SteveInOakland

Yeah. MSA suggested burning the old ones out with a torch -- this for the type that don't extend past the sleeve. I used combination of drilling and propane torch, but propane really wasn't hot enough, and what a stink. Might try drill and Sawzall or similar next time. In an isolated area, a guy could probably leave one end of the bar in an open fire for 30 minutes or so and then pound out what was left. Spending that 30 minutes as far away as possible. FYI, the Prothane MB bushings sold by MSA come in two halves, one going in from above and one from below, and are a snap to install. With an MB bushing I don't think there'd be any advantage at all to rubber over urethane... Steve.

Are you talking about the "serrated washers" where wavy rubber is affixed to the big washers that adjoin the moustache bar bushings? If so, there are 4, but there would be none with the kind of bushings shown in Jackhammer's photos -- just straight washers. Ditto with MSA's urethane moustache-bar bushings. The serrated washers were used with m-b bushings that did not extend above and below the sleeves at the ends of the m-b. They served the same purpose as the additional rubber of the kind of bushings Jackhammer shows. --Of course, this may not be what you were asking about at all. Steve.

If you added stiffer springs, I would say that's by far the biggest factor in your stiffer ride. Steve.

Poly is not that horribly stiff, but OTOH new rubber is certainly not loose, and no tiller-against-the-wind feel to it. Sounds like rubber is what you're looking for. Steve.

I wish I could keep my original wheel as-is, but I just don't enjoy steering with that thin wheel. Spoiled by various (thick) Momos and newer OEM wheels. Someplace, maybe Too Intense, lists a leather wrap that they say is somehow custom for the Z wheel. Is anybody using it? What about after-market wood wheels? There are some terrific-looking Nardi wheels available (thicker). But the spokes don't have the receding, dished shape found on the Z wheel. So I wonder if it would end up too far from the driver? Or maybe the hub for those wheels is deeper. Thanks for any ideas, Steve 1973 240Z

I'd be pretty sure they were reupholstered by a PO. There are/have been a lot of aftermarket covers that look about right, just no vents. See photo.

I was puzzled by those comments too. I pulled a seat out of a first-generation 280Z, at a yard, with the vents, and I'm pretty sure the 280 I used to own had them as well. Steve.

My bad, the hook is all plastic. Should have rechecked before posting I guess. Matria, very helpful photo, thanks. What color is your interior btw? Contrast w/ rivets looks nice; although maybe the panels just look lighter on account of the flash... Code3, stop by anytime if you feel like it, although I think this problem is solved. But maybe we can help each other out with parts, etc. I'm just north of the Grand Ave. and Lakeshore exits from 580. Send a PM if you feel like it. Appreciate the info, gents. Steve.

There's a pair of vinyl-covered hooks for the 240Z shoulder belts to rest in. Goes over part of the plastic panel for the quarter-window, I believe. Which hole does it go in? The lowest, closest to front of car? What sort of screw/finish washer etc. arrangement? Thanks for any info, Steve.

I don't think it's that terribly high a price -- the question is, how much time do you want to spend to possibly save $60-70? Around here an engine like that, already pulled from the car, goes for $300-400. Much less at a you-pull. For the question about which L28 to choose, please visit zhome.com -- click on "Modifications for More HP" over on the left, then on "An L28 Swap Into a First Generation Z Car." He states his preferences pretty nicely and you'll get the ins and outs of one vs. another. Steve.

Don't know if worth it, but from the U.S. you can buy one for $99 + $35 core. http://replacement.car-stuff.com/parts/carstuff/wizard.jsp?year=1971&make=NI&model=240-Z-001&category=N&part=Brake%20Booster&returnurl=null&dp=true&showdc=true#top

Those things are gettin' hard to find. Nobody local -- Napa, CarQuest, PepBoys -- had one. It may be that the "application specific" part they can order for the Z is more of a universal, dunno. Some online places have them, but I just picked up a Datsun one on eBay -- it'll make a nice companion for my new 3-inches-too-long cable for a five-speed, fresh from the yard. Steve.

Thanks, Carl -- I've spent a lot of time on that page of yours over the last few weeks! I'm getting some results with tying seat-springs together, right now, in the original seat bottoms. Still needs some refinement. Steve.

The cable turned out to be busted. Local dealer says $148. MSA says $98. I'm off to the junkyard. Steve.

Yeah, that looks like a great car. But who knows. People say a lot of things when they're selling a used car. Oh -- anecdote. Z-specific. I looked at a car that shortly afterwards went up on eBay. The owner had told me the car had 90,000 original miles. I got on a plane. The odometer showed 47K or something like that. There were still records in the glovebox, and if you combed through you saw that the odometer had been turned over. If you combed further you saw that at one point the odometer had been disconnected. I asked the owner, he said he'd bought it in a kind of swap deal and the PO said it had 90K so he believed him (which I think he did). Relative of the owner does the eBay ad. "47,000 original miles." Steve.

Thanks, gents. I hadn't known about that difference, early vs late. FWIW, the springs and the rest of it are the same on my '73 240 as they are on a seat I pulled out of a 1976 280. Just some differences in the way the slides get attached to the seat. With the metal springs, it looks like a guy could tie some of them together to increase the level of support, maybe bring it back more to the original level. A few are tied together in the first place. You wouldn't have to tear the seat apart to do this. Steve.

Thanks, Gary, that all sounds right. Appreciate the help. Steve.

They're not as plentiful as they used to be when they were on more cars. However, in 195/60/14, for instance, Tire Rack lists 27 products currently available. In 195/70/14, there are 37. Steve.

Is there something I'm overlooking? I did a bunch of work on the differential mount and moustache bar, usual amount of manhandling. Also along the way fixed the backup lights switch in the tranny. Next thing I know, the speedometer stopped working.:stupid: The cable seems to be stuck in the tranny just fine. I took it out and reinserted it twice. You can't even thread it on unless the cable is fitted properly into the female... I did also replace some bulbs at the speedometer itself, but I think this problem happened before that. Also it seems unlikely you could dislodge the speedo cable from the speedo that easily. It sure seems to be attached. Any suggestions on what I should do next? (PS - Why is the speedometer pinion sleeve set up the way it is, i.e. a little external plate with one bolt mashes against the sleeve and that's what holds it in place?) Thanks a lot, Steve. 1973 240Z 4-speed, stock differential

Well I picked up some first-generation RX7 seats and did a good bit of the work to fit the driver's seat. But it's too high for me, just as Montoyafan suggested a month or so ago. I was pretty surprised, because this is a low seat, and I also removed the 3/4" or so of spacers that come stock between the Z and its rails. Feels like I'm maybe 1.5" higher than I want to be. (If somebody wants these seats cheap, PM me. They're dark grey vinyl with a face of two-tone grey cloth, nice shape.) Anybody who's put in Miata seats -- do these sit roughly as low as the original Z seats? What about Honda del Sol seats? By some reports these are made by Recaro. Also, has anybody used the "seat reinforcing straps" that Too Intense Restoration sells? I've now got a fairly decent original driver's seat to go with my fairly decent original passenger seat. But still not all that much support in the butt. So the straps are interesting. I confess I don't quite understand the foam sets that are available for the stock seats. The original seat bottom is mostly springs, with some foam and horsehair laid over the top. Can anyone clarify? Thanks a lot for any suggestions.

Agree with Ken -- definitely do a compression test. The thing about this car is that you're paying for the body work that's been done. That's why it can begin to command this price. If the body work wasn't done right and the car starts to rust in the key places, you'll have paid thousands of dollars for work that'll have to be redone. If the work was done right and the car's pretty sound mechanically, it could be a decent deal. But the thing is -- how will you know whether the work was done right? Do you trust yourself or some third party you might bring in, to make the right determination? And let me say this -- doing the work to properly renovate a rusted Z is a big, big job and a labor of love. I'm afraid the odds are that any given job has *not* been done right. (BTW, if the car is an Illinois car, it's pretty well an absolute certainty that there have in fact been rust problems in the past.) Getting into an old Z is a tricky thing. I don't mean to be too discouraging. Just a word of caution. Steve.

I was in touch with the owner more than a month ago and nearly flew down to see the car. He was getting a lot of inquiries and I'm sure it is now sold. The owner felt the car probably needed a head gasket and there were a few other problems. Ultimately I didn't go down because the rocker panels looked iffy. (See photo.) There was also front-fender rust and some body damage on the passenger-side front fender. But it was still probably a good deal for somebody. Owner seemed like a good guy. Policeman. Steve.

I did a search and found many helpful posts. Need something potent but not harmful -- have a 1973 white interior and want to save at least some of it. I can get the oil-like stuff off, it's the general dirtiness that's hard. I already used Fantastik, which is often good with that kind of thing; not so good here. After reading something by Enrique, I hit the West Marine site and turned up these options: 3M Vinyl Cleaner/Restorer 17.99 MEGUIARS Heavy-Duty Vinyl Cleaner $11.99 MEGUIARS Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner From $11.79 USD STARBRITE Plastic Polish/Restorer $9.49 USD STARBRITE Vinyl Shampoo $7.99 USD STARBRITE Vinyl Polish & Cleaner $13.49 USD WEST MARINE One Step Plastic Cleaner/Polish $7.99 USD WEST MARINE Vinyl Cleaner $7.99 Preferences? Suggestions? Thanks, Steve

Dramatic difference from the old tired springs? Any idea if the car rides significantly higher? Thanks, Steve

What did the gaps look like -- evidently big enough to see... Mine has problems but I haven't been able to spot any gaps. Thx, Steve