240ZX

I suppose for $600.00 it would be worth getting. I always have to laugh when a seller states that their Z has no rust! Especially when in the photos they've posted, it is clear that it has rust....hummmm? :stupid: Are these people full of bull dodo...I mean they obviously haven't even looked at their own photos. I just can't imagine finding an early Z with zero rust, unless the car had been maticulously cared for and kept out of the elements...in which case the price of the Z would certainly reflect that fact. But again, for $600.00 it's surely worth it.

There have certainly been many SR20 & RB conversions, and sticking with a Nissan engine is not anything new for the Nissan purists. But my feelings are; once you yank the L6 out of the Z, it has lost some of its original personality! Please don't get me wrong, I'm not apposed to anyone stuffing in whatever sort of engine they wish, I was just agreeing that the lowest cost per horse power is a SBC conversion! Additionally, I don't think the Nissan chassis cares or even knows what engine sits within.....only the owner really cares. The only negative thing I can think of by stuffing in a Nissan V6 is complying with the current smog nazi's.

Chris, If it feels like the throttle is trying to stick open under full pedal down accelleration, it may be a broken or worn out engine mount isolator. If the left hand insulator (engine mount) has failed, it will allow the engine to torque to the right. With the design of the early Z throttle linkage, in conjunction with a failed LH engine mount, the throttle will be forced to the full open position. Not a fun thing to have happen during a tense situation. I had this happen to me years ago. I replaced the engine mount.....problem gone! Just a thought!

You got to remember, the L6 engine is over 30 years olds in design. You will definitely want to address the head gasket and studs. Just about any mod can be done to an engine, but that doesn't mean it is the right thing to do...speaking about the SR20 engines! There is always a price to pay for performance.....the more you squeeze out of it, this shorter it's life will be. Extreme example; whats the run life of a AA/F dragster......maybe a minute if your lucky! I quess it's just a matter of what and how you want to do it....and of course how much time and $$$ you want to through at it.

I agree! I think if you are looking for horsepower (lots of it), you can get the best bang for the buck by doing a SBC conversion. Be advised however, once you wander into the relm of over 300 HP in an early Z, you want to consider addressing the stiffness of the chassis, the strength of the drivetrain components, and the efficiencey of your brakes (to slow the beast down). JTR has conversion kits available for the SBC. It all a matter of time and $$$.

Always learn to use the search function, to check out the hundreds of posts that have been made on just about any subject you can think of on a Z car. It's likely been addressed at one time or another. If you don't find enough info here, try looking at HybridZ. They have tons of info on this subject, and alot more. Happy hunting!

Garth makes a good point! You should be more concerned about the overall condition of the car and not where it came from. The seller may be using this line as a sales point as typically California and Arizona cars are subjected to less harsh conditions as occur on the east coast. However, I've seen California cars that were rust buckets because the owner lives at the beach and parks the car outside in the weather. Check the usual areas on the car that are prone to rust....under the battery tray, rocker panels, floor boards, hatch area, etc., etc. Also, look under the car for possible damage to the chassis....basically, is it straight. Just some food for thought!

Just a technical note.....the SUs are a side draft carbs, not a down draft.

Since neither of you mentioned filters.....It's highly recommended to use filters in a fuel system.....one pickup filter between the tank and pump and one filter (fine element) just before the regulator.

Excellent point there George!!! Time will tell. Everytime I see these natural disasters and how quickly life as we usually know it stops, it reminds me how easy it could happen to any of us if something disrupts the basic things we all depend on...like water, food, electricity, and sewage. I quess what I'm trying to say is, be prepared the best you can and do think about the consequences if you don't plan ahead. It is certainly sad that all these people are now scratching to survive. Fortunetly, life goes on...just not very smoothly in this case.

Here's an additional thought. I learned this years ago with a 289 mustang I had. What I'm talking about is the routing of the plug wires! On the mustang, if plug wires were routed next to each other, that in the firing sequence fired right after the adjacent wire, it would cause a miss fire. So, if the firing order is 153624, you dont want 1&5, 5&3, 3&6, 6&2, 2&4, and 4&1 next to eachother. Does this make any cents?

Regard the question on the drive shafts...I believe they are the same, not replacable. However, a good driveline shop can take care of that issue.

If the engine hasn't be run in a couple of years, it may be a good idea to change the oil/filter and also remove the plugs and squirt a small bit of 30w into each cylinder before cranking it over. If you've taken a compression test on an engine thats been sitting that long, its likely to show lower compression than it would if it was a daily runner. New plugs, point/condenser (if you have them), rotor/rotor cap, and maybe even plug wires are always a good think as well.

What type of distributor are you running. If it is a stock points type unit, the points may be floating at 5K and above. Just a thought!

That's the route I took as well. Funny thing was, when I first did the upgrade I wasn't aware of using the diode! So, quess what...I started the car, everything was fine and I thought to myself...another fine job except when I went to shut off the engine....surprise, surprise, it kept running :disappoin . Made a few calls and a trip to the local electronics store and installed the diode Eric is talking about. Been working perfectly ever since.

What ever happened to SEXY looking cars....you know, like the early Z cars with nice flowing lines. Some times I get the feeling, with focus on cost savings now days, that the design studios can only afford to hire designers with little or no taste (well, maybe the designers do have talent, but the people who make the final decisions do not...and I'll bet their favorite animal is the toad ), or they scower kindergarder classes for ideas! Why is it that most all new car designs (visually anyway) look just like the other guys, or worse. OK, I guess I'll have to exclude the new vette. Do you think Nissan could build a car to compete with the new vettes and at a similar price? I would think so!

I also have to agree with all the votes for gun metal...with or without polished lip. Would look outstanding on a blue Z!

IIRC, Victoria British sells the replacement hard lines.

I believe this question has been asked so many times by so many people! A simple search of the archives will reveal a load of post on just this subject. Myself, I have 17" x 9" wheels on the rear of my 240. No rubbing with the stock flare however, I do have sectioned struts, coilover shocks w/ 8" free length springs, and 235-40 x 17 Yokohama's. The question was asked...Why would you want 17" x anything? Because you can, that's why. Why do some people like black shoes as compared to brown shoes? Because that's what they prefer. Wouldn't life be boring if everyone walked the same path!

You can have the head surfaced, but at some point which I can't recall, you will also need to shim the cam towers to compensate for the head resurfacing.....IIRC, it has to do with the cam timing and chain tensioning. If you have a basically stock motor, either head will work just fine. The N42 has bigger valve than does the E88, by the way!

Brian, Regarding the dash, you can also look into a "full dash cap". They run just under $100.00 and are relatively simple to install....although patients helps, and depending on the condition of your existing dash. When done properly, they look great, with very little trace of it being a dash cap.

Ian, Just get yourself a replacement oil fill cap (dealership, boneyard, or where ever) and put it on....then change your oil/filter! That should take care of the oil spray on the inside of your hood and prevent the dirt from getting into the engine. As a suggestion, purchase or borrow some books on the basics of internal combustion engines and or car systems (brakes, drivetrain, electrical,etc.)...it may help you to understand the in's and out's of engines and the car's related systems. Learning the basics is always the best place to start from....without a good foundation (understanding), you'll have a tough time building a good house...so to speak!

Have you tested the fusible link near the starter and the main chassis groung? Other than that, my only suggestion is to get out the old test light, multimeter, and schematic and start tracing down the circuits. Pain in the butt, but sometimes thats all that can be done. Some issues I ran into during my redo, were that some of the connectors appeared to be fine, but upon close inspection revealed 30+ years of corrosion! So some cleaning and some connector replacement was in order. Electrical problems can be trying at best......good luck and tell us what you find!

TomoHawk, I'm impressed! Actual relavent info. No rants from me on this one!