kenz240z

Ha, Ha, Dogma, yes, I know all about the WIAI bug and the money pit! I own one, too! I think I'm at about $8k and counting, and that's with me doing most of the work. I've got all the receipts, but I'm afraid to sit down and add it all up... On another note, my Z is an automatic. And while it may not be quite as peppy as a manual, it is convenient. And, when I want a little zip, I simply pull the shift lever back to 1, hit the gas and let it rip up to about 6k, then push the lever into 2nd. I'm up to around 50 mph by then, and taking off like a rocket!

The head on my Z's engine developed a pit due to corrosion that allowed coolant to leak into a couple of cylinders. The white, billowy smoke out the tailpipe alerted me to the trouble. Even so, I ended up getting the engine rebuilt, it cost me just under $2k. Give the head a good once over after you pull it off the engine. Hopefully the corrosion around the t-stat opening is the only problem.

That's a good find, Bill!

That is a wild looking car. That sound system could launch the occupants into space, by way of the windshield....

If you have the time and space to work on it, it might make a good project car if you can get it for a few hundred bux. Like John says, offer 250. It may be worth it to the seller just to get it out of there. If you decide to pursue it, be prepared to shell out the bux to get it running again. In addition to the items you mentioned, here are a few other things it will most likely need. 1. Brakes - no question about it, the ENTIRE brake system will need to be rebuilt/repaired/replaced. Not an area to take ANY chances. The rubber lines will most likely be deteriorated, and the metal lines could be rusted, they might even have holes that leak. The master cylinder, calipers & wheel cylinders are most likely gunked up from sitting for so long. At the very least they will need to be taken apart, cleaned and rebuilt with new parts. If not, they will need to be replaced. 2. Suspension - the struts, springs & bushings will need to be inspected and possibly replaced. Even if everything appears to be ok, the ride quality may not be that good. Check the wheel bearings, too. The may need to be replaced. 3. Steering - Check the ball joints, tie rods, steering linkage, etc... These items may need to be replaced for safety's sake. 4. Tires - For a car that has been sitting for 12 years, take no chances on the tires. Replace them. 5. Engine - Replace all belts & hoses. Drain & refill the radiator. Drain & refill the engine with fresh engine oil. Replace the distributor cap, rotor, and plugs (use NGK plugs). Check the plug wires, they may need replacing. Do a search, there have been threads posted on the steps to take before attempting to start an engine that has ben sitting for an extended period of time. The above items all need to be checked and taken care of in order to insure the car is safe to drive. Once these things have been taken care of (an easy couple of thousand dollars spent!), then you can move on to the body & interior! Hopefully you are mechanically inclined. You will save quite a bit by doing the work yourself. Be on the lookout for rust, especially in the nooks & crannies. Do a search on this as well, there have been a lot of threads posted about the prime rust areas on a Z car. Repairing rust damage can get expensive, especially if the damage is in the frame rails, floor pans, or other structural areas of the car. Hopefully none of this has made you have second thoughts...you need to know what you will be getting yourself into and how much its gonna cost! From the sounds of it, this is a car that will take a lot of work, time and money to make roadworthy. As others have stated, you might be better off spending more money on a car that is in good, drivable shape with a minimum of rust.

Hi Alissa, welcome to the club. Looks like a good project Z car there! From the photos you linked it doesn't look like anything too major to deal with. But, beware the rust that lurks in all the nooks & crannies! Be sure to tackle all the rust issues you find. I like to use a product called RustMort, there are other products out there that work just as good. Keep us posted on your progress!

Hi Brandt, that is one very nice looking Z car. It appears to be straight & rust free! I agree with Brycey, though...those hubcaps gotta go!!!!

Dogma, my prediction is that you will get bit by the WIAI bug, no matter what year 280Z you end up with! Prepare to upen up thy wallet!!!!

Sounds cool! Post some pics when you get a chance.

I bought one of their 240Z kits off ebay last spring. I didn't have any problems with the way any of the bushings or sleeves fit.

I'm sure they will turn up sooner or later. And, probably right where you left 'em. That's how it always turns out for me, anyway...

Here, here!

Ha, ha, ha!

I'd just like to say that my wife is my best friend. I have been married once before for 6 years, got divorced, and lived the single life for 13 years. Then, my sister introduced me to the most wonderful woman! We dated for 2 years, and have been married for 1 and a half. We've only had one fight in that time. She's a nurse and works 3 nights a week at a nearby hospital, so I get three nights a week of Kennytime to putter in the garage, jam on the guitar, watch the toob, etc... the other 4 days of the week we spend together, not out of any sense of obligation, but for the simple fact that we WANT to spend time together! Here's an example of how great she is: I can bring home a bunch of dirty, oily car parts from the salvage yard, bring them into the house and clean them in the kitchen sink without her even batting an eye (I always clean up thoroughly afterwards). Now, if she came out into the garage and started potting plants or something, I'd probably go nutz!

Gary, your Z sure looks good in that photo, post some more pics! It's cool that you and your girlfriend both have a Z car. My wife drives a '95 Altima. She tolerates my car obsession just fine;) She wants to be Mustang Sally, I'm on the lookout for an early Mustang convertible. When I find one, she wants me to paint it fuscia...

Hi Gary, I've heard of Z owners using ATF in the carbs, not sure if changing it will yield a real big difference or not. But, anything is worth a try. Also, most folks swear by the NGK plugs. The '72 FSM specifies NGK BP-6ES plugs. Here again, maybe it won't yield much difference, but then it just might! Don't give up, you'll find the culprit sooner or later. Check the float level in each carb again, just to make sure it's not too low, that will cause a rich mixture. I'm probably running the timing a bit too advanced on my Z, but it accelerates well, even uphill without any pinging. Victor Laury has a great post explaining engine timing: (http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18411&highlight=timing) According to the FSM I have for the '72, only the USA and Canada got cars with the emissions control devices, the rest of the world got 240Z's without all of that! These cars apparently also got distributors with different advance characteristics. The FSM specifies the timing at 17 degrees BTDC for these non-emission engines. I have a theory that Nissan was shooting for 29 degrees total advance for the engine. The timing spec for the USA/Canada engine with manual transmission is 5 degrees BTDC, with distributor model D612-53. If I interpret the 12 to mean the distributor initial advance, that yields 24 degrees crank advance, plus the 5 gives 29 degrees total. For the USA/Canada engine with automatic transmission, the timing spec is 0 degrees, with distributor model D614-52. So, if my theory holds, the dizzy has 14 degrees initial advance, yielding 28 degrees crank advance. For the non-emission engine, the specs are 17 degrees BTDC, with distributor model D606-52. I'm guessing this dizzy has 6 degrees initial advance, yielding 12 degrees crank advance. Add the 17 degrees and you get 29 degrees total advance. I've got a dizzy model number D611, so I'm guessing I have 22 degrees crank advance, plus the timing at 15 BTDC gives me 37degrees total, which is on the high side. But, like I said, the engine runs like a top, starts easily, and doesn't ping under strong acceleration. If anyone has more information on all this, please let me know. I'm guessing based on the different specs listed in the FSM and could be way off....

Perhaps it's time for a date night, too. We all gotta be careful not to let our Z cars become the most important special lady in our lives...(or special fella, for our female Z car owners!). I just gave my wife a kiss and said goodbye as she heads off to work. Usually she's out the door by 6, but tonight she got a break and doesn't have to be there until 11. She's a nurse at a nearby hospital and works 3 nights a week. Her schedule works out great for me, I get three nights in the garage, no questions asked, no hurt feelings, etc...!!!!

Mine is 2-3/4".

What condition are all the vent hoses in? Could be one has cracked. I've got a similar problem, if I fill the tank too full it leaks. I'm planning to drop the tank, get it boiled out & sealed, and replace all the hoses.

Hi Gary, Sounds like the engine is running a bit rich. Have you pulled the plugs to check their condition? The timing marks and pointer are set up opposite of a SBC. The marks are on the pulley instead of on the tab mounted to the timing chain cover. There should be 5 notches on the 240Z crank pulley. Facing the engine, the notch on the left is TDC. It is also a deeper notch than the other 4. Each of the remaining notches marks 5 degrees of advance. The 72 factory service engine manual shows the timing at 5 degrees BTDC @ 750 rpm for a manual, 0 degrees @ 600 for the automatic. I have my engine set at 15 degrees BTDC, you might start at 10 considering you've got the emissions stuff removed. The automatic equipped cars came with a dual point distributor. One set of points for normal application, the second set of points is advanced 10 degrees and is switched in at temperatures below 30 degrees F. It's part of the emissions control system. I have an automatic in my Z and the PO swapped the distributor out for a single point unit. Have you checked to insure the needle & fuel nozzle aren't binding up in either carb? The needle & nozzle need to be realigned anytime the carb body is disassembled. The way to check is to remove the air cleaner and remove the dipstick in the top of the carb. Then use a finger to raise the suction piston. Make sure it raises up smoothly. Then remove your finger and let it drop. It should make a "clunk" sound as the piston hits the body. Also verify that it does indeed drop all the way. Any binding will only cause problems. Check that the fuel nozzle moves freely in the carb body. You should be able to pull it down by hand about 1/4". Pulling the choke lever back should do the same thing. Tighten the idle mixture adjusting nut for each carb until it is up against the carb body. Then turn it out 2 and 1/2 turns. This should get it in the ball park. The FSM says to adjust these for the best idle. Both need to be set at the same number of turns. Wipe the carb dipstick dry and put it back in the carb. Then take it back out and see how much oil is in it. The oil should come up to, but not over, the top line on the dipstick. The oil in the carb keeps the suction piston from rising too quickly when you accelerate. The carb then provides a richer mixture, kind of like the power circuit in a down draft carb. The FSM says to use SAE 10W-30. I bought a little bottle of carb oil from MSA and use that. All of the previous adjustments can be dead on and the car will still run poorly if the carbs are out of balance. If you have a rough idle and the car is sluggish from a stop I'd suspect that the carbs are out of balance. The balance screw is on the linkage between the two carbs, and is right next to the rear carb. First, make sure that both carbs are flowing at idle. Back out the balance adjusting screw to make sure the carbs are operating independently, there should be a little slack in the linkage now. Adjust the idle speed screws on each carb about 1/8 turn at a time to set the idle and make sure both carbs are working. I'll adjust one carb until the idle speed increases, then back the idle screw off just a touch, then over to the other carb and do the same thing. I'll go back & forth between the two carbs until I get it right. If the balance screw is adjusted too far in, the engine will be running only off the rear carb at idle. Too far out and the front carb will open sooner. Next, tighten the balance screw a little at a time until the engine speed just starts to increase. This should be causing the rear carb to open up. Back the balance screw out until the idle speed just backs down. Then tighten the fast idle screw at the top of the manifold to get the engine up to 1500 rpm. This is where a Unisyn or other device comes in handy. I don't have a Unisyn, I have a little tool set that has a pair of round tubes and wire pointers. You take the dipsticks out of the carbs and put the tubes in, then the pointers go in the tubes. Makes it real easy to see how high the piston in each carb rises, and this can all be done with the air cleaner still on. Or, you can use a piece of rubber tube & your ear to compare flow between the two carbs. Put one end of the tube just inside the carb opening, and the other near your ear (not in it!) and listen to the difference in sound. Or, use your eyes and watch the piston in each carb, make sure that they are both open the same amount. No matter what method you use, adjust the balance screw so that both carbs are open the same amount at 1500 rpm. Then back off the fast idle screw until there is a small gap between the screw and the lever. Following these steps should get the engine running good. Of course, the distributor cap, rotor, wires, plugs, coil, etc... should all be in good condition, and hopefully the engine has good compression.

I'm a Denver fan... While Broncos made it to the playoffs, they failed to show up in the game against the Steelers. The Donkeys showed up instead... I have to confess that I dug the Stones, though... Yeah, kinda cheesy the way Mick prances around, the sound quality wasn't that good, and Keith looked ready for another blood transfusion. I was kidding Dad, who is roughly the same age (65) that I'd like to see him prance around like that! Got a chuckle out of Mom! But, hey, the Stones can still rock!

Have you tried MSA (zcarparts.com) or Victoria British (victoriabritish.com)?

Oops, Chris thanks for catching my error. The filter is in the pump... I've been living in Longmont since 2000, before that I lived in Lincoln, NE (Havelock, specifically...). The engine in the 240Z is a pretty simple beast. Here are some suggestions to get it running in top form. Hopefully the engine is in pretty good shape and the rust in the cylinders hasn't hurt the compression too much. 1. Adjust the valves. Refer to a factory service manual or other shop manual for details. 2. Set the timing - I'm running round top SU's and an intake off a '71 on my Z. All the emission control devices have been removed. I set mine at 15 degrees BTDC. 3. Adjust the carbs. Check the float level, make sure the choke cracks open the throttles & pulls the fuel nozzles down, and balance the carbs. Refer to the FSM or shop manual for details, there are more steps to this if all of the emissions devices are still on the engine. Here are some helpful websites: http://www.jetlink.net/~okayfine/sutech.html http://members.core.com/~ckotting/tuning.html http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1803105&uid=786489 http://www.teglerizer.com/sucarbs/techtip6.htm I've wondered about a Buick V6 swap into a Z car. No distributor like a small block Chevy, so no issues with it hitting the firewall, or having to relocate the hood latch.

Wow, Tom, looks like a bit of work there, but you seem to be making good progress!

Wow, Tom, looks like a bit of work there, but you seem to be making good progress!