Racer_Z_

The add states, "Simple way to eliminate premature wear and that annoying click click click on old Datsun starters." It is not a necessary part. ATM our 73 is using the stock starter, key switch and wiring without any problems. When the solenoid (relay) on our starter failed, we put in a used starter we had and it starts just fine. The click click sound is usually caused by a weak battery or a bad connection. As I stated earlier, the solenoid (relay) is removable from the starter and replaceable. My opinion: This is just more snake oil.

For conversion processes like this, Hybrid Z would be a good place to do research. I can't speak from experience as we are still using rear drums. The easiest method would be to use 280z rear disks. Use the 280z rotors and calipers and buy an adapter plate. Don't forget the master. If you still have stock 240z front brakes, this would be ideal. If you've changed the fronts, you will need to match the rears properly to keep the bias correct. In this case an adjustable proportioning valve should be used.

Without a link to the add, it's hard to say. Our cars use a relay that's built into the starter. It's part of the solenoid unit that is replaceable without replacing the entire starter. Fords use a relay that is separate of the starter and mounts on the inner fender panel. If I was going to use an external starting relay, I would use a Ford relay or one of that style.

Yes, what do the plugs look like?

What does this "very smelly exhaust" smell like? Can you see the exhaust? Are you loosing any fluids? Oil or water to be specific. What's you gas mileage? If antifreeze is getting into the cylinder chamber it will stink to no end. If it's burning a bit of oil it will smell. - Fresh engines will burn a bit of oil until the rings seat in. - Engines that have been sitting a long while will get stuck rings. This will usually go away with regular driving. If it's running rich it will smell more like a traditional old carburetted car or worse. Ha. Every car I own has a carburettor.

The price is $250 for the weekend. We now have more information available: AROSC SW Apr 2011 And an entry form. http://www.aroschpd.org/events/2011/apr2011_entry.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_RB_engine

We put a Subaru STi R180 in our 240z. It jumped right in. All we had to do was stand back and watch. It has four pinions and a clutch (not viscus). We got it in for less than $800. Bolted right in, no mods to the car. Still using the stock drive shaft and axle shafts. If you want the long version, here's the link to the Hybrid Z thread. http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/78123-subaru-wrx-sti-r180-side-axles/

This thread is almost six years old with no results. I think you're beating a dead horse here.

I considered doing an RB swap. It certainly would rate 10 in the cool factor. But what stopped me was the cost. The cost and maybe the work of doing the swap. The cost of rebuilding an RB here in the States. With the L block, I can go to my local parts store and buy parts. The RB was never imported here and getting parts will be difficult. Financially, a V8 swap would be more practical. Staying with the L block would be the most practical. I still want to V12 a Z some day. Probably never will, but that won't stop the want.

This thread may be a pissing contest, but he did state the fastest car he ever rode in. That's the long and the short of it. Stop bashing people and tell us what you rode in that was faster than your sisters tricycle.

I've never driven Laguna Seca, some day perhaps. I've driven Willow Springs as well as Buttonwillow with the 240z. In my Dad's Alfa Romeo GTV, I've driven both those plus Spring Mountain in Pahrump, NV Maybe someday our paths will cross. Yes, I have the same user name at Hybrid Z and I bought the output shafts from John Coffee of Beta Motorsports. I was getting anxious waiting so long for them to be made, but it was worth the wait.

We bought a new master at the local auto parts store. Don't remember now if there were options. We also bought a rebuild kit for the slave and I did the rebuild myself. We bought a new steel braided line from MSA. The car had sat for ten years before we bought it and had no seals left. We have not had a problem with it. That was two years ago. If the car (73 240z) was going to be a daily driver, I my have skipped the clutch line, but we were setting up a track car and spent the few extra dollars. We did the same to the brakes as well. Except for the rear wheel cylinders. I couldn't find rebuild kits and new cylinders are way to expensive. I peeled back the dust covers and they looked good so I left them alone. Now we realize that we don't have any rear brakes. They bleed Ok. They hold the wheels enough to loosen/tighten the lugs. But, out on the track, only the fronts are working. We have worn out three sets of front pads now and the rear shoes haven't bedded in yet. No, I'm not asking for advice. (I think the proportioning valve is at fault.) I'm just using this as an example of why to not scrimp.

Our second time at the track. We are getting ready for scales to measure the corner weights. The car is still stock except that we've replaced the tires and shocks and changed to lowering springs. Oh yeah, we changed over to polyurethane bushing too. The diagonal weights are within 30 pounds. My brother driving as 113, my number is 13. The track is Buttonwillow Raceway near Bakersfield, CA. Since this picture we've gutted the car, lost about 120 pounds there. Added two racing seats and changed over to 15x7 rims with 225/50x15 tires. We also convert over to the Subaru STi LSD. As of this writing, we don't have any track time on the LSD.

Lots of good advice. Sounds like your doing the right things. I can't add anything without repeating what has already been said. To remove the water pump, you must first remove the fan and fan clutch, then the water pump pulley. Before you remove the pulley, check to see if it spins freely and check for bearing wear. Even if it seems good, it might be prudent to change it anyway. The belts are squealing because they are not tight enough or because the water pump failed. I suspect a failed water pump because you said BOTH belts broke. Seldom does more than one belt fail unless there are other issues besides old belts. The heater hose burst because the system overheated. The system overheated because the pump failed. After you get this sorted out and fixed, and you know your done, replace the plain water with anti-freeze. You need the anti-freeze because it works as a water pump lubricant as well as a rust inhibitor. It is more than just anti-freeze. Check the engine oil too. Over heating can burn/consume oil. After you get it back together, run it without the radiator cap. Wait for the thermostat to open. The water level will drop as air purges itself out of the system. After you top it off, cap it. After this you need to check the reservoir each morning for a few days and add accordingly.

I've been a member here for several years now and decided it's high time to introduce myself. My brother and I bought a 73 240z a few years ago, which is when I became a member here, for the purpose of building a track car (road racing). We have had it out to the track quite a few times since, and must say it feels right at home on the track. The first time out, we drove it in it's stock form including tire size and compound. So far we've driven Willow Springs (big track and streets) and Buttonwillow, both are in Southern California close to where we live. We are slowly converting over to a fully prepped, dedicated racer as time and money allows.

I've had the opportunity to drive several potentially fast cars, but never at speed. I was working at a shop that did custom work to cars and got to drive a few back to where ever they had come from. I recall driving a brand new Corvette and Porsche Turbo back in the 80's. I think I drove a Ferrari once, maybe, and I got to drive a Rolls Royce. But I had to be responsible with them. I've worked on a lot of amazing cars that I did not get to drive. I owned a 68 GTO that I took up to 120 MPH once. The thing felt scary. But gee, it only had 120,000 miles on it, bald tires and worn out shocks. It was still pulling but I wasn't willing. I've had my fathers fully race prepped Alfa Romero GTV out on several tracks. It tops out at 120 and is not scary. I was wanting to go faster, but it's only got a 4 cylinder 2 liter in it. I'm not sure how fast our 240z is, the speedo is broke. It's relatively stock still. I've had it out on the same tracks as the GTV. My lap times are about 5 seconds slower in the 240z with street tires. That will change!

No it's not "carbon". Carbon would be black deposits. If all it is, is one puff, that can be a normal part of the engine finding it's resting spot. It sometimes happens, on occasion, but not often. If it happens all the time it's an indication of a bad valve, valves out of adjustment or a need of tune-up. That would be a sign of "dieseling". When the engine tries to run backwards, the hot exhaust shoots out the carburettors and melts the plastic part of the air filter. The black deposits are also part of this backwards exhaust. You're lucky it didn't catch on fire. Yes, bad timing can cause an engine to run hot. So far what you're describing sounds like a car in bad need of a tune-up. How long has it been since it was serviced? ... Oil changed, new plugs, points, ect....??? For sure you need a new air filter.

Most of the replies are what I was thinking. The real problem with trying to help diagnose this problem is not enough information. If the timing is advanced, or if the idle is to high, or if there is gobs of carbon build-up, the engine can diesel. Diesel is the engine trying to run, usually backwards, after the key has been turned off. This can cause the carbs to catch fire. Modern fuels have additives in them to prevent carbon build up, so I don't expect it to be carbon build up in the combustion chamber. But it could be. The noise could also be the water in the radiator/engine collecting heat and starting to boil. If the cooling system is full of water/anti-freeze and in proper working condition this won't happen. A third possibility lies in the carbs. There is nothing wrong the Flat-Top carb...you all just need to get beyond that myth. Like the cooling system, the carburettors start collecting heat just after the engine has been shut off. The fuel starts to boil. In this scenario, your only real option is to make sure the factory heat shields are installed. Switching to a Round-Top or any other after-market carb won't fix the problem. This is quite common with ALL carburetted engines, regardless of design. With the L24 design, it's a bit worse and more noticeable because the carbs are just above the hot exhaust manifold. ------------ I would suggest you open the hood before shutting off the engine. Then shut it down and look/listen/feel what is going on. Try to get an idea of where the noise is coming from. What do you hear? Where does the sound(s) seem to be coming from? What do you see? Do you see something moving or escaping? Is the fan and pulley trying to turn backwards? What do you smell? Do you smell gasoline or anti-freeze? What do you feel? Do the carbs feel hot? Do they feel like they are gurgling inside? Be careful when you touch things though. Some things are hot enough to blister your fingers.

The difference being that in New Zealand the RB block is plentiful. Here in America it is not. We use what is plentiful, the V8. Also, there are certain "legalities" to contend with. Here in the US it has to do with smog laws. Since the RB block was never imported, it is not smog legal here. If I was to do a engine swap, my first choice would be the RB block. But since parts are so hard to get, it's not in my budget.

I skimmed, but did not study each reply. In your OP (original post) you asked about gear ratios and fitment. I saw some good links to places I had been before. Good reading there. I saw some other good inputs as well. The 4-speed and 5-speed from the 240, 260 and 280 Z are interchangeable with no modifications needed. The B/W (Borg Warner) 5-speed used in the later turbo's will fit with some modification. The B/W is a heavy unit and the weight should be taken into consideration. The gear ratios the 4-speed and 5-speed are the same (B/W excluded). The difference is that the 5-speed has an OD (overdrive) gear added to it. The first four gears have the same ratios. Fifth is an OD. This is a good thing on the highways. There are two versions of the 5-speed that will fit with no modifications. There is a minor, and I mean minor, difference in the gear ratios. For street purposes it hardly matters and you will probably never notice the differences. Because the only real difference between these transmissions is the OD, it's not a necessary change. If your old tranny is worn out and you're looking to replace it, then it might be something to look into. Keep in mind that a used 5-speed is about $500 while the 4-speed is $50. We rebuilt our 4-speed for about $150. The other thing that seems worth noting is the shifter bushings. The shifter has bushings that wear out. I think the factory used plastic bushings. Anyway, this makes it seem as if the transmission is worn out. I bought a set of brass bushing on eBay for $10 and replaced them with the tranny in the car. What a difference. A bunch of miles later we started to hear a whine. Even though the tranny shifted and worked well, we rebuilt it and the whine went away.

We are running 225/50x15 on 15x7 with about a 1/2 inch offset and the tires rub the front springs also. We use a 1/4 inch spacer and that cured the problem for us.

Those are some nice looking jackets. Just in case you didn't already know, Ontario Motor Speedway no longer exists, it and Riverside have been gone for years.

But why would you want to tow anything with your Z? Just go buy or rent an old truck and be done with it. I use my F250 to tow the Z to the track.

Our new VTO Retro-4 wheels arrived Saturday while we were at the track. These are the 15x7 zero offset. Man-o-man do they look good. We won't be able to mount them up for a couple of weeks yet. Here's a few pictures of them. This type of deep black is always hard to photograph. We bought the wheel lugs with the wheels and that included rubber valve stems and a chrome stem cover. I'm using a bent Q-Tip to hold the valve stem cover in place. The lugs are recessed. The wheels have a tapered steel insert pressed in for the lugs to mate with. This helps the wheels last longer. Chrome plated steel tapered lugs. Because of the rules of the club we race with, we can't use the center caps. Also, we will need to machine the cap off of the lugs to allow our longer studs to pass through. As per our club rules, we have replaced the stock studs with longer studs. The studs must always be longer than the lugs. This allows for quick proof of full thread engagement.