kenz240z

Hi Jeff, post some photos of your Z when you get a chance. You've gotten some good advice already about the carbs, but there is something else I wanted to point out. You had a good list of items you've replaced on the car, but I saw no mention of the brakes or brake system. If your Z had been sitting for awhile before you got it, I'd highly recommend that you drain all the old brake fluid out of the lines, calipers, wheel cylinders and master cylinder. Make sure the master cylinder, calipers and wheel cylinders are clean and in good working order. Replace/rebuild any that are suspect. Also, replace the flexible brake lines at each wheel. Once the brake system is in good working order, fill with new fluid, bleed the brakes and enjoy! While you are at it, you might consider replacing the radiator hoses and thermostat. Unless the previous owner provided service records for the car, there is no way to know what maintenance was done in the past. Better safe than sorry. Treat your Z right and it will serve you well as a fun, little sports car for many more years!

You mentioned that cylinder 2 has no compression. Have you determined if it's because of bad rings, bad valves, or a worn camshaft? What were the compression readings for each cylinder? Have you adjusted the valves? Did you set the ignition timing yet? Have you looked at the distributer cap, rotor, points & wires? A cylinder with no compression is not a good sign, hopefully the engine isn't about to give up the ghost.

Glad to hear you found the problem. I'd also recommend changing the dizzy. The dual-point dizzy for the AT equipped cars uses one set of points for normal operation, and the second set is used after the temperature exceeds a certain point. IIRC, the second set retards the timing. So, I'd say either replace the dizzy with one from a manual car (single points), or do the ZX dizzy upgrade. It will be one less thing to worry about. One other thing to check is the fuel line from the tank to the fuel pump, and from the pump to the carbs. Make sure there are no cracks or splits that could cause leaks or allow air to be sucked in. I always like to replace the fuel hose on an older car as it can get brittle and cause problems.

Have you checked to make sure the choke is operating properly? Sounds like you could have a stuck fuel nozzle (located at the bottom of the carb). When the choke lever is pulled back, it pulls the fuel nozzle upwards and a linkage opens the throttle valve slightly, resulting in a higher idle speed. Have a helper operate the choke lever while you watch the action at the carbs. Make sure the fuel nozzles move freely. Does your engine have the original emission control devices still attached, or have they been removed? Do you have a factory service manual for your Z? It is a good resource for the carb adjustment. Also, check out ztherapy, they sell a video that demonstrates how to adjust the carbs & valves step by step. Be careful when adjusting any of the screws (fast idle, throttle, balance). It is easy to really mess up the performance of your Z if they are not properly adjusted. Keep us posted...

Wow, looks like a great project! Please provide more info on your Z. Kinda looks like a combination of a G-nose and Scarab??? Welcome to the club!

Welcome, Rondal. I grew up in Lincoln, NE. Moved to Colorado 6 years ago, but haven't been able to shake the Big Red fever! Post some pics of your Z when you get a chance...

Hi Mike, another option would be to take your radiator to a good radiator shop and have them repair it. It depends on the damage, I guess, but a good shop should be able to re-core it and replace the tanks. If you get a used radiator from a salvage yard, it would be a good idea to take it to a radiator shop and have it rodded out and tested. The shop can also re-spray it so it will look new.

Are there any salvage yards near you? You might get lucky and find one.

Hi Reethi, I'm not sure what the relay in your picture is for. My '73 FSM is packed up waiting for me to move, maybe another '73 owner can help? There are several relays on the passenger side kick panel, including one for accessories, one for the rear window defroster, one for the horn, and a couple that tie into the starter/voltage regulator/electric fuel pump. It is normal for one (or more) of these relays to click when the key is turned. As already suggested, clean the battery terminals and electrical connections at the starter. Check for loose connections at the steering column and behind the dash.

Sweet! Ah, spring, when a young man's fancy turns towards thoughts of Z cars...

Another item to check is the fuel nozzle at the base of each carburetor. To locate the fuel nozzle, first locate the rubber hose at the bottom of the carb. One end connects to the float bowl, the other end connects to the fuel nozzle. When the choke is applied, the fuel nozzle should be pulled downwards out of the carb body by about 1/4". The nozzles are often gummed up and stuck if carbs that have sat for an extended period of time. May not be an issue in the car that sat a year, but definitely worth a look on the other car. If they are stuck, the carbs will need to be disassembled. A liberal amount of carb cleaner or brake cleaner may break up the gum and unstick the nozzles. If not, then try gently tapping them out with a brass punch. Be prepared to purchase replacements, though. They can be easily damaged. Good luck with getting the first car started!

I dunno, my wife's a nurse, and from what she tells me, patients are more of a pain in the rear . Unfortunately, understaffing at the hospital has resulted in more patients that she can reasonably handle, but she is still driving a '91 Altima. Nothing against the Altima, but I think the patient load should warrant a 350Z:D ! She also has a strict policy against patients in her car:ogre: .

'bear, be sure to check out the search function on this site. You should be able to find the answers to most questions you may have. If you can't find an answer, then be sure to post your question because there are a lot of very knowledgeable folks on this site. When you get a chance, update your profile with your location. There may be fellow Z car owners/enthusiasts nearby... PM me if you've got any photos of the Malibu, I'd love to check it out. I've got a '64 Impala waiting for me to finish the body work and cover with paint! And I'm thinking that a SBC powered Z is in my future...

I'm an inked Ken. Two tattoos and I'm thinking I might get a couple more...

I'm a Chevy guy. Well, I was a Chevy guy. Now I'm more of a Z guy. These cars get to you!

That looks like a solid '73! What are your plans for the car? Post more pics as you work on it!

Glad to see your Z coming together! Keep us posted!

Hi Mike, glad to hear you've had your Z out! I hope to take my Z up to the Old Town show, I'll be returning from a week's vacation the day before. Are you planning to enter your Z? It would be really neat to have a couple of Z cars there! I've seen the Z-rrari around town here in Longmont and at other shows, too. I've never met the owner. While looking at the car, I overheard the awe in several people's voices regarding such a cool Ferrari! I had to bite my tongue to avoid pointing out that it is a kit car based on a Z car. It still has the 280Z style inner door panels! I was in Hygiene a month ago and noticed that T&D auto is no longer there. I called the number and got a recording that the number is no longer in service. Too bad, those guys knew their stuff. I wonder what happened to the shop??? Hopefully we can catch up with each other this summer. June will be busy for me, my son graduates from high school next weekend, I sold my house and close on July 3rd, and we don't have a new home yet!!! We've got our eye on a newer home on 2.5 acres west of Berthoud, that would give me lots of room for future Z car projects...

Hi Wanderer, without knowing the history of the car and what's been done to it, it is hard to offer suggestions on where you need to start. What engine do you have? Carbs or fuel injection? A generic sequence of events is: 1. Adjust valves 2. Set ignition timing 3. Adjust carbs (skip if you have FI) Use the search function on this site and you should be able to find a wealth of information on how to complete these steps. Keep in mind that the carbs are vacuum operated. If the valves are out of adjustment and the timing is off, the vacuum conditions will be off and can affect the operation of the carbs. That's why the carb adjustment is last on the list. An engine needs three basic things to run: Fuel, Air, Spark. So, before tackling the three steps listed above you should verify that fuel delivery to the carbs is good, airflow is unrestricted, and each cylinder is getting a good spark. Thus, it is important to check and replace the fuel filter, fuel pump, distributor cap, rotor, points, spark plugs, plug wires, coil, and air filter. You've already done some of this. Keep us posted, I hope you get it running soon!

2006 has been a good year for my '73 240Z so far. I entered a local car show in Longmont, CO on 6MAY06 and brought home a 2nd place plaque in the 70's category. There was no category for foreign cars, the categories were divided into decades (50's, 60's, 70's, etc...). Yesterday I took home a Best in Class plaque for the Special Interest category at a local show in Mead, CO. They didn't have a category for foreign cars either, so I was entered in the Special Interest category. There was a cool Ferrari GTO kitcar based on a 280Z. It has a supercharger mounted on the passenger side of the engine. I didn't get a good enough look at it to see how it was plumbed to the intake. I haven't seen a Z engine with a supercharger before. To cap off the weekend, the driver of a 280ZX waved at me as we passed each other on the highway!

Great looking paint job! The engine compartment looks great, too! I used PPG's Omni AU on my '73. I constructed a temporary paint booth in my garage with plastic sheeting, stuck a fan up in the rafters that blew air in through a couple of filters, and cut a hole in one plastic sheet for a second fan that sucked air out through a couple of filters. It made for a clean painting environment. I sprayed the car with a $50 HVLP gun I got at Harbor Freight and used my Craftsman 5hp compressor with 40 gallon tank to supply the air. I wore a mask with cartridge filters while painting.

Thanks for the great info Bonzi. I plan to clean and seal the tank on my '73, good to know you found it rather simple to do. The Kreem product sounds like it might be a good one to try.

After checking the fuel lines, make sure the carbs are balanced.

Check the fuel line for leaks. It could be that one of the fuel hoses back at the tank has split. What year is your Z? The '73's have an electric fuel pump back by the tank. There is a filter in the electric pump that can cause fuel delivery problems if it gets clogged with sediment from the tank.