to read your posts on any topic as you are very clear and I know and trust what you say to be true and accurate! And thank-You too, NWcubsman! ditto and thanks for the quick replies!!! Regards, Astro

I am not that concerned about remaining "concourse" with my "refresh" (different button) so it sounds like I can just go the the local Kragens/Schucks/Autozone??? Astro

I know that paint/body advice is highly arbitrary/relative, but I would really appreciate some words of wisdom from the others here who have ventured here before me. I own a (12/70) 1971 240Z. It was originally silver and was repainted red (what I would call a Maaco job). The rubber was masked (but NOT well), the oil change paper sticker on the door jamb was painted over as were all the door strikers and associated screws and such in the door jambs, etc. THe engine compartment is still silver as is the inside of the rear hatch. There are some "bubbles" starting to apper on the hood and front fenders. I have had some pretty knowledgeable Z guys take their icepick (read: rustpick!!) and check out my car pretty thouroughly and they said that I had very little rust! (amazing as this is a Washington car that has travelled from East coast to West coast and been to Hawaii, Ireland and Spain inbetween! (the original owner was a Submarine Captain!)). The battery box has surface rust only. I have scraped the tar mats off the floors and the drivers side shows SOME surface rust, but NO holes. The passenger side floor does have ONE hole (quarter size). there is some rust in both doglegs and it was suggested that I buy the replacement doglegs and have them welded in. The only other rust that I am aware of is in the rear panel INSIDE behind the black plastic finisher panel. This is an all original car in overall really great shape!! The dash and interior are in GREAT shape!! (black carpets are BADLY faded and will be replaced. Drivers seat has cracks and the foam is broken down/protruding and will get new foam and vinyl soon) Other than the carpet and seats, I have no plans on doing anything major to the interior. OKAY, now the questions: 1. Should I go ahead and do the floorpan replacement, knowing that I plan on keeping this car for a good, long time? or should I just fix the one hole on pass. side and do the POR-15 thing? 2. I want to return the car to silver, but am thinking that I do not necessarily want to match the original exactly as I want to do a quality base/clear for looks and longevity. I want to repaint the engine compartment as well. I am thinking I will be removing ALL exterior lights, emblems, bumpers, headlight buckets and all glass when it is painted as well as removing the hood, doors and hatch. After removing all of the stuff I just mentioned, would it be recommended to remove all the interior components as well? (i.e. DASHBOARD, diamond vinyl, seats, trim panels, etc. etc.?) I tend to be on the perfectionist side and believe in doing something right IF it is going to be done, but with that being said, can I expect a reasonably good paint job if the dash and interior components stay installed? 3.Will I save substantial time and money by trying to match the original silver? What I want to use is a 2005 VW silver that is kinda close, but will be noticebly different say, where it might meet the original silver under the carpet in the rear hatch area. In summary: 1. replace or repair floor pans? 2.How far should I go to disassemble? I want a NICE job, but do not want to remove and completely strip ALL components unless absolutely necessary! (especially dash and electrical!!) 3.To match the original silver or not to match original? I know that I should paint it a color I will be happy with, and do prefer the more modern silvers, but I am not THAT much more fond of the modern vs. original if it makes sense to stay true to the original. Thanks for bearing with me! I hope I have presented a clear picture of the state of my car and what I want to accomplish! Now for your replies..... I can't wait! Regards, Astrohog

My original antenna was broken when I bought the car (mast was broken off). I removed the interior panels and removed the antenna. When I removed the two screws that secure the mast to the rest of the unit, I realized the white plastic (does this "push" the mast up and down? or is it the actual antenna?) is broken and VERY brittle. My question: IF the motor and all else works (I have NOT verified this yet), is there a replacement available for the actual sectioned antenna AND can the white plastic "wire" be sourced and "rewound", effectively refurbishing the antenna? I was able to pull an antenna from a 197? 280Z and thought it would be a simple "switch", but this weekend I found that they are quite different. I could probably spend a few hours or (most likely!!) more, getting the 280 unit to work, but I am thinking I would rather have the original. I think I saw that MSA has an "OEM" replacement for the 240Z power antenna, but it is almost $200.00. I don't mind spending the $$ if it is the only/best option, but wanted to hear from you experts before spending the money. What options do I have??? Thanks for any advice you may be able to lend!! Regards, Astrohog

Took the seats out of my (12/70) 71 240Z this weekend. the webbing underneath the seats was stretched/warped (I searched the forums and this looks normal). I am going to order the molded foam and covers from Classic Datsun. I am 6' 6" tall and with my sagging seats, I have plenty of headroom. (cn wear a ball cap no problem!) My question is twofold 1. With the parts I get from Classic Datsun (foam and covers) will I need to make some kind of provision to replace the webbing? 1a. Can I adapt my seat frames to accept the later model springs? Do I Need to order "original webbing"? Or would a local upholstery shop be able to adapt whatever they normally use for a better result? (the original web material looks like it doesn't last very long!) 2. I am sure I will be removing the two plastic spacers from under the seat to help with headroom issues, but do you all think that will be enough? Any of you 6' 4" or taller? I really value all of the advice I get here on the forums, and I hope that as I go through my car piece by piece, that I will be able to be a resource to those who follow me..... Thanks again! Regards, Astrohog

So, did they manufacture the HS and HLS side-by-side in the same factory? They sure seemed to crank 'em out (especially after 1970!!) Astrohog

240ZnZ, Thanks for your input and raising this interesting question! What caught my attention was your build date. My build date is 12/70 (HLS30 16896). Just curious, what is your vin# ? (Did I just Hijack your NEW non-hijack thread??) hehe Regards, Astrohog