Mike

Take a look in our links database. There is so many links in that area, I'd have a hard time believing that we don't link to it already.

Hi all, Has anyone seen, built, or know where to buy a side mount engine stand for the L-series engine? I've seen pictures (in the manuals) of this side-mount stand. It would be GREAT if I could get my hands on one of these. I really hate mounting my engine where I can't get at the flywheel.

Do you really want to rebuild this item?

Hmm... I'm assuming this is your driver side door. You'll have to a little inspection to determine the exact cause of the problem. I'd start at the door handle. Is it loose? Does it feel like the linkage is broken inside the door? Do you think the linkage is working properly and the door is jammed? If the door won't open due to a jam or a faulty latch, you'll have to remove the handle itself. Grab a screwdriver and pull off the latch. Next you'll need to remove the door panel. To do this, you'll need a flat object like a putty knife or a 'door panel removal tool'... Stick the tool between the panel and the metal door and pry the panel out slowly. Your goal is to remove the plastic rivets that hold the panel in place. There are about 4 or 5 rivets along the edge of the panel. Once you get the panel off, play with the linkage to see if you can see if anything has come apart. At this point you can look inside the door and open the latch manually (assuming the latch hasn't broken completely). Once you get the door open, try to get it working again by using some silicon lubricant. If you just can't get it going, head over to your local Nissan dealer and buy a new one. These instructions are assuming a few things... Let us know a little more and I think we'll be able to help you better.

I own a '71 and it has a plastic fuel vapor recovery tank. This tank sits behind the plastic panel on the right side of the car (near the fuel filler). After I pulled the plastic panel, I discovered that the inlet connection to the recovery tank was CRACKED and broken. This was a large cause of fuel smell in my Z. It was especially bad when I filled the car completely. Thus, I had to fill it only 3/4 to keep the smell down. I also had exhaust smell in my Z, but, that's a different issue I can cover in another post.

Yes, certainly replace the hoses. Don't just cap them off. I wasn't able to find fuel hose that size. I just used some black heater hose. I found it in bulk at my local auto store. I was concerned about using the heater hose due to fuel deterioration. However, I came to the conclusion that the heater hose is ok because these hoses are used to carry fuel vapor (not fuel itself).

Thanks Stryker....

Here is a very cool L6 engine calculator. lengine.zip

I would add one comment to what Kenneth had to say. Don't necessarily write off the little guy who doesn't have a big fancy shop with all the latest fancy tools. All of that costs money and I've found that the key to any body, fender and paint guy is his feelings for the work he does (honesty) and how he feels about cars. Look at the cars he has done and talk to his customers. It doesn't take long to figure out who is who in the classic/street rod business. Most of the smaller shops aren't going to have frame machines and such but they can do excellent body repair and paint. Normally they won't have the higher overhead and their hourly rates will show it. I have used both and both have worked for me. Dale

Testing Smileys Middle Finger Laugh out Loud Sick :sick:

The following was posted to our email mailing list by Carl Beck: DISCLAIMER: I fully realize that many people will not, can not, don't want too - spend $3K to $5K to have paint and body work done on their 240-Z. The following suggestions are aimed at people who want a good job done, who plan to keep and enjoy their Z's for years, or who want to put their 240-Z in a condition that facilitates it's future value and it's future resale. The following applies to a good paint job - it's a different ball game if you want the undercarrage stripped and painted or if you want the interior of the car stripped and painted. Most of the time the interior simply needs to be cleaned and re-sprayed. Depending on where you live - there are body shops that specialize in custom cars and street rod work... they usually do very little collision work for insurance companies. When it comes to getting an older car prep'ed and painted they are usually your best bet. Attend a few Street Rod Car Shows in your local area and talk to the owners of the cars - find out who is doing that type of work and get recommendations - write down both the recommend shops and the name/car of the person that recommended them. It's amazing how much nicer shop owners are when they know you were sent by an existing customer or someone they know personally. There are a couple of reasons that most shops will shoot you a ridiculously high "estimate" for what it will cost to prep and paint your car. As Wayne points out - too many of the times they are just trying to blow you out of the shop....;-( The First is: - about 1 out of 100 people who ask them for an estimate - are actually ready to have the work done right then (or within the next year for that matter - they are just "dreamers" and "tire kickers" wasting the time of the body shop). Then only about 1 out of 10 of them actually have the cash right then. The shop owners hear the question so many times from so many people - that they harden over time and get an attitude - so they just throw out some high estimate to blow the people that are "jacking them around" out the door. The Second is: - too many people expect a body shop to give them "an estimate" for a complete repair/repaint - based on looking at a 30 year old car that's already been repainted one or more times. They have no way of knowing what is under that paint.. nor what all they will get into once they start removing it. So there is huge risk for them - and even though it's "an estimate" - the customer somehow always gets it in their mind that it was a "firm fixed price" quote. So as the costs go up when unexpected damage is found, when shoddy body work that was previously done is found - the customer is unhappy and he's complaining to everyone in town about how that shop screwed him or tried to screw him... So most of the shops just double what they really think it will take - and quote that as the "estimate".... It's better to cover their own risk and/or blow you out the door right at the beginning. So what's a guy to do??? First - Line up two or three shops that can do the type of work you want done - and shops that like doing that type of work.... Visit the shop and meet the owner. Tell him you are getting a car ready to for paint/bodywork - and just wanted to meet him and see the shop - to see what type of work they are doing - and to see if he is interested in doing your job. You also want to check ahead to see what his schedule looks like. Do NOT take your Z to the shop at time... Later you will make arrangements for them to look at your car. At this point you are not talking price, not asking for estimates etc - you are there to see the quality of work being done - and to look at schedule... Second - strip your 240-Z to a bare shell that's rolling on it's suspension/wheels...Do NOT drive the car in - don't show it to them in any other condition. When it shows up disassembled to a bare shell - they will know you are serious, they will know you are ready to have the work done - at that point you are not just another "tire kicker"... you become a potential customer - and one that just might have a clue as to what he is doing and what he expects them to do. Third - When the car is disassembled to a bare rolling shell - Set appointments with the shops - tell them you are having a wrecker bring the car down for them to look at - but that the wrecker driver won't wait long so they have to be there... Shop 1 at 9:00AM - shop 2 at 11:00AM and shop 3 at 1:00PM.... It might cost you a couple of hundred dollars to truck the shell around - it's well worth it. That shows the shop owner that you are READY, and that you are SHOPPING, and that you HAVE the money to spend, and that you are willing to spend it with whoever treats you right. Be at the shops ahead of the car showing up, round up the shop owner - tell the shop owner that you will "pay him" to strip the car to bare metal - and put a good base coat of etching epoxy primer on it. You want a price for that work at this point. Then after it's primed - you want the shop owner to give you a price to fix whatever is needed, prep and paint the car. This way the shop owner has no risk - your paying to have the car stripped and primed. (it has to be done anyway and you'll pay for it anyway). He gets to base his estimate for the needed repairs and paint job on what is really there - no hidden surprises. Once it's stripped to bare metal - both of you will know FOR SURE if it's worth fixing or not... If the repairs and paint job cost too much - your ready to truck it around again for that phase of the work.... or your ready to truck it home until you save some more money.. You tell the shop owner he can have the car any week within the next two months and that you will have it to his shop within 24 hours of him letting you know he is READY TO WORK ON IT - but that in "ten days" you expect it to be stripped and put in primer - tell him you will stop by ever day or so to see the progress, shoot photos for your album etc... If you stop by and don't see any progress for two or three days - on the third day ask to use his phone to call the wrecker to come pick it up. Make it clear to every shop owner you talk to that schedule is important to you - - your willing to have the car delivered when they are ready to work on it - but you are not willing to park it there to sit for a week, two weeks etc - before they start.. nor to leave it there for months waiting for them to get it done... There is nothing cheap about this process any longer. To strip a Z shell to bare metal and shot it with an etching epoxy primer should not take more than 24 hours of labor. Shops around here charge $25.00 to $45.00 per hour for labor... Stripped and primed - ready to start the body work - it shouldn't cost you more than $900. to $1200. (far less in many shops). If you have a good rust free body to start with - and you should start with nothing else unless the collect-ability of the car warrants it - Minor body work, surface prep hours and the actual paint job shouldn't cost much more than an additional $2000.00 to $3000.00. (depend on how straight you want every panel and how much work is needed). Shops that are shooting you $6,000.00 dollar quotes for a simple repaint - are building in the cost of hidden damage - if you go for the $6000.00 estimate - that is what they will charge you even if they don't run into any problems... You are far better off going one step at a time and paying for each step as you go... Most shop owners that I know are willing to do the body work and paint on older Z's on the basis described above. They do not want to spend the time to disassemble the car, take the interior out, pull the engine etc - that's not what they do - they do body work and paint work.... When getting the estimate for the body /paint work - you have to make the shop owner understand clearly what you expect - what type of work your looking for.. and you have to put it in detail and in writing for him to read before you start. They will never do this for you - but they will sign it if written clearly and in accordance with what they have "TOLD" you, and what the two of you have TALKED about... When it's in writing in front of them - they will correct any BS that passed as conversation;-)... 1. You want any needed repairs "metal patched" - NO Body Fillers Used To Fill Voids/holes etc. Rust repairs are to be made by cutting bad metal out and welding in good metal. 2. No body fillers of any kind are to be applied to bare metal - all body work requiring any type of body filler is to be done over metal that has been first sealed with an etching epoxy primer. No Exceptions no matter how small... (many of them will say that it isn't really necessary - tell them they are right - but it's your car and you want it that way - and your paying for it;-).... If you want the car really nice - for a really long time. Tell them you will pick the car up when the body work is done and the car is in full prime. You will store it safely in our garage for four months - then return it for final paint work. That will give any body fillers time to shrink if they are going to - and it will provide time for any hairline cracks, sanding marks, rust spots etc. to show up ahead of putting the final paint on the car. Many of the guys I know that put $12,000.000 + in custom paint jobs on their street rods wait four to six months after the body work has been done - to start the final painting process.

No, sorry! You managed to upload an avatar (under your name in the messages to the left). That uses the same technique. Only thing I can think of is your file size. It might be too big. [m]

I heard that the non-adjustable Tokico shocks with their matching springs are pretty decent. You can get great deals at Shox

Dale, that is a known problem with the early Z's. In fact, even my '68 Datsun Roadster had the same issue. Replace the whole unit. It's going to be your best option. I don't know how long I fooled around re-wiring, clamps, soldering, etc... before I just gave up and bought a new fuse box. If I remember correctly, that unit isn't cheap (around $100 or so). Check with Les or Dennis at Classic Datsun Motorsports. Get a new one. Don't mess around with used stuff because you'll be in the same boat again.

(reaching far back into memory bank) Mine, if I recall correctly, was located on either side of the stock AM stereo unit. In order to listen to the radio, I had to hold down this little rocker switch. At that time in my life (17 yrs old), it was IMMEDIATELY replaced with a new stereo. The rest was history. It's now sitting in my garage w/out any kind of interior to speak of. :eek:

When is the Laguna Seca competition for Z's? I'd like to attend one of these events.

Where'd you get that front air dam? I want one just like it! Most air-dams aren't worthy of my project, but, I definitely like that one. Is it fibreglass or all plastic? [m]

Nice looking car. Where's the front bumper? You should really consider putting one on that beautiful rig. The first grandma in a cadillac will be looking for you very soon. Or, just stay away from parking lots.

Damn, that thing looks great! I wish I was at the same point you are at. Keep up the good work. Let us know when you get that engine back in. And, don't forget to send pics!

Dale, I don't know why it's not showing up. Did you attache a file at the end of your message or link to it within the message itself? I see that you uploaded an avatar. Good job. Let us know if we can help.

Ya, that whole @Home thing was screwed up. I thought AT&T started the @Home in the first place. I guess I wasn't around when Excite was the owner. Anyway, it was a hiccup for a lot of people. Pain in the arse. This site is located on a DSL circuit from a private provider. No problems what-so-ever.

How much do they charge for one of these engines? Shipping? And, do they have a website?

Hi all, Does anyone have a good source to set up checking accounts for car-clubs? I'm interested in finding a bank that won't require an assumed business name.

Yep, that looks pretty good. I imagine you decreased the compression ratio of your jpeg? The picture looks less blotchy (or lossy). JPEG compression is what they call "lossy"... This means that you lose image quality as you increase the compression ratio. Most JPEG compression works great at 25% or lower. Anything over 50% can get to be pretty bad.

It looks good!! Image size is much smaller and I'm sure people with slower internet connections will thank you. FYI: It looks like your JPEG compression is pretty high. Natively, JPEG compresses the image very well on a low-compression setting. You will notice little loss that way. But, your pict looks just fine. I'm just a techie and like to share info about stuff like that.