Richard McDonel

I have a hodge-podge of seat belts. I'm trying to restore 240Z HLS30 28736 to as original as possible. Aside from some after-market stuff I have one complete Z car female-side buckle - photo attached - but need one more. Can anyone tell me if this is correct for my car. I posed a want ad and one fellow offered my a set which I believe is later series, having plastic reinforcement of one side. Many thanks, Richard McDonel

View Advert 240Z seat belt buckle I need the seat belt buckle matching the one shown here. If someone has the whole belt, that's OK too, but I have a fellow who is qualified to stich new material. Actually, I only really need the female side of the buckle, but I'll happily buy the set. Advertiser Richard McDonel Date 06/10/2022 Price Category Parts Wanted Year 1971 Model 240Z

View Advert New driver's side floor panel. One half original set from MSA. I only needed passenger side. $125 U.S. or $150 CAD. Advertiser Richard McDonel Date 05/31/2022 Price $125 Category Parts for Sale

View Advert New driver's side floor panel. One half original set from MSA. I only needed passenger side. $125 U.S. or $150 CAD. Advertiser Richard McDonel Date 05/31/2022 Price $125 Category Parts for Sale

I have had a problem with exhaust getting into the cabin of my 240 HLS30 28726. I used a theatre fog machine to find where it was coming in, and found minor leaks around the right tail light, the license plate light and the antenna. Got them all fixed. The remaining problem, and the biggest, is the hatch seal. While the hatch itself is a good fit and well aligned, I'm getting leaks on both sides, but not the top or bottom. The seal itself is only a few years old and has very few miles. The material remains malleable. I believe I got it from the now-defunct Black Dragon Automotive. Can anyone tell me if there varying quality seals out there? Any to avoid, or any to be recommended? Other thoughts? Many thanks in advance.

Personally, when using an open trailer I like some sort of barrier across the front. It stops any direct hits from stones or other road debris, which are the things that can damage your paint and glass. It won't protect you from air turbulence, but that's minor compared to front-end hits. My own open flatbed is a leftover from my racing days and has a full-width storage bin across the front. Works just fine.

TO: Terrapin, 26th-Z, CanTech Z, Dave Thank you ever so much fellows! Your input will be of great help. Happy Motoring, Richard

I have a 1971 Z, serial # 28726. I restored it from bare stripped body to the point where it is now a very nice driver. I'd like it to be as close to original as possible, but given that three cars - '70, a '71 and a '73 - contributed parts, there is some confusion as to what is correct for this body. For instance, I have the centre console that includes an ashtray and a cigarette lighter, but my dash also has a hole meant for a lighter located under the four-way flasher switch. Which is the correct place for the lighter? Second question, the interior door pull handles - should my '71 have both, none, or just one on the passenger side? The floor under the seats - just jute padding? Or carpet? Any thoughts you might have would be appreciated.

Av8ferg, Given your profession, and what was found in your glove box, may I say that this was a case of Dreams Take Flight.

Racer X Just finished painting my birdhouse. White. Made a mess. Haven't the faintest idea how you did that mailbox.

Just for fun, I decided to look up the early road tests of the 240Zs. Not sure who did the driving, but in 1970, Road & Track had a 0-60 acceleration result of 8.7 seconds. Car & Driver came in at 7.8. Misprint, or numbers criss-crossed? Bad driver at R & T? Top speed was also in two different ball parks. Car and Driver had it at 109 mph, while Road & Track claimed 122 mph at 5,800 rpm. Could it be a difference in gear ratio? Road & Track shows a rear-end ratio of 3.36/1, while Car and Driver does not mention that. Were the early batches of 240s sent over with two different rear ends? Curious

@Mailnome, Quite right. Other things a guy will likely get right on the first try. Make sure everything is clean, get the right parts on in the right order with the proper torque, and even if it's your first time, you will get it right. But painting? Not so much. It is a practiced art. Best equipment in the world and you will still have too much or too little - all bald spots and leaks. It would be as If you were a lousy golfer and Phil Mickelson loaned you his clubs. You would still be a lousy golfer.

Siteunseen, Thanks for the tip on the silver sharpie. I'll try that. As for the hood emblem retaining clips, I had a s.o.b. time getting them off back when I was at the tear-down stage. Easy getting the nuts off and on with an 8mm socket if I need to ever touch up the emblem.

I can't say whether this bright idea of mine has been offered by others before, but here goes: The metal badge on the front of the hood has a raised centre section and DATSUN letters that are chrome finished. The recessed areas are painted black. Over half a century the black paint had faded to pretty much nothing. I briefly tried to paint the recessed areas, but getting into tiny areas like the interior surface of the "A" was beyond my artistic skill level. What I came up with was to take a very thin touch of vaseline on my finger, and run it over the raised chrome areas, being careful not to get any on the black areas. Again, a very thin layer on the finger. Then spray paint the badge - three coats in my case - let it thoroughly dry, then wash off the vaseline with soap and water. It worked! Attached is the finished product. I regret not taking before and after pics, but I think any 240 hounds will have a pretty good idea of what it looked like when I started.

View Advert cowl finisher Used 1973 cowl finisher. Good condition. Advertiser Richard McDonel Date 10/31/2021 Price $50 Category Parts for Sale

View Advert 240Z rear control arm Used rear control arm, Straight. Powder coated machine black. Advertiser Richard McDonel Date 10/28/2021 Price $75 Category Parts for Sale

View Advert Driver side floor pan New. Driver side only. Purchased a set, but only needed passenger side. Advertiser Richard McDonel Date 10/28/2021 Price $150 Category Parts for Sale

Aren't "collector cars" fun!

View Advert Horn button Believe it's for a 280Z. Excellent condition, $25. Advertiser Richard McDonel Date 10/21/2021 Price $25 Category Parts for Sale

View Advert Horn button Believe it's for a 280Z. Excellent condition, $25. Advertiser Richard McDonel Date 10/21/2021 Price $25 Category Parts for Sale

View Advert Horn button Believe it's for a 280Z. Excellent condition, $25. Advertiser Richard McDonel Date 10/21/2021 Price $25 Category Parts for Sale

YARB is right. Change them both. For a start if you haven't done the the job before, the first one will take too much time. After that, the second one will take half the time. Also, if one cylinder has failed, there is no reason to expect its twin has much, if any life left.

Gentlemen (I hope that's the appropriate salutation), I really do appreciate your interest. I think - not totally sure - I'm the wiser for reading your comments. Here's a final question: Is the use of a vacuum pump for bleeding any less effective than having someone pump the pedal? Have a good weekend all - and a Happy Thanksgiving for my Canadian friends.

Captain, OK, I think I follow what you are saying, but it seems to assume that the air is ahead of the fluid in the lines. What about air that has fluid both ahead and behind it? Air that got in because of a leak somewhere else - front brakes or proportioning valve for instance. It seems to me that a guy is going to have to push and awful lot of fluid out before he gets to the bubble? Does that make any sense? ps, For the record I did not flunk Fluid Dynamics because I never took the course, so you're ahead of me there.

Thanks for all your thoughts and suggestions folks. What I'm thinking is that any air will naturally rise to the highest point available. Therefore there is not going to be any air at the bleeder screw; it would have already risen to its highest available point, that being the hose where it clips to the top of the brake backing plate. Regardless of how high one holds the bleeder jar, if there is air in the brake hose at the top of the assembly, that air is not going to be sucked all the way down to the bleeder screw. Isn't that why with the front discs the bleeder is at the top of the caliper?