MikeW

Unless the 260 is completely different than the 240 it's quite easy to remove the entire center console. Just make sure you've removed all of the screws before pulling it out. Once you've addressed the immediate problem you might consider fabricating a bracket to mount the choke handle mechanism to the transmission tunnel instead of to the plastic console.

Exactly. Without removing that nut and bolt the spindle pin removing tool will do you no good. By the way, sometimes the spindle pin really does slide right out like the FSM leads you to believe. One of mine came right out easily. The other wouldn't even come out using a press. I ended up just getting a used assembly instead of fighting with it.

He posted to the spam thread here just yesterday.

I've looked at Moyer's as well and they certainly look good. I'm a little concerned about shipping an empty tank. Their instructions say to just empty the tank, put it in a plastic trash bag, seal it up with tape, and ship it to them in a cardboard box. The first thing they do when your tank arrives is put it in an oven to remove the gas fumes. I know for a fact that whenever I take a small box to the post office they now have to ask if there's anything hazardous inside. I wonder what the response would be if you said you're shipping the equivalent of a fuel/air explosive? From the USPS hazardous materials sheet: Gasoline (UN1203) is a flammable liquid that normally has a flashpoint of –50° F. Gasoline is nonmailable under any circumstances. I would expect that UPS, FedEx, etc. would have similar requirements.

I've been thinking about doing this myself. Here's some info from the POR-15 web page: <A href=http://www.por15store.com/POR-15-Tank-Sealer.html>Product info</A> <A href=http://www.por15store.com/POR-15-Tank-Sealer-Instructions.html>Instructions</A> <A href=http://www.por15store.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=TSS&Category_Code=Specials>Special offer</A> Maybe the pint will do? It says up to 14 gallons ...

When I bought my 240Z 20+ years ago I had no idea there were covers. Only since I joined this group did I find out about them and I got a pair of used covers from Charlie Osborne. It was only then did I see that they were attached by screws and that the screws themselves were still in place in my car. I'd have to guess that many of the covers simply broke off that way. By the way, I wouldn't try the 0.50mm pitch. That will clearly strip the threads. The 3.5mm may work but it would be a really tight fit.

I would agree with your assessment. I went by Ace hardware and it's definitely an M3 but everything they had in M3 was 0.50mm pitch. I came home and realized that I've got a tap and die kit and sure enough the only 3mm diameter in the kit is a 0.60 pitch and it's a perfect match. I went ahead and tapped a hole into a piece of flat bar steel and it's exactly right for the screw. Looking back at McMaster-Carr it appears that the only 0.60 pitch is in 3.5mm diameter.

It looks to me to be : straight thread, pan head, 5mm long, 2mm diameter. McMaster-Carr shows only a 0.4mm pitch in that size but that seems too fine of a pitch. However, that's from attempting to measure it with a ruler. I'll take the screw by Ace and get an exact match and get the size information from that.

I've had good luck finding small metric screws at Ace Hardware. I'll go by there later and see if they have the right size. If not, a good place to find just about any fastener is http://www.mcmaster.com/ As long as you know the size it's very easy to navigate their web page to find exactly what you're looking for.

I was referring to parts that are black even with a non-black interior. The seats, headliner, door panels, sun visors, and hatch plastic trim all match the interior color.

This is obviously also the case for the dashboard, passenger door pull strap, and the plastic seat belt clips. Anything else?

I'd take a pair provided the price is reasonable and the match is good. As long as the total weight is under a pound you can ship anywhere in the US priority mail at the post office for $3.85. I would think that aluminum would be easier to work with but I have no idea how you plan on making them. Isn't it going to be tricky to match the grain?

Here's what the '72-'73 version looks like. One problem seems to be that the holes for the tiny screws that hold the cover in place are very close to the edge and they tend to break at that point.

This is a common problem that is apparently worse when you use the aftermarket "Precision" brand kit as opposed to the Nissan OEM seals. Eventually the weatherstrip will compress and the door will be able to close easier. You're just going to have to really slam it for a while.

I think you're getting ahead of yourself here. I'd wait until you get the car before you start worrying about what might be wrong if the first things you try don't work out. I'd be surprised if the teeth were really ground off the flywheel. The starter has a centrifugal Bendix that engages the flywheel teeth only when the starter is spinning. If this is sticking then you'll just hear a high speed spinning sound. It's easy enough to pull the starter off and check all of this out.

For what it's worth I installed a new headliner without removing the pillar vinyl trim. You just have to kind of push the edges in around the perimeter. I think it's safe to say that step 4 must come after 1 and 2 and that 7 has to come after 6. Everything else can be done at any time in any order.

I'm not aware of any changes in taillights for the 240Z between years other than the difference of the so-called "Euro" style amber lenses which should probably be referred to as "non North America" lenses. Typically the left side lens will be in worse shape than the right because of its proximity to the exhaust. That may well explain why yours is darker.

The microdrive that's in my iPod mini uses the compact flash format and has the following specification: Operating: 175 G, Non-operational: 1500 G

If it's a 1978 it's a 280Z. The 280ZX was introduced for the 1979 model year. Do you have pictures? People around here are more likely to be able to help if it really is a 280Z and not a 280ZX.

Often the problem is that they only give you a couple of stations to choose from so there may be crosstalk. The griffin iTrip unit for the iPod allows you to tune it to every possible station so you can find one that's not in use. Here in Atlanta I had to try every single possible station in order to find one that was completely clean. It works very well. http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/itrip/

You can always attach an FM transmitter to your iPod.

I don't know about the pillar vinyl because I simply dyed mine but you can get a pre-cut headliner with the foam already attached from http://www.datsunrestore.com/catalog.html for $54.95 in a variety of colors including the OEM blue.

This is interesting to me for a couple of reasons. In early April, 1970 we have to remember that these cars are at most about six months old. The fact that one is being used as a pace car that early is impressive but not unusual. I'm thinking in terms of races like the Indy 500 where new cars are often used and showcased as pace cars; for instance next month they'll be using a 2005 Corvette which has only been out a few months. The fact that they were racing a couple of 432-R's is actually more impressive to me. If you think about all of the modifications from stock and the fact that many of these changes had to be fabricated by hand is an indication of just how much work had to be done in a rather short amount of time. I'm sure they knew what a winning design they had but surely a lot of testing was involved to verify the mods. I suspect that all racers can relate to that but I'm still amazed by it.

Yes. I bought a complete NOS set of locks with matching keys off of eBay - from a member of this club. They're actually the later 280Z style keys. The grooves are different. Other than the key itself everything is identical and can be replaced very easily. I didn't bother with the break-off theft protection bolts for the ignition lock as it took me just a couple of minutes with a dremel tool to notch the originals enough for them to be backed out with a flat bladed screw driver. You'll presumably need to do the same sort of thing if you intend to pull them yourself at a yard.

Chances are you won't give them the code but rather tell them the year, make, model, and color and they'll look it up in their extensive library of color mixing formulas based on the brand and type of paint you decide to go with.