Carl Beck

Just go buy an inline fuel pressure gauge, they don't cost much - and put it on the outlet side of the fpr. Most fpr's work by pushing a spring up to allow fuel flow.. I don't think pulling a vacuum on one would tell you anything useful..

Take $6K in cash with you, and go look the car over carefully. If it is as the owner describes, its worth $6K. Come on folks, a 78 with 88K original miles... as rust free as they come back East... $6K is priced to sell!! Heck, a basic paint job is $5K... If it is not exactly as the owner describes - then simply enjoy to trip to/from the cars location. Stay around the Chattahoochee National Forest, or Sumter National Forest over the weekend.. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Rich: Nissan recommends that the head bolts be replaced, not reused. With that early engine I'd replace them with the newer Turbo Head Bolts, they hold more torque. Also, if you replace the clutch disk - be sure to have the flywheel resurfaced. FWIW, Carl B.

Hummm...... That must have been one large bolt, that the nut was rusted on!! 516 lbs/ft of torque would have twisted most bolts off in our cars long before reaching 516 lbs/ft Of course one would really have to conduct that sort of test on many different tread types, and on bolts/nuts frozen due to more than just rust. The higher the torque applied to the bolt when it is put in, the more the treads distort and force themselves to be in contact surface face to surface face. Sometimes there is not "rust" at all involved, just surface contaminants imbedded in the threads and preventing them from releasing. Steel bolts in aluminum heads where water is running past them is never a good thing either. At any rate - to this date Kroil has been the best penetrating oil I've ever found, for use in almost any situation. Expensive on a per can basis, but worth every penny as far as I am concerned. I've never tried the Silikroil - mostly because Kroil Oil has always worked to begin with. Net time I place an order I may just give it a try.. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Bob: Have you been able to buy that hose recently? I couldn't get any the last time I ordered them. The hose that was avaiable, was the one that ended going into the end of the manifold, rather than the one that goes in on the top. So I just had to switch the position of the inlet with the plug on the end. So even though it didn't duplicate the bends of that hose - you could still get one that works.. FWIW, Carl B.

Having lived in Florida for the past 36 years, with my 72 Z, I do not find Florida to be at all "rust causing". The second 72 I purchased from its original owner here in St. Petersburg, Florida and found it to be all but rust free as well. I did have to replace the dog legs on the second 72 - but I've seem them go bad on just as many West Coast Z's. Granted that most of the Great Lakes States, and the rest of the rust belt States are called that for a reason. There is however no comparison between cars from the North and Florida cars. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Scott: Quite a switch from an F-350 to a 240Z!! Nonetheless I'm sure you will love driving the Z. If you are talking "serious powerhouse" I hope the other site you joined is hybridZ.org Lot of information and help here related to the Classic Z Cars... With Gasoline on its way back toward $4.00 or $6.00 per gallon - you might want to consider keeping that L24 and going for serious MPG's... and leave the POWER in the F-350 FWIW, Carl B.

OK - I'm sure that Distinctive Ind. bought the vinyl they used from some supplier, or perhaps directly from the manufacturer here in the US in 2001. If that is the case - then I'd check with one or several Auto Upholstery Shops in your area to see if they use a supplier that deals with the same manufacturer... Many shop owners can look at the vinyl and tell you who produces that pattern. Last time I checked there were really only about six companies that produce all the vinyl fabric sold here in the US under about 30 different brand names. The number of manufacturers in the market may have increased as everyone is now going to China for supply as well... Good luck, Carl B.

Hi Mike: That link and the four pages of discussion - contain a lot of incorrect information - that one really doesn't need to sort though again. Scott: The VIN's on the Datsun 240-Z's for North America are really simple - and therefore provide only basic information. VIN's post 1980 were configured to a Federal Standard, and contain more information. If your looking at a 1973 Model Year 240-Z here - then the VIN will be something like HLS30 12xxxx. All 1973 Model Year 240-Z's for North America have VIN's starting at HLS30 120001 H = L24 engine L= Left Hand Drive S30= 2dr. sport coupe body 120001 is the chassis serial number That's all it will tell you... What you want to check is that the VIN on the Dash, matches the VIN on the Firewall, matches the VIN on the Engine Data Tag and Drivers Door Jamb. You also want to check that the original engine serial number on the Engine Data Tag matches the serial number on the engine block. FWIW, Carl B.

$4K, $6K, $8K, $10K...whatever... All depends on what you really want to buy. You just don't want to spend $10K on a car and have it turn out being a $4K car. Given your location - if you want a "project", that will need complete paint and body work, plus refreshing of every aspect of the car - - - then $4K isn't out of the question for that one. On the other hand if you want a 240-Z to own, drive and enjoy - - that will still have lots of things needing attention - then plan on spending at least $12K for one today. Want to jump in the car and have fun driving it across country, or over a couple of States to attend a Z Car meet - and still be proud to say it's yours? Plan on spending $18K up front, or buy a car for $4K and spend the next two years and an additional $20K to get it in the same shape as the car you could have bought for $18K in the first place. I'd go to California and buy this one for $6K.... Far less rust, already inspected by another Z Car person - You would just need better pictures of the undercarriage and interior... http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34935 FWIW, Carl B.

Although the Subject Line says "Original vinyl seat material for 240Z"... I get the impression that richard1 really has the reproduction from MSA, and that he is wanting the material used in that reproduction seat upholstery kit. richard1 - you are looking to repair a reproduction set - Yes/No? FWIW, Carl B.

If you have re-plated the bolts/nuts/parts - and cleaned the aluminum up - - you may as well re-paint the block the original color. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Bruce: Don't know where you got that idea - but Nissan Never Replaced the Emissions Certified "Flat Tops" with the older "Round Tops". Rather Nissan worked for months to identify and correct the problems they had with the "Flat Tops". Due to Federal Laws, any Dealer that disabled or removed any emissions control devices - would have been subject to very heavy fines, and could have lost their Dealer Licenses. I do know that several Service Managers - made personal recommendations to customers, that "the customers" swap out the Flat Tops for the Round Tops as the Federal Laws at the time did not apply to privately owned vehicles. FWIW, Carl B.

Fuel Leaks: The fuel use you describe is usually from leaking gas somewhere. There is a long plastic filler neck, that runs from the exterior of the body to the fuel tank. It is common for them to be cracked and leak fuel when the tank is more than half full. Second most common is the rubber fuel supply and return lines. They run from/to the hard lines under the car from/to the fuel tank. If you are sure you have no leaks - then get your carb's sorted out - and be sure to change the oil in the engine. That rich a fuel mixture will wash oil off the cylinder walls and dilute the oil with gasoline. NOT GOOD!!. Check your engine oil level, and see if it is increasing as you drive the car. FWIW, Carl B.

The only glitch in the process was trying to take the smog tubes out of the manifold. They are rusted in. I could only loosen two, so I have applied Liquid Wrench to the threads and will let them soak and try to loosen them again tomorrow. I use Aero Kroil -that is Kano Lab's penetrating oil in a spray can - it is the only product that I've seen break the air injection tube nuts loose. Given enough time, and repeated applications - you might get them out with Liquid Wrench... http://Kanolabs.com After soaking them with Kroil - I put a line wrench {brake line wrench} on the nuts - then a swift blow with a brass hammer - and they usually break lose. You want to assure that the line wrench is a good tight fit - otherwise you can round the nuts off... If they don't break lose... then you have to heat the manifold around the nuts... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Roger: Words Of Encouragement: I encourage you to cut your loss at this point. You have now learned how to disassemble a 240-Z, as well as what to look for when you inspect another one in the future. Looking at the rust damage on that body - Cut your loss and find a 240-Z with a far better body. A project that should be fun and enjoyable - can quickly turn into a project that is simply frustrating and disheartening. Not to mention quickly becoming too expensive in terms of both time and money. Keep whatever useful parts from that car - and find a better project car. FWIW Carl B.

Before you take parts out for plating - - lay everything out in rows of like parts... Then take digital pictures of everything. That way you can lay them all out when they come back and see if you got everything back. If you didn't you will know what is missing and/or what you need to replace. Small parts like washers, small bolts etc have a way of getting lost when a bunch of them are sent out for plating... FWIW, Carl B.

"no motor" should not really be considered an alternative in Idaho - lots of L28's in Idaho. Tell the guy looking for an L28 to call Idaho Z Car 2913 Garrity Blvd. Nampa, Idaho 83687-3629 (208) 466-0004 FWIW, Carl B.

I'd buy this body styling - forget the electric motor etc... Put a 3.0L, in-line turbo six in it. Give it a standard steel roof with a good hatchback... and keep it under 2650lbs... Like the Datsun 240-Z, beautiful styling should not be held only for cars above $50K. If Pontiac could sell the Solstice with a Turbo4 for under $29K... Nissan should be able to mass produce something with styling like this for under $29K... FWIW, Carl B.

Digital camera's and digital displays are quickly replacing the mechanical/glass rear view mirrors on cars. This would have been a very practical application for the less expensive digital technology.. and it would have eliminated the typical "blind spot"... Car companies today need to LEAD.. not follow, if they want to stay competitive. FWIW, Carl B.

Typical... The Cube is a "me too" vehicle coming to market years behind Toyota/Honda. IMHO Nissan would have been FAR better off bringing the BEVEL to market... with greatly enhanced performance. http://www.nissannews.com/newsrelease.do;jsessionid=1E944926E14E3EC7FED681BF54818D70?mid=171&id=425 FWIW, Carl B.

There must be at least 1 in the USA, but I doubt that anyone would tell you about it before they bought it themselves. You might have a better chance of you looked for a "mostly" rust free example. 36+ years after they were produced I'm convinced that any car needing re-conditioning will need attention to common rust area's. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Mark: The speedo pinion gear has to be matched to the rear end ratio - if you want your speedo to indicate the correct speed. Giving the transmission type and year to the Dealer - will help them find the part numbers in the Parts Catalogs. Nonetheless, you want to order the speedo pinion gears based on the rear end ratio you have in your Z. That means matching the number of teeth on the speedo pinion gear to the rear end ratio. Color can be useful - - but it is easy to confuse the white gears with the yellow gears after extended use in a transmission. The 81-83 280ZX's with 5spd. came with 3.545 and 3.9 rear end ratio's. However your 240Z could have it's stock 3.364 or 3.545 if it was an A/T. Or your 240-Z might have had its rear gear changed along with the installation of the 5spd. tranny. 16 Teeth, Yellow, 3.364 rear gear 17 Teeth, Black, 3.545 18 Teeth Blue, 3.7 19 Teeth White, 3.9 20 Teeth Red 4.11 FWIW, Carl B.

The first things I'd check would be the wheels/ tires, followed by front end alignment. Only the toe is adjustable, but if it's out ie. 0 to negative it will cause the car to wonder/hunt. This can be even worse with wide tires. These is also the possibility that a strut is damaged/bent or other damage to the front end has been done - throwing off other alignment settings... If you have a good front end alignment shop - they will check the condition of the front end parts when they do the alignment. Alignment can not be made correctly with worn parts... FWIW, Carl B.