Royce

Sorry, I have Nissan, Haynes & Chilton's manuals and could not find any such number listed. If the compression test provides consistent number then the only other thing I can think to do would be to do a leak down test. If all cylinders hold air without leaking then that's as good as it gets! But remember these tests don't tell you everything about an engine. For example they don't tell you if the crank bearings are worn. But unless someone rebuilt the engine and reused the old crank bearing they are "probably" okay. Look for good oil pressure readings, ex. above the half way marker on the oil gauge at 2000 RPM. Have fun!

Just curious, why does a larger diameter(16") wheels give you better turn in? I was considering smaller diamter(14") to raise final drive ratio (better out of corner acceleration) and lower unsprung weigh on the corners (lighter in corners and brakeing). I suspect these things may fall into the 'performance tradeoffs', 'personal preferences', or 'what is best for one course may not be best for all courses' catagories. Thanks!

Good tech tip Daniel! I just wanted to add one more thing to this. Rekeying a door lock has been a very popular topic on the internet Z car club email list. From what I have read a few people have had good luck taking a passenger door lock out of a junkyard Z and having it rekeyed by your local locksmiths. Sounds like the price ranged from $20 - $40. Of course there is always the option of adding electric door locks. But that sounds like something else to add unnecessary weight!

Hey Daniel, Those are good tips. You should put a this stuff in the Technical section! Although, if you do you might want to put a less fun but more descriptive title. Thanks!

I haven't pulled them out together but I have put them in together. I was putting the engine in myself and just couldn't get the trans lined up so I pulled the trans and put them in together. Anyway, this is when the load leveler attachment really comes in handy, I wouldn't do it without one. I took off the hood and the fan then put a jack under the rear of the car until I got the trans to clear then you can lower the back. I would expect removal to be similar, just get the load secured on the hoist before you start disconnecting the trans mount or lifting the rear of the car.

I haven't tried to treat rust but have heard good things about POR15! There is quite a bit of room on that side of the engine bay so you could do quite a bit of work with the engine in. But that is your judgement call. If you do decide to pull the engine, you need a hoist! If you want to make the drive up here you would be welcome to use mine, but it is a big old beast of a cherry picker! You should be able to rent one if you don't have access to one. Also helps to have a load leveler attachment, allows you to manipulate the angle of the engine while it is coming out. I haven't tried the two person technique and don't think I would attempt that, Jeremiah you are the man! Also, I use tow of those tie straps with the metal slip adjuster that you can get at OSH, Home Depot, etc. wrap one around the front of the carbs and front of the hump in the oil pan. The other strap goes around the rear of the carbs and the rear of the hump in the oil pan. Watch out for soft vacuum, fuel, and water lines. Just pulled the engine out of the 260 parts car last week. Here is what I remember... - Disconnect battery - Drain water from radiator and block drain plug (near rear of block under manifolds) - Drain oil (leave filter on to prevent crap from getting in) - Remove fan shroud and radiator (I leave the fan on) - Remove air cleaner, vacuum line to brake booster and disconnect choke cables. - Disconnect alternater and coil to distrib wires - Disconnect fuel supply and plug lines. - Remove starter and unbolt engine from trans. - Hook up engine hoist - Remove bolts/nuts from motor mounts - Pull that big, long heavy engine out. I am sure I have forgotten something but that should cover most of the details. Next depending on how thorough you want to be you may need to remove the hard lines or just paint over them! Questions, comments and corrections always welcome! Have fun!

Thanks 2manyZ's for picking me up on the worn engine tip. It is true that if you have an engine that burns or leaks oil with regular oil that synthetic will not resolve this. And then you are leaking/burning expensive oil! I wouldn't doubt byunique's comments about the dyno test either! I am sure it could be good for a few percentage points in the HP department. Have fun!

Why do you want to flush/clean out the inside of your engine, do you suspect something is wrong? I know it may sound to obvious but changing the oil and filter frequently will do a lot for cleaning out the engine. Sorry, no experience with additive cleaners.

Sounds like your fan isn't working correct, the vents are not opening, or most likely your heater core is clogged up and the water is not circulating. Can you hear the fan change speeds? If you look can you tell that the heater "trap doors" are opening when you set the control on heat? If not then more than likely there is a something pluggin up your heater lines or you have a clog in your heater core. Sorry, no ideas on a aftermarket upgrade.

I use Amsoil synthetic in all my cars, including the Z. If for nothing else because it doesn't break down in extreme conditions or in vehicles being stored or that spend a lot of time sitting in the garage. That means parts down wear out as fast. It can also lower emissions, ingrease gas mileage, help with cold starting, etc. For the engine I use Kendall for the break in then change to synth. I think synthetic oil in the engine, trans, and diff. is a good idea. Also, synthetic grease on the wheel bearings. Any of the big brands would be good- Amsoil, Readline, Mobil1, and Royal Purple. Have fun!

Enjoying reading all the intros but finding it strange that a large amount of us are 33 years old. Not that it makes any difference what age you are, just think it is interesting. I guess it makes sense that us 33 year olds like the early Z cars because we would have got our driving license when the first 300ZX was introduced, read in that I am not a big fan of the early 300ZX series.

If they are just .04 oversized pistons then they are for when you rebuild an engine and the cylinders need to be overbored to remove scratches, etc. This means new rings would need to be used as well. You would not see a substantial gain in power other than what any refresh of the engine would bring. That's my thoughts anyway!

2manyZ's, as usual, brings up a good point. If you could supply the production date of the two cars it would really help. There are three different 240's and two different 260's. Even with that being said the headlight buckets, fenders, hoods, cowl, doors, windsheilds, and hatch are interchangeable. The doors and hatch have some subtle differences but will interchange. What you really need to do is buy the microfiche CD available here! It gives all the comparison information you will need. I have just about worn the thing out, it is great!

Welcome DrumCzar, Just wanted to make some clarifications. Okay, there is a lot of good information here but a few things to clear up. First I have no experience with the T-5 and so I am not going to cover that trany, it only came stock in late ZX turbos. 1) Physical differences- It is a bolt in swap to go from a '73 4-speed to a 280Z or 280ZX 5-speed, which are physically the same with different ratios. The problem with the console was only for the '70 or '71 240s that had the old clunky style gearbox, like mine had. From here I am only going to refering to the '72 - '76 4-speed trans. Starting in '72 the console and trans tunel design was changed by Datsun for the new design 4-speed with the shifter being more forward. This was used through the Z and 280ZX series cars in both 4-speeds and 5-speeds. I believe the 4-speed and 5-speed are slightly different in length but your shift boots, console, driveshaft, shifter, clutch slave cylinder, and shift fork will work. I don't remember for sure what I did about the throw out bearing and sleve but I believe it is correct when Dave mentioned it needs to match the clutch. So you should probably use what is from your 4-speed, unless you are putting in a later clutch. Also, you should replace the throw out bearing while the trans is out. Use the speedo gear from the 4-speed if you have the stock diff because it will keep your speedo correct, that is depending on how close your tires are to the stock size. The 280Z's and 280ZX's came with different diff ratios and will make your speedo off. There are a couple differnent speedo gear carriers and you may need to take the plastic gear off one and place it on the other, it is held on by a needle pin. The speedo gear is driven off the tail shaft of the trans so it doesn't make any difference that you are going from a 4-speed to a 5-speed. 2) Gear ratios- The 1st -3rd ratios are slightly different in a Z 5-speed compared to the 4-speed. There is a great tool on the web at http://www.geocities.com/z_design_studio/ which has information regarding different trans ratios and diff ratios. You can even mix a match and see the net result in speed@RPM and even see what different size tires will do for you. One note about this page is that they only list one 240 trans, which is the early clunky style. They list the later 240/260/280 style as a 260 4-speed. It also has all 3 (or 4) stock 5-Speeds and some Nismo competition 5-speeds. Unless you have lots of money, since you are paying someone to do this type of work I would probably stay with the know good trans instead of taking a chance on the 5-speed. I hope I didn't miss anything! Corrections, questions, and comments are always welcome! Have fun!

You are doing the right thing by seeking advise. First off, I am not good with body work! To me body work is replacing panels/parts and then letting the pros do their magic. Having said that I would be most concerned with the cost to repair the rear corner panels, both sides look damaged, and the radiator support, didn't you say that was bent? If the rad support is bent it could take some $$$ to fix and could mean the frame is a little tweaked, couldn't tell from the pictures. So it depends on your expertise and what you want to get out of the car. I see a lot of $$$ in repair, welding and filler going into the rear quarter panels. So as long as you don't mind this going in your okay. The driveline alone is worth the free price tag and if the registration is clean I would take it for free in a minute, but I have a friend that is a body man and have lots of the other needed parts on hand. If I were you I would buy a new alt. belt and a good old battery take it over there and see how good it really runs! A new set of injectors is pricey too! If you are in my neighborhood I would be happy to loan you the belt and the battery if you want. Again, so long as you know this thing is not going to be a show car without lots of $$$ you are okay. If it does run decent you have or want to have skills in body work than it my be a good idea. Check the usual rust spots- rear hatch deck, under battery, body seams, bottom of doors/fenders. Also, there is another post about salvaged titles going on this site. Check it out, I posted DMV info. Contact the DMV and find out what the title situation is, it will take you 15 minutes! If you decide to get the car and need parts let me know. I have everything for the drivers side of the car in very good condition, and them some. (sorry folks, just trying to support my 240!)

It is just one of those things. You can learn a lot from talking to people and reading. I wish all this web stuff was around when I was learning about my car. But at some point you just need to get some dirt under those finger nails. There is no substitute for experience and there is no other way to get it other than to do it. Then you go talk to more people and read more stuff. Sure, you will make some mistakes as you go, but that is the cost of education! Some call it tuition! It always helps to have a second person around to help! Besides then you can place some of the blame on them when things go wrong! Have fun!

Very good description! I am going to throw out some more general Z distributor speak as well. I am not a distributor expert but as you know many of us like to replace parts from other years of cars instead of rebuilding parts! It's an artform really and since some of us have a few extra parts laying around from various year Z cars it is fun to swap them out and see what happens. The distributor is one such part. Conceptually the electronic distributor should provide more powerful spark, because you can eliminate the balast resistor that saves the points from being burnt up, and it should not require as much service. However, one thing I have heard to be said for the early Z distributors is that the ignition advance curve is more favorible for performance. Some of the later Z electronic distributors are designed more for economy than performance. That being said you can have the curve modified on any distributor to suit your needs. In fact on some of the Z web sites I have seen instructions for doing this yourself. I have never seen a comparison of the curves for the various L6 distributors. But I've got quite a few around and have been thinking about taking them in and having each checked. Has anyone already done this? You can replace the points with a electronic module, like the Pertronics Ignighter. I haven't done any modifications to my distributor but this is one I am considering. Also, there are after market electronic distributors, like Mallory Unilite, but that is a different story all together and it requires more $$$. Have fun!

First you have to identify what you have! It's been a long day, but I'll give it a shot! Pop the hood and look at the carbs. All the Z carbs have a large, approx. 4" diameter, cylinders that sit vertically on top of each carb with a plastic nob that unscrews. Originally the '73 240 and 260 cars came with carbs where the cylinders have flat tops, looks like a soup can. On the earlier 240s the carbs looked very similar but instead of a flat top the tops are more dome, or bell, shaped. All the 280s originally came with fuel injection so they don't typically apply here but you never know someone may have added SU's, I've thought about it myself and I have heard other have done it. The '70 & '71 carbs are the same. The '72 carbs are slightly different but for this discussion we will consider them the same. Todd was right that there are people who have made the flat tops work well! He also made a good suggestion referring you to ZTherapy. I suggest you check out there site at www.ztherapy.com for better instructions regarding identifying SU's. They are the tops on my list and would love to have them rebuild my SU's. I am very impressed by there enginered solutions to some of the problems common to the early Z SU's. There is lots of talk on this web site and pretty much every web site. I have talked to Dave Rebello, Rebello Racing, and Scott former owner of ZTherapy and SU expert. Both of them claim they can make the SU perform every bit as good as Nissan fuel injection, Weber's, Makuni's, etc, etc. even on a bored/stroked 3.2 liter L6. So I would say the key is pick the type of fuel delivery you like, find someone who knows how to do it right, and go to it. The thing I like about the SU's is that they are light, I already have them, and I can easily service them. Sure I like the look of the triple weber setup but it is a lot of cash and would require me to learn something new! I personally have already invested the time into the SU's and would rather spend future time learning how to rebuild a trans instead of a different set of carbs. But hey, I reserve the right to change my mind in the future. I currently have both a '73 240 Z and a '75 260 that have both been changed by previous owners to '72 240 carbs. I would say it is a simple swap but you will need to learn about tuning the carbs or have someone else tune them once they are installed. Also, you will need the throttle linkage and the air cleaner for the early type carbs. It can start adding up quick but they are out there. Questions and corrections are welcomed! Have fun!

I have enjoyed reading about the rest of you so here is my story... I am 33, married 8 years with a 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter. By day I have been a unix systems administrator for Oracle, HP, and am now working as a applications programmer for Gap Inc. (if you send me an email I will gladly put you on my semi-annual friends and family discount mailing list for as long as Gap, Old Navy, & Banana Republic continue it!). Currently I am studying for my cisco networking certification and learning the perl programming language. Now for the good stuff... I bought my second car, a metallic grey '71 240Z series II from the original owner in '87 and I still have it. It had 75k original miles and was a clean, original, unmolested, stock car that needed seats, suspension and a paint job. Since then it has gone all down hill, I am starting to sob as I type. I have changed most every bolt on the car at one point or another. It was my daily driver for years and I still drive it on weekends or to work every couple weeks, sorry to those of you who cannot do that. I have had a few other Z cars along the way but nothing that wasn't just good for parts. I hate to crush cars as much as the next guy but believe me the ones I am working with are all going to a better place! Plus it is my means for supplying the pain relief medicine for my Z car illness! I hope to start autox with my wife in the Z this year. I have another car hobby which is vintage racing. I got my car craziness from my Dad. He has been vintage racing for the past 20 years and I started racing with him about 14 years ago in a '66 Lotus-Ford Cortina Mk1 (something like a BMW 2002 if that helps). If you are in Northern California and want to see some pre-'67 race cars (Datsun Spyder, Lotus, Alfa, Elva, Shelby, Ford, Corvette, Chevy, Porsche, Sunbeam, Ferrari, etc.) and maybe go for a passenger ride around- Laguna, Sears, Thunderhill, or Buttonwillow drop me a line and I'll put you on my list. Most recently I have become addicted to this site! Party on!

Yeah, I hear 'ya 2manyZ's! Oh to be young, single, etc. again!

I think the exact number would depend on you specific head/valve/piston combination. Typically you are just looking for consistent readings across all 6 cylinders. If there is a problem it will be obvious! Is there a particular reason you want a specific number or are you just trying to get a base line.

Hey Makenai V8Z, I sent you a personal message way back when but don't know if you ever got it. Sorry, I didn't follow up before now! Did you make your way up to San Fran? Did you find the stuff you needed? If not... I do have a very good hatch off a 280Z. It is a oxidized maroon color, with glass, stainless window trim, black interior panel, lock and key. The only difference I can tell between it and the one on my 240, besided the defroster lines, is it has the two holes drilled in it for the second, right hand strut mount and different holes for the 280 emblems. If you are going to paint it would be easy to fill in the holes and if you are not going to paint it you probably don't care. I also have the three piece metal tail light surround panel, best description I could think of. It currently painted black and is complete with good chrome trim for tail light holes. You had mentioned plastic so I am not sure if you are talking about the interior piece or have it confused with the 260/280 plastic style. Sorry no license plate light! Let me know either way. Best to reach me for prices by email royce_miller@yahoo.com or cell phone 916-425-0898 (daily between 8am-8pm pacific). Just trying to support my Z habbit! Maybe it is a dizeaze! Thanks!

I am not too proud to not admit it when I am wrong. Sometimes you have to be proven wrong to learn something new! I have just been corrected on the tach issue during a different Z conversation. I am going to try to get the details and post them under technical articles. Stay tunned...

If Dale doesn't want them I may be interested. No hurry, my old Yoko's still have some tread left.

Franklin, The salvaged title means the car was in the hands of a junk yard at one point. Example, it may mean it was stolen and recovered but the owner did not claim it right away or it could mean it was in an accident and totaled then bought back by the owner. Having a salvaged title will depreciate the resale value of the car but if you intend to modify the car and use it for autocross and track events it still may be a good purchase. Just make sure you go through the usual routine. Drive the car and look it over. Make sure the frame is good and check all the body panels and seams to look for signs of extensive rust or bodywork. Then contact the CA DMV at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/ or 1(800)777-0133. If you give them the lic. plate or the VIN# they will be able to tell you exactly what it will take to register the car. Be prepared to get a busy signal the first few times you call. I have talked to them a lot recently regarding a few potential purchases and usually held about 5 minutes and found them very helpful. Oh yeah, listen to the phone directory carefully to get to an attendant. You shouldn't have much problem as long as the registration is current.