Marty Rogan

Hi Victor, Yours is the first 240Z that I have seen with a stock mirror on the right hand side. Is that a standard mirror mounted on that side, or did you get your hands on a RHD mirror from accross the pond somewhere? Marty

axler8, It interesting how well that program works. Of course I am partial to the blue!!! I also really like a 240Z in Guards Red. My first Z was Guards Red, with Gold Pearl in the clear coat. It also had Panasports with gold anodized center. That car looked fantastic. When the sun hit an arched area of the body, it would shine gold. Just food for thought. Marty

My 70 Z is painted similar color. I believe the PO called it Ford Midnight Blue. I get a lot of compliments on it at shows. The original color was 903 Blue, which is really nasty looking compared to this. I can see the original color by the spare tire well. Marty

Hi All, I am looking into buying another Z on Saturday. This one is an early 71 with a stock L24. The owner did a compression test which showed these results: From back to front: 135, 150, 140,145, 150, 150. Of course, I plan to do my own test to confirm. I looked all through my Haynes and FSM and could not seem to find the stats on minimum acceptable compression. I know you want compression in each of the holes to be within 10% of each other. Five out of six look good. Is the 135 at or below the minimum, and do you think that is something to be concerned with? Looking forward to your opinions. TIA, Marty

Hey Rick, Thanks for the website. I am new to this though. Might pick up a 71 for autocross on Saturday. What do you recommend (or use) for harnesses. I know that you want something witha crotch strap. Are the G-Force brand units on the website good equpment. What about Sparco or Simpson? I would also appreciate recommendations on a roll bar and helmet. Best brands (models) and where to get them. Thanks, Marty

Hi all, Do any of you Z guru's live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area? I am interested in a 72 that is in South Ft. Worth and was wondering if anyone would be willing to check it out for me? If you didn't have the time, or maybe mechanical expertise, could you recommend a competent, trustworthy Z Shop in the area? TIA, Marty You can contact me directly at: marty.rogan@motorola.com

Korg_geek, NGK's are pretty common. Check your local parts places and save the shipping costs. Marty

Victor, You read my mind! I was going to ask you to post a picture. I think they look fantastic. But if you were entered in the stock class at a show, you would probably lose points. For the custom class they would be great! Marty

I bought some ffrom MSA a couple of years ago and am not real happy with them. The pattern is close to the original but not exact. They are missing the "grain" that was in the center portion of the seat on the originals. I visited Classic Datsun Motorsports when I was in CA last year. They restored many of the Nissan 240Z Program Cars. Theirs are the closet to original that I am aware of. Here's their website: http://www.classicdatsun.com/ Marty

I am interested in buying a set of the original rubber floor mats for the 240Z. I believe they were a dealer option made by a company called ADCO. They must be new or as new condition. Let me know if you have a set you will part with and your price. Thanks, Marty

Ok, I understand. Just wondered if putting less load on the engine would affect the compression reading. Marty

I'll definitely will go with the screw in type kit, as I will want to be able to do this myself. Someone said that you should take out all 6 spark plugs for the test? I would have thought you would only do one at a time. Also, I have understood that you should not have more than a 10% difference between the highest and lowest reading. Is there a bottom level reading where you would you should not go below, even if all six are relatively even? TIA, Marty

I would like to buy a compression tester. What should I look for in a tester? Are there a couple of brands that are better than others? Where is a good place to buy one? What is the thread pitch and size for the spark plug hole? Send along any other info that you would think helpful. I have seen it done a couple of times, but did not get a good look at the tools. TIA, Marty

Mason, Is that car in San Jose?? Being sold by a Chinese/Japanese guy? Does it have damage on the drivers front? If that is the one, the damage alone will cost you $1,500 to fix and then another $2,500 for paint. That is a lot of money on top of a kinda high price. The rest of the car seemed pretty clean though. Well, that's just my opinion, but I would try to get the price lower. good luck, Marty

I am going out of town on vacation next week. I can't remeber how to shut off the mailing list. I want to put an out of office notice on, but don't want the list to get a reply everytime someone posts a message. Mike? Anyone??? TIA. Marty

Put it on jack stands or ramps, being sure that it is very well support. Get under it with a long screw driver. You should be able to reach up above the trans and pry the latch open from there. Good luck! Marty

George, I have heard the reason that the springs are different, is because the L6 engine is slightly tilted to the right side of the car. Marty

Thanks Carl. I've got it now. All I need now it the time to do it!!! Probably in June the way its going. Marty

I think I am getting a clearer picture. Does the locking bolt connect to the slot in the spindle pin at the bottom, or the side of the spindle pin? Marty

Someone said that the locking bolt goes back in from the top? I need a better explanation of how that works. I have new locking bolts. They have a sort of tappered end and threaded on the other. Isn't the "top" inside the transverse link, where the spindle bolt goes through. Any help would be appreciated. I am ordering one of those spindle pullers. It should be worht every penny if it works as advertised. TIA, Marty

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