Zed Head

That DC car could probably be flipped on BAT for a few thousand profit. Not many pictures of underneath but the battery tray and the few that are there look pretty good. Here's the text. Somebody's probably going to buy it soon. p.s. edit - forgot this part - "1971 Datsun 240z - $16,200 (Falls Church)" "1971 Datsun 240Z HLS30-35788 Northern Virginia Parked in a garage since 1985. Car is carrying the original motor, unmolested, with its E31 head and four screw carbs. Engine turns over, have not tried to start it. 48k showing. Some prior body work evident, exterior paint is not original. Engine bay appears to be original paint and still has the 919 Paint code sticker (yellow). Tires are Michelin XWX I believe from 1980 if I'm reading the sidewall correctly. Series 1 center console, but Series 2 gauges, B-pillar trim, rear hatch, steering wheel, and valve cover. Interior is fairly all there. As far as the rubber floor mats, the underlay, the carpeting, and most of the interior plastics go. Dash is cracked, seats are deteriorated. Some spares included, which includes new seat covers and some front carpets. Two hubcaps. Clear Virginia Title"

@Terrapin Z probably has a used one. Next time take two screwdrivers and lever the wheel off using the distributor body. Be careful with the aluminum.

Here's something for 240260280 Blue. Not music though.

It's a very common problem. Search the forum for smoke machine references. I think that Zs-ondabrain had a good thread going about it. Smoke the inside of the car and look for leakage. Bad gaskets around the taillight housings is another big one. They dry up, shrink, and crumble away. Did a quick search and found a reference confirming his method. Turns out it was actually watching the smoke come in. I assume that either way works. I think the smoke is oily though so their way is probably best. Also, people turn the lights off and shine a bright light on the inside and see where it comes out, or vice-versa. Don't overlook holes in the firewall. Cables, hoses, etc.

Like the finger? Buyers better hurry...

What is the tachometer needle doing when it's smoking and running poorly? Does it match what you hear from the engine? 800 RPM is pretty low. Might be the ignition module going bad. That will usually show signs on the tachometer needle. Could also be the throttle valve switch (aka TPS). Might be stuck on full throttle. 27% extra fuel. Also could be running rich if the fuel pressure regulator diaphragm is cracked. Remove the vacuum hose to the FPR and see if is wet inside. It should be dry. Page EF-15.

I don't know that there are that many Vintage Dashes out there to evaluate. I'd also bet that many of them are sitting in their boxes waiting for the rest of the car to get done. You might be doing them a favor by pointing out this problem. It's not clear who you've been talking to and the details. The part about the refund is new. I agree that somebody screwed up on the trimming of your two dashes. This is the best place to discuss it. They need to reply. @theguppies

Here's a similar one but the reserve was higher than the other one sold for. $39,500 not enough. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-datsun-240z-220/

Here's one that slipped by. $37,000 for a 73. It's been restored and slightly modified. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-datsun-240z-221/

@theguppies Maybe they still check the forum.

Here's his story. It starts at post #188 on page 8 if you can't find the right thing to click on.

madkaw has posted about having to grind the welds at the bottom of the strut tube. I think it's in this thread, way back.

Don't overlook that application specific gland nuts are supplied with the replacement shocks, of all brands. The original Nissan gland nuts were meant to thread all the way down in to the strut tube and seal against the tube and the shaft to keep the oil in. The replacement gland nuts are meant to center and clamp the new self-contained shock in to the strut tube. The strut tubes themselves were not manufactured to accept a shock seating against the bottom where the welds are. In a way it's just blind luck that so many of them have fit well. Not a surprise that some finessing is needed in certain cases.

It's in the pictures. BHCC does deserve some credit for supplying a ton of pictures. The car has seen some high speed bumps. At least the PO used galvanized metal.

This one from BHCC is fun to browse. Nice rivet and screw body work and a Turbo valve cover. Who knows, might even be a turbo engine converted to NA. https://www.beverlyhillscarclub.com/1973-datsun-240z-c-14808.htm

Howdy folks!

Well, that's a bummer. I didn't realize that MSA is the one selling the part without the D-shaped hole, and that that is the part giving you trouble. Seems like a major miss, Koni and MSA did not coordinate their efforts. Opportunity missed. Is this the part? It would help if you posted a picture of the area that gives problems. A thousand words and all that. https://www.thezstore.com/product/4135/insulated-spring-seat-strut-mount-set-70-78-240z-260z-280z

If the oil ring and top ring are different then it looks like somebody made a mixed set. Rings need to match the hone in the bore. I think that the green might be more than just paint. Makes you wonder about the pistons too. Have you confirmed that they're all the same size? What is this special styrofoam box? Interesting puzzle. Somebody could buy them and put a new ring set on. If they can find a new ring set.

You didn't say much about what's not right. Your picture just shows that the distributor is in the hole the right way. Could be many other things not right. Firing order, stuck mechanical advance weights, stuck vacuum advance, loose advance mechanisms flopping around, carb problems. On the initial timing, you need to know what's in your distributor and if it's working right. Looks like Nissan used a different distributor for emissions engines, according to the FSM. When you have your timing light on, watch the mark as you rev the engine. Estimate how high it goes above about 2500 RPM. It should rise to well above 20 pretty quickly. If you have a dial-back light you can get an exact number. p.s. also not uncommon for the old damper/balancer rubber to be bad. The timing marks might be incorrect. Here's the 1972 tune-up specs.

It's Bernoullian. Stick your head in the hole and you'll probably see the holes where the gases get in. The panel is a big open shell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernoulli's_principle

You might have missed this because it wasn't the problem in site's case. But it is a big deal if the panel is not completely sealed around the edges. There is no way to seal all of the entrances in to the inside of the back hatch lid. The area around the latch loop cannot be sealed without lots of effort. The best way to keep the gases from getting sucked in is to completely seal the perimeter of the cardboard panel. I used stick-on foam weather-stripping from Home Depot. The funny thing about the problem is that opening the windows makes it worse. It creates low pressure in the cabin, which causes anything hanging out behind the car to get sucked in through the hatch lid.

But, if you're using the 240Z distributor maybe the clamping screw is on the back.

Aren't the top rings different also?

Looks like the mounting pedestal is backwards. The clamping screw screw should be to the front. Might be some other things not quite right. It's funny how hard it is to find a simple good picture of how the drive quill should be oriented. Probably why so many people have problems with it. Nissan never really got it right throughout ll of the years of the FSM. 1978 isn't bad though.

8325 is right behind it. Better shape, seems to be. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-datsun-240z-247/