NWT240zed

If you have the inclination, check out a documentary called "Love the Beast". It's about Eric Bana's connection to (non-gear heads might call it an obsession with) his Ford Falcon. Bana along with his buddy as navigator participate in the Targa Tasmania. It might not be terribly instructive, but I guarantee that it will be relatable. There's also a nice appearance by Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear. Best of luck in the Targa race. I am sure it will be a blast.

Hi Chris, The old car is doing well. The local constabulary insisted I remove the window tint from the side windows and a new head was installed. I meant to have the floorpans done over the winter but never got around to it. Maybe this summer. I also plan on installing Dave's tail light wiring harness, and replacing the hoses to the heater core. Cheers.

Welcome back Chris. Like the new ride, but prefer your '72 ;-) I plan on taking your old car out of the garage this weekend. Cheers, Martin

Ooops. Sorry for the unnecessary thread. I really should: a) search before starting a thread, and pay closer attention to the board. Feel free to delete this thread. Cheers.

After coming across an Ebay ad, I found this site: http://www.frpautomotive.com/index.html It belongs to a UK company offering, among other things, complete fiberglass shells and panels for a 240Z. I'm curious if anyone here has heard of this, or better yet tried it. If the mounting points lined up, it might be fairly easy to transfer parts over. I'd be a little cautious of something that cannot be welded. Nevertheless, an interesting option for those looking to replace a rusted out or seriously damaged shell. The prices look a little spendy by the time you consider what shipping across the pond would be, but I bet in many cases it would be cheaper than stripping and repairing an original shell. Hmmm... I wonder what it would cost in carbon fiber?

The Primadonna Z would have been a great car to have... in 1985, and I'd even hazzard to say that it might be fun to drive today. But the beauty of the classic Z is that it is timeless. I suppose that's what makes a classic a classic. If I had 100K to re-live the 80's it wouldn't be spent on this car. I think I'd save a few bucks and buy an A-team van, or a Fallguy 4x4 or the Marty McFly's Toyota.

Duct tape. Kidding of course. There are many outstanding z cars featured on this forum, and yours is my new favourite. I love the mods with the stock interior. Congrats on owning one of the coolest custom 240z's on the planet. I agree with Dave's suggestion of metal cap with a rubber gasket. With a little ingenuity I'm sure the stock rear strut caps can be worked in to cover up the new seals. Maybe with a little double sided duct tape. As a stop gap, if the fumes are unbearable, I'd be tempted to try rolling up some plumbers putty, fashioning a ring under the stock plastic cap and pressing it firmly in place. To my thinking, such a band aid would be completely reversible, and should stop the fumes. Just a thought. Good luck you lucky bastard. Envious in Canada

hey Chris, Drove the car out of BC in May but took an excursion over to the Island then down to Oregon and back through Washington and northern Idaho into BC. Had some issues with the valve train knocking but had a couple of rocker arms replaced in Spokane. We made it back home with few issues. I then learnt a few lessons when replacing the head :-) Been having a lot of fun with the car. The headlight wiring harness and alternator you provided were put on before the trip home. I've just had the header ceramic coated so that might find its way on this winter. I also thought there was a leak in the gas tank so I ordered new vent lines and had the tank coated. Turns out it was simply a cracked filler hose. :-). This car has been a lot of fun and I hope to keep it on the road for many summers to come. I'm sure the same will be true of your new car and I look forward to seeing it with 16" rims. Black is a great colour on the Zed, but you can't go wrong with silver too. Cheers, Martin

Welcome back Joker72z. Like the new car. Silver has always been one of my favourite Zed colours. I'm sure you'll enjoy getting the new ride running. Your old car is being well cared for and just purchased a new place, in large part to provide it a proper garage for the winter. Those floor pans you provided might even make it in this year. :-) Take care, Martin

Hi Saridout, I'm in the same boat as you. I just received a E88 Head from Datsun-Parts LLC. I haven't installed it yet, but will let you know how it turns out next week or the week after. I was a little hesitant ordering given some of the stories, but the price was pretty compelling after adding up how much it would cost to machine my existing head and order new valves and rocker arms. I'd definately be less daring buying a complete engine or car sight unseen, but hopefully we'll both be pleasantly surprised. My wife is pretty tired of me joking about the great new head I'm getting. I think she's hoping the cylinder head is a lemon so the joke will be on me. Cheers and good luck Martin

I have no experience with that seller, but to my thinking 1200.00 for new front and back stainless steel bumpers doesn't sound too bad. They look good, but most importantly, they will never rust. If were in central/eastern or even pacific Canada and corrossion was a concern and was looking for new bumpers I'd be awful tempted. Cheers, Martin

Hi Ken. I'm not sure if Monza exhaust systems are still available. Here's a link to a youtube video that the previous owner of my car posted. The Monza, to my ear, has a nice throaty resonance, performs well and is not too loud. Now, I just need to take care of that damn valve train tapping. The car came with an uninstalled header, which I think is an MSA. Eventually, I may install it, but I'd like to have it coated first. As it stands now it's running with the stock exhaust manifold. Good luck with your exhaust quest. Cheers, Martin P.S. Zedyone Kenobi, checked out your video and your car sounds as nice as it looks. Well done. Hard to beat a silver 240 imho.

I agree with Arne and Big Oak. The way the Canadian dollar is going, I'd be tempted to make a vacation in Texas and buy that rust free 71. Numbers matching would be nice, but if you're looking for a fun ride for recreational driving and not a show car to invest in, I don't see how you can lose. For me, not having a numbers matching - although a factor- would not be a deal breaker. I guess what I'm saying, FWIW, is that 10K for a rust free, well maintained 240z, with 30K plus invested, notwithstanding the numbers not matching sounds like a bargain to me. If you do buy it, please post pics of the speaker boxes mounted in the tool compartments. I'm partial to the cubbies, but curious as to how speakers in them might look. Good luck with your Z shopping and "enjoy the ride".

Thanks for the advice everyone. By way of an update, and after some further debate, I ended up removing the stripe. Attached is a pic of the car stripeless in Seattle (well near Seattle) Cheers, Martin

Hi Carl, I phoned Jaremko this morning. Unfortunately, nothing in stock but they are available special order. I'm hoping to be back on the highway sooner. The people in Spokane sure are friendly though. It's definately not a bad place to be laid up. Good advice on rebuilding the top end. The compression test numbers are not too bad for the bottom. They are a little inconsistent though. 130-185. I suspect the P.O. took pretty good care of the engine, but realistically there's no way of really knowing if it has 141k of light Sunday driving or 241K of light Sunday drives and hard Friday and Saturday stunting. I do appreciate your advice on the bottom, and it's good to know that after paying some attention to the top the bottom may not need attention for some time. The mechanic in Spokane stuck a scope down the plug holes and nothing appeared to be out of order or otherwise alarming. Although it may not be necessary at this point, for piece of mind on the next road trip (and for the learning experience), I may yet tackle the bottom. Winters are long in Yellowknife and I may need a project :-). I also need an excuse to give the wife on why we need a new place with a shop/garage. The current plan is to try and address the knocking with new rocker arms as a bandaid to get it home. The working theory at this point is that there are a couple of loose valves (I hope this explains the excessive oil consumption) so a more complete rebuild to the top will be done in short order back home. Cheers, Martin

Thanks Dan. If I'm still limping when near Red Deer, I will take you up on your kind offer. Cheers, Martin

Well folks, thought I had my ticking sound licked with a valve adjustment. On the road trip back through Washington, the tick came back with a vengence. Something was hammering pretty hard under the valve cover and it was loud. Also noticed some excessive oil consumption. Oddly no visable leaks and no visable smoke, but there is some soot in the tailpipe. Pulled into Spokane with the 72 240Z. Found a mechanic with some experience on old Zcars. Pulled the valve cover, and I expected to see something as prominent as the noise. Nothing too obvious was there. Valves were adjusted again. Still very loud ticking. Eventually it was determined that four of the rocker arms had some excessive wear. Unfortunately only two replacements are readily available by the mechanic. Does anyone know where to find a couple more near Spokane. Hopefully replacing the two worst offenders will allow enough relief. I know that a top engine rebuild is in the cards. To my thinking if the top is being done, might as well do the bottom too. With luck, however, I can manage to get the car home first. Only 2K to go :-). If anyone has some rocker arms near Spokane please let me know where. Ahh the joys of road-tripping in old cars. Cheers, Martin.

Here's the pic of the car dressed in black, with with stripe and slotted rims. Curious how the wheel choice in my opinion changes the stripe or not to stripe equation. Cheers, Martin.

Thanks folks, I'm no leaning no stripe. White stripe on black, for me, is just a touch too much. I also agree that it might be a different result without the chrome details like the headlight covers. I also like the stripe on the cars with the classic slotted rims. To me it's a cheeky nod to American muscle cars. The PO originally had the slotted rims, before adding the rewinds. Below is an old pic from the PO, with the slotted rims. The covers seem to draw a mixed reaction, although mostly favourable. I have a brother in law that can't stand them, but I love them. Some I guess are used to the sugar scoops and feel the covers make the car look like its trying to be something that it is not. I think they add a touch of class. Anyhow, MikeMerkury, I think Mr. Camouflage is right. The JDM covers were added by the PO, and he mentioned they were a hard to come by sought after item. Shame no one appears to be making them any more. And thanks Arne for cleaning up my sloppy MSPaint photo manipulation. :-) Thanks also for the advice Travel'nMan, the front plate is already gone :-) Thanks again everyone. I'll post pictures when the car is sans stripes. Should happen next weekend. I'll start with a small piece in the back corner and see how easy it comes off, and whether the paint under it is discoloured. Maybe it will stay striped until it get's new paint. ;-) Cheers, Martin

Hey Folks, I'm torn. I can't decide whether I want to keep the stripes on or take them off. I know it is a matter of personal preference, but your opinions are welcome and may tip the scales. Thanks.