Arne

Oops! I'm on it...

Very true. To fit a double-DIN you'd need to gut and re-engineer a replacement for the HVAC controls to make room.

That may or may not point to the transmission, as there's no load on any of the suspect parts when it is out of gear.More telling is that you say it does not do it in 1st or 2nd, but does in 3rd and 4th. But even that can be deceptive, as if it only does it under load, it may not be possible to get it loaded hard enough in the lower gears to hear it. Here's one of the things I'd listen for—in third gear accelerate and listen to the noise, then shift to fourth and continue accelerating. If the noise changes significantly from third to fourth, it is probably in the transmission. If the sound has the same basic note in both gears, it could be either the tranny or the diff. Your profile doesn't say where you live, but it might be helpful to have a different set of ears listen to it.

I tend to disagree. If it is gear specific, I'd lean towards the transmission. Differential noise will be road speed tied, and which gear will make no difference.

Ask, and ye shall receive.

Quick is as quick does.... :bunny: Actually, while the chrome trim strips were all the same, there was a difference between the Series 1 North American tail lights and the later 240Z lights. The early lights had a different part number and the red plastic was a bit deeper in color. That doesn't affect a possible trim repro project, but it should be noted here for accuracy. I'm torn between metal or plastic on these. Plastic (or resin) would be more authentic, but plated metal would be more durable. In fact, it might be nice if (regardless of material) a replacement could have threaded posts for mounting, rather than smooth for spring clips. Considering the constant issue of discoloration inside the lights from exhaust gases, the ability to disassemble them for cleaning inside would be a big plus.

There were no metal versions, to the best of my knowledge. All 240Z lights used the plastic trim. My question above was based on the assumption that the repros might not be the same material as original.

Are we talking metal or plastic? I'd be up for 2 pair of plastic, one to use soon (need to disassemble and clean my car's lights), and one pair as spares. If the replacements were metal, probably only need a single pair.

Is one of them red and in the Seattle-area?

Ha! Oil should be added to politics and religion as being taboo forum topics. Seriously, just use whatever you are comfortable with. Because for every opinion you hear, there will be others that are polar opposites.

I guess. I don't know what it is, whether it's a one-off or a kit. Just me, but I've never understood wanting to make a Z look like something else. Z's are uncommon enough these days that I personally want to flaunt the original style. If you want a car that doesn't look like a Z, buy a non-Z.

The rod will keep it correctly shaped, but will not keep it from collapsing under vacuum. I'll wait for the correct part, myself.

I drive my late '71 about 3000 miles per year. It's a rare week when it doesn't get out of the garage at least once, if not two or three times. It had 60k when I bought it, just over 72k now. And no, I don't worry a bit about adding more miles to it. It's my car, and I bought it to drive it.

Those are MSWs, which is/was OZ Racing's generic brand name. Much flatter face than BBS. You can even see the MSW logo on the caps.

Yes, I do. :bandit:

Without flares, 17x8.5 is going to be dang wide for the front. Probably too wide, even with the Type II air dam. I'd probably recommend sticking with one of the narrower sizes, at least for the front. BTW - I think you've got a winner in the making there. Looking good.

I'm depressed now. I think I'll go hop in the Z and go for some ice cream!

FWIW - the sweet spot in 240Zs here in Oregon seems to be $6-8k. Solid cars that will need some sorting to be "right". Still affordable and generally solid. Most will need paint, but not immediately. Minor projects run from $4-6k. Less than $4k is generally either a real bargain, or a major project.But also around here, you can expect to find 240Zs between $8-12k that are nice, un-rusted cars with reasonably low mileage. They will likely have a few issues, but in that price range you can find a drivable, fun Z. I know that there is one described that way in the local paper here now. I haven't seen it, so I take the seller's description with a large grain of salt.

Dang, you beat me again, Jeff. :lick:

Another thought - how much much did they mill off of the head you took off? The head thickness (face to cam cover surface) should be ~108mm (4.25"). If it is much less than that, it would bring the valves down as well.

Probably .75mm, or .030 over.

Is the car lowered? If so, how much? Do you have an air dam, or stock valance?

FTFY. I figure it's a bit of both. Too many cars here on the West Coast for people to think of them as "special" or "rare", and a bit of bias against Japanese cars as "collectible" in general. This may be a good thing in my case. Because they don't cost a lot, I could afford a really nice example, and I don't have to worry too much about diminishing its value because I drive it.

Herman, the most common cause of melted fuseboxes in a 240Z is the lights. From the descripton you gave, as a guess I'd suspect a badly worn combo switch (headlight/wipers). If the wiring harnesses themselves have not yet melted, this can likely be fixed by repairing/replacing the combo switch, replacing the fusebox (if it has melted significantly), and adding relay kit(s) for at least the headlights, and probably for the tail/park lights too. I've been through worse on one of my '71s, so I certainly would not rule out an otherwise nice car just for this reason. If the combo switch needs replacing, or if it turns out that some of the wiring does need replaced, you'll need to know the production date. There are two major variations of '71 models, and the electrical parts are different between the two. Here's a couple of threads that dealt with similar issues for reference. Also, feel free to send me a PM if I can be of more help. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19793 http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34917

Welcome, Herman. Regarding your search - after going through this myself, I'd recommend getting the best body as you can, with (hopefully) decent wiring. Don't get too worked up about the drivetrain, as long as it is reasonably intact. Used engines and transmissions are not hard to come by. Body is most important. What year (or even better, production date) is the one with the bad wiring? Transplanting the wiring from a different car of similar vintage is a moderate pain, but can be done once you locate someone parting out a similar car.