MikeW

That means it's actually a 260Z engine, not a 280 ...

This sounds like old news. It's a well know fact that several years ago Nissan had a restoration program for the 240Z. The work was actually done by a couple of independent shops in California but Nissan wanted people to think it was a factory effort. The program ended well short of its goal - I think they only produced about 50 cars. They were sold (more like auctioned) at 10 Nissan dealers in the US for a starting price of $30,000.

I don't think his '71 even has an electric fuel pump. There should be just the stock mechanical pump.

On the LHD 350Z it's also on the left side

This was discussed recently: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2277

Sorry, cut and paste error: http://www.ztherapy.com/

Is SU a brand name? No, it stands for "Skinners Union" and is an old British designed licensed and built by Hitachi. Are SUs stock on Z cars? Yes What's the difference between round tops and flat tops? Flat tops were introduced for the 73 240Z and are widely denounced. Are round tops stock on any Z cars? If so which one(s)? 70-72 Does anyone have a pic of both round tops and flat tops so that I know what I'm looking at? Here's a good explanation of the operation: http://www.zparts.com/zptech/articles/ml_sucarb2/SUcarb_111601b.htm Here's a business that specializes in SU carbs and has lots of pictures (including flat tops) http://www.zparts.com/zptech/articles/ml_sucarb2/SUcarb_111601b.htm

N/A stands for "normally aspirated" which means "not turbocharged"

This appears to have some good information including a link to an insurance company that specializes in vintage cars: http://zhome.com/Classic/CCInsur.htm

They do it for all engines otherwise I wouldn't have sent them my original L24.:cheeky: It's right around $1800 to ship them your engine and get *your* engine back which was important to me since I want to keep the numbers matching. If that's not important they can send you an already built L24 and take yours as a core. As it stands, it's only going to take about 3 weeks total (which includes them picking up and dropping off the engine at the shop where the work is being done). Since my car has basically been sitting for 13 years I'm not in a hurry anyhow. Here's what their online price catalog says: MOLY PISTON RINGS: Higher durability, reduce cyl. wall wear. GRAPHITE HEAD GASKETS: Pliable material that does not tear when castings expand and contract. Graphite gaskets transfer heat evenly and will not deteriorate around water passages like Kevlar. OEM REAR MAIN SEALS:Teflon material which resist heat & oil additives. VITON VALVE STEM SEALS: Material meters oil from the first running of engine. Design is extremely resistant to heat,oil additives &abrasions OVERSIZED CAMSHAFT:Eliminates virtually all valve train noise.Camshaft is spray-welded,weld is ground down matching line-bore & oil clearance You can download a full video from the web site that shows the entire rebuild process from start to finish. It looks quite thorough.

If you can't find a shop with Z car experience you might consider what I'm doing. My engine has been shipped off to Jasper Engines (http://www.jasperengines.com/frames.html) for a complete rebuild. They basically throw everything away but the block, crankshaft, and cylinder head and build the engine like new and provide a 3 year 75,000 mile warranty. I'm only interested in normal street driving so this was a good option for me.

What octane gas are you using? Perhaps you've got some bad gas?

This link makes it appear that if you want some you'll have to buy the molds and make them youself.

A wing on a car is essentially an upside down airplane wing. Instead of generating lift it generates downforce which is always a good thing - it improves traction and handling. The improvement from the downforce outweighs the slight amount of extra aerodynamic drag the wing would cause. A spoiler on the front helps keep lots of air from getting under the car. Early Z cars tend to have front-end lift at high speeds without a front spoiler. Once again, more downforce is better. It improves steering as well as traction. Indy cars have wings on both the front and the rear for the maximum effect. With a front wheel drive car the extra downforce generated from a wing in the back doesn't help traction or steering since those are both at the front of the car. For the Honda crowd a wing, a coffee can exhaust pipe, and a VTEC badge seem to improve performance - at least psychologically.

I've always questioned the usefulness of a wing on the back of a front wheel drive car

Definitely not leather. The one listed here looks like a good replacement (claims to be OEM spec) for $25.50. http://www.datsunrestore.com/catalog.html

Good point. They appear to see the same thing for only $18.75: http://www.datsunrestore.com/catalog.html

Victoria British (and probably others) sells a 240Z "Seat Cushion Strap Repair Kit" for $49.95 that enables you to fix that. It's basically just a roll of the stretchy strap material and the hooks needed to attach them. I haven't tried it yet but probably will at some point.

MotorSport Auto http://www.motorsportauto.com

Keep in mind that emissions and safely laws in the US is the likely culprit here. If the US government says all 1972 cars must meet certain standards then all Nissan had to do was add that new feature to the next car in line and suddenly you have a '72 model. There apparently were a few other changes with the 1972 "model year" such as a re-designed console and folding seats.

After looking some more, I noticed this page: http://zhome.com/History/1970or1971.html It appears that the change over was sometime in August. That seems reasonable.

Thanks. Unfortunately that list doesn't show model years. While it's in ascending VIN order it only shows the point where the 1973 cars start. Oh well, I was just curious. I have noticed that some of the paint colors were first introduced in 9/71 so that may be where the 72's start.

Somewhere I saw someone mention their 10/71 240Z as being an "early" production date '72 model. My '72 was made in 9/71. Anyone know what the first month 72's were made? What about the first VIN? Mine is HLS30-47431. I'm assuming that the VIN numbers are in chronological order.