Zealous

Hey GorrillaFart, not to get too off topic but it is just a question of economics the car is not rusted crazy or anything. More I want to eventually get an ITS 240Z for club racing but it makes more sense to buy a pre-built one then build the 71 into one. Need to take it to a chassis place and have checked out anyway.

1972 1. Replace shocks and springs 3. Do the little odd jobs 2. Learn how to drive her properly at the track 1971 1. Determine if she is worth keep and putting money into 2. Begin all the fixing

+1, Happy New Year

On another note, I do not have bump stops anywhere on the car.... By that I mean I am missing these: http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/23-4196 So that might be the noise but doubtful since it does not need a lot of suspension travel to cause the noise.

Just jacked it up and had a look, both the gland nut and nut at the top on the shock inside the car are good and tight. As Jon suggested there is a gap between the gland nut and strut (Honza also checked this in the shop and said it should be like that). I also looked at the spring perches and they all look good no obvious sign of wear and the spring moving around in it that would cause that name. Only thing I saw was that tip/end of the top coil is up against the side of the perch inward of the car that is perpendicular to the floor. (Really hope that made sense?). Not sure is that rubbing or moving around would make the noise. At this point I am considering pulling the shocks and replacing them with Tokico Illuminas and 280z springs. If I am going to pull it apart I may as well change the tired shocks, since I have tried all the other suggestions. Any more ideas?

Thanks Will, Hope everything is good with you. Mazdaspeed was getting some cleaning attention today, think she was getting jealous.

Yeah Honza has been looking at it between when we were doing things. He thought it was the bearings and stub axle so we replaced those but noise is still there so just trying to track it down without wasting a lot of his time. Looks like I need to pull the shock. While I am at it I may as well replace them as the old kybs in there have been in there awhile longer than I have documentation for at least.

+ 1 Redline

Thanks Julio, hopefully that fix works but there must be some underlying problem it is hiding.

Thanks Dave, do these just install in place of the stock flasher? I am not so good with car electrical. Sorry if I am asking stupid questions

Thanks Zed Head, No rear sway bar but I have been considering one So was out cleaning up the garage still after the move and trying to sort through things. I tried again pushing down on the car and I get a distinct metal sound almost a clicking but really a clicking which makes me think it is the spring in the perch. Guess I need to jack it up tomorrow and use a spring compressor to see if it is the spring moving in the perch. Any other thoughts? bobc, while out there I checked the strut nut at the top and it is all tight.

Thanks palosfv3 yes the lock pin is in place. Thanks Julio, maybe I can bring it around one day and you can show me what you did with the shrink wrap. As an engineer like you I would like to find the root cause of the problem as it is not a pleasant sound and must be doing something to metal somewhere. Hoping some of the suspension gurus here might know

thanks Bobc, Ill try those. To answer your question it is more over bumps or turning corners. The same sound cannot be produced by pushing down on the car. Not produced by just accelerating/decelerating in a straight line. It is produced by suspension movement as best as I can tell. Not so much a grinding noise more a groan, I agree that would indicate rubbing/binding. It is not the universal joints or bearings they have all been replaced. Ill try your suggestions, thanks

Ok so I am stumped on this one I have a bad creaking and groaning at low speeds when the right (passenger) rear suspension is unloaded and loaded. So far we have checked over all the bushing and they were replaced within the past 2 years from the paper work. They also all look new and the bolts are all marked was done professionally at Z Car Garage in San Jose by previous owner. We have replaced the rear wheel bearing and stub axle+lugs, repacked and torqued lock nut (280zx without peening) to 200ft/lbs. It was a PITA to get the old lock nut loose. We also did the u-joint in the half shaft. The only thing I can think of is something in the shock/spring. I was thinking of buying some new shocks all round for track days but don't want to spend the money if I don't have too. I have also read all the good and bad posts about riding on bump stops the lowering of the cars and not much travel and the problems with springs. I don't want to spend the money on coil overs at this point. But back to the problem any ideas what this noise could be? This noise sounds real bad not like the creaking of interior plastic or old car but more metallic and louder almost a worrisome groan which is why I have not driven the car the past few months. There is now noise at highway speed or driving straight just at low speeds and unloading/loading the suspension? Strut housing and A arm all look fine. So here is the breakdown: 1972 Datsun 240z Panasport 16 inch wheels New Diff mounts (done with previous owner at ZCarGarage) New bushing (done with previous owner at ZCarGarage) New diff rear seal and fluid New lugs and Torqued lug nuts Replaced stub axle New Rear Wheel Bearings (inner + outer + seal + lock nut) and all torqued up New u-joints on half shaft New cusco strut brace bars (noise was there before them) Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated especially from people with more experience in this area than me.

Sorry if i missed this earlier but could you point me to a good source for and explanation of installing the electronic flashers? I am thinking of doing this myself

You might try over at http://forums.hybridz.org/ they have more information on engine swaps and major upgrades. They have a whole sub-forum dedicated to the RB engine swaps, mostly RB25/26 but there is some discussion of RB30.

Looks great Julio! I wouldn't worry about the Capri bottle we all want the Z one. Have a good holidays if I don't see you before then. I think Julio still only has a four speed in his Z if I remember from last time I saw.

i have driven both the 350z and 370z, I would choose a 370 out of the two. Of course they are not the same as a 240 but look at why you want it. Bang for buck the 370z is awesome. Sports and touring package was what i was looking at the synchro rev match is awesome. Of course you can still do that with foot work but it is very clever and a nice touch. Thing that got me in the 370 is how much bigger it felt but the cockpit felt more cramped than my 240. I agree the finish isn't the best but that is where they went cheaper to save vehicle cost. I ended up getting a Mazdaspeed3 as better bang for buck and it could carry scuba gear for two people. I drove at a few dealerships many don't even know what the 240z is . Also might not help driving in with a Z as they will already know you are keen and hooked and you might not get the best deal. Really depends on the dealership though.

This is awesome thank you so much for the link

They look just like the interior trim clips but were painted when your car was repainted, you can order a variety of colours from Motor Sport Auto (MSA), Black Dragon, or even get them from Nissan dealers online or local to you. I believe the nissan part number is 79909-E4100 but I would check this first since the interior clips might be different to the rear finisher and I cannot remember which one these are.

Steve, I love the third picture the perspective and focusing makes it look like a model.

I can attest it is even more beautiful in person and the extra horsepower can really be felt. Nice job Julio

Search will help you a lot. Here is a good guide for understanding the straight 6 motors and ancillaries that can be swapped from later models. To have "a very healthy 6" without spending a lot of money. http://datsunzgarage.com/engine/index.htm I would suggest reading a lot and over the many guides and websites there are several out there.

I have some 240z strut assemblies (still with struts in) but they are in california and would likely be way more expensive to ship then get some in Florida. Unless you know a cheap way of shipping, anyone?

Thanks Jeff I am looking into that as another option. I know some people buy into teams later on to contribute. I plan on attending some of the future events to help out. I already saw one event at Infineon. Hoping to see more