DeesZ

Really good point on the idle setting! Also, in your shoes as things seem to be fresh back from the 'Z-guy', I'd take it back to him and let him have a chance to give you what you paid for, a reasonably good running car. If he knows his stuff, this should be a quick fix since he's aware of what he's done up to this point, and something has changed recently from when it ran well. Perhaps the bolts were not seated tightly enough on the distributor allowing it to shift slightly (which would alter your timing), or something simple like that? Personally I think that Sea Foam may get some crap out of the engine, but I still leaning to the more mechanical adjustments as being the root. In his post Z train kinda summed it up pretty well.

The heat treatment usually works very well, I agree. I've also been known to get it hot around the case and then apply an ice cube to the plug itself.... If I recall from physics class that compounds the dynamic of altering the change in metal sizes and helps free up the plug. It's worked well for me more than once with stubborn drain/filler plugs. On the other hand, I haven't looked at a physics book for 40+ years, so maybe I'm the one who needs advice.

This is just my opinion and practice. Some folks will take issue with it because this seems to be an overly sensitive subject, but hey, it works for me, and it's pretty much what the FSM recommends. I have used 10-30 mostly. In the old days Penzoil or Quakerstate were my choice because they were rendered from Pennsylvania crude oil (which has been argued to be one of the best crudes available). Today I don't think either are from that source any longer. I now use Castrol 10-30. I will say this, going 'back' to 10-30 after you use 20-50 for an extended time may cause excessive burning of the oil (I guess from blow-by). I had that happen back in the '70s. My old store became a Castrol distributor and I was able to get a great deal at cost or promotional courtesy/gift/bribery. 20-50 GTX came on the scene and was a huge hit with everyone, so I switched over at the encouragement (actually bribery) of the Castrol rep. The stuff was great - no question about it. But in the north-east when winter hit hard the car did not seem to be able to crank as fast as I wished it would and starting before killing the battery became an issue. Mr. Castrol suggested that the heavier oil could be slowing things down a bit so he gave me a case of 10-30 to see if that took care of the problem (he wanted me real happy since I was in the position to recommend his products above those of several competitors). It was the fix that I needed for the sluggish starting in bitter weather issue. But there was the issue of oil consumption after the switch-back. If I'd get on it at all, there would be blue smoke out the back. Switched back to 20-50 & smoke went away. Made me happy that I wasn't facing a major repair. That 20-50 performed flawlessly for about 8 more years until I sold the car. It did leave me more at the mercy of bitter cold weather with the starting issue. I thought about getting a heated dipstick like I had when in Alaska, but a trucker friend of mine suggested a 100W light bulb under the hood beside the block overnight with the hood closed. Worked like a charm for many cold winters even with the 20-50. My current 240Z doesn't need racing oil; the 10-30 gives me comfort of knowing that I am protected well at start-up with the thinner low-end & adequately with anything I am going to throw at it with the 30 at the high end. Keep in mind that the oils today are superior to those that were commonly available in the '70s when the factory recommended 10-30 for temps ranging from -5 ~ +105degF. As I said right up front; just my opinion and practice, for which I see no compelling reason to change at this time. I could be persuaded to change with some good reasoning..... just haven't found it yet.

From my experience, "run-on" is most often caused by a timing issue. Fuel could also be involved. Make sure that you have good fresh fuel. Mine (straight stock) runs flawlessly on 87 octane as it is supposed to. Valve clearance adjustment or excessive carbon in the combustion chamber could be at issue too. Try the process of elimination doing the easiest first - timing adjustment. Work your way up to the harde$t task, that of removing the head to get the carbon out - also, some folks like to run Sea Foam through the engine to loosen up carbon - many swear by this solution and you will find some threads on it here in the archives. Please let us know what you find.

240ZX, I agree with you. I have discovered that this winter as well; the pause in cranking does really help the starting process. I have a couple gear reduction starters out in the garage from previous projects, so I think I'll test one and install it too.

I'm in Pennsylvania and it can get pretty cold here. Longer starts on cold days are normal in my routine. My '72 is like that now and my new '72 back in the day was exactly the same right out of the showroom. Cold weather is not the friend of the L24, and a good battery is imperative if you want to drive.

Great thread on Libre wheels. I've learned more about them here in 5 minutes than I have been able to while looking for a set for the last 8 months! In my search I have been able to locate several sets of Libre knock-offs (Shelby Viper, no names, etc.) and a set of American Racing that I just couldn't afford. (If anyone has a set of 14" AR Libre for sale please PM me!) The Knock-offs do come in several wider configs, and from 20 feet away look like Libres but I'd like to stick with AR, and their 5.5" will suit any needs that I will have. The classic look of that design on a 240Z (for me) is tough to beat. Thanks to all for sharing your knowledge.

I removed mine from my '72 - pain in the arse in my book. If interested, the parts are still in the garage; make me an offer - I am tired of moving them around.

We vare very fortunate that we all do not have the same tastes in cars, or for that matter, in women, or anything else! If we did, nothing satisfying would be affordable to the majority of us. We were all created as unique individuals and thankfully our "tastes" are part of the differences among us.

I had just turned 22.... Got a '72 in '73..... Orange with white interior. Kept it for about a decade and was forever sorry about letting it go. Took care of that by getting another '72 several years ago.

well then, a redneck I am..... and proud of it.

Yeah, I've got the same disease. I've come close to bringing home several whole cars, too, but thought better of the idea. Soon all I will need is a shell and I'll build another. I had the same sickness with an old Jeep that I had, and when I sold it I got as much for the parts as I did for the vehicle. That investment (the parts) out did my 401K by leaps and bounds. All I gotta do is live long enough, and so should this one. It keeps me out of the bars and opium dens (being too poor to frequent them).

The business is health insurance.... The labor force has always been heavy on the female end. I started there 25 years ago and the ratio was 80/20% female heavy. Now it's about 90/10. I really enjoyed the odds when I was 30, but that was a long time ago. Too bad I'm in geezer status. Believe me, it's not the picnic that some would imagine. I'm lucky, I can pretty much come and go (depending on how many business needs I can drum up). "Every 28 days...." Nope. That's every day. The cycles only seem to coordinate in little work clusters, so you learn which area to avoid based on the calendar. Funny this thread came up today.... this was one of those days when I was in the wrong place at the wrong time..... it was a true test of skill and strength. Don't get me wrong, some of them are true joys that you'd be happy to take home to yo mommy..... some represent the other side of the coin. I guess it's kinda like the old bell curve with the majority in the 'neutral' middle and small but very identifyable extremes on the ends.

Most women That means that EVERY SINGLE DAY, I drive past at least one female that has a lousy love life, thinks men are her biggest problem, has seriously considered suicide or homicide, has PMS, and is armed. Give her the finger? I don't think so. I work with about 2000 women that commute to work each day. I'm not that worried about my drive in, I just hope that they had a good one. I know several women that fall into that category. They wouldn't even give someone the opportunity to flip the bird. So actually, if you survive long enough to do so, you are probably safe.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=16389&stc=1&d=1170563765 This is what came on the car several years ago. They are from an old Max I'm pretty sure. I really didn't like them at first but they have grown on me. My wish is to get a nice set of American Racing Libre like I had way back when, but it seems lots of other people have the same idea.

I agree. Getting what I want when I want it is not always an option - for me anyway. I must focus on "needs" first, and there is always a list of those that takes priority over "wants. There are those who have the means to get whatever they want when they want it at any cost. Money removes the need to exercise patience. All ebay needs is two or more of them and we're off to the races! The bright spot in that I guess is that factor of enjoyment. Those of us that skrimp to get something seem to enjoy it more and take better care of it. By the same token, without that "dearness", whatever those folks buy at a high price often hits the market and gets resold at a lower more reasonable price. Heck, that's how I fell into the Z I have now..... a guy threw money at it, imported from the West Coast to East, drove it for a year, fixed many issues, and got tired of it shortly thereafter. He didn't even have enough interest to make up a good listing for eBay when he sold it. That cost him a bundle - bought high & sold low, but he just didn't care; had to move on to something else and had no patience when he needed room in the garage. Should we call this the "capitalistic free market system redistribution of wealth"? I find having to wait frustrating, but the eventual ownersgip very gratifying. (I'm heading out to buy a PowerBall ticket now.... the older I get, the less time I have to wait for things.)

The '72 that I bought new was orange with a white interior. The complete interior (except the standard black rugs and belts) was white as I recall. The '72 that I have now has a red interior with all matching as mentioned above.

I had a base unit in mine mounted behind the passenger seat. I used a removable attachment device that let me slide the unit in & out with ease - all connections were made by contacts on the two piece mounting brackets (one permanently attached to each the car and radio unit). The challenge was a good antenna that didn't look funky. I found one that was electric up/down and looked almost exactly like the OEM unit. It worked rather well for me for years and several trips cross-country when I was in the service. If good functioning hand-held units were available back then I would have given them serious consideration for the portability and anti-theft features. I think I still have the unit somewhere out in the shed but the antenna is long gone.

I feel badly for those of us that have been burned, too. eBay is simply a marketplace for exchanging goods, providing a cyber-venue for buyers and sellers to meet and make exchanges. Patience and caution are your best friends when it comes to spending money on eBay; for that matter, anywhere. I bought my '72 through eBay. It was far from the first one that I considered for a purchase. In every case I made contact with the sellers. Their "responses" can tell you a lot about them and their goods. No response = no bids. Actually "speaking" with them can tell you a lot as well. A seller playing dumb, or too polished and practiced, should throw up caution signs. You can tell a lot about how "genuine" someone is by having a conversation with them. If I'm spending several K, I will speak with them at length first. During those conversations some ground rules can be laid, too. Bottom line is if I can't see it, touch it, poke & probe it with magnets, etc., I am buying a pig-in-a-poke (southern expression for something assumed to be as represented by the seller but you haven't actually seen it..... you are going on trust / faith / hope). There is where we can all get into quicksand. I'm pretty trusting, making an assumption that most other people are as honest as I wish to be. This is not the case. There is the old saying "caveat emptor", Latin for "let the buyer beware". There is no substitute for a hands-on inspection by someone who knows what they are looking at and what to look for. The network we have here is strong and wide; there is great potential for us to serve each other when it comes to buying a car that is too far away to put your own hands on personally. I'm in south-central Pennsylvania.... very few for sale around here in the last decade, but if you find one, I'll be pleased to try to arrange a look-see on your behalf. For my purchase I resolved to wait until there was one available that suited me that was within a 4-hour drive so that I could go see it. A few hours on the road was well worth the time spent. If I can be of assistance, let me know. Is it worth starting a "register" of names and locations of people willing to take a few steps to help out a club member who is a potential buyer? Does anyone have a list of inspection points available that we could agree upon as a "standard" of sorts? I think there is some potential here for us to serve each other. Thanks - Sorry for the long winded post.

This seller sure knows something about photography and subject presentation. It's a job well done. Y'all are correct that the information from the earlier auction is a good supplement to this newer listing. It would seem that the first auction went a bit 'pricey', at least more than I would have considered bidding. Interesting that it still has the same California plates on it too.

A picture of an 05/1972 should be attached for your reference.

I brought my baby back a truckload of spare parts from a junkyard! Really favorable weather in the north-east gave me an opportunity to troll a yard last Saturday where several Z's are ending their days in pergatory. The spare parts inventory is growing and she's happy for now looking forward to having a new head and a hundred pounds of small spares waiting in the wings. Also am prepping a cam cover (almost done) polished up, detailed, and soon installed to dress up the top end. (got about 5 of them now - can't quit buying them; they can be beautiful).

I had the exact same experience buying a radio on eBay. Your story was like reading my own! I knew that faceplates are hard to come by, so I exercised my right to return the unit for a refund. I bought another complete unit on eBay two weeks later (and insisted on extra packaging material). Complete units turn up on eBay all of the time (half of them with broken faceplates), and a nice faceplate alone is much less common of a find...... (that's what I've seen, anyway). Good luck.

Hi, Louise.... Welcome! The following link may help you. It's not in Florida, but some folks here in the north-east USA have had good luck with this supplier. I'm sure other members can supplement this hint with personal experiences. The supplier is Tabco. http://www.tabcobodyparts.com/html/table_of_contents.htm

I would welcome this type of information. My only suggestion would be to "stick to the facts" and avoid opinions (as stated before) and keep everything in tune with good spirit and intent. Pricing is a very opinion-oriented topic; the seller has an opinion and the buyers each have their own opinions as well. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, right? I would offer up a pricing opinion if asked to do so and it was subject to comment by other club/board members. Personally, I think the ethical dilemma arises if you are aware of something critical and do not pass it on to others who may be impacted.