Ttiger

The '73 240 and early 260 had a bad "hot soak" problem which is why all the fuel lines got wrapped in that astro-foil stuff as part of a "fix" Nissan put together. You have to hold the gas pedal about 3/4 while you crank it when the motor is hot and it's hot outside. Once it starts, it will take a few seconds to clear out and then should be good-to-go. You might also check the float levels in the carbs. to see if the're off

I just found a stub axle at Ron Tonkin Nissan in Portland. From what they told me, there was one other one at a dealer in Virgina (any dealer can look up nation-wide inventory for you - Nissan part number is 38164-E4150. MSA also carries them. I just had a similiar problem with my '71. My son was in a performance driving school and on the skidpan he snapped the axle right at the big nut. I pulled the axle shaft out and now need to get the inner bearing off so I can get it on the new shaft. I'm thinking about taking it to a shop to have it pressed off and on because I don't want to trash a $50 bearing! Once I have have the bearings swapped (and a new seal in place) do I just "tap" the axle shaft back in? I used a slide hammer to get it out so how much force is needed to get it back in?

Yeah, it happened to my 280 ZXT and I ended up pulling the motor with the pipe attached (that was fun!). I tried torching it and levering it with a floor jack handle shoved in the end of the pipe. No luck. I may have to cut it off as I need to get the trans out and can't do that with the pipe there.

I'm doing a clutch on my '85 Turbo and I can't get the exhaust pipe disconnected from the turbo. I've taken off the 3 bolts holding the triangle shaped retaining collar but the pipe won't budge! I've tried jacking it up, pulling side-to-side and spraying it with PB Blaster. It looks like someone else had the same problem, They left the flange in and welded a pipe back on an inch or so below it. I may have to cut it off. Any other ideas? Thanks

I took my '73 to the local Maaco (San Jose - Stockton Ave) and they did a great job for me. They ended up taking the whole car down to bare metal and repainted it in the original 113 green. I'll attach some pics. The total when all was said-and-done was $1400. They painted the cowl off the car so they could get good coverage by the windshield. I had removed all the trim, emblems, bumpers etc and cut the weatherstrip away from the glass so they could paint in there.

If you are very careful you can use the old glass. I just did that with my '73 that I had painted. It had the original glass. I cut the old weatherstrip out (very carefully and close to the body - both inside and outside - it's VERY TOUGH after all these years) and gently worked the windshield and rear glass out. Be very careful as the old rubber is glued in there. I cleaned the glass edges and slid the new weatherstrip on the glass. I used the Progressive weatherstrip from MSA (I bought the whole kit). I then used aerosol glass gleaner to lube the rubber so I could put the chrome moulding back in. More glass cleaner around the edge of the rubber and on the body opening and I set the glass in the opening. Using a hook tool (kind of like a pointed screwdriver with a 90 degree bend in it), I worked the rubber into the body. It slid right in place and looks great. Take your time and it works!!

Any of the windshield shops can get Z glass. Just ask for non-shaded glass. They all use eother PPG or LOF glass, plus some use off-shore imported stuff that's OK. It should be about $150-$175 installed. Use a new gasket as the old one will be hard and impossible to re-use. You can still get some OEM glass from Nissan but it's quite a bit more expensive.

Here's a scan from the FSM.

Yes, tail light gaskets, hatch seals and check the holes where the gas tank vent hoses come into the body. If you have not replaced those hoses, do that too.

I did some searching and I'm still unclear... Will a early 260-Z front bumper fit on a '73 240-Z? they look very similar and Black Dragon has new 260-Z fronts for $149. I know the '73 240 had the beginings of the 5mph bumpers and it looks like the early 260 used the same bumper. Has anyone tried? Will it fit? Thanks

My old tired '73 240 with all the smog stuff AND an auto trans got 22 coming back from MSA. I was impressed.

Got it. They go behind the filler neck.

I have replaced all of the gas tank vent hoses (all 5 for a CA car!!!). I'm trying to get the evap tank back in the well. Do the large vent hoses go behind or in front of the filler neck? I'm fighting it big-time Can I eliminate the evap tank on a CA car? The gas tank has 4 hoses coming from it.

I found directions by Yahoo mapping "Santiago Canyon Road" in Anaheim, CA. You can also map the park by name, but that takes you in another entrace. The MSA flyer said to use the Santiago Canyon entrance.

I'm taking at least two down to the show. My boy's 240Z and 300ZX are going. I've put together many many Zs in the past so that's not a big deal. The glass is out and all the emblems, bumpers, weatherstrip is off the car. It may be more prudent to leave the drivetrain in place and drive it down with the body in nice shape and do the drivetrain when I get back. I gues I'll play it by ear and see how things go when I start to assemble everything.

I was planning on taking my new-to-me 1973 240Z to the Motorsport Nationals in So-Cal next week. I have an engine and 5-speed ready to put in the car but car is still in the paint shop. They said one week and we're going on two. I was going to pick it up today and start putting the body back together (I took everything off). I got a call this morning telling me that when the painter was painting the cowl panel (they took it off the car), the top blew off his paint gun and spilled paint all over the freshly painted body!! They want to sand the whole car and shoot it again tomorrow. I should be able to pick it up Saturday but I have to work all weekend Fri-Mon. That leaves me 3 days (Tue-Wed-Thur) of next week to get it ready. I'm thinking I'll just put the body back together and drive it with the tired original engine (135,000 miles) and auto trans to the show. Or, maybe, pull a couple of all-nighters and swap out the drivetrain. The car had been sitting for 2 years when I got it a month ago. It started and ran fine although the radiator has a leak. It made it the 50 miles to the paint shop and promptly spilled its guts. I have a new radiator waiting. Decisions, decisions...

I remember doing that once before. Thanks. I ordered the hoses. I'm trying to get the car ready for the Motorsport Nationals in a week and it's still in the paint shop! I still have an engine and trans to put in. AHHHHHHHH

I figured it out. It's to help bend the hose into shape. Thanks

Thanks for the list! What is 2 meter long metal tube for? Does it replace a hose somewhere?

I searched and found reference to the 2000 issue of Sport Z magazine where the use of aftermarket hoses from McMaster Carr was detailed. Does anyone have a copy of that article or a parts list so I can get the stuff? Thanks

That won't work. The cover is inside the bellhousing. It's the newer style trans with an integral bellhousing.

Well, that's a tough one. The ZXT is much more of a cruiser than the Z. It will have a softer ride and more creature comforts (power steering, power windows, etc). I assume they are both 5-speeds? Will it be driven in stop and go traffic? The ZXT will be much more forgiving in hot weather and stop & go traffic with the A?C on. The Z is more of a sports car and will be fun to drive. I had a 1971 Z years ago (1981) and the window crank handle broke. I went to my local dealer where I had to walk through the showroom to get to the parts department. In the showroom was a 1981 ZXT, black & tan. I sold myself that car! I traded my '71 for it and drove it for 10 years. It's still around. I got married and had kids so the Zs went away and we had Pathfinders and Quests. I have a Maxima now and just picked up a '73 Z to play with. I also found an '81 ZXT just like my old one. It was a mess and I got it for nothing. I put it back together and really enjoyed driving it, even more than the 240-Z. My son got t-boned in it and it was totalled. Now I'm back with just the 240Z. I really did enjoy the ZXT. It was a nice combination of sport and refinement. So, I guess the answer to your question is to find out what type of driving and what kind of comforts you want. The ZXT may be the best all-around car while the Z is the classic more basic sports car.

I'm trying to replace the front seal on my 5-speed and I've taken the 5 transmission front cover bolts off but the darn cover will not budge. I looked in the FSM and it should come off after removing the bolts, but no dice. I've tried heating it up a bit and prying every which-way I can, but still nothing. It's hard to get in to get a good pry-point because it's inside the bell housing. Any help? Thanks

I would, but the bolt has some bad threads on it. That's why I bought a new one. That tap is hard to find, but I'm still looking..

Does anyone know what the thread size & pitch is? It looks like a 15mm. I need to chase the threads in the crank before I put a new bolt in there. Thanks