Ben

Hey George, Are you aware of the maintenance history/condition of you 1/2 shafts (and all driveline uni's)? My dad lunched a uni on the racetrack in his 1600 a few months back - but it was the only remaining unit from new.... So he wasn't too upset. If you haven't checked your uni's I'd be replacing them all & taking it from there. I was putting 250HP thru a stock setup for a few years with no hassles. (And there's more of that to come) But, if they were fresh - what brand were they? Then again, having just looked at your gallery, a CV upgrade may not be such a bad idea....

FYI - my Australian-delivered car is HS30-103353 & was complianced 29 years & 11 months ago....

Ok, here's the deal... 240Z - HS30 series (HLS30 for LHD), ther are many suffixes to indicate variants. The Australian 240Z's are basically Euro-spec, which is very similar to the Japanese domestic 240Z-L. 260Z - RS30 (and the L for LHD). The R indicates an L26 powerplant. 260Z 2+2 - GRS30. The G indicates a 2+2 body. 280Z - US only, HS30 (why? - who knows). Yes the 'H' indicates a 2.8L powerplant in this case, just to make things awkward. Note that due to the fact that the fitment of the L28 was a US-only thing, a 75-78 RS30 is the equivalent Australian model. Personally I see no benefits to importing a 280Z and doing a stack of conversion work (and having those lovely 5-mph bumpers), when a local 260Z is essentially the same thing, but already RHD :classic: 280ZX - S130 280ZX 2+2 - GS130 (I think, but not 100% sure) In Australia, I believe that the 260Z coupe is the rarest model. But the 260Z 2+2 is fading fast, along with the 280ZX's, as no-one is restoring them It wouldn't surprise me if the 240Z becomes the most common model in the next few years....

Threse days: Minutes, if it hits the advertisment stage at all. I think in Adelaide, there is a waiting list.... Lucky I got my car in '96 :classic:

The '74 car would have to comply with the base ADR 27 rules. I'll get specifics posted when I get home tonight.

Hi Mak, A carburettor backfire is lean, not rich. The auto possibly needs a service. But first, is the vacuum modulator hooked up? Check your cam & distributor timing - ask for details on how to this if you don't know/can't find out. I expect that the oil guage isn't hooked up either - does it read max with the ignition on, but the engine off?

I've never been a fan of the mechanical fuel pumps used on the L Series motors. It seems every single one of them I've come across leaks fuel or oil (or both) .... I think it was about 2 months after I bought my 240Z that I fitted a Carter low-pressure electric pump to the car. (Which is now the priming pump for the EFI system) All that aside, check the lines & filter for blockages, also - is the stock heat shield installed?

For all you wannabe Watanabe owners.... Go here to drool: http://www.rs-watanabe.co.jp/ :classic: :classic: :classic:

I can agree that the micro-brewed west-coast beers are quite nice! I still have a couple of Deschutes Mirror-Pond Pale Ales in the fridge from my last trip to Oregon, and an Anchor-Steam or two! Come to think of it, I bought a different beer everytime I went out to a restaurant or the market for groceries.....

Methinks it would be viscous.... The viscous units tend to be a little 'softer' in operation. And that has 'Infiniti' all over it. The could also be the short R200....

I punted my hire-car around the Tualatin curves pretty hard when I was in Portland... But seriously, there are a lot of Datsun freaks in that state, and I'm sure a large % of them visit the track. Perhaps have a look on Datsuns.com, there might be some info there.

The Fairlady Z badges were bought from Nissan Motorsports USA. But I believe that they are now NLA. Check with them direct to be certain.

Aussie '73 - plastic. As are all the other badges, except the automatic & 'C' pillar badges. But I have a set of "Fairlady Z" badges on my car (metal). I Think I'll get some "432" stickers made up too....:classic: :classic: A semi-gloss black bonnet (hood) is also on the cards, along with some 432 flares (they'll be the last item fitted). It's the closest I'm gonna get to owning the real thing:cry:

SPS in Melbourne(?) do custom pistons. Sorry I don't have any more details. But there's nothing wrong with Wiseco....

Something that's NOT recommended (but can be a good laugh), which only works on engines that don't have an idle cutoff solenoid; While coasting down a hill in gear, turn the ignition off. This allows the exhaust to cool quite rapidly, a few pumps of the throttle (ie accelerator pump shots) & turning the ignition back on can blow the exhaust system clean off the car. I've seen these 'key-bangers' performed with great skill on the 12A rotary engine, resulting in a huge ball of flame exiting the exhaust (straight-thru mufflers help). As a rule, poor tuning, bad engine condition & low owner care-factor are required to perform this 'stunts'. Alfadog, you car has no throttle damper (which prevents the throttle snapping closed - the 260Z's had these in Aus.) and no cutoff solenoid. You can expect a little popping from the exhaust (not much) and not be concerned. An EFI car with the TPS mal-adjusted will exhibit the same symptoms, as the fuel-shutoff is not happening on closed throttle. Years ago, I had a problem where my Haltech EFI system was causing the car to stall after closed-throttle coasting. It turns out that the software that I had for it had the decel cutoff high-rpm value, but no low-rpm value. Therefore, the car would not inject fuel once the throttle was closed, unless it was opened again. This also meant that the car would stall when free-revving. Damn that was a frustrating problem....

I know one other George, & he's from Greece. I guess I was stereotyping! LOL

Just to clear up my vote.... I voted that you were an import George! I'm thinking of somewhere around the Mediterranean

That first vote is mine George! LOL

It MUST have been retro-fitted with an auto - there's no clutch MC in the engine bay.... Damn, there aren't enuf manual 240's in Aust as it is. I paid $3k for my 2nd '73 240Z in late '97 and it had a pretty rusty body (for SA standards) but a tip-top L28 with the original SU's fitted. This e-bay car is only worth $3500 'cause market values have risen in the last few years. Having said that, it's a typical example of the cars that are in the 2nd-hand market these days - tired & desperately needing attention.

Tha poor thing has had a hard life.... A candidate for a full restoration, and un-butchering.

Not for 100% sure, but the back of it has been butchered a bit Perhaps just do the 'under-floor' section of the rail (the basic U channel). That's easy to get to & can be done neatly.

Fixable but ugly. Replace both rails & floors - they've been badly butchered. The rust around the battery tray is no big deal at all, but the creases on the drivers side inner guard are not very pretty.

Speak with your bodyshop & see what they say about doing the whole lot in one hit. BTW - I've seen plenty of people deal with plenty worse on other cars (imported Mustangs, etc). Once you get this sorted, you will never have floor/rail rust problems again.

If you can get the alternater mount off the engine, and a replacement is easy to get. Ditch the one you have (complete with broken bolt) & put another one on!

Don't stress mate, you'll get it sorted. Keep us posted with progress, you've been given some pretty good advice so far! The crappy thing is that 90% of Zed's in Aus have had the rough-end dealt to them & it takes a the right owner to make things right. My car had big holes in the floor & both rails had rusted out (under the floor). We had new rails bent-up at a sheetmetal workshop & extended them all the way to the back of the floor (as per 260Z). I also discovered that someone had welded a new rear-quarter on the car & not joined it at the lead-wiping. The other rear-quarter was very rippled too!!! I have had the body fully restored & it's all good now:classic: