87mj

According to the owners manual, we are suppose to be able to jack up a 240z at the jack points along the rockers. I did this back in the late '70s with my '73. Then I tried again in the mid '80s on my '72. They were both unrestored cars that lived in northern Indiana. The sounds that were produced by thin rotten 20 gauge steel still haunt me to this day. I am sure the titanic sounded similar as it went down. My current car is a mint condition '71. Its frame is as solid as the day it came off the line. Still, I am reluctant to use the jack points. Honestly, I am reluctant to even try. 240z sheet metal is very thin. In the front, I jack up on the reinforcement on the front axle. On the rear, I jack it up at the rear dif using a hydraulic jack and a block of wood as an insulator. My son claims the rear dif is aluminum and that I am asking for trouble by using that as a jack point. But that is how I did it with my other two 240z's. Do any of you 240z owners jack up your cars at the jack points or do you jack them up at that axles as I do? I am not sure but I think this question only applies to 240z owners. They thickened the steel on the 260/280z if I recall correctly. Thanks

Thanks everyone for the assistance. I guess I will try trimming. Is there a VIN on the transmission? I cant imagine it is not the factory transmission but it must not be. The underneath (frame, springs, etc) look like it has 10k miles on it. It is a 4 speed.

It is definitely the S curved stick. My car is a 5/71 car with less than 60k miles. The article suggests that I don't have the factory transmission. Agree? Is the solution to simply drill new holes in the console? That solution sounds so rigged. Like I use duct tape excessively or something. Thanks

I have a low miles '71 that was well taken care of. However, the center console was broken where the top of the shift boot is connected (between the leather boot and the fuse access panel). It didn't make sense to me that it was broken there. I found a replacement console of the same era. After I got it installed, I found that the shift lever lines up too close to that section of the console. If I installed the new console, eventually, that section will break again. After close inspection I found that my "new" console was cracked in that area, I bought a very used one recently and a slightly used one too. The very used one is badly broken where the leather boot. It looked as if the gear shift was hitting it over several years. The stick looks stock to me. Based on what I am seeing, this looks like a common problem? Is there a trick to mounting a console to make it fit? Thanks

Hmmm. I think I believe that story. I remember sometime during the '90s I stopped off at a used car lot to see an old blue '73. It had surface rust spots on the paint all over it about the size of sand dollars. The frame was in great shape and the odometer read 20,000. The salesman started it up for me and it still had the smog pump on it so it sounded like crap. Due to rust and the smog pump sound, he thought it had at least 120,000. I could have almost stole that car from them that day. I wonder if your story could have caused the rust on that car. When they rust in Indiana, its from the inside out. I've not seen anything like it since.

I am a little surprised some of you didn't realize how serious the rust issue can be. The early Datsuns were among the worst. Slightly worse than old Jeeps but better than international scouts. If you drive an early z in this area of the country year round, it will be totaled in 5 years. The rust areas are that small steel plate inside the front wheel wells. That turns into a hole 3" high by 8" long. The frame rails the engine sits on are the second to go. The tops of the front fenders have nothing to protect them from stones hitting them from underneath so the tops of those wide fenders rust through (280z's had some protection underneath). Then the rear fenders go. The rockers and floors go at about the same time. In '79, the frame on my '73 was so far gone the sway bar was no longer bolted to anything on the driver side. There was nothing there to bolt to. My current '71 is the first Z I have seen that didn't have any rust. I am not saying mine is the only one not rusted. I am saying as a Z fan, this is the first car I have seen that is not rusted. You never see series one on the road any longer. Literally never. Oh and I forgot to add one more thing. Back then in Indiana, vehicles had to have safety inspections. Mine didn't pass because of the floorboard on the driver side. There wasn't one. Recently, I was very passively shopping for one. Then I ran across mine. It was originally a California car. I dont think it has even been wet for 20 years, certainly no snow. The frame looked new. The springs still had a slight gloss to them. The frame, floorboards, insides of the fenders looked as if had only 10k miles on it. As I looked it over, all I could think of is "Holy mother of God. My wife is going to kill me." Then I bought it.

Back in '79, my first car was a '73 240z. It ran well most of the time. But those 6 years were not good to it. The frame and body were rusted so I got rid of it. In 1980, an old lady, probably in her late 20s - early 30s, who worked at a local car parts store in town had a '72 she wanted to sell. I test drove that thing one day with a friend of mine. I struggled to keep it under 10mph across the parking lot. When I got it on the highway, I had throttle left as it chirped the tires when I reached 70mph and shifted into 3rd. I now own my third 240z. My second 240 was a '72 and ran very well (except for additional rust issues). My current one has 59k miles on it and is as close to new as I will find today. My point is it was not my imagination or an impressionable age sort of thing. Nothing compared to this '72 I test drove. I gave the lady her keys back and said it was too fast and that I struggled to keep it under 70 down the highway. She laughed and said, "oh yes, it will do 155. The previous owners raced it". It easily remains the fastest car I have ever driven since. My friend owned several sports cars of the era (Porsche 914 with the 2.0, fiat spider, he drove an XKE for about 6 months). His comment was "I cant get over the power". Many sports cars of the era had dual carbs. My friend claimed all they did was adjust the jets on the carbs. The car didn't idle rough like a cam was installed. The engine looked and sounded factory stock in every way. Does anyone have any thoughts on what was done to this car?

I need to replace the carpet on my '71. 240z's have 2 metal tabs under each seat to hold the carpet in place. All the photos I see of replacement carpets do not have the loops cut in the carpet to fit through those tabs. Does anyone know if the replacement carpets have those loops and they are just not shown in the product images? If they don't exist, how do you hold the carpets in place? I don't want to glue them to the floor Thanks.

Congrats you dirty dog. I found one recently with 59k miles on it. Exact same color. It is in great shape but yours is twice as nice. I don't have any rust but I will be cleaning 45 years of dust forever. I hope you plan to keep it stock. I will be anxiously watching what you do with your tires and wheels. I have the same dilemma. Its always nice to have the exact same car to compare to. If the tires and rims are not proportioned correctly, it changes the whole look of the car IMO.

Is it a hex head bolt? I cant even see in there. I assumed it was a flat head but I must be wrong.

Mystery solved. The leather one was for those back in the '70s with poor taste. Mine just has the gear locations. It doesn't have the "Datsun" logo on it.

Nomuken, Nice Car. Do you mind if I ask what size tires/rims you have? Also what brand exhaust? Thanks Gary

I agree with your PO. Most had wood but some had the leather. I never understood why some did and some didn't, even in the same model year. $200 for a knob though. OUCH.

I am also leaning toward the MSA. I want quiet but I don't want to sacrifice performance. I am fine with a little more noise than the stock muffler. I didn't think the MSA was very loud but the youtube clip sounded like it was. I remember replacing the muffler on my '73 with a stock one. I was very surprised how much the stock muffler impacted performance. Regarding the MSA, I am a little concerned about how the big oval muffler looks tucked under the car compared to the small, round one from the factory. Just my personal preference.

I have owned a '72 and a '73. Both had wood gearshift knobs. I have seen factory '71s and '72's that didn't and I have seen them that did. I don't think I have ever seen a '73 without a wood knob. Mine does not have a wood gear shift knob but I believe it is factory. Does anyone know what "options" package if there were any, that caused a car to ship with the wood gearshift knob? It drives me nuts that I don't have one and the thought of aftermarket gives me headaches.

That is a brilliant idea. Problem solved. I knew I could count on the forum.

Hi I recently bought a wonderful '71 in excellent condition. The odometer reads 59,000 miles which I believe to be correct. I have owned a '73 as a teenager and later, I bought a '72. They all had their 240z issues but I think I got one I can live with. The original owner painted it white for whatever reason (not that there is anything wrong with white, it just isn't the factory color and the factory paint was probably in excellent condition at the time). The second owner painted it back to the factory color. Other than that, it is completely stock. The frame, including the front wheel wells look new. Keeping the car stock is very important to me. I want to keep it accurate to the period. The problem is the dash. It is cracked in 3 places. I don't plan to sell the car, ever but on the other hand, I don't want to detract from it's value either. I don't want to put a cap on it either. The low mileage clam is difficult enough to defend, especially on a 45 year old car. I would think it would be more difficult if I replaced the dash. But those cracks... Do you think the value of the car decreases if I keep an eye out for a replacement dash or should I just leave it alone? Thanks