BD240Z

Galaxy, I always ask to see the Title for any used car I buy before I make an offer. I'm looking for any inconsistencies and to confirm the numbers match. I also want to see who's name the title is in before I hand over the cash. If they balk at me seeing the Title, I usually head the other way. Good luck with your decision! Bruce

That's a good point! You need to remove that splash guard to get at the filler tube. I just recently installed mine and attached all the fuel/emission hoses to the tank prior to lifting it into place. I attached the fuel filler tube last and didn't have any problems and my hands are big. It took a little finagling but I got it to work. Also, you might want to clean and tighten the electrical ground connection at the rear of the car before you put the tank back in. Good ludk with your car! Bruce

Mark, This probably answers your question about transferring the internals from one ignition into another. I can't say either way because I've never tried to have it done but I trust what 26th is claiming above. Fortunately, the cost to re-key is reasonable. I've been in your shoes with parts when it comes to the early 240Z and it can be frustrating. It gets compounded when a Sales rep doesn't always know the truth. Good luck with your car! Bruce

I have a 1986 944 N/A, and the 280Z I just sold was quicker than it was. If the 944 is a turbo, you won't beat it. I'm not sure how my 944 will stack up against my 240Z. I'll know sometime in January :cheeky: The 944 corners better than any car I've ever owned and it has an old, stock suspension. What it lacks in the straight-aways, it makes up for in the corners.

I have a number of small cracks around the mounting holes on mine as well. I've used JB Weld in the past on similiar panels with sucess and it's my plan to repair the 240Z panels the same way. I'll do just like you've said, scuff the backside of the panel with some 60 grit sandpaper then apply the JB Weld. I think fibreglass resin with some mat or cloth would definately be strong enough, getting it to stick to the plastic might be the challenge. Maybe someone else has a slick method they've been sucessful with. Good luck with your car! Bruce

Mark, Here's a picture of the one that came on my 1970 and a new one I got from VB. Obviously the mounting holes are different but the spade connection pattern appears to be the same. I'm not sure where you can get a new ignition switch for the early 240 ignition. You may have to buy a new ignition for your car. Bruce

Very, very nice! I like the color scheme with the hood, bullet mirrors, bumpers and the spoiler being black. Nice job on shaving the emblems also. It's nice to go back and look at the pictures to remind yourself of how far the car has come. Way to go!!! Bruce

Bring some suntan lotion:classic: You couldn't have picked a better time to move here, the weather is terrific. The summer heat has left and we've recaptured the outdoors. Houses and cars get worked on, people are outside enjoying themselves. For next year, consider getting your car's cooling system tuned-up in preparation for summer. If done by a mechanic, do it in the early spring when the shops are not as busy. If your car has AC, get that checked as well. Tinted windows on the car is a must and get a sunscreen for the dashboard. Many underestimate the summer heat. What part of town will you be living/working in? Have you found a house yet? If not, try to get a house with north/south exposure and some trees on the west side to avoid as much of the late day sun as possible. Next summer, just keep telling yourself it's a dry heat and you'll be fine. Welcome to the Valley of the Sun!!! Bruce

Reading/watching this unfold reminded me of the "social experiments" we discussed in college. If left unattended, I believe some of us would end up arguing. This is a pleasant website to visit, the members are sincere and thoughtful in their responses. For me, the value here is gaining/sharing information, I come here to gain information regarding an issue with my car or share an experience. I believe that almost all responses are meant to be helpful. Those that are less knowledgeable don't have as much insight or experience as others but their input has as much value as anyone elses. They're trying to be helpful! To grade their input smacks of some sort of superiority. If anyone here looks up to any of the members because they know alot about 30 year old cars needs to have a conversation with the guy/gal in the mirror. And while we're at it, why are some so quick to point out, "that was discussed before, try using the search engine". It's very possible that someone has something new to add. I believe every nuance of these cars has been discussed at some point so if we didn't entertain redundant questions, we'd be left reviewing a new paint job, the latest 240Z up for bid on ebay or the pictures from the latest Z Car shindig. I agree with Zedrally on the value of this new feature. It also reminds me of the feedback system on Ebay. Now I want everyone to give me a bad reputation!!!

Congratulations on the new ride, post some pictures when you get the chance. Good luck with your car! Bruce

The only Series 1 ashtray I've ever seen in person is the one for my car. On mine, the handle and the lid are molded as one piece. Until now, all the versions I've seen on ebay have looked just like the one I have. I suspect someone has tried to take the "wood look" to another level. I'll give them credit, in the picture it looks professionally done. I think I'll be leaving mine alone though, I like the way it looks as is:) Bruce

I used a product called "Quiet Car" in my 280Z and the results were impressive. It comes in 5 gallon pails and is applied with a brush. I did the complete inside floor and the insides of the doors. When I was finished, the doors shut with a solid thunk and the road/engine/exhaust noise was cut way down. The only drawback is that it does not self level and has an uneven surface when dried. This didn't matter in the 280 because the floor carpet is secured and the floor would never be seen. I've already used Evercoat's Q-Pads for the floors in my 240Z but I'll use the Quiet Car in the doors and any other cavities I can reach with a brush. More info can be found here www.quietcar.net Bruce

If you have a local Powdercoater, check out their stock colors. When I was having my suspension pieces done I noticed the orange color below and compared it to the existing paint on my air-cleaner, my eyes couldn't tell any difference. They sandblasted and powdercoated the air-cleaner for $50, their min lot charge. Bruce

Joe, It could be a number of things. The first things that came to mind was either the ignition switch or loose/corroded wiring connection(s), maybe even the starter. Consider spending a few dollars and getting the Haynes Manual, (Autozone, Checkers, Napa, etc.). It has wiring diagrams as well as troubleshooting sections. Also, try using the search function here, you'll find good info on tracking down problems. Welcome to the Forum and good luck with your car! Bruce

I bought seat-covers and foam from CD but have yet to do anything with them. I'm impressed by the quality of the materials and stitching but I'm having doubts about installing them myself. I'd like really firm seats and the thinking goes that an upholstery shop would definately get better results. Good luck with your car.

I called the guy, it's #2387, this car is at a dealership. He had no idea why the ad says #00001. He claims the car is in pretty good shape, nice paint, interior, no rust, etc. There are no records regarding the mileage or maintenance.

It's called a "Connector Pipe", PN 11830-E3000 or 11830-E4600 if I'm reading the fiche correctly. Gary, my pipe is two into one. There's a nipple for the 1/4" hose connection to the Flow Guide Valve. You're right about the size being bigger, I think the pipe is probably closer to 1" ID.

Jeff, My car also had this metal tube cut by the PO but fortunately for me it was still connected by a hose and clamp to the piece sticking out of the block. Its an emissions hose. Here's a picture of where the hose ends up. Its the one marked "Goodyear, 1/4, 6.4mm" Hope this helps. Bruce

When I pulled my engine, I took the head off first and then lowered the block onto a dolly underneath the car. I used an engine hoist to get the block back into the car using a chain and some new grade-8 bolts. When I dropped off my block for rebuilding, the machinist used a sturdy chain and some grade-8 bolts tightened down by hand. The bolts went into the sides of the block. When I asked about it, he claimed thats how they lift all of them, just use the right bolts. This is where I got the idea. Good luck with your car.

Any stenciling on mine was eaten away by corrosion many moons ago.

Thanks everyone for all the positive feedback! Enigma, I had the plating done by a local shop, it's yellow zinc per the ASTM spec. Good call on the valve cover, I had it sand-blasted and clear coated. ddezso, I plan on getting involved with the Desert Z Association as soon as I'm on the road. I'm not familiar with the Scottsdale Pavilions Car Show though, can you PM me with the details, thanks. I plan on getting the picture history of the work uploaded here and will probably get that done soon. MDBrandy, I was LUCKY that my air injection system was complete and functional, otherwise I'd be searching for those parts also. Not all of the air injection parts were plated. I was concerned that the chemicals in the plating baths would make the parts unservicable so I used high temp gold & clear paint. I wish I had had the fuel rail and the air galley tube plated and I'll probably do that sometime in the future. 7T1240, it has been expensive and I figured 10K to get it done so I'll be in under budget. I was lucky that the car was complete and I didn't have to run down too many parts. I don't count my time because it's a labor of loveLOL AZ-240Z, I live in north/central Phoenix and it would be great to have another Z fan look at the car. I'd like to see your car as well, you rarely see another early Z on the road here. I'll send you a PM with my phone number, maybe we can get together soon. Bruce

Here's an update on the 240Z I bought earlier this summer. I've been able to spend a fair amount of time getting to where I'm at, with so much more to go. I stripped the car down to the metal shell to address any rust issues. I sandblasted the inner floors and the bottom of the car to assure a clean surface to work with. Even with plastic curtains, sand went everywhere in my garage, I'm pretty sure I won't ever do that again! The floors looked pretty good and the amount of welding required was minimal. After grinding the welds, I did the Marine Clean, Metal Ready & Por 15 routine. I applied 3 coats of Por-15 to the inside floors, trans tunnel, firewall, inside of the rocker panels and the bottom of the floors. I used Ti-Coat primer and then sprayed acryllic enamel on top of that. I also sprayed POR into the frame rails. I'm not sure about the coverage, but I wanted to do something. For sound deadening I used Evercoat's Q-Pads and covered the complete inside of the cabin area. It's like a big jigsaw puzzle, this stuff was really easy to work with, I hope it works well. At this point I also have the suspension, brakes and engine done. I had the suspension sandblasted and powder-coated so everything looks nice and clean. Most of the components are stock, shocks are KYB. Brake system is completely new with the exception of the master cylinder and the lines. The MC on there looked pretty good, I took it apart and the cylinder wall was perfect and the rubber was nice and pliable. We'll see how that works out:paranoid: I had the engine rebuilt by a local shop that I've used before, total cost was $1,300. I had to assemble the head to the block, this helped save a few dollars plus I wanted to be able to say I put some of it together. I got a set of Z Therapy carbs, they sure are nice. Today was a milestone for me, I was finally able to start the car and perform the initial engine break-in, I was relieved when the car fired right up. I did the 2,000 rpm's for 30 minutes routine to start seating the rings. I purchased a carpet set, seat covers, seat foam and a firewall insulator from Classic Datsun Really nice stuff, I'm impressed by the quality. From here I need to finish the body and paint. I have all the panels off the car and will paint it in pieces. After that I'll re-assemble the interior and get the car on the road. It's been alot of work and I routinely go back and look at the many pictures I took during disassembly that show the original condition of the car, it helps keep me going. My oldest son is 15 and he's helped me most of the time, that aspect of this job has been really enjoyable. Other updates to follow. My goal is to have car done by the end of the year, wish me luck:)

Kurt, Congratulations to your nephew! I'd be interested in seeing the car in person if possible. If so, send me a PM or let me know how I can get in contact with you. Thanks.

The wheels AND the car both look nice, congratulations! I have the same wheels and they're in pretty bad shape so I'll be following your lead and will have them sandblasted and painted as well. Hopefully they turn out as nice as yours. Good luck with your car.

I just sold my Black Pearl a few months ago on Ebay for $5,600, (pictures below). I went through the whole car and it was in awfully nice shape. The ONLY reason I sold it was because I bought the 240Z in my avatar. I miss having a Z car to drive and look forward to getting the 240 on the road. Anyway, this is only one car and one sales price but it might give you some idea what yours might be worth.