LanceM

What are the odds that the door key from my "new" 81 zx parts car would fit the ignition of my 73 240??? Ha it does! I couldn't believe it, they sure looked the same but the 73 key is darn near flat on both sides anymore but I gave it a try, works in the ignition and all the doors and hatch! And this is a good thing because?? I only have one key for the 73 and any copy I've had made from it doesn't work!!! It must have been meant to be that I buy the 81 for a parts car! Even though it's turned into my DD cause I feel bad thinking about tearing up a car that runs so go and looks pretty ok from 20' away.... for a ZX that is... even if it is a lead sled that has a suspension softer than a new loaf of bread BTW, is it possible that this thing (ZX) is really turning 3K at 65 mph in 5th?? what's it got 4.11 gears??

Ouch, well I don't think it is going to work like that! You could try to bend it back but I doubt that you will ever get it back to straight or maybe even straight enough to work right again....

I've got questions, too many to go searching for, and my wife will be home soon!!! Short history, I have a 73 240, pulled it out of storage about a month ago after 15 years. I would like to add a 5 speed, R200 rear and on and on, you know just like everyone else Move to today, I snag an 81 280ZX, licenced and driveable, with factory t-tops, electric everything and it all works. It has the usual body, frame, floor pan cancer, but who cares I bought it for parts and got it for $200. My questions: 1) Can I swap the 5 speed and rear end into my 240? I'm 99% the answer is yes but got to ask. 2) It has 4 wheel disk brakes, can I swap the rears? 3) I has really nice seats that just need recovered, will they swap? 4) Electronic ignition, will it swap? Pretty sure it will 5) Since I have it what else should I look at yanking for my own use? Tach? Has a nice digital clock that works????? I figure that if I can use the tranny and diff, I got my $200 worth, anything else is a bonus, I just have to convice my wife It has some good tires and I think stock z mags, FI 280 engine that runs good and don't smoke so I figure I can probably part out the rest on ebay for the $200, What ya think?? I drove it around for a bit and I'm thinking of turning it into my DD till winter and really get my money's worth out of it! Thanks in advance for any info and for putting up with my probably already asked to many times questions!

Something that I found works well removing screws, which Datsun seems to use a lot of, is a ratchet with an Apex holder and a phillips bit in it. Using the ratchet allows you to put a great deal more force on the screw compaired to a screwdriver, keeping the tip from camming out. On a few really tough ones I have used my 1/2" air impact turned all the way down, the hammering of the impact with my body weight pushing against it has broken some loose that I was sure I was going to have to drill out.

I checked and didn't see anything that said I couldn't post this but if I shouldn't moderators please delete it and accept my appoligy. I just found this place, OEM Nissan parts by the thousands, so they say, at what look to be great prices. Their web site isn't complete but here's the link. http://www.oem-surplus.com/nissanwebpage/ I have no connection with these people, don't know anything about them, just found the site and wanted to pass it along to those looking for OEM parts for a restoration that can't be found anywhere else, maybe here.

OK, this is my opinion since you asked for one The temp sending unit is an imersion type of sensor, the sensor is in the fluid. These types of sensors typically are pretty resistant to outside sources, and with the true sensor being a distance from the outside, any outside heat would be drawn away from the sensor by the cooling fluid. I would say that in real life, if the head of the sensor was 240 and the bulb was in 190 degree fluid the reading from the bulb would probably be within + or - 2-4 degrees of the true fluid temp. I use a lot of these at work, sometimes with the fluid hot and the head of the sensor cold, like -40C and the reading is the same if you had the head temp at 100C. Of course the instruments I'm using at work are a much better quailty than the sensor in the car but in relation the effects should be the same. Of course the best way is to measure the fluid in the radiator with a bulb type of therometer and get a true reading of the temp with your expected gauge results. I would have to say also (another of my opinions) that I've seen many posts on "high temps" one way or another and I wonder if there is too much hair splitting, I mean it is an engine, the temp varies, sometimes it will get "hot" but not overheated. The factory gauge was meant to be a general indicator, not a calibrated gauge, if you want exact temps install a quality instrument. With todays oils temp ranges can be much higher and still safe compaired to what was available 30 years ago. Don't take anything I said wrong, you asked for opinions and you got mine They are like most things you get for free.... and like that one part of the body, everyone has one

I was finally able to duplicate the problem on the bench using a hunk of 2x4 to load the starter when it was running! Took it apart and found that the grease in the bendix was all hard from sitting 15 years. Dumped some assorted fluids in it and worked it around a million times and now it works fine. Well at least good enough for me to get it in and out of the shop to work on other things until I get it on the road next year, then a new one will be probably the best thing. Of course now that that's fixed my coil took a dump on me, anyone got a stock one they want to get rid of??? I don't want to buy a new one as I'm not sure yet what kind of ignition I'm going to swap to...

Well back in the car it does the run away starter thing still!!! I'm not using any of the cars wiring except for the battery cables, just like I did on the bench where it worked fine... Think it's time to go have a few cold ones and think about this for a while....

This is getting too weird, out of the car the starter works normally, I have it hooked up the same way as I did in the car and I'm jumping it with a screwdriver, works fine!!! When I did the same thing in the car it wouldn't stop! Going to clean up the ground connection and put it back in and see what happens....

Hedders are part of a package of performance parts. If you are not going to change the cam and carbs you don't really need headers and won't really notice any improvement in performance. They will raise the underhood temps also. I would say that if you are not going to be doing any other engine mods I would stay with your current setup.

Well I've got it troubleshot down to the starter!! With all wires removed from the starter except the = - from the battery, jump it with a screwdriver and away it goes!!! This falls into the catagory of way too weird, so time to pull the starter again and figure out just what is going on with it!!

On my 73 240 when you go to start the car the starter won't stop even if you shut the key off! I thought it was a bad solinoid and put in a new one and it does the same thing! The only way to stop it is to pull the battery cable, luckly I guess the engine doesn't seem to be firing either??? If you reconnect the battery then everything is fine until you try to start it again. This started all of a sudden and I'm sort of stumped as to what the cause is... I don't see that there is a relay in line but maybe I'm missing something in the wiring diagram. Any and all help on this stumper would be apreciated!

I would think that they would have to be pretty dirty, but then they may be! An easy test would be to pull them off and take a quick spin down the road. I won't hurt anything to run around the block once without them unless you live on a dirt road

I'm a Webber guy so this might not apply, but the carbs looks simular in construction so they probably work much the same way. My first guess is that the float level isn't set right or the needle valves are leaking bad. Ever get any gas dripping out of the front of the carbs? The only adjustment besides syncing them is the idle mixture which is out of the picture at 2K. If they have a "choke" which is really a mixture riching valve maybe they are stuck open or you are running the choke lever in the wrong position, this would give you a way rich mixture all the time. If you have been running it this way for a while the plugs are probably pretty fouled and could be part of the current problem, though it sounds like changing them will only be a partial fix. Those are my guesses....

Did you put it under the carpet too? I'm just wondering if the bubbles will pop like under your heal and cause your carpet to wear faster because of no cushion. Sounds great though for the tunnel and firewall!

I feel your pain, I'm in the same situation. The first thing I did was decide that there was no way that I was going to be driving it before next spring, I'm in northern Indiana so who knows when that may be I've been doing a little of both, body and engine. When I get tired of doing one I work on the other, sometimes I don't have the money for one but I do for the other. Fuel line is just a couple of bucks and there's plenty to replace, I spend $5 and have something useful to do for an evening and another thing is done. In doing my inspection for rust I pulled the fenders and I've decided to leave them off until next year, it's alot easier working on the engine compartment with them off and I don't have to worry about messing up the paint with a belt buckle or dropped wrench. I guess my advice is go slow, do things in logical steps (like don't worry about getting the engine to run before you clean out the gas tank and lines) and switch to another part of the car when your interest in the current job is in low tide. Make a list of what you need to replace and carry a copy in your wallet, that way if you feel like working on another part of the car tonight you can stop on the way home and pick up the parts without trying to remember what you need. When you are restoring a car like you are take your time and do it right, and since it all needs to be done, do it as you please and enjoy yourself.

Hard to say without seeing what you are trying to come from, how about a pic of your car so we can see what has to be done to get where you want to go...

I find it interesting that your low readings are in pairs for the most part. Putting oil in and increasing your readings does indicate rings but can be a fooler sometimes. Typically low paired cylinders indicate a bad head gasket/warped head/cracked block, alowing one cylinder to leak into another. I would be very tempted to pull the head and look inside, it would be only an afternoons work and a couple of gaskets. With readings down to 20 that cylinder should either have a ridge like a clif at the top or look like someone took a grinder to it!! This would also give you a chance to see if the engine is worth rebuilding, if the cylinder walls are tore up you would be better off finding a newer better block to start with. You can change rings with the engine in the car, no fun but it can be done. I too wonder how you got it home with readings like that, I'm suprized that it runs at all

First thing I would do is run a compression check, it will only take 10 minutes and will tell you a world of info before you tear into it. If it is just a head gasket, you could have it changed in a couple of hours for the cost of the gasket. That would keep you driving until you are ready for the big swap, if it is more than the gasket then I would only work on the swap not spending any money on something that you are going to toss in a few months.

I'd say bad sending unit. I've had simular problems before except I would loose pressure at speed, sort of a shock the first time it happens

Just got mine out after 15 years of sitting. Clean the fuel tank, unless it was put away dry you will have some really nasty stuff laying in the bottom of the tank. Bleed the brakes and the clutch, flush out all of the old fluid. If after the bleeding they don't work expect to buy new masters, don't bother with the rebuild kits, they are a waste of money, been there done that. I replaced some fuel lines & filters, cleaned the carbs, changed the oil and filter, I greased up the cam for the first start and dumped the last two quarts of the new oil on the valvetrain. She fired right up! I've still got some carb problems but I hope to cure them today. Good luck on your new project!

No they shouldn't be tightened as far as they will go, they are the adjustment for toe in. The best way to adjust them is to center the stearing wheel then adjust them so that the rotors are parallel and in line with the rear wheels.

I would say that all's well, there isn't much resistance in the clutch pedal and it should go all the way to the floor. As long as you are getting full disengagement of the clutch with the pedal pushed in you are ok.

A knock sounds like someone wacking the block with a ball peen hammer, nothing like valve noise. Usually only heard under hard acceleration or high load like lugging it in high gear.

Before you take it apart try running a bunch of fluid through it. I've found that the clutch will gravity feed, put a 3/16" id hose on the bleeder and stick it in a can, open the bleeder and get back to the master and keep it filled. If you have an extra person have them pump the clutch slowly. That should really flush the old crap out of the lines. If after that the clutch is soft or leaking down it's time for a new master and maybe slave. Don't bother trying to rebuild them, I just went through that and now have new, with wasted money on the rebuild kit Something else I found is that the slave is steel, water in the system sinks to the low level when the system sits for a long time and rusts the crap out of it. If it works now it probably won't in a week.... If you change the master spend the extra $20 and replace the slave at the same time and be done with it. Another case of do it now or do it later....