240znz

Anyone who has done a complete rebuild/resto on a S30 would think twice before doing another one. Not because it is probable going to cost more than buying one already done, but for the shear time commitment it takes to do it right. Oh, and the space required to store those parts. Also if you worked out what it would cost you before you did it, then add 30% because that is what it will cost extra, then that would kill many of the best intended resto projects dead. But heh, I'm doing mine because its been a childhood dream to own one. To make it worse, I found a low VIN one and that to my peril makes me feel as though I should do it right. Emotional about a lump of metal, yes. Weird, yes!

Mike, I had the same issue with the cowl area. However, I completed stripped my car before taking it to the panel shop. They removed the spot welds that covered the fresh air intake chimney and found a mess in there but not as cancerous as what you are dealing with. You may have to remove the dash to gain enough access to complete a lasting soluton. It's not too bad a job but it is suprisingly heavy. You also may want to find out what is behind that pop rivited panel on the firewall just above the right hand frame rail. Hmmmmm. Go the sub 500 club.

I did mine about a month ago. Just take your time with a craft knife and run it around the seal, then slowly, very slowly apply pressure to the lens to lift it free. It will more than likely let you know when the seal is broken and should separate at one side first. You will need to apply a suprising amount of force to get them to budge. Then try your hardest to remove the three clips that secure the centre plastic divider. Spin them slowly back and forth with upward movements and they will eventually come off. As above, if they do break, then just buy some small self taping screws to secure them back on. Some poeple have suggested glueing it back in place but I'd recommend not as 20 years down the line you won't be able to repeat the process without breaking them. If you think they are hard to find now, try in 20 years time. I used some brasso to finely cut the lens and the results are amazing. They look as close to new as possible and all the correct markings are intact. I have sent the plastic divider out to a plastic chromers for new chrome. Can't wait to get them all back together so I can tick another box off in the resto. Just take your time and you'll be OK. They cost too much to rush.

The best thing about owning one for so long without driving it is the words you guys write, without which the flame would dwindle but never die. So for me it is the memories of filling up and people of all ages walking up and asking "what is it", "awesome car", "they sure did know how to make cars look good way back when", heh, the list goes on. My personal memories are of blasting seemingly effortless uphill with not even a moan from the car, yes a few squeaks but never a grumph!. Its these memories that drive the flame on and on. Oh, and of course the pleasure of rebuilding it from the bare bones back.

I'm getting rid of mine and installing an electric fan. Not sure which type or model yet but I'll tap the temp sensor into the rad somewhere and run cables from the battery via a relay off the ignition. It will free up a tiny amount of HP and stop that noise. From memory, I recall that sometimes I could swear that the fan produced more trust than the L24, just by the noise it made at high revvs.

Typical engineering stamps will do. Most engineering workshops have them and would only take a few minutes at most to stamp them numbers on the decal. Just be careful when stamping to hard as you could punch through the foil. Place a hard piece of rubber underneath the decal and tap softly first then have a look. Maybe practise on a piece of tin foil (aluminium foil) first.

I've got mine a few days ago. Excellent reproduction and a must for that resto project. 10 out of 10. Now if only you could do all the other ones as well.....hint hint.

Have you had a look around www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/z.html yet? It covers a hell of a lot and takes hours off searching the net.

The biggest power gains in these engines are with head work. You should stand back and plan the package as a whole then introduce parts as and when your wallet will allow, making sure that the order in which you introduce them doesn't decrease the performance. e.g larger exhaust diameter on a L24 = less low down torque. Building a head suitable for that "future" L28 upgrade but putting it on a L24 will not be a good idea (so my head builder informs me). A L24 likes 40mm carbs but a L28 prefers 44's or 45's. So spending money on dyno time to set up the 40's will have to done again (and different jets) for a L28 if you want to extract the most from it, which is the point of the upgrades anyway. Electronic ignition is a good starting point as all L series will benefit from it, so is the diff upgrade. Apart from that, if you want power, don't rebuild the L24. Buy a L28 and slowly build that up until it is ready to drop in, then change the exhaust and off you go to the dyno. Don't forget about brake and handling upgrades as well. There is little point going fast if you can't go around corners or stop. I'd do that before any "go faster" mods.

Thought about the removable steering wheel? Unless they have a car transporter, no chance. However, you might look a little funny walking into a bar with a steering wheel. I'm thinking about installing a fuel line cut-off tap inside the rear hatch tool boxes.

Not a bad first zed to cut your teeth and by the looks of it, you could have plenty of nights ahead tinkering and tweaking. Whip that carpet out and have a good look at the pans and get a torch under the front and rear guards and look hard. Please sort that handbrake adjustment out first. It's not a WRC rally car. Interesting that this 73 comes with the slot for the hand throttle lever (next to the choke lever). Are 73's all like this or has it had a console transplant? Love those wheels, I want them!!!

Nice and shiny. Great work!!! I heard once that nylocks should not be re-used due to the fact that the nylon won't bite the thread as well the second time around. Maybe worth a look at getting new ones???? I'm not sure, anyone else heard anything about re-using nylocks? It might be an idea to use some Loctite thread locker if you re-use them. Worth a thought.

Check out Zed Findings website for images of what holes should be where. http://www.datsunzparts.com/images/Floors/Floors-%20240Z/Floors%20-%20240Z%20-%203.JPG James

Hell man, if the floor is gone, you'll need a bloody big plug won't you????? Right, no more joking. I'm have new floors in my car. The pans did not have the holes in them and I will be using a hole punch to ensure that they are added as they are an essential item to a car. Just go an buy some rubber plugs from you local rubber supplier. If you live in an area where you need to ford a river everyday (other than selling the zed and buy a Toyota Land Cruiser), then I'd use some silicon sealer when putting the new bush in, but other than that, don't worry yourself.

The pricing between MSA and Black Dragon for rubber gaskets looks a little one sided. I'm after the rear brake light cluster and front indicator gaskets for my 240z. Has anyone here purchased them from BD and been dissapointed? Are the gaskets that MSA sell "Genuine Nissan"? Cheers James

I'm going to purchase some new ones from Courtesy Nissan. Thanks for your input guys. There is more and more evidence stacking up to suggest that these have been fabricated.

Attached is a pic of the plates. The centre hole is offset to the left on both plates and the thickness is approximately the same as the sill kick plates. The curve is formed via a series of four folds spaced at about every 10cm. The condition of them is "mangled", the camera flash makes them look far better than they are. They could be off anything.

Yes Walter, that could be the case, but near impossible to prove. I forgot to take a pic of the offender last night. I've tied a string bow on my little finger now......sheesh!:stupid:

Dave / Will, With Courtesy Nissan price at $8.45, you'd be hard pressed to make these worth your while profit wise don't you think? The market is pretty small. Alan T - can you shed any light onto this?

You're welcome, I just didn't seem right to raid your thread. I have HS30-00352. You'll note that the L is missing meaning that it a right hand drive model. This just goes to show how few RHD models were released into the market when compared to LHD of the same build date. MikeW, I'll post a pic of it tonight if I can find them buried somewhere in the mess that goes with bare shell resto's (these cars sure have a lot of parts)

Yup, that's the scuff plate. Mine is just plain old polished aluminium and with the above posts confirming that early HLS30 models came in vinyl covered steel, it makes me think that mine are aftermarket or off a different car. I've asked the same question on a HS30 forum and I'll update here accordingly.

Yes, it looks a little sick doesn't it.

This thread is about the internal SCUFF plate. This thread has nothing to do with the external KICK plate which has the DATSUN logo embossed. In the recent thread by Astrohog http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=25416 there were some views traded but I moved this discussion here so as not to continue to hijack that thread. My HS30 has a build date of 12/70. It came to me with aluminium scuff plates fitted. I am not the orginal owner. Courtesy Nissan has emailed me confirming that the scuff plates they list http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchan...Code=76942-S30 are made of steel. So this raises a few questions regarding my scuff plates that I am curious to expand further in an effort to find out where they came from. So if you can shed some light, I'd appreciate it. I'm not loosing sleep, just curious. Either: 1. My car came with steel plates but has had them changed out to aluminium ones by the PO. 2. Did low VIN 240z's in either RH or LH drive guise come out with aluminium scuff plates from the factory? 3. Did 260z's or 280z's come out with aluminium plates? I'll be ordering a set of the plates that Courtesy Nissan lists as MSA nor BD can match the price. Why their prices are so inflated is anyones guess. Maybe theirs are made out of aluminium:tapemouth ? That's why they are more expensive????? :tapemouth :tapemouth :tapemouth So if you have a low VIN S30 of any variant, or have some ideas and can shed some light, please help a curious Kiwi out.

OK, I'll start another thread as "it's clear" we have hijacked this one. Astrohog, you're onto the right track there with making sure you do any repair right first time.

Well, how about that then. This means one of three things. 1. Either my car has been fitted with new aluminium scuff plates at some stage. or 2. Nissan shipped early cars (mine is HS30-00352) with aluminium scuff plates and chanded to vinyl covered steel at later date. or 3. The car you have has had its aluminium scuff plates replaced with steel ones at some stage. It makes sense that Nissan made them out of steel as they would get hit by the heel of shoes more often than traffic on the kick plates. Just seems strange that there are two types to me. Surely the vinyl steel versions would cost more to produce? Is this another cost saving measure Nissan made druring the evolution of the zed? Time for a search.