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Let me revise the driving school advise. What would be WAAAAYYYY COOOOOOOL would be son AND father in the same driving school. Comparing notes, comparing track times and sharing the memories. Life couldn't get much better.

I am also very lucky - in many ways- but also the fact that I was able to build myself a Z studio behind my house for my playing time .

After almost 45 years the time has come for me to part with my beloved 240Z. I am either going to take her to auction or put her up for sale but before I do that I just wanted to let any member know beforehand in case there might be someone, an enthusiast, who might be interested in purchasing it. This site and its members have been an absolute joy to be a part of over these many years not to mention a most useful and helpful source of advice and encouragement. So, here are some details on the car....... One of the things I didn't mention was that I have a boatload, and I do mean a boatload, of spare parts that will come with the car if a member buys it. Everything from a spare gas tank to loads of gauges, interior and exterior parts, engine parts with a list too long to mention now. Up for sale is my 1973 Datsun 240Z. I am the original and sole owner of this car and the car is completely and most extensively documented. I have virtually every single receipt for all work and modifications done to it from the first day I bought it new. That is, original sales receipt, title, manual, keys and for the past 45 years, all service records. Additionally, my car is registered and certified as a single owner car in the Z-car registry as number, 156. (http://www.zhome.com/IZCC/ZRegisters/original.htm) The license plate on the car is a Texas 1973 plate, which the DOV in Texas allows collectors to use, once certified, while providing a Texas Title. They also allow you to retain your original title, which I have. The car has never been in an accident. None of the glass has ever been replaced. Current tires on the car are Yokohama ES-100, 215/60/R-15 94V mounted on Riken 15 inch mags. Current mileage is 104,536 and the engine has never been rebuilt or out of the car. It was Ziebart'd (for those of you who know what that is) during its first week of ownership. The list of modifications to it is quite extensive and all modifications made have been done in order to improve its performance, drivability and safety. In many cases, where modifications have been made to the interior the original parts have been retained and are included with the car. (i.e. Original steering wheel, radio, shift-knob, etc.). The wood box in the rear trunk between the two front seats does not come with the car. The following represents a list of all major modifications: - Five speed transmission - Triple Mikuni carburetors - Larger, front brake calipers (Toyota) - High performance Cam - Free flow exhaust with headers - Lowered with Tokico shocks and struts - Momo Steering wheel (original included) - McIntosh radio/CD player with Alpine power amplifier (original radio included) - Xcel electronic ignition and coil - Upgraded distributor - Front/rear shock strut bars - Rear axel mustache bar - Rear metal window shade - Upgraded alternator and bracket - Larger radiator - Zeibart rust protection on first day of ownership - Custom front grill (Original included) - High performance fuel pump - Gas tank recently completely cleaned - Virtually new battery with heavier gauge grounds and wiring - PIAA fog lights -Cibi Headlights Lights -Datsun quartz clock (Original included) -Dynamat soundproofing front doors, rear and spare tire area, and rear lid. Price is $27,000 A PayPal deposit of $500 is expected within seven days of auction ending with the remainder to be paid within two weeks, in cash, certified cashiers check or direct bank transfer when the car is picked up or before it is shipped. I am available to answer or discuss any questions you might have. My phone number is (915) 920-9950 (Mountain Time) or you can email me. For any prospective buyer I highly encourage you to do this as I also would welcome knowing the one who might get my baby and I want you to be sure and happy about acquiring it. Over the many years of dabbling in cars I have never seen such a well-documented car for sale. I can assure you that you will also be impressed. I have only included a few pictures here, however, if interested I can send you dozens more. In many cases I have pictures of several mods done to the car, such as Dynamat soundproofing installation, radio, carbs, etc., Car has been sold !!!!!

great advice thanks Site!

Don't forget that output also diminishes with age. New headlights can make a big difference. Seems like a person could run jumpers to the headlights for a quick test of what to expect from a set of relays. If they're on the fence about them. Of course, the other advantage of the relays is that it takes the load off of the switch on the steering column. Which gets pitted and heats up and tends to fail.

You can pull the cap, with the timing mark on ~10 degrees on the #1 firing stroke, and see if the rotor is pointing at the #1 wire. While you're waiting for water pumps and stuff you might just run through your ignition system. It's pretty simple. Check for power at the coil with the key on, check the air gap of the reluctor/pickup coil with feeler gauges, check resistance of the pickup coil, make sure that the #1 pin of the ECU connector is connected the wire at the coil's negative terminal, and more. All of the simple things that people end up finding out was the cause of their no-start problem. When you do get it back together if you use starter fluid squirt it in to any port on the intake manifold. Just to be sure it's getting where it needs to be. Your intake system was probably sucking so much air through the holes in your AFM hoses that the fluid never got to the manifold. There is a simple set of resistance readings that you can do on the AFM's to see if they're in spec. I've had out of spec AFM's work fine though, so don't toss them if they're off a little bit. You can run 12 volts through your pump but don't do it for too long. The electric motor inside is actually normally submerged in gasoline that keeps it cool. And the roller bearings probably get lubrication from the gas also. I'd only give it a few whirs then stop.

The best move is to get the headlight relay harness. Period. End. Light output is very dependent upon voltage. See https://www.dapperlighting.com/pages/wiring-harnesses-and-adapters Before I installed relays in my 73, I had 9 VDC at the headlight plug (car off), and it went to 12 VDC with the relays. That meant I was getting about twice as much light from the headlights (maybe more). If your alternator is struggling to keep up with the loads in the car, it's probably because of 1 of 2 things. 1. Your alternator is about to die. 2. You have too much non-stock crap wired into your car, like a huge stereo amp, etc.

I look at watches and cars as instruments. They respectively tell the time and get us from place to place. Today I was to meet Leon a neighbor of mine with an example of Nissan’s first generation Zcar. The air in my bedroom was still and the sun was just beginning to peak through the curtains as I scanned my dresser for an appropriate watch to wear; an odd yet rewarding ritual I do upon waking up every day. I was meeting someone new and we were to go on an adventure so I strapped the old Japanese dive watch to my wrist. It is Seiko’s first dive watch and the concept was for it to go to the ocean’s darkest depths. While there the wearer could explore knowing how much time had elapsed beneath the water’s surface. This was crucial for the early scuba divers to calculate how much time they had before their oxygen tank went dry. In the watch world a diver is known as a ‘tool’ watch. I literally just met Leon a neighbor of mine yesterday and we would be going out for a short drive in his dark green 260Z. The bond between car people forms quickly as if we are migrants from the same foreign country and we are some of the only ones around that speak the same language. He is a new father with a two week old son. My children are 2.5 years old and 7 months, but it has been such a blur. I never wanted the time to go so fast, but like the saying goes ‘time flies when you’re having fun.’ Raising a family is both the best thing in the world as well as being an exercise in torture. Its a good thing babies are cute. With all kidding aside I am a better person than I was before. I have learned tolerance and my ‘me’ time is no longer taken for granted. This time with Leon and the Z would be a bit of ‘me’ time for the both of us young dad’s. The suburban roads were quiet as the town was still asleep and before I could see the beautiful sheet metal of the 260Z I heard it. It was the sweet sound of an L28 with a set of 45mm Weber DCOE carburetors. In no time at all the car was around the corner and before me. I had told myself that I was going to get some photos of it in motion, but there was no point. I was mesmerized by the car and I was not about to experience this Z for the first time through a viewfinder. I had to see the car through the lens of my own eyes. The car was gorgeous and I stood in the road like a deer staring at its killer. Before Leon could cutoff the engine, I had opened the passenger door and hopped in. The comforts inside a Z are so welcoming and something I was so familiar with. Outside of the thick gripped steering wheel the interior was perfectly original. I had figured all of this out after a few seconds as Leon and I had already said hello and were onto deciding where we were headed. It was a Sunday morning and with my wife being a pharmacist she would be at work soon. I couldn’t find a sitter in time so we had exactly 45 minutes. “Crystal Springs” I recommended. This is a short network of canyon roads close to where we live that would be fun to traverse. We cruised on the big boulevard that is El Camino Real heading towards the hills. The car was compliant and surprisingly quiet; civilized if you will. I knew only a bit about Leon’s background and that was that he is familiar with wrenching in a garage as well as being a world class driver on the track. I came to find out that his 260Z reflected his skills as the car was dialed. It was relatively original in appearance, but at its core it was a ‘tool’ being functional. We got to the canyon and Leon ‘opened the car up’ so to speak. I imagined the butterflies of the venturis’ flapping, but oddly butterflies were not growing inside of me. He was pushing the car and it handled so neutrally that I was at complete ease. I trusted him and the car. The vision of my car under construction at the Z Car Garage came into view and I only hope that it shares a bit of this racing spirit. We arrived at a parking lot at the top of Skyline and I had planned that I would turn down the opportunity to drive, but my soul wasn’t about to say no. I slid into the driver’s seat and pushed the shifter up and forward releasing the clutch and gently easing into the gas pedal. The engine made noise, but there was no movement. I must have been in third. “The car has a 10lb flywheel and it engages when the clutch is pulled up super high.” Leon said. I pulled away not making a smooth transition from stopped to rolling, but this car didn’t like to be stopped. It was a mover. We made our way down the canyon and the throttle was on. There was definitely a learning curve to the setup of the car, but I liked that because the few (emphasize few) times that I was smooth it was very rewarding. With time I would become attune to the clutch. This bit of challenge made the car alluring in a adventurous way. It had the appearance of an original, but the heart of a thoroughbred. Leon’s influence from the track gave it a dash of magic while still being civilized enough to still be comfortable. It was the perfect balance of performance and everyday usability. I had forgot about anything that wasn’t keeping me on the road. Z’s do this as they are consuming cars to drive. They are so analog and they require focus and the right inputs from the driver. It is this simplicity and balance that brings people to the early Zcar’s and keeps them there. There are no electronic aides, but there’s no need as they are predictable. Our time was just about up so I drove us to his place so we could walk around the car and examine it from the outside. Leon’s 260Z is painted in a beautiful British Racing Green. It has such a nice sheen that it still looks wet. Much of the excellent handling characteristics are in due part to the wheel and the tire selection as it sits nicely on 16” Panasports. The car even has European taillights with contrasting amber turn signals only the obsessive notice. The emblems are NOS and the car really was well built preserving so much of an original Zcar while being uniquely Leon’s car. We could have talked for hours, but my time was up. We said our goodbyes and we both went to care for our family’s. This morning I started out trying to decide on a wristwatch to wear and the one I chose could not have been more fitting. The car was a ‘tool’ and it was not the track scalpel that some might think, but rather a grin machine. It did all the right things and made all the right noises without being tame or being a hair-raising racer. Thank you so much Leon for the ride.

Bingo! Found a local manual transmission shop that said he will be happy to take it down and have a look. He said it probably does not need a thing but some seals, but I have no way of knowing. He said he will take it down and check it out to let me know its condition. Said it should only take a day or two. I like not fixing what is not broken. I will update when I get a chance. I will mention to pay close attention to the roll pins and 3rd gear syncros as well.

Friends, For the first time in 5 years I am without my 240Z. It sold last Friday at Mecum's auction in Kissimmee. Watching the bidders viewing the cars earlier in the day, I realized the curse of the automatic transmission remained. As such, the Z brought less than I had hoped for, but more than I feared it would bring. So I guess it was a satisfactory result. Just wanted to take this time to thank all of you who have helped me over these last 5 years. And to anyone my postings may have helped, it was my pleasure. In all this group has been one of the kindest, and considerate group I have had the pleasure to being associated. The hole in my garage means I have some extra parts and I would like to offer them for sale to any of you who might use them. I have a Series I heater box with serviceable heater core. I also have the Series I heater fan with a good resistor block. (I may also have the fan switch, I will have to dig into my stocks to verify). I have a set of 2 each 4 screw SU carbs I bought from Madkaw. The pistons are free but otherwise, their condition is unknown. If you are interested in any of these, please PM me. As for my current project, I am putting a 330hp Camaro 3.6L V6 into my 2011 MiataChimera along with a 6 speed AT. Other have transplanted this engine, but I believe Mine will be the first AT. I've got the mechanicals in place and will start the merging of the LANs next.

Damn, If Jay had only released this video a week earlier..........

WAAAAAYYYYY COOOOOL! .... I got chills just watching it.....I agree a driving school would be a great investment! GREAT STUFF

and if not go and buy another one!

This guy does a lot of interesting videos. Don't know if he is a member here, but this one is very interesting.

You asked for it - here it is! 6 min. long but worth every second https://youtu.be/j1Or4N_O-3A Always fun to see a kid get a wish fulfilled -- even if the kid is taller than you. The first video was shot at around 2:00am - trying to sneak the car into the driveway from a couple blocks away.

To me the battery sounds weak. Oh well. I guess if Jamal throws a timing light on it we would know for sure.

Many thanks for this, here is a picture of the actual differential,what do you think?