kmack

Send me the tranny and I'll rebuild it for $200. Including parts. If you lived nearby, I'd pull it, rebuild it and install it for $750, including a new clutch! $1400-1600? You'll pay almost that much for an automatic rebuild and those are a lot harder to do than a standard. FYI, I cut my teeth on standard transmissions by having to put them back together after an engineer took them apart, w/o a book! (research facility) Standards are like a puzzle, they only go together one way and one way only. If a piece is in the wrong spot, you WILL NOT get it back togther. If this car is not your daily driver, I'd give it a shot. Even if you screw it up, you could still get another rebuilt one for about $700-$800. And you'll still be ahead of the above price. Of course that means dropping and installing the tranny yourself or with the help of some buddies. Free beer and a TV to watch the game? As long as there are no gears that need to be replaced, which is very seldom but not unheard of, then you're only looking at replacing the bearings and the synchro's. Total parts cost is less than $120 including front and rear seals. Even if you have to replace a few gears, it should still be less than $200. Some advice if you do decide to tackle this yourself: make a good sized workspace, either on the floor or on a big table. Have enough room that you can layout each piece in sequential order of how it was taken apart. Use a digital camera if you have one and document each step. It may take a while, but for a first time rebuild, it will make it all go back togther almost effortlessly. And if you can get a copy of the microfiche CD from our illustrious Mike "The Admin Guy" Gholson. It has great blow-ups of the transmissions, which are also very useful. Give it a shot, it's not that bad. I just hate to see people spend awful amounts of money on stuff that they could really do themselves very easily.

I have a copy of that video that I saved from a few years back. He really holds his own against that Porsche. And having had the chance to try and follow a few 911's around a track in my 240, I know how hard that can be. I must say, his last comment at the end expresses all....

BillD, pulling the tranny out (w/o the engine) can be done by one person. I know first hand. Put the car on jack stands high enough that you can clear the bellhousing while sliding the tranny out from underneath the car. There are 6 big bolts that hold the tranny to the engine block and 2 small bolts that bolt to the engine backing plate. 2 bolts for the clutch slave, 4 on the drive shaft, and 2 on the tranny mount. From there it just slides right out. One word of advice, drain as much of the fluid out before you un-bolt it. And don't put the fluid back in until it is bolted in place. This will make the tranny feel MUCH lighter!

If I remember correctly (not always a good thing), teh fill hole is on the right side of my 4-speeds. I remember crawling under the car once on the passenger side to fill the tranny... As for the noise, I agree to it being a bearing going out. My original 4-speed had the same noise. It would only get quite if the clutch was engaged or driving in 4th gear. Unfortunately, I drove it a little too long and it finally gave out. For those with 4-speeds here, be aware that typically the first bearing to fail is the rear countershaft bearing. I've seen 2 tranny fail with this same bearing. Both split the outer race along it's circumference! Very weird. As for the drain plug, get a 1/2" breaker bar. That works perfect everytime and gives you the leverage you need.

If you don't like the flame version for removing the undercoat, I used a 500 watt halogen work light. Set it as close to the body as you can for about a minute. Then move it over. Take your putty knife (1-1/2" works best, stiffer) and start scraping. The rubber undercoating softens up nicely and just rolls right off the body. There will be a little clean up left, but it doesn't take long to get that part off. It takes a little longer than using a flame, but you don't have to worry about starting a fire. And the best part, save this job until winter... those work lamps put out a lot of heat.

The debate on how easy Webers are to maintain goes both ways. Those that know and understand them well, claim it's very easy and they are very reliable. But there are those that just don't get 'em and give the triples bad reviews. On the same note, there are the same arguments about the SU's! I've never had a set of triples on my Z, but I have had the chance to work on Weber carbs on an old Fiat. They're really not that tough, you just need a good understanding of how a carburator works. Then the pieces just fall into place. As for benefits, on a stock motor you won't be able to "feel" any difference going from, say, SU's to triple Webers. Now if you added a cam, headers, a little port and polish, then the triples will really wake up an L series motor. I'm currently very happy with the SU's I have on my L24. I just had my car dyno-ed and got 126 hp at the wheels. All on an oil burning, stock L24 with over 200k+ miles. And it was running rich to boot! Yes, the SU's are a simpler carb when compared to the triples. The triples just give more tuning capabilities when making mods to the engine. But you had mentioned you planned to spend $700 on the DGV's. For that money you have two options: SU's or triples. The best set of SU's from Z Therapy will run a little over $600. A good set of SU's can run anywhere from $100-$200. A brand new set of triples are over $1000, but a good set can be had for around $700 if you look for them. The ultimate choice lies with you. But you're in the right spot (this website) for informing yourself in order to make that decision. Do a search around here and you should find some good info on both set-ups. And by all means, keep asking questions. Good luck.

Yeah, SASCA (San Antonio Sports Car Association) runs an autocross on the 3rd Sunday of every month. They just started running at the Alamodome here a few months back. They used to run out at Retama Park, but all the horse trainers starting getting pissed about noise spooking the horses. Bunch of BS if you ask me. They weren't even that close. On another note, PCA events will start back up in Sept. down by South Padre Island. These are BIG autocrosses. The small track setup is a 1.8 mile loop. Very fun. I won't be ready to run until October, though. Got to finish putting in my rebuilt motor and then breaking it in before I hit the track again. And don't forget about the car show in Austin on Sept. 20th. Sponsored by Capital Z Car Club in Austin.

Pictures would definitely help you sell this car. Nobody in their right mind (on this site at least) would buy a Z car without seeing pictures first.

I would take the tank to a radiator/gas tank shop. There are some fairly heavy-duty chenicals out there that can tackle just about any type of "crud" (I like the use of that word, btw!), but most will be of industrial strength and hard to get your "regular consumer's" hands on. Plus you really wouldn't want to get some of this stuff on your bare skin anyway. Let a professional do the work of cleaning it. They could also give you a pretty good idea of exactly what the crud is. They most likely have seen it all. The cost of a cleaning can't be much more than what you've already spent in your time so far.

morfirst, Our current club president had a set of DGV's on his 240 when he got it last year. Those were all he talked about. How great they were.... During last years National Convention, he couldn't drive any faster than 60 mph, and he could never get them to lean out, they were way too rich. Possible jetting problems, yes, but he ended up selling them for $100 and went for a set of SU's. All he does now is rave about the SU's and complain about what a piece of junk the DGV's are. My personal opinion: any carb that makes the fuel charge go down, turn 90 degrees, then go back up just to reach the intake, isn't very well designed in my book. And if you're planning to spend $700 for a set of these, either fork out the extra couple hundred for a set of triples, or spend about $600 for a set of Z Therapy SU's. You won't regret either choice.

I agree with Victor about the Gas Tank Renu. I have had my tank done. And am having little rust issues clogging my fuel filter. Gas Tank Renu is taking my tank back and repairing it. They are definitely good for the warranty. As for price, they charged me $150 back in '94 to clean and seal the inside and outside of the tank. That does not include removal or re-installation. Bentley, 1) There should be a vent line attached to the top section of the tank that vents back to the expansion tank inside the right rear quarter of the car. If you can not get the tank filled (or the air bubble out) then the line is clogged or kinked, thus not allowing air to vent out. 2) I doubt the "crud" came from the vapor return lines. Over time, the "light ends" of gasoline will evaporate leaving the "heavy ends" behind. If enough of the light parts of gas leave, then what is left is this sludge. You'll notice that gas, left over a period of time (usually 5-6 months or more), will become "thicker" than before. Evaporation is what causes the sludge in the tank, the carbs, the fuel lines, etc... Btw, I used to work for a research facility that made and tested experimental fuels. That's how I know about this stuff. 3,4,5) By all means avoid using muratic acid at all costs! Use a specific tank cleaning kit or some sort of solvent. Acids will just cause you headaches later in life. I learned the hard way. As for the sending unit, it can be cleaned up with solvents and a good cleaning brush. Just make sure you don't break any of the wires on the "rheostat" portion of the unit. It all looks intact, then use it over again. I'm not sure if replacements are available.

Congratulations on getting the car started. That's usually the toughest part. The rest is sort of minor beyond the rust issues. I would be careful here. i don't believe that the ZX suspension bits will bolt right up to a 240Z. The diff. and the halfshafts can be made to work, but the struts and the rest I don't think will. As for the electrical gremlins, that's usually caused by coroded connections at any and all the plugs. Especially at the fuse box. Make sure all the connections are clean.

To answer your question, carguyinok, I know a few people here in South Texas that have removed the heater cores because, 1) it leaks, and 2) it's not needed here where we live. Even on the coldest of mornings that you would drive your car. Anyway, the best thing I would use to plug the hole on the back of the head, would be to find a flush mounted pipe plug. Head to a plumbing shop with the little fitting (removed, of course) in your hand so they can match the threads. The flush plugs will be very unobtrusive and not seen very easily. Another option would be to remove one of the flush pipe plugs out of a spare head. If you look under the cam, on top of the head, you'll see a row of pipe plugs screwed into the head. If I remember correctly, these should about the right size. Check it out if you have a spare head laying around. Or grab one out of a car at the local pick-n-pull.

Lance, Make sure you nuetralize the muratic acid! I did this same thing to my tank years ago. Came out almost looking polished inside. It was great. I rinsed it out for over an hour with water thinking that would be enough to stop the acid. It wasn't. 2 months later I had a clogged fuel filter. A little over a month later after that, and I was changing fuel filters again. Appearently, water alone will not nuetralize muratic acid. You need to use something like baking soda or an actuall acid nuetralizing agent. I ended up tanking my tank in to have it professionally cleaned and dipped.

thefastestz, I'd pass on that motor for now. You should be able to find something better if you're willing to be a little patient and do some looking around.

All the 240 series tanks are the same. And I believe that you can even use a tank up to the '76 model year. (I had a '76 280Z that I sold the tank out of. The guy that bought was going to put it into his '72 240. It looked like it would fit.)

texasz, Did you read the write up by Bob Hanvey? The link is listed in this thread. He basically answers your question. Just puttingan LD28 crank (diesel) into an L28 block (with no other mods) will put your pistons 2mm above the block deck height. This now becomes the spot where your pistons and valves mate and become one. No good. Besides, the LD28 crank is slightly heavier than a standard L28 crank, due to the inherant nature of a diesel engine. If you're looking for more power in a somewhat standard 2.8L motor, then read Brian Little's website on getting more out of an L28. Lot's of good info there...that's where my plan is coming from for my L28 motor later next year.

If you're planning to stay with essentially a stock motor, then go with the 2.25" pipe. There will be less resonance. As for the headers, I'd still get them. There won't be a big noticable increase in power, but it will help the breathing of the engine.

try general auto ad sites like www.autotraderonline.com

I know hindsight is 20/20, but you should have ordered the seal kit for a 280 instead of a 240. The 280 seals come with the rubber seal already attached to the metal clip strip. It's a one piece design and the whole thing just snaps in place. As for what to do now? I don't have any answers for that as I've never had to do it. You might see if you could return the seals you have for the later model versions.

Best bet in that case would be to call some junk yards and try to locate a wrecked 280ZX Turbo that still has a good motor. If you can find one that's a rollover or the body has been crushed pretty bad, then it'll be cheaper. Buying the whole car like this will ensure that you have all the pieces you need to make the swap complete. Try some of the yards up here in San Antonio, Corpus, The Valley, Houston, and Austin. Dallas would be a good place also, but it might be too far from you to make it worth while. Be prepared to hold on. My Dad bought (and rebuilt) a Chrysler Conquest when I was in High School. 1.8L 4-banger w/ a Turbo. About 190 hp (not bad for back in '87). I got to drive it twice. What a rush! That car would literally push you back into the seat and it was fun to drive. Just about any turbo car will be about the same (with slight differences due to engine size). Trust me...you'll become addicted.

I see the typical bends and dents that people make from placing a jack in the wrong spot. (Mainly using a floor jack on the floor rather than using the factory jack under the rocker panels like they should) One note though: the drivers side floor has been patched before. (Keith: I'm suprised you didn't catch that.) You can see the patch to the outside of the frame rail. I also notice a lot of surface rust in that area. Maybe they didn't put much paint on it? Who knows. It looks solid, but look at the welds very carefully and make sure they are clean and good. Other minor note: The rear seal on the tranny is leaking. Not a big deal, just a lot of oil on the driveshaft. But, pay attention to how the tranny sounds. You can ruin a tranny by running it low or out of oil. How does the rest of the car look?

texasz, It was during the early 80's, like '80-'83. It's the old square body style back when the Maximas were rear-wheel drive cars. They were a hell of a lot of fun to drive back then. Although I've never driven the diesel version.

Rick, I may be interested in your tank. I'm starting the process of swapping engines right now and I need to drop my original tank. I had it refurbished with the Renu process back in '94, but it sat out of the car until '02! Now I'm having to replace fuel filters every 3-4 months becuase of the rust trash in the tank. I will be contacting Renu about this shortly and depending on what transpires will determine if I need your tank. I'll let you know. I'll also let the site know if Renu will fix this without any hassles.

texasz, I know Nissan made a few early Maximas with the diesel motor in them. Try looking for one of those. Otherwise, you'd be looking for a pick-up truck with a diesel motor, or a delivery truck of some sort.