Arne

Welcome, Ed. This thread covers this topic so thoroughly it really should be a sticky. (Hint, hint, moderators.) http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22619

Yes, there are reasons for the 140 amp upgrades, but very few of us really need them. Those few that do, generally know enough that they prepare properly for them. Your car sounds ready to handle it, Bo. But I didn't know that until now. Worse, I have no clue what the condition of the wiring of the 240Z recently purchased by a 17 year-old newbie who might read this thread in 2011. All he sees is "more amps = better", which may not always be true. I'd rather err on the side of caution. If you have beefed your car's wiring to the point that you know you're good for it, my replies weren't meant for you.

Yes. But is the 35 year old wiring on your 240Z good enough or heavy enough gauge to move that much current? Maybe it is, but do you want to chance melting something in your harness when 60 amp units are easy, simple and provide more than enough?

Turns out we're both right, E. The automatic console for '71s had material removed from both the front and the rear of the shifter opening to accommodate the auto shift selector. The first picture I attached is a normal manual transmission console in place, with it's boot. The second picture is a manual transmission console in place, w/o boot. (The fact that the car pictured was converted from auto to manual is immaterial. The console and boot and such all attach the same.) The third picture shows an auto console w/o the shift selector or a boot. I marked the places where material is missing (when compared to a manual console) in red. The key to this original question is this - a manual transmission console will attach to an automatic transmission tunnel exactly the same as the original auto console did, as long as you have the proper one. If the automatic car is a '71 (through 8/71 or so), you need a manual console from a '70 or '71 car.

I'd call that a firm maybe. Note that the 240sx alternators need a pulley swap to work on an S30. If the Quest alternator needs mods of any kind to go on an SX, you're an extra step farther removed. I guess my question would be, do you really need more than the 60 amps of a normal ZX conversion? The fact is that much of the wiring on a 240Z is not all that heavy-gauge to begin with. Start pushing really serious amps through it sounds like a possible recipe for trouble to me. My 60 amp ZX alternator easily keeps up with everything running at once - H4 lights, wipers, radio, heater fan, rear defroster, turn signals and brake lights. It has no problems supplying all this at idle. Lights don't dim, blinkers don't slow down, etc. Why would I need more?

Close. I've had both styles, and did swap a manual console into a formerly automatic car. The cut that will turn a manual console into an auto console is at the rear of the shift opening, not the front. Other than that, E is right on the mark. The manual console you have is for a '72 or later. The proper '70-71 console will still accept the two-lever choke/throttle assembly you had on the automatic console.

Interesting. My car isn't an early car, but I can confirm this as well. Mine are stamped '1-6' (June 1971) in a 7/71 built car.

Also, check to make certain the hose connections between the electric pump and the tank are tight and well sealed. If these connections aren't tight, the pump can suck air and not pump fluid. I've seen it happen on one of my Zs.

Why did we resurrect a 4 year old topic?

Those of you here who have dimes instead of (or in addition to) Zs might be interested in these. They appear to be local to me, although I don't know the seller. Might be able to find time to look at them in person for interested parties, though. 13x7 Libres

I agree with the above. Like Stephen, I consider my car to be a nice survivor, not a show-quality car. I'm more likely to wait until I hear who else might be going before firming my plans totally. I go to visit with friends and see other people's cars, not for any need to display mine. But I will display my car, because other people might want to see mine, just like I want to see theirs.