Hardway

I would like to re-route the fuel line at some point and move the regulator to the firewall. Probably run a whole new feed line from the pump to the regulator and remove the old hard line. For now, I just want to get thing running so I can drive it some.

Thank you Mark. Been researching if I should go with Viton tipped needle valves or just stick with brass. I see pros and potential cons for each. I have read a few instances where users have indicated the Viton tips have come off and plugged the fuel port. However, there are lots of users who have had great success with them. The research continues!

I agree with others and think selling it on a Bring A Trailer would be the way to go. You have an offer north of $30K which I think anyone would be tempted to take. However, on BAT you will get a global audience. I think rare and unique cars should be offered on the true open market where everyone can have a chance to buy it. Just my opinion.

I have a set of triple DHLA40 carbs on my 240z. I have the fuel pressure set at only 2.5psi and the front carb started dripping fuel out of the bore. Thinking the needle valve was not closing all the way I took the top off and using my vac. gauge at the fuel entry port, it will hold vacuum with the float all the way up. However, just the slightest drop in the in the float releases the vacuum. I sprayed some carb cleaner down the fuel entry port and around the needle valve itself. It did not help any so I bent the floats a little so it force the floats to sit higher and ensured they were not rubbing against the body of carb. This helped but I noticed when try to adjust the idle a little bit of fuel started to creep out of the bore of the carb. I went ahead and did some idle tuning but when I would rev the engine the front carb would pop/spit when revving up. I believe this is because the floats are now too high and starving the carb of fuel. Does this prove the needle valve is not working properly? Is there anything else I should be looking at?

Someone else was asking the exact same question about the exact same type of car. See below. Since you have provided some pictures and details, based on your post it is a $13K - $20K car as it is right now. Get it running and stopping well, address the carbs, brakes, and gas tank, you would see $20K - $30K. Unsure what your selling plans are but your phone is probably ringing off the hook right now. If you are looking to maximize your sale price then get all of the systems sorted, clean and detail it, get someone to help you make a few small videos of it running and driving, and post it on Bring A Trailer auctions. This car would get a lot of attention. Good luck and keep us posted!

Is the car you are talking about? If so, looks like the seller is looking for a number too. if it is the same car you should have went and bought it already. His phone is ringing off the hook now.

Very well written and relate-able. I believe we have all had the fire around these cars or cars in general die out from time to time for various reasons. Glad you have found the passion again and realized to achieve your goals it is best to let someone else do the work. Too often many of us take on projects that are beyond our skill set, resources, budget, and time. In the end I believe you will get much more enjoyment out of your Z and the hobby as you will be spending more time driving the car than wrenching on it. As other small things come up I am sure you will get enjoyment out of resolving them on your own. Good luck with it and keep us posted!

I will my .02 as I think you are looking for a dollar amount range. I agree with Patcon, RHD Z's may carry a very small premium over a LHD Z unless it is a very early car, then the gap widens in the RHD car's favor. On a '72 240z, in good shape but not perfect both mechanically and cosmetically, in a popular color, with a standard transmission, $12K - $20K. You are in NJ so a solid Z car will be at the upper end of the range vs. the west and the south were there are more solid cars to pick from. Without seeing pictures and knowing more details, I think that is a good estimate. With the rise in prices, supply is starting to catch up with demand as Z's are coming out of the wood work. Good luck and keep us posted!

Hey Dave MW. Not to hijack your thread but I wanted to offer some additional info. Question, what kind of bushing are you planning to replace the old one with? If you planning to run an original rubber bushing then you are correct, you will need to press it in as they are all one unit. However, if you are planning to run a poly bushing, there is not need to press it in. The bushing's two halves enter from each side and the center barrel can be pushed in with some silicon grease and a bench vise. Another and possibly easier way to remove front control arm bushings is to drill or burn out the rubber bushing material and center barrel. Then to remove the the bushing shell is to take a reciprocating saw aka sawzall, put the blade in the shell and saw outward a little at a time. Have to be careful as you can start going through the control arm once you go through the shell. Once you have cut through shell it will have room to collapse on it self and will either fall out or can be tapped out. Rubber bushing removed and shell cleaned up. I didn't know at the time I needed to remove the shell to install the new poly bushings Bushing shell removed. You can see the line I cut in it. This one literally fell out once I got done cutting.

Knowing I had three new fuel system components that could be faulty I decided to start with the pump. I bought a diagnostic fuel pressure gauge as I did not have one for low pressure systems and checked the pressure coming out of the fuel hard line. 4psi on the dot! Next I bought another 1/4 barb fitting and replaced the gauge with the barb fitting. Using the regulator I could dial the fuel pressure up down from .8 - 3.9psi so this confirmed the regulator is working and the gauge is faulty. I snapped a picture with it at 3.5psi to show the company I bought the gauge from so I could return it. With the diagnostic gauge still I set the pressure at 3.0psi and locked it down for now. New gauge is on its way.

It was time to get down to business and start knocking out the to-do list on my new Z. The Carter electric pump that was in it was noisy and upon inspection was one bump in the road away from burning the car to the ground. The hose going from the tank to the glass Pro-Flo filter (hate these things) was leaking. Add to this the positive bullet connector for the bump was not shielded at all. If it had grounded against the chassis, it would be game over! First I got everything out and replaced the pump with a new Carter P60504 inline pump. I have used these on all of my Z cars with great success. They put out a maximum 4psi which is perfect for carburetored cars. You could probably get away with not running a regulator but I choose to do so. I found one of the original mounting holes and using my M6x1.0 tap, I cleaned out the 45 year old under-coating and got the threads ready to accept a bolt. Using a long bolt and a steel spacer I had in my stash, I mounted the pump and plumbed it with new 5/16 hose and clamps. Wiring from the pump to the original connectors is new and everything is covered protection. Next I moved to the front and not a moment too soon as it was easy to spot more fire hazzards. A lot of this is due to age but also lack of planning. The original regulator had no gauge and the feed line was shot. I tossed the filter but kept the bracket as I have the filter in the back in line with the fuel pump. On the carb side of the engine, things were not much better. The feed line just sat loose above the manifold and had become hardened with age and exposure to heat. Again, its a miracle the hose hadn't cracked and spilled gas all over the exhaust manifold. Interestingly enough the two smaller carb feed lines were newer and were fuel injection hose so they are staying for now. I assembled and installed my Holley 12-804 adjustable fuel pressure regular and Fuelab fuel pressure gauge. This is the same combination I used on my silver series-1 240z and was very happy with it. All of the brass components ran me $30 at Home Depot. Bolting it in was fairly easy as I used a pre-tapped hole in the inner fender. Plumbed in new lines and it was done. I replaced the carb feed hose with a new one and used some rubber insulated clamps to hold the line in securely in place. The front inspection cover bolts seemed like a logical spot. The valve cover bolts on the carb side seemed logical as well. In the future I will come up with something more elegant but for now this is fully functional, serviceable, and more importantly it is safe. A quick turn of the key and some testing revealed no leaks. However, My fuel pressure gauge would not read more than 2.1 PSI. Let the trouble shooting begin!

Thank you for the pictures zKars! I see now. The transmission side of the seal is raised. It was hard to tell in the picture until I took a much closer look at it. Now I know what to do.

I have a whole assortment of shift levers and a stock T5 shifter for sale on my local CL. Let me know what you are interested in and I can send you some bigger pictures. https://austin.craigslist.org/pts/d/assorted-datsun-240z-260z/6322505706.html

A decent 240z shell with a title for $300 won't happen. You might find a 260z or 280z shell, maybe. Prices have gone up on everything and if its in good shape it won't be cheap. Save your money, keep an eye on CL, FB, etc. Start asking around locally and attend various car events. You are going to have to network to find something at a price point like $300. Don't be surprised if you never find it as a good fender alone is $200. Add a door or a hatch and you are beyond $300.

I have a '83 280zx Turbo T5 transmission in my '72 240z. It currently has a non-metal flange seal that looks like the seal Beck Arnely sells. It is leaking and based on my research, the correct seal is the SKF 13958 with the metal flange. Before I order it, does the flange go on the outside of the transmission tail housing or inside? Does anyone have a picture of one installed? I posted a picture of the seal below from the net. Thanks!

Thank you Patcon! I will have it on the lift this weekend doing a transmission and diff fluid change. Once I can get a good look at everything I will let you know.

Thanks for all the compliments guys! The car has certainly received a lot of attention over the years and in its current state is ready to receive some more. The rust situation is what I would describe as "typical". It is primarily in the rockers, lower sections of the front fenders, one spot on the passenger side rear floor, a small spot on the rear hatch, and a little bubbling on the hatch panel above the tail lights. All of this will be addressed in the future as rust never sleeps. My immediate plans include adding some new weather stripping where it is needed, rebuilding the driver side door hinges, changing all fluids, the carbs need some tuning, clean, clean, clean, and polish. I plan to make this weekend very productive. In addition to the car itself I need to inventory all the parts I got with the car, decide what to keep, and decide what to sell to those that can use them.

Congratulations Goose on 45 years of ownership! Thank you for posting all of this up and sharing your experiences with us. I have loved reading this and I have learned something too. The '72 240z I just purchased has an Interpart 3x carb intake manifold on it and have been trying to find some info about it. Interesting to see that BRE sold Interpart stuff and I had no idea they offered so much more back in the day. Keep the good times rolling with your Z!

I am back! After selling my series-1 240z on August 21st I picked up my new 240z yesterday September 11th. To be honest, I did not think I would be in another Z so quickly but my friend Mike Cooper, who never sells anything asked if I would be interested in buying his red 240z. He needed the room more than anything and had owned the car since December of 2000. I had seen the car many years ago parked in the corner of his garage but never saw it up close. After a trip to look at it and another trip to drive it, I knew it was the one for me. When I sold the series-1 Z I had a goal of taking the money and getting my shop air conditioned before getting another car. The next car would be a classic Z I could modify and not affect the value. It could be a 240, 260, or 280 as I wanted to do triple Webers, springs, sway bars, different seats, etc. Mike's car already had all of this and more. The highlights include a 1mm over '78 2.8L engine w/an E88 head, triple Dellorto carbs, '83 280zx Turbo 5spd w/Hurst shift and custom shift handle, '85 Turbo differential w/Precision LSD, Susp. Techniques springs, front & rear sway bars, and seats from a Mitsubishi Eclipse. The car is a 1/72 build and is number 65,283. As you can see in the pictures it needs a deep cleaning, the paint needs a careful cut & polish, and there are lots of little things that need to be addressed, mainly just items that need to be replaced due to age. The car was originally silver with a red interior and one day it may return to that color scheme. For now, it will be tinkered with and driven alot! When I first saw the shifter handle I thought I thought it looked a little ridiculous but I can testify it is totally functional. It puts the shift knob right where you want it and the throws are short and precise. I will keep this post going as I make updates and repairs. I look forward to showing it to everyone at local events in Austin and at Atlanta in October 2018! And it came with a few parts too! Believe it or not 99% of what you see was packed in the car when I picked it up. Who needs an SUV?

It is going to Jacksonville FL. The new owner is excited to get it!

Today marks the last page in the final chapter of owning #8011. Owning this Z has been very a rewarding and educational experience. I had a lot of fun with it, met more people in the Z community, and looking back on it, I got to drive it more than I worked on it. Over the past three years the market for stock series-1 cars has risen and any modifications would ultimately hurt its value. I know many would say "its your car, do what you want" but this car has remained stock all of its life and a large amount of work by the previous owner and myself have continued that legacy for the car. It would be a shame in my opinion to put bigger brakes on it, lowering springs, triple Webers, etc. even though those items would enhance the driving experience. With the rise in values, more Z cars seem to be coming on to the market than ever before so I believe supply is starting to meet demand. With this in mind I put the car on Ebay and even though it did not meet the reserve, the high bidder made me a fair offer after the auction and I accepted. It is headed to Florida and I hope the new owner joins the forums and keeps us posted on it. For me, I am not going anywhere. The classic Z community is one of the most welcoming and supportive groups I know. I had a blast meeting many of you at ZCON this year in Austin and I plan to be at ZCON in Atlanta in 2018, in a classic Z! My first order of business is to get my shop air conditioned so I can work in it year around. I have already started the hunt for another classic Z but this one does not have to be a 240z as my plans for a modified Z car can easily be accomplished with a 260z or a 280z. Below are a few final pictures to share. I will make a point to get on the forums and contribute where I can. Thank you to all of you for your support and I look forward to sharing my next project with you.

Well it did not sell on Ebay. I shared the reserve of $23K with the high bidder and advised I would fix the blower motor and stuck slider at that price. I drove the car today to Cars and Coffee and it ran great. If the high bidder does not want it at $23K I am keeping it and will still fix the slider and blower motor. Beyond that I have no other plans as I saving to get my shop air conditioned.

I posted it on eBay to get some better coverage for it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/112513278608?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

Up for sale is my 1971 Datsun 240z, built August of 1970, VIN # 8011, and purchased by the original owner on September 30th 1970 from Glendale Datsun in California. I am the fourth owner and have had it since July 2014. Highlights include matching numbers engine that has been rebuilt and completely detailed with head work done by Glen’s Machine in Round Rock. The 5spd transmission is from a 280z and has been rebuilt and painted. The suspension has been rebuilt with all rubber bushings and all hardware blasted and powder coated satin black. All of the suspension has been kept as close to stock as possible. This is a series-1 car and it has all of its series-1 specific components. I have the original series-1 steering wheel which is in great shape and it is included with the car. I also have a full set of 14x4.5” steel wheels and re-chromed D wheel covers which are also included. The original AM auto-seeking radio works but the bulb is out behind the tuning indicator. The car does have some rust in the passenger side floor pan, a tiny spot on the pass. Side rocker, and both frame rails under the floor were re-welded at some point but it does not look good in my opinion. There is also some filler on the driver side wheel above the frame rail. Other issues include, the top slider in the heater control panel is stuck, the Honda blower motor recently stopped working, the driver side door hinges are worn but the door opens and closes fine. I have an original set of passenger side hinges that can be used for parts. The car runs strong, drives well, stops great, and stays cool in any weather. As some of you may know, the car took second place in the 240z daily driver class at ZCON this year. The passenger side visor is signed by Yoshihiko Matsuo, the original designer of the 240z. The car has been good to me during my ownership but I want to get something I can modify – triple Webers, better brakes, AC, etc. Even though those items are bolt-ons, it would be a shame to change such an original car. Asking $25,000 OBO. The price is very negotiable and I am only posting the car here on the club’s FB and the Classic Z Car site for now. I have tons of pictures and can take pictures of anything a potential buyer would like. However, if you are in the central Texas area, it would be best that you come see it in person. I have a lift at my house and any potential buyer is welcome to inspect it and test drive it. There is too much to tell and this description is the tip of the iceberg of everything that has been done. At the end of the day, I do not want anyone to be surprised or feel like their time was wasted and I only ask the same for those that reach out to me. Ping me on FB or here on the forums if interested and if you already have my contact info already feel free to reach out to me. Thank you for looking.

Congrats on the sale jlenownnab. Given the fact its a series-1 in a desirable color, has the sunroof, and like you mentioned a little rust, I think $17K is spot on for the current market. I agree, I think with the right car some buyers can see past the sunroof as the cars are reaching a point where the investment in correcting it will payoff down the road. Plus, the new owner will get the enjoyment of it being a closed roof like the original designers intended.