MakDiesel

That picture further compliments my long-stated warning: Never, EVER, drink and fabricate...

They only did 2 things right...borrowed the tripod dash arrangement common to 90% of us on this forum and the engine is super clean and not a bad color scheme. Now from viewing the side I noticed I could stuff that clown you all were mentioning in the fender gap left by the tall springs/too small a wheel/tire for the fender. It is practically an off road british mudder. And of course, the rest is $^!#.

I'm not even to the legal drinking age yet so my music naturally will make most of you others cringe and get earplugs. Cruising:anything with a good hook or bassline (rap) Pissed off :anything hard, fast, loud, screaming (nu metal) to work:something I know all the words to (anything but country) this list is vague cuz if I put specific bands ill be thrown out for listening to 'noise' or 'crap'...doesn't really matter right now cuz my '72 240 is both without a CD player (or tape for that matter) and no one speaker....it's also not tagged or legal yet so its almost ok. my '81 280 has got a sweet clarion CD/mp3 but only 3 speakers... .... i miss the days of the dakota sport with earth shattering 150+ db dual 15" bostwick HD pro subwoofers running off the audiotech 1800 mean machine amp....ha it's all going into the '72..peace

Called back to autozone to see what temp. the thermo was set at they had sold me....192 degrees! Looked at the one I pulled from the 240 to begin with.....192 friggin degrees! No wonder it ran so high....it only cut on a mere 28 degrees before I ran out of gauge! Anyway, took the hot one back for a twice as expensive but much more sensible one....and the lowest they had 160 degree...should be in tomorra.....also looked into getting a 4 row radiator....cant find one for a 240z unless I get the big bad Motorsport version...that'll set me back $300....Anyone know of cheaper alternatives yet still 4-row cooling capacity? Also will be pulling the clutch fan apart to clean/regrease it to stop the seizing...all in good time to get her tagged and on the road w/o worry in 95+ degree heat :classic:

Yeah I thought of just finding a junked ZX but over here on the east coast esp. in NC we have lil in the way of finding a decent Z, and slim to scarce of finding a part-able one in a junkyard. Thing is there are no pick-n-pulls in my area that I know of or else I'd have torn apart half the state. The fins on my ol stocker have been straighter in their day too so I'm looking for a swap, maybe a similarly designed 4-row out of some big V-8? If it can cool 8 factory, It'll cool 6 under any condition.

My '72 Z is having problems staying cool with the original 2-row radiator (common problem). Anyway, instead of paying $245 + $30 shipping to have a heavy duty 4-row sent to me from Motorsport, I was wondering if anyone has adapted any other 4-row that was never orginally made for the 240s, but fit nicely anyway. (Sort of like the ol' Toyota 4x4 rear brake conversion)

Replaced the thermo ($4) and it still climbs too high after a relatively short time....used the old thermo/boiling water test and it worked...so the old thermo was fine. I suspect either the fan clutch, water pump, or clogged heater core......after some investigating I noticed after it ran hot the radiator cap had virtually no pressure yet while removing the thermostat housing it was pressurized enough to spray/bubble antifreeze out b4 it cooled down....there is either a block or no/low flow or both....water pump isnt 'weeping' that I can tell...I'd notice too cuz my 280zx had a 'crying' water pump for a good month b4 I found the time to replace it instead of carry a gallon jug w/ me at all times. Top radiator hose still feels limp and empty at idle...dunno what's up or how to check the other suspects (pump, fan, core)

Keep up the progress fstr240, we're pulling hard for you. Good to hear the worst is probably over..... Ken brought up a good point tho, about the SUVs and trucks stalking the roads, some weighing in at 2 or 3 times more than my comparatively featherweight 2400lb 240....30 year old safety technology/regulations won't stand a chance in a serious crash with the big boys...good thing all Z drivers are so protective of their cars and hopefully themselves, tho no driver, no matter how experienced can control accidents out of their control. Just a thought......everybody can enjoy the ride (us Z and ZX drivers especially), jus be safe so it won't end up in disaster....

The first time I took it out on the road (ever) was yesterday. I had had hood release problems so it was without a hood for this particular run. While idling at a stoplight, I noticed small jets of water shooting out of the front of the car and landing on the fender, thus overheating at the overflow bottle.....after changing the thermostat, same result.....the one I replaced looked to be in good shape....I'll try the boiling water trick tomorrow to see if it was defective but it looks to me like there is something else amiss. P.S. -- Is it safe to jus take the thermostat out completely, thus always having full flow? It's getting summer now so I won't be needing the heat.

my '72 is still in the tuning stages but I can't leave it running long b/c it'll sit right between the 120 and 250 on the temp gauge but after driving it around in the parking lot to check the carbs ill leave it at idle for maybe 30 sec and then the needle skyrockets to 250 and I shut it off immediately.....Also I've checked the hose that runs from the thermostat and the radiator while it idles and the flow is very low or not at all....So far I've changed the thermostat and flushed the system.....i dunno whats blocking it or might be the pump....any of you have this problem?

I went from easy to hard and eventually it took taking the whole hood off to get to the engine...anyway, getting a new spring, etc off ebay for it so i wont have to go thru the trouble again...anyway thanks guys, you all rock....peace

that is my master plan actually....drop my '81 f54/p79 w/ 5-speed and 3.90 rear in it for the ultimate style and EFI non-turbo power....problem is i have to have the '81 for a daily driver til i get the '72 to replace it...plus no garage or tools for such an undertaking and to top it off i work 5+ days a week on third shift so my time is limited at best....to top it off the '72 has a rebuilt motor, while the '81 is cruising w/ 177K original miles...better to jus leave it with its own...I'd still like to modernize the crap out of the '72....engine wise anyway...keep round top carbs tho...gotta have authenticity ya know...anyone know bout the dizzy thing tho?

I have a '72 Series II 240 and was wondering how difficult it is to transplant an electric distributor (heard the best year was a '76) to eliminate the need to keep adjusting the points. If anyone has done this let me know things like cost(if professionally done), difficulty, tools needed, exp. time if I do it myself, etc. Thanks

Nah this isn't an 'ify' bonnet connection.....the handle and about 2.5 feet of cable are laying in my passenger floorboard where It was left, so it is very, very inoperable in it's current state....I tried to get under it and flip it manually but the awkward header pipe kept me from going much further than the throttle....I'm going to try using an extension tomorrow maybe if I have time....I'm off 3rd this weekend so I might as well try all I can while I still have the time. BTW I know what you all are talking about with the hard pulling latch, my current '81 the '72 will eventually replace has to have quite a man-jerk to get it to pop, and an equally violent force to get it to shut. Guess it's a Z thing......like rear end clunk and clocks having an expiration date of XX years Anyway, I'll be putting 100+ lb. test on the next bonnet release, plus a back up.

Thanks guys....as soon as it will stop storming over here in NC for days on end I'll get around to trying the most simple method then work my way up to removal of the hood if that's what it takes. I'll also install the backup cuz you can never have too many....BTW, I did actually buy the car w/o looking under the hood Thing is, its a series II '72 (my dream year), had mild rust, clean and seamless interior, new wheels/tires, etc all for $1500....id been looking for one in my area for 5 months now...this was IT....so what can i say i leaped for it....and if all else fails, I still got my '81 to swap...least I had at least one backup I'll let u know how it goes...peace

Just bought a '72 series II (today actually) but the only real problem with the car body wise is the hood release cable broke off a few weeks back and thus.....can't open the hood due to the spring...I was wondering how to well, open the hood if the cable is inoperative.....the sooner the better b/c I need to check the oil level and carbs need adjusting BAD (hestiates under load and will stall after getting warm) Thanks in advance.

I've been asked on more than a few occasions if I'm a trucker/hauler cuz I guess they see it as a 'Mack Diesel Semi' but since I'm 19 that scenario is less than likely. Anway I got the 'Mak" from my mom actually....oddly enough it is the first half of "MakDaddy", the name she gave me one day while in high school because in a single afternoon 4 different girls called my house looking for me.(What can I say I'm a man-whore......nah it wasn't actually like that, they all had boyfriends...ok that didn't make it sound any better....nevermind then, think the worst The "Diesel" is a reference to the uses of diesel fuel...usually heavy duty applications, refering to my heavy duty past, which is as checkered as the tile floor at any Steak n' Shake. Not so much things I've done so much as what fate has bestowed upon me. (Long story short, the $^!# has hit my fan more than a few times) anyway the other 'Diesel' meaning is again car-related, comparing the condition in which an engine continues to run even after the ignition is turned off and the key is removed....the other half of the metaphor states that even after ppl have quit on me/screwed me over I keep on going....like an internal combustion energizer bunny if you will. Anyway, that's my 3-Deep SN explaination......most anything I produce (expression) is complicated, jus my nature.....aight peace

Ha I'm literally days away from closing a deal that will net me a orange/red '72.....should I be worried? I haven't wrecked my primered out '81 zx yet but my first car, a '95 Dakota Sport 4-banger, got a lil taste of Grand Am arse one day on the way to school....$100 later for a new bumper and all was well tho...ok, except for the 3 points on my license but still! (Still got to work those off) I plan on keeping this old/new '72 til cars become obsolete (oooo hovercraft!....yeah but is that 2056 Nissan 850Hovercraft ZXTTTT exempt from smog? Didn't think so...) so It's safe to say I need it to last me awhile. And I need to get out more....apparently....anyway here's a warning to all deer, carjackers, family members, ricer boys, hail storms, nails on the highway, stationary trees close to a sharp curve, voodoo, and most importantly air+water+exposed sheetmetal.....if you EVER hurt my car in anyway, I'm gonna cry ...but soon after that, I'll hurt YOU....esp. you rust you suck. Yeah I need sleep, aight peace, AD

If my ZX looked like that I wouldn't complain.....hell, if my ZX was down to just 1 or 2 colors I wouldn't complain Ha I enjoy the simple things, like an exhaust gasket....anyway after hearing of the woes of a former Z going ZX I thought I'd fill the void by enticing a few on my venture from a ZX to a Z. As some may know my current '81 280zx 5-sp is on it's structural deathbed, cancer has taken her slowly but surely unless I can come up w/ $1k in welding repairs....so I opted to join the elite instead and start all over w/ a fresh (If you consider 31-yr-old fresh) '72 240. I've been searching for a decent 70-73 in NC forever now but luck or subtle hell has shined upon me and I am very close to grabbing a questioanbly reliable one only 30 min from me (oh god yes finally!) As soon as the rust pics come back (sadly she has some but im keeping my fingers crossed for just benign surface spots, please no holes, NO HOLES!) ill have you all an answer and details (dont want to count the chicks before they hatch) I may just get my fav. Z year before hell freezes over yet....peace If not, then..well....:sick: