Hardway

IT RUNS!!! I picked up a rebuild kit for each carb along with a Holley Adj. FPR. Had to make two trips to the parts store to get the right fittings for the regulator. Got the new float needle assemblies installed, adjusted the float to 23.6mm for each, and installed the AFPR. I lucked out as I used one of the threaded mounting holes that I guess would have held the charcoal canister bracket to hold the bracket for the regulator. I turned the key to let the system build pressure, no fuel gushing out of the carbs and no leaks to speak of. (YAH) Turned the key all the way and she roared to life on the second turn of the engine. I let it run for awhile so I could check leaks and everything looked good. I blipped the throttle a few times and she sounded great but I think it is running a hair rich based on the smell of the exhaust. It was already 10pm and didn't want to get carried away so I shut off and will hopefully get to drive it around the neighborhood tomorrow after work. Thank you again to everyone for your help and Bruce, it was good talking to you earlier today and will be on the look out for the float bowl gaskets.

I see they are a moderator on the forums but the website does not appear to exist. Is the website under construction? If so when can we expect to see it launch? What kind of information will be on it? I would love to know more about it.

Thanks for the info guys. I opened up the float bowls this evening and found a few small surprises. First the good news, the floats appeared to be in excellent and the bottom of each fuel camber was pretty clean with about 1/4 of fuel left in each bowl. Now on to the surprises, the float was way out of adjustment on the front carb but even worse I could blow any air through the fuel inlet and pass the needle and seat. I took it apart and there was not any debris in it and the needle itself looked good. However I put it back together and was able to blow a little air through it but once I closed it I could not get it to open again. On the rear carb I could tell someone had been in it and recently since the gasket looked a lot newer. Upon getting the float lid off the entire needle assembly fell apart on the garage floor. I am not 100% sure I found everything but somehow the parts got past the retaining spring. One thing I found odd was the tip of the needle for the rear carb had a rubber tip on it. At first I thought it was a lot of dirt but then it flexed. It seemed to be in good shape so I put it back together but think a second small spring is missing as it does not feel like there is enough tension on it. I have a rebuild kit on the way from the local parts store but I will be calling Bruce tomorrow to order some more float bowl baskets as his description is spot on for the gaskets being like a potato chip. I also cleaned the hinge pins for the floats as they were mildly corroded. A little time and some fine steel wool and they were smooth once again. One disturbing surprise was the oil in the dome pots appears to be auto. trans. fluid since it is red. From what I have read online and in my manual 10W-30 oil should be used. Is there some reason behind using ATF? Do I need to drain it and refill it with 10W-30? On a side note, with so many cars running SU type carbs why doesn't someone make a re-usable float bowl gasket and charge like $20 for the pair? I would gladly pay that and even a little more to not have to mess with replacing them all the time.

I just got my '72 240z running again, for about 5 seconds. I installed a Carter P60504 electric fuel pump with an advertised shut off of 4psi. From what I have read the SU's do not like anymore than 3.5psi. Upon turning the key and letting the system prime fuel started pouring out of the air cleaner/intake side of the carbs at the bottom of the large opening. I unplugged the fuel pump, waited a minute, turned the key, and the car would run until it emptied the fuel in the carbs. So my question is, if the floats and needles are working properly would the keep fuel from filling up the carbs and leaking out? If my floats and needles are fine then I am pushing too much pressure in to the carbs and bypassing the needle and seat shutoff int he float chamber? I have not opened the float chambers yet as I wanted to have some float gaskets on hand before doing so. I had also posted up in the Engine section about my return fuel line. It is crimped but I can still blow air through it. Below is a picture. Should I consider finding a new fuel rail?

Got my 240z running again after an extensive fuel system rehab, new oil pan gasket, and header install. It only ran for about 5 seconds due to fuel pouring out of the intake of the carb. Leads me to believe I have some sort of float issue or too much fuel pressure. Oh well, it was nice to hear it roar back to life after 5 months.

I don't know if this is from the factory or not. When I had my carbs off I could blow air back to the tank from the fuel rail with the carb ports capped so I know its not full obstructed. Is anyone else's rail like this on the return side? I have looked at pics of rails on Ebay and none of them have this.

So sorry to hear that Oiluj. It is an unfortunate sign of the times. Sounds like you have a good plan to keep yourself occupied during your job search. Could you move from engineering to a project management type of position? SF is a beautiful area and sure you will find something out there. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thank you John!

I have used fine sand paper in the past to remove the little bit that just don't want to come off with a scraper.

I hate to bring this up but just need to know the correct methodolgy on these bushings. I used my digital caliper and as I rotate the caliper around the bar near the mount it shows 18.8 - 19.5mm (the bar is not perfectly round), this would lead me to believe I need 19mm bushings. However when I look up in the catalogs 19mm is skipped, it goes 18, 20, 21, 22, 23. So should I get 18 or 20mm? Thank you!

Wow, $231 for a vent hose set. I applaud you Ollie for going NOS. Glad to know I was not alone in my fight with the vent tank.

The website says it for the 5 lug wheels only. Very disappointing :0(

Thanks for the heads up TomoHawk. Looks like I found what I need. Shows to have a 5/8 inner diameter flange. I will probably pull the trigger on it tomorrow. http://www.ebay.com/itm/K-N-62-1340-OD-2-in-Oil-Breather-Caps-/140787111780?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20c790d764&vxp=mtr

I am trying to find this small filter either through Summit or Amazon. I have searched all the threads back to 2004 and cannot find a part #. Datsun Parts is smart and have placed their sticker over the part number. I know they have to make a profit and all but its a $20 filter max, not $33 + $10 S&H. Its definitely not a 5" breather as the packaging shows, more like 1.5" I would guess. I know many members have these on their Z's and want to do the same on mine so I can ditch the over sized breather on it that looks to be more at home a BBC dragster. Any direction on which one it is will be greatly appreciated. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Datsun-Nissan-510-620-240Z-K-N-New-Valve-Cover-Filter-/400307200264?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5d342b2108&vxp=mtr

I wrapped up my vent line project and got the vent tank mounted. A note to everyone, the 1/2" vent line is a VERY TIGHT fit around the tubes on both the gas tank and the vent tank. I used a little caliper grease to coax it on but could only get it on about half way. For everyone else that has installed the vent tank was it a big PITA to get mounted back in the car? It seemed like all the rubber hoses were fighting me the whole time. I kept moving and tugging the 2 larger lines on the bottom of the tank to help get it in position. After about 30mins of fighting with it I finally got it in. Maybe it was just me but I am curious to hear what others have to say.

I have th exact same issue with my MSA 6 into 1 header and was considering grinding down 1/8th of inch off the little ear on the transmission so it does not hit the header. I have a 5spd from a 280zx in my car. The idea of hitting and denting the brand new ceramic coated header does sit well with me. What would be hurt by grinding down enough material from the ear of the transmission?

I finally got around to snapping some pics of the covers I bought off Ebay from the link above. Overall I am very happy with them. The material is a soft and a little rubbery feeling but the texture along with the stitching and details really make them look good. The construction seems to be really good but the truth will really be told once they are installed along with the new foam I got from Les at Classic Datsun. I have never seen a set of vinyl covers from the other restoration houses up close so I cannot compare. Hopefully the pics below will help others make the choice to go with them (or not).

Congrats on your new purchase! A 60 gallon is a good for all around home garage use. As said above it won't run anything for too long without having to let the compressor catch. The factory drain is probably directly on the bottom and is pretty useless. I picked up my compressor on CL around a year ago for a song too, had two 220v plugs run in my garage, made some feet for it out of scrap 2x4's, and modified the drain valve using plumbing parts from home depot. You can make one as fancy as you want but for me this works really well.

I am sorry about that. Yes, that is what I was saying, the guide in my car appears to be okay so I am rolling the dice and moving forward.

I bought the synthetic leather covers below from the same seller. I will try to take some pics of them this evening as I have been meaning to do so ever since I got them. Overall I am impressed with the quality. The material is very soft with a mild grain so they look alot like leather, they feel better than vinyl, but not as good as geniune leather. I plan to install them along with new foam I got from Classic Datsun on to my 240z seats. The covers themselves are not made in the US and are either made in Vietnam or India but the stitching and detail seems very good. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Datsun-240Z-260Z-Nissan-240Z-260Z-Synthetic-Leather-Seat-Covers-/170864110972?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27c84b6d7c

Got the parts in last week. Upon looking at the new guides that came in the timing chain kit and comparing them to the ones in the car, they look just like what I already have in the car. The new curved guide does not have a lip on it like the old one did but broke off. Maybe this has become an common event and they are no longer putting them on? I am sure several of you are shaking your heads in disappointment but I need to get this car back on the road. Its getting very hot here in Austin TX and my buddy has a shop with A/C. If I am going to do anymore on the car beyond items that only take a few hours in the early morning I am going to drive it over there. As of right now the oil pan is back on and I hope to have the other projects wrapped up over the next few weekends as time and heat permits. If I decide to dive back in to this project again I will post up my findings.

Disregard. I am truly having an off day. I tried to use some of my valve cover bolts that I had cleaned with the oil pan bolts. I could not figure out why they kept bottoming out. The slightly longer bolts are used to hold on the tension brackets that go around the rear side of the pan. Pan is on, about to call it a day.

I have a '77 280z engine in my 240z. Where do the long 8 oil pan bolts go?

Local credit unions are your best place to start. If you are buying from a dealer and are within the NADA or KBB value then its usually no big deal depending on your credit. If you are buying any classic car from an individual many credit unions and banks will want an independent appraisal to determine the true value at your cost of course. I ran a quick classic car NADA look up on my '72 240z, low retail shows = $7,625, avg. = $13,650, high = $23,400. This is of course considering the car is in excellent condition. Don't bother trying to get a loan on a project car. As Wil said above, a signature loan maybe your only option in some situations. but the interest will be higher. A real world example I can give is about 2 years ago I bought a '81 Corvette from a Ford dealership. It had been modified/upgraded but was in good shape. The car booked for $21K so my CU had no problem with a $8900 loan. The kicker, got it at 1.9% for 4 years. I have great credit and have been a member of this CU for 4 years and always did direct deposit in to my account.

I got everything ordered. No one has anything in stock for several days except a new oil filter. Should I wait to put my oil pan back on at this point? If I am not too tired once I get off work I will go ahead and drain the radiator and get my my wife to help me get the hood off.