Arne

My point exactly, Chris. For a car that continually gets press as "one of the most significant cars of the past 50 years" and other such accolades, the parts situation is frustrating. When I restored my MGB 10 years back I was over-run with choices in most every category. Things that 240Z owners can only dream of were just a phone call away. (Complete repro wiring harnesses, for example.) Shoot, I had less problem finding parts (here in the states) for my '81 BMW 323i, a model that was never officially imported.

Don't get me wrong, I too like 308s. If I was going to buy an "exotic" a 308 would be high on my list.

Heads up, people. The Monza exhaust system for 240Z is now NLA. Last week it was shown as "not currently available" on Black Dragon's website. Today, it is not shown or listed there at all. It has been missing from the Pacesetter website for quite some time. I suspect that it has been officially discontinued by Pacesetter for a while, and BD has finally 'exhausted' their supply. Unless I've missed something, this leaves only the MSA systems (various 2.5" turbo and the 'twice-pipes") as the only remaining pre-fab 240Z exhausts. A pretty sad state, IMO.

I've got the shirt, but can't grow a mustache of that caliber. I know what picture you're thinking of, Stephen. You're probably right, you should resist the temptation.

Z heads are aluminum - magnets don't help. The grease is essential.

Far be it from the likes of me to make note of that. I mean, it's not like I have never ignored instructions or advice in my enthusiastic haste before. I've got a small story on tap, once I get a few more miles on the car to confirm that I have truly fixed a recurring issue. And trust me, it doesn't reflect well on my ability to follow directions either.

Brandon, it's interesting to note that your E34 and my E36 have similar upgrades. Clear lens signals, euro-ellipsoid lights, Schnitzer wheels.

The logo is not a 'D', but is a stylized 'A' for Appliance Industries. They called those "Wire Mags". Yours look like the 14x6 size, they were also made in 14x7 for the Z. Yours appear to be the earlier style using normal diameter mag lug nut, although the shanks are a bit shorter than average at 0.55". They will probably have the word "JAPAN" cast in the back side. Appliance went bankrupt many years ago. Caps and lugs that fit properly are available from Masseys in Oklahoma.

I'm going to assume you mean when I'm not driving the 240Z. Because I do drive it regularly, generally commute to work in it at least once a week, if not more. When I'm not driving the Z, I use one of the following: '96 BMW 328i - 5 speed, Sport Package, euro-ellipsoid headlights and AC Schnitzer wheels. '91 VW Jetta GLI 16v - Purchased new in '91, mostly driven by my son these days. Euro-H4s, TechTonics exhaust, Neuspeed suspension, Momo wheels. '92 BMW K75RT - also purchased new, in '93.

Can't pull the driveshaft on a Z, either auto or manual. All the oil will run out.The only exception is for S30s with the early Type A 5 speed (FS5C71A) as those have a rear output flange that the driveshaft bolts to. All others use a sliding spline at the front of the driveshaft.

I seem to recall that one of the Canadian vendors (Zedd Findings or ZeddSavers) would stamp a new plate for you when you purchased one from them. There may have been some talk that proof of ownership might have been needed, like perhaps the old plate. Can't recall for certain which vendor it was.

Amazing how often this question re-surfaces. Oddly enough, the answer is always the same...

I'm onboard with both ideas – spacers to fill the flares, and taller sidewalls for the period look. But 205/55-15 isn't measurably taller than the 225/50-15, just narrower. Considering the stance of the car, I'd think about staying with 225/50 on the front, and 225/55 on the rear, except the 225/55-15 size is damn rare these days. That being the case, the only way you're going to get taller is to go narrower. Perhaps 205/55-15 front, and 215/60-15 rear.

Battery Accessory Start IGnition Radio (I think) Yes, there should be a single plug with five matching wires. Sorry, I don't have a picture.

For short term just go to your favorite local parts place and by a pair of the cheapest strut inserts they sell. Brand doesn't matter for a short term fix - Monroe, Gabriel, private label, what ever. Anything will be better than what you have now. You should be able to find a pair for say $80-100 or so.

Very true. But for half of that (say $15k or so) you can – with patience – find and buy very nice, mostly original cars with 50-100k miles or less, ready to drive, and that won't really depreciate.While I agree that the $30k asking price isn't out of line for a nice sport coupe these days, this car really ought to go to a collector who will continue to preserve it as is.

Which is exactly why it holds no interest for me. I'm an enthusiast, not a collector. I drive my cars. That car's value is in the fact that it hasn't been driven. It needs a different type of owner, someone who doesn't need to drive their cars, just wants to possess (and maybe show) the best or most special example they can find.My car isn't nearly as pristine, and has 11 times as many miles on it. But if I take mine on a 300 mile cruise, its value doesn't drop...

Later '73s had the mounts on the body, but the bar itself wasn't standard in the US until the '74 260Z. So I would not have expected to see a bar there on your car. I know that beandip added a 260Z rear bar to his '73, so that's easy, once you locate the bar itself. I don't think the 280Z rear bars are interchangeable.

If it were me, I'd try to un-bend the bracket. If you bent it back down until the grill mount was correct, at least you'd be pretty confident that the valance mount is in the correct spot. If you build a plate the valance mount location is only a guess. Those spot welds are stronger than you might think. On a related note, now that I've seen the original instructions and that Carl explained preloading the back edge to use the holes in the radiator support, I checked my spook to see if I could move it enough to use the radiator support holes. As I had feared, I originally mounted mine about 10mm (3/8") too far forward. But after pulling the spook off and checking, I was able to re-mount it farther back and use the proper mounting holes without much hassle. Slotted a few holes and all is well. Don't know that it looks any different, but I'm happier knowing that it is mounted correctly.

Just checked mine – it is as Mike describes. The grill mounts to the top hole, which has a welded captive nut. The bottom hole is empty.

I went out and measured from the inside surface of the valance to the center of the bolt, it's exactly one inch, as closely as I can measure.

I suspect you'll find the penny was brazed on, probably to plug a small leak. A cheap and easily available patch.

Nope, you're not a dope. I can't type.Mine measures exactly 39", not the 38" I posted earlier. Sorry about that.

Mine is exactly 38" across the leading edge.Mine appears to be exactly the same as the '72 part that Carl posted.

Looks like yours is pulled up too high in the center. Are you sure your center mount bracket is correct and correctly mounted?