kenz240z

Hi Chris, nice looking 280Z! I'll be interested to track your progress on your website, I've added it to my Explorer Favorites.

Hi Gary, I've seen the cad plated hinges, but I think the hinges were originally painted body color on the Z's when they were new. When I mentioned the hood springs I was referring to the two torsion bars which mount between the hinges. Those should be black AFAIK. I've noticed other New/Replacement parts that have the cadmium plating, but which are painted over on the car, such as the hood hinges. Several of the coolant plumbing parts on the engine seem to be available now with the cad plating, but were originally painted blue like the engine. These include the coolant outlet elbow at the back of the block, the "Y" pipe that connects to the heater core and the intake, etc... Also, a lot of the nuts & bolts used on the suspension appeared to be cad plated although they were painted black.

Hi Roger, welcome to the club!

Mark, I'd guess that the front of the radiator support on #215 was also repainted. Just a guess, as the hood springs are painted silver, too. They should be black. Not conclusive, but a good indication. I don't mean to be nit picky :paranoid: , but like you say, not a good paint job in the engine bay. I mean, jeez, the paint code label was painted over! :tapemouth

Hi Zack, I disassembled the front & rear suspension on my Z when I did the suspension rebuild. For grimy parts, I soaked them in a 5 gallon bucket filled with hot water & Super Heavy Duty Degreaser (I got this at Harbor Freight). It helped loosen up a lot of the caked on crud that had accumulated over the years. Then I followed up with a wire brush. It took a bit of elbow grease, but I got the surfaces clean. A sandblasting cabinet could be put to good use to strip the parts, too, and a lot quicker. I don't have one yet, though... Most of the parts were clean enough to paint after the hot detergent treatment/wire brush/etc..., but some had a bit of rust. I used a product called Rust Mort to convert the rust to a paintable surface. I used a couple of Eastwood products to prime & repaint the suspension parts. For a primer I used Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator. It's their version of POR15. I then sprayed the parts with Eastwood's Chassis Black. It gave the parts a nice, durable satin black finish, close to the original look. I used the same primer/paint on all the suspension parts, including the hubs & drums. My calipers looked good enough that I didn't refinish them. I've got a few before & after pics in my gallery taken as I did the suspension rebuild on my Z.

Hi SavannahZ, here are a few pics of my '73 showing a yellow wire connecting to the temperature sending unit. The yellow wire has the same round connector as the one shown in the pictures you posted. That's why I think the yellow wire in your pic is for the temp sending unit. Are you using the stock temperature gage, or an aftermarket gage? Most of the 240Z's I've run across in the salvage yards also have the yellow wire connecting to the temp sending unit. If it's not the wire for the temp gage, then perhaps it was for something to do with the emission control devices? As long as your temp gage is functioning properly and your Z is running well, it's probably nothing to really worry about.

Hi Zman525, I think you should be able to make your vinyl red again. Try the method Carl Beck suggested (post #4 in this thread). I've used the SEM dye before to turn a dark green vinyl dash into blue. Worked great!

I've had good luck with the Meguiars Vinyl & Rubber cleaner/conditioner. Also, Windex will help remove any old Armor All.

Hi Waylon, I've got a MSA 6-2 header and the MSA turbo exhaust setup on my Z. It does tend to resonate a little bit, but I kinda like the sound. Not ricey like those cars you see with the huge exhaust tips!

Hi Dewayne, welcome to the club! I hope you find a 240Z/260Z/280Z soon!

The yellow wire looks like the one on my '73 that connects to the coolant temperature sensor. Is the temp gage working on your Z?

Nice looking rims! Post some pics when you get them on your Z!

I removed the windshield and gasket from my Z by using a couple of wide putty knives. I think I started in the center and slowy worked towards the outer edges. Once I got the top edge loose I was able to push the windshield out without breaking it. But, I had to replace it anyway because it was pitted and starting to fog up. I had Triumph Auto Glass put in a new windshield. The installer came to my house and did the install. I paid $190, which included a new windshield for $146.96, a new OEM style gasket for $31.11 and $11.93 in tax. The installer even put the stainless trim back in. I've never had any problems with water leaks, the guy did a good job.

I like to look for ways to detail various items on my Z as cheaply as I can get away with. Mostly it means spending a lot of time cleaning parts. All it takes is time & elbow grease. A lot of parts can be touched up or refinished with a good cleaning and a can of spray paint. Take your time and make a plan for tackling the larger, more costly items down the road. If you're a student now, hopefully it won't be long before you're bringing home a fair paycheck with the ability to put a few bux towards your Z. In the mean time, maybe you could think of ways to earn a bit of cash for your Z fund, maybe typing papers or something? Good luck and hang in there! It took me until my mid 30's before I had the time & money to really devote to a car project.

The radiator support on my '73 was painted black. Original color was 918 orange. Mine is like a7dz's, only painted black below the round vent inlet holes. The other interesting thing I noticed is that the black paint appeared to be brushed on by the factory, not sprayed. There were even a couple of runs in it where it was brushed on too thick.

You might try adjusting the latch mechanism. I think there is a U shaped bar that the latch catches on that can be adjusted. Maybe you can get the door to pull in a little further and push the plunger in a bit more. If not, then Arne's suggestion of using a rubber foot is a good one. I'm experimenting with a couple of things for refreshing the silver finish in the interior. The local Hobby Lobby craft store has a couple of different Silver Leaf products that are used for duplicating a metal finish. I found a wax based product called Rub 'n Buff silver leaf 76370K that might work well. It looks like it will give a good satin silver finish. I'm going to try it on a few interior items. I'm also going to try some silver leaf foil. It's a bit more involved to work with, as it requires an adhesive to get it to stick to the surface you want to highlight. Once it is trimmed it can be coated with a gloss sealer, which I hope might give more of a chrome like appearance. I'll post photos of the results when I get it done.

I have a 5 hp Craftsman compressor with a 40 gallon tank. It runs off 110V. Can't remember the CFM rating right off. It does well for most tasks. Great for running an impact wrench & air ratchet, not so good with a DA or inline sander. I have to wait for it to catch up when I use the sanders, but they use a lot of air. It does pretty good with a spray paint gun. I bought a cheap HVLP gun at Harbor Freight and used it to paint my Z. Turned out great. If you plan to used tools that require a lot of air then follow ezzzzz's advice, get a 220V unit, the biggest you can find with a high CFM rating.

Just a guess, but I think it's a measurement for the mounting screw, specifying a maximum distance of 8 mm? It looks like a diagram showing the hex headed mounting screw on the left, a lock washer and some sort of isolator.

Check MSA or Victoria British. I seem to recall seeing a rear sway bar for a 240Z in their catalogs.

Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is a set of new bumpers. '73 240Z Merry Christmas everyone! May 2006 be filled with good health, good friends, and a good Z!

It might cost a bit more, but the two sources listed below may be able to build a new harness for you. www.painlesswiring.com www.wire-works.com

Sure is one nice looking Z. I wonder what the reserve is set at?

You might consider plugging the holes with a threaded plug instead of welding them closed. You should be able to get the proper size & thread plugs at a good hardware store. A bit of teflon tape on the threads will get them to seal up good. I've got a '73 with a balance tube from a '71. Everything plugged except the port for the PCV valve and the brake booster/automatic transmission kick down, which use the same port. The fitting screwed into the balance tube connects to the brake booster hose and has a tee for the transmission kick down hose.

If the car is in as good of shape as it looks in the pictures, $4,500 seems like a very good price. To my mind a '60's muscle car looks better with the engine compartment painted black, but the engine looks clean and well maintained. All in all one nice looking Z. Between me, my wife and my two kids we already have 9 vehicles around the house: '73 240Z '64 Chevy Impala '75 Chevy Caprice convertible '91 Cadillac Allante '95 Ford F150 '91 Nissan Altima '04 Chevy Trailblazer '88 Toyota Celica '00 Jeep Cherokee I'd love another Z project, but I'm not sure the neighbors would approve. Dad already gives me grief about the 'used car lot' in my driveway and in front of the house. I'm afraid the city might come around and start taxing me extra or something... That said, I'm tempted to go have me a look!

Air tools are the way to go. Get a decent sized air compressor and a good impact wrench. You won't need to usea cheater on a breaker bar any more!