7T1240

David and Arne, thanks for your input. Still mulling it over. Gary S.

I have the opportunity to pick up a parts car for what would seem to be a very reasonable $1000. It is a '72, complete except for hubcaps, but it has an automatic transmission. (My car is a '71 - 4 speed manual). There are some parts on it I'd like - a crack free dash, a nice heater control panel. The inspection doors for battery and windshield washer access, the hood and the driver's side door all appear as though they would require less prep for painting than the parts on my car. On the down side, besides the car being an automatic, the left rear taillight is broken out and there is rust at the bottom of both front fenders. The seats and interior panels are in somewhat poor condition, and they are white. I have a garage to work in, but space is somewhat tight. I may have access to some off-site storage (the basement of my workplace). I wonder to myself: What am I getting into here...nice assortment of parts at a low cost? A sizable investment of time for disassembly (not to mention the time spent photographing and advertising parts for sale to recoup some of the purchase price)? An opportunity to learn more about the various sub-assemblies of the car? More trouble than it's worth? Thoughts and suggestions are welcome. If you've purchased a parts car, was the experience overall positive or negative? What were the unforeseen problems? What were the unforeseen benefits? Gary S.

Pictures - Click on the second link in the first post of this thread. Gary S.

Yes, there's much to recommend it, and the documentation from a reputable enthusiast doesn't hurt. The cost of getting it home would have to be factored in - I'm assuming the car is in Florida. Hmm, Florida to Springfield, OR. or Spokane, WA., it doesn't get much farther than that! Gary S.

Tim Suddard is selling the GRM 240Z project car. Here is a link to the ad: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/grm-project-240z-for-sale/15570/page1/ In the description, the rear wheel horsepower is incorrectly stated as 267. A later post corrects that to 167. Here is a link to the project car page which shows the multiple projects where the car has been featured in the magazine: http://classicmotorsports.net/project-cars/1970-datsun-240z/ Gary S.

Hi kats and all. I've really enjoyed learning from this thread. Regarding the Type C design study - To me, when I look at the front grille area and some other details, I see quite a resemblance to the Maserati Ghibli. Gary S.

Ataka, hello. When you say most old z cars have this problem, is it simply from usage and heat cycling, or is it indicative of the car having been overheated? Silver Seal - did this help? Gary S.

Thought these were kind of cool, so I decided to post them up in case anyone's interested. They look very similar to a7dz's wheels, which I've always admired. http://denver.craigslist.org/pts/1412707165.html Don't know if the wheel specs quoted in the ad are correct (8.5" width?), I would want to verify. Gary S.

I may be looking at head gasket replacement in the near future. Does this book contain important information not found in the FSM and the Haynes manual? Thanks, Gary S.

Bob and John, thanks for your replies. The Z is not a daily driver. Since purchasing it 4 years ago, I do drive it on a regular basis, including about once a month in the winter. It's time for an oil change, so I'll do that to see if coolant is present (I haven't seen any in previous changes). As far as how much is leaking, I don't even really see a drop or two. The evidence is some paint peeling off the engine block below and a little weep line right at the gasket. Maybe the heat from the engine is drying / evaporating the coolant? Gary S.

Hello all. I'm seeing a small amount of coolant seeping at the center of the block / head mating point on the oil filter side. The amount is minimal, but it is there. Please advise me - should I go through the torquing sequence for the head and see if this eliminates the seeping? Or do I need to remove the head and install a new head gasket? Any other suggestions on how to address this? Thanks, Gary S.

I don't own one of the BRE car covers, but I think they're pretty cool...I like the historical connection and the novelty. http://www.bre2.net/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=B&Product_Code=carcover_240z&Category_Code=car_covers Gary S. Well, as soon as I posted this I see Les beat me by several minutes. Oh well, there's the link anyway.

Keith, yes, please do. Gary

For the Z aficianado, here's a pretty neat piece of memorabilia. No tools, just the toolbox - here's the seller description from craigslist: "I've got a factory tool box for the factory tools for an early Datsun 240Z. This is the real Nissan case that had the tools in it for the dealers. Sorry but no tools, I only have the case. This would be cool for a 240z person. Email your phone number if interested." And the link: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/pts/1404914661.html Does anyone have one of these? How about with the tools? Gary S.

...and now it's back on again. Relisted here on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270462156306&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME%3AB%3AWNARL%3AUS%3A1123 Gary S.

I recall a set of nice "D" hubcaps going for somewhere slightly above $1000 several years ago. Well, here's a set on Long Island CL described as "incredible" for $1300. http://longisland.craigslist.org/pts/1387459937.html (Disclaimers: Not mine, don't know seller, not endorsing, etc., etc.) Gary S.

Well, the seller stated that the car is / was for sale locally, and reserved the right to end the auction at anytime - which he did. Three days before closing, reserve not met at $9800 on 26 bids. Maybe it did sell locally? Gary S.

I had new u-joints installed by a local shop, both for the halfshafts and the driveshaft. The shop's preference, and what I purchased, is Neapco brand. I'm sorry I don't have part numbers for you, but here is a link to Neapco contact info., where you can inquire about where to purchase: http://www.neapco.com/n_contact-support.php Pics:

I used the stock, rubber bushings. Another member here responded to my question - these are his instructions, with photos. "8.7 foot lbs is way to tight that is about 105 in lbs. I torque mine to 35-45 in lbs. see attached pictures."

FSM says: "When assembling the stabilizer connecting rod and transverse link, be sure to tighten the first nut to 8.7 to 13.7 ft-lb torque and tighten the lock nut to secure the first nut." Haynes says: "...do not tighten the mounting bolts or nuts beyond the specified torque which is 18 lb/ft for the (stabilizer) bracket bolts and 15 lb/ft for the drop link nuts." Wick Humble says: "Tighten the link until the rubber grommets bulge slightly--don't try to bottom the thread. When you estimate the links are tight enough, jam the nuts together. Then tighten the (top) locknut--you may have to hold the link with Vise-Grips pliers." I need some help here. Do any of these torque specs. refer to the top locknut on the front stabilizer connecting rod? And when I torque the bottom bushing to the lowest torque spec cited (8.7 ft-lb - FSM) the new stock rubber bushing is significantly more compressed than Humble's "bulge slightly" recommendation (see attached photo). What do you guys suggest for stock rubber? Thanks, Gary S.

The press release thread that Mike B started can be found here: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35384&highlight=press+release

A little engine bay detailing how-to featuring our favorite car, courtesy of Classic Motorsports. http://classicmotorsports.net/articles/clean-room/

Somewhere back in about 2002, I became intrigued with the idea of finding a 240-Z again. I had previously owned a '73 for about a year in 1985, replete with vapor lock issues from the flat top carbs. So, in hopes of making a better choice and with the internet as a resource, I found zhome.com. There is a segment on Zhome that touts the desirability of the early VIN cars, as well as the special edition Black Pearl. Over the next year or so I searched for Z's in general, with particular emphasis on those highlighted on zhome. During that year, I became somewhat frustrated by the lack of good Z candidates and thought maybe I was a bit late to get into that game. I asked myself a similar question to Zedyone's thread starter, and came up with the same answer as bigoak, the Miata. Employing Carl's logic from the zhome articles, I looked for an early VIN or Special Edition car (of which there have been many during the Miata's run). The first special edition Miata was the 1991 British Racing Green with tan leather, and came with a commemorative plaque denoting which number in a run of 4000 each car was. I ended up finding number 2990 in St. George Utah in January 2003. The car had about 42,000 miles on it at the time, and now has just north of 50K. Within the past week I was looking through Grassroots/Classic Motorsports and they had one of those features titled something like "10 possible future collectibles" or something like that. One of the selections was the first gen. Miata. Well bigoak and GRM, I hope you're right! Gary S.

Here's a picture of the "Y" on my 240Z - production date 11/70. Second picture shows where a glasspack was welded in downstream of the Y. Arne, I'm curious what you are contemplating for your exhaust? Gary S.

I used progressively larger drill bits to remove most of the rubber, then a wire brush on a drill to hone out the rest. In this way I was able to avoid the stink in the garage AND THE IRE OF THE MRS. I'm hoping so...I plan on attending. Gary S.