240ZX

Rob, Welcome to the site! Correct me if I'm wrong but, are the wheels you are talking about the same as the wheels that were put on the Z early cars by the dealerships only in 14"? If so, you may want to look through the members gallery for examples. I haven't seen any in 15"x 7", only 14"s. With the 15"s, to maintain the desired tire diameter, you would likely use a lower profile tire. But take a look through the gallery.

I'll agree that the stut tower braces certainly help, which I have installed as well but, I added a SCCA approved rollbar (Autopower) and it also decreased the flex in the rear of the chassis beyond what the stut tower braces added.

I believe it will come out without disassembly of the U-joint. Even if the U-joint won't (and I think it will) pass through the firewall, the lower half is splined to the upper half and will slide out as you remove the steering wheel colum. Any help?

All other things considered......if you plan on speeds over 100 mph (especially 170 mph) you had better do your research on an aero package for your Z. In stock body trim, the Z becomes very unstable as the car attempts to fly...actually it just becomes very light. You may also consider talking to some racers, with experience at high speeds, and find out what is involved in preparing a Z car for the kind of speeds you want to obtain. One thing for sure...make sure you are running equipment (tires included) that can handle the high speed. We don't want to read about your fatal accident in the papers. And......TAKE IT TO THE TRACK, FOR GOD'S SAKES!!!

It's at the flywheel....151 HP for the 240Z & 170 HP for the 280Z. To date, I don't think any auto manufacture lists RWHP. A trip to a local dyno shop will take care of that issue!

axefreak, Are we scarring you yet? Lots of sound advice from our members....as always! Believe me, and I think others may agree, once it's all said and done and your driving around in your sweet looking Z, you will forget all about how much was spent to get it there. Bottom line is....you REALLY gotta want to do it and then make the sacrifice for the time and effort it will take.

Nice location for the fuel in! Certainly shows some good fabrication skills....just a poor choice in flavor:sick:

That's funny!!! I busted out laughing when I read your post. Crap, I can see it now.....I get pulled over because I look suspicious in my red Z car! Great, one more thing to attract the authorities attention.

I would start by doing research on the entire process of restoration. Wick Hubble (I think thats his name) has a book that will help you get a good idea of whats involved. Once you have a good idea of what is involved you can put together a plan of attack and for sure have a budget. Most guys who have gone through this exercise will tell you....if your estimate is let's say $10K, double it!!! This is not a cheep adventure when done well. As mentioned previously, start with the chassis......body work/paint, suspension, brakes, fuel system, electrical, drive train, etc, etc. The interior can be done last, as all other steps will cause alot of dust dirt and debris that will F up the new interior stuff. Regarding the plan of attack, you may also want to consider any upgrades you may want to do....basically, how do you plan to use your Z! One thing for sure is, stay focused on the end result and don't get frustrated. If you do, walk away. No sense in jury rigging or short cutting. Hope this helps you out a little and good hunting...I mean good luck! And of course, help is always a keyboard away.

Have you called MSA with your questions? I would think they might know!

Do you own a factory shop manual? If not, invest in one you won't regret it!

The Z and the wheels look great! Now don't take this personally, but man you have alot of space between the tires and fender well openings. Of course this is just my opinion, but if your Z was lowered at least and inch it would look closer to awsome! Take a look at my photo gallery and you will understand my point of view.

I agree with Bart....go to a real driveline shop. Any reputable driveline shop will have no problems repairing your driveshaft. Shoot, for less than the price they quoted you, I had a complete new driveshaft made up...better balanced and stronger that the stock unit. Again, find a good shop. In the Las Vegas area I would think this would be no problem, especially with all the off-road events that take place there! Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

I would think your best bet would be to go to a Triumph site and ask these questions! The installation of coilovers is pretty generic however, the positioning of the threaded sleeve on the strut tube is likely different than what we use on the Z's....and depending on wether or not the strut tube has been sectioned, sleeve positioning will vary.

I suppose for $600.00 it would be worth getting. I always have to laugh when a seller states that their Z has no rust! Especially when in the photos they've posted, it is clear that it has rust....hummmm? :stupid: Are these people full of bull dodo...I mean they obviously haven't even looked at their own photos. I just can't imagine finding an early Z with zero rust, unless the car had been maticulously cared for and kept out of the elements...in which case the price of the Z would certainly reflect that fact. But again, for $600.00 it's surely worth it.

There have certainly been many SR20 & RB conversions, and sticking with a Nissan engine is not anything new for the Nissan purists. But my feelings are; once you yank the L6 out of the Z, it has lost some of its original personality! Please don't get me wrong, I'm not apposed to anyone stuffing in whatever sort of engine they wish, I was just agreeing that the lowest cost per horse power is a SBC conversion! Additionally, I don't think the Nissan chassis cares or even knows what engine sits within.....only the owner really cares. The only negative thing I can think of by stuffing in a Nissan V6 is complying with the current smog nazi's.

Chris, If it feels like the throttle is trying to stick open under full pedal down accelleration, it may be a broken or worn out engine mount isolator. If the left hand insulator (engine mount) has failed, it will allow the engine to torque to the right. With the design of the early Z throttle linkage, in conjunction with a failed LH engine mount, the throttle will be forced to the full open position. Not a fun thing to have happen during a tense situation. I had this happen to me years ago. I replaced the engine mount.....problem gone! Just a thought!

You got to remember, the L6 engine is over 30 years olds in design. You will definitely want to address the head gasket and studs. Just about any mod can be done to an engine, but that doesn't mean it is the right thing to do...speaking about the SR20 engines! There is always a price to pay for performance.....the more you squeeze out of it, this shorter it's life will be. Extreme example; whats the run life of a AA/F dragster......maybe a minute if your lucky! I quess it's just a matter of what and how you want to do it....and of course how much time and $$$ you want to through at it.

I agree! I think if you are looking for horsepower (lots of it), you can get the best bang for the buck by doing a SBC conversion. Be advised however, once you wander into the relm of over 300 HP in an early Z, you want to consider addressing the stiffness of the chassis, the strength of the drivetrain components, and the efficiencey of your brakes (to slow the beast down). JTR has conversion kits available for the SBC. It all a matter of time and $$$.

Always learn to use the search function, to check out the hundreds of posts that have been made on just about any subject you can think of on a Z car. It's likely been addressed at one time or another. If you don't find enough info here, try looking at HybridZ. They have tons of info on this subject, and alot more. Happy hunting!

Garth makes a good point! You should be more concerned about the overall condition of the car and not where it came from. The seller may be using this line as a sales point as typically California and Arizona cars are subjected to less harsh conditions as occur on the east coast. However, I've seen California cars that were rust buckets because the owner lives at the beach and parks the car outside in the weather. Check the usual areas on the car that are prone to rust....under the battery tray, rocker panels, floor boards, hatch area, etc., etc. Also, look under the car for possible damage to the chassis....basically, is it straight. Just some food for thought!

Just a technical note.....the SUs are a side draft carbs, not a down draft.

Since neither of you mentioned filters.....It's highly recommended to use filters in a fuel system.....one pickup filter between the tank and pump and one filter (fine element) just before the regulator.