IdahoKidd

The pictures are the current state of my 72 110 project. The existing undercoating is pictured. What a PITA to get it out of the engine bay to paint, but not a lick of rust anywhere. I think I am just going to powerwash it (nothing is loose at all) and give it a fresh coat. The suspension components are going to be painted with POR 15 I think. Was going to powder coat and all, but think this will do the trick.

Congrats on the new car! Drive it for at least 6 months before tearing into it for an engine swap. If this is your first car, a motor swap of that magnitude is a BIG deal. Do a ton of home work and be sure you have 10 grand in cash and a year of downtime ready to complete the project or you will simply just destroy the car and have nothing in the end. Right now, the sunroof is the least of your concerns, although you could begin collecting parts. (your project will take a lot of parts). You don't mention how much mechanical or body skills you might have, but if you have to have someone else do the bulk of the wor kand don't have nearly unlimited resources, you will be posting an unfinished project in the want ads. Don't mean to discourage you, just telling it like it really is. The guys and gals on this site are a great resource and more traditional (some even purists) You might find more support (and information) for your project at hybridz.com. Best of luck! Post a completed picture asap! As for the roof skin, you shouldn't have much trouble finding a donor. Heck, I have two here in Idaho but freight would eat you alive.

Have been watching a Z in CA on ebay that has a vin of exactly 10 less than mine. Sort of like one of your kids..........

At first I thought it was a joke, but now I have heard of several folks towing with there Z and someone says there is a movie from the early 70's that has a towing Z in the background. I don't think I'd consider it myself, at least not configured to the bumper and the valence panel.

Thanks for the tip, had never heard of him. Only been to that site a couple of times

Hey guys, doing a straw poll I guess. I am looking to replace the headlights in my 240z and am considering the Hella's. Anyone have something they really like or are comfortable with. (DOT isn't a concern). I like the fact I can change out the bulb without taking out the entire lense assembly. I see some inexpensive (cheap) projection lenses on ebay but am not convinced and moreso, they look really ugly. Looking to keep it reasonable (Hella's with bulbs are $60ish each) I know that I need to get Dave's harness to keep from frying the switch and fuse panel.

Bone yards, craigslist, hybridZ

Found this lurking on CL in Seattle area. Not much info, but wonder what the towing capacity of my 240 is?? http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/pts/2176562247.html

Go to "search".

Try this out and see how you do. http://www.cramersweeney.com/brandprix/

jiman, sounds like it could be a shift solenoid problem. Check the vacuum lines and find a way to test the solenoid.

no. Walk away and get something better to work with. It will save you a ton of money and effort in a very short while. $20k from now you will have a $6k car. Went back and looked at the pictures again. NO

My opinion: I have two identical 240's, one an auto, one a manual. More people seem to prefer the manual over the auto, most have never driven the auto. For in-town driving, the auto is awesome. I don't think there is much of a performance loss. The auto barks the tires on the shift. I wouldn't consider the effort for the swap with a 4 speed. If I were going to the trouble, I'd go with a five speed while you have it out. Is your auto giving you grief? Is his 4 speed solid? You'll likely need a new clutch while your at it. It is a relatively major event timewise. Do you have the time and the ability to do so? Personally, I don't think the net gain is worth the trouble if your tranny is sound, and definately not for a 4 speed. Everyone has an opinion. Other than the cool factor, I don't think you gain a thing.

The overthinking that takes place in these threads can be quite entertaining........... Roger that! At my house, when one starts talking about changing rear end ratios and then brings up the pinion gear, it is assumed that it is in the differential. I didn't want the poor fellow to think he had to change the pinion in the diff to get his speedo to work out correctly. One never knows what background the poster might have or what mechanical aptitude may be there. On the other hand, if it is on the internet, it must be true!

How does on tell someone their girlfriends rear end is worn out?

There is beginning to be some misinformation. Go to http://datsunzgarage.com/engine/ I cut and pasted this section from there but it left the pictures out. Read all about the transmissions and the speedo gear section. Chris is using the wrong word for the speedo drive gear. The pinion gear is in the rear diff and is a major event and you do not want to fool with it at all at this time. __________________________________________________________________________ Nissan called the '77-80 trans a "wide ratio" while the '81-83 was called a "close ratio" 5-speed. The early one has the lowest 1st/2nd gears for acceleration, but a wide spread between 2nd and 3rd. The later one has a taller 1st/2nd but a tighter spread between 2nd and 3rd. It also has a much taller 5th for cruising. Your choice. According to a Z Doc friend who rebuilds transmissions the early 5-speed is a 4-speed with 5th and reverse sharing the same fork. He said it's common for people to "blow" 5th gear as the fork is weaker. He stated the later 5-speed is a genuine 5-speed which is stouter. I call the early one a 280a and the later a 280b to keep them straight. Keeping the speedometer correct Everyone gets confused about how to calibrate the speedometer after swapping differentials, it's actually very easy. The speedometer is metered by a plastic, toothed cog on the end of the speedometer cable that screws into the transmission. This cog is paired with the differential, not the trans. So it doesn't matter which trans you have, all you do is select the proper cog for the rear-end ratio you have in the car. While they are colored for easy identification, the Nissan dealer only has them in their parts list as "17, 18, 19, 20, or 21" tooth cogs. YELLOW is the 16 tooth for the 3.36 BLACK is the 17 tooth for the 3.54 BLUE is the 18 tooth for the 3.70 WHITE is the 19 tooth for the 3.90 RED is the 20 tooth for the 4.11 PURPLE is the 21 tooth for the 4.38 Don't rely on a junkyard Zcar to have the right colored cog ~When in doubt, count the number of teeth~ NOTE: There are 2 different aluminum cog "sleeves", a '75-80, and '81-83 with different cog "offsets". If you look closely in the picture above notice how the red cog is offset slightly to the right, and the blue to the left. This means you must keep the sleeve with the transmission it came in, and only swap the cog. Otherwise the cog may not mesh the proper way inside the trans. On 240's, you will have to cut about 2 inches of metal from the front/right edge where the shifter goes through the trans tunnel when using a 5-speed. Otherwise the throw into 5th gear will hit. This cutting is the price of a 5-speed trans and is not a big deal at all, the console covers it.

Start here http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1957 and look here http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/GearRatios.html

Found these at the local hardware store in the section where they keep all the little specialty items (nuts, bolts, fasteners, etc). The box had a part number of 58659 and was probably from Hilmans. It says "Push fast variable depth" 7/16 flange X 5/8 stem. The head is probably 7/16 and it is about a milimeter in diameter narrower. The length is 5/8. It also says "Ford/GM" The picture isn't focused very well (automatic camera wants to argue over what I am taking a picture of). The rivet on the left is the new one, the one on the right is the original.

You'll definately need the spindle and likely the hub. I have the unit from a 77 280 which I "believe" is the same. I do know it is the same hub and disc assembly. I can ship it to you for $25 + shipping if you can't find something local. I believe they are the same from at least 71 through 78 so you might get one at a bone yard. New is going to $$ I think. Keep in mind, this would be a used but known working unit. I may need to have the rotor surfaced and the actual condition of the bearings is not known. Send a PM if you are at all interested.

Need help with "the part" part. What all do you need? Sounds like you need the hub and spindle. I am pretty sure I saw both entire assemblys, including the struts and springs on ebay just yesterday for $100 plus shipping. Might be a really good way to go.

Hate to dogpile, but it is a fuel issue. My latest 240 had set for 20 years in a garage and it too would initially fire only on starting fluid. Drove me nuts. I discovered I could keep it going by squirting gas into the carbs after it started sputtering on the starting fluid. After several attempts, it started to run on its own but would never start from cold without a lot of starting fluid. Everyone kept asking if the chokes were working and I could see things moving on the sides of the carbs when the lever was pulled so I assumed they were. Turns out the bottom of the float bowl area actually drops about 3/4 inch when it works correctly. Mine was so stuck it didn't show any signs of movement and I didn't even realize it was a moving part. At the insistance of Dave and of Bruce that it did move, I found my spares to compare. Of the 6 carbs I have, 5 had the jet stuck. But the one that did move led to a revelation of sorts. I pulled the bottom of the car and litterally pulled the nozzels apart (they are pressed together originally) and finally got the thing to move up and down. Cleaned them up so they move freely and the car now starts in seconds. Without seeing your situtation, I am betting those jets are not moving and you aren't even aware of it. I'll try to find a picture that may help you locate what I am talking about.

Found an exact match (from outside) at the hardware store this morning in one of those little drawers full of automitive interior fasteners. 38 cents each.

Am lurking over this post as the radio didn't wake up in my 72. No blue light and never considered the inline fuse. Let (us) me know what you find out. As a side bar, where did you get your radio modified for the mp3 jack and ball park what did it set you back. Sounds like a great solution for my car as well. Leonard

A buck fifty. Each. Ten bucks doesn't seem like a big deal in the over all picture, but sheesh...........

or...........not knowing the history, and it happened to me, the nut on the adjustment rod came loose and the clutch master wasn't getting a full throw. Was a real pita to figure it out. Start by filling the master and bleeding the slave. If that didn't fix it, look at the fork to see how much travel you have. Should be quite a bit, perhaps an inch or so measured at the slave. If so, there is a clutch problem. If no movement, or very little, could be any of the above mentioned still I guess. When bleeding the slave, there should be a strong pulse of fluid come out, not just a trickle. A trickle might indicate a bad master or a loose rod. A strong pulse could mean a bad slave.