Marty Rogan

Well, its a big PITA to change the bushings, but well worth it. You can get a set of polyurethane Energy Suspension bushings (Master Kit) for between $135 - 150 on ebay. Installation can be done yourself if you are handy. Do a search on the website for bushings, as it has been discussed a lot. I am in the middle of my second suspension rebuild and it can be time consuming if you have to do it part time. If you take it to a mechanic, they will likely charge around $1,800 for the job. Maybe less depending where you are in the country and if you shop around. Marty

Here's a shot of my car. It's not the lime yellow, it's the more true yellow color with silver Panasports. Not exactly the same, but it should give you a pretty good idea. The gun metal Rewinds look like my Pana's with a healthy dose of brake dust. Personally, I like the silver look a lot better. Marty

Like Bambikiller said, you won't notice any difference with a header, except for added noise and potential exhaust leaks. Datsun actually did a pretty good job on the flow in the stock manifold. keep it. Get 2 1/4" pipes bent and install a nice turbo muffler. This will let the car breathe a little better and provide a nice sound as a bonus. Stay away from 2 1/2" pipes, since they tend to have a booming sound at around 2500 RPM. Marty

ezzzzz, I am sure no expert on diffs either, but have been trying to learn more lately. I believe the CV type have half shafts that snap into the diff, on the diff end and bolt onto the wheel flanges on the other end. The other type bolt on at both ends. Do you have an early or late '71?? I am curious to find out more about the shifter on your 5spd. The description of your shifter sounds like an early A type tranny shifter (cone shaped rubber grommets?). However, I don't think that would bolt up to a 5 spd trans. What do you mean by a "non-dogleg 5 spd"? I have an early '71 that I have looking into installing a 5spd from a '78. I have located a stick shift that has been bent into and "S" shape, bcause I really don't want to cut into the trans tunnel and console. If you switch to the CV type diff, let me know, I might be interested in your old one. Marty

Yes 1.25 is the pitch. I found my bolts at the local Ace Hardware. I would recommend that you replace the brake hoses to stainless steel lines while you are in there. They really help firm up the pedal feel. I would also pick up a set of Speed Bleeders. You will be doing a lot of bleeding to get all the air out with this set up. Speed Bleeders allow you to do the job without an assistant. I also recommend that you get a 10ft length of clear tubing and their collection bag. This allows you to sit in the drivers seat and pump the brakes to your hearts content, till you don't see any more air bubbles coming up the tube. Check here: http://www.speedbleeder.com/ I also used Axxis Ultimate pads, which are a kevlar/ceramic compound. It gives outstanding stopping performance. You'll love it. Good luck and welcome to the club. Marty

Dreco, Just one more thought. Are you sure its tranny fluid? If the rear main seal on the engine goes, you can get engine oil in the bell housing. It usually wrecks your clutch too. Marty

Schevets, Definitely use hardened bolts like Beandip said. I bought a 4 legged stand, but I still did not like the way it sat bolted up to the tranny bolt holes. It felt very tippy. I removed the alternator suport brackets and was able to bolt the stand to the side of the engine. It was much more stable and I was able to roll it around easily. You definitely need to go slowly and watch for pebbles and floor cracks when wheeling it around. Good luck! Marty

If it only had 5,800 actual miles, why would it need to be restored? Seems like it would only need to replace the items that deteriorate from sitting. My money's on 105,800 miles. Marty

I would be very helpful to us if you could post the guys name, address, website and contact information also. Thanks, Marty

Hi Kats, Great films, thanks for sharing them with us!!! Do you have any information about what happened to these test cars after they completed the tests? Marty

Craig, I am doing fine, except for the long winter Z driving withdrawals. Back here we have to make do with buying parts and doing little projects to the car over the winter. This year's project is to update the suspension on the track car. It's getting all new Suspension Energy PU bushings, MSA lowering springs, new ball joints/tie rod ends and Illumina's. Plus, everything will get a couple of coats of POR-15. Well, come to think of it, it's more than a "little project"!! 5 hours of track time ...Woweee!!! That is a real bargain for $140!!! I am sure that will be great. You make me green with envy. Last time I was on the track was in October, with the Speed Seekers. It was 5 - 20 minute sessions at Road America for $175 a day. Check it out here: http://www.speedseekers.com/ That truly was a blast!!! I was looking for other events today to get back to RA. Unfortunately, it looks like Speed Seekers April event will be cancelled due to an internal squabble. Well enjoy the track time. Sounds like you will need to rest up before and after that event. Later, Marty

Hi Craig! Sounds like a great event. If I wasn't 1,500 miles away, I would be there in a heartbeat! Nice price too. How much track time will you get in? Marty

Robert, Be very careful how you take of that vinyl. Don't just yank on it an rip it off. I have heard of people ripping it off only to find that they put ripples in the metal roof. Sorry, I can't rember what the proper proceedure is. Maybe if you did a search on this site you might find something. It does look kinda distinctive against the yellow paint, but still not my style. Good luck getting it off. Marty

Well, they are just ok for me. Remember mine are on a 240Z. I can't speak for anything about a 280z. Mine are the Stage I, which are somewhat lower than the spring rates you are quoting. Don't remember the rates off the top right now. Ride and handling wise I do like them. Height wise I don't care for them much. They were supposed to lower the car by 3/4". In actual use they RAISED the car. Not sure what that is all about. Maybe its just higher than 35 year old saggy springs. Maybe it has something to do with the the Tokico HP gas shocks. I really don't know why, but I am not crazy about the look. As you can see in this pic, there is a lot of space above the tires in the wheel well. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7461&sort=1&cat=500&page=1 Marty

I don't know what the stock spring rates are for a 280Z. the description on the Courtesy website looks like they could be the basic stock springs. Marty

Mark, My only experience with Euro springs is on a 240Z. They are supposed to lower the car by 3/4", not sure about a 280Z. When I put mine on, they actually raised the car as compared to the old original springs. I would recommend you talk to the Performance Nissan people for more info. Are these supposed to be genuine Nissan parts? Those spring rate do sound like Stage II springs. Marty

Alan, Thanks for digging out your old part. I went back to the parts CD for a closer look. Initially I only looked at the earlier version (which is what I needed) which you don't see the take off tube very well at all. When I zoomed in on the later version, I could clearly see that the take off tube is at a 90 degree angle. In the mean time, I went to Kats website. His car is almost identical to mine, being built only a couple of months earlier. His has the take off tube at a 45 degree angle also, just like the new part I got. And we all know what a stickler for details he is!!! What really confused me was that my 70 and my early 71 (blt 1/71) both apparently got fitted with the later version of the A-B valve some where along the way. I guess that also solves the mystery of whether it will work or not. The car doesn't care which side the take off is on. It is just a matter of which is more CORRECT for the year of your car, if you even care about that. Well, I am really happy I got the right part. These things are getting like hens teeth to find. A big thanks to all of you guys for helping to figure this out. Marty Now to put that bad boy where it belongs!

The parts CD agrees with what the parts supplier is telling me. Part number wise, anyway. P/N 14835-25601 fits cars up to 6/72 P/N 14835-N3301 fits car from 7/72 The supplier compared my pictures to the stock on hand. They say that the part on the left in my picture corresponds with P/N 14835-N3301. That totally contradicts with the part Allan received. So, we have seen Nissan ship the same LOOKING part for BOTH Part numbers! Interesting, but it doesn't get me any closer to answering the original question. Which is CORRECT for a 1970 model? Secondly, will what I received actually WORK on my '70??? Unfortunately, I won't be able to try it out for another couple of months till the snow melts. Marty

Well, that's what I am trying to figure out. The one on the left came off my 6/70 car. I also have a car blt 1/71 that has the identical part. I looked at a picture of Vicky's yellow '72, which has the one on the right. The parts CD says that the later version was for cars built 7/72 and later. Unfortunately, you don't get a detailed enough picture. I am thinking that if the input/output matches the hoses, it should function properly. The only difference should be which side the center nipple points to; toward the engine, or away from it. If I have a choice, I would prefer to get the correct one. Marty

Attention all you 70 and early 71 owners! And the rest of you that enjoy getting into the nitty gritty details. I have a '70, blt 6/70 and the A-B valve quit doing its thing. This is a show car, so I trying to replace it with as correct of a part as possible. I got a hold of an NOS valve, P/N 14835-25601, which is supposed to be good up to 6/72. However, it doesn't look the same as the one that came off the car. My early 71 has a valve that is identical to the one on the 70 as well. If you look closely at the picture below, you can see the differences. The one on the left is the one that came off the car. As you can see the input/output nipples are reversed on these 2 versions. The center nipple is also offset on a 45 degree angle on the new one I got. So, which one do you have on your car? Plese specify the yeatr also. Thanks, Marty

First of all, it sounds like an interesting find and the price does not sound too bad. Secondly, if you are buying it as an investment, forget about it. You will spend tons and tons of money getting this car into "investment quality" condition. Usually, you never get back what you have put into an old car. That is just a well known fact among auto hobbyists. You should buy the car because you like it and would enjoy working on it, or enjoy driving it. IT sounds a little odd that it has rust in the dogleg and the wheel arch, but is described as having a nice paint job. Did the owner paint over the rust? Or was it stored in a damp garage and rusted after the paint was applied? So, to be nice, and to increase its value, the rust will need to be fixed, and those sections re-painted. Body work is not cheap. If the rebuilt engine is not the original engine, as confirmed by the plate attached to the strut tower in the engine bay, that knocks at least 20-30% off the value of the car, since it can never be truly "restored" to its original condition. This sounds like a decent project car, that you can enjoy working on. You may be able to put it back together without having to spend huge amounts of money, as compared to buying a car in worse condition. However, it sounds like a lot of the car is in boxes. If parts are missing, it will cost you to replace them. Parts are getting more and more expensive these days. Anyway, I don't meant to discourage you. Just buy the car for the right reasons. That you have always liked 240Z's and would enjoy driving it. Yea, its value will go up the longer you have it, provided you keep improving it. It is highly unlikely that you would actually make a profit on it though. My 2 cents. Marty

260DET, The spring rates are: Front 129 / Rear 182. I got the Illuminas from JDMwerks. They have an eBay store and list them with a Buy-it Now all the time. Do a search under 240Z and you should be able to find it easy. Marty

Hi All, Well, since I started this thread, I thought I would tell you guys what I decided to do. Koni can only replace or rebuild shocks built after May 1980. I traced mine back to 1972. So there is nothing I can do with them. Rather than paying a lot of money for another non-adjustable Koni, around $140 each, I decided to go with the Tokicko Illuminas for $365, total. I have read a lot of racers comments on them and they seem to really like them. It will be nice to have some adjustability in the suspension. So, after a bunch of research and discussion, here is the set-up that I am going with: Energy Suspension Bushings all around; 24mm front sway bar/19mm rear; MSA front strut bar (skipping the rear for now since it has an SCCA roll bar installed); MSA lowering springs (129 front/182 rear); and 5 way adjustable Illuminas. This car will be used for high speed, on track autocross duty and for street driving, probably about a 40/60 split. What do you guys think about that set-up? With all these new parts coming in, I can't wait to put it all back together and try it out. Of course, I still have to wait for this fricking snow to melt!!! Marty Hibernating in Chicago, in pieces.

Ahh, you are officially a member of the melted fuse box club!! It has happened to both my cars. Uusually the third fuse down, on the right; dash & tail lights. Last time it happened to me, I was picking up the car in another state, at the beginning of a 1,000 mile journey. Just a little something to add to the excitment! I bought the MSA box. It is a direct 1 -1 replacement, with no extra slots. The quality seems good and I have not had any problems since putting it in over a year ago. Sounds like it won't work for you, but I thought others might want to hear feedback on the MSA piece. And yes, it is high priced, but low hassle to replace. Marty