Dan

Thanks again 2Many the guy did qoute me a price for every part i would need, from pedals to rear end. I may take you up on your offer when you strip your car.

Thanks 2Many i did flip through your post, also i sought info on the big Z site about trans and rear ends. I like the 280z 5 speed with 3.90 rear end. Hey if i convert from the automatic to a manual do i have to change out the mustache bar with a later one. I talked to guy here in San Diego who ownes all Z Wrecking about how much it would run me for all the parts i needed to convert to a 5 speed. He thought about it and said 600. Good price for the parts i need?.

Right it is on the high side of 2000 rpms gues that's got alot to do with it. O well guess it's time to get serious with a new trans.

While on the subject of gas mileage i have never really gotten good miles per gallon in my 72. Probably about 18-20, is this just a fact of life with SU carbs or could there be a problem. If this is just the way it is i'm not worried about it i'd rather have performance. BTW i have ZTherepy carbs and an electronic ignition and new HGK plugs, power is good and the car seems to be fine. I just wondered if i were alone with this or is it just a 240 thing.

I have a 72 with a three speed auto. Now i only bought it because it was a steal and in really good west coast condition. I had planned to convert to a later model 5 speed and 3.90 rear end. However since i am spending much of my allowance on all new urethane, shocks, struts and so on i'm thinking of leaving this one auto( i'm going to buy a second 240 with manual after i move) and using it as a street drag racer to kill my mortal enemy the Honda Civic. So can i use a later model auto trans with a better rear end to give me more off the line torque. Also is there a good after market race shifter that can be mounted to the 240 center console (and trans) with out too much trouble.

Never had any experience with flat tops so i can't say what all you need to convert, probably not much though. I have a spare center linkage that you can have. E-mail me if you want it.

Depends on your location, in southern California where i live 240's seem to be numerous. However in colder climes a 30yrld car is harder to find. The best place that i know of is in those little classified auto papers. I have read that the 72 is the best of the 240's but that is probably a matter of debate ( i own a 72 and love it). You see 30yr old cars will need work, time, money and much of your tears and blood. So if your up for that then welcome, grab your wrench and Hanyes manual and join the class. The 240 is a fine sports car and will give you years of heart pumping performance as long as you are prepared to get under her and get dirty ( i crack myself up no no really i'm here all week) Go get your 240 these guy will set you straight with whatever you need.

Hi my name is Dan Fifield, I and my 240 just turned 30. I was born in the east end of London England. My father was in the US Navy and my mother born and raised in England. At 17 i joined the Navy and caught my first bit of action in Desert Sheild and Desrt Storm. I am now an E-6 (perhaps an E-7 this year) involved in Military Law Enforcment and force protection. I have lived all over dragging my wonderful wife and four kids all around this country. Right now i'm living in San Diego but will be moving again to a new duty staion in Charlston SC. My Z experience and total car experience is only a year in the making. Before i bought my 240 i had never even changed the oil in any car i had ever owned. So i have been on a quest to learn everything i can about Z's, engines and cars, basically learning anything anyone will share with me. To this end this Club has been one of the most positive and fun experiences i have had to date. I have allways liked early Z's even before i knew anything about them. So i saved up and searched and found a car that i thought would make a nice project. With a wrench in one hand and a Haynes manual in the other i started work on my 240. Learning as i went. I can't tell you how gald i am that i bought this car what a blast it is to drive something that you breathed life into with your own hands. I am now truly hooked much to the dismay of my wife who just got over being a golf widow and is now a Z widow.

I would like your guys opinions on electric fuel pumps in early Z's. I have a Stewart Warner pump and a Holly fuel pressure regulator that i'm thinking of putting in. I'm thinking that it would provide easyer starts and perhaps slightly better performance, any thoughts?.

A sweet ride, i've seen other 240's with no top and they didn't look right to me but yours is killer.

If i remember correctly the hight of the float should be 9/16 of an in. To high and you'll starve your engine to low and fuel will spurt like gyser out of the vacum line nozle on the top of the fuel bowl lid.

I have had problems with sticky throttle shafts myself which is usally what will stick first not the linkage. The linkage really is only a ball and socket connection so i doubt that the friction is coming from there. There are seals that surround that throttle shafts that seal the carb body and linkage from leaking vacum that often go bad. If these seals start to deform then that could be the case. My sticky problem came from a different reason however. My new ZTherepy carbs had a bit too much locktight in around the the bearings in the throttle shafts. ZTHerepy puts that stuff in to make sure no vacum is leaked out in the long term. So i just used stronger springs which loosened them up. Every now and then i'll spray the linkage and springs down with WD40 which keeps them clean and friction free. I've been doing that for about a year and have had no problems. Stronger springs can be had from ZTHerepy. Didn't you say that you ordered the SU video, i think once you have that in your hands all will be come clear.

I just down loaded the L6 engine calculator and now my head is abuzz with questions. Playing around with this usefull program i noticed how easy it is to raise the compression ratios of my L24. For instance swapping my E88 head for a E31, or replacing the crank with a later model unit. My question is how much compression can you run and still use regular pump gas. Also does more compression necessarily mean more horse power. My qustions are really just academic since this is all part of the learning process. Fear not i'm not going to go out and build an engine that will blow me the car and my neigherhood up:D Building engines is beyond my humble skills right now but i do love to learn.

I think that's all your gonna need. You will be really glad that you bought it, i think i have watched it about five times just to make sure i know what he's talking about.

I think your talking about the fuel mixture nut that sits right under the carb body. First let me say that to fully understand the SU you need to get a video called Just SU Carbs from ZTherepy. I have 3 screw carbs which have a knurled nut under the carb, it also has two steel nubs that jut out so you can tell how many revolutions you have made. I guess since you don't have yours that doesn't help so here goes. Seat the fuel mixture nuts all the way closed and then turn them both out three turns. Start the car and let it run until it's up to normal operating temp. Turn the fuel mixture nuts equally until you hear the engine begin to choke and then back off about a quarter turn. Once that is done you will have to flow test your carbs at idle, and then at normal driving rpm using the idle speed screw at the top of the linkage. To flow test your carbs you will need a unisyn flow meter about 30 bucks from MSA or ZTherepy. When you do this you will use the throttle adjustment screws on either side of the carb body. If three turns is too much then try two. There are many things to be considered on the SU like the position of the float in the fuel bowl for one, which if not right can cause a bunch of problems. Position of your needles, installing new grose jets and so on. Get that Video and you will be an SU expert in about two hours.

Haha i do exaggerate, it's a Craftsman (i think) and it has the duel florescent bulbs, but it is like the light of God when i turn it on for some night ops under the car. Ok not a Craftsman but i did get it from Sears a couple of years ago. It has two 250 watt bulbs.

Ok......out....of.....breath i just ran outside and dove under my car with my 2 bazillion watt shop light to check the mounting studs on my light buckets. I shoved my head back there and everything looks good. I think that they are fairly new, the buckets that is. LMAO you should of seen the look on my wifes face as i said SH** and ran out the door. No i don't think there is room for a bumper back there. Thanks for the exercise 2Many.

Finished my air dam and painted it. Anyone like? i thougth for my first time it looks ok. Just took a quick pick of the corner because this was a hard spot to fade into the body.

Yep i wouldn't miss it. I will be taking my humble 240 up there although i'm not going to show it. I think that go z racer and i will try and drive up there for a day. If you would like to drive up there also i think it would be a laugh to get a train of Z's on the highway for the trip.

Thanks Ed i'd be glad to hear what happens.

2ManyZs made a good point about the springs, if they're stretched out your throttle shafts won't return to where they're supposed to be and so you'll get a little more rpm. Also check the idle speed screw at the top of your linkage. It's really only used to flow test your carbs at high rpm, something like 4000 rpm or whatever your normal driving conditions are. Back it of if it's tight. Yes visit the ZTherepy site and get a video called Just SU Carbs it will make you an SU expert in about two hours. After you get that video gat yourself a unisyl flow meter and make sure that your SU's are flowing exactly the same, if one is flowing more than the other it's hard to get anything right with your engine. A little off the subject but worth mentioning, i replaced the old points in my distributor with a crane electronic ignition that uses an LED sensor to time the spark pulse, and that made my car just purr.

Ok i know this is a question straight out of newb central but it's been on my mind for a while and you are the guys to answer it. When i fire up my 240 i notice that the lights although bright are dim compaired to when i rev the engine up. Also the wipers are slow until i hit the gas. Now i know that the faster the engine turns the more power the alternator puts out, but why do i not get the same power at idle. My other cars (30 yrs younger) have no disparity in power from idle to higher rpm's. Is this common with early Z's or do i have a slight problem that needs to be addressed. The alternator is brand new and so is the coil.