Arne

Dave, if you are using Windows, look for an HP Laserjet 1018. They are being phased out now, but if you can find one they are a very affordable B&W laser with nice crisp printing. We buy them at work for our remote staff. Small desk footprint, too, about the size of an inkjet.

My two comments are not necessarily aimed at problem areas to look for, as there are lots of places to find that. No, my comments are aimed at the buyer. The very first thing you should do is honestly ask yourself what your ultimate vision is for your future Z. Because that can have a big impact on what cars you look at and eventually buy. Is your dream Z a restored showroom original 240Z? A mildly modified Z to drive daily? A radical hot rod? Something else? A Z can be any of those things, but some cars you look at may be suitable for some of those goals, but not for others. And how flexible are you willing to be if you find a really nice car that might not be exactly what you are dreaming of? I ask this because I know, it happened to me. I was planning a mildly modified 240Z with period-correct looks. Then I found a nearly original, low-miles 240Z. I've had to change my goal a bit, as I can't quite bring myself to do things to it that aren't easily reversible. So my end result will not be nearly as modified as I had first thought. Last is the biggie. I'm going to emphasize this, because even though I know this, I often ignore it and it comes back to bite me again and again. So here goes - Hold out for the very best car you can find and afford! You won't regret buying a really nice one, and the money spent up front will be well spent. It can easily cost 2 to 3 times as much to make an average car as nice as a nice would have cost up front.

Or, if you're not handy, you could try these that are shown on Les' Classic Datsun Motorsports site. I don't know how much they cost, but would be interested in knowing. They look good to me. http://classicdatsun.com/new/240_misc-parts.html

Courtesy Nissan just shows '70-76 as silver, and '77-78 as black. But the actual change may not be that cut and dried. http://www.courtesyparts.com/s30_wipers.html

I AM sure that the 240Z, 260Z and early 280Z arms and blades were matte silver, and the later 280Z arms and blades were black. I am NOT certain when the change occurred.

They were matte silver through '76, black in '77 and '78. I think there was a DOT regulation that forced that change, but could be wrong.

I've had good luck repairing the original clocks. Just sold one for a 240Z that I repaired over a year ago, still ticking as it left.

So they covered the ammeter option, but not the speedo? Go figure...

No. They were a totally different beast.

Here's an interesting thought - if this is the only kit they sell, it's not right for the very latest 240Zs either, as at least some of the '73s came with an ammeter that read from -60 to +60, not -45 to +45.

I guess I don't understand why you went to the timing for this? If the car was running fine prior to changing the carbs, and no other changes occurred at the same time, there is no reason to change the timing. You should be working with the carbs, as they are the parts that changed. Or is there more to the story that we haven't yet heard?

Chris, please post pictures when you get them installed...

Problem is that there were three separate speedos for 240Zs, and they don't have faces for them all. The Series 1 cars (like yours) started at 20 MPH. Because the US automotive press criticized that highly (along with customer comments, I'm sure), Datsun went from "starting at 20 and centered at 90" to "starting at 0 and center at 80". for the non-Series 1 '71s. At a later point (can't remember if it was '72 or '73) they went to the "start at 10 and center at 85" unit. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that there may not be a proper white face for the earliest speedo like yours. Simplest answer would be to find a used speedo that matches the white face, and keep the original as a spare.

I've found the right sides are frequently worse due to battery acid corrosion. So it is entirely possible that the left side may be salvageable.

Already sold via Buy-It-Now. They were a good deal at that price.

I'm more interested in the one that Bringatriler.com recently featured. http://bringatrailer.com/2007/12/10/the-perfect-specimen-1971-datsun-240z/

Can't say for certain before I got it, but I can say that Zep has played in it recently, 'cause I played them...

I really don't see much downside to having a 5 speed in a 240Z. The possible need to enlarge the tunnel hole for the shifter (in a '70 or '71) would be a bummer, but there is a way around that. On the other hand, I try to avoid driving on the freeway anyway, preferring to drive on the back roads instead. For that driving the four speed is fine.

Stacy, I've never done this on a 260Z, nor do I have access to a 260Z to see what needs to be done. So I'm afraid I can't help you on this.

They are still relatively common here on the West coast. I see 2 or 3 a week. Mostly 280s, but 240s aren't all that rare, either.

It's about engineering. Even a majority of the few RWD cars made today use positive offset. My BMW has 17x8 +38 on it...

From my days selling tires, I recall that there were several issues around the 3% figure. Most had to do with varying local regulations, and load capacity safety buffers.But the brake warning (as I recall) had to do with modern cars with anti-lock brakes. Which is most anything these days. I seem to recall that some ABS controllers get fatally confused if the diameters of the tires are not all similar. After all, ABS works by comparing the relative rotation speed of all the tires. Not a problem as long as all the tires are the same size, even outside the 3% window. But most people don't change their spare to match. So if you have a flat on one of these ABS equipped cars and your spare tire is not within 3% of the rest of the tires, ABS problems can arise. And ABS problems can be expen$ive! Which is probably the reason for the warning. "We told you not to do that!"

Well said, Stephen. I'm just pleased now that I look back on it that I didn't have much money to throw around back when I was young. If I had the money then to do the things I thought would be fun, I may not have survived...

Not really. Those are way too short, good size for a 510 that originally came with 13", but not so good for a Z. Will be really revvy, speedo will be wrong, you'll be going much slower than the speedo reads, and will be adding more miles to the odometer than you really drive as well.Acceleration will be great, though.

Might not be. Then again, I wouldn't quite give up just yet, we have lots of members who only visit once or twice a week.