Ttiger

The console should work, but you'll have to take off the auto shift trim piece which may leave exposed holes. I ended up finding a manual console

Satin black looks great. Easy to do with a good quality spray can. Take them off the car, give them a light sanding and get them nice and warm in the sun. Spray away.

$6K is pretty high, even for a clean Z. I bought a '73 auto two years ago. It needed fluid because the shift modulator was bad and was allowing the motor to suck trans fluid up through the vacuum tube. It was about $12 at Kragen and that solved the problem. It was not bad to drive. It's 3rd gear is a 1:1 ratio so it's the same a 4th gear in a manual trans car. I drove it LA for the Z-Car Nationals in 2008 and it ran fine. After about 8 months, I replaced the auto with a rebuilt 260Z motor with 240Z intake and a 280Z 5-speed. I had to enlarge the trans tunnel cut out (outline is there from the factory) and bypass the neutral safety switch. Other than that, it was plug-and-play

Automatic or manual? Sounds like a starter interlock. If it's an auto, make sure it's in P or N. Did you reconnect the small wire that goes to the terminal on the solenoid?

Years ago, I had a Z shop in Santa Barbara do a "clunk" removal. They lifted the car and took off the U-joints at the stub axle then used an air hammer to "un-peen" the nuts. Then they put a huge breaker bar on the nut and tightened it (one guy hanging on the bar). After that they re-peened the nuts and put everything back together. The clunks all went away!

A long time Z mechanic friend said he's used R134a in R-12 systems without any problems for years. I have also heard the Freeze 12 is very flammable and most technicians are not using it.

The 280Z had factory air. You can tell by the A/C hose ends with threaded fittings, not hose clamps. If the compressor is good, I'd replace the drier (about $20 - generic) put a vacuum pump on it (Harbor Frieght has a cheap one that works off an air compressor). Suck it down, checking for leaks and put some R134a with oil in it.

I think #2 is one of the relays on the passenger side kick panel just below the dash. The automatic cars had a starter interlock relay over there. The hazard relay on my '73 looks like that and it's over on the pass kick panel.

I found a stub axle by going to www.mazda-parts-dealer.com (they sell Nissan too). Dave B there can look it up and tell you which dealer in the US has one. You can probably ask your local dealer to check for you, if they have a clue. I found one in Oregon and it was not that expensive for brand new OEM. Make sure to get a new nut too!

The drip rail for a 240/260/280 2 seater is the same. I have interchanged them. If yours is longer, then I'd say it's for a 2+2. I would think the 2+2 rail would be significantly different than a 2 seater because the roof line is so different.

Did you put the return spring back on the slave (if it had one)? Is there some play at the end of the clutch release lever, where it touches the end of the pushrod from the slave? The early Z slave pushrod is adjustable (two 10mm open end wrenches). You need some play (about 2mm) so the the clutch can fully release when you take your foot off the pedal. Speaking of the pedal, do you have some free play when the pedal is released?

I used the same plastic riviets that are used on the interior panels. They worked just fine. The rivets used on the taillight trim are smaller heads but same size holes. I painted my panels a semi-gloss black and they look great. Make sure they go into the clips on the bottom before you put the rivits on top.

Use one lift point where the fuel pump bolts to the head and the other on the last bolt (by the firewall) where the exhaust manifold bolts to the head. That's where the factory lifting hooks were attached.

Talk to Motorsport, they're in Orange/Anaheim. www.zcarparts.com I'm sure they have a list of good mechanics in the LA area.

Hey five&dime, My '87 Max is almost showroom. Original paint and no rips in the cloth seats. It's in a garage at home and in a parking garage at work so it doesn't get much sun-time. It just turned 200K and starts, runs and drives just fine. I got 100K miles on the last set of Michelins I put on it. I like it better than my '01 MAx. It's more of a true sports car!

It alternates between my 1992 Miata, my 2001 Maxima SE, my 73 Z and my 1987 Maxima SE. The '01 Max is primary because of the cup holders and the Bose, but the Miata is great for this time of year (and it gets 30 Mpg!)

I had my Z painted at Maaco last year. I'm very happy and it cost about the same ($1,400). they did a lot of ding removal and even painted the jambs. I agree, for a daily driver, if you do the prep work - taking everything off, they do a good job. I even took my windshield and back window out. Nice job!

My money is one the T/C rod (red in the pictures above). That's the easiest way to move your wheel forward or back. With that tire size, he must have moved it a lot! He should not touch that T/C rod when doing an alignment. If you have a stock suspension in the car, the only adjustment is toe-in toe-out. You need a camber kit to make any changes there.

It comes out without removing the dash, but you will have to get all the wingnuts off. I've used right angle pliers and even a small flat blade screwdriver between the stud and one of the ears. It works to get it started.

Torque what? head, manifolds, crank???

I've been there! Do what Z137 says, remove the grill and loosen the hinge bolts, it worked like a charm for me!

Just turned 50. I remember going to sit in the 240-Z back in 1972. They used to chase me out of the dealer until I got a 510 brochure for my 4th grade teacher and he bought the car. I was welcome to sit in as many Z-cars as I wanted! My first Datsun was a 1969 510 I bought in 1976. From that point I 've always had a Z or another Datsun/Nissan in the family: Currently in the stable: 2001 and 1987 Maximas 1971, 1973 and 1985 Z cars

I bought the complete MSA kit (made by Precision), Everything went on the car well, but the doors are very hard to close. MSA says it's the number one complaint they get. My doors closed fine before replacing the weatherstrip and the gaps are all perfect so I don't want to mess with the adjustment. I have to slam them big-time to get them to close all the way. I broke one exterior door handle from the stress of opening against the weatherstrip. I tried putting a film of silicone on the selas to make them silde against the door frame easier. It helped a little bit, but they are still hard to close. It's been a year so far.

See your other post called "Problem" for more carb info.

What tube? Out of the top of valve cover? It's a vent tube that should be connected to the air cleaner. The tube on the block below the manifold/thermostat? That's the crankcase ventilation and should be connected to a working PCV valve on the intake manifold. With respect to your carb question in another post: It's very possible you have the carbs mis-adjusted. It's easy to mess them up to the point where one is running rich and the other lean. In fact you can get the enegine to pretty much run on one of them. Get a Haynes manual and go through the steps to adjust and balance the carbs. It's not that hard, but it's a step-by-step process that can easily get messed up.