Pleiner87

Hello, I have picked up another '72 240Z around a month ago and have been slowly working out problems in the car, like the anoyng problem with my turn signals. My dad had a simalar problem in his 260Z a couple years back, but now I'm looking for a good solution. When I first started to tinker with it I had noticed that the Green power wire had been bypassed along with the factory flasher unit, in place was a cheeepy flasher unit with a power spliced into a random power wire. I tested the old green power wire and it had no power, wanting to drive my z I put the cheepy flasher back in. A week later I had no turn signals so I took apart the switch and cleaned the contacts and put a good dylectric greese on it aswell, still no turn signals I jiggled the dangling flasher unit and presto I've got signals again... for an hour... to take my mind off of it I removed all of my dealer installed york air conditioning system and ended up finding the perfect plug to try on the flasher unit, once again I had turn signals. Fast forward to last night I went for a drive and no turns again! I shook the flasher unit again and had signals after that. Today in my parts 240 I grabbed the factory flasher and tried its luck I got a perfect left hand turn but the right was just solid on, I had tried many combos since then and have had no luck for anything. I had noticed that my a/c fuse was a 30amp (I had thought it was a 20amp), and that ran into the flasher, was that too much for something in the turn signal system? Does the flasher unit need to be grounded for it to work? -sorry for the long description, I thought this back story could help out more. Thanks Todd

Hello, on my '72 I found out that I've got a bad alternator, so i've picked up a rebuilt replacement, the only problem... the dealer installed york air compressor. The problem I have is how to remove the old one and get the replacement in place. From the back i've got the support brace from the bottom of the compressor to the motor mount and in the front its the radiatior, etc. Now about the A/C system... it's not currently hooked up, I'm missing the idler pulley, but the system appears fine, i'm giving it a 50/50 shot at working, no oil seeping from the compressor and all is still intact. The switch under the dash still engages the clutch... so I don't want to remove the A/C untill I am shure its junk. What is the best way to remove the old alternator??? Thanks, Todd

Cool, well my two z's colors dont match, one white and one orange, but Ive got a 11/71 ('72) 918 orange HLS30-53015, and a 11/71 ('72) 904 white HLS30-56708, only 3693 apart... not that close. Both are the '71 carry over ones with the verticle rear defroster and non retractable seat belts. The White one was bought new in California and the orange one was bought new here in St. Louis. Very cool thread!

The grille should be the same color as the tail lights and drivers rearview mirror, a medium gray color. I think its the same as the 240's tail lights, grille, and hub caps, if so (http://www.classicdatsun.com/) has premixed oem gray in spray paint cans, I used it on my dads 260, it looks good. -Todd

I have used classic datsuns spray paint at it looks really good. The paint does "eat" into plastic trim though (tail light trim pannels on my dads 260) but over all a great finnish. For a 240, just the grill and trail light finnisher should be about a can, if you want to do hub caps too, get another can... -Todd -have him send you a sample of the paint sprayed on something and then have it made by a local shop, maybe?

When I bought my '72 240 in dec 2007 i knew that it needed (and still does) some serious rust repair, but almost everythig is now replaceable on these cars. Some how my entire frame rail is solid except for two matching rust holes tight above the front sway bar, other than that the floorboards and doglegs and rear wheel wells are shot. In my mind my Z is my project car, and yes it does need work, but I hope to NEVER part with it (if it comes to it i'll have it crushed into a cube and i'll put it in the corner of my garage!). I hope to do a majority of the rust repair myself... did i mention i've never welded before (ok i bought a little welder and did alittle welding on a fence... that poor fence!), but with some more practice I would feel confortable taking on the rust and saving my Z! Hang in there. -Todd -Have you looked into the Gateway Z Club?, a high ranking member owns a body shop, and does some nice work on Z's, and may be able to help out some.

What year? I think the later 280Z's had a ashtray light ('77-'78?) I know i've seen a blue-green lense on a 280Z ashtray before, so the receptical must be on the underside of the console?

Paplein260 (my dad) and myself will be there. We will bring his 260Z, i'd like to bring my '72... only if there was a "most rust" category in the show! This will be our first time at the branson z fest, it looks like a great time.

Well it was a beautifully warm day here in St. Louis (low 60's) and i had a chance to go to The Z Junkyard! The yard is in Imperial Missouri and is called "Z Works" it is amazing how many Z there are there, The owner has well over 50, 240z/260z/280z/280zx/300zx's on his lot, not to mention two barns full of early z parts (I got a '74-'78 Calandar clock today!) anyhoo here are some pictures, the lot is a little overgrown... over the summer its tick central! -most these Z met their end by st. louis winters, super mega rust!!!

That makes sense, Well I had the "intergraded into the tail light" part right, haha. Knowlege IS Power... and using the search feature is as well! The late 240 console plate is interesting, I have a early 72 w/a blank in that spot for the seatbelt light/rear lamp. I could retro fit the rear lamps... hmmm project time??

Amazing find, Yep Creigslist supplied me with my Beautiful (but rusty... very rusty, and locked up L24) 1972 240Z as well. Good luck with it, I wish mine was that clean. Was it a 110 Red or 918 Orange Z? Once again AMA"Z"ING FIND! -Todd

the dummy plug is there on the North American Cars, Overseas they have regulations for front & rear "fog" lamps for visability. I beleve there would be two switches in that spot (front & rear). The front fogs were usally on the top of the bumper to the insides of the bumperettes, and the rear were (i think) intergraded into the tail lights (the top portion of red lens)... but then again I live in Missouri, and am only basing this on some pictures I had seen of the overseas Z. -Todd

I used my dads orignal early 1974 260 window sticker, scaned and used MS Paint to edited the information to match the color/vin/engine numbers, it looks great without using photoshop, just copied and pasted the typed numbers from the window sticker. I added the "5-speed synchromesh" option because of the 5-speed swap we did.

Oh yeah this is how I spend my freetime, Rock band 2 for the 360, I have downloaded all tracks off of Rock band 1 onto my console and play them with RB2, not to mention several downloaded ones off xbox live. Me and my roomates have a band in RB2 ("The Grand Quickies", I play the guitar or sing, and my 2 roomates play the drums and bass) we ROCK deep into the night.

Ouch, well that does give you reason to upgrade to the 5-speed... As for what 5-speed will bolt up, on my dads '74 260, he went from a 3-speed automatic to a 1978 280Z 5-speed. Here in Missouri we have a guy called "The Z Man" who runs a Z grave yard (around 100 z cars and barns full of parts) he did the converson. From what he said any trany from '70-'83 should work (240-280zx) I think he said something about the turbo 280zx tranys not working though. As for what is needed for the swap, you should be good allready having a manual in it, should just need the 5-speed. If you can find a "Z man" in your area you can pick one up there or look on creigslist for a tranny. I'll see if my dad can remember what he payed for the 5-speed, i think it was somewhere in the $100 range. So far no problems with the swap, except the trany pops out of 4th (it's the trans, not the shifter opening) good luck, Todd

Ok, the exterior of the Z has had fiberglass and bondo work on the doglegs and rear wheel wells before I bought it (sometime in the early '80's), looks like the bad was cut out folded and fiberglass was put in place. the fiberglass is on the rear wheel wells 2 or so inches up from lip. The lower rockers are in great shape except where the dogleg joins in. the floorboard rust seems to stay on the pan and did the most damage on the outside portions of the frame rail. the spare tire well has NO RUST, not a speck of it, although the rear deck has a few spots 1/2 of the way between the side and the latch, and the lip that holds the hatch seal in place is rusted away in some areas. The battery tray has mostly surface rust, no through the body anywhere around the mounting area on under it. BUT the one spot that is bad is the frame rail above the swaybar monting location, it is through the rail on the passenger side and flakey on the driver side. -Thanks again, Todd paint is bubbling near the fiberglass/bondo/metal border. (This is one of the first pictures of my Z when I went to buy it. 23+ years of dust) Battery tray area, mostly surface rust Rear deck area rust A bad spot on the frame rail above the swaybar ---My Z was just under $600... so the money I saved on not buying a running Z will go towards rust repair... Owning a Z, Priceless.

My '72 240 has been sitting in my garage for just over a year, and before I bought it it sat 23 years in a garage. It has sat in a garage untouched and in need of (what else but) rust repair. I have the classic floor board, dog leg, rear wheel well, and some engine compartment spots, but the frame rails overall look good. I have no welding equipment (have welded before... fences) I'm wanting to do the floorpans and smaller-complete body work myself (college kid... tight on money). As for my garage, it is a one car garage and only have a 110 Amp power source, so I was looking at a 110 Amp, 220 Volt Flux and MIG Welder from harbor freight. I should have many uses for the welder, like my Jeep Cherokee's passenger floor board (looks worse than my Z!) so I want a decent one that won't break the bank. Here are some refrence photos of my serious rust. -Thanks, Todd

Hello, the spot on the underside of the Cowl was a white rectangular rubber foam, used on the drivers and passengers side of the cowl to act as a spacer. While working on my '72 i noticed the black/grey foam square on the blendor of the evap system like "Friar-Tuck" said. -Todd

When ever I get my '72 done I'm leaning towards the white stripes on my orange Z, it has a white interior it should look good and add alittle more to the car. Then again I might just leave it plain and keep a super stock look to it. when I get there, i'll just flip a coin...