bobc

Dee Dee, The MSA show April 27-29th is a must. Largest Z car show in the World I believe. Over 600 cars last year. May 27th is the Inland Valley Car show in Temecula. Also a very, very good show. Also, you might check out the Z Car Club of the Inland Valley. www.zcciv.com Great club with lots of activities, car runs, events, etc and really friendly people and Temecula isn't very far from San Diego No offense San Diego Club, you guys are great too! Welcome to SOCAL! Bob

If you haven't heard of a Gano filter, I suggest you might want to give one a try. This is a brass or clear plastic filter that goes in the top radiator hose. It traps any particles and stops them from going back in your radiator. The Ford 289 engine is famous for sloughing off pieces of rust, so many Mustangs use them. I bought mine from California Mustang. Use the small size for a Z. Good luck. Bob

And, make sure you secure your plastic sheeting very, very well. My neighbor was painting his Mustang in his garage and was just about done, when the plastic sheeting above the car (he built a fully enclosed area) let go from the ceiling in his garage and fell onto the wet paint on the trunk, hood, and roof. He had to start over....

Arne, You are the man. I owe you big time. I just spoke with Mike at Banzai and he actually supplied the originals to Nissan for the Vintage program, so I'm going to order one and a couple of spares! Thanks again! I love this group! Bob

I thought I would see if anybody recognizes this decal from their Z or other Nissan product. If so, please let me know what kind of car and year? Also, anybody got any ideas where I might could get another one. Sorry for the picture quality. With the chrome, it was hard not to get a reflection.

Robert, I made a good bit of money removing this stuff when I was in college in the early 70's. It's not that hard, but on an older car you might hit some problems with frozen and rusted bolts, so you might want to let bolts soak with some penetrating oil before you start. If you're going to do it, go all the way and remove the smog galley (pipes that run into the exhaust manifold) instead of just plugging at the check valve. It will look a lot cleaner. Mostly it's just undoing bolts and putting everything back together once you're done. Bob

Well, I feel like Indiana Jones. Getting the heater core out was just one adventure after another. Took about 5 hours to get it out. I've got to admit I spent a lot of time just looking at it trying to figure out my next step. I didn't want to force anything, so sometimes it took a little more time than if I knew what I was doing. The air box assembly (with heater core) can be taken out without removing the dash (recommended), but in my opinion taking the glove box out is not an option. It makes the job so much easier. Lastly, if you don't remove the passenger seat to do this job, you're either in your early teens or twenty's or need to audition boe circ de sole! One Question - Anybody found a good replacement for the foam pad used in the heater box to seal the door that flips up and down for heat or defrost??? Thanks to everyone for all the advice. I'll let you know if everything works once I get it all back together. Bob

Hey thanks everybody. I got it out in one piece. I had to take out the whole airbox assembly first and it was still a bit of a squeeze. As far as taking out the heater core. Well, I'm about 5 hours into it and got everything out. I will start putting it all back together tomorrow. If it's your first time, it's goint to take you a while to figure it out. I know I sat there and just looked at what I was doing for 10 to 15 minutes several times to make sure I was going in the right direction. It's not that complicated, but it is a pain in the a_ _ and more difficult than the service manuals make it sound. Thanks again, Bob

I'm in the middle of trying to replace the heater core and it looks like it will be a heck of a lot easier with the glove box removed, but I can't seem to get it out. Going down hits the blower motor and trying to squeeze it through the glove box opening isn't working either, so HELP!!! Thanks, Bob

Randy, Well, obviously I'm biased. I say go with the stripes. Wish I could help you with the original design stripes but the place I bought mine in Florida (http://www.graphic-express.com) no longer makes them for the Z. You can give them a call, but I called recently just to buy an extra set (just in case) and they said they don't have them anymore. I was bummed! Go with the stripes! Bob

Brian and all, Saturday or whenever for the pictures is convenient for you is great! Thanks. George, thanks for the advice on taking out the seat. I think I'll do that too. BTW, all, the green Z in my profile is not the car with the problem. That's my 1970 and it is such a sweet car that just loves to run, I couldn't let my other trouble maker besmirch her reputation! Bob

Brian, Yes, please either post or PM any pictures you think will help. It's been a long time since I took apart the interior of a Z, so I could use the help. I've been studying the manuals and prepping mentally to get this done...sure wish I didn't have to! Bob

Hey sorry if this should be in another area, but didn't seem to fit anywhere else. Can you change out the heater core in a Series One 240Z without taking out the dash? Can you remove the core from the whole unit with the unit still in the car? Anybody that's done this, got any suggestions? I've read the manuals and it doesn't look like any fun! Bob P.S. Antifreeze is dripping off the core inside the unit and leaking out of the box on both sides. It's a small drip, but I think this is only the beginning of a big leak!

Hey Mike, Congrats! It looks great. Will you be driving it down in April? You gotta be feeling great.... Bob

ktm, If the oil starts to look like a chocolate milkshake, you've pretty much figured out the head gasket is blown....take off the oil filler cap and take a look inside with a flashlight. Almost a sure thing if you added coolant to a hot engine when you ran out of fluid. Been there, done that a long time ago! Bob

Randy, What the heck business is your owner in? Geez, that's quite a collection! Bob

No claims, thank God, but I've got 4 collector cars insured through Hagerty's. Their customer service has always been excellent. Check your policy carefully. One problem I had was occassionally I drive a car into work. Not because I have to, because we have two daily drive cars, but just because it's hard to keep 4 cars active and I can drive one and go to work at the same time. Some policies limit you only doing limited pleasure driving and attending car show and club events. If you drive one to work or do errands in it and have an accident, you may not be covered. When I questioned one other company's agent about this, she said just lie about it and always say you were doing a club activity. Not my style! Anyway, I like Hagerty's very much so far! Bob

Stickerman has it right! I used a bit of Dawn mixed with water and it worked out well. It is hard to get the stripe level though. Be sure the car is on level ground and you've measured correctly. Do it twice to be sure! Now one thought I had was to either buy or rent one of the laser levelers that drop in ceiling guys use. It wouldn't put anything on the car and it would provide you with a constant line to use in applying the decal. Wish I had thought of that earlier!!! Check this out: http://www.strait-line.com/irwin/consumer/straitline/jhtml/laser_level_30.jhtml;jsessionid=PYF2BSPKFPYRQCQHUBSCGWQKA4QHQJCK It looks like this model is around $20.00. Good luck! Bob

Eureka!!! I spoke to a local Z shop and the guy there recommended that I change out the slave cylinder. He said they were notorious for failing, so I thought what the heck, it made sense, so I'll give it a try. I changed it out and set it up again exactly by the book. 1 and 1/2 turns off of no play and it works beautifully. Let's out about 1 inch off the floor, engages smoothly and grabs tightly. So, if anyone else is having this sort of a problem -change that slave cylinder!!! Thanks all for the help. Bob

Arne, Thanks, I should have put that in the facts as well. Yes, the system has been bled thoroughly and has new fluid. I updated original post.

Hey, I've read the previous posts and the manuals and I'm a bit lost in determining what this problem is. First here are the facts: (1970 240Z all stock) 1. The clutch let's out at the very top of the pedal. 2. There is no slippage 3. Shifting can be slightly difficult, particularly grinding going into reverse sometimes. 4. When I set it up by the book, that is, took out all the free play on the arm (with the spring off) and then backed off the set nut by a turn and a half, the car would not go into gear. 5. I've reset it a number of times, but still same problem so I eventually started turning out the nut until I could shift easily and still have no slippage. 6. System has been bled thoroughly and has new fluid The questions are: By turning out the set screw, that should be pushing in on the pressure plate and causing slippage, but I'm not getting any, why not? Why can't I set it up properly? Is this a sign of the clutch disc being worn out? Could a problem with the clutch master or slave cylinder be causing this by not pushing out the rod far enough? There is no leakage from either. Any suggestions on setting this up? My other Z's clutch is fully engaged by about 1 inch off the floor. It is fully engaged long before letting all of the pedal out where this Z's clutch feels like it's only engaging at the very top of the pedal. Another member said that when I get around to changing the clutch, to use stock Nissan 280Z parts. He said this clutch set up was much better and a direct bolt in. Can anybody confirm this? Thanks again. This board is so helpful! Bob

Will the half shafts from a 1972 bolt in a 1970?

Kind of a long story, but the guy said that he didn't do as well when people talked to him, so I shut up (wasn't talking that much in the first place) Anyway, he then proceeded to talk non-stop to me (I wanted to just say, "Hey, Bob, no worries, you don't need to talk to me..." Anyway, you got it, he wasn't paying close attention and the piece on the bottom wasn't lined up properly, so it caught the old bearing and the yoke and bent the yoke. Oh, the seal didn't expand, the grease just started coming out. Really!!!

Since the site was down, I had nothing better to do than work on the Z. Turns out it was the outside universal joint. You could see metal shavings coming out of it and it had a rust hole in one of the caps! I had both joints replaced and put it back in, and the noise is gone. Only problem is the guy who did the work wasn't the greatest and bent one of the yokes. He says he got it "unbent" and tested it, but who knows. Next, when I go to put grease in it thought the fitting, it starts coming out around the seal of one leg of the joint, pretty quick. Can I feel confident it's got enough grease in it? Thanks, Bob

I'm getting a grinding, metallic noise coming from the left rear wheel of my 70 240Z. It starts out like a metallic clonk and then shrieking sound. My Haynes manual says this is the sound you will hear as a roller bearing starts to disentegrate... It has something to do with load, as I only hear it staring off from a standing start in 1st and slightly shifting into second, then it goes away. I don't hear it at all at speed or accelerating while moving. It's definately not the rear brakes. I think it's either the U-joint in the half shaft or the left rear axle bearing. So, any suggestions? Anyway to tell if it's the half shaft joint or the axle bearing? Wouldn't the axle bearing make noise pretty much all the time? I've never taken the half shaft apart, could it be the half shaft instead of the u joints?