Marty Rogan

bbarnes, It would be helpful to us if you put your location in your profile. Some one in your area may be able to help you out with parts. For example: I am in the Chicago Area and have a near perfect dash from a '72 in my basement. If you (or anyone else for that matter) were local and were interested in buying it, we could work out a deal. They are too fragile to risk trying to ship, in my opinion. Marty

Try here: http://www.zzxdatsun.com/ When I was re-doing my 240 suspension, Mike said he had a place that could make spring for him at the stock specifications. They weren't cheap though. I ended up finding some Euro springs off Ebay. They were supposed to lower the car by 3/4". The cars now sits significantly HIGHER than it did before. Marty

Let's slow this down a moment. Are you saying that you asked for a "stated value policy" for $10K? Did you pay them the premiums for that? If you paid the premiums for that policy, then they are contractually obligated to abide by the terms of a stated value policy. You should ask to talk to a regional supervisor. Something sounds fishy. After you have chased that down, just remember, you don't have to accept their offer. Consider it the start of negotiations. My first Z was totalled in a fire after 7 years of restoration. It was in show condition. They offered $1,900 (in 1987). After meeting with the regional claims supervisor, I walked out with a check for $6,900. I had receipt, pictures, comparable car ads, etc. Be prepared and be firm, but reasosable. Good luck. Marty

Kurt, Why not paint the panels red? Like you said, the red ones are fairly rare. SEM's Napa Red is a perfect match for the Nissan red panels. SEM is fantastic stuff. I used it to paint a black door panel blue to match my interior. You would never know it was not original by looking at it. Never tried to paint white though. SEM does come in white. If you PM me with your email address, I will send you some good instructions to follow. Marty

Although I am sure ABS would be a lot more durable, you would probably get a LOT MORE takers if the repro was very true to the original in design and materials. I would probably take 2, if they were just like originals. Marty

I just got off the phone with NAPA. A gasket kit for this carb is $17.49, their P/N 2-1279 A float is $12.99, their P/N 2-505 (No gasket, you have to order the above part) Jeez, I thought NAPA would be cheaper than the dealer and quicker than MSA & VB. I did a search on the site which said VB charges $12.49 for a carb rebuild kit. I think I'll see what the dealer's prices are. Marty

Thanks alot Chris. That should help zero in on it. Marty

I seem to remember someone saying they got a float rebuild kit from NAPA a couple of years ago. Anyone know if they are still available? I called NAPA. They said they have a huge book on carb parts, but would need the carb model #. I don't have that info with me at work. Anyone know the model number of the SU's on a stock '71 240Z? I was hoping to at least get some float bowl gaskets locally so I would not have to wait on shipments from far away suppliers. TIA, Marty

Yep, I think a peek into the float bowls is in order. The Holley Blue pump looks like a good buy. Only $12 more than the red and it comes with the regulator. The regulator probably cost more that $12. Did you get the safety shut-off switch? I am not so good with wiring, so if I end up going that route, I have to get with you on some detailed instructions or tips. Thanks Craig! Marty

The car runs and idles fine after coming off the track. The car has a 280Z radiator, fan shroud, and flex fan. It never runs hot, even after flogging it on the track for 20 minutes, it never goes past the "M" on the temp gauge. It doesn't have a header either to throw extra heat in there. I have a rebuilt dizzy on my '70. Maybe I'll swap that in to see if it makes a difference. Marty

YES, I was hoping I could tell you it was fixed too!!! You got it. Starts easily, idles smooth and screams to 5200-5500. You are thinking along the same lines. We were discussing draining the float bowl from the bottom drain to see if anything came out. If yes, then a real good cleaning is in order. Cleaning may be in order anyway, as I have not had the carbs apart myself. The PO had receipts for a rebuild something like 10K miles ago, so I have been hesitant to open them up again. It seems strange that a new mechanical fuel pump would not be able to supply enough fuel for a totally stock motor. It's possible the new fuel pump may have gone bad in the last 5K miles. I'll have to see if I can borrow a buddy's known good fuel pump. What brand electric pump do you use? Marty

I started thinking about ignition too. One of our wiser members here once said "If you think you have an electrical problem, it's probably a fuel problem. And if you think it is a fuel problem, it's probably electrical". We were discussing that at the track. We concluded that if it was electrical, the car would have trouble at low RPM's. The car pulls like a train till about 5,500 and then starts to stumble. I'll have to check the dizzy shaft. With the tank done, I should be getting really clean fuel. I don't have a pressure gage in-line, so I can't tell what pressure I am getting. Marty

Here's an update on my continuing fuel problems. I got the car back from the shop Friday after the tank was boiled out and sealed. Just in time for a track day on Saturday. The problem has not totally gone away. The car still starts bogging and losing power at about 5500 RPM. I car shift and keep it going, but it certainly does not give its full potential. A couple of times it revved to 6K without problems, but not consistently. Even with the car running crappy, I came within 1/10 of a second of my best time ever at that track. So, it wasn't a total loss and I still had fun. It seems that I have solved part of the problem. Looks like I will need to tear into the carbs next. Marty

Really? That is good to hear. I know Too Intense has some kind of kit to re-cover a door. It uses the hard parts from your original door though. I don't really like the looks of them from Ebay pictures. Anybody seen them in person? I would prefer a straight replacement for the originals. Something to just clip on without having to hope you assemble them correctly. Marty

Pledge???????? Haven't heard that one. Are you using that instead of protectants, like Armorall, which is supposed to do more damage than good? Lately, I have been using good old petroleum jelly on the dash, console and other interior panels. It has a nice sheen and puts some of the natural oils back into the vinyl. I don't use it on the seats for obvious reasons, and would like to find something for that. Marty

I have a set of these in 225/50/15 on Panasports. I use them for high speed (on-track) autocross and HPDE's. So far I like them a lot. Very good traction and handling. I autocrossed in the rain with them once and they seemed to do pretty well. I am not sure how they would do for a daily driver in bad weather, but they are good for a dry, summer tire. They do have a pretty square shoulder on them. I have heard some people complain of chunking in that area. Well, that's my 2 cents, Marty

CDM has the exact orange made up in spray cans: http://www.classicdatsun.com/ They built cars for Nissan's Vintage Z Program. Marty

Ok. I swapped the wheels on the right side. The sound seems to have been reduced dramatically. I can't say that it is gone completely. It seems more like a very low rumble now. Maybe that is just normal totational noise? I was expecting it to shimmy on the highway, but it was perfectly smooth at 70 mph. I guess I will get that wheel balanced and have them check the belts on it. Marty

The first car I drove regularily was a 1964 Chevy Belair, four door. My parents bought it from my aunt and uncle for $800. They were older, and close family, so it was in really good shape. Not much to look at, but it had a 283 V-8, so it was fun to drive. My brother and I drove it for about 4+ years till I got T-boned 1/2 block from our house. My bro was pretty said, cause he really loved that car. Next we got a '70 Mustang, that I drove the wheels off all through college. It was amazing how much crap I could stuff into that thing to get to school! Well, that's my early car experience. I have said something like 17 cars since then. I have owned at least 3 cars at a time since 1980. Right now I have 2 Series I 240's. Marty

Thanks. I'll try swapping tires and go for a ride. Marty

This is on the right rear, so I don't get the shakes in the steering wheel. Good thought though. I do have a very slight vibration, so I'll have the balance checked. It definitely isn't a squeek. More like a thunk or thump. It's not U-joints, as that is a different sound and I have fixed those already. Marty

I suspect that I may have a wheel bearing going out on me. There is a noise coming from the right rear. It sounds like a flat spot on a tire. Doubt it is that because the tires are nearly new. It is kind of a thunk-thunk thunk sound. The noise speeds up with faster tire rotation. The car only has 78K original miles. I am a little surprised if it is a bad wheel bearing. I checked the brakes, which looked fine. I even had the drum turned in caseit was warped, but it didn't help. Anything else I can check to confirm a bad wheel bearing? Could it be something else? TIA, Marty