240znz

We need pics. Worth it? IMO I say no. I'd encourage you to buy the best example of a 240z you can find and rebuild that instead. Lighter, faster and looks are a bit better. Get the ZX going and sell it.

I cut the parts car in half last weekend. Both rear quarters are real bad and they have had steel flared arch extensions added as well. You don't want them. Put up a picture of the what your panelbeater thinks is too hard. You can buy repair panels like I have, inner and outer wheel arches, panel below the side bumper extension. James

Mix up a small amount of water with a lot of dish washing detergent and pour it over the exhaust when cold. Get someone to start the engine while you watch for bubbles. Disconnect the fan if you need to.

Hi Curtis, Is your car a RHD (HS30) or LHD (HLS30)? If it's RHD then don't fall into the trap of calling it a series 1 as that is a term coined for HLS30's only. Just call it a early HS30. What's the VIN? I have HS30-00352 and a local guy here has HS30-002xx. His is also being rebuilt and by the sounds of it has some slight changes to mine. Good luck in finding some rear quarters, they are going to cost you $$$. But if it's concourse you're after then you have plenty of dosh to dish out. Do concourse judges remove rear side internal panels to inspect the orginality of the steel.....hmmm, I'd hope not. The subtle differences between HS30-xxx and HS30-01000 are many. I very much doubt that there is a concourse judge on the planet who would know the differences when looking at a HS30. It appears that Nissan used the same parts for the HLS and HS models but when the HLS moved to the so called "Series II" shell, Nissan appears to have continued to use up the older parts on the HS until exhausted. No records are available to tell what has what or when they changed as far as I am aware. There are only a few who may be able to help. Maybe Alan T could shed more light? Anyway, good luck with the build. A low VIN HS30 is a very rare beast these days.

If you are a Sunday driver, then leave the engine alone and spent the money on suspension and getting those old brakes rebuilt. No point going fast if you can't go around corners or stop. It's all about head work. Take the head off, and take it to a experianced Nissan L series head shop (ask around and be prepared to ship). You will need to tell them what you want in terms of power and torque, what kind of driving you want to do. Convert to electronic ignition, a header and new exhaust. If I were you, I'd get the unit rebuilt as a whole, block and all.

The PO of my car welded plates under the frame rail. They were removed during the rebuild to find that they covered torn frame rails. Sway bar size up front is 25mm. Nissan knew that this is a weak point as they fitted an internal brace to help transfer the load up to the top section of the rail. It appeared that the brace is spot welded in after the rail was bent. Did the HLS30 have internal frame rail reinforcement? What handling characteristics would be expected with lareg bars and stiff springs?

Oops...it would help if I remembered to paste the link. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29534

Welcome to the club. All you should need to fix that clunk is a new diff insulator. But check all the driveshaft and half shaft universals first for any play or wear. Have a look at this earlier thread. Good luck.

How long is a piece of string? If I were looking to buy it, I'd take it to a local garage, get it on a hoist so I could inspect the underneath. Poke about for signs of the rust monster as that is the most expensive war to win in any restoration. Check to see if all the bits are on the car. As you already own a 240z, you'll know what to look for. But remember that you need to distance the emotional want as it clouds the mind, so maybe make up a check list so you don't get strayed. Assess the check list and price up the repairs needed to get the car to what you want. Be realistic with your prices, then add 25%. "Retoration/rebuild/good shape" are poles apart in terms of cost.

Oh dear. Pull the head. Don't forget to insert a wooden wedge to stop the chain from falling down the front cover. Could still be a head gasket, valve issue or time for a rebuild.

Nice work derek. They look awesome!!!!

Don't worry John, if I was with you, I'd like to think that I'd give it my all to try and stop you from getting to close to the cliff in the first place. Honour, respect, valour, sacrifice are very apt words to describe this man. I totally agree with you all.

Please don't be angry at my comment, it was not intended to get your back up. I just can't see how anyone killed in a war is anything but a waste.

Another wasted life.

Argh....I'll pass on the offer Mike. Nice try through. Can't stand the braided hoses in the engine bay but each to their own. Yes, my mechanic mate laid into me last Thursday about being a slack arsed mule. Even Amanda is giving me grief about it, and it takes a lot for her to get going especially when I'm not spending money on it. But I've had my head buried dismantling the parts car. The issue I have found is that it is so rusty that it's very dangerous to work underneath it for the fear of it disolving on the axle stands. So I'll be taking to it with a reciprocating saw in the middle of the floor pan. Then tip it over and cut the suspension out. Then the shell is off to the dump. I'll take some more pics and post a new thread on the Engine is in my garage keeping warm for the winter. My NOS door panels arrived with issues that require fixing, but only minor cost involved. They do look great though. What I should done was take a week off when the family were in the UK so I could have really emersed myself in it. I now know what Mike felt when his got to a similar stage, kinda hoping the guys from ZTherapy will come over and complete it for me. Dreams are free....aren't they?

If you think you guys pay good coin for your zeds, spare a thought for your KIWI members. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=156335203 That's NZ$31,000 so US$24,500 It may now be cheaper to buy a immaculate CA 73 240z, ship it back, convert it to RHD with my parts car than trying to find one. Supply and demand model working well here.

Nuclear, like oil, is also another finite fuel. Cost of new nuclear plants is enormous. For the amount one would cost to build one here in NZ (which would never happen), we could supply many older homes with: 1. Thick ceiling insulation 2. More efficient hot water cylinders (HWC) 3. Solar panels to heat the ground water before it hits the HWC. After all, IIRC the most cost in heating water to 50degrees C is from 5 to 10 degrees via emersion elements. 4. Fit low energy light bulbs - every little bit helps. World governments should introduce building costs that include. 1. Solar panels for HWC, free energy source. 2. Solar heat store walls, free energy source. 3. Heat recovery from shower trays. Simple, coil your incoming HWC cold pipes under the shower tray so that it gets heated up before hitting the HWC itself. Free energy transfer, yes a small amount but everything counts and it wouldn't cost a lot. 4. Recover grey water for WC flushing. The idea is to make everything more efficient, not build more plants to meet the rising demands of an energy inefficient and hungry planet. If you can afford a Hydrid car then you should get one. An article in todays paper has a Toyota Prius averaging 66.9MPG. You can't argue that that isn't bloody good for our planet and wallet.

That's a new one on me. I've never heard anyone from New Zealand being called jealous of the USA. Sorry, I am incorrect, I am very jealous of the fact that you have heaps of great sources for zed parts. Back to topic. Every year we New Zealanders need to register our cars. It costs about US$200. Once a car exceeds 40 years in age, it gets classified as "Vintage" and the rego cost drops to under half. That's it. Not sure about what emission standards apply to older cars but they do to modern cars. We can only hope that that new governments keep on cracking down on pollution but give the few classic cars some slack so we can keep them running. I think that we haven't seen the end of increasing oil prices yet guys. I'm picking oil to get to US$150 a barrel and soon. I do hope I'm wrong.

Oh yes Carl, the US has/is such a fantastic role model for the planet. Blow your trumpet somemore mate, it's loud enough.

Very little dish on these. I'm not a favourite of putting modern designs on older cars. They just don't look right unless other mods are done to complement them.

Good luck Jim

What about the diff and wheel bearings? Are they OK? I too had the same noise in the rear on my 70. So far I have. 1. Replaced the half shaft u joints and rebuilt the shaft bearings (horrid plastic things) 2. New diff mount insulator 3. New diff strap 4. New wheel bearings 5. New drive shaft u joints (x2 as I have the early 5 speed) 6. New mustache bar bushes (poly as rubber is NLA) 7. New inner and outer A arm bushes (rubber) As the car is still not running, I can't prove that any of the above will fix the noise but I strongly suspect that the diff ring gear or pinion is worn. I'm not spending any money on the diff as it will be replaced by a LSD unit at some stage. So I'm guessing that as the rumble is at normal highway speed only, your ring or pinion gear is worn.

Yes indeed, my first thought was "nasty on cold slicks". Too much camber on the rear? I too recommend anyone to go to this event. It is a wonderful day out with many many fantasic cars on display. Any old F1's this year Alan? I'll stick my neck out and say that I'd take the new GTR. Shame we won't get them offered by Nissan New Zealand, but I'm sure there will be some imports and soon. Great pics Alan, keep them coming.

I have received a cross member from Mat M. It's off to the powdercoaters (a different one) tomorrow. Thanks all for you help. James

PM sent Rhys, Those rims are worth NZ$300 by themselves. Now that's a good purchase.