bought a Z

[caltanian]

So I'm now the proud owner of a 1970 240z.

Previous owner had been working on it for a while, body has no rust, One spot of bondo, all primerd black. Brakes and steering have been gone through.

She's a project, and needs some love, but its a starting point, and I could not be happier. I'm lucky enough to have access to a full auto shop, with anything I could ever want for working on it.

But with this, come a few questions..

Ordered a bushing kit, seat belts, and some weather stripping. All going to be installed sooner or later (sooner more than likely)

The car came with 16'' konig rims. Look real nice, and such, but under hard cornering, the fender touches the tire. Springs feel real soft.

Would dropping the eibach springs in help me here, as they must provide a better feel than the now 40 some odd year old current ones?

And what's the deal with my ball joints. I have come to learn that a 1970 uses a different sized ball joint, and requires changes on the steering knuckle end to replace them. Should I find a new/used one, or swap over to the quick steer knuckle?

I look forward to learning, and becoming more a part of this site, and the world of Z car fans.

[BoldUlysses]

Looks great! Lucky you to have a '70! Looks like the Stealth Z at the moment, haha.

What are your plans for the paint? Is the red in the engine bay the original color?

[caltanian]

The paint will stay that way for a while, while I work out the mechanical stuff. But yes, the red is the factory color.

Also. There's a clunk on throttle off... Yes, I'll be replacing the bushings all over the vehicle, but what should i be looking for for that clunk?

[LeonV]

Nice, I saw that one on CL in San Jose. Looks like it's getting a good caretaker!

I have Eibach springs, Tokico HP dampers, and poly bushings all around on my early 260Z. The ride is stiff but it corners great! I have 225/50-16 tires on 16X7 wheels and they do not rub, the wheels are Panasports but I'm not 100% sure on the exact offset. Your tires look pretty beefy, what's the size?

[caltanian]

225/50-16 as well. The potential of the vehicle is wonderful, and again, cannot wait to really tear into it, and see what comes.

How are the arizona z car springs. The stock height is not an issue for me (being tall, its already a workout to get in and out of such a low car, especially as my daily driver is a slightly lifted truck).

[d240zx2]

Glad to see another '70 gettin' ready...

[caltanian]

Yep. it won't be an over night process, but I'm in this for the long haul.

Still would love to know thoughts on the suspension, and the ball joint issue. Any and all thoughts are welcome.

[tlorber]

I have tokiko blues and Eibachs on my '73 and I don't feel that it is too stiff. However I am running 15" wheels so the extra sidewalls probably gives me more cushion.

If the clunk you describe is from the rear end, you will need to go thru the drivetrain-namely the front differential mount, but also the mustache bar connections and rear struts as well. You should also check out your suspension bushings to see if they have ever been replaced. If not, you'll have a lot of slop at each pivot point. You might as well address this while you are working on springs so that you don't need to duplicate labor.

There are a ton of writeups on this site describing all the above.

[jfa.series1]

Congratulations on your find and having the good sense to grab it. Thanks in advance for all your future efforts to keep another Series 1 car on the road. Please share the VIN and build date with all of us.

On your question about ball joints: the '69 and '70 cars had a smaller tapered shaft on the ball joint where it attaches to the steering knuckle. At some point the '71s were changed but I don't have an exact date in the actual production cycle. Reportedly, the older style ball joints are NLA, thus requiring '71 or later steering knuckles for replacement ball joints. Because my car is a 12/70 build date, I chose to get replacement knuckles from a dismantler to be sure. The steering on the Z is pretty quick so be cautious in opting for a quick steering kit - see the bushing comments below.

Urethane bushings will eliminate ALL compliance in the suspension and transmit every pebble, road crack, and bump directly into the body and steering. I can't say this is wrong but do be prepared. With my urethane bushings, the steering has a lot of undesireable feedback and snap coming back into the wheel. This summer I will begin work to remove the urethane bushings and get back to OE rubber.

I too have Tokico HP shocks and lowered springs. The gas shocks will firm up your ride and provide a certain amount of lift to somewhat unload the springs. Be sure to get bump stops all around if you go with lowered springs.

Here are a couple of pics of my suspension overhaul. If choosing black color, consider using POR-15 paint. A bit tricky to use, but virtually indestructable from road chips.

Again, good luck with the project. Wish you were in this area as I would love to be hands-on with another one.

Jim

[caltanian]

HLS30-03017 would be the vin.

Ordered the bushing kit from the zstore. I will look for the new steering knuckles.

I suppose i'll end up doing the full suspension overhaul in the coming weeks...

I plan to keep this for the long haul. Sure, she's got her rattles and such, but it can only get better. Wish i had factory seats however...

I would really rather not lower it, but it seems that is a incredibly common thing, and factory springs are hard to come across. Called arizona z cars, and they do not have the rear springs right now. Might just go for the eibach springs...

[tlorber]

I have some pristine seats out of a '71 if you're interested.

[caltanian]

found a build date of 4/70 for the vehicle.

Just installed strut tower bars. The excessive body roll that had the fender clipping the tire seems to be gone now (per my highly scientific hard cornering test).

The weather stripping i'm sure will help get rid of some of the door rattles, but now its off to isolate a squeak and clunk on off throttle.

New tires tomorrow.. The long road has begun.