ZIII

You might try wolfcreekracing.com.....

That's kinda hard to do... It was much better, with a deeper tone than stock. It was not loud so on your scale I would rate it a 5. There was no resonance that I recall, it was just a nice, well balanced system. I now have a 2.5 inch SS exhaust with a single muffler and that is loud. However, I prefer it to the Monza even though I do have a bit of resonance at certain rpm's. IMO, you can't go wrong with the Monza system. It is a stock fit, it sounds better than stock, it is not too loud but louder than stock, it looks nice and after having it on my car for about four years it was in good shape when I took it off. Gave it to a fellow Z owner and he used it for three or four years. However, if you have headers or are thinking about installing a set down the road, I would consider going to a 2.5 or 2- 5/8 inch exhaust and then select a muffler that produces the sound you like.

Yes, it's a good exhaust... I had one for several years and it was louder than stock. They had two models, the side by side (which was hard to find for the 240Z) and the over and under. The only problem I had with it was that I wanted to go to a larger exhaust after installing headers. Otherwise, I was pleased with it.

I have a 240 which I bought new 32 years ago. I drive it. It’s been back and forth across the Atlantic five times, been through snow, salt, rain, whatever it happens to be doing on the day I drive it. I drive it to shows, have won a couple, and she’s in excellent condition inside and out. IMHO, I take advantage of every single upgrade from OEM that I can get. From Pertronics and MSD ignition, sway bars, radiator, bushings, Toyota brakes and exhaust to carbs. Can you imagine me sticking with my flat-top carbs? Soon as the warranty expired off came the OEM carbs and all the related emissions paraphernalia and I have never looked back. There is no doubt she’s a 240, but I want her to have the best I can afford. Just recently, I replaced the original alternator with a 105 amp unit. I have been waiting for the original alternator to die and finally I had to shoot it to put it out of its misery. Well, now I kick myself for not doing it sooner. What a tremendous difference and it looks like OEM to me. All these upgrades may have some negative affect on its value but then I didn’t buy my car and keep it this long to sell, I bought it to drive. Anything that makes it drive better, faster, safer and more enjoyable while retaining its basic philosophy (by that I mean no V8, wings, flares etc) is fine by me.

Thanks guys... appreciate the advice. I will keep an eye out on the voltage and see what happens... but thanks to you will not worry about it..... George

That’s correct…. No changes to the pulley, belt or bracket either….. I just came in tonight from a run and I will tell you the stock lights are great, I thought my PIAA driving lights were super, now they are fabulous! Car seems to run better but don’t ask me why. The great thing is that at idle, everything runs normal which is something I am just not used too. The one concern I have is that I am putting out 14.8 volts to the battery and I think this may be a bit high and would probably feel better if it were closer to 14. However, I will watch it for awhile and see what happens. I have a Red Optima battery . Another thing is that my volt meter reads dead on, straight down, rarely moves at all. George

Let me try to answer these questions. Rob, the Z Specialties Alternator is internally regulated. Therefore, you do not use the stock voltage regulator. Now, you can either leave your stock regulator attached but it must be disconnected or you can take it out. I chose to take mine out. I also covered and taped up the wiring that went to the stock regulator. Carl, a you know, the stock alternator has three attachments on it. Positive, which is the white wire with red stripe, negative which is black and a T-type connector in the center which is the hookup for the brushes. The T-connector comes off and should be taped up and protected. It will not be used. The Zspecialties alt has only two connectors, positive and negative and you use your stock wiring to these connections. Zspecialties suggests that if you have a high amp demand setup in your car, you run an ‘additional’ 8 gauge wire from the positive lead of the alt to the positive lead of your battery or starter solenoid. That means you will have two connections on the positive terminal of the alt. I chose to do this not so much because I have a high demand but it seemed like a good idea since this alt puts out a lot of juice. I also have a 50w Sony amp which I bought at some garage sale years ago and who knows maybe I will see if it works. Anyway, the wiring is simple. Hope this helps explain it. George

Done..... Thanks...

Today I installed a 105 Amp alternator from Z Specialties. Let me just say that I have owned my baby for 32 years and it has lots of mods and non-stock replacement parts. This has to be, by far, one of the best things I have ever done to my car. It is truly amazing…. Why I waited so long to do this heaven only knows. Everything seems to work better. Lights are brighter but not overly so. My little 35 watt stereo sounds better and the car just seems to run better and I haven’t a clue why unless its just me. I turned every electrical thing on, lights, PIAA fogs, stereo, rear-defroster, blower, wipers, signals, and at idle there was not a blip…. On my original alt, if you had two things on you’d be lucky to get the wipers to creep across the windshield…. And at idle, forget it… it would take five seconds for a swipe of the wipers. The Z Specialties alt is a breeze to install. It’s a direct plug and play operation. You use the same pulley, bracket, and belt. Wiring is simple and straightforward. The instructions that come with it are fool-proof. The stock Voltage Regulator comes out. I opted to use an additional 8 gauge wire directly to the battery in addition to the stock wire. Testing the alt, it was putting out 14.8 volts to the battery. I think this may be a tad high, not sure. I also took some pictures of the install but believe me this is a simple, no-brainer operation. Strongly recommended….. You can get additional information on this alternator at: http://www.zspecialties.com/ George

I recall the first 260 I ever saw and the one thing that caught my eye as I looked in the engine compartment (besides an even greater pile of tubes and wires than what I had) was the coolant recovery tank…. It was rather large, affixed to the front left side brace of the radiator. Of course, that may have been an add-on as your 73 was. I never asked. Just assumed it was a factory install. George

Absolutely agree with Zhead…. Go with the color YOU want, not with the one you think everyone likes….. If you are building this Z to sell then a popular color can help. I have 918, Orange…. (By the way, that is what my window sticker and color code on radiator say: 918-Orange). In 1973, I had no choice as that was the only Z I could find up or down the entire East Coast. It was either Orange or wait another few months and still not be guaranteed the color of my choice. So, orange quickly became my favorite and after 32 years, I still love it.

My 240Z and I would love to be there.... but 650 miles each way (and never leave Texas if you believe that) is a bit much for a half day show....

I have a set of 15-inch Riken wheels,in Black, with a polished lip..... If you are interested let me know...... George

mmagnus, I am using 5/16 on my trip-Mikuni's with a Holley Red fuel pump. At first I thought it might be too small but was advised to go with this size and everything seems to be fine. By the way, what distributor and cap are you using? George

Another option, if you like, is that you can send me the back of your clock without the L bracket and whatever you think the postage is and I will send you the back of mine with the L bracket attached. That way you don’t have to rivet or glue the attachment to yours. George

I have one.... Problem is getting it off 'clean' from the back of the clock plate. Any ideas? It might be easier for you to just make one and if you need the exact measurements I can send that to you. Let me know.... George

Steering clamps are pretty useless… a hack saw will go through a stock wheel in about five pulls…. I’ve got a hidden battery kill switch, my fuel pump fuse is easy to take out and my momo steering wheel has a quick release. Then there’s the rotor trick and I use some or all of these depending where and for how long I am parking. Even when in the garage the kill switch is on and the fuel pump fuse is out. But, when I do take her out, I just don’t leave her out of my sight. Living two miles from the Mexican border makes me a bit paranoid. Therefore, while I may stop on a drive for a coffee or whatever, I do so only where I can always keep an eye on the car. Of course, my best deterrent is my dog. She sits in the passenger seat, I leave both windows down and no one has ever come close. Then again, if these low-life thieves want it-they will get it and lifting is certainly their preferred way as it precludes having to deal with any devices, microchip key readers and the like found on many cars today. And, as was mentioned, on-lookers don't think twice about someone's car being towed.

You are so right.... couple months back I had a 350 owner ask me what a Datsun was.... I was not sure if he was old enough to shave let alone drive but I took pity and was nice....

So sorry to hear about your Z…. Do you know if it was towed or lifted or was it hot started? I try never to leave mine out of sight. Spent two nights in Phoenix recently and I couldn’t sleep even though I had the rotor out, kill switch to the battery on, momo steering wheel in the room, and the fuse to the fuel pump out. And, the car was parked right outside my door. I feel your loss as I can imagine how I would feel if mine were taken.

JJ, Thanks for your post and insights. Between you and Aaron (weasel 240Z) you have me convinced to get this alt. You are right about Zspecialties, and particularly about a guy named Oliver. Nice man, informative, not pushy and he walked me through the process. I will order it hopefully by Friday, get it installed and come back here with some photos of the installation as well as some comments.... Once again, thanks.... George

To get it repaired you might try Zclocks...... http://www.zclocks.com/240z-260z.htm

Aaron, Thanks a lot for your advice..... It is exactly what Oliver at Zspecialties told me and he did mention that he would advise going with a larger wire from the battery to the alt. Of course, he also did mention that my regulator would have to go or at least be disconnected if I wanted to keep a stock appearance. It does have its own internal regulator. The other positive things are that you do not have to change anything like pulleys or belts etc. I am happy to hear that you have this same set up for so long without any problems. I greatly appreciate your advice..... George

I have considered going with a 78-79 280 Alt and have read all the write-ups about converting to an internal regulated alt. The 78-79 stock alt is rated at 60 amps (LR160) and the 280 turbo is rated at 70 amps. According to all I have read using either one of these is apparently fine. In this case, Zspecialties has this 105 amp alternator that is a direct exchange for the 240 stock. You don’t have to change belts, pulley, insert diodes, change wiring etc. It’s easy, and a direct swap. I understand what TomoHawk is saying that it is not going to push current through the wires but rather it’s there to draw. I also just want to be sure that it will not do any harm…. George