Zed Head

Is a plain old 1972 240Z with a G Nose (of questionable origin), a nice paint job, and an odd "sun roof" worth $40,000? I thought the guy did really well. The 72 alone was probably worth $25,000. That's a $15,000 premium for the three additions. Hard to figure where the additional value comes from beyond that. It's a nice-looking shell on an old 72 with a 5 speed, right? I wonder what his reserve was. The Z collector world is a strange place. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-datsun-240z-287/

Might as well fill in some of the blanks on the saga of the 240Z"G" on BaT. Here's a Google that has a bunch of links about The240ZGuild and one interesting story that I pulled out. People on BaT are getting upset that the history of the car is being discussed. But they're not going to buy the car. https://www.google.com/search?q=the240zguild https://zclub.net/community/index.php?threads/franklin-mint-1970-datsun-240z.25773/page-5 The BaT link again. It's an interesting discussion. Reminds me of California Datsun. There's money to be made on those old Z cars! https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-datsun-240z-287/#comments-anchor

The oil jets (restrictors) are designed to maintain pressure to the lower end. It's a balance between top and bottom. If everything is to spec. it might be that the bottom end clearances are too loose and bleeding off the pressure. Maybe you're looking at the wrong parts. Maybe the low flow at the top is a sign of too much at the bottom. Could also be that you have a restriction from the jet to the spray bar. Through the head, in to the towers, and then to the bar. A new spray bar wouldn't fix that.

The Irwin extractor's I showed are completely external. But, to my point about finding a friend who knows cars - there are some methodical steps that should be taken to maximize the odds of getting it out. For example, you can file flats on the sides of the nub that the flats on the Vise-Grips can grab. It's more effective that relying on the teeth of the grips, which destroy as they bite. And there are ways to get a better view of the working area, like working through the tire well instead of from above. The right person with a welder could have it out in a few minutes probably Unfortunately most people learn those lessons the hard way after they've already destroyed the remnants of the stud/bolt/whatever. Seems like you're at a point where you can avoid major problems if you get the right plan in place. You left out the part about sawing off the sending unit and the fact that the nub turned a little bit. That's actually a good sign.

Did you mean timing chain? Nissan removed the description of the front oiler in the 1976 FSM. They mention chain lubrication but not the specific oil jet. Here's 72 - Here's 76 -

I got the impression from somewhere that the front one is not really necessary. It might even be discontinued in the later engines. Might have read it in the Rebuild book. You could pull them out, do some work on them, and replace them without introducing swarf in to the engine. Looks like they're still available. Could probably make your own also. 12 and 13 https://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/engine-280z/cylinder-block https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts/nissan-jet-oil-cyl~11047-e3000.html

One possibility that I haven't seen discussed is to find a coolant temperature sensor that has a shifted curve, shifted to the lean side compared to the Nissan curve. If you could start lean, you could use the 3 bar FPR, then you could use the "sensor tweak" to bring the curve up. I'd guess that a common thermistor material was used by many manufacturers. Who knows, maybe somebody started in a different spot on the resistance scale but the shape is the same. The Nissan curve has been derived on the forum by CO, from the FSM numbers and I think he did some tests. @Captain Obvious Maybe GM or Volvo or BMW has one with possibilities. Probably hard to find their curves on the internet but it might be fun to test a few.

Here is the inverse option to what SteveJ suggested. Goes over the part. Sometimes they work. https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/VG_394002

What kind are you using?

If you have a friend that's handy around cars you might ask them to take a look. It's a tapered thread, so, really, a pair of pliers or Vise-Grips should work. You might stick a mirror or a camera down there and see how big the hole is. Some might not need drilling.

One of these. Find one that barely fits inside so it's outside the block, tap it in, turn it counterclockwise. If should unscrew easily.

1978 uses the oil pressure switch or the alternator current to power the fuel pump relay. Or Start.

There is a ton, across many different web sites and on this forum about adjusting the AFM spring. Good luck with that.

Well, this is odd. The picture that I pasted looks like 604 to me. But now I see another picture of the firewall that looks like a 402. Picture 150 versus picture 163. Must have got their pictures mixed up. There's a 604 and a 402 https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-datsun-240z-287

Sorry Carl, I'm going to bump my own post up to the new page. Hate the way the last page disappears entirely when a new page comes up... How about some feedback? What do you see?

I got curious after reading about The 240Z Guild, and the police car thing, and other stuff on the internet, so started looking at the pictures. Could somebody else describe what they see in the three screen grabs below? I'd like to verify. BaT should know, if I am correct. Picture #150 is the firewall stamping. Reminds of when I was a kid in the sketchy wrecking yard looking at a 10 bolt chevy rear end. The yard guy said "yep there is is, a 12 bolt rear end". I didn't even count the bolts until I had it home. Used it anyway but felt like a dummy. That story only makes sense if you're an old GM muscle car person.

That's a good point. I had a similar problem when the front calipers were on the wrong sides. The pedal went halfway down before any brake action. My problem was air in the system though, that could not get out. Easy mistake to make. Bleed valve on top.

What does the brake pedal do? The play in all of the mechanical parts gets taken up when you press the pedal. There's a tool for adjusting the master vac. But getting it properly adjusted probably won't make the brakes work differently with no vacuum. https://www.google.com/search?q=vacuum+booster+adjustment+tool If it's the rear wheels that won't lock up it might just be poor quality shoes. I found when I replaced mine that the shoes seemed to be designed for oversize drums. They only contacted on the ends. I couldn't lock up my rear wheels at all and the parking brake was definitely not an emergency brake.

This has to be noisy inside at speed, right? And why the wipers? Looks like it has potential though. Seems more "rag top" than a convertible. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-datsun-240z-287/

Thinking back it might be that I had found that I could not get to the two small screws of the electrical contact portion without removing the whole switch. Maybe I just didn't have the right tools. Meaning I had to grind one of the anti-theft screws. Whatever it was, it wasn't a simple process. Good luck to NightSpark. Edit - actually, it might be that I did what SteveJ suggested instead of grinding the screw. Who knows, can't remember. I do remember having a switch from a parts car that had a loose pin on the back though. That's the one that I restaked to fix.

Are you sure? I guess we'll find out. That would defeat the purpose of the break-away screws. Once you get the electrical part off all you need is a dime or a screwdriver to start the car. Actually, not sure, my memory is unclear, but there might also be those one-way screws on the electrical switch. I have a memory of one one-way screw and one regular screw. Whatever it is, on a factory stock car you had to do some grinding or filing to get the switch off.

Found a good video. "Break-away" screws. You don't need the whole assembly. You might actually be able to fix what you have with a small drift.

If any of the wire on the negative side of the pump before the switch gets pinched and grounded the switch won't help. Unless you mount it close to the pump. So, at least be careful with how you run the ground wire.

You might be able to still find the Kia Sportage stuff. It seems to work best. https://www.classiczcars.com/search/?q=kia sportage&quick=1 https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Aclassiczcars.com+kia+sportage

You'll do better with more pictures. The door jamb tag and the fenderwell tag and the firewall VIN stamp and more of underneath. Also some side-on views from a lower angle. Those rockers look rusty. Floor pans too. And interior. Anyone looking to restore a low number car will want to know how bad the rust is. I'd guess that Indiana uses salt on the roads and that that car saw some salt. Good luck. Post the listing when it's up.