240ZX

Craig, Regarding the change in appearance on the ceramic coated headers. When I was getting ready to purchase mine I asked a good friend of mine, who used to race Trophy Trucks for Ford, how does the finish stand up to time? He told me he has been using this coating for many years on his race trucks and that it does dull some what (just like you guys described). He also said that after it does change it should stay that way and not get any worse. So, I went ahead and purchased them. Personally, I think that besides the anti-corrosion benifit, the lower under hood temp warrants using the coating. I believe that JET-HOT touts that the coating reduces radiated heat by 40%. Anyway, I'm very happy with the coating, even with the extra cost. I would do it again!!!

Victor, Thanks for moving my post. I just got the scoop on posting from Carl. Regarding the balance tube...Mine is the original assembly from my 1970 with the brake-vac fitting out the back however, it did have all the extra bosses for the smog stuff. So, I went though the exercise of grinding, filing, welding, more filing, and then polishing. Lots of effort but great results. Thanks for all the input guys! P.S. What a great website

I've got a question for you all. Regarding the balance tube assembly on a 1970, is it the only balance tube assembly that has the fitting for the brake-vac line that point toward the firewall, as opposed to point up? I'm just curious, because most of the ones I see point up. Mine actually comes srtaight out the back of the balance tube. The vintage of my Z is....1970, mfg date 3/70, s/n 02126. Please help us older guys. P.S. Stay young, as getting old holds no future! Unless you own a seires one Z of course.

Ha Gavin, Have you ever seen this Z (the one with stripes) in person? If it's the one I think it is, the body work and paint are outstanding. I saw it at the Las Vegas convension back in 2000. All the seams are filled, the rain gutters removed, and the picture of the woman on the underside of the hood is cool if you like that sort of stuff. Anyway the owner was telling me he had a load of $$$ into the body/paint. P.S. What's with the CRX anyway. Nice daily driver a suppose!

Hi Bruce! How's life in BC? well I hope. Regarding your question on the value of the 1973 240Z. It is of my opinion only but, I would say the purchase price would depend upon it's over all condition, other than the minor rust you described which is common. Is it running well, have good brakes, have no signs of impending failures, etc., etc. Also, how bad do you really want this Z, what will you be doing with it (restoration work?), and how available are these early cars currently? If you can post some pics of the Z in question, I'm sure you will get some good feedback from the great group of people here on this site. However, if the Z is in pretty good shape and is a decent driver then $2500.00 might be a fair price. It's just to hard to say without at least seeing the car. So, post some pics. Aaa, good luck Bruce 240ZX (Tom in SoCal)

Tourniqet, To get the wheels to fit within the stock wheelhouse you will first have to use a coilover setup with a 8" free-length spring. The rear wheels I purchased ( I got them used ) have an offset of 35mm, so I had to fabricate custom spacers to aquire the correct position. Mind you, I have about 1/8" clearance between the inside edge of the rear wheel and the strut. It took some calculating to get it right the first time. But, as you can see it turned out well with no rubs anywhere. I forgot to mention that all my struts have been shortened 1 1/2". This is not required but by doing so you will have better usable shock travel with a lowered car. The rear tire size is 235-40 x 17 however, I've seen this setup using 245-45 x 17 with no problems. Clearances on this setup are very close. Hope this answers your inquirey. Respectfully, 240ZX

Well, The fuel pressure gauge is a Mallory 3 port (one return line to the tank). The fuel lines I made up myself from SS tubing. The electric fan was purchased from Motorsport Auto (see their cataloge). It was really fun redoing my Z, but it's much much more fun to drive!!! I never knew a Z could corner so well...and its only a street car. Can you believe the paint job, it's the only thing I didn't address. It's the same paint that was on it when I got the car, over 20 years ago. Of course it has always lived in a garage too! If you ever need advice on your project, feel free to inquire and I will assist you if I can. Thanks for the kudo's

Tourniqet, I have coilovers on all four corners, 10" free length springs up front and 8" free length springs in the rear. My wheels are 17 x 8 up front and 17 x 9 in the rear. Tires are 215-40 x 17 front and 235-40 x 17 rear. I can assure you they do not rub any where! I've seen guys with the same wheel setup as mine with even bigger tires......generally, 225-45 x 17 front and 245-45 x 17 rear. If you visit my gallery you can view my setup on my 240. The lowest part of my 240 is at 3 3/4" above the road surface. Mind you, I don't drive through shopping centers with speed bumps!!! Anyway, this setup has been successfully done by many z owners. Good luck with your adventure. Hope this helps you out a little.

The reason one would not want to use copper lines for fuel lines is safety!!! Copper lines are pretty much in an annealed state (soft) and when subjected to movement and vibration, over a period of time, they will work harden (get brittle) and fail. A failure is likely to happen on or near where the line becomes flared, for a fastener. So do yourself a favor and use an appropriate steel fuel line.

If you have the stock fuel system, you definitely need to have an operational return line. Fuel pressure is regulated by that little rectangular block at the rear of the fuel lines that run next to the cam cover. It has a small metering hole that provides the correct resistance to maintain approximately 4 psi to your SU's. The fuel that passes through the metered hole returns to the tank through the return line. If the return line is blocked, you will have too high a pressure at your SU's, resulting in probable float bowl overflow, because the needles and seat are not designed to handle much more than about 6 psi. The newer the needle and seats, the more pressure they will hold. Anyway, you need to get that return line unplugged or replaced. It should not be a very difficult exercise. Hope this helps you out a little....good luck!

Mike, I've seen this car at a couple of shows and it is definitely a nice 280Z!!! I, myself, am not to keen on the overall styling, but that's just my taste. However, if the styling is pleasing to you, you may want to go check this one out. The best part is, is that it's all done........OK, everyone knows these toys are never really done!

Jason, Very nice job!!! Viewing your site takes me back to when I was redoing my 1970 240Z. Oh, the memories........ Sure is all worth it though, when its a driver again. I know what you mean about friends asking if its done yet.....do they think these cars just redo themselves over night?!! Anyway, your Z looks great. ENJOY!!!!

BillD, The shaft that is between the oil pump and the distributor, has a gear on it that needs to be timed to the crankshaft so that your distributor is in the correct position (factory position) when all is assembled. On this gear, there is a little dimple that should face toward the front of the engine, when the engine is in the #1 TDC. So put the engine at #1 TDC first. If you have a repair manual, it will give you the exact details of the dimple position. Basically, you install the shaft on the end of the oil pump and rotate the shaft until the dimple is facing forward and then slide the assembly (oil pump & shaft with gear) up into the engine. When installing the pump/shaft, it is very easy to install it one tooth off. This is because the gears are helico and rotate slightly when they begin to meshtogether. You may have to do it a couple of times to get the distributor in the correct position. By the way, pull your distributor out before installing the pump/shaft. After the pump is in, then put your distributor back in. If you have timed the shaft correctly, the distributor will be correct also. I hope this all makes sences and will help you out. Have patients and good luck.

If I remember correctly, you will need new cam followers for your new cam, as the old followers have taken a set (worn to match) to the old cam. New followers, would mean new rockers. The actual follower is the part on the rocker that bears against the cam lobes. Maybe someone else here will confirm this information.

The last time I checked, about two years ago, they are no longer available new. I was going to replace mine because it was less than perfect, but had to use it because I could not locate a new one. So, if you run across one.....grab it up. If not, you may try refurbishing your old one. Good luck! By the way, mine is a 1970.

I would be very interested in buying the ash-tray! What do you want for it?

I'm not familiar with the twister, but it looks like a nice unit. However, it does specify that it's a race muffler, intended to reduce noise levels at a race track. You have to wonder if it would be quite enough for street use. If you install them, let us all know how they sound. Good luck!

White94cam, I don't mean to be rude, but do 240's look like drag cars??? I think not! Do they look like sports cars that go around corners well??? Affirmative!!!

Xargon321, That flat nut they describe is the knurled knob, with a ball bearing, you have at the bottom of your carbs. You may want to check your float adjustments before you move forward. Once you have played with your SU's a little, you will begin to see how easy they really are! By the way, do you have a UNI-SYNC to balance the carbs air flow? If not, buy one. Pretty inexpensive at most auto parts stores. Good luck!