240ZX

Id swap my 1970 240Z in a second for a Jag XJ13!!!! Other than the impossible, I'll keep my Z. Tom

Marty, Your 240 looks terriffic!!! Much nicer than the run of the mill 350Z. Your 240 is very tastefully none. Tom

Chris, Welcome to the site and congrats on getting a Z! The questions you posted are certainly nothing new to folks buying these old beauties. Your same questions have been asked many many times. Remember how old these cars are! Your in luck, the archive files on this site (accessed via the search function) will address just about any issue you may encounter with your Z. Your not alone with these issues. Many other Z owners have also had to deal with them! So, prepare yourself for a bit of research reading. However, as a start......buy a factory service manual and do all the basic tune-up stuff first. Tom

The first time I saw Tod's 240 was at the 30th anniversary of the Z car in Las Vegas 2000. I was certainly inspired by his Z. Tom

Just a heads-up if contemplating the use of 280ZX half shafts in this conversion! The passanger side is no problem but the drivers side will have to be shortened by 0.500" in order for it not to bind under full compression....it's too long in stock form and will bind. It's a relatively easy mod for any good machinist......just don't loose any of the ball spacers during disassembly....they are no longer available. If you have questions about this mod, send me a PM. Tom

Just happen to be watching the REDLINE show last night and they were covering a SPORCOM event (sport compact tuner car show) here in SoCal. As the camera was panning over the event cars I see a shot of Tod Kaneko's orange 240Z.....I was highly surprised to see one of our fellow Z car lover's car at the event. To top that off, a little later in the show they did a short feature on Tod's Z. The commentator mentioned that although it is a 70s vintage car, it is as spectaular as any of the current tunner cars. Very nice to see a 30+ year old car is still very exciting! Did anyone else see the show? Tom

If your intent is to use it as a race car, first decide what class you are going to compete in! Then aquire a current rule book for that class and let it dictate what will be required as far as safety upgrades and what is allowed in the modification department. If I were you, I'd definitely have the chassis completely inspected for structural integrity! Safety first!!! Tom

Thanks for sharing Gregg.....great pics! Tom

At least, the tail light lenses look worth saving! Other than that, it's another case of the rust monster winning. Tom

I'd say for your final assembly, use a new head gasket....why risk using a used one! Tom

Mike, K&N has a filter/breather for the lower vent tube as well.....IIRC, I got mine from MSA. Look at my avatar...just above the ignition coil. Tom

Drill or grind out spot welds!

Man, I used to think I had a pretty low VIN # (2126) but, when I see VIN #s of 26, 27, and 721 I just have to say WOW!!! Tom

A couple of spots to check, that I discovered to be rattle problems on my 70. The door release handle and or the concave black plastic bezel just behind it. Both of them, passenger side, were doing the rattle deal until I finally figiured where exactly the noise was coming from.....sometimes hard to figure out while driving solo. Just a thought anyway! Tom

Neil, Welcome aboard and enjoy! Regarding information on these old Zs we own, there is a wealth of info stashed away in our archives on just about anything you might be interested in. Using the search function rewards those who use it. This site has a great group of friendly people, who are always willing to share! Tom

Taking a personel look at it would be the ticket! Having someone very familiar with the usual rust problem areas could inspect it and relay the info on if it is a real deal or just another fresh paint job over an old rusty chassis. Tom

Are you trying to hint that a V8 is in the future? Tom

I think in this case, "restored" referers to putting it back in storage (re-storing)!! Looks to be a $2200.00 seller to me! Lot-O-Rust for sure and likely everything else is worn out as well....just my gut feeling. Tom

IIRC, the only lever than comes to mind is the the one that attaches from the breaker plate assembly to the vaccum advance diaphram. If so, has it become disconnected?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaahh, but the day they are put back on the road and driven makes it all worth it. I remember questioning my sanity from time to time during my 240 rebuild and as most have experienced the way one's wallet continues to loose gerth. Yeh, it was certainly an exercise in patients and fortituned.....but all the pain is now gone and the pleasure abounds each time I take drive in the 240. Tom

Nice choice of color, I must say!!! I'm guessing the antisipation of getting her back on the road is killing you about now!?. Tom

Did they ever make a 2+2 Scarab? And if it's been made a convertable, it would likely need some chassis stiffening. Tom

Arne, Something additional to consider! I added two aluminum straps, one on each side spaced approximately 30" to 36" apart, that run from the leading edge of the spoiler up to the lower face panel. I actully seemed to feel a bit more stability at speed. I'm sure you've seen this sort of spoiler reinforcement. The spoiler is now very rigidly mounted but, not to stout that it wouldn't rip away under inpact. The reasoning behind the strap is....if I can easily flex the spoiler downward by hand, it is certainly going to flex downward at speed. Wish I had a pic to show! Tom

I've actually had those seats in my Z many years ago...comfortable seats by the way! The only issue I had with them was you wind up sitting too high in the cockpit, even if you mount them without sliders. I'm 5' 10" tall. The problem lies with the way the seat is constructed. Take a look at the stock seats and you can see how the butt cushion is a suspended design...allowing your butt to actually sink below the sliders. On most after market seats, they use a shell design where the butt cushion is limited to compression by the shell....which is just slightly above the sliders. However, there are a few entry level racing seats (Sparco, Momo, etc., etc.) that use the suspended butt cushion design....allowing a seating position similar to the stock seats. I finally chose the Sparco "Sprint" seats because they use the suspended design. The "Sprint" seats have no tilt back adjustment...fixed angle but by using spacers on the mounting points, you can angle them to a position you are happy with. Hope this helps you a bit! Tom

There is a positive side, regarding people who insist on using their cell phones, to talk or text, while driving....what ever experience they think they might possess or how ever safe they think they are! It's bound to decrease the number of idiots in the gene pool!!! I'm quessing you have all heard of the "Darwin Awards"......well, for folks that continue to exercise their right to be irresponsible and inconsiderate of others, they may just end up listed in the Darwin Award files. The negative side of this is.....the idiots are bound to take a few smart folks along with them! Tom