240znz

Sweet. Thanks guys. My resto will have new cylinders, just my preference really. For the extra piece of mind of new bits, I think its worth the premium. James

I haven't checked locally. The local Nissan dealer is as good as tits on a bull. He just looks up his old book and quotes moon prices as everything he gets in is from Japan. Is PBR a brand?

Looking to order new slave and master clutch cylinders from MSA or VB. VB catalog details the slave is on the right, but MSA show it on the left(viewed looking forward). I don't want to order LHD parts here if they won't fit. Help anyone? :nervous:

Sounds like time to pull it apart and re-grease it. It doesn't take too long once you have it all out. I broke the door handle pushrod flange and had to pull it to bits to fix it. 30 years of use and it really needed it. Now it works like the day it was born.

MSA Part no. 40-2954 US$ 1.75 + P&P You may as well buy something else as they weight 0. You can email them on motorsport@sbcglobal.net

Anyone see any issues with the below that I have missed? My engine is soon to be out of the car and will be for some time. I'm going to store it on a dolly of some kind while the body is finished. I don't want the engine to get surface rust in the bores, so would it OK to leave the oil in it and hook up the starter motor now again and turn it over (without the spark pulgs in) to get oil pressure up. Will this lube cam, main bearings and generally keep everything in check????

I've just made a a spreadsheet of parts I need. I put in part no. page no. description and prices. Prices vary with MSA being more cost effective in some areas and VB vice-versa. I'm waiting on MSA to get back to me on a final price and shipping costs to NZ. Remember that VB is inland and I'm expecting freight charges to be more from them. MSA is close to LA if not in it. (Sorry CA guys, I'm not too sure how far LA spreads.) I can email you the sheet if you like. Just PM me with your address. James

I could use the emial address as well. Stephen, that link only gives out the ph no. Anyone got an emial? Could anyone local then them give them a call and ask them for a email address?????

What will the final count be??????

Day off yesterday to baby sit the kids....just managed to find time to: Remove starter motor, alternator, fuel rail, front wirng harness, hood release cable, rad, thermostat housing (oh yuckie crap inside there with corrosion inside), SU's and exhaust manifold....and look after the kids. Just like pulling my old 1200 apart...really easy to work on. Only 3 exhaust studs came out....lucky me. But the Zed bit me. Upper starter motor nut, No.6 water leak trickled past this nut and the water travelled in the thread, so a little surface locking rust formed. Took to it with a 12mm ring spanner....nout. Squirted CRC all over it....nout. Tapped with hammer...nout. More CRC...waited 1/2 hour...nout. More CRC and bash with hammer....nout. Swore a little at it....nout. Didn't reach for a beer...although bloody nearly! Both hands....tension up.....a couple of tweeks.....nout. Stand back and think about beating the car like Basil Faulty off Faulty Towers (John Clease)......took deep breath......used Vulcan mind meld with nut....nout. Both hands again....tension on......two tweeks....a few more swear words like "come on you forker"....nout. Thing is really pissing me off now. Not enough room to get my big 3/4 bar in there. Both hands again.....tension on....heave, gunt, groan, swear lot, then a faint little "tink" noise heard....back off a little...ramped up again with a evil tension, back tingling.....then.....BAM....ring spanner rockets up, I head butt metal edge where cowl meets fire wall. Arghhhhhhh!!!! was heard several miles away. Nut then came off...easy peezy. I stand back and laugh/cry/swear. At least I have all the skin on my knuckles as this is usually the first to go. Zed 1, me 0.....I'll win though....bloody car! Just thought I'd share that with you.

Bav, I had the same problem and forced the handle. I ended up breaking the handle pivot and that required a "she'll be right" fix it job using a custom made plate. I will order a new handle soon. Anyway, pretty easy to refurb your lock assembly if you have time. You'll need to pull the trim off the door, carfelly remove all the bolts and whatnot that holds the assembly in there. Take it all apart and run it through a parts washer if you have one. I puleld every linkage and wirewheeled them back to baremetal before the repainting process. Then put it all back together with a load of "water-proof" grease. It not clicks and clunks like new. The whole thing must have taken me some 6 hours. But I was being very picky. Beware though, this single act was the start of my cars resto.....so keep to the task if you can. Good luck

Cheers all. Another mystery solved.......:eek:

Yeah, come to think of it the Yamaha FZ750 had it's 4 cylinders at 45 degrees, that was to lower the centre of gavity. Maybe it's the same with the L series? :eek: Maybe it was to reduce the width of the car? i.e. with the block on a slant, the aircleaner would be slightly further from the strut tower? Got me stumped! Doesn't take much these days! :eek:

A stupid question for many. :nervous: Why is the L series engine on a slant? Looks like about 5-8 degrees. Is it due to the design of the car so that the bonnet level could be lower? Is it due to the engine design? i.e. more torque if on a slant? Sorry if this is a silly question guys....just curious. James

Did someone say a car alarm siren already?

Nice one. Be sure you look hard at the rust hot spots. That battery tray looks a little suspect, check underneath it and also the frame rails, doglegs, floor pans and sills for tell tail signs. Try to keep it on the road while you are bringing it back to life, it will keep the grin on your face. Good luck

Oh hell guys. I'm at the "Oh Shite, now I have to buy all this stuff to start my resto". The car is nearly a shell and I have a huge list of parts I need. Parts cost are a killer but the freight from the US to NZ is wicked. There might be something for flying to San Diego, obtaining as many crapped out cars and shoving them all in a container to be shipped back to NZ, at least I could sell the bits I don't need. The household CFO set the budget and I have blown it out of the water already.......lotto here I come!!

Depends on what you want to do with the car really? If you want to restore a Zed then you are best to start with the most rust free example you can find. Rust is very common in these cars and it is amazing where it can be hiding. Key to any purchase in my mind is to get the car up in the air so you can get a good look at the belly. Check out the frame rails, floor pans (lift the carpet as well as the underside), doglegs, sills, and under the battery tray. If you ARE thinking maybe one day I'll restore this thing, then you might want to make sure that all the trim details are there. Many parts for these cars are getting hard to find so try to find the most complete example you can. The original engine will be a plus if the seller still has it. 5 speed tranny is good. L28 is good also, plenty of parts around for them. Shame about the carbs though, you could get a set of round top SU's for them but beware of those nasty flattop models. The best advice I can give is to take your time. Shop around for the best rust free example that fits your budget. The more Zeds you view the more savvy you will become. Good luck in your search.....(i took me 2 years to find one that I wanted).....it has rust where you can only imagine.

If it were on the left, then wouldn't it be hidden by the coffee holder/oreo dispenser/BigMac/tissue box/dvd remote and Magnum! :classic: Doesn't the designer point of view make perfect sense though.....if you have to cut things out to get the end-user price down, then keeping most things the same would benefit. As the "home market" is RHD then it hardly going to be on the left is it.

My Zedression (see AlphaDog...it is possible) is small. Many people have purchased Zed's then proptly pulled them apart for a resto project. I made that I drove mine for 1 year before starting my resto. That means that I have the bug/fever/need to have it back as fast I can, this in turns resuts in minimal Zedression. Mike....why the long wait????

My wife calls it "That rusty old heap of shite that pisses on the garage floor" and "the money pit" and "THAT BLOODY CAR!!" sometimes replacing the first word with a well known f word and "the old banger" (well, she is English!). Me....I call it "The Zed" and sometimes "The Ratsun"

Oh hell, I have put you into one haven't I. You have a 280Z! Nothing wrong with it. It just weighs a little more that's all. Ok, it might also have larger bumpers but it is still the classic shape. Here in New Zealand we didn't get 280's, so us guys here have into import 280z bits to be able to fit the gruntier R200 Diff. Hell...come to think of it, San Diego is one of the very very few places where rust free Zeds' exist.....lucky swines. But the 240 is a wee bit quicker to 60...sorry. Have you looked up this site yet for lots of things to do to you 280? http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/ Enjoy

Series 1 240Z's that 26th-Z and I have are much lighter than the tankish 280. The S1 had the best 0-60 time for 12 years until they added a turbo to the already fuel injected 280ZX. 240Z's rock!