2ManyZs

I couldn't remember what that yellow light was for, now you know how long my cars have been sitting in the garage! I smoke but I really don't need to catch a light with my teeth! It could have been worse, it could have disappeared on the seat!

Sorry I don't have another 73 here so I can't say for certain. I have to rely on my diminishing memory. All I have a 71 and a couple 72's to use for reference. I believe somewhere along the line by 75 they had an automatic antenna that went up and down when you turned the radio on. The 71 I have has one but it doesn't have the original radio in it so I don't know if the antenna is original or not.

If I remember right (20 years is a long time) the antenna switch should be on the radio faceplate. But if the memory of my first Z is right, my 73 came with the add on A/C pod on the side of the console and the antenna switch was on that below the control for the A/C. I have a couple radios out of 72's and the switch is on the radio and I believe the stock one from my 71 is the same way. Wasn't the center hole in the fuse cover for a warning light for something?? I can't remember what it was but it seems like there was a yellow light there for something. Ok, I went out in the yard and looked at my 72. The fuse cover has the switch for the defogger on the left, red Seatbelt light in the center, and a yellow light on the right (for the hazard lights??) and the switch for the antenna is on the radio faceplate. Series one cars have the cigarette lighter only on the fuse box cover as the defogger switch is behind the shifter and the antenna switch is on the radio faceplate. I know these two cars of mine are original 72 and the 71 series 1.

I don't think I've ever seen a set quite like that, whatever they are they are different. I don't know if they could have been an option or a dealer add on. Most of the early cars ended up with aluminum slots.

I do have one question. How did you clean up the vaccuum canisters on the intake?? I haven't seen too many that shine like that. Did you buff them or re-plate them?? I hope to be able to figure out how to use the buffer I bought from Eastwoods so I can polish my intake etc. and hate to think about putting those grungy little buggers of mine back on without trying to clean them up like yours.

I'm not chastising people for what they drive, I'm merely stating my point that too many people are taking a Z and putting Ford, Chevy, all sorts of drivetrains in them when Nissan has plenty of options to make an old Z car kick butt! If you look around the web you find all sorts of small block Chevys and Fords being put into Z cars. My question is this, why aren't people taking more Z-31 and Z-32 drivetrains or even as the one thread on this web-site talks about a Skyline GTR engine in a Z?? I love to modify my Z's but in a sense I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to putting non Nissan ( or Datsun) pieces in them. Sorry, but IMO the G-nose does nothing to add to the looks of a Z-car. That's only my opinion, many people will disagree, they can put them on their cars, I never will. I've always loved a good set of flares on a Z, just not the ones that looked like they were tacked on as an afterthought. As far as the Z in the dealership goes, do like everyone says, look it over very carefully. If you don't like what you see wait a few weeks and keep offering them what you think it is worth.

Get rid of the G-nose and those ugly looking flairs and that would be a beautiful ride. Those flairs look like something GM is now pasting all over the side of their "new" designs. Sorry, but in my opinion the G-nose is ugly, it takes away the lines that make the Z so classy in the first place, but I'd walk a mile through the desert for those wheels!!!! Maybe I should have my Panasports powder coated whenever I get my car finished.

And the fools keep right on bidding!! Personally I'd take the tangerine 280 at the bottom of the page. Even though it has a "Phord" engine, it's not as sweet as the yellow one with the Toyota Supra drivetrain, but I think I could justify the price easier! This is the first time I've seen so many decent cars on ebay. There are 3 or 4 there that are nice cars, and a couple are really quite cheap, just wish they all weren't on the "left" coast!

In my opinion you would be better off rebuilding the SU's. Webers are OK but the can be a pain to tune, not to mention the are expensive. Webers are probably more than you need for an L-24 unless you plan on doing some serious engine work, they don't work well on a stock engine. Take a look at www.ztherapy.com, they have anything you need from rebuild kits to completely restored SU's. In the long run you will still save money over the Webers.

This is the first time I can remember ever seeing a Z car with a Toyota engine in it. Most of the Z's you see have V-8's of one kind or another. Like the one with the Ford 5.0 in it. Now that is a good looking car too. There is only one combination that could be better in my opinion. That would be on with a 300ZX Twin Turbo between the frame rails of either a 240 or a decent 280. I don't think I've seen one yet. At least then it would be all Nissan! I've looked at the Hybrid Z web-site and nearly all of them are V-8 conversions. Even an Z-32 non turbo would make a decent swap.

No matter who's color it is it looks good on a Z, especially with the Panasports! Right now I have mine stripped, I'm doing the underside and engine compartment first. I already rebuilt and repainted the suspension etc. I plan on putting the running gear back in before I do the outside of the body, then do the interior last. As far as the cops go, I don't plan on driving this one too much. Only on sunny summer days and maybe a couple shows. I have an ITS car that was wrecked so if I get that fixed I can get my need for speed taken care of on the track. I raced a 280 I built years ago but it just wasn't fast enough so I've got that one sold. There is a nice looking 280 on ebay right now, item #600493059, it isn't original but it sure does have a great color. It seems like every Z I've ever owned was orange at one time or another, I've never liked orange so after seeing two 240's in the old Z-car magazine I decided on the red.

Great paint job!! Is that an original Z color? If so which paint code? I don't remember seeing an original look that good. Or did you have it done in basecoat/clearcoat? I'm not sure but I think the 2400 valve cover came on all the Series 1 cars, a friend of mine has one he bought brand new (no he won't sell, I've been trying for years) that has one. His car was built in 11/70 and the one I bought was built in 11/70. Mine doesn't have the original head but luckily I have a couple E-31's and one has the 2400 valve cover. It's kind of strange that he bought a Z over 30 years ago and I finally found a Series 1 three years ago and they were both built the same month, in fact the Vin numbers are pretty close. His is 14749 and mine is 15721. Mine was originally 915 orange but I am going to change it to 110 Red. I know I should put it back original but I've always wanted one in red, finding one seems to be almost impossible.

Mike, Take a look in ebay motors under collector cars item number 600195198 for the 280 with the Supra turbo motor. There is another nice on that came on today. It's got a 5.0 Mustang driveline, it's got a couple little problems but they sure picked a great color. It is item number 600493059.

Hope they can help, I don't see any reason they couldn't ship it to you. They use Fed Ex Ground here in the states, don't see why they couldn't use Fed Ex to send them over there. You could e-mail them at their web-site (www.zcarparts.com) to find out. Good luck. BTW, nice Z. even if you do sit on the "wrong" side.

Oops, I didn't look to see where you were. Can you get parts from Motorsport Auto shipped to the UK?? They list the solid diff mount for 70-71 for 44.95 and later models are 41.95, so the price of the mount is reasonable, shipping might cost a bit though. I have never done business with Victoria so I don't know what they have. I have done business with MSA for close to 20 years, at one time I was buying so many parts they knew who I was when I called without asking my name. I recommend them to anyone with a Z, they are one of the best here in the states. Next time I guess I should look to see where people are, I'm not used to talking to people "across the pond"!

Since the ZX motors were in the neighborhood of 180 hp (gross) you are already ahead of an L24 by about 40 hp. As far as what you end up with there is no way to tell. Do your research, and put it together the way you want it or with what you can afford at the time. There are too many variables to consider such as compression ratio (depending on which head you choose) the intake you use, the cam, ignition, well you get the picture. Take your time and you will get out of it whatever you want. Is 200hp out of the question? Probably not due to the displacement advantage. Like I said before, go to the Z garage web-site and do your homework before you start buying the parts. Another good way to put some zip into it would be to find a 3:54 ratio rear end out of an automatic car. You should be able to pick one of them up pretty cheap, possibly even at a junkyard. It won't make a huge difference but it will be one you can definately feel.

As long as you are going to stay with a fairly stock 280z or 280zx motor the driveline will not need to be changed. In Improved Touring we race 240's with probably as much power as you can expect from a stock ZX motor. The main thing is to make sure your driveline is in good shape. One of the weakest links in 240's is the u-joints, if you aren't sure of their condition, replace them. When you buy all six it isn't cheap but it is good insurance. The only time you would really need to upgrade to an R-200 rear would be if you are planning to add a turbo or changing over to a V-8 or if you plan on drag racing. The R-180 shouldn't have any problem holding up to engines with up to 200 horsepower if you drive it reasonably and keep an eye on everything. By going to a late model ZX block with carbs you will probably gain less than 50 horsepower. That is a fairly good gain if you plan on using the car on the street. As far as converting to an R-200 it is mostly bolting in parts from a 75 or later 280 so it is not that difficult.

Yes, the ones from MSA are pricey, I didn't realize the ones they sell for 35.00 are for 74 and later. I should have looked at my catalog first. It might be possible to make one of the later style ones work. Without going out to the garage to look, it seems like the main difference between the later ones and the early ones is how it mounts. I believe the later ones are a little longer, perhaps you could find the mounts for a later one to make one work. I think the bottom (chassis) side mount is longer. The later ones may not be as stiff as the early ones (that's why they use two instead of one) but for $35 it might be worth a try. I think I did this on one of my cars a long time ago with a strut I got at a junkyard.

Glad I could help. Everyone else was giving you the obvious things that cause it, I just thought of the one thing people don't think about until it's the obvious one. My first Z was a 73 I bought around 81 or 82. It wouldn't run when it when the engine was warm so the girl traded it in. I bought it and tinkered with it for a couple weeks before someone told me to check the water contol valve going to the carbs. I blocked that and it ran great. It also had a ignition switch that I could start the car and then take the key out while it was running. After a while it wouldn't shut off without stalling it in gear, it was shorting out in the switch. Sometimes it ran smoothly, other times it ran rough like it was "dieseling". Since these cars are now 30 years old it is going to be more common since this happpened to me when my car was less than 10. The greatest thing about this forum is the variety of answers you can get to a question, the answer is bound to be there somewhere.

Something else crossed my mind, besides timing etc. being the culprit it could possibly be that your ignition switch is bad. My first Z wouldn't shut off without wiggling the key in the switch. Just another idea, in case the other things don't help.

Engine stands are fairly cheap. Most auto parts stores carry them. Just get one rated for at least 500 pounds and get one you can rotate the engine one. Just remember to decide on what you want before you buy, changing your mind half way thru a job wastes time and money. Been there, done that.

For more information on what head to look for and which year engine is better take a look on the web links page for The Datsun Z Garage. This is a really good site Brian has that will give you the scoop on which heads are better and which year ZX engines give the most power. I personally have never done anything with any Z's newer than 78. All the engines up to 83 with swap into a 240. You just need to decide on what year you want to get the best head. After looking at his site you should be able to come up with a good idea about what works the best. One of these days I'm planning on doing a 240 with a ZX motor but I have another project to finish first.

You could use the solid front diff mount. It probably won't be any noisier than having the front of the diff. moving up and down under hard acceleration. MSA has them, and I assume most other good Z suppliers do too. It is easy to put in, and I am assuming you have already checked the mustache bar bushings. You will get some of the "thunking" noise from them if they have any play at all in them. I prefer the urethane mustache bar bushings myself, but that is just my preference. My idea is to keep the diff in place and let the suspension do the moving.

As far as I know there is no way to rebuild the hatch strut. I have never seen anyone who advertised that they do it anyway. Sounds like something a person could go into business doing though...... Just like making repro front inner fenders, the arch at the top from the firewall out, and the radiator core support. A lot of Z's wouldn't have gone to the scrap yard if these were available. Hmmmm.......

Sounds like a great deal. Rebello is a bit pricey but from what I know about their work it is top notch. Is it worth the money? Depends on who you ask, like everything else, there are differing opinions. The only problem I see is by the time you buy a ring and pinion in whatever ratio you want and a Quaife or LSD you are talking about a big chunk of change in anyones book. I guess that is the price we pay to have our toys! The old saying goes, he who has the most wins!