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Hi Gang, It has been a rough ride for the past few years. I stepped back from a lot of fun things to get through. Dropping Z hobby and online activities were just part of the change. I am starting to get my strength back and tuned some carbs a few weeks ago. This was my first car activity in a few years. I am slowly coming back. I have been a hermit and reclusive. I did not keep in touch with so many good friends. I apologise. I did start to come out of the funk a few months ago and updated Jim Arnett. We had a nice chat. I also promised to update the group. Don't feel special as I also withdrew from many of my good friends here in my area. Strange how things change.... but they are changing back. In a nutshell, during the depressing covid time, Janet, my better half, got cancer and went through hell...surgery, chemo then radiation. She got better then it came back. More surgery finally took care of that #$$%%. She is good now. Once she got better, I got cancer. We were like a sorry tag team looking after each other. I did radiation with concurrent chemo from last Nov though Dec. I am finally getting strength back and starting to feel normal. All is good and last PET scan (just 2 weeks ago) finally shows no evidence of disease. Many more other horrible things seem to happen during this time but hopefully it is all behind us. I'll check back to this thread in a week. Please PM me if you wish to catch up. We can exchange phone numbers. It will be nice. kind regards and apologies to all. Philip

We checked the timing. It was about 14 with 32 or so all in Here are my mechanics Morgan is home from school for a few weekends and her boyfriend Mark was here too. They're all good with tools and willing to help

"Hold that damn light still!" was heard many times in my early years. When he would finish a repair I was put in charge of cleaning all the tools and putting them away.

Good morning deanhuff, Can't answer your question as I just don't know. However, if you're like the owners of the vast majority of old cars and only put a few hundred miles on your Z per year it isn't really an issue. Of course if your comfort level requires a lead additive by all means feel free. If you've recently acquired a Z I strongly suggest 1 - cold and hot valve adjustment 2 - cold and hot cylinder leakage test 3 - new valve cover gasket (the absolute best is Nissan which is still available from your local dealer under P/N 13270-Y7010) Cheers

Cody has been back from Fla for about a week. He finally got a break. We had a short family vacation and then spent all weekend working on cars! He spent 3-4 hours tracing the turn signal circuit. In the end we switched back to the original hazard switch and that made everything light up the way it should. The flasher was bad but I have a new electronic one to use. We also made short jumper harnesses to go between the US harness and the JDM tail lights. The green and yellow will come from the brake switch at the pedal and then it should all work appropriately. We also got the car fired up yesterday. I bought a cheap L6 electronic dizzy off ebay. I swapped it in for the old match box dizzy and it fired right up. I guess the matchbox went bad the last time I tried to fire it up because it sort of bumped over for a sec and then no spark. We'll see how long this dizzy lasts Ordered a reverse switch for the transmission and that may be sorted. Need to sort power for the blower fan and some odds and ends electrical and it will be close to ready to test

So I've been working in the shadows on the reanimation of an early 240Z. This is not so much a restoration, but more of a reanimation project. Reanimation of an lifeless vehicle with a focus on originality. The OG 240Z: This car hasn't been on the road for decades. Many decades. And in the end, he won't be pretty, but he'll be back on the road. So let's start with the immediate... My intention is to drive this Z to the upcoming ZCON in Nashville and there are a couple things I need advice on before the trip: First, I need to carry a fire extinguisher and I know nothing about them (other than they are supposed to put out fires). Anyone know the system and have a recommendation for which type would be best for automotive related incidents? Second, I've got the original seat belts in the car, but they are the early non-adjustable style. I'd like to install something newer, safer, better, easier to use before the trip. I might swap the originals back in once I get there, but for almost 1000 miles on the road, I think I want newer technology. Is there an easy to drop in system for the 240Z cars? ZCON or BUST!!!

Oh sorry, I finished it up, drove it a few miles, had a very small oil leak I fixed, timing cover bolt(s). The front brakes or hubs were getting hot, resolved that issue quickly. I've probably put 600 miles on the car since. It rides unbelievably smooth and quiet. There's nothing left to work on. I'm at a loss now, it's kind of a strange feeling. What a battle it was though, I really enjoyed the challenge for the most part, and I miss it.

Apologies will never be necessary when one is caring for family and self. I am so very glad to see you back with us, your humor and knowledge have been sorely missed. For those of you who know them, here is a pic from ZCON 2015 when my wife and I were fortunate to make the in-person acquaintance of Philip and Janet. What a grand time we had hanging out with this couple and others from the classiczcars group.

Because the curious mind must KNOW. For me, owning a classic car is really the journey. I get great satisfaction from understanding all the ins-and-outs of...well, anything. If I drive it, fly it, sail it, race it, ride it, eat it, grow it, run it in my house or office, or if it has moving parts or does anything that impacts my life in any meaningful way, I am driven to know how the thing works, and/or how to build/repair/grow/write/create my own. I like making things.

Are you kidding? This place is full of nuts.

I got it running and driving back in May. Finally got it insured and new tags in June then took it down the street to fill it with gas. Today was the first day I really got it out and drove it...in all about 55 miles. She needs some tweaking to run better still though it was still really nice to be able to drive her again. This short video is in after I got back home. 20250726_125928.mp4

The smart ones hide, sit back and chill. That's why I'm on here everyday, trying to learn something. 😁 Bugging the $^!# out of everybody...

It seems that's what you've been doing for the last decade and really aren't any closer to a solution than you were when you first recognized the problems. Unless you have a strong emotional tie to your Z, I suggest moving on to another car that you can enjoy driving with confidence that it will run well and get you where you want to go and back home. Just a suggestion that could make your life less complicated and more enjoyable. I once had a '74 Porsche that I never drove farther from home than I cared to walk back. I knew several AAA tow truck drivers by their first names. I was happy and relieved to finally sell it and eventually bought another that I've owned for 32 years.

I suspect the reason for those two photos was to point out the differences in the positions of the wheels in the two wheel wells. Yikes.

@siteunseen Thanks Cliff. I didn't see it in those search results. Part of the problem is figuring out what the OP called that chrome squeegee strip... On another note. I'm all legal now! :)

Just for fun, I've dug out the JUNE 1997 edition of OLD TIMER Magazine - published in Japan - to scan some photos from the 8 page article in which they covered Vintage Z Program-related activities at Pierre's, Z World and the lobby of NMC USA. The original photos are many, small and scan up with a noticeable Moire pattern, but people still might like to see them. 'Donor' cars sitting in the parking lot behind Pierre's, waiting to start the process. Original caption says that they counted 13 in this row alone and that Pierre's had a total of 25 base cars and 8 cars for parts, so a total of 33 cars 'in stock' at that time. Any lack of ambience is made up for with Ambulance: Caption says this is a stripped bodyshell, waiting to be collected by the bodyshop: Caption says that this lineup of suspension parts have been stress checked and delicate areas taped up prior to collection for blasting and "powder coating": I'll scan and upload some more tomorrow...

There we go again with the insults. I've found that people like that aren't very happy people in general - that's always been my frame of mind when trying to understand such behavior.

I remember my older brother and Dad were swapping a clutch. I jumped in the car, pushed the clutch to the floor, blowing out the slave cylinder. I got out of the car and started running! Fun times. My Dad is now 87 and loves to brag on my mechanic ability. He's my biggest fan.....now. Lots of great memories.

Seiko Watch CorporationThe Datsun 240Z and Prospex Speedtimer: New collaboration...

I’ve never had much respect for the Chilton or Climer (sp?) service manuals, once I realized they were nothing more than stolen excerpts from the real service manuals and how they claim to handle all Datsun Z models from 1899-2050 in one book. Talk about cherry picking and massive omissions I thought Now that the real manuals are available online, I rarely look at them. However, the other day, I got a Climer manual with a parts horde and happen to flip through it just to see if I was missing anything. I might have to eat my critical words, when I found a compilation listing of what seems to be ALL the possible timing options 70-78. “Maybe” they did a bit more than just decide which pages of the FSM’s to include. This was sparked (see what I did there?) by a Z friend with limited Datsun knowledge who was asking me about timing specs for his 71, telling me he looked on line and found really wildly varying numbers and couldn’t decide which one was right. Well, there you go. the list shows a large variation depending. PS. It also has a pretty high quality set of schematics for the various years and transmissions all in one place. I read most of the text! .

Great to have you back on board, Phil. Your how-to articles, posted both here and on the Atlantic Z site, have remained an important resource for all of us Z owners.

Haha! I actually fade in and out of consciousness on the forum. You just happen to catch me at a time when I'm actually on-line and logged in. I spend significantly less time here than I did before the last couple software upgrades. Hope that trend does not continue.

It has been a serious while since I was able to put some actual work in the car. I had some urgent projects on the house to complete, and then I managed to injure my hands, but now I'm back at it again. First, I had to re-install my tank. Since I sold my new fuel tank including rubbers and straps at the Japanclassic, to help somebody get is car running again quickly, I had to wait for a new one to arrive from S30.world. Unfortunately, new straps are currently not available anymore, so i had to go through my set of existing straps to get the best ones for temporary usage: First i had the rubber insulator blocks installed on the tank: And then had it all wrapped to avoid scratches on my brand new tank: And then everything installed. Thanks to my new transmission hoist, this was a lot easier than last time. And last but not least, i had the drain plug installed, which comes with the tank: Next? Front end work. Ever since I had my wobbly bent EU spec front spoiler installed, I was wondering myself which route to go. EU-spec corner valances with the mounting holes for the spoiler, but no holes for the Lower turn signals or other way? After thinking about it for a while, i decided to take the best of both worlds. Some might call it sacrilegious, but I decided to go what appeals the most to my eyes. US spec lower turn signals, but EU-spec front spoiler (which also helps stabilize the car and is not just for the looks). My original thinking was that the US-spec corner valances need to be modified with that "loose-nut" mounting brackets for the lip, but when checking my EU-spec valances, i realized that on the corner valances (unlike the center valance) there is only a simple hole. So the modification of US-spec valances to fit the EU-spec spoiler is simply to drill a 5mm hole in the right place. To get the right place, i made a nice little template from tape. Transferred it from the EU- to the US-valances, and drilled / cleaned it. Unfortunately, I found that on the LH-side somebody had previously drilled holes in the wrong places, for whatever reason. Probably they had some different spoiler installed? I'll leave that to the bodyshop. So everything set to install the spoiler completely? Almost. As you can see, the brackets on my worn out spoilers are quite bent. Some were even completely missing or "fixed" with a bit of backyard-engineering: After I bent all the existing brackets in a more-or-less correct position and installed it back on the car, i have to admit it looks quite good, even though it's still just a completely temporary mock up. I also had my replica US-spec turn signals installed (I will look for some good OEM-ones, as these lack the mandatory E-stamps on it). Which made the iconic, but also a bit ugly, EU-spec turn signals obsolete. Even though I don't think the look is too bad, I always have the feeling that they were just slapped on the car in a hurry, and are held on the bumper with only one nut, so they always look a bit off in their position and are hard to get it right (see previous photo). So I had them removed. The US / Japan spec turn signals always looked much sleeker to me, fully integrated under the bumper. Like intended from their designers. So for the moment, I'll stick to this setup. But I might change back to full EU-spec, if required. During this work, I was also able to fix two previous issues with the front bumper alignment, which is great too. From my point of view, the front-end (everything in front of the radiator support) is completed now. Next I'll focus on some other points. My 2-do list is getting smaller, and I'm happy with every task I can check off. I expect DHL ringing on my door with some nice stuff from Japan every moment, and i have some more things on the way here, so expect another update soon.

I can hardly wait until you start bashing it with a hammer as Zed Head mentioned, then posting the results. Should be a hoot!

This is the lastest version with the stainless steel stub plate and spring clip. eBay UK240z Datsun Series 1 1972 1/2 Fuse Cover / Ash Tray s/ste...Reproduction fuse cover/ash tray for the 240z Datsun Series 1. Reproduced in Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate. Comes with asa silver ring insert, lid pins and a stainless steel snuffer plate. Spring...

So it's been awhile since I last posted. Remember that aftermarket ECU? I found out it was bad and causing starting issues and the high idle condition. I happened to find an original replacement ECU from another 1976 2+2 and that solved my problem. I also found that the TPS was missing a screw and out of position on the throttle body. As it turns out, the missing screw had broken off inside the throttle body. I was able to source a used one and installed it. Everything now seemed to work except for the temperature gauge. This was baffling to me since I had replaced it with a new one when I replaced the thermostat and the housing. However, that one was a two piece unit. I tested the temp gauge and wiring by disconnecting the connection to the sensor, temporarily running a wire from the the connection to ground and turning the key to the on position. The gauge needle moved from resting position to max within a few seconds, eliminating the possibility of a defective gauge or wiring. This was reassuring, since I was not looking forward to having to troubleshoot a wiring issue, nor did I want to have to go and try to find another gauge. So, I purchased a new temperature sensor, this time a one piece unit. I had some free time to install it yesterday, and Voila! I once again have a working temperature gauge. Here's the one that didn't work: Here's the one that worked: And the proof:

Oh I'm here every day, taking it all in 😄

Hi Site……If you shave .080 inches from your P90 head, you’ll have to jack up the cam towers .080 inches too. You use the early 280 valves which are approximately .080 inches longer. With this set up, you don’t need the shorter valve seals……they are used when the L24 head uses a cam with .460 or more lift which would squash those seals. If you decide to do that, let me know and I’ll put you in touch with Eiji at Datsun Spirit…..he has everything you need to build that head. He has a ton of Isky Stage III cams also. If you just send him your head, he’ll build you a piece of art. Nice buy for $25.00.

OK, the geniuses @ the Nissan US marketing Dept. came up with a brilliant plan to keep the motoring public's mind on the new Z car still in the incubation stage; we'll restore a bunch of old Z cars and sell them for cheap. They spend a ton on advertising but not too much so there's still a bit of mystery/speculation to the operation. They buy, at great expense, more than they originally thought it would cost, 200ish old Zs. Next they send one of their minions - now the company president - down to the parts dept to get the ball rolling. The guy behind the counter listens to the plan with growing amusement before telling Mr. Minion that there just isn't enough quantity to make his bosses plan work for 10 Zs let alone 200! Minion now worries about how he'll break the news to his boss and still keep his job. Of course an automobile manufacturer can't/won't resume production or ask one of their closely held - forgot the Japanese word - suppliers to resume production for a quantity below 0k say 5000 units of anything. At the time I found it interesting that they wanted me to reproduce and supply parts A-D but weren't interested in already available reproduced parts E-H. Note the nasty-looking washer bottles on the Z Store cars. I learned later that Nissan US had broken the restoration process down to individual operations and had decided that each operation/step of the process would have a max dollar amount assigned to each operation. Don't know if this is old ground but there was NO effort, none, to keep engines and transmissions with the cars from which they came. They had my reproduction ID plates so any # could be stamped.

Route66 et all, Want to clear up a couple of things about the Z Store program. 1 - Those are 280 front fenders that Nissan superseded the 240/260 numbers to in about 1995ish. There are 2 subtle differences that in the end don't amount to a hill of beans. 2 - Poorly run, then and now, Nissan - just last week they announced the closure of 2 factories because nobody is buying their cars - didn't go back into production of parts for the Z Store program. If they did why did they have very little me supply them with so many goodies? However, before he retired I had a friend pretty high up in the Nissan food chain in TN. One day I got a call, Mike, windshields and rear mufflers are available again. I called my local dealer where the guys are long time knowledgeable friends and asked them to do an INQUIRY - that's the official word - on those 2 part #s. Sure enough they were available. I ordered 10 muffs and 5 windshields. The muffs and windshields arrived a few days later but 2 of the windshields were cracked. I had them order 2 more windshields but only one came in as they were again unavailable! What the hell was that?? This was after the end of the Z Store program. Now, the fly in the ointment of my story are slam panels. That is, the horizontal panel visible when the deck lid is open. Nissan had someone reproduce them and they were listed with a special description and part # 240 PATCH PANEL 999M1-M0000. I still have 2 in stock. I have a real strong suspicion that this was a Nissan US deal. I feel this way because Nissan batteries, manufactured by Interstate, have the same 999M1 part # prefix. Cheers

What’s the matter with Cliff??😂

Not on the S30-series Z's firewall. 'Dot Engraving' displaces metal rather than removing it. In the case of the letters and numbers we are discussing, the dots are so close together that in close-up they look like one continuous form. The deformation is visible in the reverse side of the panel. The firewall sheetmetal on the S30 is thin enough gauge that some deformation of the surrounding metal occurs (noticeably more on some letters and numbers than on others) so it is all too easy to imagine this is the result of physical - 'one blow' - stamping. It isn't. Here's a bare metal example of a Nissan S30's firewall '3' number, showing front and rear. This is classic close-form Dot Engraving:

The process involved aligning a fixture to the firewall of the unpainted bodyshell (other Nissan vehicles had the identity elsewhere - for example my KPGC10 Skyline GT-R has it on the LH door sill) into which the full combination of chassis prefix and body serial number was dialled-in by the operator, and then the machine did its thing. We have seen examples of mistakes (operator error...) which have been 'corrected' by the same process and then authenticated with a Nissan 'hamburger' cipher. We can play terminology tennis between 'stamping' and 'engraving' to our heart's content but the process used was - I believe - more correctly described as 'Dot Engraving', where a punching point deformed the metal into the desired letters and numbers in the distinctive Nissan font of the period. This method - although in a much more developed and computer-controlled form - is still in use today. Here's a modern version of the machine (on the dreaded Ali Express, no less...) with a playable video: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007340921417.html?dp=CjwKCAjwp_LDBhBCEiwAK7FnkgNg_pgoKEwp2vl_LmTjbAZXtPHK3lxpnCZE8Rsz8cmrvpF30NaRhxoCKVwQAvD_BwE@254613&isdl=y&aff_fsk=_okqVOWy&src=delupeUK2025&aff_platform=aff_feeds&aff_short_key=_okqVOWy&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21GBP%21616.83%21585.99%21%21%21%21%21%40%2112000040338251243%21afff%21%21%21&cn=254613&cv=466926&af= I would imagine that the somewhat laconic and haphazard nature of the late 60s Nissan Shatai results was symptomatic of the machinery being used. I wouldn't rule out the possibility that it was - along with Nissan's distinctive font - intentionally difficult to tamper with/replicate/forge. Anyway, the big point here is that when people talk about 'firewall stamping' and 'VIN stamping' it calls to mind old-fashioned letter and number stamps that would be whacked with a hammer to make their mark. Doing that on an unsupported firewall (the other side is in the cowl well...) would be pretty difficult without big deformation, and if supported it would require some other kind of fixture on the other side. In my KPGC10'S case it would be impossible on the (blind) door sill. I'd like to see a machine that could physically 'stamp' a firewall VIN on an S30 in one go (I'm imagining it to be steam-powered...) but the whole thing sounds far too impractical. The dot engraving machine seems to have been a lasting solution. This is actually a subject which we have discussed previously here on the forum. @kats even came up with a photo of the same fixture still being used on late 1980s and early 1990s Nissan Silvias (S13/S14?) but - of course - I'll be damned if I can find the thread and the image. Don't know why this place is so hard to search for something I know is here. S30 chief engineer Hitoshi Uemura gave me a copy of a period Nissan document which showed the positioning instructions for the chassis number fixture, but I was asked not to publish it (and I'll honour his request).

'Course the guys who REALLY know their onions know that the bodyshell's individual identity is ENGRAVED on the firewall, not stamped... 😊

At the request of @Yarb here are some details on my pop rivet install of the squeegee rubber on the belt molding. Background: When I was doing my car 14 years ago, replacement squeegee rubber was not available but Black Dragon had complete belt molding assemblies available at a great price. The molding was excellent but it was straight and not curved to fit the pinchweld on the top of the door. After several tries it was obvious the new molding would not easily curve into the required shape and I was not going to risk damage to a fresh paint job. So... I removed the squeegee strip with its thin metal backplate still stapled in place and installed it on my OE molding with 1/8" pop rivets spaced about every 4 1/2" at the staples. The backside of the pop rivets does not interfere with the fit onto the pinchweld.

I'm a little late to the party as you have succeeded in removing the filler neck. For reference here is a post on what I did on my 1970 a few years back, I was lucky that mine was easier than yours. I have found that the "pushing" a hose off a barbed fitting works much better than trying to pull it off, same principal here.

Be patient. Good advice. Too busy yesterday but got back to it this morning. BTW I did get the pics from Harbor Freight. They worked great. Kept working them gently around where the filler hose meets the gas tank using WD 40 with it's straw for a lubricant. As soon as I let the tank down a bit further and pushed it to the side it popped loose from the filler hose. Now lets see, reassembly is just reversing what you did to take it apart, right? Great video on tank cleaning by the way. Lol. Thanks for all the help and suggestions everyone. I'll probably start a new thread soon on my reassembly efforts with the new gas tank.

Stumbled across this transmission mount for sale on eBay. $200 for a crossmember and broken mount. Wow. If I'd known that prices would be so high I might have held on to some of my parts collection. https://ebay.us/m/O5Lr3p

I'm going to start cleaning up some of the stuff I have. Use these pictures and retire. 😁 I've got a storage building full! eBay1970-1983 Datsun 240Z 260Z 280Z ZX Rebuilt N47 Cylinder E...Fill fit into 240Z 260Z 280Z ZX with L28 Block and ROUND port exhaust systems. Learn more for our site at California Datsun. Why buy from California Datsun, Inc. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT ADDITION TO A... Really bad seller. Its was a scam from the get go. He purposely put another camshaft in the box of the supposed aftermarket modified camshaft. And he had audacity to charge 2/3 of brand new price of the Trojan horse of a camshaft he made it look like. He even painted it black high temp paint on used original factory camshafts. They or he hope an unsuspecting individual installs it. Really shady. I got a refund but this is horrible experience Brian Crower BC0211 Stage-2 Cams 264° for Nissan KA24DE RWD S13 S14 240sx RWD (#405586686015) Buyer: m***m (48) US $400.00 Verified purchase Past 6 months Reply from: california-datsun. Left within past 6 months. Wow, what an extreme exaggeration. We didn't "charge" you anything. We listed a item for sale that YOU agreed to purchase and pay for. It was a set of cams we purchased as new and never opened. You claimed you were unhappy so we immediately refunded you. No need for the dramatic fake story. What was so horrible? Have a nice day.

Here's a way to clean your old tank if you ever decide to. 🤣🤣😁

I was going to post the Cream version but went a little farther back. People are digging up these old recordings all over the place. Pretty amazing.

Well you do! You have an excellent camera.

I'm going to beat you to it today, 'ol Buddy!

Not sure what it means but I misspelled hoses above as hosea. Prophet of Doom. No offense intended to anyone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosea

If you can get to Harbor Freight tomorrow, here's a coupon for the large and small picks: https://go.harborfreight.com/coupons/2025/07/184225-69592/

Get a couple of 90 degree picks, 1 large & 1 small. Round off the tips so you don't poke through the hose. First, work the small one around the lip of the hose to break it loose. Then, follow up with the larger one. After you break the adhesion, put some silicon grease on the larger pick and work it around again. Try the tongue-and-groove pliers to twist back and forth until it breaks free.

Be patient. Space heater to warm the whole thing up? (Here, this time of year, we wouldn't be having that problem...) I wouldn't use pliers. I'd try prying the end of the filler hose away from the tank (or the tank away from the filler hose - which ever way you want to look at it.) with one or two long prying tools (whatever works to catch the edge of the hose without harm - thin or wide) Long screwdrivers? Flat pry bar? Regular pry bar? Non-metallic pry tool? But you do need to somehow break the "bond" that the rubber has made with the steel inlet tube. Then treat the filler hose with Meguiar's Hyper Dressing...

Ha! That links back to a post I did almost 7 years ago about using pop rivets to secure the sqeegee rubber to the belt molding, similar to how I did the replacment fuzzy strips to the door panel. @Patcon Charles, If you need some info I can pull off a molding and get some pics of the pop rivets.

No biggie, just funning. There are some maybe's. I have a bunch of switches, just not marked as to what they are from. I rely on the visual differences. Graphics, plugs, wires, etc. They did change the switch plugs over the years too. I purchased the headlight and the parking/taillight harness from Dave Irwin long ago and have not had a problem since. I have H4 headlight bulbs and bright tail/ side lights. I did open and clean all my switches myself as well. Made all the difference. Still working well.

I don't think I have ever quoted myself in a reply 😂 New territory!!