Nigel Mulvey

Finally got the SU conversion done and the improvement is impressive although with a loose/leaky muffler it's difficult to fine tune things just now. Geoff, no I don't belong to the SZCC although it is something I've been planning to do for some time.

Is the Toyota upgrade documented on the web somewhere? I just can't seem to find it.

Les, I bought both of my Z's through the Trading Post. Go to http://www.tradingpost.com.au/ Choose WA then enter 240Z into the search field - dead easy. Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestion Peter. I don't have an electronic fuel pump only the standard mechanical one. I did replace the fuel filter early on in the piece and out of interst cracked open the old on, it was very dirty but the problem continued after the new one was installed. I drained the tank and checked the fuel and it seemed quite clean. Anyway, the carbie transplant was completed today and the car seems to be running a lot better, although it sounds a bit rough because the muffler has come loose. There's always something isn't there?

Thanks for the tips guys. Well I bit the bullet and have agreed with the owner that I will buy this car. It is a 1971 SII 240Z in excellent condition and very original, the only modification is an electronic immobiliser that the current owner had to put on to get insurance (he's 23). I have lost count of the number of 240's I have looked at over the past two years but this one is by far the best. Only problem is I was looking for a project car and this one is too good to start messing about with. What I might do is use the new 240 as my daily driver, sell the 260 and look for another 240 as a project. A lot of deep thought required. Cheers,

Today I have checked out 2 x 1971 240's. One was a a very sad example despite being advertised as an immaculate original and the second was in excellent condition with nothing but a little bit of bubbling on the passengers sill. The battery box and inside the wheel arches are fine. However, there is a crack in the paint between the quater light and the rear hatch fairly close to the top of the hatch. There does not appear to be any distortion in the shape of the rear of the car and the area around the crack is solid. Could this just be a crack in the paint caused by age or is it symptomatic of something more serious. If anyone has any ideas please let me know ASAP as I am 99.9% sure that I want this car and I need to let the guy know tonight. Cheers,

I ran out of time at the weekend. I had a mishap when the water hose to the heater split inside the car pumping litre upon litre into the drivers footwell. By the time I had cleaned the mess up and by-passed the heater to prevent further damage I ran out of time. So I'll try again this weekend. Where abouts in Sydney are you Geoff? I'm in Mount Annan nr Camden. Are you in the Sydney Z Car Owners Club?

Because I can't get to the parts shop to buy the parts I need for my carb swap without a car and my car isn't working because the carbs are misbehaving (I think). I thought I'd have another look to see if I could identify the starvation problem because it seems to be intermitent (see my other postings). Anyway when I started the engine one of the water inlet hoses to the heater inside the car split and I now have half an inch of water in the bottom of my Z. My question is: Will by-passing the heater by linking the in/out hoses to/from the block cause any long term problems. I only need to drive the car a couple of miles to get it to my mechanic's to do the job for me. Not happy!!!:eek:

Thanks for the responses. If the question was unclear, I'm sorry. Bottom line is, I want to be able to run an unleaded engine in a Z. Am I right in understanding that the later engines (F54) run on unleaded? For some reason I thought that '81 - '83 was a bit early for unleaded. It's an economy thing, leaded petrol has been banned here in Australia and the lead replacement fuel is more expensive than leaded. I will keep my 260z as standard, but while I'm umming and ahhing about what engine to put in the 240 project car unleaded has to be a consideration.

Having driven the car last weekend without incident, my wife took it out on Monday and it started playing up again. She managed to limp home and nearly got wiped out on a local busy roundabout. Her love affair with z's is rapidly fading. I've done everything I can think of except change the carbies which I shall be doing this weekend (although I've got no transport to get to the spares shop to buy the gaskets I'm going to need - Catch 22:confused: ). If that doesn't do it I can't think what the problem is.

I am just about to do the flate top/SU swap. Does anyone have any last minute advice?

I have a fuel measurement problem that I would appreciate any suggestions on. When I fill the tank the guage reads 3/4 at empty it reads 1/4 so there's a discrepancy at both ends of the scale.

I did of course mean I sucked up the vacuum pipe.

I tried blowing up the pipe to check the vacuum plate and all seems OK. I drove the car down to my mechanic's house in the dead of night to avoid the traffic I'd have to brave friving it in rush hour to his shop. He drove it last night and at least he experienced it playing up. I should add that this all started after I had left his shop following a service. I turned round to take it back to him and it fixed itself, so I turned back for home and it started again this happened three times so I gave up and limped home in disgust. Anyway, when my mechanic drove it down to his shop the following day, it was fine and has been ever since. He apparently blew some air through the fuel lines and all was OK, he emptied the fuel tank and the fuel was clean. He took it for a drive and along to a Zed Head colleague down the road (the guy who has sold me the other L6 with all the goodies) and he was baffled too. So next week I am going to fit the SU's and the electronic distributor and keep my fingers crossed. One final request for advice though, it was suggested by one person that I put about 30 litres of premium unleaded in the tank along with some injector cleaner which should clean out any blockages in the carbs. Any thoughts anyone? Sounds a little dubious to me.

Has anyone had any successes dropping an engine into a Z that runs on unleaded as standard?

Thanks guys! I thought that there was some issue with the length and consequently the angle that the driveshaft operates at if you don't use the 280Z item. How much of an issue is this likely to be? Nigel Mulvey

You might find these sites interesting: http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/z.html for the 280 swaps and http://www.usq.edu.au/users/degroot/240z/ for a really good turbo project. Good luck!

The exhaust.

Thanks guys. The vapour lock thing puzzles me though. It's not particularly hot here at the moment, in fact we've had some of the coolest days we've had in a long time. Now the car is misbehaving right from start up even after standing for many hours. It's also started spitting sparks I hope this isn't terminal. Any ideas? Nigel Mulvey Pristine 1974 260Z 2+2 (Running like **** at the moment) 240Z Project Car (Proposed)

Can anyone help me? My 260Z 2+2 has just started playing up this weekend. Infrequently, I seem to be losing power and the engine seems to judder. If I put my foot down it judders some more. The car does not stall and if I put it in neutral and increase the revs the engine reaches a peak way before the red line (I think as my tacho is not reliable). Each time I have done this the problem eventually seems to sort itself out for a while. I have a feeling it may be fuel related. Yes, I have 'flat tops' but until this week they have been running well. Yesterday I scored an L26 complete with 5 speed and SU's for AUS$200 so the SU's will be transferred across later this week. Obviously I am hoping this will solve the problem but if anyone has any ideas I would be grateful. Nigel Mulvey Pristine Original 260Z 2+2 (Daily Driver) 240Z Project Car (Proposed)

I've read extensively on this subject and I understand from the Z Garage that when installing an R200 into a 240 you need to replace the drive shaft with one from a 280Z. As 280Z's were not available here in Australia (we continued with 260's for a few years and went straight to the 280ZX) can any one advise how to get around this. Would a late Australian 260Z have the parts I need? Nigel Mulvey Pristine Original 1974 260Z 2+2 (Daily Driver) 240Z Project Car (Proposed)

Thanks Paul (and everyone else that replied to my query). It looks like a rotisserie could be on the cards. For anyone else that might be interested here is a link I found to what looks like a fairly substantial looking unit. http://users.cysource.com/ima454/rotator.htm Cheers, Nigel Mulvey Sydney, Australia

I'm just researching 240z's at the moment with a view to purchasing one for a restoration project. I would be interested to hear from anyone in/around Sydney who has/is embarked/embarking on a restoration project. I'm particularly interested in finding out about local suppliers esp. in the South West (Campbelltown/Camden).