djwarner

This sounds a little easy, run faster than the target speed and slow down to cross the finish line at the desired lap time.

All he did was push the vendors supplying parts. Guess we'll have to wait for next season.

Been a while since I was there and decided to peruse the list today. Got in okay, and thinking I was looking at a working copy, I found column A to be empty. Stupidly, I decided to hide the column. When I did, an error message appeared and the page froze. I tried reloading the web page, but I only get a message that the file is transferring. Sorry Mr. Williams no harm was meant.

I dropped by the Barnes and Noble to check out their magazine selections and ran across Classic Motorsports September issue. Headlining on the cover was "Golden Opportunities: 18 Classic Cars you should buy RIGHT NOW! Surprise, surprise! The Series I 240Z was first on their list. Their shopping advice: "You'll want to buy a 1970 model. That was the first production year, and those cars also have a few unique properties. Don't plan on making money by restoring one of these. To that end, don't buy a modified car, one wearing non-original color, or on that's rusty. Maximum value will be for unrestored cars or one of the examples that Nissan restored in the '90s. (For a while there, Nissan got into the restoration business.)" The 18 listed in their order: (Values are for Nice Driver, Concours Car, and 5-year Prediction, respectively) 1970 Datsun 240Z (Series I) $8K-$15K, $30K, $45K 1979 Mazda RX-7 $4.5K-$7.5K, $10K-$12.5K, $20K 1975-'85 Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS $25K-$30K, $35K-40K, $50K-$60K 1980-'87 Lotus Esprit Turbo $13K-$19K, $22K-$27.5K, $30K-$40K 2005-'12 Lotus Elise $27.5K-$35K, $38K-$45K, $50K 1990-'91 Lotus Elan M100 $10K-$14K, $15K-$24K, $30K 1963-'64 Chevy Corvette C2 $35K-$50K, $55K-$85K, $100K 1970-'72 Chevy Corvette LT1 $28K-$37K, $45K-$50K, $65K 2000 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra R (hold out for Concours Car), $28K-$40K, $50K 1993 and '95 Mustang Cobra R (nearly impossible to find a nice driver), $15K-$20K, $25K-$35K 1997-2003 Aston Martin DB7 $30K-$40K, $45K-$60K, $70K 1997-'06 Jaguar XK8 Coupe $8.5-$12,5K, $15K-$20K, $25K 1963-'65 Shelby American 289 Cobra $500K-$550K, $645K-$675K, $850K 1996-'02 Dodge Viper GTS $30K-$35K, $45K, $60K 1975-'89 Porsche 930 $35K-$45K, $45K-$75K, $85K 1993-'94 Porsche 911 RS America $35K-$45K, $58K-$65K, $70K-$80K 1971-'74 Jaguar E-Type Roadster $35K-55K, $85K-$100K, $120K 1967-'68 Jaguar E-Type Coupe $35K-$45K, $55K-$65K, $100K At least they managed to suck me into buying this issue.

My Series I has its original blue interior including a blue headliner. Since bringing it to Florida last August, I've noticed the headliner is pulling back from the front trim panel. The headliner appears to be still attached to the roof (no sagging). It looks like the vinyl surface has shrunk exposing about 1/4"- 3/8" that was previously covered by the front trim panel. I haven't seen any replacement blue headliners from the normal Z vendors and may be no longer available. I don't know if there is enough spare material to remove it and re-position farther forward. Can these headliners be removed without destroying them? Or does anyone have a way to stretch the vinyl with a heat lamp. etc? My alternative may be to insert a flat piece of black rubber to cover the gap. Any ideas?

Problem resolution: Despite my tightening, loosening, adding nylon washers, the problem never went away. In fact, like many resonance problem it eventually got worse and lower in frequency. I finally realized it was not coming from the compressor but from the front of the engine. Thinking it might be a cracked heat shield, I began reaching around and wiggling things, I found the problem, a failing nipple on the air injection check valve. When someone remove the air pump many years ago, they cut off 3 inches of the rubber hose at the check valve. They inserted a bolt to seal the hose and applied a clamp. The hose with a bolt on the end acted like a tuning fork tine and eventually induced a crack in the nipple at its base. A slight tug on the hose and the nipple separated. I found a small circle of hardened tar like substance in the opening in front of the diaphragm. The check valve appears to be sealing, and the resonance is gone. I have no idea whether to try to find a replacement valve or leave it like it is.

I had a similar problem in my '71 Series I, turned out to be corrosion on the back side of the fuse panel. I could measure 12V on both sides of the fuse, but only 7 volts at a center terminal of a bulb socket. Since it is affecting both the running lights and instruments lights, I would suspect the problem will be found inside the car. An easy place to measure the voltage at a socket is the service light under the hood. It is on the same fuse.

Wow, several posts came in while I was typing my last. Sorry to hear about your engine seizure. Sounds like a blocked oil channel deprived oil to the bearings. It's amazing that it took 2000 miles for this to show up.

First of all, having too much oil pressure is much less a problem than too little. That said, was the pump replaced, cleaned, or overhauled during the overhaul? Also, what oil viscosity are you using? The engine manual states that the relief valve is not adjustable and the only maintenance checks are the free and operating heights of the spring. The plunger on the end of the spring could be hung up. The only other possibility is a partial clog in the relief channel that passes the excess oil back to the inlet side of the pump. In all cases everything is within the pump itself, so short of the pump being mis-assembled, the solution can be had by changing the pump. I am assuming that you have independently verified the oil pressure and the oil filter has been recently changed. From the engine manual, the relief spring's free and operating heights are 2.24" and 1.54" respectively. The oil pressure at idle is 14.2 to 17.1 psi at idle. And the relief valve should open at 54.0 to 59.7 psi. Relief valves typically open at around 2500 rpm. The pump is a constant displacement style pump ( that is the volume of oil pumped is constant for each revolution ). This means that as the pump spins faster, the greater volume of oil has to pass through the relief channel. As the flow rate increases, the pressure drop in the channel increases. So while the valve may open at 54 psi, the pressure will probably still increase somewhat at higher rpms. Please note that the viscosity of the oil will affect how efficiently the excess oil flows through the relief passage. This is why a cold engine generates higher oil pressure. If you are using 20-50 weight oil, I would expect the oil pressure to be higher at the normal 180 degree operating temperature of the engine. ie 40 weight oil at 185 degrees has a viscosity of 19 Centipoises while 50 weight oil is 28 Centipoises. So first I would check the oil pressure in a fully warmed engine at 2500 rpm, if it's 60 psi or less, stop worrying.

There is a pressure relief valve in the oil pump itself. Also there is a clogged filter bypass where the filter mounts. Normal operation at 3000 rpm is for the pump to produce excess pressure and the relief valve to bleed this off.

Ten Ways the 240Z Is Intriguing | Articles

The compressor mount has no idler pulley, the compressor swings on the lower mount points like an alternator. Alternator is also recent. This leaves the water pump, crank pulley, and compressor. I like you idea of removing the belts one at a time to isolate the problem, will do. I'll also check for free play on the crank pulley while I'm at it.

My '71 Series I had an aftermarket AC installed when new, only to have it removed in 2003. A three pulley harmonic balancer was left on at that time. This last year I installed a VintageAir R134 system, mounting the compressor where the air pump once resided. System worked well but soon developed a growl near idle and at superhighway speed. The growl disappeared when the compressor was cut-out. Writing to VintageAir, they said a bad compressor would make noises at all speeds and I probably had a harmonic problem due to something being loose or vibrating. Not finding any loose bolts, I did find that the drive belt was wider than the harmonic balancer pulley grove and wider than the fan belt. So I replaced the belt with the same profile as the fan belt. With the new belt and listening carefully, I realized that the growl was also present when the compressor was off, just louder with the AC on. Using the tach in my timing light, the growl is present from 940-1050 RPM. It also appears at about 2000 RPM, just much quieter. Just what does a failed harmonic balancer sound like?

The PO upgraded the distributor on my Automatic Transmission equipped Series I. The Dual Point distributor he removed was a D614-52. He replaced it with a D6K80-03 from a 1979 280ZX Automatic. The latter distributor closely matches the vacuum and centrifugal schedules of the D609-56A that originally came with the car. Reading the Haynes manual, it lists a Hitachi C6R-200 for Contact Breaker Ignitions and a Hitachi CIT 13 for Transistor Ignitions with Automatic Transmission. From what I can see from the specs, the major difference is in the primary coil resistance 1.5-1.7 ohms for the C6R and 0.45-0.55 ohm for the CIT. The coil in the car is a C6R-800. Is there a reason to convert to a CIT coil?

I would think the proper question is "how does an S30 compare to its contemporaries?" We all realize that the safety standards today are much improved even though we've all seen some instances to doubt it. Two months after getting my 2008 Mustang Convertible, I was stopped, waiting for traffic to clear to make a right turn, when I was struck on the driver's side by a vehicle that failed to complete a right turn. The vehicle struck my car across the driver's door and collapsed the front suspension. The force of the collision was so great that my vehicle was pushed more than 6 feet to the right, yet the side airbags did not go off. I slammed into the driver's door and window but fortunately neither I or my wife received any permanent injuries. As for the S30, the unibody design has pretty good crush performance for front and rear crashes. And there is a reinforcing bar inside the door frame. I would expect it to be rated above many of its contemporaries. Again, not up today's standard, but I feel safe enough to use mine as a daily driver.

For those who are curious, the Carrera link for the body kit on Stacey's web page is incorrect. During the show he referred to Carrera Coachwerks. That name was changed recently. Here is the correct link: Custom CoachWerks |

Batteries, like every other part of an electrical circuit has internal resistance. When current flow through a resistor, a voltage drop occurs according to Ohm's Law, Voltage = Current x Resistance. With no current flow, there is no voltage drop. Once you apply a load, current flows and voltage at the terminals drops. As you increase current, say by adding the load of a starter, the internal voltage drop can increase dramatically. In Florida, batteries typically last 24-36 months due to heat and your failure mode is typical. How do we get around this? We buy the best battery that WalMart carries, and when they fail, get a free replacement under warranty. The replacement battery comes with a new warranty.

There are two large spade style connectors coming from the fuse box in the wire bundle on the left side of the passenger foot well. I found significant corrosion in these connectors and was surprised they actually still conducted. The wires are white and white with a red stripe and provide power to the fuse panel.

Hi Nils, Sort of hard to help you with so little experience. These type of problems are usually age and corrosion related. In my '71 Series I, I had problems with side marker lights and turn signals. The fuse was good and I could measure 12 volts on both sides of the fuse. However when I got to the marker lights, I only had 7 or 8 volts. Current was flowing through the bulbs but not enough to light them. It turned out there was hidden corrosion in the back side of the fuse box. The fact that you mentioned solder joints on the back side of the fuse box indicates someone has had problems there before. I am including a colored wiring diagram. It has some errors and omissions, but is a little easier to read than the black and white drawings. If you look at it and find it difficult, it may be time to seek a professional's help. The diagram will help him.

The early 240z rear wheels did sit toward the front end of the wheel well. If you have vents on the rear hatch, you probably have a series I car and the forward position of the wheels is correct. Tell us your vin number for additional help. I wouldn't rule out your having later suspension parts on the left rear, odd, but possible. After acquiring my 71 last August, for every thing I've replaced for wear and tear, I've found some other problem due to poor/improper maintenance. 42 years leaves a lot of opportunities for maintenance hoo-haws.

zKars, understood. In Florida, humidity varies widely both from day to day and throughout the day. It is possible to set the temperature knob when you get into a hot car per the instructions. Later, after the car cools and you turn the fan down, I've found the coils can start to ice up before you realize. Once the coils begin to ice up, air flow drops and the temperature probe sees even less cold air. This causes the compressor to run longer and icing builds up rapidly. And as per the VintageAir instructions, the only solution is to turn off the AC until the ice melts. What I am looking for is a probe in contact with the coil itself. Once the coil reaches 34 degrees, the sensor opens a relay to cut off the compressor and lights an LED to alert you to the fact that the temperature control is set too low.

You may be overthinking this. Rather than hiding the LED, put it readily in view. You should be able to get a blinking LED at Radio Shack. Use a switch that opens when the choke is off. Since the choke is only needed for a few seconds to a few minutes, a flashing reminder that its still on should be all you need. I am working on a different problem. My VintageAir uses R134 and is quite capable of freezing up in humid Florida air. I'm looking for a precision sensor that will interrupt the compressor signal when the air coming off the evaporator drops down to 36 degrees.

Rear bumper was pushed forward 8+ inches. The inflated spare distributed the crash forces and prevented further damage. Both Tail lights were undamaged.

You may want to reconsider running those fans all the time. Due to radiational cooling overnight the engine block will actually cool below the dew point. This allows moisture to condense inside the block and drip into the oil. Contrary to popular belief, oil can absorb water up to about 1% by volume. Water in the oil reduces lubricity, promotes corrosion, and other nasty things. Engine designers realize this and design the block to run 185 degrees F or higher. This temperature is sufficient to drive off the dissolved water. Running your engine so cold, besides thickening the oil, allows water to accumulate. There is no off-setting benefit running the engine that cold.