Bambikiller240

I don't understand either. With the distributor cap sitting on the engine block, there's no way for any cylinder to fire.

Nate: I don't know about Parts stores in the area where you live, but out here you can still get Distributor Cap, Rotors, Points, Condensors, and Thermo gaskets at almost any Checker/Shucks/Kragen, NAPA, or other quality parts store. I haven't looked for plug wires but I suspect they are still easy to get also. Occasionally (but not often) it takes at most 1 day for them to get the parts from their distribution center.

Brandy: Once you have your wiring harness addressed, there is a Technical Article on our website that describes in great detail the installation of a Pertronix Electronic ignition upgrade. It is relatively inexpensive, and quite simple to install. It's a real improvement to eliminate the points and condensor from your car. Take a look in the Technical Articles forum if you are interested.

It is my understanding that CA doesn't recognize common-law marriage.

Doesn't use of Halon require breathing apparatus? My understanding of Halon is that it displaces breathable air. When I worked in an electronics manuacturing company we were told that if the Halon system was activated we were to leave the room immediately or risk death by asphyxiation.

Dave: The driveshaft that operates the oil pump and the distributor does have an offset tang to it which should be in a specific orientation. When it *is* in the correct orientation, the distributor can only be installed in the correct orientation. HOWEVER, the driveshaft *can* be installed in any orientation (i.e. it will "fit" in any orientation) that someone cares (or more accurately "doesn't care") to attempt. If this driveshaft is installed wrong, the distributor will be trying to fire the cylinders at the wrong time in relation to the combustion cycles of the cylinders. I had that problem also due to the picture in the FSM and How to Rebuild books being slightly out of whack. This image shows the picture in the How to Rebuild Manual on the left and on the right is a picture of my engine with the driveshaft tang set to match the picture in the manual as close as possible. The engine would not start. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8805&size=big&sort=1&cat=3109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The below image shows (on the left) a picture that you sent me of your car showing the distributor with rotor pointing at #1 lug on the Dist Cap with the engine set at #1 TDC The picture on the right is my distributor with the engine set at #1 TDC and the Dist driveshaft tang set as shown in the above picture. As you can see, the rotor isn't pointing where it's supposed to be. The engine would not start. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8928&size=big&sort=1&cat=3109 -------------------------------------------------------------------- The attached photo below shows on the LEFT the Distributor Driveshaft tang as set according to the FSM and How to Rebuild Manual pictures. On the RIGHT is a picture of the driveshaft as it appeared when I disassembled the engine for rebuild. After the Rebuild, when I set the driveshaft tang to match the way it was found, (1 tooth off from the way it shows in the books) the engine then fired right up. NOTE: This was discussed in another thread (that I can't find) and Victor Laury and sblake01 acknowledged that they had noticed the same situation when working on their engines. EDIT: Mike is right the oil pump doesn't care how the driveshaft is installed. It only matters to the Distributor.

Probably an example of the original part being over engineered initially, and later redesigned in deference to the bean counters.

the firing order is the firing order.

153624 (ten charecters)

No one looked.

The guy should have listed the "Item Location" as FANTASYLAND instead of La Jolla. Did anyone notice the sales tax rate charged to CA residents? 0.075% (correct CA sales tax for La Jolla is 7.75%) Some businessman! :stupid:

probably a fa..... er, Vintage Z j/k

Used Z Parts Vendors: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15454

Never tried it, but as far as weight goes, the 280Z body is going to weigh significantly more that the 240Z body. Thicker metal was used in 280Z's chassis ,and things like the side impact beams in the doors were not part of a 240Z body (until 73) and could be even heavier in the 280Z. Does a 280Z have a manual choke? If not, the firewall won't have the hole for the choke cables. Holes for wiring harness grommets may be of different sizes or in different locations also. There may be issues with how the fuse box is mounted. Fuel tank may be shaped different and a 240Z tank may not fit properly in a 280Z chassis.

Oner of my Hot Rod friends told me that here in California, engine swaps are OK only if the engine being installed is from the same year, or is newer. Swapping to an older engine (even if rebuilt) is a NO NO. That being said, for a normal registration I have never seen the engine serial number checked. Most of the time they don't even look at the car, just your paperwork. That may be different if you are bringing in a car without a title. As for hurting the value, I don't believe it would hurt the value to anyone but someone looking for an all original Z, or looking for one to restore. IMO, the fact that it doesn't have the original engine should be disclosed to any buyer. We have a member who bought a car and only after the purchase (and shipment across country) did he discover that the 240Z had an L28 in it. The seller claimed to have never noticed that, but had advertised the car as "all original". Shame on him!

You do realize that he's living in TURKEY and believes that he has the only Z in the country, right?

That was the point I was trying to make. According to his post he doesn't even have a 71 dash to pull wiring out of.

Rick: It means we should be classed as "very well experienced". Heck we were "Men of the World" long before he was a twinkle in his Dad's eye. We're still holding up fairly well, aren't we?

Alan: Interesting comparison photo's. Your explanation makes sense to me, however I would add that this would indicate that the internals (or assembly there of) have changed as well between the two versions to allow the input side of one version to become the output side of the other version. On the installations that I have seen, the vacuum fitting is always on the side of the valve facing the carburetors.

Will the wiring in a 1973 dash be compatible with the engine bay wiring harness of a 1971 240Z that it is going to have to connect to?

You could order them from suppliers in the USA: http://www.courtesy-nissan.com/ http://www.zcarparts.com/ ther are other places also, but these are the ones that use.

I didn't mean to rub his nose in it either, but if he keeps on playing Fred Sanford, he'll never get to play Z Racer, Focus, Bill, Focus!!

The car is meant to have a thermostat in it to regulate the engine temperature, if you remove it, the temperature will not be regulated. If the water in the top of the radiator isn't getting hot, "something" is wrong. I'm still thinking it's a defective thermostat not opening or it is installed backwards.. Have you replaced the water pump?

Especially since you already have a Z that needs lots of work ($$$$). Why wizz away $500 on another money pit?

From your latest description, it sounds like possibly a bad Thermostat was installed. You did install it in the correct orientation, right? (with the mechanism down) In any event it seems that it's not opening.