MikeW

Go back and read 2ManyZs post earlier in this thread as he explains it better than I can. But yes, you just compress the spring, take off the 3 nuts, and rotate the whole thing out. The spindle pin is actually the axis of that rotation.

Luckily the springs aren't all that expensive. MSA sells 4 Tokico springs for US$229.

15 years ago I let a tire dealer replace the 185/70's I had with 195/70's. They rubbed whenever I hit a big bump. I put up with it for a bit but after graduating from college and buying a new car I let the 240Z sit unused. I've now replaced the springs with Tokicos and, at least at the shop, the right height looks ok. I'm guessing that my old springs were just sagging. You may have the same problem. Since my tires are 15 years old I'm planning on replacing them - probably with 205/60 or 225/60. We'll see how that works out.

The locking pin in the middle keeps the spindle pin from rotating. You remove that first and then hammer on one end or the other of the spindle pin. You can easily damage the threads so unless you have a new pin you'd need to be careful. You may not want to even try to remove the spindle. It may slide right out or it may be stuck. The main reason that I'm still waiting on my car at the shop is that the left pin came right out but the right wouldn't budge. They ended up sawing the pin in two places but the center section still wouldn't budge even after heating the outside and placing it in a two stage press. The only solution at that point was to get a new assembly from a junkyard. Luckily that spindle pin did come out. Even though the manual says to remove the pin you can actually compress the spring enough so that the whole assembly rotates outward past the wheel well where you can get the strut out easily.

You're probably right about the Tokico springs lowering the car about an inch. On the other hand, I'm fairly certain my original springs were sagging a bit so the ride height may not seem different once it's all back together.

I'm glad to hear that. That's the same thing that I've gone with (as well as Tokico springs and urethane bushings everywhere). I stopped by the shop today to check on the progress of my car and the guy doing the work said the struts he replaced appeared to be the originals. If true that's amazing after 185,000 miles. I expect there to be quite a difference in the ride.

Reminds me of the roofer who asked his buddy for a screwdriver. The co-worker handed him a hammer. After receiving a puzzled look he said "Oh, you wanted a screw remover"

Yes, you can just sand it off if it's only surface rust but then that's not a "pretty bad situation". Perhaps you can describe in more detail where the problem is. If you can upload some pictures that would be even better.

In a "bad" situation you'd be better off jacking the car up real high and driving a new one under it. Ignoring the typical amateur Bondo jobs, proper rust repair requires cutting metal and welding new metal in place and trying to do so without sacrificing structure integrity. There are replacement panels available from a number of places but it can end up being more trouble than it's worth. While I've never attempting welding it is something that takes a lot of practice to do right.

I would think that their price quote in AUS$ would stay the same. The exchange rate going up or down is up to us customers in other countries to deal with. If the rate is trending up or down it may be in your best interest (pardon the pun) to try and pay them sooner or later depending on which way it's going. However, chances are it's like the stock market and you have no real hope of making the right decision. In that case paying as late as possible is usually the way to go. I wish there were a company here in the US providing this same dash restoration service. Somehow it's kind of scary shipping my dash 10000 miles and not being able to drive while waiting. On the other hand, it took 6 weeks to get my bumpers rechromed and that was just shipping them to Alabama - the next state over. Doing chrome is apparently nasty and toxic. I'm glad to know that Georgia has such high standards.

Not to be picky, but some of those seem to be off. For instance, 1 inch is roughly equivalent to 1.0000, not 0.9375. I'm fairly certain that 1 1/4 is actually 1.25. It looks like the 1/16ths got dropped from the left side after 7/8. Isn't metric a lot easier to deal with?

I don't think that's the emblem. It looks like there's one one each side. I they're those things to keep the hood locked down. Not that a Z hood would come open while racing.

The thin bumpers, front turn signals, and "DATSUN" emblem on the side indicate that it's a 240Z. While any of those could have been changed, a 280Z would have a 280Z emblem on the side. A VIN could be the proper way to determine the model.

I think the shims are only for 1973 models and are actually wider than the bumper itself (if the shim is what I think it is). The rubber pieces I'm referring to are quite small and are slipped over the metal plate that is welded inside the bumper. They are not visible from the outside of the bumper. They have a hole through them and are shaped like an envelope. From the outside in, the bumper bolt goes through half of the rubber, then through the welded bumper plate, then through the other half of the rubber, then finally through the body. I wanted to make sure there wasn't another special piece on the inside of the body as opposed to just a large washer, lock washer, and nut.

Yes, 1972. Sorry, I meant to mention that.

Can someone describe how the front and rear bumper ends are attached to the body? The FSM doesn't really help and I don't have the parts CD yet. As I recall, mine were always a bit wobbly. Now that I'm about to put the rechromed bumpers back on I want to make sure it's done right. Specifically, I'd like to know where washers go. I've got fresh new rubber caps that fit over the plate on the bumper where the bolt goes through. Presumably that rubber goes up against the paint on the car to protect it. However, what goes on the inside behind the body? Is it just a single washer that's bigger than the bolt hole? Do I also need a lock washer?

In the state of Georgia, where that tag is from, plates are not required on the front of cars. I could make up my own 240Z plate and put it on the front and nobody would care. I have a special Hobby/Antique plate on mine (car must be at least 25 years old to qualify). There's no extra cost for this. Anyone can get a 'prestige' plate for an extra $50 (since it's custom made). It can say anything you want as long as it's not offensive (although someone did get QQQQ in one state) and not already used. I'm sure someone has 240Z but perhaps not some other combination like 70240Z, MY240Z, etc.

It's actually http://babelfish.altavista.com that's doing an automated translation of the original Japanese page located here: http://page3.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/c36347537 In other words, be glad you can read it at all. Here's what this site looks like in Spanish: http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/urltrurl?lp=en_es&url=http://www.240z.org

Here's a place to calculate exchange rates: http://www.xe.com/ucc/ The 4 links you listed come out to be $42,721.09 $44,357.10 $16,987.83 $1,115.50

I would suggest taking it to a local radiator shop and asking them how much it will cost to re-core it.

Here's one where someone eliminated the rear bumper: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3897&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500

It depends on how you want it to fit. The 240Z has front turn signals beneath the bumper that are usually taken into consideration on front air dams.

I only recently discovered that my car (originally #113 green) didn't come with a black interior like it had when I bought it. It was silver at that time so one of the previous owners also took the dye route. I would have never known the difference.

Keep in mind that 240Z radiators were never quite up to the task in warm climates. When I bought mine years ago it also had a tendency to run hot (in the summer in Savannah). I pulled the radiator and took it to a radiator shop and had them redo the core (from 2 rows to 3 or 3 to 4, I can't remember). Not only did that add cooling capacity but it cleaned it out. The cooling fins get damaged and the tubes get squeezed and plugged over time. After that the temp needle was rock solid even while idling in hot weather. Having the car overheat is one way to quickly do a lot of damage so it's worth it to make sure the cooling system is functioning well.

That's great news.