Curtis240Z

Bought my '71 240Z back in '77 when I was 19, my 1st car. Still have it and it has slowly evolved with time to be eons better than when I bought it. Now my wife and daughter both have their own '71 240Zs modified the way they like it.

Can you flip the pictures around, they are hard to visualize upside down. Thanks.

What size tire and rims are you planning on using?

My Z is my first car too. I still have it after purchasing it in '77 and it has slowly transformed into what I like. I bought my daughter her own 240Z which we fixed up and she still owns it too. Good luck with your Z and hope you keep it forever too!

Use a 245/40-17 on 8" rims front and back. Or buy the rim and tire size you ultimately want and have your body shop build the flares to fit since it is already in the shop. My rear flares were custom made.

What I meant by the 9" statement was for the 255/40-17 tire I am running you could use a 9" rim also (because I am using a 9.5" rim in the event I want to go to a 275mm tire). Because you are only going to a 235mm tire you maybe able to squeeze the 8.5" rim in the rear. I know that I've used a 245/45-16 tire on a 8" rim without flares. The limiting factor is the 5" backspacing with coil-overs. You don't want your tire/rim combination to look like 240zTT in my opinion, especially if you plan to race your Z. The picture of my Z you referenced does have a rear flare (about 1"). I made the flare follow the factory lines so it isn't obvious (I guess it worked!). The other picture of my Z you can better see the rear flare http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=13913

Yes it is the only RX-3 in the group (white with blue strips). It is on the SCCA Solo front page with the owner driving it.

I was at the SCCA Nationals too, driving a EP Mazda RX-3 (my buddy's car since it is so expensive to fly my Z over). John Thomas' Z was NICE.

No...9" wide wheels still need flares in the rear. I am not using spacers. I bought the wheels direct from the manufacturer http://www.ccwheel.com

First off this setup requires rear flares and substantial negative camber to fit in the front without flaring (which is is okay for me because I race this Z). The stock front fender lips are rolled too. The rims are made by Complete Custom Wheels, 17x9.5 on all four corners, .25" negative offset with 255/40-17 tires. You can probably get away with a 9" rim, 0" offset with the same tire and it would be fine. You can also get the rims anodized now.

I just finished my Megasquirt on my TWM triple throttle body setup. The pictures are in my gallery.

The L26 doesn't have the notch outs for the fuel injectors so you'd be better putting in the whole engine if the carbs work. Although the stock L26 carbs are not very desireable. The compression on the L26 maybe a little lower.

You are correct the T-5 has the backup switch on the left side and it is different from the standard 4/5 speed switch. Last month when I checked with MSA they couldn't get a new one.

16 or 17 x 8" with negative 1/2" (13mm) offset. You also need to find an available tire size with the desired overall diameter to meet your desires. A 245mm tire fits nicely on a 8" rim, 24.7" is the stock tire diameter, you could go smaller, but your speedometer will read incorrectly unless you change the speedo gear and then there are other things that may influence your decision like ground clearance, top end speed, tire to fender clearance, sidewall height, etc.

Yes it is easy, the problem is finding a new one. The switch should be on the left side of the transmission.

I found it easy to mark the position of the rotor on the distributor. Then remove the distributor via the two 10 mm bolts at the base of the distributor. Now you can use a vise grip through the distributor hole to hold up the distributor/oil pump drive. Then you can remove the oil pump without having to worry about getting the distributor timing correct. You don't even have to get the engine to TDC.

I just finished installing the triple TWM setup with a Megasquirt controller. The throttle response versus the triple 44 mm Mikunis is much better. This system rocks! Check my photo gallery for photos.

For tires sizes that really need flares, yes you do need to cut the fenders. Some people put on flares only for the look. If you have coilovers you can get an additional 1" of rim under the car before having to use flares.

I asked a similar question in '77 "Which 240Z year is the best", of then the local Z specialized mechanic at our local "Datsun" dealer. He said the '71 or '72 with the '71 having a higher compression head and the '72 having a stronger transmission. So I have '71s with 5 speeds, best of both worlds, although now after 30+ years all my 240Zs have L28s so get what makes you happy and personalize it the way you want.:classic:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ItemBrowse/c-10101/s-10101/p-100000164450/mediaCode-ZX/appId-100000164450/Pr-p_CATENTRY_ID:100000164450 BTW is does fit my single strut 240Z even though the description says it won't fit Nissans, maybe because we have Datsuns.

I put a rubber bumper on the passenger side of the rear deck so it levels out the hatch.

The carbs are probably set too lean. You can't flood the carbs because there isn't an accelerator pump. Try and richen the mixture by turning the knurled screws clockwise as viewed from the top.

You will have to drop the exhaust because you need to remove the transmission. You need to have the car high enough to slide the transmission out from under the car so you can work in the trans tunnel. Which means you need to drain the transmission because the driveshaft needs to come out too. You can do it at home make sure you support the engine from tilting back too far.

Make sure the choke cables are actually moving the choke lever. Have someone pull the choke as you watch the carbs. The choke lowers the jet assembly allowing more gas to the engine.

Do a compression check too, before you get too deep into this motor.