Gary in NJ

Carl, the box is so low profile that you don't even know it's there. There is no chance of the box interfering with the dead pedal. It sits a lot higher then you'd think, Bart, since these aren't the original kick panels, there isn't anything sacred about them. Besides, it's not as if you'd uninstall the speakers. You might upgrade though. Dave, I really wanted to give a spare-well sub a try, but the Bazooka powered tube was just too easy.

The boxes cost nothing to make, and it was fun. In all it took about an hour to build and install. I'm not a big fan of placing the HF behind me. With the speakers mounted that far back (and so close together), the sound stage is destroyed yielding poor stereo separation. With my installation, the tweeters are facing right at me, which is perfect. The mid-bass would work just behind the seats. I do have my sub mounted as far away from me as possible. That gives the the bass the most even distribution.

Air vent.

I often see the question "how do I mount speakers in my Z". I installed some new 5.25" co-ax speakers in my 240 today, so I though I'd chronicle the process. My design goal was to install modern speakers without encroaching on the foot well area. That requirement calls for cutting into the kick panel to use the area behind the panel. The space behind the kick panel is limited to about 1-1/2" (it's actually 1-3/4", but there is a bolt head for the door bracket that takes up some space - you'll see it in a photo below). Most 5.25" speakers sold today are 1-3/4" to 2-1/2: deep (when front mounting.) The speakers I purchased (Alpine SPS-500) are 2" deep. I could have built a spacer as thin as 1/2 inch, but I wanted some space between the speaker magnet and the body of the car, so I elected to build a 1" deep box (it's actually a spacer, but I'll cal it a box since it looks like a box when installed). I didn't have a 1" thick piece of wood, so I made one by gluing a piece of scrap 3/4 x 6-1/2 molding (pine) that I had laying around to a piece of 1/4" MDF I had left over from another project. I used Tite Bond III and placed it in wood clamps for a few hours. I then drew the box shape (6.25 x 6.25) and located the center of the box. These speakers require a 4-1/2" hole for mounting. Luckily, I happened to have that size hole cutter. It's a lot easier to cut those holes before trimming the board. Here is a photo of a speaker and grill sitting on two of the cut-out boxes. Note that the tweeter on these speakers swivel. That keeps the high frequencies from driving directly into your ankles. Here is the back-side of the box prior to the speaker being installed. I have marked the speaker and box for its location (right on this one) and its orientation. I did this to make sure I had the tweeter swiveled into the best position. Here is the kick panel cut-out. That hole is about 3-1/2 wide - too small for a speaker, but just right for the magnet. Here is a dry fit of the box. The four mounting screws were located and drilled in this step. I used a 3/16 bit on the box, and then used those holes as a guide to drill a 1/16 hole into the panel and the metal behind it. I used 3/16 x 1-1/2" sheet metal screws to attach the box to the panel. I notched the backside of the box for the speaker wires. This will keep the box as flush as possible to the panel and will keep the wires from getting pinched. Using 3M 77 spray adhesive, I attached some rat fur to the box and then relocated the 8 drilled holes (4 to attach the speaker and grill to the box, and 4 that attach the box to the kick panel) and opened up the 4-1/2 hole for the speaker. Here is the speaker and grill installed in the box. Time to mount it in the Z. Here is the completed unit installed. The box is completely unnoticeable when driving. It provides a low-profile installation, with high-profile sound. This is paired with a 6-1/2 powered 100W Bazooka (BTA6100) subwoofer in the hatch area. My Alpine head unit (CDE103BT) has a built-in cross over that I have set a 85Hz, the upper end of the sub and near the lower end of the 5.25 mid-bass/tweeters. It sounds great and all works well together.

The tell-tale sign of a bad ballast resistor is the car will start with the starter engaged, and then stop running as soon as you release the key from the start position. If that's not how your car is behaving, you're chasing the wrong problem.

Bad sensor or bad gauge. Put a meat thermometer on the rad to determine the actual temp.

That orange Z is a good looking car.

Thanks Jim. The local ACE Hardware has a great assortment.

Timely question. I too need the same information. My fan switch just rotates and I need to secure it.

Do it yourself because it's easy AND fun. Once you own the equipment, it's free. 1. Locate the timing mark on the harmonic balancer and mark it with paint, or white-out, or grease pen, or anything you have that will stick. This will make the job much easier. 2. Warm the engine up. Make sure the idle is correct. Shut down the engine. 3. Disconnect the vacuum advance at the distributor. Plug the line (I use orange golf tee's - this way it stands out and I don't forget to reconnect it). 4. Loosen the bolt on the shaft about one full turn; the bolt is about 1/2 way down the shaft on the right-hand side (as viewed from the left side of the car). 5. Connect your timing gun/light (inductive clip on the #1 ignition wire near the spark plug. It will also have a pos. & neg. that connect to the battery terminals). Get the gun and wires arranged so they can't get tangled into any moving parts. For that matter, wear a short sleeved shirt too. 6. Start the engine. Get the gun about 6 inches from the timing marks (keep you hands and wires away from the fan and belt). The strobe light will flash just as the painted timing mark passes to timing tab. While observing the light and marks, slowly rotate the distributor cap back and forth until your painted mark is across from the timing tab. 7. Once you are happy with the setting, shut down the engine. Tighten the bolt on the distributor shaft and reconnect the vacuum advance. 8. Reset your idle and make any and all final adjustments - then re-check the timing one last time.

Something stinks here. The ad clearly states $2,500. But he's willing to take $2,000 in cash (as if he'd accept a personal check). But he has $9,000 invested. Fuzzy math. Frank has given the best advice; buy Dave's 240. You'll get a car with a known history. needs little in the way of mechanical attention AND you can talk with the seller ANYTIME you have a question. Bonus: you'll have a great time driving across the country to get it home. There is nothing like driving across the US in the summer. You and a friend will have a trip you'll talk about for the rest of your life. Run from the Cape Cod Z.

You just can't begin to imagine how big a project a car with cancer can be. The rebuild will be measured in years, not weeks.

I don't think -00400 warrants a premium price. There isn't any historical significance to it's number, it doesn't have any race/owner pedigree - it's just a run-down Series I. To me, it looks like a $2,500-$3,000 car that will require a minimum of $7,500 to $10,000 to get right (with a lot of work sweet equity). The figure could be significantly more if the interior and under pinning are in the same condition as the exterior. I would assume the worst.

While I find the tone abrasive, the information is quite interesting. I agree, no need to slight other members. I too am guilty of being "US-Centric" and enjoy being reminded that the Z's were a world-wide platform for Nissan.

The 240K Wagon is not my cup of tea. The Cider-Z is just off-the-hook cool.

We're all laughing with you, not at you.

I'd fog it. That will require an extensive cleaning to get the smell out, but you will KNOW that all of the little buggers are dead.

From the perspective of a system designer; you are going from a mechanical system with two failure modes (fan clutch & fan belt), to an electrical system with many failure modes (fan belt, thermoswitch, fan motor, wiring harness, connectors, alternator, regulator, to name a few). I'd keep it simple. The OEM system works well for the vast majority of the cars.

The tire size has nothing to do with the attitude of the car and its ground clearance. We have practically the same tires & rims. Look at the attitude of my car and then yours. Some is amiss with your suspension.

In my opinion, it would be more practicable to increase the output of a single alternator. A dual alternator only really makes sense when redundant operation is necessary, like on an aircraft. The bigger question is "why do you need so much cooling capacity?".

Awesome history Kats. Fun to watch and interesting to see.

I say it's worth $500. I can be there in less then 24 hours to bring it home IMO, new this and replacement that doesn't add to the value of a car much. Overall condition, and the amount of effort to get the car correct, is what I am willing to pay a premium. Some things that you find indispensable or an upgrade, such as the electronic ignition, would detract from the value for me because I like using my dwell meter. I prefer "period correct" modifications. You have a good 240 there. If there are many for sale in your area (200 miles) in that condition, I'd venture to guess it's worth $5,000-ish. If the car is rare or hard to find (like here on the east coast) I think you could get more like $7,500. Tough to really tell from a few pictures. In the end, a 40 year old car is worth what someone is willing to pay.

Dave, do you need about 25 or more people to ask?

It depends. How do you drive your car? As a general rule of thumb, a larger diameter exhaust flows better at high rpm, but at the expense of low rpm torque. A smaller diameter exhaust provides good scavenging at low rpm, but becomes the bottle neck to power at high rpm. For those reasons, there isn't a "best" size. For a street car, somewhere between 2.0 and 2.5 will work well on a stock Z motor. If you like to find opportunities to drive at WOT, get the larger exhaust. If you drive below 4000 rpm, with the occasional trip beyond 4000, get something smaller. How do you drive?

260zinsd, Is your car riding high? Does it have the correct springs installed?