87mj

Back in '79, my first car was a '73 240z. It ran well most of the time. But those 6 years were not good to it. The frame and body were rusted so I got rid of it. In 1980, an old lady, probably in her late 20s - early 30s, who worked at a local car parts store in town had a '72 she wanted to sell. I test drove that thing one day with a friend of mine. I struggled to keep it under 10mph across the parking lot. When I got it on the highway, I had throttle left as it chirped the tires when I reached 70mph and shifted into 3rd. I now own my third 240z. My second 240 was a '72 and ran very well (except for additional rust issues). My current one has 59k miles on it and is as close to new as I will find today. My point is it was not my imagination or an impressionable age sort of thing. Nothing compared to this '72 I test drove. I gave the lady her keys back and said it was too fast and that I struggled to keep it under 70 down the highway. She laughed and said, "oh yes, it will do 155. The previous owners raced it". It easily remains the fastest car I have ever driven since. My friend owned several sports cars of the era (Porsche 914 with the 2.0, fiat spider, he drove an XKE for about 6 months). His comment was "I cant get over the power". Many sports cars of the era had dual carbs. My friend claimed all they did was adjust the jets on the carbs. The car didn't idle rough like a cam was installed. The engine looked and sounded factory stock in every way. Does anyone have any thoughts on what was done to this car?

I need to replace the carpet on my '71. 240z's have 2 metal tabs under each seat to hold the carpet in place. All the photos I see of replacement carpets do not have the loops cut in the carpet to fit through those tabs. Does anyone know if the replacement carpets have those loops and they are just not shown in the product images? If they don't exist, how do you hold the carpets in place? I don't want to glue them to the floor Thanks.

Congrats you dirty dog. I found one recently with 59k miles on it. Exact same color. It is in great shape but yours is twice as nice. I don't have any rust but I will be cleaning 45 years of dust forever. I hope you plan to keep it stock. I will be anxiously watching what you do with your tires and wheels. I have the same dilemma. Its always nice to have the exact same car to compare to. If the tires and rims are not proportioned correctly, it changes the whole look of the car IMO.

Is it a hex head bolt? I cant even see in there. I assumed it was a flat head but I must be wrong.

Mystery solved. The leather one was for those back in the '70s with poor taste. Mine just has the gear locations. It doesn't have the "Datsun" logo on it.

Nomuken, Nice Car. Do you mind if I ask what size tires/rims you have? Also what brand exhaust? Thanks Gary

I agree with your PO. Most had wood but some had the leather. I never understood why some did and some didn't, even in the same model year. $200 for a knob though. OUCH.

I am also leaning toward the MSA. I want quiet but I don't want to sacrifice performance. I am fine with a little more noise than the stock muffler. I didn't think the MSA was very loud but the youtube clip sounded like it was. I remember replacing the muffler on my '73 with a stock one. I was very surprised how much the stock muffler impacted performance. Regarding the MSA, I am a little concerned about how the big oval muffler looks tucked under the car compared to the small, round one from the factory. Just my personal preference.

I have owned a '72 and a '73. Both had wood gearshift knobs. I have seen factory '71s and '72's that didn't and I have seen them that did. I don't think I have ever seen a '73 without a wood knob. Mine does not have a wood gear shift knob but I believe it is factory. Does anyone know what "options" package if there were any, that caused a car to ship with the wood gearshift knob? It drives me nuts that I don't have one and the thought of aftermarket gives me headaches.

That is a brilliant idea. Problem solved. I knew I could count on the forum.

Hi I recently bought a wonderful '71 in excellent condition. The odometer reads 59,000 miles which I believe to be correct. I have owned a '73 as a teenager and later, I bought a '72. They all had their 240z issues but I think I got one I can live with. The original owner painted it white for whatever reason (not that there is anything wrong with white, it just isn't the factory color and the factory paint was probably in excellent condition at the time). The second owner painted it back to the factory color. Other than that, it is completely stock. The frame, including the front wheel wells look new. Keeping the car stock is very important to me. I want to keep it accurate to the period. The problem is the dash. It is cracked in 3 places. I don't plan to sell the car, ever but on the other hand, I don't want to detract from it's value either. I don't want to put a cap on it either. The low mileage clam is difficult enough to defend, especially on a 45 year old car. I would think it would be more difficult if I replaced the dash. But those cracks... Do you think the value of the car decreases if I keep an eye out for a replacement dash or should I just leave it alone? Thanks