Arne

Without knowing the year it's hard to say. The wiring varies from year to year.

Go to the dealer and buy one? http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=240Z-HORN

No opinion. As Jon noted, we can't see the water passages. Plus I'm still of the opinion that for a street engine, the difference between an E31 and say... an E88 or N42 probably isn't noticeable.I don't think I'd want to pay all that much for it, regardless.

There's one on eBay now... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Nissan-240Z-E31-Aluminum-head-w-o-h-cam-1970s_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33617QQihZ017QQitemZ270011001573QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Update - By the time you get to a 4/71 build date, the fusebox changes from long to short pigtail. The tail-light wiring is also slightly different by that point.I still recommend one of two courses on this topic - either find the correct harness(es) for your car's build date, or change it all. I still have some reservations about the wiring on my car, and will save the entire wiring system out of the 4/71 parts car I recently got, to install later if it seems appropriate. (Probably when I strip it for rust and paint.)

I'm watching those already. Any bets whether they go for at least $300?

Dear Lord, please let someone tool up for a reproduction of the chrome center trim for a 240Z tail light. That way, those of us who want nice taillights for our non-trailer-queens will be able to afford them. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=110008839825&ih=001&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

Jenny, while you do live in an area where there are more Z's available than in many parts of the country, finding what you want will be difficult. First, there aren't a whole lot of '70-71 240Z left these days, what with rust, accidents and such. Of those, blue is/was uncommon, and with a blue interior decidedly so. Add the final criteria that you need one ready to drive, and it's going to be hard. My recommendation would be to be open to a little wider range of cars. Maybe consider '72-73 240Zs as well, and since the blue upholstery can still be purchased, don't rule out a blue car with black or white. In fact, there was a really nice one owner '73 for sale at the Datsun gathering in Canby last month - it was blue, well maintained and ready to drive. I think it was a black interior, but that could be dealt with. As I recall it, he was asking $10k for it. Maybe someone got his name?

Lots of places still have them or can get them. The major brands that are still available are KYB, Tokico (both normal and adjustable versions), Monroe Sens-a-trac, and Koni. All are gas-filled except the Konis. The KYBs and Tokicos can be ordered from MSA or Black Dragon, among others. If KYBs are what you decide on, you can get them from this guy on eBay for $140 delivered. He almost always has a set offered. One thing to note - most people notice that gas struts with factory springs tends to raise the ride height some.

I did the one out of my parts car today. It's been running for over two and a half hours now, a new record for me and Z clocks! I took some pictures when I did it, so I thought I'd add them as visual aides. The file names are descriptive.

Does the manifold only have two studs per carb? Any pictures?

I agree with this in theory, and actually planned to use a stock manifold on my car. However - this is only great advice if you already have a stock manifold that it is really good shape.My car had (and still has, for now) an '83 L28 in it. P79 head with round ports. I'm going back to a stock L24 which will have square ports. So the 280ZX cast manifold won't work. Which prompted me to begin looking for a stock 240Z manifold. And I found that good ones are darn hard to find. First, almost all of them have broken and rusted flange studs. Every one I saw needed them to be drilled out and tapped. Second, many of them still have broken and rusted air injection rails still attached. And as with the flange studs, they are typically rusted solid. Drilling those out is a much more difficult job than the flange studs. Lastly, how many of us have seen L-series engines with one or both of the exhaust studs at the front and/or rear of the head broken? This apparently happens because over a period of many years the cast manifolds warp. They get a pronounced bow to them and exert downwards pressure on the end studs. Eventually the stud breaks off. Many of the used cast iron manifolds you might come across will be warped in this way. Place a straight-edge along the bottom of the ports and you'll see what I mean. So after working on all this, drilling, tapping and such on a used manifold that is less warped than many (but still noticeably warped), I'm going to cut my losses and use a header instead. Not for performance so much as to save myself a whole lot of time and effort.

I'm pretty sure the even the early cars came with these originally. My '71 has them, as does the '71 parts car I bought recently. You've pretty much figured it out, the center slides over the tad on the pad backing plate, and the ends go under the pins. This is the only picture I could find in a hurry, sorry it's not more clear.

Any of the three will work fine, if set up and adjusted correctly. My preference for a stock L24 would also be the round-top SUs. But to buy them from ZTherapy, you'll need a set to exchange, as ZT's are rebuilt, not new. So you may want to start shopping for a used set, first. Used ones show up on eBay frequently. I have two pairs now, as the parts car I recently bought still has a set, but I'm not ready to sell them until I find out if they're any good.

Yup. I have an E88 on my bench now that I was planning to get rebuilt. I figured it would be about $400 by the time we got all the new guides, valve and springs for it to. I think the machinist I was going to use wanted $350 or so for his part.

You're on, Jim. Bring your welder...

That's what I meant when I said that many racers are required to use the E31. The reality is that for street driving, there probably isn't a truly noticeable difference between any of them. But it's one of those things that many people obsess over endlessly.

Currently, yes. But their obsolete numbers (as I recall them from 15-20 years ago) used to be in that format. Plus, there have really only been two major shock manufacturers who actually built shocks here in the USA - Gabriel and Monroe. And much of Monroe's strut insert line was built in Belgium (by Sachs/Boge I believe). Gabriel did built inserts here, the black color is correct for Gabriel, and the number looks like an old Gabriel number. Not conclusive, but close enough that I'd bet that way if I had to bet.

LOL Let's see... There's a P79 on the L28 that's in the car now, a stripped E88 on the bench, and an E31 on the L24 that's in the parts car. I was planning to have the E88 rebuilt until I bought the parts car, but now I'll probably swap the whole engine from the parts car into the yellow car instead. I'll probably put the E88 on eBay real soon - as soon as I figure out how to prepare it for shipping.

Depends on what you have in mind for the rest of the engine, and also your driving style. Yes, the E31 will have a bit more compression, but the valves are smaller. If the engine is mostly stock, and used for normal street driving (most often under 5000 RPM), there may be a SLIGHT benefit to the E31. But for higher RPM - especially with a cam - I would think the larger valves would more than make up for the slight difference in compression. I also have the feeling that the E31 has a 'magical' reputation that may not be totally deserved. People assume that since it gives the most compression, was the original pre-smog head, and is used by racers, that it must be "the best". But remember there's a lot more to power than compression, and that the racers use it in many cases because they are required to do so. All this is just theory for me, as I have no personal experience with either at this time. But based on my knowledge of engines from decades of tinkering, that's my gut feeling.

Of all the later more modern alloys, I personally like the six points best. Polished up with a bit of color in the spoke recess (either contrasting or to match the body), they're definitely one of the nicer-looking 14" options, IMO. It's not the look I have in mind for my car, but I still like it.

OK, I had found that set. I guess I better get to cleaning mine up. Maybe later this winter...

I'm pretty certain that is a Gabriel part number, and the black color is right for Gabriel as well.

And if you're too lazy to do it yourself, I think if you ask around you'll find that local radiator shops can do this without the hassle of shipping it.

Where? I have a set that came on my parts car that I'd be happy to sell soon.