Carl Beck

Hello Ismail: What is the number on the engine you received? It should be stamped on the block just below the #5 and #6 spark plugs.? You can order a new Engine I.D. plate - see item number ID-O1 here: http://www.zzxdatsun.com/catDecals.php If you went to the trouble to find/buy a low VIN, 69 production Datsun 240Z - then it only makes sense to keep the original engine in it. good luck with the restoration... FWIW, Carl B.

At least at the banks I deal with - Stop Payment Orders can be made at any time before the Cashier's Check has cleared. The issuing bank can check up to the hour to see if it has been presented for payment or not... With a personal check, you have to wait until the following day to see if it cleared the day before or not. So you can actually stop payment on a Cashier's Check more quickly and assuredly than you can with a personal check. FWIW, Carl B.

It "could". It depends somewhat on how much money you are willing/able to spend. If both heads were in the same "as new" condition - the E31 swap would give you a slight increase in compression ratio, from 8.8:1 to 9:1. The trouble is that not too many 40 year old E31 heads are in "as new" condition. The E31's suffered from very small cracks in the castings around the exhaust valve seats. So the first thing you want to assure is - that isn't a problem with the E31 you have. Secondly, not too many E31's are straight, and most of them have been milled at least once. If you have to take more than a few thousands off them to assure that they are flat - you could be getting into compression ratio's that todays pump gasoline won't support. Unless you are willing/able to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on custom head work - I wouldn't recommend that swap. FWIW, Carl B.

Agreed - there are at least 4 heads with casting marks E88. I believe that Arnie has them a little confused. Late 71 E88: 6/71- 8/71 42.4 cc Combustion Chamber is the same volume and combustion chamber design is the same as the E31. 72 E88 9/71 through 7/72 44.7cc Combustion chamber design is the same as Late 71 E88 & E31. Castings around the exhaust valve were improved, intake and exhaust port runners reshaped slightly. 73 E88 8/72 though 7/73 47.8cc Combustion chamber redesigned for emissions. This head has a raised quench area {meaning it sits higher in the combustion chamber} - that increases chamber temperatures for improved combustion. {improved for emissions reduction not performance}. 74 260 E88 8/73 through 12/74 47.8cc Combustion chamber design is the same as the 73, exhaust valve increased from 33mm to 35mm. The only way to tell the Late 71 & 72 E88's from the emissions 73/74 E88's is to look at the combustion chamber shape. The Late 71 & 72 E88's have the same combustion chamber shape as the E31's which have a rounded or slightly hemispherical quench area a little deeper than the E31. You can see the "notched area" around the spark plug on these heads, its missing on the later 73/74 heads. See: http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/E31andE88Heads.htm FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Hogie: Make sure you measure the height of the clutch pressure plate fingers and let us know what you received. Also check the actual length of the collar and compare them to the diagram I Posted.. Pictures of the ZOOM and MSA Pressure plates side by side would be GREAT... thanks, Carl B.

Here is an older diagram I was working on.. but wanted to verify the measurements before publishing... The Throw-Out Bearings are about 19mm. So add 28mm+19mm and you get pretty close to 47mm or 1.85" or 1 13/16's inch. FWIW, Carl B.

From my notes: For 1.75" high fingers - the throw-out bearing sleeve should be 28mm. The Part Number is 30501-1C104 (about $18.00 suggested retail from Nissan). FWIW, Carl B.

If your plugs have been in the car for say 1000 miles and you have driven in all manor of conditions {stop and go, highway, short trips where the engine barely gets warmed up etc. etc. - - then pulling the plugs will really tell you very little about how any specific aspect of your ignition and air/fuel mix are operating. There are simply too many variables involved there. If you are going to "read" your plugs - you have to install clean plugs and then run the car though its normal operating RPM range. A higher speed loop around the interstate and then home to pull the plugs. No short shifting and lugging the engine at low speeds.... "R" on the NGK plugs indicates "Resistor" - they cut down on electrical noise that can be a problem with radio reception. FWIW, Carl B.

I'm not sure what FSM you have - but Nissan issued Factory Service Bulletins which updated much of the information in the FSM's. At some point they recommended the extend tip BP6ES so that the electrodes projected farther into the combustion gases to help keep the plugs from carbon fowling. If you are going to "read" your plugs - you have to install clean plugs and then run the car though its normal operating RPM range. A quick loop around the interstate and then home to pull the plugs. If the car has been driven around town, for short stop and go driving - you will not get much useful information from the condition of the plugs. A choke sticking ON will give you a very rich mixture - and you will usually see carbon build up on the plugs. The FIRST thing to do is get the choke working properly so it can be full OFF... FWIW, Carl B.

The problem is not "Europeans", nor "Swiss people" - - the real problem is that on the Internet you never really know who someone is, nor where he is actually located. Every year, people here in the US and I'm sure around the world fall for the "Nigerian scams" and lose millions of dollars. Internet Fraud is everywhere - people even routinely get screwed on E-Bay... It is hard enough to take any legal action when a person is located within your own State here in the U.S. - it is all but impossible to take effective legal action when someone is out of the Country. It is very understandable that a seller in the U.S. would rather find a buyer in the U.S. if possible. There are far less complications to the transaction. The bottom line is that you don't have to "trust" anyone, anywhere. Simply set the terms of the sale such that all funds have to be paid-in-full before releasing anything. IMHO the best way to handle that is via an international Funds Transfer via the banking system.... ie. have the buyer wire the money to your bank account. If your worried about it - open another account with a new bank and use that for any and only on-line transactions... FWIW, Carl B.

Door Handles??? Grab the Intake and SU's - if the junk yard will sell them cheap enough. I'd also be there saving every nut, bolt, and screw that could be re-plated. What head is on the engine? If it's a 72 E88 that would be worth saving as well. Always good to have a spare engine bay wiring harness as well. Lots of good stuff still on that car.

Front Valance $175.00+$175.00+$175.00 = $525.00 R & L Front Fenders $250.00 + $250.00 = $500.00 R& L Doors Complete $275.00+$275.00 = $550.00 R & L Rear Quarters $650.00+$650.00 = $1,300.00 Rear Deck Lid $225.00 F & R Bumpers $275.00 + $275.00 = $550.00 Hood = $275.00 Right Inner Fender = $175.00 Roof = $175.00 Grill = $75.00 R & L Tail Lights = $$125.00 + $125.00= $250 Tail Light Finisher Panels $100.00 Headlight buckets with lights and wires = $75.00+$75.00 = $150.00 R & L Headlight Nacelles - Fiberglass $125.00 + $125.00 = = = = = $4975.00 Engine Wiring Harness = $175.00 Intake, S.U.'s and linkage = $225.00 Air Cleaner Housing = $75.00 Valve Cover = $100.00 Used Alternator $35.00 Used Brake Booster $75.00 Used Distributor $65.00 Used Starter $45.00 = = = = = $795.00 Steering Rack = $225.00 R&L Front Struts $50.00 + $50.00 = $100.00 R&L Rear Struts $50.00 + $50.00 = $100.00 Rear End $175.00 R & L Rear Brake Drums $50.00 + $50.00= $100 = = = = = = $700.00 Brake and Fuel hard Lines with all mounts and fasteners = $175.00 R&L Door Panels $225.00 + $225.00 = $450.00 R&L Seats $75.00 +$75.00 = $150.00 All interior Plastic Panels $225.00 Dash - $750.00 = = = = $1575.00 Plus a great supply of nuts, bolts, screws and other small parts that could be cleaned/re-plated and resold. - Free = = = = = = = = = = = = = TOTAL = $8045.00 FWIW, Carl B.

I used Paint Pens... you can get them at any Arts/Crafts Stores. I'm pretty sure that all emblems by 1973 were plastic, not that you couldn't use metal if you have them.

The bushing in the lower picture, right side was used from late 72 though 73. Top and bottom are the same design during that time - except the hole size is different. Top mount has a larger hole. As zKars mentioned - the hole size will indicate top or bottom location. FWIW, Carl B.

Interest in Classic 240Z's is growing in Europe and the Z's are showing up in more Concours events there. I've helped a couple of guys in Europe locate and buy 240Z's. One of them came to the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Z Car this past year in Nashville. In both cases the buyers had a Broker here in the US that handled paying for the car and then picking it up and shipping it to Europe. The sellers were paid with a Cashiers Check drawn on a US Bank by the Broker, and the car was picked up a few weeks later, well after the checks cleared. Do you write personal checks for any reason? If you do, anyone that gets them has your banking information - it's printed on all your checks. I don't know why your banker would advise against receiving a wire transfer. Your bank will charge you a small fee for receiving funds and exchanging Euro's to U.S. Dollars - but it will be FAR less than Pay Pal. If the buyer is willing to send you 1/2 the money and months later, show up with the other half in cash - I don't see any reason not to sell. I agree that you should not release the car or any paperwork until any checks have cleared - and you can withdraw the CASH from your account. If you have any concerns - just go to another bank - and open a new account for the purpose of receiving the funds - put $50.00 in there to open the account - after the checks clear or the funds arrive - take the cash out and close the account. FWIW, Carl B.

110 is almost exactly between a true Red and a true Orange. If you park a 110 Red beside a 905 Red - the 110 will look orange. If you park a 110 Red beside a 918 Orange car the 110 will look Red. It's a very neat color with the white interior. See: http://zhome.com/History/ZColorGallary/index.html FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Marc: IMHO - Mr. Carinni has his head in the clouds. He's up there with "Life Styles Of The Rich and Famous" He is not alone, I see the same lack of clear and logical thinking everywhere this subject is discussed. Lets look at it this way: When I moved here to Clearwater, Florida in 1973, homes on Clearwater Beach sold for around $125K. Beach front property has always been very limited and prices relatively high. Today these homes sell for $2M to $5M. Yes, I should have bought a home on the beach.... Problem was I didn't have the money. My first house in Clearwater cost me $17K. I put about $10K into remodeling and adding a 3 car garage. Sold it 8 years later for $45K. = = = = Now tell me Mr. Carinni: what do you think of the long term investment potential of a house in Clearwater. Mr. Carinni answers: The problem with houses in Clearwater is that there are too many of them. They will never take off like homes on Clearwater Beach. What about homes on Nottingham Drive, I ask. Mr. Carinni answers; I don't think they would be any better because too many were originally built. Ah.... 8 homes is too many I wonder? as I walk away...... = = = = = You see what I'm getting at here Marc? Why would anyone put any creditability in thinking that leads to answers like his? People that compare limited production and/or hand built exotic automobiles to mass production automobiles - - - are comparing apples to oranges. The result of that comparison are meaningless. Worse they represent bad advice, if they prevent you from buying anything else. "240Z's will never be worth anything." - Really? Is that why people are coming from Europe to buy them? Is that why very knowledgeable Collectors are buying up the best examples available? Let's look at it this way - say one can afford a Classic Car to drive and enjoy that costs up to $18K today. For $18K what Classic Car would you buy? Let's say you want a Classic Car that you can participate with in Classic Car Shows - and you can afford to spend $35K - - what Classic Car would you buy? FWIW, Carl B.

I understand your point -but in the 80's a Ferrari GTO would sell for 5 to 12 million. Today they are 25 to 30 million. In the 60's if you could find one, used they were $15K to $20K in great shape, ex competition examples were less than $10K. During the mid 90's melt down - the prices went very low as well. You could pick up a good GTO for as little as $10M. FWIW, Carl B.

If your clutch was slipping - you'll need to replace the clutch disc -how thick the material is - doen't matter. If it has been slipping - it is more than likely overheated and glazed. You will also have to have the flywheel resurfaced to remove any hot spots - so the clutch will enguage smoothly. I'd order the Zoom Clutch Kit from NAPA or RockAuto - it comes with the pressure plate, clutch disc, pilot bearing, throw out bearing and collar. {as well as a clutch alignment tool}. NAPA $134.00 http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Detail.aspx?A=NNCMU475361_0062695300&An=599001+101971+50018+2018010 BRUTE POWER / PERFECTION CLUTCH {aka ZOOM} $120.79 http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=334602 ZOOM Part Number: MU 475361 These are actually better than OEM qualtiy. You really don't want to keep pulling the tranny in a trail and error fashion. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Arne: We've had this discussion before, but I think it is worth refreshing it ever so often. I deal with basically three different types of "Z Car People" all the time. Collectors, Restorers and Enthusiasts. A few people are all of these, but the broad market is segmented by these three types. All three type of people - buy quite different examples of the Datsun 240Z's and they value them quite differently. I have not seen your Z in person - but following along here for years - I wouldn't be surprised if you could find a buyer willing to pay $12K to $15K this year, and maybe $18K in a few years from now. But you know you would have very hard time finding a replacement for $12K to $15K. You seem to have a nice #3 condition 240Z, but your location keeps the price depressed a bit, and the current economy keeps too many 240Z Enthusiast on the side lines - or looking for current suppressed market bargains. {and they are out there now too} In the lower to mid level Classic Car Market price ranges - cars recognized by the majority of Collectors as being true Classics {ie. of timeless beauty}, all seem to establish their relative values based somewhat on tradition or historic expectations in that market, but mostly on economic facts. {as Guy correctly points out} Such that if a #3 condition example is $12K to $15K - then a #2 example will sell for twice that amount, and a true #1 example will sell for 2.5x or more that of a #3 condition example. There are certainly overlaps in these price ranges and different buyers see things differently - but nonetheless that seems to be an established rule-of-thumb there. If I bought your Z for $15K - what would it cost me today to restore it to #1 Condition and how long would that take? Answer: I could easily spend an additional $30K and I'd feel lucky if I could keep the cost down to that. If a Collector bought the car and farmed everything out to professionals - it would easily cost him $85K+. So any #1 or #2 condition example already completed and ready to set in his collection for less than 1/2 that amount is a bargain to him. For that matter 240Z's are a bargain Classic when sitting side by side with the Ferraris, Porsches and mid year Corvettes in his collection. To the people who are "restorers" - they won't pay for a #3 condition car because they are going to strip everything to a shell and restore everything anyway - so they look for good #4 condition cars in the $5K to $8K price range. All of this leaves #3 condition 240Z's today in fairly good supply and somewhat low demand in this economy. So I believe that the rational that if a good #3 condition example in the Enthusiast Market is worth $15K it leads to an assumption that a #2 condition example in the Collector market is worth $20K or $25K is not supported by the economics of the situation. Nor for that matter the actual prices being paid for true #1 and #2 condition examples. At this point in the economy - very few buyers are doing anything. This too will pass. I could have bought a Ferrari 275 GTB/2 in Miami during the 1991/92 melt down for $85K as Atlantic Bank flushed their repo's... {but I didn't want to risk the cash then either}. This too will pass... FWIW, Carl B.

Does "all original" also mean it has been sitting for years or several months between being driven? If so - the clutch discs can freeze/rust themselves to the flywheel. The resulting symptoms can be the same as a hydraulic failure. In this case, you will have fluid in the Master and when someone pushes on the clutch pedal - you can see the push rod on the Slave Cylinder move outward about 3/4". As mentioned - first check the fluid level in the Clutch Master Cylinder - if it very low to dry - first try filling it with fluid, then "bleed" the hydraulic system. You bleed the system by having someone sit in the car, pump the clutch pedal slowly and easily two or three times, then hold the clutch pedal to the floor. While they hold the clutch pedal to the floor, you crack open, then close the little "bleeder valve" on the slave cylinder. {takes a 10mm box end wrench}. The first few times you should get nothing but air out of the bleeder valve. After a few times you should finally get nothing but fluid out. At that point the clutch should work - as mentioned check for leaks. If the clutch isn't working, have someone sit in the car and slowly push the clutch pedal down - as you watch to see if the push rod on the slave cylinder is moving out - it should move out about 3/4". If it isn't moving, your slave might be gummed up/corroded. If you do replace the Master and Slave cylinders - replace the rubber hose between the body and the slave as well. FWIW, Carl B.

CarbonBlack240 Questions: a) how long have you been driving this Z? how often have you ran it hard or floored it? Brown smoke could just be rust from the exhaust system blowing out of a car that sat too long. Black smoke could just be carbon built up on the cylinder tops and flooring it breaks some loose. The image is too low a resolution to blow up much. The Carb's pictured are S.U.'s manufactured under license by Hitachi. Even or uneven Air/Fuel distribution from a single 4 barrel, to an inline six depends upon the design of the intake manifold. {the length and diameter of the runners etc have to be finely tuned, no reason distribution can't be even to all cylinders}. FWIW, Carl B.

If your heater hose is leaking, you can simply cut the leaking hose and move it out of the way. Then cut the good hose near the firewall and loop it to the connection that the bad hose was on. That will allow you to drive the car home, if your fixing things on the side of the road. You can see the two heater hoses in the picture below {well at least part of the two heater hoses} Or you can buy enough new heater hose at the parts store to form a loop in the engine bay. Make sure you can get the old clamps off, or pick up a couple new clamps. Make sure you add water to the radiator!!! Take a gallon with you... Changing the heater hoses at the heater core is something that you will want to have some time to do. It's a tight fit up under the dash - and a job best done in your driveway. You may want to order all three hoses from your Nissan Dealer. Two run to/from the engine and one connects the heater valve to the heater core. All three are preformed with fairly tight bends. Heater Hoses to/from heater core regulator 27118-N3300 Intake 27181-N3000 Output 27181-N3300

The Search Engine revels: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30409 The only way to go.... FWIW, Carl B.

Someone on this forum used smoke a few years ago to check their rear hatch seals etc. You might want to do a SEARCH for that... FWIW, Carl B.