Go240Zags

Ok, this may sound like a silly question, but here goes. I was given a L28 out of a 77 280Z the P.O. was going to crush. The price was right, free. I didn't realize it was had an automatic until I saw it waiting for me. After figuring out how to hoist it out of my pickup, I removed the tranny. That was the easy part, but the torque converter is still attached. I have a five speed in my 240, so I am all ready to swap over, but how do I get the torque converter off. Does it just pry off, I can't see anything fastening it on. Any help would be appeciated. I'd like to get the L28 on an engine stand and down from hanging from the ceiling.

Take your time Alan, like I said, my car isn't going anywhere fast... or otherwise. Gary

Thanks for the offer 44014, but HS30-H (Alan) said he had an extra disk he would send me. I have a couple of the old wooden knobs and will fix the disk to the better of the two. Someone else might want the disk you've got though. I see lordbiotree and ajl said they're in need of one as well. Thanks again Alan. Gary

All right guys, my e31 has been majorly shaved and the guys I took it to for the larger valves and a run through are concerned about clearance etc. The cam towers already have been shimmed but they think I should have a shim added for the entire head -- they don't think .020 is enough and recommend .040 or even .060 as better. I haven't been abled to find such a shim that thick. They usually go to Innovative Machine and Supply http://www.innomach.com/shims.htm, but they don't stock for the older cars. They will, however make me a custom one for $125 plus. Am I just wasting my money (something I have little enough of in the first place) or will the investment in the e31 be a good thing. I have two of these heads, but the other one has some major corrossion issues in the valve areas. Should I stick with the e88 I have? Does anyone else make a reasonably priced shim? Gary

Beauty! Which front spoiler is that, I'm in the market as well?

Not to highjack this thread, but is there a difference between the actual lenses in the factory headlight covers and the ones sold on the aftermarket? The chrome rim looks wider to me from all the pictures I've seen, but I've never seen the original factory type up close and in person. If you had the aftermarket lenses (covers, whatever) would they work with the original chrome trims? If so, then a rock chip thru one wouldn't be quite the expensive disaster as having to replace with another set of the factory ones. Still waiting for some talented bloke to come up with an aftermarket set for sale that mimics the original. I'm sure they'd sell like hotcakes if they were reasonably priced. I'd take the first set. Gary

Born in Ellensburg, Washington, same as my mom. Parents moved to Seattle, WA. when I was a few months old. Stayed there until age 6, then Dad decided it was time to move back to "God's Country," Okanogan County in Eastern Washington where he was born & raised. He bought a tavern in Oroville, WA. where my great grandfather, an Italian immigrant, had a cattle ranch and a hotel/bar in the 1890's -- the hotel and bar are gone, but the family still has the ranch. When he first immigrated he followed the railroad as it was being built in southern BC (British Columbia, Canada, just 4 miles north of Oroville) with a tent saloon and restaurant. After graduating high school I went to college at Gonzaga University in Spokane, got my journalism degree and moved to Seattle. After five years there I had to get out. Loved the area, hated the rain and traffic. I moved back to the dry side of the state and my old hometown and saved Seattle for visits. Became editor of our local newspaper. Got married to a girl from one town south, bought a house and divorced. I have two kids one in college in Spokane. I bought a couple of Zs and another house (it's either laugh or cry). I live in a log home on the Okanogan River with my dog Sophie. The house has a huge garage (pic attached) for my Z project and is about a mile from my boyhood home and from the ranch. Don't plan on moving again. I talk too much. Take it eZ, Gary.

Mr Camouflage, You may be right, I guess I never dreamed of repairing a Series I, with Series II quarter panels -- but anything's possible as the combination on your car proves. I wish I had your Series I repair panel and you could have both of the rear quarters off my '72 parts car (altho they've had some past work done on them) -- heck you could have all that's left of the car. . Maybe even the parts I took off (It was more of a learning experience, and I hated to crush anything I could unscrew or unbolt). My garage is starting to look like a parts store. Soon, I hate to say, what's left goes to the crusher.

Seems I've seen this car for sale before -- http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2477498052&category=6187 It's listed as a 1970, but obviously it isn't because it has the pillar vents. Like the last time it was listed I thought about contacting the seller and explaining this to him -- just didn't want to see one of those "don't contact me with advice or opinions" type comments added to his auction. Oh well, Caveat Emptor. Gary

Hi everyone, All right, I have my new floorpans from Zedd Findings, actually ordered them about a year ago. I've taken out my seats and my floors are actually a lot worse than I thought. Here's my question. After I cut out the old pans, and have the new ones welded in what do I do for seat mounts? Cut out the old ones and weld them in? Or do most people fabricate something new (that is those with skill)? My old seat mounts look kind of bad after 34 years. Your opinions are much appreciated. Gary D.

Inf, I don't now why the full face dashcap would make it any harder to remove the speedo and tach, don't they always come out from the back of the dash? Removing the whole dash shouldn't be any more necessary with or without the dashcap. I too, could be wrong. I'll probably go with a full dashcap myself. Can't afford a new dash (or uncracked used one for that matter) and I'm afraid to remove my old one and try and put in a replacement. I have a 1971 (12/70 build date) 240Z and a 1972 parts car. Took the cracked dash out of the parts car (to sell or junk) and that was enough to scare me away from doing dash re-installation myself. I found a 72/73 uncracked dash (picture attached) right across the border in a wrecking yard near Osoyoos, BC that someone had removed, grabbed all the instruments, and left laying unharmed inside the wrecked car. Sold that one on ebay for a nice profit, but I didn't want to switch to that dash because it is quite a bit different from my 1971's dash. So, it's either a full dash cap or find someone with a cheap, uncracked dash that wants to help me swap it in. One can dream can't one?

As far as wasps go, the first fall I spent in my house I would wake up in the morning and there would be 30-40 wasps flying around in my kitchen. Moving slow because of the cold. I got tired of swatting them, so I brought out the vacuum and started sucking them up. This was repeated every morning for about a week. Sometimes there would be more, sometimes less. I couldn't find where they were coming from. One day I heard a kind of buzz coming from the refrigerator, but just figured it was the fridg doing its job. I live in an older log home. Little did I know they had somehow gotten from the outside of the house and into my wall behind the fridge. One night about 3 a.m. I remembered the strange buzzing and pulled the ice box away from the wall and there they were, dozens of mean looking buggers and they didn't look happy. They had chewed thru the wallboard and the wallpaper. Luckily I had a couple cans of wasp spray left over from a sale the previous summer. I shot both cans full at the nest and watched them slide down the wall. I was in my robe and hadn't bothered with slippers. They were not happy and my adrenal gland was working overtime. After I ran out of wasp spray I hoofed it out to the garage, got my cordless drill and a piece of plywood. Screwed the board over the hole pushed the fridge back and went back to bed. Guess I'd better do a better job patching it up now that wasp season has started again. It seems like all they do all day long is look for a way into the house and/or a place to build their nest.

When I first went to pick up my two Z's they were in horse pasture. A PO had removed the engine from the '72 and put it in the '71 (Series I body style). The owner of the cars had taken them in trade for some horse training/boarding. She said the block for the 71 was sitting out near the pasture under a tarp. I went to see it and lifted the tarp and there was a nice shiney black widow. I covered it back up and still have to go back and get it. To answer the first post, we do get black widows in Washington State -- but they like the wet side, not the dry. Here in Eastern Washington I've found them under rocks by the river. Yet the only others I remember seeing were in our basement when I was six and lived in Seattle, the wet side of the state. Or when kids who found them and brought them to school in Oroville. Here in Okanogan County we worry more about Rattlesnakes, altho I hear reports there is the occassional Scorpion found, but they're more common in Southeastern Washington State. Someday I'll tell you about my experience with wasps.

I think you're right KoreaVet, I want the one that looks just exactly like the original 4 speed, but with the 5 speed disk as you discribe, not one with a red background. I have one with a green background on the leather-like knob I'm sure from a 280Z, probably from the donar car where my 5 speed came from. Not sure as a PO installed the tranny. Gary

Sure, I'd like to see it. Curious about what the original 240Z five speed knobs looked like. I have one of the fake leather ones with a green background. Off a 280Z I think. Gary

Hi, Just curious if any of you non-North American types that got the 240Z with a factory five speed had a spare shift knob for sale? In the U.S. we got the wooden (walnut I guess) shift knobs with the 4 speed pattern as the 4 speed was all that was available here. Since I've swapped in a 5 speed from a later model I'd like the 5 speed wooden knob (not the fake leather one). If you have a decent spare, would you be willing to sell it to a Yank? Or, If you have an extra (uncracked) plastic disk with the shift patter (black background, white pattern), I could just put it on my four speed knob in the place of my original disk. I guess I'm assuming the 5 speed knobs in England, Oz and Japan were wooden like the 4 speed knobs. Am I right, any spares available? I'm including a photo of an original 4 speed wooden knob to illustrate what I'm looking for, except for the 5 speed pattern. Gary

One little note about Washington State. Yes Puyallup, WA is on the wet (western) side of the state, but those of us in Eastern Washington don't have moss growing between our toes. In fact, after the snow melts it gets downright hot. That's an interesting car, especially with the Turbo, but I'd be scared as it sounds like he didn't do any of the work himself. Gary

I'm six foot six and xl would work, but xl tall is much better. Thanks, Gary :ogre:

I know how you feel. I was the high bidder on a 1970 balance tube and the seller took it off. I believe he just wasn't getting the price he was asking. He said it was because he misdescribed it and then in the next breath said he did it to put together with the set of carbs he was selling. Funny, he had taken those off early too. Needless to say he has never re-listed them. I suspect someone made him and offer off of ebay. So much for actually thinking I was going to get a deal -- and there is no way to leave negative feedback for someone who does this to you. If I ever see him list another item for sale I will definately not bid as he has earned no good will from me.

Are those vented pillar emblems or the solid ones I think have been discussed in past forums. I don't think the JDM Z got the "flying wing" 240Z emblem like the early cars sold in the U.S (like in my avatar). Of course I know very little about the Fairlady Z, other then what I've read here. Would be fun, if not expensive and time consuming, to restore. I didn't notice the rally clock, but my laptop monitor isn't very big, also can't tell much about the pillar emblems from the pictures on my computer. Gary D.

I say "ditto" to seerex and choose "D" All of the Above, as well.

I was thinking it looked more like the old AMC Javelin or some sort of illegitimate child thereof.

I'm sorry I started this post. After reading about the honda strut bar "swap" to a 240Z at several other sites I thought it would be good info to pass on. Especially as they were way less expensive than the one's designed for the Z. However, after drilling, bending and cussing the bracket I've come to the conclusion it's a lot of work and, as sblake01 said, the hood won't shut. Well, that's not entirely true in my case, it's just once I got it part way shut I didn't think I'd be able to get it open again. I did, but not without sweating a little bit. :sick: The one in the photo I posted doesn't look like it was that modified. I've decided to fashion a whole new bracket to allow the bar to sit lower in the engine bay. I like the looks of the bar, altho mine is slightly scratched now from the hood incident. For those who have already ordered theirs and don't want to try modifying the brackets I'm sorry. I think I'll be happy when I've made the changes, but would probably think twice if I had it to do over again. Now it's time to put those welding classes to work. They have a real neat plasma cutter at the school that may just come in handy. Gary

Do you have some pictures? What year/build date is it? What do you mean by significant rust -- floorpans, under the battery, etc.? I live pretty close to Spokane and will be there for visit at the end of the month for the last Zags home game. I might take a look see if we can arrange something. Gary