Pop's Z

Hi Tim, I installed Dave's headlite harness and parking lite harness on my 73. It was straight forward (except on a 73 it wasn't plug-and-play...I had to find and cut and splice on the light switch harness. That involved some email exchanges with Dave and some wiring diagram stuff), and Dave's products are professionally done and first-rate. Dealing with him is always easy and communications were also first-rate. He is a good guy and a treasure for our club and our cars. I met him at an MSA show a few years back and he is fun to talk with. He is always available to help Z car guys with electrical or any other problems. You can't go wrong with Dave or his stuff. Cheers, Mike

Thank you one and all. I will check with my local Nissan dealer and MSA. The thing I love about this site is the wealth of information freely given with no flaming. Thanks again Cheers, Mike

Thank you Carl, I am no longer confused. Now the question is: should I order the clutch assy. from MSA (they say O.E.M."type") or should I try to order it through my local Nissan dealer? Mike

Hi all, Thanks for the good info so far. However now I'm confused. In the thread "Won't Go Into Gear" Carl says to use the clutch assembly from 280z and the clutch collar from a 280 ZX if you are replacing your clutch in a 240Z. I've asked him in that post "why"? and asked if the 280 unit is stronger, better etc. Carl if you're here...help! Thanks, Mike

Hi Carl, So what you're saying is if one is replacing a clutch assy. in the 240Z one should use a 280Z assy (disc, pressure plate, t/o bearing and collar)? Is it better? Stronger? The reason I ask is if you look at my post about clutches I'm asking this very question. I'm confused. (even more than usual). Cheers, Mike

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure what I'll do, yet. I haven't seen the tranny. I will pick it up this weekend. I don't think I can go wrong for $100 even if it has to be rebuilt. Cheers, Mike

Thanks for the advice, Arne. Just to be on the safe side I will probably replace the whole set-up w/ 240 stuff from MSA. Cheers, Mike

Hi all again, Sorry to be wearisome, but this is the place for knowledge. As I stated in my other post about clutches I am buying an FS5W71B 5-spd tranny w/ 50,000 miles on it. This question is should I take a peek inside to check the notorious main and countershaft nuts which like to back out causing much havoc, or should I leave well enough alone? What should I look for (if that's the advice), and what should I do to prevent the nuts from backing out? I have to say that I have NO experience with trans missions, but am a pretty capable mechanic and can follow instructions. I have the FSM from Courtesy and the Haynes manual, also. The owner said the tranny had been a replacement for his 78 Black Pearl which experienced the notorious shaft nut backing out and destruction of his original tranny. He recently went for an 81-83 ZX tranny and didn't need it any more. He said it worked perfectly when he took it out. Thanks for the help and advice. Cheers, Mike

Hi all, I have the opportunity to puchase a 50,000 mile FS5W71B 5-spd tranny, and I have a question about which clutch set(disc, pressure plate, and throwout bearing/clutch collar) to use. My car is a stock 73 build date 6/73 with 74,000 actual miles on it. So is there any advantage or disadvantage to using the 280Z clutch set or should I stick with my 240Z clutch set? At 74,000 miles should I even bother to replace everything? There are no clutch issues with this car. It takes up firmly and does not slip. I will replace the throwout bearing and pilot bearing. I used the search feature and found out lots, just not about this question. Thanks for the input. Cheers, Mike

It was great to get together with you guys yesterday. I had a terrific time. I don't know if you noticed, but there were a lot of double-takes from the people driving by. You don't get to see that many old Zcars in one place too often. That being said I've posted a thread on the Fort Collins Old Town car show. Come one, come all. Can you imagine the look on people's faces when we show up with MANY Zs? Whooee! Cheers, Mike

Hi all, This is to announce the Old Town Car Show held on June 14, in Fort Collins, Colorado. It starts at 11:00 and goes to 5:00. Cost is $15 ($20 after June 6). kenz240z and myself have done the show and are doing it again this year. It is primarily a hot rod show, but the Zs get a lot of attention from the crowds. WE NEED MORE Zs!. Come on guys, I know there are a lot of Zs in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, and New Mexico. It would be great to have a goodly number of Z cars for this event. PM either Kenny(kenz240z) or me(Pop's Z) with your email address and we will send you the link to the show. We can all meet before the show at a site to be determined and go as a group. It would be pretty spectacular to show up with a mass Z car parade. Cheers, Mike

Rick, That's a really beautiful Zed. Now, who's the old fart you got to stand next to it? Cheers, Mike (another old fart...takes one to know one)

Well, yesterday was one of those perfect Z days. I did 5 canyons, one of them twice. One of the best things about living here in Northern Colorado is these great twisties are less than 20 minutes from my home. I had almost zero traffic to deal with and saw the two different officers of the law before they saw me. Not that I was speeding, of course. The Z was a real runner and I am now officially over the Winter doldrums. These cars are SO MUCH FUN!!! I burned up a whole tank of gas and at even $3.40/gal for mid-range it was cheap thrills. Also the fact that I'm retired means I can go out during the week when there is little or no traffic...until the tourists arrive. Cheers, Mike

Jared et all, Tomorrow is the day! It's supposed to be near 80 here in N. Colorado and I am going canyon carving. Lucky for me there are about 6 canyons near here and I am going to hit at least 4 or 5 of them. I can't wait...it's been a long Winter. Cheers Mike

Snowing here today...70 this weekend. Ah, Spring in Colorado...cheers, Mike

David, I have no personal experience with this shop, but he rebuilds harmonic balancers for Zs and Corvairs. www.dalemfg.com/daley_001.htm He was talked about on another site and they all had good things to say about him. Much cheaper than a new one from MSA. Just my 2cents. Cheers, Mike

Welcome Tim, There's getting to be more of us Colorado guys here all the time. Enjoy the ride. Cheers, Mike

Hi Jacob, Z Therapy is the real deal! Not only are they great to deal with, but their carbs work as advertised...best $600 bucks I have spent on my Z. Bruce Palmer is a regular contributor here and Steve is the MAN when it comes to these carbs. Because I live at 5000 ft. and do the majority of my driving at that altitdue and higher they put special jets and needles in the carbs at no extra charge. My car runs really well and has power right up thru 6,500 rpms. They were a snap to tune (get a "uni-syn") and came with a video explaining everything you ever wanted to know about these carbs. Most of the carbs you will find on these cars are OLD and the shafts are worn making it impossible to tune them. When you get Z Therapy carbs they are better than new. So, are they worth it? An emphatic YES from me. You won't be sorry if you use their services. Cheers, Mike PS: Get their first video on how to tune up your Z. It will save you tons of aggro. And if you decide to upgrade your suspension, their video on that subject made the job much more understandable and easier.

FWIW, you might try calling Z-Therapy. 1-503-587-9800 (at least it was last time I called). They are really easy to deal with and they are THE source for S.U.(Hitachi) knowledge. Bruce Palmer is on here sometimes...actually I'm sort of surprised he hasn't chimed in here yet. Also they are usually at the MSA show on the last week in April. Very knowledgable people and very helpful. I know, I bought a pair of their carbs and they set them up specially for my altitude (5000 ft and up). Cheers, Mike

Rick, You were gone? Maybe that's why there's been no jokes for a while. We are all really sorry that you saw no zeds on your walkabout. There aren't any here either...it's still Winter ya know (although it is going to be 70 here on Saturday, followed by snow on Sunday...ah, Colorado, if you don't like the weather today just wait 24 hours). But it makes you appreciate your "Precious" all the more. Hugs and kisses, mate. Mike

I put Z32 (Nissan 300ZX 1990) seats in my '73. Big improvement in comfort and support. Also not too hard to install. PM me for pics (I took a lot and I seem to have problems reducing them to fit on this site). Cheers, Mike

Dave, You should also check out www.hotrodair.com. They are similar to Vintage air, but appear to be a bit less expensive. Derek, Please do a sticky on your install of the Vintage Air A/C system. There are a few of us who would be very interested in what you did and any pics that you took. Thanks, Mike

Hi Arne, Yeah, I hooked that up first, but because I did not want the antenna up when listening to the tape player, I went with the buttons for more control options. I could never figure out how to keep the antenna down when the tape deck was on. Mike

Arne, That's the exact same tape deck I had in my '73 in '74. It had real good sound IIRC. I rigged up two small push-buttons to raise and lower the antenna. I had them mounted just above the unit on each side. I wasn't jealous of your car before, but now I am. I have real nice JVC tape deck in my current '73. It's mounted in a marine housing behind the passenger seat. I've got JVC 6X9s in a MSA box. It sounds real good. At least good enough for these old ears. Cheers, Mike