kenz240z

Hi Waylon, I've got a MSA 6-2 header and the MSA turbo exhaust setup on my Z. It does tend to resonate a little bit, but I kinda like the sound. Not ricey like those cars you see with the huge exhaust tips!

Hi Dewayne, welcome to the club! I hope you find a 240Z/260Z/280Z soon!

The yellow wire looks like the one on my '73 that connects to the coolant temperature sensor. Is the temp gage working on your Z?

Nice looking rims! Post some pics when you get them on your Z!

I removed the windshield and gasket from my Z by using a couple of wide putty knives. I think I started in the center and slowy worked towards the outer edges. Once I got the top edge loose I was able to push the windshield out without breaking it. But, I had to replace it anyway because it was pitted and starting to fog up. I had Triumph Auto Glass put in a new windshield. The installer came to my house and did the install. I paid $190, which included a new windshield for $146.96, a new OEM style gasket for $31.11 and $11.93 in tax. The installer even put the stainless trim back in. I've never had any problems with water leaks, the guy did a good job.

I like to look for ways to detail various items on my Z as cheaply as I can get away with. Mostly it means spending a lot of time cleaning parts. All it takes is time & elbow grease. A lot of parts can be touched up or refinished with a good cleaning and a can of spray paint. Take your time and make a plan for tackling the larger, more costly items down the road. If you're a student now, hopefully it won't be long before you're bringing home a fair paycheck with the ability to put a few bux towards your Z. In the mean time, maybe you could think of ways to earn a bit of cash for your Z fund, maybe typing papers or something? Good luck and hang in there! It took me until my mid 30's before I had the time & money to really devote to a car project.

The radiator support on my '73 was painted black. Original color was 918 orange. Mine is like a7dz's, only painted black below the round vent inlet holes. The other interesting thing I noticed is that the black paint appeared to be brushed on by the factory, not sprayed. There were even a couple of runs in it where it was brushed on too thick.

You might try adjusting the latch mechanism. I think there is a U shaped bar that the latch catches on that can be adjusted. Maybe you can get the door to pull in a little further and push the plunger in a bit more. If not, then Arne's suggestion of using a rubber foot is a good one. I'm experimenting with a couple of things for refreshing the silver finish in the interior. The local Hobby Lobby craft store has a couple of different Silver Leaf products that are used for duplicating a metal finish. I found a wax based product called Rub 'n Buff silver leaf 76370K that might work well. It looks like it will give a good satin silver finish. I'm going to try it on a few interior items. I'm also going to try some silver leaf foil. It's a bit more involved to work with, as it requires an adhesive to get it to stick to the surface you want to highlight. Once it is trimmed it can be coated with a gloss sealer, which I hope might give more of a chrome like appearance. I'll post photos of the results when I get it done.

I have a 5 hp Craftsman compressor with a 40 gallon tank. It runs off 110V. Can't remember the CFM rating right off. It does well for most tasks. Great for running an impact wrench & air ratchet, not so good with a DA or inline sander. I have to wait for it to catch up when I use the sanders, but they use a lot of air. It does pretty good with a spray paint gun. I bought a cheap HVLP gun at Harbor Freight and used it to paint my Z. Turned out great. If you plan to used tools that require a lot of air then follow ezzzzz's advice, get a 220V unit, the biggest you can find with a high CFM rating.

Just a guess, but I think it's a measurement for the mounting screw, specifying a maximum distance of 8 mm? It looks like a diagram showing the hex headed mounting screw on the left, a lock washer and some sort of isolator.

Check MSA or Victoria British. I seem to recall seeing a rear sway bar for a 240Z in their catalogs.

Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is a set of new bumpers. '73 240Z Merry Christmas everyone! May 2006 be filled with good health, good friends, and a good Z!

It might cost a bit more, but the two sources listed below may be able to build a new harness for you. www.painlesswiring.com www.wire-works.com

Sure is one nice looking Z. I wonder what the reserve is set at?

You might consider plugging the holes with a threaded plug instead of welding them closed. You should be able to get the proper size & thread plugs at a good hardware store. A bit of teflon tape on the threads will get them to seal up good. I've got a '73 with a balance tube from a '71. Everything plugged except the port for the PCV valve and the brake booster/automatic transmission kick down, which use the same port. The fitting screwed into the balance tube connects to the brake booster hose and has a tee for the transmission kick down hose.

If the car is in as good of shape as it looks in the pictures, $4,500 seems like a very good price. To my mind a '60's muscle car looks better with the engine compartment painted black, but the engine looks clean and well maintained. All in all one nice looking Z. Between me, my wife and my two kids we already have 9 vehicles around the house: '73 240Z '64 Chevy Impala '75 Chevy Caprice convertible '91 Cadillac Allante '95 Ford F150 '91 Nissan Altima '04 Chevy Trailblazer '88 Toyota Celica '00 Jeep Cherokee I'd love another Z project, but I'm not sure the neighbors would approve. Dad already gives me grief about the 'used car lot' in my driveway and in front of the house. I'm afraid the city might come around and start taxing me extra or something... That said, I'm tempted to go have me a look!

Air tools are the way to go. Get a decent sized air compressor and a good impact wrench. You won't need to usea cheater on a breaker bar any more!

My tie rod ends were in good shape. I bought a pair of NOS Nissan tie rods on e-bay, just it case, though. I ran into the same problem with ball joints purchased on ebay. Here's some info I posted on my ball joint experience: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17621&highlight=ball+joint

Chris, the 8 track is WAY cool! Dad used to have a few 8 tracks back in the day, by Glen Campbell, The Lettermen, etc... not exactly what comes to mind as Z car music, though.... I've heard that some of the newer head end units, as they are called now, feature a USB port. So maybe the thing to do is to install it in the glove box or under a seat where it's not noticeable. It should be easy to add an amp to this setup, too. Has anyone found a modern speaker that will fit in the stock speaker mount? I'm wondering if there is a good 2-way or 3-way speaker that would work. A modern speaker might help improve the sound.

Sounds like the best of both worlds: one Z done stock, the other Z modified! My '73 is pretty much all stock, but I've always wanted to put a V8 in a Z. When I was in high school - long, long, ago.... - I met a guy who had one. Ever since I heard the sound of a V8 with glasspack mufflers in a Z car I wanted one. Someday I hope to find a Z car and do the V8 swap. Right now I just don't have the room to work on it or store it.... But, before you actually do the swap, get that L28 running good. Believe it or not, the guys at the Z shop I use were building an L28 that would deliver 600 hp! Not sure if they were able to get that much power out of it, but these guys build Z racers, so I bet they'll get close! It's all a matter of money!

Hi Jim, You might look for a pickle fork kit that has different fork heads of different sizes. If you have an air compressor, get a fork that attaches to your air hammer, it will make the job much easier. I couldn't get the tie rod end boots that came with the urethane kit to fit. Fortunately my old ones were in good shape. I think you can get the proper replacements from MSA or Victoria British.

Try MSA, Victoria British, Too Intense Restorations, etc...

I currently have a Panasonic CD player in my Z. The heater control panel in my Z is broken along the bottom and I've been thinking of replacing it. And if I spend the bucks to get a new HCP I don't want to wreck it to make the CD player fit.:ogre: So, I've been thinking about putting the stock radio back in, but then I don't have my tunes!:tapemouth I've seen a post or two about using an FM modulator, and I think that might be the way to go. I've seen good things about this unit: http://www.vr-3.com/vr3_fmmod.html It plugs into the cigarette lighter and has a USB input and a 3.5 mm stereo plug input. I works with MP3 players, iPods, memory sticks, portable cd players, laptops, etc... The nice thing is that this is portable, and could be used in any car. I'm concerned how well it would sound, though, especially if the original speaker(s) were used.:paranoid: The PO had put a cheep cassette deck in my Z, and it had some old Pioneer speakers tacked on to the inner rear plastic panel over the access plates for the tail lamp bulbs. Oh, and none of it worked, anyway. My point is that I've never heard what the stock set up sounds like. I took all of that out, put the Panasonic CD player in, ran a pair of speaker wires to the rear of the car and put in a pair of new Pioneer 6X9's. Each speaker is mounted in its own little carpet covered box (got them at a local car audio shop). I'll have to modify the speaker wiring if I go back to the stock stereo, as the speakers share a common ground, IIRC. I figure this setup might be good if you plan to show your car as original. You'd have the original stereo in place, and if you used speakers in separate enclosures they can easily be removed. The speaker wires could then be tucked under the carped out of view. What are your thoughts? :cross-eye

My employer provides me with vehicle, a 2005 Trailblazer. I have it outfitted with the following: -Fujitsu B series Lifebook mini-laptop with touch screen, mounted on a Gamber-Johnson stand -Garmin GPS -Kyocera KPC650 EVDO card (high speed wireless on CDMA network) -8 port hub with USB interface to the PC I use Street Atlas on the laptop for navigating. It communicates with the Garmin and plots a trail as you drive around. It can also be set up with voice prompts to tell you when to turn if you have a destination set up. With the KPC650 EVDO card I can make a data call and connect to the company network. Great for sending & receiving e-mails when I'm out of the office. Or I can surf the web, and check out the latest on the ClassicZCars site!

I originally planned to put a small block V8 in my Z when I bought it. But when I considered that the car was in pretty good shape, all the numbers matched, and it ran, I figured I'd keep the L24 and lean towards keeping it close to stock. I did have to put in a CD player, though, gotta have toons! But, I've got a thought on being able to play all the tunes I want and keeping the stock radio in place... it's a topic for another thread, though... Anyway, I think a Z looks great in blue jeans and also in a cocktail dress with pearls. Just as long as neither the jeans nor the dress are torn....