dogma420

so Dave you paid $250 for your 5 speed, and I paid $300 for my 77 5-speed... I just found a guy selling a 83 L6 with the 83 5 speed attached selling the total lot for $150!!!! I think I'm going to get it.

I actually tried at first to use the adjustable slave (with the nut) from my original 10/71 1972 240z with my 77 5 speed...the mount point to the end of the rod are different lengths, so I couldn't get it to fit. the later 280z slave w/out adjustment is self adjusting like Montoya said--but that brings up a good quesiton--is it self adjusting for a stock pressured clutch? I would think yes, which is fine with me, as I'm closer to stock than modified. When it comes time to rebuild my 77 5 speed I will probably upgrade to the ZX 5 speed--sounds like the ratios from 2 to 3 work great--(plus 5th and reverse aren't kissing cousins like on the Z 5 speed)...

depends on the month of your 71 on whether you need to cut the trans stick shift hole... 1. Does your car have the vent holes on the sides, and not under the window on the hatch? ie. does the small emblem behind your small quarter windows on the side just have a circle with a Z in the middle or does it have '240' on the circle AND 2 silver plastic grille vent covers under the rear hatch window? 2. if it does have the circles with just a Z and NO hatch vents under the hatch window, then check the placement of your differential under your car...kind of hard to describe, but this imo is easiest way to make sure you have a later 71... when looking at the mounts of the rear of the differential if they are straight across, and DON'T bend backwards to accomodate the diff being pushed back 2 inches, then you have the early setup, and with a newer 4 speed or 5 speed you'd need to cut the tranny shifter hold a little bit like was said previously. If the bottom diff mount (its under the diff and the suspension mounts to it) has a "U" shape to it and the Mustache bar also has a "U" shape to it, then you have the later car and won't have to modify the shifter hole in the interior. These are the easiest ways IMO to check, possibly somebody else has a better method...anyone want to chime in? Last summer on my 72 (built 10/71) I put a 5 speed in it from a '77 280z and I'm telling you it is a good upgrade--although the 280ZX 5 speeds are probably even better. The 77-78 5 speed is essentially the stock 4 speed with an extra gear added (5 speed) so things such as the shift fork are weaker (5th gear shares reverse on the fork)...the 280zx 5 speed was built from the ground up to be a 5 speed so it is slightly stronger. Hope this helps.

Excuse my ignorance, but who is Albrecht Goertz and why have you guys said (tongue in cheek I know) that he was responsible for designing the Z. Thanks for any insight... believe it or not lilman, the more this thread goes on, and the more I go back to looking at the spoiler, the more I think I do like it. I'm going with a BRE front add on spook, but I like how the openings follow the lines of the original front valence. A thought--and I thought I'd never say this--but the turn signal lights that would look best on here are the US 280z style, IMHO, where they are in the grill area. Hows that sound? "Hey guys, I'd like to modify my 240z to have the turn signals in the same place as the 280z".... Doesn't sound right to me, but if you do hook up with this spoiler, that is what I would do! and to top it off, if you get this spoiler, you would remove your front 3 piece stock valence I assume--I was checking prices the other day, and jeeze, a 3 piece valence is quite expensive to buy from somebody (new at least)....I mean each side of it is like $130 from MSA....you could sell it and make some $$ ... Anyways, just thought I'd say it's looking better with age...

Enigma--you said: It will probably be a while before I do the actual install as I have a lot of other things to complete first >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Unless your car is torn apart, I'd install it first thing...it's very quick and easy to install. Use dialetic grease on connections (and I used black electrical tape to seal the outside of each connection as well) but beyond that, it's about a 15 minute upgrade, very fast. I waited a few days, and I really should've done it the day I got it. Just my .02 dollars.

Go to this link: http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT Follow the instructions, although it is a Hitachi test, it will check ALL hard drives that are IDE, SATA, and SCSI (most scsi). If the hard drive is an IBM or Hitachi drive, and it finds bad blocks, it will ask you if you want them repaired--say yes. Bad blacks on a non IBM/Hitachi drive--you have to somehow run checkdisk on the drive to fix it. To run checkdisk Ed: 1. slave drive into another system 2. Boot your desktop with Windows PE (a bootable version of Windows XP) At command prompt type c:\chkdsk /f /r (both switches seem to do the same thing but I always just use both, which are for fixing)...for explanation of switches just type c:\chkdsk /? and press enter will explain what /f and /r mean. Hope this stuff helps man. PM me if you would like more personal help--and leave your phone # if need be and I'll call you.

ED--- No matter what anyone says, I would highly recommend you at least test your hard drive--this problem for me has occurred on drives that are perfectly good and it's not an indication of a defective hard drive. The OS has a problem, more than likely a file is on a bad block. A bad block is NOT an indication of a bad hard drive. It's like a 'scratch' on a record. Many utilities such as checkdisk or scandisk check for bad blocks--they don't fix them literally, but they do make sure that the OS IGNORES them and doesn't use them to put data there. As long as data isn't put there, you're fine. A good hard drive may have many bad blocks. Brand new hard drives could have many bad blocks as well--it's not a measure of a good or bad drive. And more than likely, if recovery console had worked, and you were able to put that file back that it was saying was corrupted, it would list another file on next boot up, and so on.... I'd recommend--testing the hard drive with some drive testing software, and if it's good, install Windows XP over itself. Somebody recommending a new hard drive right off the bat is the 'service technician disease' IMO...most techs in a service company have to work quick, and to say 'just buy a new hard drive' is a quick way to fix the problem. It fixes it, but it isn't the most effecient fix for the consumer, and isn't necessary. It could be that you need a new hard drive, but more than likely you have a bad block with this data on it, nothing more. if OS reinstalls itself, it always does a checkdisk on the drive when installing the OS and will ignore the area with the bad block and not write data to it. phew...enough writing!

You'll be happy Enigma! His quality is higher than anything you may buy from just about anybody. Very impressive. Install with confidence!!!

I'm putting this in the help me forum because I never look in classifieds, and therefore, you might not either. I'm missing one chrome end of the grab handle on the passenger side for my 240z interior handle. Does anyone have an extra that they could sell me? Please PM if you do, and thanks for reading my post.

At one point in time I owned a Fiat 850 spyder...a little convertible car that had a 850cc motor in the rear. Anyways, I was doing cookies spinning out with a friend in a gravel parking lot with a buddy in the passenger seat and we were trying to impress some ladies (we were both 17 yrs old, a long time ago)... On one side of the parking lot, was pavement...anyways, while doing cookies, burning out, I slide around and onto the pavement....took my tire right off of the rim when we hit the pavement! Very embarrasing...esp. when I found out we didn't have a jack! but we did have a spare.... The only good part about this was, we figured out that my friend was able to hold up the rear end of the car while I changed the tire, that's how light this little 850 spyder was! I think it weighed something like 1200 pounds. It was a cool little car that I got for $300 from a buddy..he had tried to run over a 'pylon' that turned out to be a metal post in concrete...and the whole front end is one piece (no fenders)...anyways I bought it from him, put a come-a-long on it, and pulled it right out and did a quick paint job--it looked great....I'll post a picture tomorrow.

Arne, A lot of the long-time members have stopped posting in the time you've been here because of the A-holes on here that think their *@#$ don't stink...(these are newer members that have low post counts but act as though they've posted 5000 times)....these are the guys that never start a thread (or if they do it's to get an answer to a question that could've been searched) and they always have something to say about what someone else has done. "I would've done it like this" or "I would've done this" I see this all the time...instead of respecting what someone has done, analyze their work, and appreciate the fact that the person went to the trouble of not only doing this work to their car, but actually sharing to the forum what they did, in the hopes that this would help somebody in the future. If not help 100%, maybe just one small tip that was included. I have done quite a few posts like this, and it never fails, one of these guys always replies saying "I would've done it this way..." Well if you would've done it, why didn't you do it? and then share it with us? My .02 dollars...but you are right...people need to lighten up. If you've seen me get pissed off, its because of these posters who are quick to criticize (sp?) but never have anything original to contribute--that pisses me off to no end..... I enjoy everyones posts and enjoy the diversity of having people on multiple continents sharing information about such a beautiful car that all of us have in common. The Zed is truly a wonderful car to base a hobby around, and this forum adds to the enjoyment of owning and maintaining my Z car TREMENDOUSLY! On that note, thank you all for helping me enjoy my car more! Keep all of your posts coming!!!!!!! I've said enough.....

Enigma--you said As the cars get older, they get heavier, especially the 280ZX You mean as they get newer.....

I own a 1972 240z and I use it as a daily driver. They are easy and simple to work on. A stock 2.4 liter 6 cylinder motor will get at best 25 mpg...I get on average about 18mpg (have a slight head gasket leak)...so they don't get the great gas mileage. The are VERY autocross-able…there are lots of members on here that do so. I would absorb as much information on this sight as possible, and start and reply to posts, and be very very polite. Once you’ve absorbed at least 15 hours of time reading and absorbing as much as possible, I’d say go for it. Be sure to use the SEARCH function as much as possible. Most topics have already been answered, and the search function works very well. I would definitely search items such as ‘what to look for in a Z when first buying’. In regards to the S30 (240z, 260z, 280z through 1978) it is very important to be knowledgeable about the car and problems with them; the average person wouldn’t be able to find these problems—you are in a good spot right now to gain knowledge and insight into problems that are hidden when looking at one of these cars. If you are mechanically inclined, I would recommend a 240z. If you aren't mechanically inclined, I would say pass on it, and get something newer. They aren't hard to work on, but at any given time, there may be a small problem that you need to work on. Sometimes bigger; and sooner or later, you will fall in love with your 240z and want to restore it to some level, which not only costs a lot of money, but requires its owner to be mechanically inclined. (unless you have a LOT of money to blow to have someone else do it!) Not sure what you've driven in the past, but the 240z drives like a 35 year old car. Please keep that in mind. What I mean by that is it rides rougher than something newer. The 280z with fuel injection from 75-78 is virtually the same car on the exterior, except for the larger bumpers. They are much heavier due to a lot of factors, and have a more 'refined' ride to them. The 1973 240z and 1974 260z had bad carburetors due to emissions laws and should be replaced if they haven’t been already. I’ve owned quite a few newer cars, and the 240z drives rougher than something newer… But, the 240z just kicks but on the 'hey, I want to go out and take a drive on this windy back road'...AND...they can make a good daily driver, as long as they are properly maintained. ***If this would be your only car, I would highly recommend getting a 2nd car as a backup...it's just me, but I've always had a 2nd car handy in case of a failure on my 240z. You never know when you've got 1/2 hour to get to work, you get in your car, and it sounds like you need to adjust your points (if you still have them) and don't have time to do it, or something like your choke cables are keeping your choke on and you can’t turn it off, etc…lots of little things can happen from time to time when everything on the car is 35 years old....so when something like that happens, you just hop in your 2nd car....In my opinion, I would recommend a 2nd car. Good luck, and welcome to the forums!

OK, I've spoke with a few label makers...we have progress, and I'll let everyone know as soon as possible when I got something going.

When I install the A/C unit this summer, I plan on painting the entire fan enclosure with POR15 Chassis coat black...it does look a little oxidized compared to the actual fan motor black.

I run into this problem a lot at work... More than likely even if you replace that file, it won't boot up anyways. Your best option is to reinstall Windows XP over itself...this would reset all Windows XP options, but leave all programs and data files intact. You would have to reinstall all Service Packs and critical updates as well, but you'd keep your files and programs working. 1. Boot from your Windows OS disc... 2. press enter to setup Windows XP 3. I think press F8 to accept license agreement 4. Make sure your XP is highlighted, and press R to repair Windows XP 5. You'll have to re-activate your copy via Microsoft and install all updates including service packs. PM me if you have any problems Ed. There are ways to fix if you want to spend a LOT of time on it--but it isn't as easy as replacing that file. More than likely you have a bad sector (or bad block)....when you reinstall it will skip that file. You could also try recovery console and type c:\chkdsk /f /r at the prompt to scan the partition for errors, but doubtful this will help.

That's a lot of work man, looks awesome. Nice exterior color...I might be biased but I love Datsun Red.

were hood latches plated? Mine are car color--is this wrong?

to eliminate braking, when it IS making the sound, put the brakes on enough to see if the sound disappears the instant you press the brakes--if the sound disappears, then it has something to do with the driver's side drum brake.

Carl / 26th: What / where can I find the decription for the number system? the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc.

Savannah--- This is important!!!! I almost forgot!!! Even with this procedure, I get a very very small grind going into reverse--this is with my 77 5 speed, which has the 5th gear and reverse on same shift fork-- I get absolutely no grinding, if I go slightly into the 5th gear directly AND THEN go down into reverse. So when I'm going into reverse, I act like I'm going into 5th gear, but only go up JUST enought to register to the tranny that I'm going that way and then immediately change directions and go into reverse--haven't had one grind that way, and it's as smooth as can be. Small price to pay for a 77 5 speed I guess...I'm sure a newer style 5 speed isn't as temperamental....

It WAS the bleeding of the clutch! THANKS ARNE!! This is what my procedure was: With girlfriend in the car dealing with pushing the clutch pedal, and myself opening and closing the clutch bleeder nipple....(with fish tank hose attached to bleeder going into a glass) 1. Slowly depress clutch pedal...when at 1/4 pressed, have clutch pedal person signal me 2. open bleeder and have person pushing clutch stop (critical to not go back but just hold). Reason why I had her stop was because the instant that the bleeder was open, her pressure would make the pedal go all the way to the floor very quickly...if I had one of my buddies helping me, I probably wouldn't have done this, but she wasn't very familiar with clutches (an automatic chick essentially). Having her stop at 1/4 when bleeder was opened seemed to work just fine. 3. once completely open, have clutch pedal person push until 2/3 of the way to the floor with pedal and signal me--during this time, fluid is being pushed out of the bleeder. 4. close bleeder and signal ok 5. pedal person releases pedal...when released, the clutch master fluid level will go down slightly, while the clutch pedal will returned to normal position. 6. I repeated this operation 10 times at least, and had to top off essentially 1.5 master cylinder reservoirs full. Runs great now...should be noted that my pedal push rod that goes into the master cylinder is adjusted all the way out...no adjustments are possible at this point on my system...but I have 0% grinding on all gears and can peel out with ease.

Welcome!!! Hrududu-- Must have been in pretty darn good shape to get you all the way home. I've never driven mine for more that a 2 hour drive. You're kidding right man? heh. Yukon--his avatar I would assume is his rig....It's an early 260z with thin bumpers... 260zbuzz--just so you know, I have an almost new brain box and new electric fuel pump from a 74.5 260z, only like 4000 miles on each, then I totalled the car...if you're ever interested, I might still have them if you ever need em. They are really spendy..like $200 each and up. These are Nissan parts.

I attached 2 pictures so you can see what the motor looks like that I ordered new; looks much different from the normal oem honda fan that's silver on the outside. As you can see, no plastic connectors, just 2 wires, like stock, come out of the motor. It's not an exact clone on the outside, but I think it looks pretty good. TBK1--This is stictly a drop in for the 240z only; I believe you do have to modify for the 260/280 style of heater box...maybe somebody on here has done a 280z? Or you could be the first!

yeah, thinking it might be a doa slave....but I'm bleeding the system tomorrow (it's been raining out here too much and the z lives outside). The newer D30 slave cylinders, such as mine, aren't adjustable like my original 4 speed slave....it's self adjusting with an internal spring.