Pop's Z

Hi Samshot240, The short answer is yes those carbs are prone to vapor-lock. When I had my first '73 in '74 it had the problem so bad that the dealer installed a "fix" kit consisting of an electric fuel pump and some insulation on all the engine compartment fuel lines (it's that silvery stuff). To make a long story shorter...it didn't work and by really complaining the dealer installed "round-top" carbs from an earlier Z (71-72). That worked great and I was happy. Fast forward to now...I have a '73 that the previous owner installed '71 carbs on a long time ago. I couldn't get them to balance very well so I sent the carbs to Z Therapy in Oregon. For $600 I got completely rebuilt carbs that balanced right out of the package and have worked flawlessly ever since...no vapor- lock, no backfires, no farting, etc. One of our members (Bruce Palmer of Z Therapy) is the Hitachi (S.U.) roundtop guru here. I'm hoping he will chime in here and share with you his knowledge. Try the search feature and you will find more than you ever wanted to know about this subject. FWIW the flat-top carbs are known as "boat anchors" around here. Change over to "round-top" carbs, tune them properly, and your vapor-lock problems will disappear. Cheers, Mike

Your "new Z" is absolutely gorgeous! You can be justifiably proud of your accomplishment. Enjoy the ride. Cheers, Mike

Hi Arne, If you are bone stock, do you really need mandrel bends? The reason I ask is I had my system re-done by a local (not national) shop and I paid $258 for a 2 1/4" system: flange on the down pipe, squash tube bends (actually a lot less squashed than I had expected), an 18" glass pac (subsequently removed as not necessary), a Walker round Dyno muffler #17741, and a chrome tip. I had them reuse my Nissan mounts and rubber parts and they tucked it up nicely exactly the way I wanted it. I also got to stand there and watch/supervise. It was a tremendous improvement over the stock system and it was so quiet that I had them remove the glass pac and replace it with a section of pipe. It's still pretty quiet with NO drone in the 2,000-3,000 rpm range, or any range for that matter which is OK with my older sensibilities. FWIWIMHO I really think that mandrel bends are for aesthetics and not really necessary on a stock 2.4litre. Everything I've read tells me that the smooth pipes are for that last bit of HP from a seriously modified system, both intake and exhaust. I found my shop by chatting up the local hot rod guys at the car shows, same way I found my body/paint guy. Cheers, Mike ps: the system is all aluminized. I have pics I can send to your email.

Hi Juan, I don't know about the engine, but the seats will fit. I put the seats from a 90 300ZX in my '73. They don't just fall in, but are a pretty close fit. You remove the seat brackets from your 240, and the seat brackets from the Z32 and swap the S30 for the Z32 (you can toss the sliders from the Z32, but save the mounting hardware). They don't fit perfectly, but with a little hole enlargement they will go right on. Remove the short bolts from the S30 brackets and use the Z32 mounting hardware. Save the short bolts from the S30 seats and use them in place of the long bolts on the S30 seat sliders. You will thank me for that tip as the long bolts make it really hard to get your fingers in there to put the nuts and washers on...especially the rear ones (I found this out the hard way, of course). You will have to drill new holes in your floor mounts in the car about 1/2" out from the original holes. Test fit before you drill...I tried to get the seats pretty well centered in the car and made a template out of a piece of wood to mark the new hole locations. Also you can't use any of the plastic seat raisers(?) from your car. The seats fit flat on the floor mounts. I have been really pleased with the support and the comfort of these seats. They are much improved over the old seats. PM me if you have more questions. I actually took a bunch of pictures of the install and would be happy to send them to you. Cheers, Mike

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...Dave, you are Da' MAN!!!!!!!!!! Happy wiping, Mike

Don't forget there is a fuel filter INSIDE the electric fuel pump, also. Take the pump off and twist the bottom off. New filters are available at any auto parts store or mail order...ie: Rockauto, MSA, Black Dragon, etc. Remember, it's usually never just one thing that causes your problem. Use the "search" feature and you will become enlightened. Be happy in your work....Cheers, Mike

Hi all, FWIW I tried to order that Suspension Techniques rear bar from Summit Racing earlier this year and after several delays was told that they did not know when and if they would get it in stock. After waiting for 6 months I ordered the bars from MSA. I have a late build (6-73) '73 and it has the mounts on the chassis for the rear bar to be mounted in front of the diff. I got the mounting brackets for the 260 and have been very satisfied with the results. Of course this only works if you have the chassis mounts. Cheers, Mike

Hi Will, I think you are truly insane, however you will be a true Z Hero for this that you are attempting to do, and I hope yopu make a lot of $$$ doing it. Another item that you might consider would be the covers (R&L) for the reclining seat mechanisms. I got a new one for the right side, but the left one is NLA. I would be happy to send you the right one if needed. Let me know and I'll have it in the mail as soon as I can. The left one I have is partly damaged and there are no more mounting ears on it (which is the problem with those pieces), but I can send it along also. Cheers, Mike

Dave, As usual...YOU ARE DA' MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mike

Hi Aiden, There are quite a few members here from Colorado. They will all tell you that now you have been infected with the Z virus. There is no cure so enjoy the ride. We are fortunate to have a lot of Z car roads on which to enjoy our addiction (Boulder Canyon, Poudre Canyon, Big Thompson Canyon, N.& S. St. Vrain Canyons, Peak-to-Peak etc.). You will find a lot of helpful advice on this site. Be sure to use the search feature. It will help you avoid newbeitis (asking questions that have been answered a few thousand times). Also be sure to check out the photo galleries. There are some really great pics. You might also consider going to MSA's West Coast Z Car Show at the end of April. It will truly knock your socks off. I've been the last 3 years and never get tired of it. They are a site sponser and you get a discount on parts from them by being a member of our site. www.zcarparts.com. Cheers, Mike

Here's the final answer to the question...will it work without this part? YES. Because all the air emission stuff had been removed including the E.G.R. this part (the "what is this?" of this thread) is no longer necessary. I finished the cooling system rebuild with a MSA 3-core radiator, new hoses, fan shroud, new thermostat cover (from the earlier model), new 160 degree thermostat, and new water intake. I thoroughly flushed the block, put it all back together, and added new anti-freeze in a 50/50 mix with distilled water. Took it out for a test drive today and: no leaks, no drips, no errors. It stays cool with the guage needle to the left of center. The heater works. I am a happy camper. Cheers, Mike

Lonny, Thanks for the pic. Mine looks just like that. I found out it was a temp. control for the E.G.R. Not used any more so I'm going to leave it off. I've already wire-tied the wires back to the hareness and taped them up. I have a new thermostat cover (70-3/73) coming from MSA and it has no threaded opening for the temp control. I'll post when the cooling system re-do is all done so there will be an answer to the question "will it work without this temp controll device". Cheers, Mike

Nice Car!!! For those who are wondering, here is my car with a "BRE" type Spook from MSA. Cheers, Mike

Thank you Arne and James for your responses. I decided to look in the FSM I have on CD from Courtesy Nissan (well, duh) and lo and behold...all my questions were answered. The part in question is a thermo switch to activate the E.G.R. If I had an auto trans it would also do someting with the distributor. The switch was added to 3/73 240s and 260s to meet U.S. emission standards. (James, could you look on your 73 parts car to see if it's there on the thermostat cover? It may not be as you have a non-U.S. car. Did it have the flat top carbs?) Becuase the PO removed all the emission stuff I have no E.G.R. so I'm guessing the switch activates nothing. I'm going to eliminate it and see what happens. I'm guessing nothing will happen. Once I get my new radiator on I'll be able to tell. Thanks again. Cheers, Mike

Hi all, I have a 1973 (build date 6/73). I am refreshing the cooling system and found the thermostat cover is a bit corroded (see pics #2&3). It appears that a cover for this build date is NLA. My question is what is this electrical part (see pic #1)? It appears to be a thermo control of some kind and it fits in this cover w/ pipe threads (see pic #2). It is not the water temp sender as that is in the thermostat housing itself. The only thing I have discovered is that it might be a thermo controller for the automatic transmission, however I have a manual transmission. As far as I know it never had an auto trans. The real question is: Can I use a thermostat cover from the earlier model and eliminate this part? The original owner removed all the air emission stuff and replaced the carbs/manifold with '71 roundtops and manifold including the cleaned-off balance tube. Any help from the Z gurus would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike

Hi Dan, There was a sunroof like this on a really nice Z at the MSA Z Car show in April. I had never seen one on a Z before ( I had one like it on a 1962 VW) and I talked with the owner about it. There is a picture of it in my photo gallery here on page 4. The owner said it was quiet and did not leak.He was an engineer and had done many interesting mods of his car...some I liked, some I didn't. The one on my VW was ok...no leaks, but a bit noisy when closed, and it would raise up when traveling at 70 mph or so. I would keep it just for the uniqueness factor if it's in good shape. Just my 2 cents. Mike

Here's what I did and it works perfectly with no leaks. Remember the air rail seals like a flare fitting on small 4" pipes inside the exhaust manifold. 1) remove the air rail from the exhaust manifold. 2) cut off the pipes from the air rail where they enter the fittings that go into the exhaust manifold (notice they have a rounded fitting on the exhaust side).3) weld those fittings bak in so they are snug inside the "nuts" ie: weld them on the outside and close the holes (I had them brazed).4) pull out the flared 4" pipes from the exhaust manifold.5) cut those off to about 3/4".6) replace them back into the exhaust manifold (I used a pencil to hold them as I put them back in).7) replace the welded up fittings in the exhaust manifold (I used anti-seize to make future removal easier. This process seals the pipes and the fittings. Feel free to PM me if this is confusing, I'm sure I can make it even more confusing. It really is a straight-forward DIY. Cheers, Mike

Yeah, Rick. In 1966 I almost got a Marine Corps emblem tatooed on the back of my hand in Oceanside, CA. Notice I said "almost". I just wasn't pissed enough. I am SO glad that I didn't do that. Mike

Hi all, I actually saw this car when I visited NZ 2 years ago. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! James has done a real service to all Z's everywhere by restoring what was a rusted-out almost-wreck. Good onya James...send more pics. Cheers, Mike ps: if any of you ever get the chance to visit NZ (one of the most beautiful and friendly places on this earth), be sure to stop off in Christchurch (South Island) and visit with James and his family...lovely folks and GREAT tour guides. pps: wow, 100 posts!

Jack, Thanks for the kudos. However, I can't take any credit for the rest of the interior. The original owner had some buddies going into the upholstery business and he had them do the whole interior in the tan/butterscotch velour that you see. Some people love it and some people hate it. I think it looks better than the original diamond vinyl. My problem now is that the seats don't match the rest of the interior, so I'll have to deal with that sometime in the future. Meanwhile, I don't see it when I'm driving the car and because the seats are so much better to sit in it is low on the priority ($$$) list. Cheers, Mike

Nate, The Z32 seats do not touch either the center console or the doors when closed (I was pretty careful when lining them up before I drilled any holes). Also you do not sit up higher as long as you leave the spacers off the frames. The drivers seat can be adjusted up and down in the front or the rear. On the passenger seat only the seat back is adjustable. Mike

Nate, I just did this on my 73 w/MSA bushings. The long bushings go together on the long sleeve, and the short bushings go together on the short sleeve. Don't foget the special grease or they will squeek. You will see where the long assemblies go and the short ones, too when you remove the old ones. Also, I replaced my diff. mount and although it didn't look like yours, I feel that you won't have trouble if all the holes and the stud line up. Have mucho fun, Mike

Hi all, I also put some new seats in my Z. They are from a 1990 Z32 300ZX. They were not too much trouble to install, either. I would be happy to send a description and pics to anyone interested in the proceedure. Basically you remove the original seats and remove the seat brackets. Then you do the same to the Z32 seats. Then you mount the S30 brackets to the Z32 seats( you have to knock out the mounting bolts on the S30 rails, then you have to oval out the holes to fit the Z32 bolts). After the rails are on you will have to drill new holes in the mounts in the car about 3/8" out from the old holes. Bolt in with no spacers and there you go. They are a much needed improvement to the old seats, more support and kinder on my old butt. Cheers, Mike

Here's another after-market site: www.hotrodair.com. I think their system will go into the S 30. It replaces the heater core and provides a/c in one compact unit. Their parts are available individually. I'm going to do some research on this and see if it will fit. I have one of their catalogs and the only problem I can see (other than the complete tearout of the dash) is going to be fabricating up a mounting bracket for the compressor. I think that mounting it on the left side of the motor makes the most sense. I'm pretty sure that is where the factory units were mounted in the 260s and 280s. If anyone has a left side mount they would be willing to part with please send me a pm. Cheers, Mike

Sean, Be sure to stop off at Devil's Tower in Wyoming...a very interesting place. Also You should stop at the Little Big Horn national monument...a ghostly place. Try to take the native American tour...very different from the usual Custer stuff. Have a great trip, Mike