Royce

Welcome to the club! Great looking car!!! I have recently been considering the Revolution wheels myself but had not seen a good picture, other than the one in MSA catalog, of them on a Z car. I think they look great but now I cannot make up my mind on 14x7 or 15x7. I am leaning toward 15x7 since tire choices are so difficult for 14", not that 15" is a lot better. Also, I have been considering the bullet mirrors and have been looking for pictures of them on a Z. Usually, I only find pictures of similar mirrors mounted on the fender, like fairladyZ. Someone else here at this site was looking for a source for those mirrors recently so hopefully they are still easy to find. Does that mirro mount to the body okay(the mount is flat and body is curved)? Can you see over/around the rear fender okay?? I don't expect great visibility, but would like to be able to see something other than the fender. Thanks!

Howdy, I don't remember the sequence but it is in the factory manuals, there is a point when you can adjust 6 valves then rotate the engine one more time to adjust the other six. In other words the cam lobe doesn't need to be directly opposite the rocker, although that is a good way to start if you aren't familiar with it. I agree with 2manyZs that hot adjustment is more accure, since you do most of your driving with a "hot" engine. Cold setting the valves is much easier, no hot hands, and will work fine if you aren't planning to push the engine hard and aren't conserned about max HP. Last thing, a valve that is set a little loose is better than a valve that is set a little tight! Have fun!

I believe '73 did have an electric fuel pump. If there is one it would be easy to spot via the right rear fender well, just look at the front of the gas tank where the fuel lines come out. It should be pretty obvious but if you cannot tel you jack up the back of the car for a better look. If it is original there will be a sheet metal shield to protect it bent at a 90 degree angle. Have fun!

I can't wait for the checks to start coming in!

Yes, it is not really worth it to ship them. The early 4-speeds '70 & '71 models years have the shifter further back. But the '72 - '83 4-speeds and 5-speeds, with the exception of the T-5, are the same length and use the same shifter location. In fact you can use the slave cylinder, shifter, drive shaft, etc. Have fun!

Hey 2manyZs, Your right it was not a SCCA club event. It was a vintage race event with a Southern California club, Vintage Auto Race Association(VARA). See www.vararacing.com for more. They have a '72 year car production cut off date and I believe they follow the old '72 SCCA GCRs. They do keep class points and award champions. I've got the same rollbar so I may get my car out there with them some time. Although then I would have to put my L24, 4-speed and R-180 back in because they do keep track of class rules! Have fun!

Well, I finally got over and took a look at my buddies '72 automatic parts car. I forgot to look at the trany mounts but I would be surprised if the mount point would be any different. You may just need to get the mount with the gearbox. Also, looks like the peddle box and clutch master cylinder will go right in. The plumbing to the clutch slave cylinder look pretty simple, although the metal tab comming off the frame where the hard line meets the soft line does not appear to be there on the automatic. Nothing a little welding wouldn't fix. Looks like you shouldn't have to much trouble. One more thing, you said you are getting the motor and trans from a '71 240Z. If it has the original '71 4-speed I would recommend you go with the later '72 or newer 4-speed or 5-speed. The design is different and I had my original 4-speed rebuilt 2 times and it broke again before I gave up and went to the later style box. It may have been that I just had a lemon but the fact that after '72 Nissan used the same basic design on the 4-speeds and 5-speeds up to '83 leads me to believe I was not the only one having problems. I got my 280Z 5-speed from a junk yard and it lasted 10 years, although 2nd gear is starting to get a little crunchy. If you are on a budget and cannot afford the 5-speed you should be able to find a late 4-speed quite resonably. You could probably find one local to you but if not I have a couple for sale for $50/ea so if you are anywhere near Sacramento, CA USA let me know. Have fun!

And one more, this was the only Z racing that weekend, again a very original looking car...

Here some more...

Yup, it was the same weekend as the MSA party down your way, May 4-5th. This car was not perfect, better than mine, but did look very original.

Duh, I see the "professional Z nut" now! Sorry, I didn't notice the new member titles before, looks like Mike has been having fun!

There is a seam from where Nissan welded the quarter panel and the roof that often causes a crack in the paint. I am not looking at a car but I believe it is at the thin point between the quarter window and the hatch. It is pretty common for an old paint job to crack here and I don't think it is anything to be conserned about. Always glad to hear of a series II that is still in good shape! Have fun!

I am not familiar with the T-5 trans but I do know that the 240 series I and series II consoles are the same. If the shifter on the T-5 is the same as the '72 and later style Z & ZX trans then you just have to trim the trans tunnel about 1 inch and do a little trim work on the console itself. I didn't have to take out much when I went to a Z 5-speed. You can hardly see the difference and I was able to keep my ash tray and fuse block in their original location. Hope it is helpful!

Zvoiture, I don't remember calling myself a professional Z car nut!? I am a Z nut and I do sell stuff from my parts cars but it by not even close to enough for me or my family to live on. It is not enough to fix all the little things on my 240. But it is a fun way to learn about the cars! Sorry to get off track folks! Have fun!

WishN4DaZ, The '73 240Z was the first car that had the flat top Hitachi carbs. Supposedly, it also had a redesigned head, although it was still stamped E88 like the earlier ones, to yield lower emissions. Although there are a few people who have been able to get these carbs to work well, most of these cars have been converted to early Hitachi SUs, Weber DGVs, or some other carb arrangement. Personally, I would stay with the SUs on a 240 or 260 because they are easy to learn, easy to tune, and are good for the budget minded.

I was thinking about this when I typed my last response. I haven't weight them but would think the 280Z block(N42) & 280ZX block(F54) would be pretty close to the same weight. The F54 may be a bit heavier because it has extra webbing but it is also supposed to be a cleaner cast overall. Okay, so there is my theory, anyone have the actual numbers? Have fun!

I would suggest getting a feel for a car before you go out and modify stuff. With a stock 240 you are going to get beat up on by other cars. But it is a good place to start, if you find one that has already been converted to a L26 or L28 all the better. If you have a choice go for a '72 240, they have (in my opinion) a better transmission than the earlier cars and can be changed to a 5-speed without much trouble. Plus they don't have the smog setup and problems of the later cars. If you start with a car that is in relatively decent shape, no major rust, and runs okay you are on your way. Most the swaps are pretty easy once you get familiar with the car but it all depends on your car experience. A Z is a relatively easy car to learn on, I did! I warn you, Z cars can be addicting! Once you find some prospective cars, give us the scoop. Have fun!

I'll be the base line for the study. When I bought my car in '88 with 75k original miles I took it to Baylands Raceway in Fremont, CA USA and ran it during a Wednesday night open track. I did three passes and recorded my best of 16.6 @ 88MPH. That is with a bone stock '71 series II 240Z on 195x70H14 tires. I think that is pretty close to what Road & Track recorded back in '71. I'll have to take it out to Sacramento Raceway or Sears Point one of these days and update my times. Have fun!

If I remember correctly, keep in mind I was born in the late sixties, "Libra" is the model type name that American Racing used when they sold these wheels.

I weighed a stock L28 with head, distributor, water pump, FI manifold, exhaust manifold, flywheel, clutch and trans and it was 600lbs. All fluids had been drained. I would expect there is not a big difference(+/1 20lbs) in weight between a L24, L26, or L28. Hope it helps!

Congratulations!!! Good looking car! Did you buy it from an ebay auction, I thought I saw this car for sale recently there?

I saw a light brown, right hand drive first generation "FairladyZ" like the white one pictured at Buttonwillow Racepark at Buttonwillow, CA USA earlier this month. It was not a race car and not a clean as this one. It was parked near some guys racing Datsun 510s. It had the 432 emblems on the front fender panels, hatch vents, and flairs (just like the car you pictured). I didn't get a chance to talk to anyone about it but I did snap some pictures. I'll try to post them when I get home. Have fun!

I don't remember what year it was when they took away leaded gas here in the US, but I do remember that new cars required unleaded long before leaded went away. As long as your engine has hardened valve seats and guides you should be okay to run unleaded. Datsun/Nissan started building heads with hardened seats and guides around '75-'76 for the US market. Again, don't have specifics for AU market. Cheers!

Well, I checked my Chilton manual (don't have Haynes after all) and it lists capacities as 17.25 Gallons for '75 - '78 280Zs. Although it doesn't make any special reference to 2+2 cars for fuel tanks it does refer to 2+2 cars for other things where they are different. For example wheel alignment. My "best guess" is that the tanks are the same, but I still wouldn't bet my life savings on it. Sorry, I don't have anything more definitive!

I guess it depends on your budget and how much you like the smell of gas in your car. I would replace all the rubber ones that go to the tank. The exception would be the large filler neck which should be inspected but may be okay to reuse. If you have the money replace the rest. Down the road you could replace the rest without needing to drop the tank again. I already suggested if you don't use OEM hoses be sure to use fuel hose as a replacement. I also wanted to mention that if you don't use OEM hoses, with all the bends in them, be sure you don't pinch any of the lines at a corners, where the bends were. With standard fuel line it is easy to pinch one and then the tank will not vent properly. If that happens you may find you cannot get the tank to hold more than 5 gallons or you may create a situation where the fuel pump cannot draw gas out of the tank. Have fun!