Arne

This is very hard to pin down, as 240Zs changed a lot, not just year to year, but sometimes month to month. Short answer is that you can probably make it work, but don't be surprised if the parts don't match exactly.

Gary's got it right. Six plastic rivets across the sill, similar to - but smaller than - the interior panel rivets. The two side panels can then be carefully pulled off. No need to take the three screws out of the license light cover, the whole light will come off after removing the two screws in the sill. The trim under the license plate was retained by two more of the small rivets on my red car.

I also agree, Randy. Done right, it should be almost impossible to tell. I'd do the tail, rockers - and if it were mine, the spook as well, as it looks like there is some black accenting on it too.

Did you check the profile gasket while the engine was out?

Enigma's picture shows it all. Disconnect the halfshaft, brake line, parking brake cable, and sway bar (on later Zs). I normally disconnect the brake line at the chassis end, and leave the hose connected to the backing plate as it is easier to cap the metal line than trying to plug the hose. Also watch out for the drum, if your brakes are not adjusted tightly it's possible (although not likely) that it could fall off the hub when the strut is pivoted out.

By actual count, I've R&R'd the springs in my 240Zs at least 7 times in the past 12 months. (Long convoluted story.) I never pull the spindle pins or the control arms, I always pivot them down as noted by Mike.

That and the fact that the increased weight of the metal fan was very hard on water pump shaft bushings.

Been there, done that, wrote a tech article. While my situation was not exactly the same as yours, this should give you an idea of the basics, and the video from ZTherapy will give you specific info on setting them up and tuning them. The tech article I wrote: Fuel injection to SU carb swap Link to ZTherapy - click the Videos link on the left: ZTherapy.com

You can't CarFax (or similar) on cars earlier than '81 when they changed to a 17 digit VIN format for US market cars. R - means L26 motor L - for left hand drive S30 - first generation Z-car chassis The rest is just the sequential number. Not a lot of info available from the VIN of an early Z.

I believe the lower control arm is the same, but the strut housing is not. The 280Z was taller (to meet bumper height requirements) so its strut tube is longer, I believe.

That's what I decided as well. I'd love it, but 500 miles each way towing a car trailer with a big diesel-sucking pickup, plus a night in a motel just isn't worth it right now. Although the VIN is only 4 off from my yellow car, can't get much more compatible than that.

Not so. The seat belts from a '69 or '70 built 240Z had a black aircraft-style buckle. Starting in 1/71 they switched to a push-button release with a 'Z' on the button. The later push-button style will fit and work in a '70, but they aren't technically 'correct'.

PM sent.

No black locks were ever factory installed on an S30. All were the normal polished stainless finish.

Not with carbs, no. WAY too much pressure. Most carbs like 5 psi or so. The factory fuel injection pumps do about 35 psi. They'll over-flow a carb's float bowl in no time.

Short comments: Unless it is pouring rain, Deanna and I will be there on Sunday in our red 240Z. All the hooraw aside, I'm glad that Datsuns NW is willing to sponser this, as it gives me an excuse to go look at cars and meet with friends. I still refuse to take any of this too seriously, nor too personally. I'm just here to hang out and have fun. Finally, I'm not really convinced that this is the best place for all this discussion. Not sure that the rest of the Z world cares about our Datsun politics here in the Pacific NW.

Not odd at all. My 10/70 240Z also has the early stalk, but not the red dot. Seems to me that in the red dot thread we decided that was normal for the late-1970 build date cars.

For the past few years, Towel Day has settled on May 25th. This date was selected - appropriately enough - for no discernible reason.

Don't panic...

Thanks for the clarification, Stephen. I know the S30 alloys were 5.5", but that fact always seems to slip my mind when I need it most.Which reminds me that there was even a factory 5.5" steel wheel (for hubcaps) offered as a dealer-option clear back at the start, or at least by 1971. It was part number 40300-E4600, and the list price in 1971 was $13.50 per rim.

Remember that May 25th is Towel Day, in honour of that hoopy frood Douglas Adams.

There are a few. My red 240Z is darn close. The only drivetrain modification on it is the exhaust downstream of the factory downpipe. Yes, still running points ignition, and the smog pump and plumbing are intact and operating. Since the replacement exhaust is still only 1 3/4" pipe, the difference from stock is negligible.But I doubt I'd every bother to dyno it. Don't really care what the numbers are. I just like to drive it.

Not many people running wire wheels on these cars here, so there's not much real world experience with wires specifically. But selecting wire wheels that fit properly is no different than any other wheel. You are going to want no wider than 7", and as close to zero offset as you can get. If you are looking for 15" choices, you want 15x7 with around zero offset (4" backside setting). roper tire sizes for those wheels would be 205/60-15, 225/55-15, or 225/50-15 (225/50 is just a bit shorter than stock or 225/60-14).

You're probably right, John. While I'd love to get that much for mine, if this sale falls through it would be an indication that a bit of sanity has returned.

Pretty stringent requirements there. I can't speak for the S30 offerings in Oz, but here in the states the largest S30 rim was a 14x6 alloy. Which would limit you to a 7" wide wheel. Obviously, some of the JDM offerings had wider than that, but they may or may not apply to the Oz market, so I don't know if your state would recognize them as legit.