doradox

Or 0.030 mm = 0.001181099 in or so. So when the FSM says 0.012 inches or 0.030 mm which is correct? I mean you could be off by a couple ten thousandths (in) which could really wreak havoc on the valve train. We really need to get this straight. Did Nissan make a mistake when they wrote the FSM? Steve

.012 inches = .030mm Make sure you are using the correct units. Steve

I'd check the front diff mount as far as sway bar clearance is concerned. I probably wouldn't worry about ride height issues untill I had a all the parts back on and drove a few miles to allow things to settle. You may or may not have a problem there. The high ride height shouldn't be causing the rubbing. The bar should clear regardless of suspension position. On the road you could crest a small rise and top out the suspension and the bar should not rub. Steve

I've "fixed" caster problems before by using shims and cutting the spacer. It certainly isn't ideal but it works. More or less. There may be a more elegant solution available. Lots of other car have an adjustable T/C rod. Nuts on both sides of the washer/bushing stack that allows for effectively lengthening or shortening the rod without having to resort to shims. Steve

Very nice job. I can only imagine the amount of time, money , and attention to detail. Steve

From your pics it looks like someone did a little caster adjustment with shims and shortening the sleeve. Steve

Nissan has a 2.5 liter V6, the VQ25HR V6, for the JDM that puts out 225 HP and it revs. At 2700 lbs and 225 HP a 250Z would be nipping at the 370Z's heels. The JDM Sentra SE-R spec V has that 2.5 4 cylinder you mentioned and it already has 200 HP. The problem I see is that they don't have a small rear drive platform. The 350Z shares with the G Coupe and that may have been one of the driving reasons we didn't get a smaller more affordable Z. Infinity needed the G35 to fill a slot in it's lineup and since they are a high end brand the Z ended up having to go a little more upmarket. I see the original 240Z as a sports car. The Miata held true to it's sports car roots while the Z became an expensive high performance sports car. Then look what happened to sales. Toyota Supra too. I agree that a new 240-250 whatever needs to be affordable to drive. Who wants to spend $1500 replacing a set of big fat performance tires after 20,000 miles. My first 2 240's were daily drivers and one reason was because they were cheap to operate. I could afford to have sports car as my driver because of that. A 2+2 I'm not to sure about although the generation of ZX before the 350Z pulled it off. You'd be getting awful close to 240SX territory. Not that that is bad but if you are doing the pure sports car thing..well. I am hoping we'll see a 240SX like car soon from Nissan but I'm afraid that wouldn't leave enough of a gap for a 250Z, although it would be the small rear drive platform Nissan would need to do it. Steve P.S. A little destroking on that 2.5 V6 would give 2.4 liters for a 240Z

Are you showing the modified one? The negative side of the coil should go to the points. Or do 260's have electronic ignition. In which case you already know you should ignore all my comments. Steve

You could just remove the wire that goes from the resistor to the coil and add one back that goes from the coil to the plus side of the resistor if you want to leave everything else alone. Steve

The plus side will be battery voltage the negative side has the voltage lowered by the resistor and goes to the coil. By connecting those two together as I proposed you no longer drop the voltage to the coil. AKA bypass the resistor. I would guess that the middle wire has it's voltage dropped by a lesser amount and goes somewhere else. I would leave it alone. Again I'm using general automotive knowledge and not Z specific so I could be missing something. Steve

Why don't you tell us how you really feel. :laugh: Steve

Before you spend any money try swapping the front tires left and right. Also if your wheel bearings are too tight it can cause brake drag. Steve

It looks to me like take the far right wire off it's terminal and connect it to the far left wire terminal. But I'm not that familiar with those so I think I'd wait for one of our experts to chime in. How are things in Tucson? That was my old stomping grounds for 30 years. Steve

I thought it looked like the windshield had more rake to it. It definitely has the S30 lines though, which I like. The roof is interesting. Viper Coupe like. Steve

HP = (torque in (lb*ft)*RPM)/5252, note that RPM has time AND motion in it. Changing gearing changes the RPM in inverse relation to torque. Double the rpm, half the torque. Power stays the same. The reason RWHP is different from crankshaft HP is frictional losses in the drivetrain. You will note that RWHP is always less than crankshaft HP all other things being equal. Steve

That's more like it. By the time it was toned down for production I think it would suit my taste better. Definitely has the 240 profile going on. The front end, a little "boy racer" for me, would have to succumb to the realities of safety regulations but I bet something decent could come out of it. Steve

I've never had a Z apart far enough to notice that it doesn't really have a B pillar. Ya learn something new everyday. Can you enlighten on the of calling the C pillar the Sail Panel? I've heard Sail used to describe the triangular shaped part that fits in the front door window opening where the mirrors mount on a lot of modern cars. Is it related to the shape? Steve

Yes, that's the crux of the matter. The 350 should have been labeled ZX. I'm not comparing the 350 and the Mustang. Compare old to new. The Mustang DNA is there. The 350Z, not so much. And don't compare 2003 350Z prices with 2008 Mustang prices. Apples to apples you can pick up a new V8 Mustang for about 10 grand less than a 370Z. Steve

After looking at the welding sketch it seems odd that there is no B pillar. I looks like the shell is being lifted at about the point where a B pillar would attach to the roof. With no front end that could be near the balance point. How about the brake rotor high and to the right? It's positioning wouldn't suggest that it belongs to the car depicted. Artistic license? Interesting. Steve

This is a classic Z problem. The fuse is not making a good connection with the holder. Too much resistance and that causes the heat. It will eventually melt the fuse inside one end, but not in the middle. It won't look "blown" at first glance. Clean the holder and the fuse and try it again. I've seen this on pretty much every 240 I've seen except, oddly enough, the 72 I own now. Steve

The roll bar picture looks like a race car. The holes in the quarter window and the partition between the drivers compartment and rear hatch area. If it's not a roll bar you got me. Steve

In 1966 Ford had a hit with it's new Mustang. The new Mustang looks good (maybe not to everyone ;>) and is very identifiable as a Mustang. Has a performance to price ratio that's hard to beat (like in 66). What rear drive coupe can you buy for 20 grand that can touch it? They basically tried the same formula that they did in 66 and built the same car today. Ford is selling them as fast as they can make them. Nissan did in 1970 what Ford did in 1966. Can you say the 350Z is to the 240Z what the new Mustang is the old? The new Mustang is exactly the same car as the 66 model just 40 years newer. And that's why people love it. Steve

The 350/370Z in my opinion is ugly. The convertible even more so. They seem to have a love it or hate kind of style. And since beauty is in the eye.... A Z with 5 mph bumpers? Yeah, a 280 but that had 70's technology. Some of the front airdam styles I've seen keep the Z front end look but with a little engineering behind them could perform to modern standards without looking like they were an afterthought. The 350Z is a car of the times. That to me is the problem. Every car starts out small(er) and fun then grows and grows in features and price until they are the original in name only. I don't need 330 hp to have fun. I once had a '52 Fiat roadster that had 50 hp and it was fun as heck to drive. Styling is a matter of taste I suppose but the classic long hood and lines of the 240Z could be recreated without having to be an updated copy. The grill(?) on the 350 was supposed to be a nod to the 240Z 's styling and to me is a total failure. And don't even get me started on the door handles. Nissan trotted out the Z name and hype and delivered a ZX. Not that that is bad. Like I said before the 350/370 is a great car. But it's not in the spirit of the affordable fun to drive coupe that was the 240Z. I think that the auto manufactures are scared to build a cheap fun car for fear that no one will want to buy the upscale models. For a while Chevy and Pontiac couldn't spec the more powerful small block that was in the Corvette for the much less expensive Camero/Firebird because GM was afraid it would cut into Covette sales. That Corvette owners would be mad that the cheap cars were just as fast. A light 200hp Z would run with the 350/370Z and if it were 10 grand cheaper why would you buy the 350/370? Steve

4 cylinder rear drive? Heck YAH! The 510 was a cool car (still is). The main reason I'm still with my '92 240SX is that there is no affordable rear drive 4 cylinder car available that can hold 4 in a pinch. I hear Nissan may be bringing back a 240SX like car in near future. One can only hope. Steve

How would you design a new 240Z? I don't want to offend anyone but the 350/370Z just doesn't do it for me. When it came out I had high hopes but, even though it's a great car, it just wasn't a Z in the spirit of the 240's. And that was what I was hoping for. Anyway, here's my idea of a 21st century 240. Keep the styling of the original as much as possible, a few styling "cues" won't cut it with me. The original is a classically beautiful car. A few concessions as far the need to have 5 mph bumpers and such would obviously need to be made. A great example is the new Mustang. Modern yet unmistakably classic Mustang styling. Don't make it any bigger either. 4 wheel discs, antilock, power steering, a/c, and maybe traction control IF there's a way to turn it off completely when the mood strikes and it doesn't add weight. 17 inch wheels but don't get crazy with steam roller width tires. Maybe 215's . Transmission. A 6 speed manual. No paddle shifters. I want to do it all myself. Make sure the pedal arrangement allows for heel and toe action. An LSD is a must. The Engine. One of the things I love about the 240Z is the engine. Smooth, sounds great, willing rever. I could use a few more hp though. Keep the 2.4 liter straight 6 and give it an 8500 rpm redline, Injected, variable valve timing and all the other things that make modern engine go 'round. 200 or so hp, and a sound that would make a Z lover weep. 2500 lbs max weight. My 240SX comes in about 2550 with A/C, power steering, power windows and sunroof, 2.4 liter cast iron block 4. It's bigger and holds more people than my Z. One of the things that make the 240Z a great car is it's low weight. No heated/power seats, nav system, or any other luxury crap. Leave that for the up market 370Z. People that have 35 grand to spend on a sports car demand that kind of stuff. The original was about 3500 bucks US and adjusted for inflation that's about $20,000 US now. Keep it under $25,000 US fully equipped (custom wheels, spoilers, junk like that) but have a model that can be purchased for 20-22K US that doesn't skimp on performance. Don't make me buy a bunch of junk I don't want to get the "performance" model. Pretty much if I could meld the best parts of my 240SX with my 240Z I'd have the car of my dreams. What changes/additions would you make to my wish list? Steve