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Started her up today after new rebuilt head (thanks[mention=6833]MadKaw[/mention]), timing chain,water pump, etc Then shared a car wash with our 18 mo old granddaughter. 72 body and block, everything else 71, Tokico springs, Illumina, R180 CLSD, 83 close ratio, 3.90 gears, Ztherapy SUs, BRE 15X7 Libre wheels and BRE front spoiler.

As the every day public sees more and more articles about the value of Z cars, the odds of finding a really cheap one goes down exponentially. I am afraid those days are pretty much gone. The definition of a really cheap Z car is changing sort of like the value of a "cheap" ferrari

Off to paint jail On another note, is that flattened section behind the valve cover at the fuse box level supposed to be that way. It is hard to tell if that is a factory condition or not

Finally traced a short/ground problem with my headlights. There was a nick in one of the 3 wires on the driver side headlight pigtail, under the plastic loom. I found it when removing both headlights to throughly clean the connectors and just happened to visually notice it.

Success...a "rat" file, some light lube and about 30 minutes of work and now the spindle pin passes right through by hand. And I think it was a combination of left over corrosion and at least a couple small burrs because a close inspection of the spindle pin after initially tapping it through with a rubber hammer did reveal a couple light scorch marks along its horizontal axis. But I couldn't see anything visually when looking through the hole with a light. Anyway...all is good now with this problem. On to the next...and thanks for all the good advice!

It's bittersweet to see these vehicles climb in value so rapidly. In some ways it is vindication for all the years I coveted Z Cars when they were marginalized for not being German or lacking V-8 muscle. Now mint examples are out of reach for some and rough examples too problematic to restore with some parts becoming hard to obtain.

Shouldn't be too difficult to identify. Having a crime wave in the Scotia??

They are a blast......and the best part is that you can give em back at the end of the day Charles!

keep in mind they are not supposed to spin inside the control arm, the spindle pin lock holds them in place. Overtightening that lock will deform the spindle pin, making removal very hard. Keep that spindle lock in mind when reinstalling them, it needs to be precisely lined up to get the lock in place.

Thanks for taking the time to do this. A very nice tutorial.

Creeping towards the finish line! Sealer being applied today.

So ... there are a lot of opinions on butts, versus laps/flanges and plugs versus stitches. I use all of them depending on the circumstance. For example: I will almost always lap, plug stitch when attaching “Important” old metal to new metal (like floors to transmission tunnel, or frame rails to the inner fender patch). I used almost every type on the Franken Fender ....

Completely your choice. I think they look really good as well. I looked through a lot of his decals and think whom ever is doing the work (him or someone else) does a fine job. For plates and decals you cant get elsewhere these look like a good option. I do this too. On a lot of the parts cars I have picked up I find these painted over even ground on, rusted, and clean. with just 4 screws it is not like you are altering something like the door jam, which has rivets. Some of my collection showing various stages of condition. I save them from parts cars, and any I find at junk yards. Like dog tags of the fallen. I never understood why people wouldn't take them off before painting or restoring an engine bay. To each their own I suppose.

Hi fellow members, I have been searching the forum and although I can find a lot of info about replacing the bumpers I can't find much about replacing the valences. My plan was to buy the fibreglass bumpers, fit them, if everything went well replace them with the Stainless steel bumpers from Harrington. Datsun 240Z and 260Z Bumpers | Harrington Group Fitting the front bumper was easy, but it left a big open area between the small two bar grill and the bumper. I knew there was a hight differance between the 240 and the 280 valences and decided to go down that road. The height difference was more than I expected. The 240Z is so much higher that the centre section between the valences can not be fitted because the chassis drops down to low. To solve this problem I want to fit a front airdam. I have found info on this and some say remove the centre section and use the airdam to hold it all together. Others say dont do that, it will vibrate at cruising speeds. Something which I could tend to agree with. To solve this I am going to make an aluminium frame to brace the two valences with the centre mount and use this to support the airdam. I dont have an 240z airdam yet so I not sure if it will be low enough to cover the lower section of the frame. Before I start digging an even deeper hole (buying an airdam, hiring a Mig welder to weld the frame) I decided to ask for help. Maybe someone has done this before or knows someone who has? Even the distances from the bumper to the lower edge of different airdams would be a great help or even photos. I will post photos of my progess. Any help / advice is much appreciated.

Excellent. Keep coming to us with the easy issues. We like those. Don't forget to use copious amounts of anti-corrosion anti-seize on your new spindle pins when you slide them in for the final installation. And if you didn't already know.... The location of the notch for the lock pin is not in the center of the spindle pin. It's offset a little bit. (The pin is not symmetric). There is a correct front and back. Point is... If you haven't already done so, it's a lot easier to determine which is the correct installation direction when the parts are off the car and not all slathered with copious amounts of lube. Mark it with a sharpie or something now while everything is clean so you don't have to futz with it while it's all slippy.

Have to dig it up, but I bought a new (not reman) rack with inner tie rods from an outfit on ebay couple of years back. It was ~$275 USD back then. Why hunt for $200 parts? Oh yes, their ebay name is carsteering https://www.ebay.ca/usr/carsteering?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754 Or https://www.jegs.com/i/Rare+Parts/202/RP26575/10002/-1

Sounds exactly like the symptoms of a missing reaction disc in the master vac. Did you replace the brake master cylinder when you did the front upgrade?

I would still say that is a pretty good deal considering the car doesn't look like many of the "Fred Flinstone" vehicles I see for 2 or 3 times that

You should be able to insert the spindle pin all the way and spin it 360 degrees with just two fingers. If you can't do that, then I suspect there's a burr inside that's causing an interference fit. There should be no tools required to get that pin properly into place.

Spring 2018

Couldn't tell if it was smoking because the key was on or because the battery was connected. A better way to test the wiring before connecting the battery is to measure resistance between the positive cable terminal and the negative cable terminal. A short circuit will show up as low resistance. Then you can go wiggle and disconnect various circuits until the short circuit is found. You can do the same when turning on the key. All circuits should have some resistance.

I know!!! Sugar them up and send them home. a little pay back mixed in with the fun is always good

That looks like fun! My oldest got married last year so this might not be too far away for me! I guess I should hurry up and get the car finished so we have something to clean!

I totally agree and I appreciate your effort in providing parts like this at Banzai. I also have to balance parts I need versus available cash to purchase them. Also being able to reproduce some of these thngs allows me to make hoses or parts for other projects, not just Z projects, but projects where these parts are not even available. It's a balancing act for me. A limited amount of money needs to be spread over the car. I need bumpers and don't want to try to make them. I also need hoses, but I "might" could make them if I have the raw material. The reproduction hoses actually cost more than the bumpers. When I need a windshield washer bag or a data tag, I would call you because it doesn't make sense to try to make one. Unfortunately these limitations is the world I live in

You made me look that up ? and I know that route well. We'll see ?, my next mission is to get the AC working. I know how hot/humid it can get in that neck of the woods...

So now you are good to go semi-transcontinental?? The short way. But I'd suggest the Memphis, Little Rock, Ft. Smith, Fayetteville, Branson route for you since you have Arkie roots! Viaje por la carretera en Julio!

1972 Fairlady Z-L would have the above 'Fairlady Z' script emblems at the bottom of both front fenders and one on the RH side of the rear hatch, mounted at an angle... ...and underneath the 'Fairlady Z' script on the rear hatch, mounted horizontally, the 'NISSAN' emblem. However, the mounting of a rear spoiler interfered with the mounting positions of the hatch emblems. Bonnet/Hood emblem was the 'Z' script version, on the left above. Rear quarter emblems for 1972 were the vented type 'Z' script version, exactly the same as north American market type of the same year - so you should have no trouble locating a good pair.

I didn't mean to give the impression that the old spindle pins came out easily. To the contrary. I had to use a sawzall to cut each pin into 3 pieces. Then I had to take the lower control arms and strut assemblies down to NAPA to have them press them out. They said getting the pin pieces out with their press was very difficult. I agree though...precision fit...no wobble. Right now, I'm not even close to the wobble stage. It's tight...very tight.

Many moons ago (waving hand like "these are not the droids you're looking for"), I worked for a company who made equipment that featured a black on silver faceplate similar in concept to the VIN tags. They were some sort of black coating on a thin aluminum substrate and the black coating was some sort of photo-resist active material. You would lay a piece of film artwork (black and clear) over the substrate and then run the pair through a box which housed bright light of some sort. I don't know if it was UV or what, but fading memory says the light was greenish, not purplish. And then after the light exposure, you would wash the substrate in some chemical and parts of the black coating would come off. I don't remember if the parts exposed to the light came off or if the parts exposed to the light were "set", but clearly it was photo-sensitive in some sort. Anyway, when you were done, you had a black on silver rendition of the artwork you laid over the original all black substrate. I can't remember the trade name of the equipment, but I believe it was relatively common back then. It's probably outlawed at this point due to health risks from the chemicals and the light, but I used it a lot "back in the day". I wish I could remember the name of that system... Not that I want one, just that it bugs me that I can't remember the name!

Seems like we are missing some information from the OP. What do you mean by the word "cheap"? Please give us a dollar amount that you want to buy the car for. Is this going to be your sole daily driver or is this a project / fun car, in addition to your daily driver? If this is a project, how much of a project do you want? Do you want it to be a totally functioning and safe car from day 1 that isn't a rust bucket, starts, drives as it should, stops straight, etc, but can be improved over time with multiple projects? Or are you looking for something that may not even run that you will need to solve multiple significant issues before being able to drive and enjoy? My general thoughts and opinions .... If this is going to be your daily driver, a cheap zcar isn't going to be your friend. Instead, if you want a modern car that has a similar DNA, consider a NA Miata. As far as price goes, what you are reading above is that the market for the S30 cars, and in particular the 240z models, has skyrocketed. What you really need is a time machine. Let me know if you find one. The problem with "cheap" zcars is that the initial purchase price typically tricks the inexperienced into thinking they are getting a bargain. To me, the sweet spot for someone wanting a relatively rust free car that starts, drives as it should (though not perfectly), is safe, stops straight, has complete interior that needs some attention but isn't a rats nest, is a 280z that will cost between 8k and 12k. Unless you have a friend of a friend who just gives you a great deal, I don't think you can find a 240z that has these qualities for this price range in the open market.

If you know you need a replacement, get one from a zx turbo parts car. (in your area it should not be too hard) or Contact member borini63, he has many zx parts. He is in Phoenix.

Ah, those were the days and a good parts car was $400

Zeddsaver doesn't do floor pans, you're thinking of ZeddFindings! Opposite sides of the country....

Jon, welcome to the forum. I am the owner of the Z @siteunseen mentioned. The forum has been a great resource for me and there are some fantastic people in the community. What is the Vin of your car? I got my car about 2 years ago as an inoperable vehicle. The previous owner (PO) had owned it for 21 years, been restoring it the entire time but had not finished it. Some of it he had experts do, some of it he did himself. Most of the heavy lifting was done; body repairs, engine rebuilt, brake cylinders / clutch cylinders replace, but much was not finished. A bit of electrical needed finishing, gauges connected, door seals, some trim work, some other work needed redoing some of as it was not great quality, plus all the maint work on a vehicle that had not even moved for 6+ years; oils, brake fluids, gas, etc. I was quite disciplined and broke up the work in phases and target timelines; Phase 1 - Running & Registered, Phase 2 - High priority, ...... + a small fun distractions list (eg, restoring steering wheel) (in case you can't tell I am ex engineer, ex project manager. Some would argue somewhat OCD ? . I did work in the auto industry for a couple of years on the tools when I was studying, with the forum, youtube , factory servcie manual, I was confident I could figure stuff out again after 30+ years off the tools Generally the 240z and the FS-L are almost identical, however a few got ya's. 99.9% of questions you have and problems you encounter will be the same as the 240z owners. A summary of some of my findings of 240z vs JDM fairlady z. Some of these are hard learnt. Electrical: there are some subtle differences. The main one I experienced is the indicators stalk - FZ-L have a push to pass button on the indicator arm. As a result the wiring is different (My PO had installed a US arm on my car and the lights would come on when the indicator way moved). Another difference is the the FZL do not have the same fusible link the 240z does. Engine and Carbs: given you do not have the original engine probably wont matter. Mine is a factor 2.0l engine with the orginal 5 speed box. The SU type carbs are smaller (38mm) compared to the 240z versions (which I think were 42mm?) also the bolt layout is different on them. The air filter box on FZL also did not have the warm air inlet. Some differences in the seat belt layout. However there were also changes across series 1 and 2 240z, and 260z that might be in your car as well. check out the thread for more details + JDM electrical diagram

Don't be fooled. The front from the wheel well forward was spliced in. OK 2026... what day should I pen on my Calendar? ?

Remember Kammy's Red Hand of Power image? @kammy

I was wondering how it all comes apart. I will need to do some more research about how to do it properly, as opposed to my usual way of blindly undoing things until it comes apart ?

Looks like he used the original 280Z grill under the bumper for the lower two runners and build it up with 4 runners from a 240Z grill. I like the neat and tidy result. Chas

I like what this guy did. He kept the 280z grill and valance panel and just built his own grill below using parts of another grill