Racer X

Nice weld beads Ryan. The guy who taught me welding said anytime you can move the workpiece to position the weld under the arc it produces the best join. The puddle is easiest to control in that position, rather than vertically or upside down. Other positions are possible, but it is trickier to manage the puddle and keep the heat where it needs to be.

No, the dash doesn’t need to come out. It is a bit tricky, but the last screw can be removed, and the kick panel after that.

I have a Fluke 77 DVOM, and use it for most of my electrical testing and diagnostic work. But. Some testing requires an analog voltmeter, such as checking a throttle position sensor for opens. A digital voltmeter reacts to quickly to see the changes in resistance. I know, an early Z doesn’t have a TPS, but I work on newer cars too.

I would use the wire the original radio used. Then, for the clock memory, either find a wire that is hot all the time and splice into it, or run a wire from the battery, and be sure and use an inline fuse as close to the power source as possible.

When refinishing bare metal after cleaning up rust, I use a metal etching primer, followed by high solids/high build primer. Usually I continue to work the panels, doing any dent repairs and body filler, followed by a two part epoxy sealer, then topcoat with the final finish. It isn’t a good idea to go to all the trouble of cleaning up rust, and then leave the metal exposed. Primers are porous, and do little, if anything, to prevent the rust from coming back. Planning is an important part of body and paint work.

You know, I have a vague recollection of a 75 280 I had once about 30 years ago that had weatherstripping like that. It looked to be some universal weatherstripping that was glued on in an effort to mitigate wind noise. Unfortunately the car is long gone, so I can't go check it out.

Most likely the shiny stuff makes it more noticeable. I remember when tires first started showing up like that, back in the early 1980’s. Tire dressing (Armor All) really makes it stand out. Lots of drivers freaking out about it. The tire manufacturers told everyone not to be concerned about it.

That is actually quite common on tires. Nothing more than where the layers of belts, chords and rubber overlap.

Didn't do much with any Z cars this weekend (I know, I should be ashamed), as the used oil furnace in my shop consumed my time. I guess if you ignore them for 15 years then one autumn you flip the switch, and they refuse to fire up. Who would have thought, eh? Still, I prefer a warm shop to work in, and the days won't be getting any warmer for the next few months. But beauty can be found in most surroundings, such as this springtime shot of my race car from many years ago. Black & White Z Spring 1991 by Racer, on Flickr Beauty, eh?

The one on the car for sale is embossed, and has a validation sticker, the classic from the DOL is flat, and has the state outline where the sticker should be. Hmmmmm . . . . . . . . . seems inconsistent, but not impossible. I see the Nevada DOL page that lists the blue plate states: So it is possible that someone had the plate made, then submitted it for use on the car. But being from 70/71 the car isn't old enough. I have year of manufacture on several of my Z's, and here in Washington the registration sticker is not issued or required when a collector car is permanently registered that way. Some guys will get an unused sticker for the year they are using the plate for, or use a reproduction. One of the cars plates were too far gone to be restorable, but I found a guy who makes reproduction plates using the correct dies, reflective material and colors, so I'm saving for some from him.

I doubt that is an authentic Nevada plate and registration tag. The plate doesn't look like any ever issued by the Nevada DOL, but rather a novelty plate.

We've come a long way since George Carlin and the seven dirty words you can't say on TV.

You guys that drive on the other side of the road are so lucky. https://zcarclubq.org.au/festival-of-z/ Bathurst is one of my favorite tracks.

I saw the hoses, all the worm gear clamps, a strip mall auto parts store battery and oil filter, the do it yourself air conditioning, and the price dropped 40%. I looked through the pictures, read the listing, and some of the comments. It isn't a doubt this car has potential, with proper restoration, to be quite valuable. But as presented in this auction, it is nothing more than a cobbled up misrepresentation worth only a fraction of the current bid.

Be sure to clean and prep the surface very well. Solvent and a stiff bristle brush, followed by a thorough scrub with another stiff bristle brush and soapy water. Rinse well, and be sure to get the surface clean deep into all the irregularities of the undercoating. Adding a flex agent to the paint applied to the undercoating would be a good idea too, so the paint will be more resistant to chipping from stones and grit thrown around by the tires.

If you can find a good one, the earlier 240Z manifolds are less bulky, lighter. You can then use an aftermarket head pipe, or build your own. Building your own is easy. Make a flange from 3/8” flatbar, and go up a bit in diameter for the primary pipes, I used 1.75". Install the manifold on the car, and the head pipe, take it to an exhaust shop and have them make up the pipes for you. I told the guy to bend them only, and welded it up myself, on a fixture I made, and ground the mating surface flat when I was done. It should be cheaper than the MSA pipes, and flow better too with the larger primary pipes.

I used to get a McChord brand gasket that came with red silicone on it. Can’t find them anymore, so getting a plain gasket and coating it with red RTV should work. I found the stock head pipe flange to be too thin, and it would deform, and then leak. So I made my own from 3/8” flatbar, then made my own headpipes. No leaks. This got started because I was running a production class and had to run the stock manifold. The engine produces a lot of heat when racing, the manifold and head pipe get cherry red.

I ran twice at Spokane when IRDC hosted the first two races there about 20 years ago. They were double races, so I actually raced there four times. The brown Z appears to have been originally registered in Walla Walla county based on the license plate numbering. Back then plates were issued by county, and I feel very confident that the plates on the car when I bought it are the original ones. Pretty cool yours and mine are so close in production. Do you know where yours was sold new?

I have had luck removing broken extractors using a pin punch to break them up, removing the broken pieces as I go. It is a tedious process. You may also try using a center punch, dimpling the center of the extractor, then try drilling it out with a left twist drill.

Remove the bolt adjacent to the drive adapter. Then it should slide right out.

Welcome to the forum. Find out what is causing the catalyst to overheat. A lean condition can cause cats to get hot, and if they get too hot the carpet will catch fire, and once that happens it is too late. And they take a long time to cool down. I have seen that very thing happen to many cars of this era. Owner standing on the side of the road, the catalytic converters glowing cherry red, smoke filling the passenger compartment, and nothing can be done but stand there and watch it go up in flames. By the time the fire department arrives, it is over. Get it checked out, and correct the cause, before your pride and joy is destroyed.

The exhaust was actually pretty quiet, at least from a distance. The club measures the sound, and I never went over about 85db at 50 feet. But. I borrowed a sound pressure meter once, strapped it in on the passenger side, and recorded 140db during a 30 minute race. That is quite loud. The suspension is basically stock. Tokico Illumina strut cartridges, aftermarket stabilizer bars front and rear (I forget the sizes at the moment, but they are big, and I had to reinforce the front frame rails as the mounts were tearing out) with urethane bushings, and those eccentric lower control arm bushings that enable camber adjustment. I forget what springs I used, but those were cut down a bit too. I also had those compression rod aluminum cup and delrin ball things. The delrin would get beat up pretty badly, so I milled replacements from aluminum, and lined them with teflon. No more galling, or need to grease, just replace the teflon once a season.

And the doglegs, lower rear front fenders, and a small potion of the left rocker. HLS3056539 1972 240Z by Racer, on Flickr HLS3056539 1972 240Z by Racer, on Flickr HLS3056539 1972 240Z by Racer, on Flickr HLS3056539 1972 240Z by Racer, on Flickr. HLS3056539 1972 240Z by Racer, on Flickr

How about some car porn? HLS3056539 1972 240Z by Racer, on Flickr

Deer's Leap on the backstretch. My car would get very light there.