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I couldnt make out too much from the pics, a drawing of the your wiring would be helpful. Based on the description i would assume that the issue is either too much retardation/timing issues with the distributor and/or current starvation (the ignition does not get enough power at higher RPMs to create an sufficient amount of sparks and spark energy) assuming that the engine and the Pertronix components are ok. You might also want to recheck the installation of the Pertronix trigger sleeve, a loose or wobbly trigger sleeve can lead to the same symptoms, including the bit about the tacho needle jumping around. A clogged air filter or obstructed air inlet can also lead to the same symptoms due to o2 starvation. I would do the following next steps (you might need to involve a workshop to have access to the tools): As a first easty test, get an adjustable timing light and jot down the distributors advance curve by drawing a chart for every 500 RPM, compare the results with the curve in the workshop manual. While doing this test, check that the timing mark appears stable at each RPM measured. If the mark jumps around you have a worn out distributor axle and/or a wobbly trigger sleeve. Better yet, run the distributor on a distributor tester over the full rpm range and compare the advance/retard curve with the workshop manual to make sure the distributor is up to the job. The next test require special equipment but is the most efficient approach to identify the problem. Check out the burn pattern (ignition sequence) and trigger timing using an automotive oscilloscope (such as Picoscope) and HV clamps while slowly raising the RPM until the engine starts hesitating. This helps to quickly identify trigger/timing issues and possible problems with current starvation and coil, spark wire or plug issues as well as fuel starvation at higher RPMs.

A defective regulator not limiting the alternators voltage might lead to damage in more "sensitive" equipment such as the radio or ignition electronics. i dont think that the starter would be affected, especially as while starting, the alternators output should be below 12 Volts. I dont know about the wiper circuit but it might have been affected by the higher voltage. If you have replaced the alternator and regulator, and the battery is ok and charges, then some component or faulty wiring is drawing current, leading to a drained battery. To find such a fault, buy or lend a small current clamp meter with a range up to 10A, clamp it around the batteries (+) wire and check the current drain. It should be less than 0.1 ampere with everything switched off. If the meter indicates a higher current, start by pulling the fuses one by one to isolate circuits and check the result with the meter each time. If you still see a higher current after pulling all fuses, systematically check all cables starting from the (+) connection on the battery using the clamp. As usual, make sure the ground wire to the alternator and all ground connections are in a good condition.

You don't need a ballast resistor with the 3 Ohm Flamethrower coil. Using a Pertronix Ignitor I, the primary load should never exceed 4 ampere on a six cylinder engine. So, if you have a coil with less than 3 ohm you need to add a ballast resistor (example, with a 1.5 Ohm coil you want to add a 1.5 Ohm ballast resistor to reach 3 Ohm in the setup). You can also remove the capacitor, it is only required with a points based setup to reduce arcing between the points.

It is quite rare that the coil in a magnetic pickup breaks, but it has happened. A fluctuation of 300 ohms might rather point to a broken cable, have you checked this by moving/tapping on the cable itself? I just had this issue on a Lucas distributor, where the engine would stop for no apparent reasing while driving, we discovered then that the pickup cable leading to the amplifier was broken.

The tach in your '72 is current driven, it was wired in line with the coil. This setup is not compatible with your Crane CDI HI6 unit. You need to get a tach adapter which connects to the tach signal output of the HI6 (green wire) and delivers a compatible signal to your tacho. Crane, MSD and Mallory offer such adapters, i think the Crane part no was 8920 but please check again to be sure.

I've just got in the Datsun hobby about a year ago, and are actually really happy with the availability (even though i need to order the parts from the states and pay for transport and taxes, as there are apparently less than fifty 240Z in germany). I do own several other cars from the seventies and the cost for work and parts is easily a multiple than for the 240Z. For some parts only recasts and handmade refabrications are available, and getting XWX tires for 205/70VR14 rated 240 km/h is setting you back about $400 a piece from Michelin (my other tires in 255/R14 are close to $380 a piece). True, TRs are nice cars, but a TR4s drive is something completely different from the Datsun, so i'm actually quite happy with my 240Z

Works great! I have added the diode directly on the blue/red solder points on the antennas controller pcb so the original wiring is not touched. Shortened the antenna red/blue cable to 8 inch and crimped on bullet connectors. Everything worked as expected, i can use the original radios antenna up/down switch to control the new power antenna, the antenna can also stopped half ways (if required). Great, thanks

Great info, thanks for the quick reply!

These rims were installed in 1975 by a Datsun dealer in the San Francisco area for the first owner. The rims have no marking at all and came with 195/R14 tires. There is a 'D' logo in the center of the wheel which looks a bit like the Daihatsu logo. I think they match the 240Z rather nicely but would be curious who made them. Thanks, Adrian

The Blaster 2 Coil (#8202/#8200) is a low resistance coil for a capacitive ignition such as the MSD 6 series, for the default inductive ignition you should rather use a Bosch red coil (1,6 Ohm) using the Datsun ballast resistor, or a Bosch blue coil (3,2 Ohm) for a setup without a ballast resistor.

I want to remove the emblems for a full cleaning and paint buffing. Front and rear logos are no problem, but how do i remove the "Datsun" front fender and "Z" rear quarter (air vent) emblem on both sides? From below the car i have access to one of the clips of the front fender emblem but the second one is apparently not so easily accessed. Do i need to remove the inner panels to remove the "Z" rear emblem? Thanks, Adrian

The XR3000 is a transistorized inductive ignition, there should be no problem with the voltage, which is still +12 volt to the primary coil (CDI capacitive ignitions such as the MSD 6A or Crane Hi-6 send ~500 volts to the primary coil, that would be a problem). The '73 tach is current triggered, check out page 16 of the Crane XR3000 installation guide, which documents a similar setup based on a Smith current triggered tach. http://www.cranecams.com/pdf/90002000a.pdf This is not really answering your question, but at least a first step

I just had a look at the wiring diagram of a '73 manual 240Z and interestingly, the tacho is wired quite differently to what i was expecting - the tacho is inline in the +12 supply via the ballast to the coils (+) connector. To make the tacho work in the new setup, the tachos (+) connection should be wired to +12 from the ignition key (maybe even via a resistor as in the original setup), and the tachos (-) connection is then wired to the coils (-) connector. Did anyone do this conversion and can comment on this? I'm just doing assumptions here based on the wiring diagram.

Thanks I'm feeling better (and authentic) now!

Got the sway bar bushing kit from blackdragon and noticed that my '72 240Z does not seem to have any in the rear. Is this a speciality of the model year or should it be there in any case and has been removed at some point?

I would presume that you need a pulling tool (jaw puller, see image) to remove the trigger ring.

Check if you can fit the round magnetic sleeve, if that fits and the distance between the sensor on the baseplate and the sleeve is correct then you can still modify the baseplate and install this kit. The double points distributor adds a second pair of points to enable a 7º retarded timing which is enabled via a thermostat switched relay (see page EE-26 in the workshop manual). It should be no problem to install the Pertronix setup, connect the black cable from the Pertronix sensor to (-) of the coil, and the red cable to +12V ignition (from the ignition key). You then need to setup the timining to 5º-7º BTDC at idle (fine tune to around 750-800 rpm in 'N'). The retarded switching via a thermostat was introduced to comply with exhaust regulations, as i am in europe i have no idea if this change will be a (legal) problem for where you live

The distributor on your photo shows an inductive magnetic pickup, you can see the reluctor with a protruding nose for each cylinder and the pickup assembly to the right with a black and green cable. The XR3000 unfortunately only supports optical pickups, so you either need to convert the distributor to the Crane optical pickup as mentioned by Zs-ondabrain, or use a different ignition (Crane Hi-6, MSD6) which supports magnetic pickups. Your later photos both show the optical pickup and the correct optical blade with six slots, so you should have all required parts. This PDF will explain all steps if you lost the installation leaflet: http://www.cranecams.com/pdf/90002000a.pdf

Rif, thanks a lot for the images, this helps a lot getting things back together! Nice car, btw. Carl, good advise! As i'm going for full '72 originality i guess we will reinstall it and open the windows instead if necessary Thanks for the fast response and great help, Adrian

Hi, i've bought a nice '72 240Z with original A/C fitted, the previous owner removed the A/C compressor and bracket at some point but never put it back in again. Could someone with an US '72 240Z and the original A/C please post some photos of the installed compressor so i know where to reinstall those parts