SeafireXV

To keep the advice simple: The 240Z has the magic name, the early 260Z is the last of the lighter weight chassis's, and the 280Z is the most numerous and easier to find.

An assembly line goof?

260's began production in July '73, so all 260's and 280's will have the same rack. Maybe some of the last 1973 240's also, depending how late they were in production.

About ten years ago I purchased a never-been-used E31 with bigger valves for my L26 and I paid $500. I felt that this was a good price for an unused head. The thing to watch out for is warping and how much the head has been shaved, almost a certainty for a 45 year old aluminum head. You will have to bring it to a good machine shop for the measurements.

You will always get some squat on a car with independent rear suspension. Its just a part of the mechanics involved. I suppose the stiffer the spring, the less squat on acceleration. ZX's have more exaggerated squat because of the type of IRS, namely semi-trailing arms vs. Chapman struts on the S30. Swing axle IRS will squat even more.

The same header fit for 1970 through 1976 model years. 1977 and 1978 models had the round exhaust port heads, so the headers were slightly different to accommodate the port shape. I don't know much about ZX's, so I won't guess.

A 65 Mustang, a 74 260Z, and a 99 SVT Contour.

unfortunately, the creaking sound is just part of driving a Z, sort of like the unique aroma of a British car. Many have tried to eliminate it, but it never goes completely away.

There are six factory approved jacking points on a Z. The four points on the rocker panels, the front chassis cross member for lifting the front wheels, and the diff for lifting the rear wheels. As long as the body is not rusted to the point of failure there are no problems with using the diff as a jack point, and you should never lift the car using any other jacking points.

I counted at least 57 brand new Z's in that photo!...........mmmmmmm

That is close to being what we considered the "Holy Grail" for Z's back in the 70's. A series 1 red car with black interior. That's an early series 2? Its in fantastic condition, especially for a rust-belt car!

The factory shift knob is shown in post #3, anything else is an aftermarket knob added by the dealer or by an owner.

Another SU trick is to remove the plunger/dip stick thingie that's attached to the screw cap on top of the carb. My friend did this to the carbs on his G prod Spitfire that he raced back in the 70's and 80's. It improves throttle response quite a bit, similar to removing the spring, I guess. Probably wouldn't very well on a street engine

Any 20w oil will work. That's what all cars equipped with SU's used from the factory. There is even a specific brand of SU dashpot oil still available in the UK. I tried 30w oil in my carbs for a while and it made them run too rich. Terrible gas mileage and lots of exhaust staining, although the car ran fine otherwise.

If performance is your main goal all you need is a good quality header, either stainless steel or coated to take care of rust. A single exhaust pipe no more that 2 1/2" diameter and a good quality free flowing muffler like Flow Master or Magnaflow with a single outlet tip. You don't need a resonator on an L28 as they are not as raspy as the L24. Just use common sense and keep it simple. Z's seem to respond well to simplicity. Dual pipes are not necessary and just complicate things, and period mufflers like the Monza dual tip setup are more for looks than performance. Anyway, that's what I've learned over the last 40 years.

I ran one of these on my 260Z for almost 10 years. Never had a problem.

You had it right. the only jacking points are the front chassis cross member, the diff, or the side jacking points. It sounds like they did some damage to your suspension. Make them fix it and never go back!

My brother had and early '71 series 1 car with a production date of 12/70, and it had an E31 head. I have read on this site elsewhere that the switch to the E88 head started in January '71, so perhaps your car was an exception. If it was built in late December it could have been one of the first to make the switch. The changeovers, from what I have read, were never distinct. New parts would be added as they became available, so this could be a possible scenario?

If you can, find a reputable body shop, or even a restoration shop in your area and let them take a look at it. For $6000 the seller should be willing to work with you. What is wrong with 905 red? Back in the 70's a red 1970 with black interior was the holy grail!

Nice job on the hatch seal. If you are still getting exhaust fumes in the car, check the tail light gaskets. They are probably leaking.

1. Stick with mechanical upgrades first, worry about cosmetic things later. 2. If you haven't switched to Hitachi/S.U. carbs yet, do so. You will get much better throttle response than with the Hitachi/Stromberg type. 3. Try to find a good E31 head rather that go with an expensive L28 build. You will be surprised how hard your L24 will pull with one. Good low end torque and gobs of midrange torque. I was able to find an unused one with big valves and hardened seats with a stock "A" cam for $500. 4. Lower the car and put larger sway bars on it, and get some short steering knuckles. 5. Find a 3:70 or 3:90 R180 diff with limited slip. R200's are not necessary, and they are heavy. 6. Like the other guy said, stock Z brakes are quite good. They were above average in their day and are still very good with the right pads and shoes. I would switch to a rear disc setup simply because it is so hard to find good aluminum drums. 7. Put a rebuilt 5 speed in it. I would prefer a later 280zx unit with the taller 5th gear, and it will shift better than the T-5 type. You might be able to accomplish these mods and stay within your budget, and you will be having so much fun driving it you won't care about any cosmetic upgrades!

I think you forgot to include the early air filter housing, the one without the heat riser tube and cold air flap.

I weighed my early 260Z many years ago and it came in at 2,420 lbs., which was about 100 lbs. heavier than my brother's series 1 240Z. My car had alloy wheels (Libra's), SU carbs, a header, and I had removed the shock absorbers for the bumpers. (I made my own aluminum brackets to mount the bumpers). So it is clear that as the Z went from model year to model year it got a bit heavier. Much of the weight difference between the 240Z and the 260Z came from and increase in the sheet steel used for the front frame rails. This was done to increase the rigidity of the front of the car in order to pass the new bumper/crash regulations. The sheet metal at the rear of the 260Z was not changed as the back of the car was stiff enough to pass.

FAR Performance was a great place. I went there a couple of times to buy performance parts. They also had a great want-ad board that you could find all sorts of rare (for the time) parts. I also attended a couple of the swap meets that they would have in their parking lot. This was all back in the late 70's and 80's. Walt Maas won the 1974 SCCA C-Production championship, and Revell issued a 1/25 scale version of his car, which you can still find on e-bay from time to time. The shop has been closed for quite a while. At least 10 plus years. They listed an new address accross the street, but when I checked it out there was nothing there.

Oops! I meant 904 white