Ricklandia

Excellent point. For those unfamiliar with IRC, think of it as a LIVE GROUP CHAT and nothing more (not entirely true as you can use it to exchange files, but basically it is for live chat)

Gentlemen, thank you very much! I'm sure others will appreciate the list as well. I'm actually still waiting for my car to arrive, it's yet again delayed in transit (from the previous owner). It's been a full 10 days now and I feel like a kid before XMas, only XMas keeps getting delayed! AGH!

Has there been an interest in setting up a "Classic Z Car" IRC room? I've used IRC for years, mostly for computer sim racing leagues (anyone else out there into this?) and find it very useful. I'm not so sure that it would be that used in this group too often though, but if a room is setup, I'll add it to my list.

Hmmm... I'll have to take you word on it. I've tried VB (none), Too Intense (none), MSA (none online - gotta order a catalog). Been watching EBay and haven't seen one (~month), checkin out the classified but havent seen one thier either. Maybe just bad timing. It's not critical as the lens I have will do for now, but I would like to get it replaced eventually. I'll keep lookin - thx

Yes, the '73. The "Euro" lights are easy enough to find, but I would really prefer the US lenses. My '73 is red and the all red lenses look much "cleaner" IMHO. I haven't been boneyard shopping for one yet, but old Zed's are rare enough around here, I dont think I'll have much locally.

I'll accept that. Personally, I feel much the same way - I'm definitely what you'd call an "old school" kinda guy. That being said, I do like the look of driving lights (if done properly) as well as thier added functionality. Think '71 thru '73 Datsun Rally efforts!

Okay, gotta break down and ask... Can't seem to find a source for a rear tailight lenses (240Z) anywhere. I've seen the "euro" versions (steep price IMHO) but I would actually prefer the US spec lenses (all red). It's becoming clear to me that no one has them new, but I cant seem to find a source for used or remanufactured either. Been keeping my eyes peeled on EBay with no luck. Any suggestions?

hehe - 240zis4me Easy there mate, we're all just having a little fun. Working on automobiles can be both the greatest joy and your worst nightmare, we've ALL been there before. If I remember right, your original question was whether or not to pull the trim off the windows before painting. The answer to this is, it depends. If you want to do it the "correct way", then I would say definitely yes. "Correct" meaning if you want to do a total body color change, or a thorough restoration, then you should definitely pull it before spraying the car. Unfortunately I cant give any pointers on that as I am not inclined to do body work (ie I suck at it). However, if you're not changing the color of the car, or you're doing just spot painting I see no reason to pull the trim. I'm sure to get flamed for that, but not everyone (myself included) has unlimited funds to work on our cars/toys. Give it a day, let all the comedians have thier fun and then I'm sure some of the guys with bodywork/paint experience will step in and give some advice. One of the very reasons I don't attempt tackling bodywork is for that very reason. I have virtually zero professional training/experience at it, and as old as these cars are it is very frustrating to bend/warp/mutilate a piece or part that is hard to find. I am guessing that pulling off the trim is not that difficult (no special tools) but if one of the bodywork guys has a tip (how to get it off without ruining it) I'm sure they'll chime in.

HEHEHE I agree, don't feel bad. I put a single plane intake manifold on my (old) GTO years ago and got the timing 180 degrees off. Wouldn't start, wouldn't start... so I'm sniffin around the carb thinkin it was a fuel problem when I had my bro turn the motor over. A two foot flame backfired out the carb and damn near fried my hair off (it was just a bit longer then!). Well, after the smoke (my hair) cleared, I realized what I'd done. Oh, the fun of shadetree mechanics!

Just a thought along this thread.... I am surprised at the near complete absence of "auxillary" lighting on Z cars (fog,driving,etc). Personally, I like the look of a nice set of Hella's, it gives any car a taste of "rally". I've thought about adding some to the new drive when it arrives, but I have seen so very few I am beginning to wonder why? I know the original alt. doesn't exactly pump out the juice at a prodigious rate, but surely it should be enough for a decent set of driving lights. No?

http://datsunprojects.org/zpaintcodes/pc/638Black2l.jpg Here's an example

<----My old 260Z (black one over here) had gold pinstriping (vinyl) on it when I bought it. Of course, that was 20 years ago, not TOO far out of the 70's when pinstriping was... cool? I hated it. First week I had the car, I got out a hairdryer to warm up the stuff and off it came. If you heat it up enough, it will peel off without ruining the paint. Believe it or not, I took the ENTIRE faux-woodpanel vinyl material off my old Jeep Grand Wagoneer using the same method. It took me a few weekends to do as the vinyl was REALLY in bad shape, but in the end, it looked great!. The only problem I had was that the paint underneath all of that vinyl was in better condition than the rest of the Wagon!

Just to chime in here - I may be in need of some new balljoints on a '73 240Z if anyone knows a source to find them? I haven't started looking hard yet, but I remember seeing a thread somewhere that they are no longer available at dealerships/parts stores.

Understood. Would I assume correctly that the "Tuna-can" units were developed to comply with new(er) US emmision standards? I guess the logic of all this is that were I to have a need to work on these carbs, I would in fact be looking at Hitachi carbs and not true (British) SU carbs.

Early 240's are said to have the "SU" carbs, and the '73-74's (early) had the "flat-top or square" Hitachi's, correct? So... were the '70-'72 carb true SU's or were they in reality Hitachi '"clones" of the original SU design?

EBay? AFAIK, Appliance has been out of business for quite some time. Talk to me when you're ready, I "might" just be talked into swapping them for a nice set of Panasports or Konig/Watanabe's :classic:

The internet is a wonderful thing... http://www.prirace.com/induction.htm These are complete setups for the Spitfire/GT6 (very similar in size/power to the L24) but I'm sure that they could be easily adapted to the Z. Price is pretty steep, but these guys look as if they've been doing this for quite some time and could be a valuable resource.

Cant say for sure till it arrives but I am reasonably sure that those are standard bolt ons. It is coming with the original 5 slots as well. Not sure what I wanna do with those yet, maybe trade out for some parts it needs.

Lovin this thread! You obviously have put alot of thought into this, if you continue on I hope you can document everything to share you progress with us all. The "wow" factor on this is... hypnotic! :knockedou

Tomo, My new baby is due to arrive this week ('73 240Z) and sports a set of Appliance Wire wheels. I have this photo (from the sellers ad) and will post more of the car when it arrives. Couldn't tell you the weight of them but I will be able to post specs.

First and foremost, I'll state right here that I am by no means an engineer, nor do I have engine swapping experience. But, I do have some thoughts on this swap: 1. Although the LD28 motor is virtually the same block as the L28 (280Z block) and will bolt right up to your existing transmission, there are minor concerns in this area. The LD28 motor uses an entirely different HP/Torque range and this will effect overall performance. Someone could chime in here, but I would expect that you would be wanting to have the LOWEST rear end gearing you can have. Diesels have gobs of torque but all of it tends to be at the lower end of the RPM range. the 81-83 Diesel Maximas did come with a manual tranny but I suspect they are rare (very) and I cannot speak to them being the same as in the Z series. 2. your 240 was/is set up for carbs, while the LD28 is F.I. mcuh like the 280Z's. Swapping in a LD28 will require some plumbing work in the fuel delivery system (return fuel line, adaquate fuel pump, etc. I would recommend looking very closely at the entire 280Z fuel system, it may be easier just to swap that in too. 3. Obviously, the EFI control box and wiring will need to come with the motor. If your searching for a boneyard motor, you'll want as much of the wiring harness (associated with the motor) as possible. 4. Vibration - this is the big "if". Consider that a diesel runs significantly "rougher" than a gasoline motor. ie MUCH more vibration. You may find that you will need to strengthen the frame rail structure. My guess is the LD28 is also a bit heavier, which will effect handling to a degree. This swap is not for the faint of heart, but I honestly believe it is the most interesting one out there. Unfortunately, the owner/builder of the "original VeggieCar" sold it (on EBay) and no longer is involved with the website or answering technical questions. A damned shame as I honestly think that if more info were available on the swap, more people might be interested in trying it. As an alternative, if possible you might want to consider parking the 240 (in a nice dry garage!) and start into biodiesel by trying to find an LD28 powered Maxima in running condition. Run it for a while till you are more comfortable with the diesel then if you decide you still want to do the swap, you'll have a complete donor car. I missed out on a very nice one myself by just a few days, otherwise I would have bought it.

IMHO, I would hate to see a 4 cyl Z swap. As an alternative, why not look at a Miata? Used Miatas can be had for cheap, thier engine is bulletproof, parts are also relatively cheap, it gets 30mpg even with spirited driving, and handles like a go-kart. Granted, you'll never blow anyone's doors off at the line, but that would be rare in a Z as well (unless you go the V8 swap). Personally, if I had to do a swap on a Z and wanted economy as well as a little flair, I'd put in an Nissan LD28... that's right, a diesel. It's been done before (http://www.veggiecar.com), the LD28 motor is a basic bolt in swap althought no swap is without a little creative engineering. The only problem is that LD28 motors are becoming rarer and rarer (81-83 Nissan Maxima). Too bad really, or I'd be seriously temped to do it myself. Biodiesel, a very real and logical alternative to gasoline. Do a little reading, I think we will be hearing quite a lot more about it in the future, especially if gas prices top the $3.00/gallon mark. (or at least we SHOULD!) A few biodiesel and SVO/WVO links: http://www.greasecar.com/ http://www.veggiecar.com/ http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html http://www.veggieavenger.com/