Carl Beck

Bob has a truly amazing piece of DATSUN history there. Not only that - he has done an amazing job of tracking down that history and restoring the car. That 240Z couldn't be in better hands. FWIW, Carl B.

System error - double Post - delete FWIW, Carl B.

I thought I followed the instructions that came with my Mallory UniLite - - I've hooked every one that I've put in different 240Z's over the years the same way. The instructions that came with mine are Posted in this article as well - see if they are the same as the one's you received. I've always used two ballast resistors. http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/MalloryDist.htm FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guy: I think we have to add a disclaimer. The 240Z clutch and pressure plate needs a 240Z collar - IF YOU ARE CERTAIN YOU ACTUALLY RECEIVED A 240Z Pressure Plate. Personally I haven't received a Pressure Plate that was exactly the same thickness as the original 240Z pressure plates - in the last 10 years. Even if you order or specify a "240Z" pressure plate - it is very likely you will receive the newer replacement parts - which are actually 280Z pressure plates. A lot of these 240Z's have been though seveal previous owners, or to several different mechanics - so unless your the original owner you never really know for sure what you are pulling out of there. So before you reassemble - set the old pressure plate beside the new one - on a flat surface - and measure the distance between the flat surface and the top of the pressure plate fingers. If they are exactly the same height {give or take a mm or two} then use your existing throw-out bearing collar. If your NEW pressure plate is thinner than your old one by 3 to 6 mm - you need a longer throw-out bearing collar. In the case of a 240Z - the longer collar needed for a thinner pressure plate - will most likely be a 280Z / 280ZX throw-out bearing collar. Measure twice - install once. FWIW, Carl

If you don't care about looking "pure stock" - and if you plan to put some real strain on the anti-sway bar in front - you can drill straight through the frame rail bottom to top - and put thin steel plates in place to distribute the load along a greater area of the frame rail.

Dale: Sounds like your all set. Price looks very competitive as well. When I owned a Muffler shop that system would have been about $80.00, but that was 30 years ago. In researching this subject - I see that the rear muffler for the 90-97 MX5 Miata is 7" Round, 14" Long and has 2" offset inlet/outlet. AP Muffler Number 700320 That is only 1/2" longer than OEM, but 1" larger in Dia. I'll have to cut a 7" circle out of cardboard to see it that would fit. 82-86 Nissan Stanza 82-86 - 7" Round, 13" long with 1 3/4" offset in/out also looks like it would fit AP Muffler 70070. With NOS Rear Mufflers selling for $400+ on EBay - For people that want to keep a stock looking and sounding setup -it would be good to know what can be used. The exhaust system on my White 72 is still the original one. Amazing that it lasted 40 years - but it is getting thin... I have NOS parts, but they will most likey go on fully restored Z's - not my driver. Now if I can just find a replacement for the OEM resonator - FWIW, Carl B.

The noise sounds like a bad throw-out bearing - and the noise showing up when it does, also leads to that conclusion. Reverse is not synchronized - and your idle speed sounds a little high. When you have the car idling in Neutral and you let the clutch out - power is being transmitted to the transmission - even though none of the drive gears are engaged with the output shaft - so things are spinning in there. With no synchro in reverse - you need to put the transmission first into a synchronized gear {like 1st}, then move the shift lever to Reverse. This grinding in Reverse happens as the transmissions get a lot miles on them, and the synchronizers wear thin. When the transmissions are new the synchronizers are thicker and even in Neutral they will stop or greatly slow the gears when the clutch is pushed in. As I recall 1st and Reverse are on the same shaft in the transmission - so putting the transmission in 1st - First - will stop that shaft from spinning - then it should go into reverse without grinding. If it doesn't it's most likey time to rebuild that tranny. FWIW, Carl B.

None that I know of.

Hi E. My microfiche is Revised Dec. 1979. Same references as you cite. You are correct - my error - they are the same part numbers. I would guess that moving the Roller toward the rear might keep it in better contact with the glass with the window down - as I recall it barely touches the front of the glass when the window is down. FWIW, Carl B.

I seriously considered it. The problem is that I already have too many unfinished Projects around here. Nonetheless someone got a great deal. I'll never understand why the Insurance Company couldn't have just charged the original owner $1000.00 and let him keep the car. Hell the rear bumper and wheels are worth more than that. Instead the Insurance Company sells it to a reseller - ships it GA and Sells it for a grand? I'll be that reseller didn't pay more than $200.00 for it. And we all wonder why Car Insurance is so expensive...

Thanks Mike - just the info I was looking for. Carl

Yes -vthat seems to be Correct. The Rollers have different part numbers between the 240Z and 260Z - - so I'd have to guess that they are slightly different as well. FWIW, Carl B.

If you have a 260Z and looking at your Profile it look like you do - then Yes. For others following - On the 240Z the roller is about 6" from the front of the door - you'll see where the metal is cut out for it. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Jim: - My glass doesn't stretch. On the other hand we must have some odd doors - my windows advance from front to back as the window is raised. I can tell that because if I raise the window about 1" - I can see that the back edge of the window is a few inches from the back frame. The back frame is more or less straight - so the window has to get back there somehow. I think we could say that the entire door glass gets wider from front to back as the window is raised. Let me rephrase that original sentence again... Although it made perfect sense to me as I wrote it. The front of the door glass is formed at an angle, to match the slope of the front window frame - so the Roller is set at an angle to match the leading edge of the glass and glide across that leading edge without binding - as the window moves up and back. Yes, you can install them in reverse - but over time as the initial single point of contact wears - the windows are harder to roll up as they start to bind, and then the steel above the pivot breaks. While we are at it - I'll mention that the rubber bumpers in the bottom of the door are also very important to have in place. They prevent the window from being lowered below the fuzzy on the door panels. If they aren't there - the glass can get lowered too far, and on its way back up - it can get bound up under the wrong side of that Fuzzy... {been there done that too} FWIW, Carl B.

OK - trying to find a rear muffler that is pretty close to OEM.. I took my NOS parts to a few Muffler Shops in the area.. The Local Independently Owned Muffer Shop Muffler $66.31 6" round, Offset inlet/outlet about 11" long {OEM Is 13 1/2 inch long) Resonator $109.99 - This is a Flowmaster but just about the same size as OEM - only a bit thicker Pipe $29.95 Custom Bent Labor $80.00 Sales Tax $20.04 $306.29 Walker Technical Support responed that their Part Number 22659 was as close as they could come. It is 6" round with offset 1 7/8's inch inlet/outlet. Only it is 16" shell length - were OEM was 13 1/2 inch. Don't know if that will fit - I'll have to go look at my White Z .. the Walker 22659 is available from Advanced Auto Parts for $99.95. The Flowmaster Resonator is $104.95 from Advanced.. FWIW, Carl B.

Can you tell me a little more about the process? I don't see how Plastic and be chromed otherwise. I might not make the Oct. cut off this time - but as I clean out the garage I may wind up with several pieces to send out at one time. thanks, Carl B.

Yes - it is a bad perspective. The Drawing shown is for the 260Z from Aug 73 Forward. Where E has the ??? is where the Roller is shown in the 260Z Drawing. The Drawings in the Parts Catalog for the 240Z is a little less confusing - as it shows the Rollers in relation to the door panel fuzzy - and moved away from the door in the background. The Parts Catalog shows different Part Numbers for the 240Z and 260Z as well Right and Left 240Z 80933-N3400 80934-N3400 Right and Left 260Z 80840-E4101 80841-E4101 I have not seen the Rollers on the 260Z - are they mounted straight, unlike the 240Z Rollers? If so I could see that they would be mounted toward the rear of the window. FWIW, Carl B.

For the 240Z the window roller goes toward the front - there is a cut-out in the door metal where it fits. The rollers are mounted at an angle to the glass. So there is a Left Roller and a Right Roller - they do not interchange. The front of the glass comes up at an angle so the Roller is angled to glide across it. I've never seen a second Roller for the 240Z - but if one were mounted toward the rear of the glass - it would have to be more or less mounted without the angle - as the rear of the glass comes more or less straight up in the window frame. FWIW, Carl B.

Good to hear you got it worked out. Now - peel some rubber, do some power shifts about 5000 RPM.. the harder you run a 240Z the better they run. That will also clear most of the corrosion off the clutch disc and flywheel surface. Normally this doesn't happen unless the car has sat for several weeks or months. If it happended just 1 1/2 hours after you parked it - that is really rare. Must have been a very short trip - just enough to warn things up, but not enough to clean the disc/flywheel. Anyway - we are starting to get some mornings and evenings cool enough to drive a 240Z here again.. FWIW, Carl B.

NAPA Red is a SEM Color Name - I don't know of the NAPA Parts Stores sell it or not.{just wanted that to be clear} SEM products are handled by most Automotive Paint Stores and suppliers. FWIW, Carl B.

In my limited experience - there is no such thing as a "240Z clutch kit". The original Pressure Plates that came in the 70/73 240Z's from the Factory were thicker than the later 280Z Pressure Plates. In the past 10 years, I've never received a new Pressure Plate that was the same thickness as the original factory Pressure Plates that came in the 240Z's when they were produced. No matter if you "order" a 240Z Pressure Plate or not - you most likely won't get one. What you will get is the newer replacement parts - which are in fact the thinner 280Z pressure plates. In that case - you have to get a 280Z or 280ZX Throwout Bearing Collar. The problem you describe sounds like you put the old 240Z Throwout Bearing Collar - in with a newer style -ie thinner - Pressure Plate. Question: Did You Keep The Old Pressure Plate Handy? If so - set it side by side on a flat surface and see if it is the same height as the new one - when you pull the new one out. Measure the distance between the flat surface and the top of the pressure plate "fingers". Of course - another cause for the problem you describe -is that the Clutch Disk can bond itself to the flywheel with Rust - if that car has been sitting without being driven for months and months. FWIW, Carl B.

Oops...I must have been looking at that center section up-side down. The inlet and outlet on the resonator are actually offset to the Left side - not the right as written above. I am working with Walker Muffler Technical Support - we'll see what they say. I'll also check a few other Muffler Manufacturers. Finding replacements that are pretty close to original in terms of form and fit shouldn't be impossible. FWIW, Carl B.

The center resonator is oval shaped 3.5" high x 6" wide x 11" long The inlet to the resonator is connected directly to the header pipe - and it is offset to the Right as you face the inlet. The outlet is also offset to the right as you look at the face {engine side} of the resonator. The rear muffler is 13 3/4" long x 6 5/8's diameter round. The inlet is offset to the bottom and the outlet is offset near the top. The pipes seem to be about 1 7/8's inch. I have a complete NOS exhaust system - maybe tomorrow I'll run over to the local Midas Shop and see if they have anything close. Midas used to have the spec.'s to custom bend the pipes, and they used to stock pre-bend header pipes. Of course NAPA/Walker used to stock OEM quality replacements as well - - but not longer. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Jerry: The Datsun Comp. Catalog circa 1977 stated that the "European Spring" would lower the car 1/2 to 1 inch. The truth is that they do not - in fact they would raise the ride height about that much. The Euro. Spec springs are only about 10 to 12% stiffer than the stock springs. Your car as pictured - looks like it was just taken off a lift or jack stands. I think that by the time you load it with fuel and passengers - then drive it a day or so - it will set down a "little" lower. Nonetheless, with no coils cut off the stock springs - the car will set higher than Factory Spec.'s because of the newer gas pressure shocks. Lots of us have ran into this problem. Most guys reported cutting 1 1/2 to 2 coils off the stock springs - if running the newer gas pressure shocks. Pulling the springs back out to cut them down is no fun. Running the Euro Spec Springs you have to take 2 to 2 1/2 coils off. FWIW, Carl B.

- most likely all of them! The two found were both repainted after a few years. However sanding down carefully though the re-paints and rere-paints revieled the original OMS Blue.. in both cases their prior owner history was known. FWIW, Carl B.