Gee

Problem is, I have nowhere to store the original parts, and when you lay-up a motor your basically asking for a rebuild when you want to put it back in.. Can you get to 2.8 without causing any structural problems (ie bore wall thickness issues)? If you can get to 2.8 by boring, surely you can get to 3.0 by putting in a diesel crank?

I'm interested in you comment Halz as I am now in the dilemma of keeping the original block in my 240 or swapping to a stroked 3.1 L28. On the one hand there is a definite performance bonus, on the other I lose the originality factor. It seems that originality NEARLY always results in higher resale values thereby pushing me toward keeping the L24. Decisions, decisions!! Anyone give me some guidance? This said, I wonder if an original Auto is worth more than an auto changed to a 5spd?

If you decide to catch a plane, there's always this one240z I have seen this car and it's pretty nice - it's also the zed that was sold to buy the "Car of the Month" car so you could talk to the PO (George)! After buying if from George I know this guy spent a bit getting an original factory A/C unit fitted as well - a definite added bonus! When I looked at it (maybe 6 months ago??) it appeared to be rust-free, I think this might be the result of it being a Canberra car - George could no doubt tell you more though... I don't have any links or associations with this guy BTW. Good luck!

Many of you may have seen the 240's converted into Ferrari look-a-likes..but check this out! HORROR! I'd love to see what the front/back look like.

I finally got my 240 back after being resprayed. No "glamour" photos unfortunately, just banged one off as the sun was going down.. should give those who give a damn an idea!! Now all I need are bumpers.. Happy to refer sprayer to people in Melb, Australia - job was far cheaper than traditional panel shops. See gallery - front right shot of car...all the others are "before's"! Enjoy.

You could try Challenge Fibreglass in Melbourne (+613) 9822 2998 I bought some zed bits off him and he had a wierd variety of stuff there - cast directly from the ye olde moulds. Old Celica, mini, z, 1600 etc etc bits.. quite reasonably priced too (I thought). I realise you're in NZ, but surely they must be able to ship???

Thanks - the old ones didn't look anything like that (after 30 years!).

I know it's asking a lot, but any chance of a photo Marty? Is that your blue zed? Nice....

I just had my 240 resprayed and I'm looking at putting the bumpers back on. Are there any sorts of rubber grommets that sit between the irons and the bodywork? There seemed to be some sort of old rubber there, but over time it appears to have deteriorated and was kinda scrappy and unuseable. Without anything there I would think that the bumper irons may damage the bodywork. Anyone know?

Just bought a British mag called Retro Cars because it had an article on 240Z's in it. Elsewhere in the mag is an article on wheels - listing various PCD's of common cars. Along with the 240z, the MGB and Austin 1100 were also listed as 4x4.5". Does this mean I can source wheels from MGB's and Morris/Austin etc etc 1100's and they will be OK??

Hi All, Just wondering if anyone in Australia has any reasonable 240z bumpers for sale? If not, has anyone had experience with getting them rechromed??

Halz, You are right about warm soapy water - well that's all I used. That said, I did miss a couple of spots and the spray has remained stuck nevertheless. As in your case the worst areas were the strut towers and the very tops of the door trim. I also did the transmission tunnel and it's made a marked improvement on the look of the interior for a relatively low investment. New carpet sets it off even better. The colour matching cost me about $30 or $40 but I still have plenty of paint left over. I'll admit that I'd now be tempted by the US seatcovers, when I was looking the AUD was at about 65c, so it's now about 15% cheaper! That said, the leather cost me $600 and I didn't have to frig about with trying to fit the things etc. I would say that to get a great fit you'd have to take the cover to a trimmer - they have specialist heat guns (like high-powered hair dryers) that mould the vinyl/leather to the exact contours of the seat. I'd also investigate refoaming if you go down that path!! More $$... I'd send a photo but I'm on the Gold Coast and the car is in Melbourne still!! I miss her.... Gareth

Are you going to do the other bits of trim as well Halz? In order to get the door and other bits of trim back to the original colour I lifted the rear carpet and cut off a bit of diamond vinyl that lies under it. The stuff was like new as it had never been exposed to sunlight. I then took the sample it to a specialist automotive paint manufacturer and they colour matched the paint with some vinyl spray. I basically redid all the faded panels with the stuff and it looks great. I have a red interior, but I can't see there being any major differences between spraying red and tan. Seats I found more difficult and basically ended up going close with leather rather than vinyl. The difference in cost actually wasn't that much. Otherwise, like the guys say, you can buy the remanufactured seat covers overseas.. Gareth

Moyest, I saw your car on the weekend.. nice. Love to check out the webers some time. Should have mine on the Coast soon..it's being sprayed today!!

I have nothing to do with the seller....but that's a bloody nice car!!!! http://www.nispares.com.au/

I've always wondered, since 180sx's have 114.3 spacing, do the wheels fit properly on a 240??

I'd be walking the other way. The tip with these old cars is to buy the BEST car you car for your money as the repairs really start to add up. He's got some motors there but seeing as you can get these from pick-a-part for next to nothing it doesn't really add a heap of value to the purchase price. The tip with these cars is to go for the best body/interior you can. The rest is all (fairly) easy + cheap in comparison. Have a look in my photo album at the 2+2 my brother bought for similar money. True, it's an auto - but the bodywork is immaculate and the box can be changed for far less than rust repairs and a respray... good luck looking for one! Thought about trying the Nissan Datsun Sports Owners Club seeing as you are in Melbourne?

I'm looking for: - 260 Badges (2+2, Datsun and 260z) - The lid for the centre console (if in good nick) - Rear trims that sit next to rear seat (if black) - Strut caps have you got any of these??

I've always wondered if there is enough room between the accelerator and the kick panel to get a speaker in.. it's easy for the americans because the clutch is a mile from the side of the car - but the accelerator seems so close. Has anyone here actually done it? Any photos? What speaker did you use??

If you want a sub-box another CHEAP stealth way is to get a crappy old fruit box - sticky tape up the top and cut the bottom out. When you park the car anywhere dodgy just chuck the box over the top over the sub.. then it just looks like you have a box of junk in the boot..

Hi All, Been away for a while so I've missed this thread..I've enjoyed reading it though!! Sorry to get back to the original thread but.. ..a few things of interesting note. The MX5 is a sportscar designed by the Japanese and they freely admit that it was designed for the US market. As a result the handbrake is on the LHS in a RHD Aussie car. As the thing is so small it really doesn't matter but one could also ask why they didn't move it over either..cost I guess. I believe 240's in OZ never came with a rear sway bar but had the mounts there so you can retrofit a 260 one (apparently). As another aside, the Aussies copied a car from the US (don't know which one) when they made one of the early Aussie produced cars.. I think it may have been the FJ Holden. In the first batch to be released they had copied it so exactly that they had the door lock on the LHS.... to cover their butts they said it was a "safety measure" that protected the driver from being hit by another car when they were locking the drivers door...seems that not all "handedness" is quite so easy to follow!!

Looking for a dizzy for my 240. Anyone in Australia got one for sale?

I found Rare Spares to be slighty cheaper - even more so if you are an NDSOC member (members get discount). A few of the rubbers they don't have and you'll have to get 'em from that z place in Sydney.

Can anyone tell me the part no's for 240z centre consoles please?? I can't read it on carfiche... http://carfiche.com/s30/6/i03.gif Cheers!