Marty Rogan

Alan, Thanks for the PM, I did get it, but did not notice it for a day or two. The springs I got are the "real deal". They still have the Nissan P/N stickers on them that match the #'s 2MZ's listed for the Stage I springs. From What I have heard, NISMO was selling Stage I and Stage II springs in the US as a performance option/upgrade. They were supposedly the same spring rates as what was delivered on the Euro Spec cars. Euro cars were reported as having higher spring rates than the US spec cars. Allan, maybe you could confirm that. It would be interesting to confirm if that was true and how much of a difference there was in spring rates. Even in todays modern cars, manufacturers routinely deliver car to Europe with higher spring rate than US spec cars. They feel that most Americans would not like the ride of stiffer springs. I really hate that. We seem to always get cheated out of getting the best performing cars! At any rate, it should be a huge improvement over 33 year old bushings and springs. Marty

I am glad to hear the springs won't screw up the alignment. From what I understand the Euros are between 11-18% stiffer. I got the Stage I's, so I am guessing they are closer to the 11%. Should provide a little flatter cornering without significant additonal harshness. Smooth roads, and Chicago don't belong in the same sentence. It is the land of the pothole! My CD player skips now when I hit an expansion joint or similar buckle in the road. I really need to find a way to anchor that thing securely. Just had not looked forward to digging into the dash. Marty

Don't EVEN think of putting flat tops on your car. You WILL regret it. They vapor lock like crazy, which will be even worse with a header. The Windy city Z Club used to use flat tops for a "carb toss" competion at their annual picnic. I am not a fan of Webers either, as a malfunctioning one burned up the '73 Z that I spent 7 years restoring. Get yourself a new set of round top SU's. They are still your best bet. Marty

Tanny, I recently acquired some Euro Springs, but I won't get around to putting them in for a few more weeks. They ar esupposed to lower the car by 3/4 of an inch. I am wondering if that is a enough to mess things up too. Have not heard an answer to that on these springs. Lowering by 2" I know is a problem. Marty

I agree with you on that one. It seems like if they were all soldered together, how could you maintain varying fuse levels on different circuits? Marty

The last issue of Z Sport Magazine had an article on fixing the fuse box. Highly recommended reading! What they did to solder the rivets, was to pull the whole copper strip, with fuse holders out of the back of the box. that way you don't have to be concerned about melting the plastic. they also replaced the wire plug ends with new ones to get abetter connection. This issue alone was worth the subscription price, if you don't get it already. Marty

I have a little known Classic Policy from State Farm. It is an Agreed Upon Value policy. The highest I could get on my 1970 240Z is $9,000 last year. If I document improvements, I could possibly get it higher. It costs me $35/6months. I can drive the car to work a couple of times a week, total annual mileage I think was something like 5,000. I did not pay too much attention to that since the highest mileage year I have diven it was 1,500. You might have to have your agent inspect the car or they will want pictures and a detailing of what the car has had done to it. Hope that helps. Marty

Wow, $69 is a good price. Thanks for the heads up. Marty

Sounds like you are going at it from the top an dhaving trouble. Seems like that area would be a whole lot more accessable from the bottom. Jack up the car, put on sturdy jack stands and go from there. Marty

Thanks Carl. It was worth a try. There's a 72-73 on eBay now for about $40. Last time I heard, they were $119 from Courtesy Nissan. Marty

Does anyone know for certain, if a turn signal switch from a 72-73 will be a direct plug in on a 1970 model? TIA, Marty

A lot of people use ATF. I use Marvels Mystery Oil in mine. Both are supposed to give you better throttle response. Marty

I got a nice one through Troy at Too Intense Restorations, who is also an advertiser on the site. You can also try ZBarn: http://www.zbarn.com/ And a few other places. If you can't locate one after this, get back with us for more sources. You can check the links on the menu too. If you can get a new one from MSA for $88 I would grab it though. Good luck! Marty

Hi Victor, I have a 70 now, my 73 has been gone since 1987, so I can't really help you on what the 73 mounts look like. When I put new bumpers on my car last year, I used POR 15 silver on the backsides. It turned out really nice. No more rust on these expensive bumpers! I would recommend you try to get all of the existing rust off the bumpers first. Then treat it with their Metal Prep. Good luck! Marty

George, I have never seen a rubber kit any where either. I ordered mine from Courtesy Nissan in Texas. I know you can get them from Z Barn also, but I believe their prices were higher. Your best bet is probably your local Nissan dealer. I hope to start my suspension resto within the month. Just waiting for the parts to arrive. Marty

George, I am very much in the same situation. After a lot of debate back and forth, I am going with OEM rubber. I figure new OEM rubber will still stiffen it up more than 30 year old rubber, that and new springs. It is just a matter of whic is most important to you, comfort or performance. Cheers! Marty

I just ordered these parts from Courtesy Nissan., at a better price than MSA. 25060-E4100 Fuel Gauge sender $29.89 17342-18000 Fuel gauge "o" ring $1.13 17343-14801 Fuel gauge plate lock $1.15 It seems like their prices have been getting even better lately. Call them at 800-527-1909 Marty

Yep, I know what you mean. If I don't like the owner and they act like an A_ _ then they probably didn't treat the car right either. It always makes me suspicious when the story starts changing. There are lots of Z's for sale, take your time and get the right one. Marty

What happened to the red one in CA (1970?) that you talked about a few days ago? Marty

How do I get that job!!!! And someone actually gets paid for that!!! Marty

Bart, Like Zmefly said, you won't gain any HP with a header (unless you really build up the engine), it will only make it louder and headers tend to rust. Exhaust systems bought from MSA or similar place never seem to fit quite right. I suggest you go to a good muffler shop and have one custom bent for you. It will fit better, you don't have to go through the agrivation of getting rust in your eyes, and it might be cheaper in the end. I kept the stock manifold, had 2 1/4 pipes custom bent, ending with a nice turbo muffler. this was about 4 years ago, but I believe it cost me $126. The car breathes much better, sound agressive, without being obnoxious. Well, that's my two cents worth. Marty

If you removed the distributor shaft when you swapped everything, you may have reinstalled 1 or 2 teeth off. I tooks my engine apart to put all new seals in it. I had it one tooth off and it would not start. Corrected that and it started right up. Good luck, Marty

Here's one that been for sale for a long time. Not sure if its still available though. I think he is in Florida. http://zdriver.com/classifieds/rides/viewitem.php?cat=&relIdx=10&item=10315 It is an L28 with triples. And hey, it's yellow! Looks like the car you just sold! If you don't mind me asking, what did you get for your car? I keep toying with buying another 240 and have been watching prices closely. They seem to be all over the board. Marty

I thought you were selling your 240? Did you sell it and now have seller's remorse? Marty

Hi Burt, I might be interested in the wheels and hubcaps. Send me a private message with the price you want for them. Pictures of the caps would be nice if you have a digicam. You can also email me directly at: marty.rogan@motorola.com Thanks, Marty