ninjazombiemaster

Right on. I'm pretty sure if I've still got my Z when its engine inevitably meets its demise and I've got some cash laying around, I'm going the LS route. Something about the power of a vette in such a cool old car is just awesome. If you don't mind me asking, how much did the conversion run you?

I'd love a mint dash for my 73, mines in good shape - but has a few cracks. Also the center console area where the arm rest hinges on... shame I'm not closer.

I used to do the same with my step-dads old Sierra. Hopefully I'll be outta this place before the heavy snowfall - Not that the southeast treats rust-prone cars much nicer - but hey, still beats the cold in my opinion.

Hey Guys! I know there are some differing opinions on engine mods and swaps, so I wanted to make a thread and possibly a poll on the subject. -At what point would you say a Z is no longer a Z - internally?.. Is it no longer a 240z if you put a Chevy 350 in it? -What engines do you find work best in your Z's? Basically that sort of stuff... I'll start. Currently, my 240 has its original engine, is at nearly 110k miles and still runs pretty good. I feel like it isn't a 240z at heart with another engine, however I would not be opposed to replacing it with an LS1 engine or something of the likes one day, because I'm less attached to the numbers themselves than the car itself.

Here in Salt Lake, our first snowfall is usually a the end of October - Which I'm really not excited for. I know Z's aren't great winter drivers, just being rear wheel and rust prone. My question is basically, what needs to be done to have the car safe for winter. Where I'm living now doesn't have a garage or even covered parking, so I should probably invest in a cover to keep water from getting places and freezing there. And I also assume I should eliminate and rust proof it as best I can, any other suggestions for maintaining it? The previous owner didn't drive it in the snow or rain, so I really don't know how its gonna do.

So she seemed to run real great today. Didn't start right up in the morning, but once it did, I gave it a few big revs and its been driving smooth since. Hopefully that means whatever was clogging things up has cleared out - but we'll see. I've still got a lot of driving to do tonight, I'll keep you guys posted. And I keep intending on taking some bay pictures, I know how you all love those, but I just haven't found the time. Soon!

Salt Lake City. My dad was working on a blue T-Top. I believe it was an 80's 300ZX. Didnt have my camera though, but we were parked right next to each other.

Alright. So I took it into the shop and it looks like the carbs are tuned great. The other day I upped the idle speed, so now it doesn't die with the choke off after its warmed up. Put some new front brakes in (mine were good, but metallic - so it sounded like an 18 wheeler coming to a stop). The rear ones still squeal a bit though, but I'm not real worried about that. The fuel filter was totally filthy, and may have been responsible for the performance drop. I put a new one in, but it may have pushed some of that gunk farther into the system, and I may not see that performance come back until the cleaner is done with its job. I'll also take a closer look at the timing when I get the chance. At this point it seems like the issue was mostly the engine starving for fuel but we'll see what happens. While I had it on the lift, it seems I may have found the problem with my fuel gauge. It appears that fuel is actually leaking through the sending unit itself (not even the seal). I'll have to pick up a new one and see how it effects things. May kill two birds with one stone, there. There also seems to be a very minor leak in one of the braided coolant hoses, so I'll need to fix that as well, however the engine is maintaining good temperature overall. Lastly, I got my first real good look at the sub-frame and floor pans. Altogether its rust situation is pretty good, but the pans, especially the passenger side need to be replaced/repaired, as well as the passenger wheel well. Any suggestions on how to handle that? Just cut it off and weld some new metal on? Or are there aftermarket sub-frames that I could just install.

Haha, he's been doing this thing for decades, I've only been in it a few months. I've got a lot to learn, but I do plan on learning. And trust me, I'm having plenty of fun

Gotcha. I have the FSM, but I did read here in a few places that most people prefer 8-900rpm. I guess I'll bring it into the shop and have my dad show me what I need to be keeping up on.

Hi Everyone, I'm driving an early '73 240 with the original engine. Its dual carb'd, I'm not positive which brand - but I know they aren't stock. When I bought it in July, it did 0-60mph in about 8.5 seconds, which is a little slow, but that probably had more to do with my driving skill, and got to top speed almost too easily. Now its 0-60 times seem awful and it has a rough time getting past 85mph. I put some high performance injector/carb cleaner in and it seems to run a little better, but not like it did. Also, I don't know a lot about idle speeds, but I know that most cars run idle at 600-1000rpm, except those that are modified for high performance, and may behave oddly at lower idles. I feel like it idles a little rough even at 1000, and doesn't feel real stable until maybe 1,200. Also, the choke lever has to be pulled all or nearly all the way towards the back of the car for it to maintain a strong idle. I'm pretty new with that sort of thing too, so I'm not sure if that's normal. I guess, what I'm getting at is: -Is this a normal idle for an engine like this? -What could have caused such a drastic change in performance? de-tuning, something worse? -What is the best methods for finding the ideal idle speed and fuel mixture for my engine? EDIT: Also, it sounds like it backfires at high RPMs. Usually not till like 6-7,000+. I recall this may mean the engine is running lean?

Thanks!

Awesome, I'll look 'em up. Thanks! I'm pretty sure there's no bondo anywhere, but there is definitely rust. As far as I know its in the floorpans and on the passenger fender/wheel well area. The frame itself is good though.

So it opens and closes it then?

-delete this- Duplicate post

Not the vent, its a cable that you pull just like the hood release but it has no markings. Its circled in red in the picture. I guess now that its light outside I can just pull and see what happens. Also, it seems the gas gauge works about half the time now. Probably some sort of bad connection in the wiring? I'll take a look where Blue suggested. And French is clearly not my second language...

Sorry for my newbieness... But what does this thing by the hood release do?.. I'm kind of afraid to pull it without knowing.

Relevant, as I'm lookin at these mirrors as well, and.. well basically, I have a '73 240, restored about 7 years ago by one of the POs, and its mirrors he put on it are kind of awful, not so much in looks, but in reflective ability, particularly the drivers side. They seem cheap, and like the actual reflective bit is some kind of foil or something rather than a real mirror. Judging by the right one, they used to be decent, but they're small and again, the drivers side is kind of messed up, almost foggy looking. I was wondering if the pair listed on that link is a good buy, or what would be the best mirrors to get? I like the period items better than the molded plastic ones, so chrome/steel ones are what I'm kind of going for.

I see, more like just plain gas rather than exhaust, but I'll keep investigating.

Thanks everyone! It smells like a boat as in fuel, but I spilled a tiny bit of gas in the back when I was moving a tank, and probably just need to clear the fumes. I'm located in Salt Lake City, UT, and it was listed on our local new's online classified ads.

Thanks! Will do.

Thanks. Possibly, there are definitely wires coming from the switches, but I don't know where they lead, if anywhere.

Thanks! Already have:) But I'm still going to swing it by my dads shop for a more thorough look-over.

Sorry for the bump, but I guess I wasted all my edits correcting grammar. Asked the PO, as far as he knows, they do nothing. I guess when it was restored 7 years ago, the PPO had some plans but never finished them. I guess I can follow the wires and see where they go. Some additional info on the car: The Odometer Reads 8-9k, and has rolled overe once, so about 108.5k miles, give or take. It was originally Canary Yellow, this is visible in some niches, and in a few minor chips in the paint. The car is mostly stock, most notably the seats, which are in great shape, and have never been reupholstered. I believe it has received the following updates/replacements. -Aluminum Radiator -Updated fuel and brake lines, over all engine cleanse and restoration at ~100k miles -I believe it has received new roof and door panel vinyl, and carpet, but I'm not positive -Retro sound radio -I believe the headlights have been replaced -I'll add more as they come to me Things that need work -The gas gauge doesn't work -Brakes squeal, but it stops just fine -Smells like a boat -Could use a good interior and engine cleaning -Antenna is messed up and wont extend or retract from where it is (perhaps I could swap it with an electric one and wire it to one of those useless switches? haha) -Minor cosmetic flaws, when I get the cash I may touch it up -The arm rest thingy is messing some pegs to keep it in place, but I'll probably just get an aftermarket one with cupholders. -A few minor cracks in the dash -Again, I'll add more as I notice them

Other than my own, I've only seen one in person. It was white and a little rusty. Didn't get a good enough look to see what kind of Z it was. Seemed early, though. Oh yeah, this is SLC, UT