jcdozier

There was a long string posted within the past few weeks on this subject - you might be able to find it with a search. Summarized, it said ATF or 20 weight are good, multi-grade or Brake Fluid are bad. Without a poll, I suspect most of the SU's out there have ATF in them, because it's more readily available than 20 weight oil. As to fill level, overfilling isn't a problem since any "overflow" will seep down the side of the piston and mix with the fuel coming in through the carbs. Don't underfill.

H2O-Z: The Mallory I installed (see my 3/12 post above) is in a '71 240 with an automatic transmission. I had "disabled" the second set of points years ago (i.e., removed and tossed into the trash). Put in the Mallory (or other electronic distributor) and drive it. BTW, if you're interesed, the Haynes manual explains the dual points. I decided they weren't necessary, (had dual points in previous cars and considered them a pain in the nether end). I drove my 240 for eight years without that second set of points before deciding to upgrade to electronic ignition.

For those of you who are interested, (and don't already know?), there is an article on the ZParts website entitled "Illustrated SU Carburator Article". Depending upon your internet access and PC, the illustrations may take a little time to load, but they are worth the wait. Go to www.zparts.com and scroll down the page to the 12-18 post for 2001 under the "Featured Photo Displays and Tech Articles".

An update for all of you who have dealt with Scott Bruning at Z-Therapy. He had a post several months ago over on the IZCC e-mail link telling everyone that he had been transferred and was selling Z-Therapy. Z-Therapy is still there and still offers the great SU "stuff", but I think there are new owners.

As 2ManyZs says, it's not a good idea to drive the car until you can track down the source of the knock. You may or may not be screwed now, but if you drive the car for any length of time, you will almost surely be screwed then. For instance, if the knock is due to a failing main bearing, if it fails under load you will be into big repairs. Use the long-handled screwdriver "stethescope" trick to see if yo can localize the sound and post your findings. There's lots of good advice available from the folks here.

SNOOTCHEES: If you don't get some interest in a couple of days, you might want to make a post over on www.zcar.com - there appear to be quite a few folks there who may be interested in DGVs. I think most of the folks here are SU fans like me, so the "interest base" may be pretty small.

Big Bob and the Twins???

Your friend with the arc welder is correct - body sheet metal is too thin for stick welding. MIG (or TIG) is the better choice. (Don't ask what the difference is between MIG and TIG 'cus I don't know - my welding source is my son who is taking wekding technology at the local tech college.) Brazing with a torch will work, but my source tells me it is much more difficult to get good results than either MIG or TIG.

Stainless steel molding??? What stainless steel molding? My panel is all black! Just went out to the garage and lightly scraped the edge of one of the taillight cutouts - there's shiny molding under that black paint :eek:! An "instant improvement" for the Z - most of my "improvements" take a lot more work and money. Now I'm looking for some walnut shells to throw at the car.......

SPASSO: Noticed you're in Greenville, SC. When you start looking for parts - and you will - you may want to try the Z Barn in Tennessee before looking elswhere. MSA is on the west coast, Victoria British and Courtesy Nissan are in the midwwest. Sometimes the freight surpasses the cost of the parts. Unlike MSA, which offers mostly new parts, Z Barn has acres of used parts - some new as well. Take a look at www.zbarn.com. There are other sources out there as well, but not many east of the Mississippi and convenient to us here in SC.

You might want to spend some time at the IZCC website - there is a wealth of information about Z cars available there. www.zhome.com

$8,900 with rust??? I don't think so. In addition to the site posted by Marty Rogan, check the "cars for sale" sections in these: www.zdriver.com www.zcar.com

You're right again Keith. I'll have to find an '82 or '83 Maxima, which might not be a big problem if I was still in California, but is likely to take me awhile here on the east coast. Thanks for the offer - I may need to take a trip your way for some of your '72 parts . I guess I could go to my fall-back position and just replace the "A" transmission with a "B" one - they are available in local scrap yards - but then, where's that "improvement" I'm always talking about??

SirJester: I note you are interested in "back country rally racing". You may want to upgrade the front brakes with a set of Toyota 4WD calipers. It's an easy upgrade, doesn't cost much, and may help keep you out of trouble. IMHO, replacing all of the old rubber suspension components with polyeurethane is money well spent. Don't forget the steering coupler. Have fun with your new toy.

Oh yeah, Keith, even a blind dog finds a bone once in a while . I'm not sure about the turbo ZX either, but it does stand to reason that Nissan would have made some improvements. Somewhere out there is a web site with a listing of all the Datsun/Nissan transmissions and the cars they were used in. I saw it several months ago, but have been unable to find it again since discovering that the Maxima O/D automatic is apparently a bolt-on for the Z "L" engine . For any of you out there with automatics, there is a write-up on the swap in the articles section over on ZCar.com. If you have an old "A" auto like I do, the day will come when it dies and the "A" just isn't available anymore :mad: . JIM DOZIER

If you want to stay with a Z automatic, your choices are limited. If your Z is an early '72 build date, you may have the "A" automatic - hopefully you have one of the later "B" type. Nissan stopped building the "A" eons ago and sparts are just about non-existent. As I understand it, they continued to use the "B" on all Zs until the "L" engine was discontinued for the 300ZX series, so it's the only "later model" readily available. I have an "A" in my '71 and it is getting pretty sick. I'm investigating a swap with a '82-'83 Maxima 3-speed + O/D automatic. If it turns out that the swap won't be cost effective, I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and convert the li'l honey to manual. JIM DOZIER

It's definitely a smog issue. I don't know anything about the interaction between EFI and the smog junk, (I have a '71 240) but I suppose it COULD be done. However, if you have to keep the smog junk, it would be as you surmised - pointless. JIM DOZIER

The light buckets are a big "air trap", just about the only non-aerodynamic part of the Z's front end. Headlight covers are an excellent aerodynamic improvement for the Z, IF they are legal in your state . JIM DOZIER

2ManyZs Thanks for the kind words, but I know when I'm outclassed. You are way out of my league in both knowledge and experience. I'll just continue to pick and choose and contribute on those few occasions when I can. JIM DOZIER

2ManyZs: Great thermostat operation explanation! As I read the post, it was like lights coming on. I thought, "Of course. That's how it has to work. I know that. So why is it like new informarion?" I'm sure if someone had asked me the question I would have just answered, "It's open or closed" without even thinking about it. Most of us don't naturally think thermodynamically and, until we have a problem, we also probably don't think about how the thermostat functions. If I may make a suggestion - why don't you put it in the Technical Articles section? It's too good to lose. (Mike - if Keith is too modest, please do it for him.) JIM DOZIER

As usual, 2ManyZs is spot on. (Why is it that I seem to always FOLLOW his posts? :tapemouth ??) I stay away from undercoating. In addition to adding weight, (especially in the case of bed liner) it also can lead to more rust problems instead of less. Under a "clean" car, any water will soon dry. There is a potential for chips and/or cracks in a "hard" undercoating from road debris, which will then provide a "safe haven" for water to collect and do it's rust work. If you are really concerned, I suggest following 2ManyZs recommendation for coating the wheelwells. My '71 240 has spent it's time in California and SC and the only rust that shows up is at the leading edge of the rear wheel wells, (got some now :mad: that needs attention). OBTW, I like your idea of black in the wheel wells. JIM DOZIER

High miles. Burns oil. Sorry, but IMHO that isn't much to go on for a vote, much less a recommendation for spending big bucks. I agree with 2ManyZs and suggest you do a little "investigative" work before you decide where to spend your money. The questions about originality and about engine numbers are important to a lot of folks, including potential buyers down the road. Personally, I don't care about restoring my 240 to original condition - I'd rather make the occasional "improvement". However, I've stayed with the original engine only because it's an original numbers match (convoluted logic perhaps, but then I don't usually care what any one else thinks about what I do or why I do it). High milage suggests 2ManyZs analysis is correct and you'll need to do some piston/rings/cylinder work. There is an outside chance the oil consumption is mostly due to worn valve seals - a thorough compression test (dry and wet) can give you an indication. Put some oil in the cylinders, and if the "wet" test is better than the dry test, you may be able to save some bucks by just doing the head work. (If I'm wrong here, I'm sure several other members will weigh in with corrections.) JIM DOZIER

I've had two cars shipped coast-to-coast (CA to SC) and the cost was $800 for the '71 Z and around $900 for the '67 Mustang. You can search the web and find several auto movers to choose from - sorry, but I don't remember the two different ones we used . JIM DOZIER

Ditto 2ManyZs on the adjustable strut inserts - they're an unnecessary expense for a non-track Z. (I have non-adjustable Tokikos on my '71 Z.) You may want to consider replacing all of the old rubber suspension and steering bushings with polyeurethane. The poly will give a slightly stiffer ride, but the overall handling improvement is more than worth the trade-off - and IMHO they will meet your "firm but not harsh" criteria. Once installed, you can forget about replacing them for years and years and....... JIM DOZIER

I use a dash cover. Don't have a source - one of my sons gave it to me. Held in place with velcro strips. My seats were garbage when I got the car, so I don't have an answer how to keep them "new". I have a friend that swears by (BY, not AT) Lemon Pledge furniture polish for his vinyl dash. Must be the lemon oil??? JIM DOZIER