240Z-Fan

I absolutely need to get started on reassembling that engine. I am a bit stuck on some details. And of course, time is a factor. But I miss driving the car. It has about 46k original miles. The only reason I took it out was to fix a leaking front main seal and ro cleanit up. Then I spotted oil staining on the exhasut gasket, which I attributed to worn valve guide seals. So I pulled the head. And now I want to clean the engine bay up too...

I bought a universal front end cover and cut it to fit my car. I really like that it stays put. I cut it so that it drapes inside the fender a bit. Also note that even my windshiled is protected, but I did have to cut it to allow the doors to open. https://www.calcarcover.com/product/fender-gripper-universal-front-end-cover-fec2607/3169 (Mine is much older than the one in the link. Buts still a Fender Gripper) Now... if I could only get around to putting the engine back together and get this car running. It has been too many years.

Wow! Which FB group? I may have a powertrain that could be used in it.

Jeff, That is true. Lower end Spec Miata race cars can be bought cheaper than what I built my track miata car for. I missed the SCCA 240z race car posted here that was in Minneapolis for 5k. It looked promising. Other than that, the few cars I have seen were either not well built or priced higher than I could justify for a track car. Not to say they aren't out there, I haven't looked that hard as I have too many cars and hobbies demanding my time. But... if you see another one, feel free to let me know! I am also looking forward to seeing your car on the track again. Luis

I too feel saddened that these cars are becoming unreachable for the average person. Seeing #1 and #2 cars go into six figures means they aren't a car that will be driven and enjoyed by average guys. The days of driving one to work or school as daily driver are long gone, and my fear of something happening to mine when I go out or on a roadtrip is stressful as I am unlikely to be able to easily replace it. Jeff, I recall seeing your car and talking to you at Gingerman shortly after you built it. I still run track days (in a Miata) and have been looking for a Z to run. Sadly, I also see that dream slipping away as the cars become more collectible. About a year ago, I went to an estate sale and saw a Z for sale that was in somewhat rough shape. I considered buying it to turn into my track car, but couldn't bring myself to do that to a car that could be restored and enjoyed by someone else. I prefer to find a car that has already been converted to a race/track car. It seems like finding the right one for the right price may never happen. Luis

Good thoughts here, all I was hoping to avoid a lot of disassembly. Not so much because it is work, but because I didn't want to risk breaking fasteners or cracking paint. However, it is looking more and more like it may be the better way to go. I did order some brushes that were recommended by some youtube auto detailers so I can get in the tight spots. Great ideas, keep them coming, please!

Hello all, I have a 1973 240z. The front main seal was leaking and made a bit of a mess under hood. I pulled the engine a while back to reseal the engine a long time ago, and am now just getting back to it. I removed the heavier grease buildup back then, but now I want to cleanup the rest of the grease and grime. (See picture.) However, I do not want to damage the paint, the wire harnesses, or any other components. Does anyone have any recommendations for a cleaner that would be safe? (Eg Simple Green Crystal, or Purple Industrial Cleaner, D108) Any preferred techniques for cleaning it? Thanks! Luis

Zed Head, thanks for the reply. It definitely is rubbery, I could feel it with my finger. When the car is back up and running I will try new pads and rotors. Maybe my problem is as simple as old pads.

Reviving an old thread. I have a 1973 240z with 48,000 miles that has been off the road for 7 years. (I pulled the engine to reseal it and it has sat since then.) I am now working to put it back together this year and enjoy driving it again. One of the issues I had with this car was the brakes never felt good. Almost as if the booster wasn't working. However, I recall doing the standard brake booster test back then and determining that it indeed work. I pulled the master cylinder last night to check for the presence of the reaction. While it did not come out attached to the push rod, I think it is still in place at the back as it is black and feels rubbery. Does it matter if it is attached to the pushrod for it to work? Thanks!

Did this car sell? If not, what is the asking price? Are there any photos? Thanks!

I believe polyurethane bushings are overrated. They do make sense for a race car in the right locations (not the TC rod). They might make sense in a track car that sees light street use. But they are not inappropriate for a street car if you want to maintain any amount of civility. While they do add stiffness, I don't see that the performance/NVH tradeoff is worth it in anything but a track or race car. I run open track days in a Miata that I setup specifically for the track. Spring rates are 504/448 lb/in F/R. (363/394 wheel rates) I also run a street Miata with 375/275 lb/in springs (270/242 wheel rates). In both cases I run stock rubber bushings. The street car will never go to poly. I love the way it drives and I absolutely do not want the NVH that comes from Poly bushings. The track car has been running the higher rate suspension for 15,000 miles, with roughly 4500 of those miles on the track. To date, I have not had to replace a single bushing. Would the car handle better with Poly bushings? Probably, but it has been a great car without it and I have no plans to switch anytime soon. (In part because it takes a lot of work to rebush a Miata suspension, and I haven't needed to rebush it, yet) I am currently working on getting my '73 Z back on the road. The car is nice but way too soft for me. Part of it surely due to the tall sidewalls (225/60/14 Michelin Pilot XGT all season performance tires). So I will go to 15 inch wheels and better tires. I just ordered the Vogtland springs and will pair them with a NOS set of Bilstein dampers. Spring rates will go from 83/104 to155/175 lb/in. If that isn't enough I might go to a GC coil over setup with stiffer springs. But regardless, the suspension bushings will be replaced with stock rubber, due to the age. Al

Thanks for the info. FWIW, It looks to me that the engine block was painted after it was assembled. Hence the overspray on the pan, and missing paint behind a fitting. Al

Hey guys, I have my oil pan off and decided that it would be nice to repaint it. However, I am not sure if it was originally Datsun blue or black. It clearly has blue on it, I am guessing it is just heavy overspray from when the block got painted, but I would like to be sure. If black, does anyone have a particular recommendation? Gloss black or satin black or something else? Thanks, Al

Yes! I had a car that I could not get a good pedal feel. I started to doubt myself so I took it up and down the local roads (I am in the country) to assess it better and presumably bed-in the brakes. It didn't take long for me to conclude it still had trapped air. I then got home and cracked open the bleeders and for a second "nothing" came out, then finally fluid ran out quickly. I then closed the bleeders and gave it another check and it felt great. Problem solved. My guess is that the vibration and heat helped get the bubbles free for wherever they were and move to the top of the caliper.

I have to chime in here... Great job. It looks fantastic. Can't wait to see it running on one cylinder (with the added flywheel mass). Al

What Lazeum and Steve91TT said. I would not simply bolt on new parts. The gunk is coming from somewhere and there is probably a lot more of it ready and waiting to wipe out your new cam. :-( The engine must be torn down and cleaned up completely. Have it hot tanked at your favorite machine shop. Al

Nevermind, I found them. They are a Walmart exclusive. Al

Zed Head, Climbing the Rockies would be the easy part, it isn't that steep, it is the hard braking and acceleration maneuvers that have to be factored. In automatics, the filter inlet has to remain covered or the trans will slip. As for glass sight tubes, they are used extensively during the development process. Also, Plexiglas windows are installed in the cases so the engineer can (try to) see what is going on. Then you have to realize that fluid expansion and contraction is a big part of it too as the volume changes a lot from -40 to +300. Then you need to consider fluid viscosity changes as it flows very slowly at very low temperatures. Some automatics have a fluid storage area with a thermostatically controlled valve to compensate for the fluid volume change. With all that said. There are some conditions where not all the criteria can be met.... Al

All, The reason the manuals say fill the TM to the level of the fill plug is because the level matters; the actual volume does not. The reason the level matters is because the engineers determined the fill level required to keep the gears immersed in oil, even while cornering at high g's*. Too low, and some parts get starved for oil (Older Honda's are known to lose 5th gear if the oil level is allowed to get too low.) However, having the oil level set too high will cause the oil to get whipped up by the gears too much and foam, reducing it's ability to lubricate. It will also tend to beat up the oil faster and loose some of its carefully engineered properties. Finally, it will cause unnecessary drag thereby reducing fuel economy. Mind you, this is not a precise science, but it is more precise than simply focusing on the volume. The reference to the fill volume is so that you have some idea of how much you need to buy before draining it. Part-to-part variation will result in some transmission cases having a slightly larger or smaller interior volume. The important thing is that the fill level is correct because that is what the manufacturing process engineers control most tightly in order to get the expected lubrication. Al * In a quasi-static state, cornering at 1 G, for example, will put the surface of the oil at a 45 degree angle to the normal level (assuming the car doesn't lean). At that condition, the gears must still be partially immersed in oil in order to properly splash lubricate.</SPAN>

David, Where did you find the Z? I can't seem to find them. Was it in a special display? Thanks, Al

Jeff, are you still in need of 14" wheels. Do they have to be 6" wide? I might have some 14x?" that I could part with. Let me know and I'll look at my stash.Al

Jeff, One more long shot....(don't laugh), it could be the *Alternator*. Seriously. On my 78 280z I found I could only rev to about 2000 rpm then it would die until the revs dropped a bit. My memory of the trouble shooting is dim as it was 18-20 years ago, but I remember my first clue was when I happen to see the voltage on the dash gauge would drop steeply when the engine cut out. As I recall, disconnecting the alt belt made it much worse to my surprise. Disconnecting all the wires to the alternator made the problem go away. I eventually opened the alternator up and found a wire on the rotor going to the commutator had a break in the insulation as it crossed very closely over something else. I surmised that at a certain RPM the voltage being generated would arc across the small gap. I unsoldered it and slipped on an insulating sleeve from a set of replacement brushes, then reassembled. It worked great for many, many years. I still have the alternator (and engine) stored away. So yes, it is a long shot, but since you are desperate, and this is cheap and easy to try, I suggest you give this a shot. Disconnect (and insulate) *all* the alternator wires and see if it runs.

Oh, as to the original question. I used a Harbor Freight Slide Hammer. It worked perfectly. Al

Ironic. 1.5 years ago I carefully followed the intructions in a very nice write-up on-line. I carefully cut off the portion of the nut to remove the staking using a 3" air cutter as I rotated the wheel...and promptly screwed up the threads on the stub axle. THEN, I looked at my 1973 FSM which specifically states NOT to unstake the nut and to take it off simply by twiting it off...what I was going to do in the first place! So, my recommendation is to just follow the FSM. Just twist it off. Al

Arne, This sounds appealing. I want to keep my car looking mostly stock and am reluctant to section struts and go to a adjustable coilover setup. So this sounds like the way to go for me. The higher rate springs will be even higher when cut down. So it may be a nice setup, and hopefully within range of the Bilsteins damping ability. I remember when the group buy, too bad I didn't get a set. Well, I'll start looking for a set. My goal is to keep the car streetable for the lousy midwest roads, but I have gotten quite used to high spring rates (and great handling) in my track and street Miata. So the Z feels a quite soft, especially with the 14" High Performance all seasons with tall sidewalls. (so good performance tires on 15" wheels are part of the plan too). John Coffey, (if you are put there), any additional pearls of wisdom? Thanks Arne (and anyone else who chimes in), Al