mlc240z

Oh yea, Bruce. That's the beauty of it, the tweaking and fiddling are almost always just for the owner, nobody else. Only the owner knows what was done and why, and now I can actually go out and see/feel the effects................great satisfaction. She always ran, had a good engine from the start, just only in about 120 feet!! Thanks for all your help, both personal and as a ZTherapy rep. Excellent quality and workmanship and good helpful tips and conversations. Please pass that on to the owners and staff. Some of the best money I've spent on the Z yet has been the carbs.

Thanks all! Zed, desire was always there, it's the money and time that, as usual, held me back. Mally002, all the pics I have are in my gallery, thru all the refresh. At least now I'll be able to take 'em in different settings.

Well, like the title says.................... Finally got the plates and registration and had her maiden voyage yesterday. What a blast! That bears repeating and amplifying.... What a frigging blast! Must have caused a couple near accidents and a dozen cases of whiplash. It got to be an incredibly fun game counting the number of heads that snapped around when I passed in the Z. You just don't see any on the road around here from all the winter road salt and the rust monster. I thought the 'A' tranny monkey-motion would be a lot worse to shift but quickly got the knack and it's not too bad. I can live with it for now. Wound it out to around 5K and got an initial cloud of gray smoke clearing the years of whatever was in the engine from just idling/revving in the garage. After that, nothing in subsequent revs. Pulls strong thru-out the range I ran her. No leaks or other nasty things from the mostly stock engine , ZTherapy SU's performed flawlessly. Have to get her a wheel alignment and replace a broken bolt in the rear suspension before I feel comfortable to really start 'pushing' it around the turns. Rides firm but not too harsh on the poly bushings, Eibachs and KYB's but seems to track really well despite alignment. Steering feels tight. A turn signal not recycling after a turn and other minor issues. Extra motivation now so Dave's parking light harness will FINALLY be installed since now I'll actually be able to experience the benefits. Headlights nice and bright from Dave's headlight relay but somehow forgot to adjust them and so had a really good look at the road 8 feet in front of me. Couple of turns of the screws and now I can actually see more of the road. Also have a few clunks and other noises I never heard before driving up and down the driveway , so I guess it's another list to investigate and solve. Want to thank the members here for all the support and info I've gotten. I'm sure I'll be asking again as I give her more 'shakedown' cruises in the future. Oh and BTW, What a frigging blast!

Bought faceplate from Retro-Sound (I believe part# RS-UNIVKT). $19.90 plus Shipping. Comes stock rectangle with trapezoidal cutouts for the 240Z. Haven't installed yet but looks like it might work. Has textured surface which looks better than my homemade plexiglass/painted one.

You might also want to look at your clutch pedal pivot point. On my '71 the hole is oblong from wear, not round as it should be. Takes a little more travel than it should before actually engaging. Still works but I plan on either putting in a bushing or having it filled with a weld and re-drilling.

Always loved the looks. Go for it!

OK, anybody buy these? The straight 'leg' of this rubber squeegee is too long to attach to the stainless trim piece (on my '71), even using the clips included with this purchase. It looks like the top line molded into the rubber would be the line to use to cut to the right size. This would mean cutting thru the rubber and metal reinforcing strip encapsulated within. Or is it just me? Did anyone else buy these and feel they had to cut them down to fit on the original stainless trim?

Yup, we all hate Dave! First, he has more Z's than I have. Second, hell of a nice guy to talk to. Third, he has the unmitigated nerve to offer reasonably priced goodies that fit perfectly, with excellent craftsmanship, by re-engineering and then improving on the 40 odd year-old electrical quirks in our beloved Z's. What ever happened to shoddy workmanship and poor design? If you like the headlight harness, try the parking light upgrade and the internally regulated alternator adapter. Both well worth the price for the improvement, quality and design. But don't tell Dave I told you.

Soak the heck out of it over a couple of days with PBlaster or Kroil and be patient. I've had better luck with a little pipe wrench (6" overall length) when the nut is rounded over. The more you turn, the tighter the grip. Never really used vise-grips on stubborn connectors. One other thing to watch out for is if the hard line is "welded' to the flare nut. Turning the rusted line/nut on my driver's side rear line wound up twisting and snapping the line. Keep a wrench on the other nut to make sure they don't twist in unison. If you can finally get the nut to move, only move it a little and then re-tighten. Loosen again while watching the hard line. If they move together keep working them back and forth while spraying more PBlaster on the connection until they free up. It'll save you from calling Roger at ZBarn and getting a replacement hard line. You also might want to just replace the S-shaped tube bridge. I believe still available from Nissan, remember paying about $12 per to replace.

try here, I asked the same question http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37494&highlight=eyeball

James, I feel your pain. Had her for about 6 years and haven't hit the street yet. driving up and down the driveway is getting really lame. But this spring......

Yup, it's weird but true. At least you noticed it before disassembly. Thought the same thing when I refurbed the rear suspension, reassembled driver's side in what looked like the correct position and then tried to reinstall. Inner contact points way off and had me scratching my head for a while trying to figure out what I screwed up.

Always assumed the jute was for padding, the 'tar' sheets stuck to the floor pans were for sound-deadening.

Dem, For Dutch as mother-language, your English is excellent. Welcome to probably the best site for Zcars you will find. If YOU are looking for the most 'fun' in a car, see if you can convince your wife to go for the 2 seater. After all, that's what grandparents are for, to watch the little one while you cruise with the wife. (not a knock on the 2+2's ). If it's a daily driver, then I agree with your wife (everybody can enjoy it from an early age). If it's your 'toy', go with a 240. Eventually, your child will grow up and what better experience can you have than to take them out and show them what fun the Z is.

I know how you feel. They are even prettier when you get them on, she cranks right up and runs like she's fuel injected. Best money I've spent on the Z.

Black Dragon shows the same rack for 70-73, $399 rebuilt. AutoZone shows the same rack for 70-73, $378 rebuilt. RockAuto shows the rack for a '71 for $297 - 83 (core) = $215 rebuilt. Nothing listed for a '70. If the first 2 are correct on the year span then the '70-'73 racks should be the same. IF (big if) that's correct, and IF (another not so big if) it was me, I'd bite the bullet and go for the rebuilt rack from Rock. Hopefully, all components are rebuilt and checked to be tight and within spec. If $75 right side (inner/outer kit) and $75 left side is accurate, I'd spend the extra $65 for a refurbed complete rack and pony up the extra cost of the outer tie rod ends. Do it once, and do it TOTALLY right means never having to return. Handle it once. Always had good dealings with RockAuto in regards to their parts if that's any consolation.

Zach, Back in post #25 you said you pulled the wire on #4 and nothing happened, pulled #2 and it died. If that's the case, you might only be running on 5 cylinders at that point. Pulling #4 should have also killed the engine or at least changed the idle quality. Have you checked the #4 wire and/or plug for fault? Quick way if you have a timing light is to clamp the light on each plug wire and look for a consistent spark while engine is sputtering. Might not be the whole problem, but could be contributing to poor idle.

I'm not a great plug reader and I could definitely be wrong but....., Plug 1 - closest to 'normal' Plug 2, 3, 5 and 6 - rich fuel or weak ignition Plug 4 - wet (oil/fuel/water, not firing??) Comp test looks ok in that all the cylinders are about the same pressure. Maybe try pulling #4 ignition wire and seeing if engine rpm changes (dead plug or bad wire?). If no change, suspect plug/wire/dist cap for spark. If you can afford, I highly recommend ZTherapy carbs. I had to wait about 2 years to save up, but hands down one of the best things you can spend your money on. Throttle shaft air leaks and other 'weird' conditions are totally taken out of the equation. More knowledgeable members, please correct my errors.

Sorry but the closest shop to you I've heard decent things about is Banzai Motorworks in Maryland. http://www.zzxdatsun.com/ Also love the Jag. Anyone who liked the early 60's Jags seems to love the Z. Enough similarity of form to allow a connection. Welcome to the site, you've come to a very friendly, knowledgeable place.

Softscrub with bleach and let dry in the sun.

Why not just recreate them out of some new hardboard/Masonite? Use the old one as a pattern, trace it out and go to town with a jig saw and sander. Coat with some polyurethane to increase the moisture resistance and call it a day.

Have you checked to make sure your choke isn't sticking? Make sure the nozzles are fully up. Are you running points or electronic?

Wire brush, brake cleaner or acetone and a little elbow grease and time always worked for me. Rinse off and a fresh coat of paint and you'll forget how crappy it looked before.

Bought mine based on the PO having done 'some' (completed but half-hearted) bodywork, new paint (to buy me time) and mechanicals to get it running. Never did bodywork (never devoted the time or effort) and rather enjoyed the mechanical and patient refresh aspect of working on cars. Have loved the Zcars since high school (a looooonnnngggg time ago). Be patient, take your time. If you can't afford to do it all at once, don't sweat it. Nibble at it, little bit as you can afford it. And remember to "handle it once". Do it right the FIRST time so you'll never have to touch it again. Don't forget (and actually relish) the WIAI (while I'm at it) and IMAW (I might as well) aspect of refreshing an old car. While you take apart something to fix it, you might as well refresh/fix/improve the other parts that are local to the fix. Been working on mine for 4-5 years and haven't hit the road yet (she IS going on the road this spring). Life does have a tendency to get in the way. Having said that, you've hit a great site with a lot of people with hands-on knowledge and an unusual willingness to share the knowledge and experience they've had working on these beauties. Welcome!

Don't you just love it when the gods smile on you and the easy fix works?