Jetaway

There seems to be several different GM HEI modules, as well as several 280Z distributors that can be used in a 240Z, so your set up may be significantly different than mine, but ... I mounted the GM HEI (actually an $18.00 bottom barrel aftermarket) on an aluminum plate which was cut to fill (and a little more) the gap in the side of the distributor formerly occupied by the E12-80 ignitor. It gets hot here and in the year, more or less, since I installed it, no problems. The HEI looks like the first one on this page. http://www.performancedistributors.com/modules.htm I don't have this particular brand, but suspect I will be getting one, or something similar before summer is out. Not because I expect the installed ignitor to die, but just, well, because. Chris

If there is a solution, I'd like to hear it. I have a similar set-up except my coils have been a stock Nissan and now, an Accel coil (Actually, no triple Webers but they don't enter the equation). I used an E12-80 module until it began to spit it out and switched over to a GM HEI module. The stock 240Z tach has never been satisfactory and always begins to hang near 5,000. I also replaced the nonfunctional and redundant stock clock with a Sun Super Tach II. True, not an ideal location, but I rarely take my 200,000+ miles and counting L24 out past 5,500, but I have on occasion and the Sun keeps going out to 7,000. So, with two different coils (stock for the EI and aftermarket) and two different ignitors (stock for the EI and kludge), I've had four combinations, and with none of them has the stock tach been usefully accurate. You wrote that your tach worked with points. My Z came with the EI installed, so I don't know if the tach would have been accurate with points, but it really seems to me that the root of the problem is electronic ignition, not the GM HEI and not the particular brand of coil installed. Chris

I don't think I'll bend it. It's more of a getting used to thing than anything else. I'll measure the end to bend tomorrow -- its TV time right now. Chris

I'm no expert, but... Plugs 4, 5, and 6 look Ok, or at least consistent. Plugs 1, 2, and 3 have something and something not good going on. #3 almost looks carbon fouled (too rich) while #1 looks as if it is on the way to toasting (too lean). Maybe its a trick of the light, but #2 in your first set of pictures and #3 in the second set look gapped. Chris

Hi, all. Not a problem, just a question. After a year of deteriorating performance, I decided to replace the turn signal assembly on my 1972 240Z. I had picked up an assembly more than a year ago from a junker simply because I figured it might wear out and would be expensive / difficult / impossible w/o trades involving first borns to replace when the time came. I'm pretty sure I pulled it out of a 1970 or 1971. I install it, the lever seems closer to the wheel than it was. Moved it back to where it "felt" right, wouldn't engage with the pins to flip off after the turn. Moved it back, which also seemed to engage a slot. It's possible I've misplaced my mind, but I swear the lever is closer to the wheel than it was. I didn't feel like pulling out the replacement or removing the levers, but I lined up the old and new best I could and the only difference I could spot, the only difference I _think_ I spotted, was that the angle on the lever of my replacement assembly (from a 1970 or 1971) was sharper than on the original (a 1972). Could Nissan really have done this? Move the lever away from the wheel a bit? Maybe for our fat American fingers? Chris

For those still looking for clean vent eyeballs but tiring of having them stare at you through baleful green fuzz, I discovered that a clear plastic polish does a pretty darn good job of cleaning them up. Maguire's is called PlastX, Mother's has one that works just as well. Chris

Sorry about the delay getting back to you all. Went out of town, computer went along but got the runs. Or something not curable by me. Thanks for the assistance, tips and links. A special tip of the hat to Mezzz who provided a link to very useful, illustrated, step by step instructions. In addition, for some reason the picture accompanying the caption "Clean Hands" just cracks me up. And mic240z is a person after my own heart. Cheap? Used to be cheap, my friend, now its green: just call it repurposing. Chris

Yeah, I've mounted an amp under my seat. In quite a few cars, as it is generally a good place for an amp. I have a 20 year old Harmon-Kardon CA-215 (Rated at 12W X 2, but it doesn't give anything to most 50W amps) under my seat. Fits with plenty of room to spare. Which probably ain't gonna help you much. Far be it for me to discourage someone from buying a nice piece of equipment (I checked the specs on the Alpine), but let me ask you this: Do you really need 4 X 70 watts? You don't have a lot of space to fill in a Z. Off a strong signal, I hit 110db (average, not peak) in my 240Z using the H-K and a nothing special 4-channel Phase Linear head unit rated at 13W X 4 (came with car). OK, the H-K plays much larger than its rated 12W, but 2 of the Phase Linear's channels aren't contributing much, if anything, to the dbs as they are only driving a pair of tweeters to add some imaging. And I don't have a sub kicking it up either. As a bonus, though some may find it a shortcoming, it isn't that loud 10 feet away from the car. Depending on what kind of speakers you are planning on getting and where you are mounting them, you might be quite happy with a 15W -- 30W head unit and a 50W stereo amp. Or maybe a lower power, and presumably smaller, version of one of the amps you are considering. Or if you still want the power, can't fit the Alpine or Sony, consider a pair of 2-channel amps, one under each seat. Home audio has gone absolutely bat-$^!# crazy over connectors, nonetheless, in the electronically noisy automobile environment it makes sense to pop for quality interconnects. Monster, of course, is one, I'm sure there are others just as good and less expensive. Be aware that while you can bend them shorter, you shouldn't, and should allow 3 1/2 to 4 inches, minimum for the plug into the amp. Technically, with the short runs and relatively low power, 18 gauge speaker wire would work just fine. Personally, because of the physical hazards in an automobile, I prefer a heavier wire, say a 14 gauge. Your audio dealer will be more than happy to sell you 12, 10, or 8 gauge wire, all of which you pay through the nose for and none of which will make the slightest difference in sound. Do use a heavy gauge wire for the amp power supply and run it directly to the battery. Make sure your ground connection is solid. I assume the amp grounds through the case, it wouldn't hurt to sandpaper the floorpan where the amp makes contact. Don't buy a noise suppression / conditioner at this point. I've put decent systems in my cars for thirty years and if there is one thing I've learned it is the absolute impossibility of predicting whether a noise problem will exist or not. If it sounds like total crap, you have a bigger problem than a noise suppressor can cure and you'll need to figure out and fix the cause of the problem first. If there is just a little noise then you can splice a suppressor into the circuit. If it's clean, you've saved yourself a few bucks. And finally -- its the speakers that ultimately make the sound. Good quality speakers driven by a middling power plant sound make a better sounding setup than middling speakers driven by a quality amp. Chris

Hi all, I'm ginning up the courage to replace the front wheel bearings on my 240Z. I've never attacked wheel bearings before, but I do have several repair manuals and their doesn't seem to be anything beyond my capabilities. However, a couple of the terms leave me puzzled. First: What the heck is a "drift?" All the manuals refer to using a drift to remove the outer race. Second: What the heck is the "outer race?" Is it what a ignorant layperson such as I would call the "bearings?" Third: All the manuals make reference to a special tool for installing the outer race bearings -- is this a really, really, special tool or could I buy / rent one at an auto parts store? If so, what? A wheel bearing installer? Fourth: What parts should I expect to replace? Black Dragon Automotive sells a wheel bearing kit consisting of inner and outer bearings and a oil seal (I assume the oil seal is a grease seal.). As a matter of routine, I will replace the cotterpin. Barring unexpected damage to other components, are there any other parts I should have on hand as a matter of routine maintenance? Fifth: Most repair manuals implicitly assume the car is between two and, oh, ten years old. My Z is a bit older than that and parts that came apart easily when young have a tendency to become one with the passage of time. Any booger areas that I should be aware of? Maybe throw a little penetrant on the night before starting the job? Finally, any tips earned through skinned knuckles, paint peeling language, or the existential giggles gratefully appreciated. Chris

Black Dragon Automotive calls part of it a servo hose: http://www.blackdragonauto.com/icatalog/z/full.aspx?Page=104 Its listed only for a 280Z, but the check valve that it terminates in is the same for 240Z -- 280Z. I don't know if the engine side connection point changed between the 240s and 280s. Chris

While not bought at ACE, probably the same stuff. Hadn't thought about it being a moisture trap. I'll keep an eye on it, but I'm not that worried as: 1) its pretty well protected from the elements; 2) by the time May rolls around, nothing traps moisture here. Besides, if it does behave badly, we're talking two minutes, tops, to pull it out and press the seal back in place. Chris

Thanks for the tip on Kia Sportage Door Sea! Our local yard had a Sportage just sitting there and I pulled out the front pair for a grand total of $10.00. Much better fit -- not only does the door close easier, but much less wind noise and draft than the seal or unknown origin that was installed shortly before I bought my 240Z almost two years ago. To install, I rubbed the metal lip with rubbing alcohol (to clean it) and cut duct tape into strips about 3/8 inch wide. I folded the tape over the lip just to give the seal a bit more to latch onto. I'm not sure whether I am missing a part or not (see photo "Quarter Window Before") but there was still a bit of noise from the rear of the door. So I took some cheap self-adhesive foam weatherstripping ("The Foam") and laid it in under the seal (see "Quarter Window After"). Even better, that eliminated an annoying whistling sound from the top rear of the door / frame intersection. Not sure how long the foam will last, but at $3.00 / roll and a five minute install job, I can put up with replacing it every six months, if need be. Chris

I might be able to go with you tomorrow (Saturday). Somewhat dependent on where the car is located. I'm a bit south of Stockton, and while willing to get up to Sacramento, I'm not so sure about another 20 / 30 miles north or east. I'll check my profile and see if it is up to date. Chris

Darrell, Oh, I don't know. I've had to wear a stocking cap a couple of times this winter. Haven't had to pull out the tuque though since moving here a dozen years ago. Oh -- I do recall frost on the windshield of the other car this winter. Once. Which is good, because I just can't seem to recall where I put the ice scraper. Probably next to the tuque. Barth4567 Similar climate, thank you. Arne, Thanks for the word from the factory. And: Are they nuts? 59 degrees? The temperature passes through 59 probably 280 days a year here. Am I supposed to rig up a cable to the interior? Stop the commute traffic on the Altamont saying "Excuse me, gotta switch over the heat riser?" Thank you all, I'll be flipping it back to summer in a couple of minutes. Chris

Greetings, all. Not sure what the technical term is, perhaps the heat riser. On the front of the stock air cleaner housing of my 1972 240Z is a flap that can be set for summer (flap parallel to intake throat ) or winter (flap blocks throat, air drawn into air cleaner from tube which draws air warmed by the exhaust manifold). I've looked in a 1970 owner's manual, quite a few repair manuals and some searching on this site, and I've been unable to answer this simple question: How cold is winter? Or: At what temperature should I position the flap for winter driving? We have a pretty temperate, if dreary, winter clime here. Lows drop into the 30s a handful of times during the winter, but freezing is an every couple of year thing. Lows typically run in the low 40s, highs into the mid 50s, but 60 is a warm day. I flipped it to winter around a month ago and while it runs smooth, it seems a bit flat and the mileage is running 10% -- 20% less than expected. But between a badly vented gas tank (hard to get a true fill to fill reading), winter conditions, (cooler air, but perhaps a bigger effect from strong winds, different gasoline formulations, more idling, heavier electrical draw) two carbs to keep balanced, and spark plugs and other ignition parts aging, I can't definitively say that the flap position has had an effect. Any suggestions from the factory or, even better, insights from experience? Chris

Nah, no filter there. I'm pretty sure that the problem lies in the back end of the car, either the fuel pump or the fuel pickup. One is somewhat expensive as a "could be the problem" part while the other involves a largish PIA, again with no guarantee of success. My thinking now is to put some gas in a container, attach a longer fuel hose, and test how fast gas the fuel pump can pull it out of the container. If it is still around 8 gallons / hour, replace the fuel pump. If it jumps up, pull the tank and clean the sucker out somehow. With my luck, it will pump something like 12 gallons/hour, a nicely ambiguous figure that will leave me scratching my head on how to proceed. But seriously, isn't solving puzzles part of the charm of driving a 37 year old car? Chris

Maybe? I'm not sure what a banjo fitting is, but I did remove the large bolt/cap from the end of the fuel supply fitting. I do know what a brass gas line filter looks like and had expected to find one there, but I didn't. So, if that is where the brass filter should have been then the brass filter can't be the problem. Or does the brass filter lurk somewhere else? Chris

Fingers crossed, I think I can rule this one out. I replaced the needle valve with a new one and verified that it operated much more smoothly and reliably than the old one. Doesn't mean I won't go back to it, though. Chris

Hi, A couple of weeks ago my 1972 240Z began suffering the classic symptoms of a bad load of gas. I tossed in a can of Sea-Foam, ran through another tank and while the otherwise inexplicable power losses and coughing disappeared, a reproducible problem appeared. If I run hard in 2nd from 3000 it pulls well until 5000 in 3rd and then just flat out won't go any more and runs rough. It's not a misfire, per se, just nothing. If I push in the clutch at speed for 30 seconds or so, then rebreak from 4500 it will pull to 5500 and then, nothing. In deference to the 200,000 miles under its belt, I use 6000 as the redline in normal use, but it will run up to 7000 in 1st or 2nd, even with the above problem. The mechanical fuel pump is long gone and has been replaced by a rear-mounted electric pump of unknown origin. I rebuilt the carbs (for the first time -- floats = fun). Replaced the 2 month old fuel filter because it had quite a bit of resistance to a blow test. I suspect it did its job, giving up its own life itself for the good of the engine. Gave it a tune-up. Blew the lines from the fuel pump to the filter. Running great, smoother and a bit more power than it has in months, but still runs out of power between 5000 and 5500 in 3rd. All the fuel pump measures that I've come across are in terms of p.s.i. I don't have the capability of measuring fuel line pressure, but I did pull the line at the filter and at the carbs (before and after blowing the line) and measured an estimated 8 gallons / hour. That seems, well, skimpy, to me. I figure that at a steady 80 mph I burn through 4 gallons an hour (20 mpg). From my other car, which has a instant gas mileage gauge, I know that hard acceleration can easily chop mileage by 2/3rds or more and don't see why the Z would be any different. So, is replacing the fuel pump a reasonable next step? Or am I overlooking something? Much thanks. Chris

Nope. Not without making some parts. P.S. The 280Z was reduced to a pile of metal yesterday. Didn't go to a junkyard, went straight to a metal recycler. Chris

I took a chance and swung by the house where the 280Z was after getting home from work at 11:30 PM. Surprise, garage door was open. I asked him if he knew what the brake drums were for. Nope, they were in the car when he bought it. So, does anyone want to buy a nice, new, pair of brake drums for a 1983 Unknownian? Chris

I'm not going to argue against a relay system, but I've been pleasantly surprised by my Sylvania Xtravision H6024 lamps. Straight drop-in, 55/65 watts. I'd say they are in the top 20% for vision out there, which ain't bad at all for stock replacements in a 37 year old car with headlights about an inch off the road. OK, not an inch, but pretty damn low. Chris P.S. Fastwoman -- I like your style. I'm going to try and beat your price by looking through the piles of old electric stuff that I've bought at garage sales for a pair of relays.

I was grabbing a few parts off a junkyard-bound 280Z this morning (depressing, even in though it wasn't mine) and came across a pair of brake drums still in the box in the rear hatch. Great, I had read here that drums for Z's are no longer being made and are becoming difficult to find. Once home I took one out of the box and 1-2-3-4-5. 5? 5 bolt holes. Those aren't going to fit my 1972. Which brings up my question: Were there any 5-bolt, drum brake Z's or ZX's? The boxes are stamped "Made In Japan," so they pretty much have to be for some import. Chris

Sorry about that. Maybe they've changed their site, because now I can't copy a direct URL. This will get you there quickly though. Go to:http://dimequarterly.tierranet.com/ Then type GM HEI in the search box 3 articles come up, it's the first one. Chris

I've done some searching, but am running out of time. Earlier this evening I came upon a 280Z 2+2 on a flatbed trailer. I left a note on the truck asking: Is the Z coming or going? If going, please call ... Anyway, it's going to the junkyard tomorrow. He agreed to let me take whatever I wanted from it before taking it to the junkyard, but since the price is free, I don't want to delay him too much. So, will the seats from a 280Z 2+2 fit in a 240Z? I'm sure they will fit -- somehow -- so I guess the real question is, is it a drop in installation, one involving minor modifications or one that threatens to block passage through the pearly gates due to a large number of bad words uttered during the installation process? If possible, should I grab the rails or leave them be? About the car: No engine or transmission, body looks fine, think it has all of its windows. I don't know how much the junkyard will give him, but my guess is -- not much. I would love to just buy the car outright, but simply don't have space for a parts car. So..., well I live in Manteca, which is between Stockton and Modesto in California's central valley. It hurts me to know that this decent looking Z will, in all likelihood, be crushed within the month. If you live in the area, have ready access to a flatbed or other towing vehicle (I believe the owner said he wanted the wheels and tires) give me a call tomorrow (Wednesday morning between 9:00 and 10:00 or so [no earlier, please, I have a medical appt. and then will be on the road back home] and I'll ask him how much the junkyard will give him. I'll be able to give a much more detailed rundown on the Z by then also. If you are willing to match it and can come and get the car this weekend, I'll front the money for the car. There's a couple of misceallenous parts that I want -- the headlight holders, right side mirror (if it is even there), a few other small things, but nothing major. My phone: 209-679-1528 Chris