Arne

Yeah, the best way to get those heads is by getting a complete engine - much cheaper that way. I too picked up an unmilled small chamber E88 on a nice L24 block, for $100 in my case. And that also included a flywheel I needed, as well as a good hatch support strut and a decent pair of 240Z taillights. I figure I did OK.

Have you rolled or driven the car yet? Or did you just sit it back on the ground as is? The suspension will 'hang' in the up position until you move the car and let the suspension 'relax'. The alignment will be whacked while it is that way too.

There's a guy in my area who'll sell you a whole L24 for $200, with the E31 on it. Problem is, the engine is out of a 73, so I fear the head may have been milled before.

Aren't the Porsche wires Beru?

I've seen their work - it is first class. And I have bought an E12-80 ignitor from them as well, great people to deal with. But it was like $750 to have my dash harnesses restored, I ended up replacing it with a good used one for $75 or so.But for a concours level restoration the harnesses they do are near perfect.

I'm pretty sure that my car (10/70) has metal coat hangers as well, but I'm not certain that the ones in my car are exactly the same as in Chris' picture. I'll have to look when I get home. (If I remember.)

I went through this recently, had to replace my car's dash harnesses and fusebox. There are no aftermarket harnesses that are custom for Z's. Worse, there are piles of different choices for different years of Z's as well. You will need to figure out which harness your car has, and then hunt down good used ones. I tried Charlie in my search for harnesses. Unfortunately for me, what I needed was the same as he needs for his current personal resto project, so he wasn't willing to part with any until he knows that his car is OK. I got mine from John at Bad Dog Parts. Parts were good, and the price was right.

Yeah, REAL close.

I think you'll find most of us prefer the stock NGK plugs in our L-series engines. As for wires, you'll hear a whole lot of different opinions, but you don't have to pay a lot for fancy wires to get good ones. The blue NGK aftermarket wires are actually quite good.

Final update - the engine turned out not to be as early as it was claimed, or as it looked in the small, blurry picture. It appears to be a run of the mill '73 with an E31 head on it. Everything else (carbs, airbox, etc.) is stock '73. Since I already have a rebuildable '73 long block, the only advantage would have been the E31. And I know my E88 hasn't ever been milled, can't say the same about this E31.

I happened to re-open this thread, and I now know a bit more about the brake lights on the 240Zs. On the series 1 cars (like mine), all six bulbs in the red sections are used as brake lights. In the later 240Zs, the inner bulb on the top is only used as a tail light. So most 240Zs only have 4 bulb brake lights. That is what confused the issue, I'm sure.And as for their use as a fog lamp, for the most part that is exactly what the rear fog lamps in Europe are - a brighter tail light that can be switched on in inclement weather to enhance the visibility of your car to people following you.

Who ever was driving that car is crazy! :eek: :eek: :eek:

I believe so, yes.Are you planning to use a P79 head?

Thanks, Jon!

As I prepare to swap a four speed in place of my car's automatic, I find that I almost blew it. The pressure plate that I was planning to use doesn't match the throw-out bearing collar I have. Not a big issue since I discovered it now, as I have the proper pressure plate as well. But the new disk I have is the 75-83 225mm disk, not the earlier 70-74 225mm disk. Anyone know if there is really any functional difference? I have an early one to compare with, and there certainly doesn't appear to be any dimensional or design difference. Yet MSA's catalog does list a different disk for those years. So short version - Can I use a 75-83 clutch disk with a 70-74 pressure plate?

Does it die suddenly? Or just progressively slow down until it dies?

But it's much harder to find a decent 510 today than it is to find a nice 2002.

My favorite old BMW was the '81 323i that I owned for 5 years. For those of you here in the US, the 323i was not normally sold here. Imagine a 320i with small 240Z-like chrome bumpers, 4 wheel disc brakes and a 2.3 liter six cylinder. It was a great all around fun small sedan.

As I mentioned in the other thread, you have stumbled on to the complexity of the ignition switch. I believe that the black/white wire to the coil is the one that is powered when the key is turned to start. If so, the fact that it activates the starter doesn't surprise me at all, as the two circuits are probably interconnected. From memory, I think the wire you want is green/white. That one would have normally gone to the ballast resistor, which then goes to the coil. That's the wire that should supply the coil for normal running.

Yes and no. There are plenty of 14" performance tires. But very few in the relatively large 14" sizes that the S30s require.

There is a lot more to wiring this up than first appears to the eye, as the ignition switch itself is fairly complex. For example, on a 240Z the switch has two wires to energize the coil - one in the run position, and one in the start position. Some circuits get power in the accessory position, others in the run position. To do it right will take some studying of the diagram so that you understand what functions the original switch is providing. Frankly, I understand electrical quite well, but I'd far rather replace the worn lock tumbler than re-wire the ignition.

(Note: I originally posted this to the other thread, but since this one is where the action seems to be, I'll post it here too.) Welcome! Your car and mine came off the line relatively closely. Mine is 12746, also 10/70 build. Same color as well. Interestingly, my car had a non-turbo 280ZX engine in ti when I got it, complete with the injection and sketchy wiring. The injection on mine has been replaced by carbs, and the wiring replaced. Lots left to do.

I went through this with my last specialty car - a '67 MGB. I did a complete, bare tub, ground up restoration on it. I discussed insurance options with many people, and came to the conclusions that true "Agreed Value" or specialty insurance such as Hagerty's did not suit my needs. I too planned to drive the MG to work, etc. I ended up with a normal policy (through State Farm) with the addition that they had a notarized copy of a professional appraisal of the finished car on file, both at my local agent's office and in the Regional office. I paid about as much for the MG as I did for our 5 year old family car. This must have worked, as about a year and a half later, the MG had an unfortunate run-in with some wildlife. The car was over 25 years old at the time. You can guess what the "average market value" was on a 25 year old MG at the time. The repairs were over $4000 - they paid without a single comment. When my 240Z is finished, I plan to do it the same way again.

The RX7 pump is a good option, if you can find one. Several people run the carb'd RX7 pump - beandip for one. But I couldn't find an RX7 pump locally or affordably, so that's why I went with the one I did.

The Facet brand pumps are said to be noisy. The one I bought locally is the one in the link below. I got it from my locally owned parts house for $30. That pump is marketed under numerous brand names, and is available in a 2.5-4.5 psi version, as well as a 4-7 psi version. It is fairly quiet when mounted directly to the body, and totally silent when mounted to the cylinder head as mine is now. http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/fuel/fp201.htm