Arne

Please post requests like these in the Classifieds, not the general forums.

The '83 L28 that was in my yellow 240Z when I bought it had the later 3-wire module on it. I thought the E12-80 was only correct for '79-80. Not sure that that would prevent it from starting, though.

Ouch! Bad weather sucks when you are a car enthusiast. It's been cold here in Western Oregon as well, but bone-dry. I've actually been driving my 240Z back and forth to work a fair amount these past couple of weeks. Sorry you can't do the same. Anyway, welcome! And yes, we'll all help you keep that gem in good order.

This is one reason that for parts like this, I never buy mail order or over the Internet. If I buy them locally, I can can take them back and show them in person what's wrong. Or better, I can take the old ones with me when I pick them up and compare them before I ever pay for them. Some stuff it's better to buy locally.

Keeping it was an easy decision. While I may be a relative Z newbie, I've been in the car restoration game plenty long enough to know that un-identified parts are NEVER disposed of. It's a bit of a problem, sometimes, explaining this to my wife...

Not rubber. More of a slightly glossy semi-hard vinyl. Seems very similar to the vinyl or hard rubber material used in old-style faucet washers. It is very hard to get good pictures of it, due to the black color and reflectivity. There are no identifying marks or numbers on it. The only mold lines are in the center groove. I'm guessing it was made in a four piece mold. (Top, bottom, and two groove halves.)

Surprise! I was cleaning and organizing parts to go with the yellow Series 1 when I sell it (very soon) today. And look what I found in a box of parts in the garage! I didn't know I had it. Remember that the yellow car was originally an automatic that I converted to a early 4 speed. I bought the shift lever off eBay, and I now recall that this grommet was loose on the lever. I had no clue what it was for, or even if it really was a 240Z part. But I did save it, and so now I have a spare.

I was considering the black side stripes for my yellow 240Z, when I got to that stage of the project. Now that I have my red one and the yellow car will be sold (soon), I haven't made any call on stripes for it. Could go black, white or none. But the point is that if I were to do this, I'd take the stripes to a local sign shop (the ones who apply vinyl signs, lettering and logos to vehicles) and pay them to do it right. Wouldn't cost much, I'm sure. And they know what they are doing - I don't. Sometimes it's worth paying the pros to do things.

First, remember that it was and is not really a scoop - it's a vent. And when it was installed properly it covered large holes in the hood to let hot air escape. Without those big holes, it's just an ugly doodad.

Actually, here in North America the grill for a '73 240Z was a different part number from the '70-72 240Z grill. I'm not sure what the difference is, it may be minor enough that it will work OK. But they are not the same.

Well said! That sums up my position as well. Nothing wrong with the later cars, they're just not the ones that I get excited about.

I've been reluctant to remove my grommet until I'm ready to replace the boot itself - either with one sewn up by my wife, or one done by LBO730 or someone else.But I can say that - while I don't think one of the A/C grommets are likely to work (too large, I'm guessing) - from what I can see of it in place I'm pretty certain it won't be too difficult to find a workable replacement once I have mine out for pictures and measurements. When that happens, I'll post it all here in this thread. Marty/LBO730 - please let me know when replacements are available. I'm interested in one.

Exactly. Not all rare or uncommon Z parts are valuable - or even good!

Yup. Like I said, he's been trying for months.

Jon, next time you have yours out of the car, I'd love to see a picture of it.

My red 240Z and I vote no.

That dude has been trying to move that thing on craigslist-portland for months. No takers at that price. Maybe it's not worth as much as he hopes.

Looks like I should snag one of those levers if I ever see one.

Could you post a picture of this shift lever?

The R&T data was what was given them by Datsun/Nissan just prior to the US launch. They included data on both the 5 speed and the automatic, neither of which were available at launch. The automatic was introduced with 9/70 production, the FS5C71-A was never offered in the US 240Z at all. (But I'd love to have one.) I've always assumed that the data they were given was based on what was going to be available in the rest of the world, but that may not be the case.I'm going to have to double-check my FSM, which I thought had specs for cars other than HLS30U as well, but now I'm not so sure. Of course, I don't have my FSM here at work.

No. They came with the 3.90 diff ratio.If you say so, as you're there and I'm not. But my factory service manual for '70-71 S30s shows a 3.70:1 with the Type A 5 speed, as does this clipping from the original Road & Track Tech Analysis for the 240Z. R&T might be wrong, but I'd generally expect the FSM to be moderately accurate.

Hmm. Same radiator my '96 328i uses, all six cylinder E36 '92-98. Easily available, and not too expensive. New ones can be found for less than $175 online, probably about the same from local shops without the shipping. BUT... The radiators out of those E36 models have a well deserved reputation for the upper plastic neck cracking. I've had to replace mine once already, they frequently seem to fail after 5-7 years. So it's definitely an option, but maybe not as durable long-term as an OE type one. But probably much easier to find in some parts of the world.

I had heard that there was a lever that worked, so that's good to know for the future. If I ever have a problem with my Type A, I may want to put a 5 speed in and store the 4 speed for a while. That's probably the right way to go. The 240Zs that came with the Type A 5 speed (outside North America) came with the 3.7. Probably a nice compromise, although a bit hard to find these days?

I agree with Carl. It totally depends on how you use the car. While I actually wouldn't mind having a tall fifth gear for cruising, I certainly don't need quicker acceleration around town. If I were to put in a five speed, I'd stay with the 3.36 also. (It's not likely that I'll go that way though, I don't want to have to cut the tunnel of the red car, which came with a Type A four speed.)

In my opinion as a life-long car enthusiast, current 240Z owner, and someone who has driven many 280Zs over the years, I don't think the two models are directly comparable. The lightness and more visceral feel of the 240Z make it a different car than the admittedly much more sorted 280Z. Both have similar performance and capabilities, both are great vintage cars, but the appeal of the different models is - well - different. I test drove a brand new 280Z 5 speed in 1978. The last of the line, and obviously the most well developed. I recall it vividly. It was a very nice car, but as a freshly married 21 year old who was trying to buy my first house, I couldn't swing it financially. Now that I can buy what I want, my choice was to look for a 240Z. If you extrapolate my age back, you'll see that the cars I grew up with were all much simpler than the later cars, and that's what I gravitate to now. Nothing wrong with the later cars, they are definitely improved in many ways. But I prefer the simpler cars with a less refined feel. It's just the way I am.