Royce

Well, I am not familiar with AU specs but I am pretty sure the P30 was the casting number on L24 and L26 motors. Also, the E88 head came on late '71 240 - 260Z in US. There were at least two variations of the the E88 head but they had the same casting number. Sounds like it could be the stock motor with early carbs. But didn't AU 260Z's use the same carbs as the 240Z? Or did AU get the flattop carbs like US??? What is the casting number on the intake manifold?

I would think that 60 - 70 ft. lbs. would be plenty. They could take lots more but it really isn't necessary. I have raced a production car for many years, not a Z but similar weight and horspower to the Z, and use 65 ft. lbs. for my torque spec. Most Chilton or Haynes manuals have a torque specification page that gives you the max torque for a bolt based on the size and type of bolt. I suspect this could be a guideline for studs as well. Be sure to use some antiseize on the threads to keep them in good condition. FYI... my Honda dealer says that improper torque settings could cause brake rotor warping! I suspect this is true if the lugs are not torqued consistenly and probably only applies to cars where the rotor mounting surface is between the hub and the wheel, like on many of the newer cars. I don't think this would be the case with the first generation Z cars since the rotor is mounted to the rear of the wheel hub. But yet another good reason to check the torque those lugnuts once in a while.

I notice a lot of folks talking about overflow tanks! Since the 240Z's didn't come with such an item I was curious what you folks are using. I have been considering adding one but haven't spent much time getting my plan together. SuDZ, If I remember correctly the Z holds about 2 gallons, but then I guess you figured that out now that the job is done. A mix of 50/50 is good. Also, best to flush it every couple years and use good water, low mineral content like distilled water. This will help keep deposit buildup to a minimum. You cannot overfill the system. If you don't have an overflow tank the car will spit out a bit when the engine is warmed up. Usually, the level will be about 3/4" from the top without an overflow bottle. Also, I have always been told to warm up the car and let the car idle for a few minutes with the radiator cap off to help "burp" the system. You may not notice anything happening but it is supposed to let any air pockets out of the system. Not sure if it really helps but it couldn't hurt! If you do this be sure to put the radiator cap back on before you turn off the engine! Have fun!

FYI... If you don't already know in the US the '73 240Z bumper is different from the earlier '70 - '72 240Z bumpers. The '73 bumpers are further use much larger/heavier mounting brackets and site further off the car. Also, on the front the overriders are closer together and on the back they are further appart. I believe either will mount to your brackets but make sure you know what you are getting. Hope it helps!

Are you talking about swaping the cap, which is what you said, or swaping the entire distributor, which is what I think you meant. I believe the caps are smaller on the cars with points, so they would not directly swap with the later distributors. I am not sure about the early cars by my late 260Z (built 12/74) distributor did not have points. The module for the distributor was is the passenger foot well kick panel. The 280ZX module is mounted on the outside of the distributor and is a much smaller unit. So I think the ZX distributor swap would be much easier. Also, I think there are a lot more ZX's out there than 260Z's and parts are more available.

Howdy, Here is a picture of two tanks I had. The one on the left is from a 11/75 280Z and the one on the right is from a 10/72 240Z. I don't have either anymore but I did compare them a bit before they left my garage. If I remember correctly the '73 was a little taller but pretty close, and the 280Z tank is definitely longer. The shape of the top is similar but slightly different. The filler neck is a slightly different angle and the vent tubes are quite a bit different, the 280Z doesn't even have the vent tube on the far end. The good about the 280Z tank is that it does have interior partitions and does have a circular baffle around the collector. All of these things probably aid in getting better fuel delivery when the car is moving from side to side more. I also believe all the US 240Z's had the same gas tank. Maybe even the early 260Z. My late 12/74 260Z tank is almost identical to the '76 280Z tank. Dave, the guy I sold the 280Z tank to, put together a write-up on his own web site about how he adapted the 280Z tank to his 240Z racer. He has a 240Z L28T that he races back east. He runs on at least one track that uses part of an oval and he said he would have fuel delivery problems on the high banks with the stock tank. He claims the 280Z tank solved his problems. I am unable to find it now, when it is needed, but I'll try to find it. Have fun!

Hmm... you shouldn't have to worry about aligning the gear unless you actually remove the distributor/oil pump shaft. All the L6 distributors don't include the gear and have an offset key slot on it so it will only go back on one way. As mentioned there are two bolts that mount the distributor to the front engine cover. You will have to also remove the distributor cap, wire lead, and vacuum advance hose. It's been a while since I have removed one but I don't remember there being any other difficulties. Of course the 280Z distributor is a bit larger than the 240 distributors so mileage may vary. I have seen other non-Z cars were the distributor gear is part of the distributor assembly. I helped a buddy with an old Jeep and we had a lot of fun getting the distributor lined up again. If I remember correctly you can remove and reinstall without even upsetting your ignition timing. That is if you don't change any parts in your distributor while it is out. Hope it helps!

I would also think leaving a bolt out could lead to a crack in a cast exhaust manifold or warp in a header. Just a thought.

You can find out how the previous owner treated it by looking at the results of a leak down test, compression test, checking your oil pressure, check the valve timing and valve settings and giving it a good tune up. Then if everything checks out enjoy the drive and hang out here on this web site where you can read the different things people have done to put personal touches on their Z engines and plan your next engine! Have fun!

"...sorry if this is a rehash of a previous post." If you are refering to my comment to beandip, it wasn't regarding a previous post here on the site. Glad to be of some help!

One more thing is that if your idle is too high you may have problems getting the car into reverse with the engine running. Are you talking about it grinding going into reverse or a problem were it doesn't want to go in at all. If it is the later than another trick is to put the shifter in to the reverse possition as far as it will go then slowly start releasing the clutch. As you get to the end of the peddle travel the shifter should fall into gear. Hope it helps!

The one you have pictured looks to me like the one in the late 260Z/280Z which does not have the "kick out" you mention for the diff. I believe the mount location on the unibody changed which is why the later bar does not hit the diff when installed in the correct cars. The 260Z still has the same R180 diff as your 240Z but the 280Z's had R200 diffs but both use the same diff mount, I even think the insulator is the same, as your late 240Z. Okay, the mustache bar is a little different too. The only thing I am not really sure about is the early 260Z. I mean, I know that the early 260Z body is very similar to the 240Z and the late 260Z is more like the 280Z body. But this might suggest that the early 260Z has the same swaybar and swaybar mounts as the late 240Z. However, that being said I seem to remember looking at an early 260Z that had the later 280Z style swaybar and mounts. What can I say, as many of us have found the US 260s had a little of all three (240/260/280) in it! Hey beandip! If you are listening, any of this sound familiar?

I agree with landmizzle, if you haven't spent any time looking for the source of the leak I would do so first. It may be something very easily fixed. You want to find out if it is internal or external. Does it drip on the ground when parked overnight? Are you the kind of person that want's to check it out yourself or would you rather take it to a shop? Most of the external oil leaks will come from the oil pan gasket or the valve cover gasket. Either the bolts are loose or the gasket is damaged. If you tighten them remember they do not need to be real tight, they key is evenly tight! I don't remember the torque specification but I would say two finger tight, that is as tight as you can get it with only two fingers on the end of a short wrech. Or maybe the oil pan is a little warped. Other sources are the front or rear crank seals. The front seal is not too hard to change but the rear seal requires disconnecting the transmission, clutch, flywheel, etc. Cleaning up the bottom of the car will help determine where the leak is coming from. Remember oil flows rearward as the car moves so you typically want to find the forward most point that is wet with oil. Internal leaks could be determined by a compression check or a leak down test. These could be things like worn rings, valve guides, or valve guide stem seals. Usually, you will see blue smoke at startup if it is valve guides or vavle guide stem seals. If it is rings then there will be smoke when the car is driven, hard to see while driving. A L6 Z motor doesn't necessarily need to be rebuilt when it reaches 110K miles. It just depends on what you want to get out of the car and what you want to put into it. What are your goals for this car? Also, welcome to the club! I work just down the road in Rocklin! There are many Z folks in the Sacramento area, and several are members of this site, so let me know if you would like to get together and met some local Z folk.

Howdy folks, I don't think any 240/260/280Z's came stock with a 20mm diameter rear sway bar, but I could be wrong. By the shape it looks like a 260Z/280Z rear sway bar. From what I can tell in the US the first cars to come with a stock rear sway bar were the late '73 240Z's. I believe it was slightly redesigned for the 260/280Z bodies. As far as I can tell the 260Z - '76 280Z were the same. I haven't seen a '77 - '78 280Z rear bar but I expect it was the same as the earlier 280Z's.

Hey, If you don't have any oil on the tip of your spark plugs and you don't see smoke out the tail pipe than I am sure it is not an internal problem. I would clean up the plugs and the head and put them back in and see if it happens again. It could be the vavle cover gasket, I usually only use sealer on the valve cover side(top), so it doesn't get damaged when I adjust the valves. Next, check the torque for the valve cover bolts. Remeber, they don't need to be super tight! They just need to be consistent! If not maybe your gasket or the surfaces on the head or valve cover got scratched during when you adjustmented the vales. Hope it helps!

I agree that if you don't have big plans and money for your engine go with a set of SU carbs. By them cheaply and rebuild or by some professionally rebuilt ones from Ztherapy. Another plus is you can use the SU's with your current manifold, which I am guessing is a N33 or N36 with the Weber DGV adapter!? Have fun!

I am a ZONC member and went last year, without my Z, and had a good time! Wish I could go this year but I'll be out of town. But I'll be close by, camping at Lake Berryessa. There supposed to be at least one 350Z convertable! Would like to see that in person! Have fun!

Tourniqet, Yes, there are several posts on this site on how to identify the US 5-spds and how to determine the diff ratios with it installed. It will be a good test of your search skills, which are very valuable on this site. I mean to say there is lots of good information all over this site. Let us know if you cannot find them and we can help you tune your skills! Ben, Very good post Ben indeed! Just for fun I would have to add that all the 4-spd "A" (FS4W71A) boxes I have seen in the US models used the slip-yoke drive shaft. Also, a personal note is that I have seen a lot more problems with the early A style boxes than the B style boxes. The "A" boxes were replaced by the "B" boxes with the '72 model year in the US. The "B" style box was used through '83 in all the Z & ZX models with the exception of the 280ZX Turbo, which got the Borg Warner T-5. There probably is a way to mount the newer V6 Z trany's to the older L6 Z engines but I expect it would take a fair amount of fab work. The rear of the engine is different and the engines sit a different angles. Then you have possible differences in mount points, shift linkage, output shaft and overall length to deal with. Have fun all!

Howdy folks, I was just on the Ztherapy site ordering some gaskets and see that they offer polishing services for intake manifolds, carbs, and maybe they would do a valve cover for you. They aren't cheap but I am sure it would save lots of time and from what I have seen they look very good! Just an alternative!

Okay, I was just thinking about this more and think I am getting dizzy! Now, I am thinking that if you take a link out of the chain it would change the relationship between the cam and crank timing. Remember the crank has a small sprocket and the cam is a larger sprocket. They are syncronized so that the crank turns twice in the time the cam turns once. So I would think that removing a link in the chain (or changing the size of the either sprocket) would upset the sycronization between the two. Does that make sense???

Interesting thought! I have not heard of someone doing this so maybe it would work. I am no expert on this but I am pretty sure removing a chain link or changing the spring in the tensioner will not do it. Maybe because these are not easy ways to fine tune these adjustments. Maybe one link is not enough or too much? How much heavier of a spring do you put in? Getting this wrong could have engine damaging results. I think that is why using shimms on the cam towers and larger spacers on the valve ends is a more prefered method. Any engine experts out there?

When the head is shaved (because it is warped, scratched, or for high performance tunning) the combustion chamber gets smaller which creates more compression. But it also changes how the cam timing relates to crank timing. If you shave the head enough, I don't know exactly when this is, you have to shim (by using shim type spacers) the cam towers (the metal castings that the cam bearings sit on) to get the cam/crank back in sync. You will also have to put different spacers, cannot remember the technical term, between the valve stems and rockers. This is a pretty general answer to try to give you an idea what it means to shim the cam towers. Let me know if I didn't answer your question.

Yes, I agree that there is not much original stuff in that interior! The headliner, door panels, seats, rear panels, carpet over the strut towers, etc. But you could spend a lot of money getting it back to original. Unless you really don't like the look you might be better off spending the money where it is needed first, like repairing the rust! Have fun!

That was a great scene when Mark Hammel(SP?) comes running in looking for his Vette and sees the Z spinning on the display. Both the Corvette and the Z look so cheezzzy in that super metalic "Candy Apple" paint! I wonder what ever happened to that Z. I figure it is sitting on a back lot at the move studio someplace.

texasz, Yes, that intake will fit on a P90. It should fit any carb or FI L6 head that was in a US Z, and probably international as well as some other non-Z Datsun/Nissan heads. Jeff, Although your car build date indicates it is at near the beginning of the '72 model year run, I doubt those carbs came on that manifold from the factory. From a visual inspection the only obvious difference between the E46 intake manifold and E88 intake is that the E88 has water passages that allow water to flow through the bottom of the 3 screw Hitachi SU carbs. There is no problem using the 4 screw Hitachi SU carbs on this later manifold. Since the earlier carbs don't have the water passages on them I believe the manifold passages would be blocked off. Again, this is not a bad thing, there is nothing wrong with this configuration. In fact, I am about to do the opposite, which is to install '72 model carbs on my E46 intake manifold. My intention was to just help clarify what was being sold. Have fun!