Mr.Woof's72z

I haven't posted on here much, but I've been driving my '72 240Z for almost 3 years now. Until recently she didn't have any mechanical woes besides a point replacement or valve adjustment here or there. And then... I was cleaning up the engine bay, getting the last bits of crud and accumulated gunk from 40+ years, and all around just getting her looking nice (wash, wax, polish). When I went to start the car up...nothing. Turned over, but wasn't getting a spark at all. A friend and I tried to figure out what went wrong, traced back through the wiring harness to see if there was any damage or a wire that was pulled loose. The only way we could get the car to fire was to bypass the resistor. Since it was an old coil/resistor I decided to pick up a new MSD Blaster II and matching resistor and throw it in. I was still getting full voltage from my wires so I wired up the new resistor and coil and the car started right up. About 20 seconds into it's idle it started lagging, and eventually died. The wiring on the original distributor has two black and white wires and a green and white wire, black and white coming from the "start" position and green and white coming from the "run" position from what I remember from looking at a wiring diagram. After it died, I just wired up a 12v wire to one side of the resistor and the other side of the resistor to the coil with the included jumper from the MSD resistor. Had the same problems, started up GREAT, idled well for 15-20 seconds, then slowly died. I have asked a few knowledgeable people here and there, most have said that something is getting too hot in the wiring/distributor, causing things to overheat and go down. A few other people have said that the fuel pump/lines are the root of all this evil. I know very little on the fuel pump for these cars, so it could be something along those lines that I have completely missed, but it was running so perfectly for so long right before I decided to clean up the engine bay, which makes me think that the fuel system is not the issue at hand. I consider myself a weekend mechanic who is terrible at troubleshooting, so I'm looking to you guys for some help/hinters or just some ideas that I have blanked on, any help is greatly appreciated! Car set-up: L24 w/ E88 head Mild cam (unknown duration, etc) Weber 40DCOE's 6 into 2 headers Monza exhaust MSD Blaster II coil w/ resistor Aside from some Tokico springs, some body mods, and what is listed above everything is stock. This car is too much fun to let it sit! Please help!

Anyone heard or have any experience with them? I can't find any info on them to save my life, and I've checked google, MSN, yahoo, AV, all the major search engines. The only things I've come up with is a Spitfire Sway Bar and an RX7 sway bar F/S on ebay. When I bought my Z it included a box that said Turn Six Sway Bars on it, along with a new yellow rear sway bar already installed. Trying to see if these were/are any good or if it should be taken out and replaced. It seems to really help with body roll, though my only other experience driving another Z other than mine was 3-4 years ago in a 280Z, I have a 240Z...Any help would be greatly appreciated!

So, I have a leak coming from the middle carb (side drafts). It seems to be coming out of the carburetor itself because gas drips out of the intake. I took the tops off to check the floats and none seem to be damaged, my first idea was that the floats were not doing their job, therefor letting too much gas into the carbs. In the end, I will probably have the carbs rebuilt by a local weber guy, but is there anything else could check for that might be an easy fix?

I did have to keep reminding myself that no matter how much I love Z cars, it will not be my car and I would be working on it just for the enjoyment of working on Z's (my friend is the one who is interested in owning a Z after seeing and driving mine). We have not had a chance to check out the car in person, though the seller gave me TONS of very detailed photos, though I don't know how old they are. The 240 body and undercarriage looks very good, and all spots where they are prone to rust seems to be in good condition (again, from pictures, not firsthand). Regardless, it will be a long shot if we do manage to pick this up before someone else does, he's already had other offers on the car but would like to sell it to us because I own a Z and both my friend and I seem to be more mechanically oriented then some of the other people who offered. We will see...

1972 240Z and 1974 260Z. It's local, my friend is looking at getting a new car and I already own a '72 240Z. I did a mild restoration on my dad's MGB a few years back but don't have as many tools as I'd like in order to do a restoration on these. Our goal is to get the 240Z in good shape, and if time and resources allow possibly get the 260Z running and driving. So, for those who have done restorations before, what's your take? Both cars are F/S for $3000...

Had new brakes put on all around this fall. As for performance (that you can't see): Turn 6 Sway bars Tokico Springs (lowed around 1") Targa Exhaust Camshaft (unsure of what one, rough idle and strong power from 3500 +) 3 into 2 headers (pictured) Bjhines - that is exactly what I want to do, just with shorter horns like someone else said. I don't have the time or money to really work out something, if you have any other help in getting a project like that started (hell and finished) I'd greatly appreciate it. If you get around to it a PM would be amazing.

No air horns, it's something I've thought about but money needs to be headed elsewhere before I pick up the horns.

Well I'm finally getting around to cleaning the engine bay of my car since I bought it (over a year ago) so I figured I'd throw up a few pictures. I know, it needs a wash, wax, and quite a bit of polishing here and there but there's only so many hours in the day (most of which are accounted for with school). Here she is in her present condition: And a shot of the left side: Right side (not as interesting, I know): From the top looking down, left side: And lastly, the interior (Not as clean as it has been, but not as dirty either): It's a work in progress and I absolutely love it. Just put brand new pads, rotors, shoes, had it timed, fluid changes, and a new exhaust on (and that was expensive) and it is running excellent. The wiring for the tach is very different/confusing so I'm still trying to figure that out (have some great shop manuals) but overall it's a great car and definitely a lot of fun to tinker with. As you can see, the engine bay is quite dirty (how I bought it) but with about 6 hours of work and a lot of degreaser and paper towels I've been able to bring it back to life, sort of. I'll post some more pictures up when I can finally brag about the engine bay, but for right now it's a great driver and I'm perfectly content.

Some more pictures...

Pictures of the engine bay will come in less than 2 weeks, I'm at home waiting to head back out to Colorado and can't wait to get back in this thing.

This is one of my first posts on this forum so I figured I'd start it off with pictures. Sorry for them all being of the right side, it's all I have on my computer at the moment. Trust me, the left side looks just as nice...All of these were shot in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where I have been living the past 2 years and where I also bought the car. How it got up there I have no idea, but I've since moved so don't worry about any winter driving! Specs 1972 240Z with 86,580 miles Triple Weber Side Drafts with K&N Filters 3 into 2 headers (Unknown) Targa Exhaust Camshaft and Lifters (Unknown, grrr) Tokico Springs (lowers car >1") Turn Six Rear Sway Bar Front Skirt (Urethane) And of course the Whale Tail This is my first car, took me 3 years but I finally bought one I bought this car last year in late September/Early October with 83,550 miles for $3,250.00. It came with all of the original parts plus the huge list of performance everything, though little was known about the car and much of the performance parts are still unknown/un-named until I can look into them further. So far I've spent less than $200.00 in getting it tuned up and looking nice. I have loved early Z's since I first laid eyes on them (12 years old looking in Want Ad Digests) so when this came in the local paper in Steamboat Springs listed as "1972 240Z, looks clean, drives nice, make offer" I had to check it out. As it turns out it was a lot more than a clean, nice driver...

Wow thank you for the detailed response. "Big Money" to me is over $1,000 so by stepping up to the Unilite and something similar to the HyFire VI (I say similar because the HyFire is a little overkill for what I would like) in my opinion is worth it. My car is the only place I'm spending my money which helps quite a bit. As far as tuning Webers, from what I've read online and been told by different mechanics in town here is that with enough background knowledge on how the system works I can get a good idea of what needs to be done. Fortunately I've been able to find a huge amount of info on different jet sizes, venturi sizes, emulsion tube sizes, etc to get a good idea of what sizes will work best for the setup I currently have. So far all I have for the engine are headers (3 into 1s) and for what its worth the Targa Exhaust from Motorsport Auto. Are you saying I won't notice a performance difference between the Triple Webers and a rebuilt pair of S.U.'s? I've got quite a good book on S.U.'s (How to Build and Power Tune S.U. Carbs, bought it because I was going to buy a 1976 280Z with S.U.'s before I found the 240Z with Webers). If I were to go back to S.U.'s...what is the asking price for used Weber carbs with K&N filters (I will get sizes of jets, etc when I get back)? I'm assuming I would come out ahead of the game, which would be nice if I were invest in the ignition, and since you're saying I won't notice a difference in performance without serious $ and time spent on the Webers I see no reason not to. I'd really love to hear your opinion on this since you are the first one to recommend going back to S.U. carbs since I won't notice a difference in performance (and I'm assuming/hoping there won't be...) Thanks again for your input, hopefully you can help point me in the right direction.

Thanks again for the info on the ignition, looks like I have a nice list of parts to look through. Do you like the Crane HI-6 more than the XR700s (is it worth the extra money)? I'll see what they do for adapters, hopefully all the problems I've been having will be taken care of when I get back to CO. If anyone else wants to give me info on ignition that would be great (something I'm lacking knowledge in...) and thanks again.

Thanks again for the info on the ignition, looks like I have a nice list of parts to look through. Do you like the Crane HI-6 more than the XR700s (is it worth the extra money)? I'll see what they do for adapters, hopefully all the problems I've been having will be taken care of when I get back to CO. If anyone else wants to give me info on ignition that would be great (something I'm lacking knowledge in...) and thanks again.

Thanks for all the help on the ignition system, the more info I get the better off I'll be when I get back. Where do they sell the O2 gauges you're talking about? What exactly will I need to do for it? I've been looking at switching to an electronic ignition system, the XR700 seems nice and I'm looking into a Mallory Unilite distributor, does anyone have similar setups?

Thanks everyone for the input, one a few other forums they've said the same thing: ignition. I don't have the SU carbs, but I don't feel like selling the Webers and picking up a stock pair since I will be out of Steamboat and high elevation in May. Thanks for the fuse box info and yes I did lose the gauge lights as well. I don't have access to a digital camera (or the car for that matter until I go back west) but I am planning on buying a digital camera as soon as I make it home. Also thanks for the info on books, I've got a good selection that I'm going to look at online and probably pick 2 or 3 to help me out with this (and future...) problems. Can you guys just list some setups as to what jets (air, mains, etc) you have in your Webers? That might help me later when I get back and check what jets I have. Also can some people give me a list of their current ignition setup and point me in the right direction in terms of distributors, etc. Thanks again for all the info, I'm itching to get back to CO more than ever now...

Upon reading more in the HybridZ forum on Webers I realized I forgot to mention I get a flat spot/no power if I'm at low RPMs (below 3k) and I floor the car. Seems to be a common but I figured I'd throw that out there.

p.s. anyone looking for new distributors should look at www.centuryperformance.com ...cheap

In doing some more research I found this... "6. The DCOE and IDF ultimate performance family of carburetor are not compatible with a vacuum advance distributor system. You will need to recurve your distributor or adjust the timing to compensate. You may also want to purchase a performance mechanical distributor." It came from http://www.webercarburetors.com/ppw/html/aplication_guide/important_things_to_know.htm Could this be a problem? Do people that put the DCOE (Triple Webers for Datsuns, etc) use the mechanical distributor or adjust their distributor? I guess what I'm asking...is it general knowledge that you should change your distributor or at least adjust it accordingly when you put Triple Webers on? I'm kicking myself now for not doing more research on the car while it was still running great but I suppose that's why I didn't...

Thanks for the fuse info, wouldn't have ever found it just by looking...And thank you very much 240jetdoc for pointing me in the right direction. I've been eyeing that book for a while, now I have a reason to buy myself a Christmas present. I forgot to mention that I was under the assumption that weather played a huge factor and my next post was going to ask who, if any, run their Z in colder climates. I already feel terrible about having the Z in a cold weather climate so please don't make me feel worse than I already do. I'm transferring this year to a place nice and warm where I can work on my car and follow my other passion: paintball. So, does anyone run their car in high elevation, cold weather, humid/dry weather, or any combination of the 3? I would love to find someone who has figured out a good setup for higher elevation/cold weather conditions. Thanks again for all the info, I've figured out more in one day than I did in a week of trying to find info online. I guess that's what these forums are for...

I forgot to ask earlier but where is the fuse box? I lost my tail lights but not my brake lights, I'm assuming its a simple fuse change but I couldn't find it to save my life once I found out my lights were out (thank you CO State trooper). If anyone can help me out with that as well that'd be great. Also I was wondering how to post a classified ad for all the spare, original parts I have like air box, original springs, hub caps, headers, exhaust, etc. I know there might be a rule like I must have __ many posts before I can but I figured I'd ask. I have no need for them and I am not looking to restore to original condition (I can't drive a slower, less performance-oriented car now can I?) and I'm sure there is someone that is looking for 80kmi-condition original parts (best I can describe them). Cethern- where do you live in Denver? I would love to meet up with some other Z owners. There is a guy up here who used to race automatic Datsun's back in the 70's (lost his left leg) and I've been trying to get in touch with him concerning my car. Funny story though: I had some guy at a stop light in downtown Steamboat jump out of his car and run up to mine, knock on the window, and as soon as I had rolled it 2 inches he yells "I've got a 1973 240Z!" and then run back into his car before the light turned green. I guess Z owners are a different breed...

The car was in Steamboat for some time, probably not it's whole life but the original owner was building it up in Steamboat, not quite sure what for but that is beside the point. After the original owner passed away the car was sitting for some time (I want to say 5+ years but I'm not sure) not running before the guy I bought the car from finally got the title. Once he got the title he had a mechanic take a look. Now this only happens in small towns but I happened to meet the daughter of the mechanic because she recognized the car and I up at college. She told me that her father, the mechanic, had taken the entire motor out, cleaned everything out (very vague, but it's word for word), and added the front spoiler/body kit. That would lead me to believe that he had taken apart the entire fuel system since he did put the new gas lines on. So I'm assuming it's not bad gas and since I've bought it I've only put in 91 (no 93 in Steamboat or the majority of CO and it's killing me). It does back fire through the carbs, though there is also a low, muffled backfire that comes almost right where the headers meet up with the exhaust, leading me to believe there's a leak somewhere and the gas ignites once it hits O2. I could feel it when I drove because it was right underneath the pedals. ***I also have 3 into 1 headers, older headers so I don't know the brand. Thanks for all the help so far, especially the vacuum and the difference between backfiring. If it does just happen to be through the carbs what should I look at in the ignition system? What would have changed in 3-4 months that would be a good candidate for the source of the problem? I've also heard gapping the spark plugs to .040 instead of the .030 or .032 that is recommended helps with rich systems, any truth to this?

I feel terrible posting in this section for my first post but it needs to be done...First off this is my first car (dreams come true), never thought it would be possible, but I picked up a '72 240Z with 83,550kmi, triple webers w/ k&n filters, rear sway bar, Monza Exhaust(I think, can't find the name right now...guy gave me 2 to be exact), 15 inch rims/tires, whaletail, urethane front, plus extra goodies like nice new fuel lines, new wiring harness, performance springs (unsure what make or spring load) and a few others here and there. Problem is the guy who sold it to me had inherited it from a friend meaning that he knew nothing about what his friend had done to it previously. Anyways, I picked it up for $3,250...fair deal in my opinion seeing as it ran beautifully, EVERY gauge, light, electrical piece worked and the body was the best I've ever seen...white with red accents (hood lines, sideskirts). Now that you guys have an idea of the car... About a month ago it started fowling the plugs, typical sign of running rich. I called up the mechanic who had done work on it for the previous owner, he mumbled something about jets being changed and I haven't been able to get in touch with him since...no good. I know very little of what they had done to the car before besides what I see with my own eyes, foolish on my part I know but in the excitement of me possibly owning my dream car I overlooked that issue as the car ran perfect for 3 straight months. 2 weeks ago I drive the car a round trip total of about 300 miles. Upon returning home my Z started backfiring, running rough at anything below 2,500rpm (and later anything below 4,000), and generally just running like, well...crap. I had noticed this pulling onto my road dropping down from 60 MPH to about 30. By the time I had reached my driveway the car would not run below 4,000 RPM so I decided to coast in. It has not run since. Checked the spark plugs, uber fowled, brought out a brand new set, still nothing. Well school finals got in the way and I could not get around to anything else before I went home for break...now I'm at home while my poor Z is sitting in CO while I'm in NY. I've done research for a few days on here trying to figure out the problem without asking. Seems to me most people say to check the fuel filter, lines, tank, making sure there is no gunk, debris, etc. This doesn't seem to be the case though since I turn the car over and will flood the engine if I keep going. On top of that it ran great for 3 months prior, right up until the last few miles home. Are my Webers crapping the bed? Am I not getting a spark? It seems weird that everything ran fine up until that road trip and since then the car has gone belly up... I do live in high elevation (Steamboat Spings, CO...I know, not ideal for a Z but come on, $3,250?!?!?!) and have heard of the jets needing to be replaced, though people also say that adjusting the carbs will work. Any input is greatly appreciated, I don't have access to the car until a week from now but I would love to get a laundry list of things to do/check/change etc before I head back west. Hope you guys can help me get her going like she was before, it's a dream to drive and almost as good as that are all the looks I get when people see a 19 year old driving a '72 240!