MikeW

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.

The first step will probably be a new battery. You'll want to drain the old gas. I've done this by hooking a long fuel hose to the output of the fuel pump and putting the other end in an empty gas can. Turning the engine over will use the fuel pump to drain the gas tank. Hopefully it's almost empty already. You may want to replace the fuel filter (mounted to the inside right fender near the fuel pump). Once you have fresh gas you may be able to get it cranked after spraying some starting fluid into the carbs (after removing the air cleaner and cover plate). I bought my '72 in 1985, drove it for 5 years/40,000 miles and then basically let it sit in the garage for 12 years (after buying a new 240SX in 1990). However, about 4 years ago I went through the above steps to get it running again. I also had to replace the fuel pump, master cylinder, brake booster, and clutch master cylinder. I drove it a little but the suspension needed a little work and I kind of gave up on it again. Just last week I charged the battery again, added about a half gallon of fresh gas to the almost-empty tank and got it started fairly easily. I made a bumpy and vibration-riddled 5 mile drive to my mechanic and left it with him. This time I'm just going to let someone else do some of the long-needed work. I'm guessing new struts, springs, and suspension bushings (and perhaps new wheels and tires) will get the suspension in good order at which point I'll probably see what I need to do to the engine. I'm not interested in a show car but rather just something I can occasionally have fun driving. After all, that's the whole point ...:classic: