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 Post subject: Bringing back the RedZ
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 10:15 pm 
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Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 8:26 pm
Posts: 36
Hello all, been preparing and searching for a 240z for the past year or so, and finally pulled the trigger. I am in Milford, CT, and have met a few of you back at the meet in New Haven in May. You may remember because I rolled in in the Blue Subaru and thoroughly confused everyone. Fear not, I now belong!

(For those that frequent both forums, I am also on ClassicZ and you will find the same posts there! At least as an introduction)

I am a mechanical engineer, and come from the world of Subarus, my 2005 STI has been with me since early 2006. First car I bought myself out of college, and learned everything I know so far working on it. I probably won't keep it too much longer, with a family in the future (I am 31) and it not being terribly practical now that I have the Z for my project/fun car. It's in terrific shape, and hopefully the Z takes its place in my heart so I can let it go.

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I now own HLS30-27581. Manual, 905 Red with 29000 original miles on it. I am the second owner, the original owner living outside of Chicago, after receiving the car as a graduation present from his parents afer completing college.

The car has been in storage since 1981, but comes to me in phenomenal body condition. This is exactly what I was after, as I am very mechanically inclined, but do not yet have the skill or equipment needed to do extensive body work. Some day I will repaint it, but as far as I can tell that is a long way away and I may never need to. I specifically wanted Red, and was very impressed with the quality of the paint. There might be some evidence of touching up here and there, but I have a hard time believing it was ever fully repainted. If it was, they did a pretty good job in my opinion.

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Because of its long duration in storage, it needs a bit of mechanical work to get things running smoothly again. I will spend the winter going through each of the systems fully (hopefully with everyone here's help) and plan to be on the road in the spring with it humming nicely.

A quick primer on what I am after with this car. It will be a fun weekend car, to and from work once or twice a week on nice days during the warm months (<15 miles, no highways on that route) and possibly the occassional meet up. I'm not wanting for it to be a show car, although I do keep my vehicles in the best shape I can manage.

I want to keep it in the Z family for parts, so here is my "end goal" on an upgrade/maintenance path that will stretch out long into the future. (this is my forever project car)
-L28 (possibly rebuilt myself or by Datsun spirit)
-Ztherapy SU's
-5 speed from 280z or 280zx
-matching diff for the new tranny
-stock brake system
-electronic distributor and any other quality of life ignition upgrades
- Panasport FZ (16", possibly 15" but not sure about tires for 15)

Mostly I want to keep it looking stock and feeling stock, just bumping up the quality of life bits here and there as it makes sense.

I look forward to getting to know all of you better, and hopefully finding ways I can contribute in the future for all of the advice you will surely provide along the way.

-Dave


Last edited by DaveR on Sun Nov 29, 2015 10:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 10:16 pm 
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Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 8:26 pm
Posts: 36
Onward with the big posts!

State of the car:
For a short duration before my purchase, some friends of the original owner were helping to get some life back into the car to help in selling it. So a few parts have already been purchased, and while I will make use of them where I can... I do not plan to use anything that will not be a smart part choice in the long run. While the engine is in good health to the best of my knowledge, a lot of the other mechanics need work. It's difficult to start it now because of the fuel pump and carb issues, so that is why i want to start by addressing those areas.

Since I will be replacing so many filters, hoses, and other connecting bits, any general advice on where to find all these little pieces would be greatly appreciated.

Fuel system:
Everything is original in the car, and likely been sitting for a long time with gas in the tank. The owner kept good care of things, but I have no idea of the status of the fuel tank at the moment or if there was fuel stabilizer in it while stored.

I plan to replace all of the hosing with new and current fuel compatible replacements. Additionally, the fuel filters and anything else you guys suggest. The original mechanical fuel pump has a diaphram leak, and I have a carter mechanical fuel pump replacement ready. I have to dismantle the A/C system to install the new one, but that is in the future.

Useful advice would be appreciated about where to source the replacment hoses, and bits I need to get things flowing smoothly. Also any tips about fuel pumps (I do not want to move to electric right now, and if I ever do... I will want one that is not obnoxiously loud.)

Carburetors:
Things are pretty sticky right now, so I will have to break them down and clean and lube everything up. I plan to get the Just SU's DVD to learn my way around as I try to free everything up and get them tuned decently. Since I ultimately want to obtain Ztherapy carbs (TBD next 1-2 years), I want to limit the amount of money i spend to rebuild the stockers if possible.

Ignition:
Really want to move to an electronic ignition in the near future, probably the PerTronix one. I will obviously replace all the plugs and wires along the way.

Clutch:
Recently the Clutch slave and master were replaced. I have yet to troubleshoot it all, but hopefully not much is required besides bleeding everything.
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Tranny/Engine:
Hoping not to touch these for a while, maybe some tune up valve clearance checks on the engine. Compression tests pre-purchase were solid across the board.

Cooling:
Probably need to investigate the status of the water pump and seal, probably replacing both. Hoses as well I would imagine. Radiator is original, not sure how it is currently performing or if there was damage from sitting so long. It doesn't appear to leak when its running.

Suspension:
No idea, seems okay for now but because of the other issues I haven't had a real test drive. Appears very stock, but again... only 29k original miles.

Wheels/Tires:
Stock 14" steel rims with hubcaps. Tires are from the 80's and rotted and badly flat spotted. Will be replacing with 15 or 16 panasport and new rubber.

Brakes:
I think I will need to do a lot of work to get the brakes in order. A new master cylinder was installed, and from what I understand many future replacements require some repiping for front/back brakes. New front pads and calipers were purchased and installed, but I think i need to deeply investigate the status of the rear cylinders and drums. I expect to be rebuilding everything and replacing the hoses and such along the way.

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AC System:
We'll see what I can do about this later, for the moment I just need to get it out of the way so I can work on other things more easily.


That's all for now I think. I plan to start fully removing everything and thoroughly documenting it as I go. Then starts the slow replacement/installation of everything. Hopefully I can get this thing all squared away by summer 2016.

Thanks all
-Dave


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 7:52 am 
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Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2015 6:27 pm
Posts: 62
Location: CT 06514
Congrats beautiful Z

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HLS30-10558


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 8:02 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:16 pm
Posts: 1180
Location: Ansonia, CT
What a great find Dave! And no rust???? - WOW :o

As an original 1971 Z owner, I see you have the old style AC unit. Get rid of that boat anchor as soon as possible ( as I did) along with the other obsolete AC accessories. My York compressor and AC was a dealer installed option as was yours most likely, but my compressor was installed on the drivers side of the car. I guess each dealer had their own way of installing the AC back then and I was never happy with the operation of the AC from the beginning. I've debated whether I should install a new rotary compressor based AC system but I really like the acessibility of the engine bay withoutt the AC, and since I tend to drive the car on nice days and on mostly back country roads, I prefer to have the windows down and listen to the melody sung by my trusty old L24.

I did notice the replacement master cylinder. The old Z's do need periodic upkeep of the braking system to prevent problems down the road. They are easy to work on though and parts are still available. You should refresh the fluid every couple of years.

What was the small panel loacted on the left of the center console? Was that for the AC? My AC temperature control was located under the drivers side dash.

I would also check to see if you might need a new radiator. I installed a 4-row radiator and an upgraded plastic fan and thermo clutch which eliminated any overheating issues.

Let me know if I can be of any help Dave. You can reach me at 203-751-3015 (cell) anytime or at jfkish@sbcglobal.net.
Good Luck and I look forward to seeing you and the car soon.

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John Kish
1971 240Z - original owner


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 8:29 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
Posts: 14779
Location: CT
This is great! Thanks Dave, for joining us. Our Texas member Jim Arnett over on Classic Z suggested you look us up and here you are! TaDa!!!
That's a beautiful '71. Datsun made about 35,000 Zs that year, and they actually underwent some noticeable changes along the way, especially in the electrical dept. When/if you buy electrical components for your car, be sure to specify which month and VIN it is. The very early 1971 cars were very much like the 1970 cars (altho some parts are not interchangeable btwn them, either), but then the car changed (improved) all thru the year. Weird little things, like adding momentary wipers or high beam headlamp flashers or more speeds on the wipers or bells chimes buzzers or whistles for the sea belts, ignition and lights left on, etc. In fact, my early 1970 didn't even have seat belts and the first 500 cars didn't even have tinted glass or defroster wires in the hatch. So the 240Z changed a lot as 1971 rolled along. So the electrical part which works on one month 1971 car may not work on a later month 1971 car. By the end of 1971, the whole car was better than the original effort, altho that caused them to add about 400lbs, which made the '71s just a second slower than the lighter, earlier cars. Still plenty of power tho, and the body is stiffer than the earlier Zs. It's a nice year Z, all around.

We have a forum on here which helps you locate parts which you might need.
Here's the link: viewforum.php?f=5
We also have some outstanding professional Z mechanic shops in this Club (Bedini Motorsports: http://www.ctzcc.com/images/bedini.pdf and RDZ: http://rdzmotorsports.com/ both in New Milford). As always, members have secret caches in their garage and if you ask for something, somebody usually has it.

Like your friend over on ClassicZ, there are some S30 owner engineers on here, too, and at least one parks a Subie beside his 1970 240Z (say hi, Rich). We are all friendly in here and try our best to help each other out. Unlike the internet clubs, the CTZCC is an actual, functional Z Club, with several hundred members and cars. We meet during the Zeason and most of us know most of us. We look forward to meeting you and drooling on your Z. 8)

Frank T

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1970 240Z


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 9:38 pm 
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Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 8:26 pm
Posts: 36
Thanks for such a warm welcome. In addition to meeting a few members in May, I also stopped by the car show in September. Weather wasn't behaving so i think the turnout was a bit smaller that it might have otherwise been, but met a few nice people. I look forward to more in the future!

Thanks for the tips about the electrical. Its HLS30-27581, not sure about date of manufacture but I'll write that down soon enough.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 9:04 am 
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Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:06 am
Posts: 205
Location: NY/CT
Welcome Dave. Very nice example you have there. The 71's were an interesting mix of Series I and Series II parts. My favorite old Z's are 'drivers' with a little bit of patina. Reminds me a bit of my Z, although yours has better paint. LOL.

BTW - You mention getting into Panasports - if you ever have any interest in parting ways with those steelies and hubcaps, let me know!

Cheers,
Colin

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Colin F. Gentle
1970 Datsun 240z #11137


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 5:25 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:16 pm
Posts: 1180
Location: Ansonia, CT
Many of the parts you are looking for are still available from auto supply vendors. I just replaced my water pump with a brand new one from Autozone which only cost about $20 including the new gasket and has a limited lifetime warantee. I also bought new radiator hoses and fan belt from them as well. They may not have the part you need in stock but they usually can get it within a day or two. I also purchased a replacement fuel pump from them years ago and it has held up just fine.

I have also used Motorsport Auto (see vendor link on our CTZCC home page) for many parts purchases over the years. There are other vendors listed on the home page who can provide both new and used parts. You may want to shop for the best deals. Rock Auto is another source.

Vinny Bedini is a terrific resource for both repair and hard to get parts.

Cheers!

Spring can't come too soon!

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John Kish
1971 240Z - original owner


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 6:43 am 
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Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:48 pm
Posts: 1644
Location: Groton, CT
Congrats.... And welcome to the CTZCC

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Keith Hultmark
2009 370Z Touring - Sold (5 years owned)
1993 300ZX - Sold (5 years owned)
1976 Porsche 912E. #163 of 2200 - SOLD (3 years owned)
2018 BMW 330i GT xdrive daily driver
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i ….it is a Z


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 9:43 pm 
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Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:12 am
Posts: 2228
Location: Darien, CT
Welcome Dave. Beautiful car!

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Ross Williams
1978 280Z Black Pearl Edition 38k Original Miles


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 12:44 pm 
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Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 8:26 pm
Posts: 36
After months of tinkering and work, we are back. I am sad I can't attend the meeting on Sept 14, but I will be travelling for work. :(

The car is back on the road, and feeling really good. Almost a year after purchasing I have buttoned it all back up. *There were no real "modifications" to speak of except the springs/struts, mostly*reconditioning everything to good working order.

Thanks everyone for all the help and suggestions thus far. I'm sure we are just beginning

Here are the things I did in the last year:

Brakes:
- New MC
- New front calipers/pads/bridges/hoses
- New rear cylinders/hardware/bridges/hoses
Fuel:
- Reconditioned gas tank inside and out. Por15/Red Kote
- New flexible fuel lines everywhere
- New vent hoses, to OEM spec
- New fuel pump (mech)
- Fuel filter/G2 inline fuel filter at the back (overkill with reconditioned tank I imagine)
- Reconditioned Fuel gauge sender
Ignition:
- Original points still in place for now
- Fully rebuilt carbs. Stripped down to individual parts/plated/rebuilt with ZTherapy bits.
- New OEM air filter
Cooling:
- Original fan/clutch/radiator. Works well with no leaks
- New hoses all around, new water pump, new T-stat and housings, original Temp sender
Drivetrain:
- New fluids for everything/ oil filter.
- New clutch master/slave/hose
- Original U-joints and half shafts. (seem decent enough for now)
Suspension/Steering:
- New Stagg struts all around
- Vogtland springs
- new balljoints/tie rod ends/bump stops/strut bearings
- New front control arm bushings (have TC bushings I may put in shortly)
- Original bushings still at: Steering rack, rear control arm, and TC.
- 14" Slotted wheels and tires from a friend.
- Aligned *(they couldn't balance the tires because of age sadly)
Appearance/Cleanup:
- Removed original AC unit and hoses/ passenger foot well unit.
- Cleaned up undercoating all over engine bay.
- Clean up carb bodies/valve cover/head as best I could.

Future plans include:
- Drive Drive Drive
- Double checking fuel levels in carbs and making sure its tuned well at high rpm.
- Few interior bits that are aged. (Shifter boots and such)
- Front air dam
- new exhaust with a better note.
- New battery if necessary.
- Work on tightening up front end clunking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjJYKDAePNY

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PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 4:20 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
Posts: 14779
Location: CT
Wow, that's nothing short of excellent! Really nice work so far. I would have to sell one of my kids to do everything to mine you've already done to yours. :lol: Just WAIT 'till you get the bill :roll:

What are those two toggle switches on the passenger side of the transmission tunnel?

(HA! TwoRoads, out of Stratford! :mrgreen: )

Frank

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1970 240Z


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 4:36 pm 
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Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:12 am
Posts: 2228
Location: Darien, CT
Great progress and great pics! Thanks for sharing.

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Ross Williams
1978 280Z Black Pearl Edition 38k Original Miles


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 5:35 pm 
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Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 8:26 pm
Posts: 36
The toggles were from a fog light package the PO had. Sadly there is a cut out of the console behind it, which is why I left it there. Not sure how feasible a replacement of that part is. The other side has a few extra holes from the AC control module I removed as well.

One thing I want to do is get a better exhaust note. I'm fairly certain my exhaust is stock and in relatively good shape. Frank, the sound of yours is heavenly, but I'm not sure if there is a simple way for me to get there in the short term, that would be compatible with future possible changes to exhaust manifold and pipe size.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 8:17 am 
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Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2015 6:27 pm
Posts: 62
Location: CT 06514
Looks like Costa Azzurra parking lot.

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