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Datsun 240Z Restoration: Carbs’ Return

March 12, 2012 by Matt

Datsun 240Z SU Carbs Carburetors Carburettors Hitachi S30 Refurbished Rebuilt ZTherapy

The Z’s SU carbs returned from their visit to ZTherapy today, and I couldn’t be more pleased with them.

They’re clean as a whistle, and the action of every shaft and linkage is buttery smooth. The founder of ZTherapy had rebuilt them in the late ’90s, fitting them with the company’s signature ball-bearing throttle shafts in an effort to cure tune-distorting vacuum leaks; however, the seals failed and the founder’s remanufacturing process removed too much material from the aluminum bodies of the carbs for them to be refitted with new bearings. ZTherapy’s current owner was forced to use new cores during this latest rebuild, and he cleaned them, replacing all gaskets and rubber in the process too.

Datsun 240Z SU Carbs Carburetors Carburettors Hitachi S30 Refurbished Rebuilt ZTherapy

The icing on the cake was the presence of the mid-production-style knurled mixture adjustment knobs, shown above. Early Z SUs were fitted with knob without knurls, making it difficult to count turns when tuning, and late-model SUs had thin, notched discs, hard to grasp when rooting around under the carb bodies. I requested the knurled knobs, but ZTherapy declined to fit them, as they (understandably) like to keep the cores together and avoid mixing and matching parts. But then they did it anyway, a fact that really made my evening.

Datsun 240Z SU Carbs Carburetors Carburettors Hitachi S30 Refurbished Rebuilt ZTherapy

A view of the sealed (outer) end of the throttle shaft. A ball bearing resides under here. The new owner’s machining process removes much less material from the carb body, making for a much tighter fit around the throttle shaft, greatly reducing the chance the dust shields or retaining clips will work their way loose.

In other Z news, the wheels have been cleaned and fitted with the BF Goodrich Radial T/As, sized 225/60-14. Pictures forthcoming.

Editor’s note: This post is Part 10 of an ongoing series chronicling my efforts toward the restoration of my 1972 Datsun 240Z, originally my father’s. Read the other installments here:

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Datsun 240Z Restoration:
First Triad Z Club Meet

February 21, 2012 by Matt

Triad Z Club Logo Datsun Nissan 240Z 260Z 280Z 280ZX 300ZX 350Z 370Z

Attended my first monthly meet of the Triad Z Club earlier this evening. Paid my annual dues, my laminated (!) membership card will soon be in my sweaty palms.

I had a great time. I printed out a big stack of pictures of my 240Z to discuss, and I think the guys appreciated having the visual reference. 7-8 guys showed, mostly older, and from what I could tell all with their heads on straight as far as restoring and modifying their Z-cars; in other words, no preoccupations with “stance,” sound systems or 19-inch wheels. They, like me, were refreshingly focused on retaining the classic look and feel of their cars even as they upgraded them, and that more for the simple enjoyment of driving rather than all-conquering speed. Their priorities tracked with mine.

Perhaps more than that, I was struck with how friendly everyone was. More often than not, when I go to a car meet I’ll be the only one talking, sharing stories, asking questions and so on; most of the guys who show seem to think standing mute posturing next to their “ride” amounts to participation, but the Triad Z guys were gregarious to a fault. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to everyone.

I didn’t think anyone would actually venture out in their Z, so I didn’t take my camera, but when I arrived, I kicked myself for not having brought it just in case. One of the members drove his restored ’74 260Z with tucked bumpers, in 901 Silver (same color mine will be) with BF Goodrich Radial T/As (same tires mine will have). It wore an air dam, headlight bucket covers and a fresh coat of foot-deep paint. It was beautiful. Interestingly, the car was running de-emission-ed Hitachi “flattop” carbs as fitted to the later 240Zs and early 260Zs, which most will dismiss as particularly poor carbs; however, the car ran perfectly fine with them.

I received a deluge of advice and contacts concerning all aspects of the upcoming restoration effort, which, along with the social aspect of the meet, was exactly what I wanted. I have a mind to invite some of the guys over when I try to start my Z for the first time; it would be great to have an experienced set of eyes and ears trained on the car during that effort. Great group.

Editor’s note: This post is Part 9 of an ongoing series chronicling my efforts toward the restoration of my 1972 Datsun 240Z, originally my father’s. Read the other installments here:

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First Triad Z Club Meet

Datsun 240Z Restoration: Wheel Work

February 2, 2012 by Matt

Datsun Nissan 240Z S30 Drum Brake Rear Suspension Hub Axle Shaft

Happy Groundhog Day! A few minor updates from the Z restoration front:

  • The Z’s right rear brake drum (pictured above) decided to seize up a few weeks ago. The wheel cylinder was evidently on its last legs, and after one too many applications of the parking brake, refused to unclamp the shoes from the inside of the brake drum. So, I can remove the drum from the hub (the typical challenge) just fine, but the shoes are still dug into the drum like a pair of rabid pit bulls. I’m going to try a few more tricks tonight. In related news, I hate drum brakes.
  • In the wake of my tactical adjustment detailed in the last post, I’m assembling a spreadsheet of parts I need in order to try to start the engine. I’ve been using this site as a part number reference, with the understanding that not everything I need has to be new from Nissan. In particular, wear items like brake pads and shoes and other bits like brake and clutch master cylinders can be remanufactured items. It’s been a challenge compiling part numbers and prices, but I’m slogging my way through it.

BF Goodrich Radial Comp T/A TA 14 225/60-14 wheels rims tires

  • The removal of the wheels for brake service presented me with the opportunity to take some measurements. I was pleasantly surprised to find they’re wider than I thought they were, at 14 by 7 inches. The stock tire size is 195/70-14, but on a 7-inch-wide wheel I could go all the way up to a 225/60-14 without trouble, which is a lot of rubber for a 2350 lb car. I have a soft spot for vintage muscle car tires with raised white lettering, so what I would like to do is acquire a set of BF Goodrich Radial T/As (shown above). They would complement the look and feel of the car perfectly. But…we’ll see whether those are in the cards.
  • ZTherapy received my carbs yesterday and, as expected, diagnosed the carb bodies as being too far gone to salvage. The company’s been under new management for the better part of 10 years now, after 5 or so with the original owner (who originally rebuilt my carbs), and has spent an inordinate amount of time repairing units damaged by the original owner’s remanufacturing process. The upshot for me is that reconditioning them will be more expensive than I had anticipated, but the new techniques used in adding the bearings to the throttle shafts (ZTherapy’s signature service) will last the life of the carbs; in other words, indefinitely.

Editor’s note: This post is Part 8 of an ongoing series chronicling my efforts toward the restoration of my 1972 Datsun 240Z, originally my father’s. Read the other installments here:

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Datsun 240Z Restoration:
Tactical Changes

January 22, 2012 by Matt

SU Carb Carburetor Carburettor 240Z Datsun L24 3-Screw

There’s been a slight change of plans.

Up until this point, my restoration strategy had comprised three phases: Preparing the garage, restoring the body and interior, and rebuilding the engine. The third phase was necessitated by the fact that in early ’04, I had run the Z’s engine without oil pressure for about three-quarters of a mile. Even after a fresh oil change, the car exhibited somewhat odd behavior after being started, characteristics I had chalked up to my carelessness.

But after consulting with knowledgeable Z enthusiasts, I’ve decided to try to start the engine in hopes it’s not irrevocably (or at all) damaged. Why try to start it instead of just rebuilding? A few reasons:

  1. All the parts and work necessary to start the engine I’d have to invest anyway. It makes no difference whether the engine is rebuilt or in its current state, fuel lines, spark plugs, gaskets, battery, etc, are going to have to be replaced.
  2. I can do the work on the Z while simultaneously prepping the garage. The main goal of garage preparation is storage and organization. Just getting the Z running doesn’t require a long-term home for any of the (few) bits I’d pull off. Those two efforts can move forward in parallel.
  3. The behavior the Z displayed after the no-oil-pressure incident wasn’t a sure sign of internal damage. There were no metal shards or flakes in the oil after the incident. When I started the Z’s L24, the engine would cycle between bogging and racing, but… I had had some issues tuning the carbs, and had just replaced the distributor points—two factors that could cause the behavior in question all by themselves. As one Z buff put it, “Let the engine tell you what’s wrong,” rather than jumping to conclusions about what, if anything, is amiss internally.
  4. It would save a huge amount of time and money if the engine is at least somewhat okay. The most obvious advantage of the new tactic. What a load off my mind if the body and interior restoration—daunting as it is—is the sole focus of my efforts to bring the car back to 100%.

So with that in mind, I pulled the SU carbs (shown at top) off the engine earlier this evening to send them back to ZTherapy for refurbishment. They’d been remanufactured by the Oregon outfit about 15 years ago, but I had been getting a vacuum leak around the throttle shaft—the very issue the ZTherapy process focuses on curing. So we’ll see what they say.

After that, it’s just a matter of replacing almost every rubber hose on the car, loads of gaskets, new brake and clutch master cylinders, new plugs, battery, oil, etc… All in a day’s work, right?

Editor’s note: This post is Part 7 of an ongoing series chronicling my efforts toward the restoration of my 1972 Datsun 240Z, originally my father’s. Read the other installments here:

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Tactical Changes

Datsun 240Z Restoration: Little Things

January 16, 2012 by Matt

Datsun 240Z ID Plate VIN Block Number Matching

A few notes from the last month or so of having the Z home:

  • I bought How to Rebuild Your Nissan/Datsun OHC Engine last week as a sort of early birthday present for myself. Its purchase completes my acquisition of the “trilogy” of glossy Datsun Z-Car books. The other two books are How to Modify Your Nissan/Datsun OHC Engine (lots of naturally-aspirated race-prep stuff; very little on turbocharging) and How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car (an absolute gold mine for the would-be restorer, with step-by-step instruction on teardown and reassembly, parts diagrams and loads of photographs). Gotta get a set of the factory shop manuals next.
  • The battery is removed from the car, but last night, in a kind of experiment, I hooked up my battery charger to the leads, turned the knob to “low charge” (5A or so) and turned the car on. Everything was as weak, as you’d expect from say, a dying battery, but it did something for me to be able to turn on the hazards, illuminate the lights and fiddle with the (original!) radio. Sometimes you just need to see a sign of life, you know? First time that’d been done in 8 years.

Datsun 240Z ID VIN Block Number Matching

  • I’ve been trying to determine whether or not the Z’s engine is original. Its status that way will have a big impact on how I go about restoring and/or upgrading the car. If it’s original, then I’d like to keep it original, which makes upgrading a bit more difficult (overboring the block from 2.4 to 2.8 liters isn’t quite as easy as I had thought it might be). If it’s a replacement engine, then all bets are off and, rather than rebuild it, I can swap it out for an engine that was 2.8l from the factory, the L28. So, how to establish the engine’s credentials? There’s an ID plaque (shown at top) affixed to the passenger side strut tower in the engine bay with the VIN and engine block number stamped on it. I hadn’t noticed it until now because when the Z was repainted in the late ’70s, the engine bay was blacked out and the ID plaque painted over. So, last night, I located the engine number on the block, shown above: 118555. I then removed the voltage regulator, allowing me to access and remove the ID plaque. I scraped as much paint off it as I was willing to last night (will eventually do the whole thing), but enough for me to read the block number listed: 110555. I’m almost positive it’s just a typo, but plan to ask those more familiar with these things for their take on the matter.

Editor’s note: This post is Part 6 of an ongoing series chronicling my efforts toward the restoration of my 1972 Datsun 240Z, originally my father’s. Read the other installments here:

Update (01/16 9:01 PM): Received some information about the VIN/ID plate numbers mismatch from a knowledgeable gentleman on one of the Z forums:

Looks to me like you have a mis-stamped service block.
The numbers don’t have the familiar “cursive” bent normally associated with Nissan OEM Stamps.

See the “L24?” The scripted numbers for the engine block should be similar, with the top section of the “8” looking somewhat like an onion with the green chopped off, if that makes any sense, along with the bottom section of the “5” being a bit more “open” and not a “reverse C” configuration.

I have never seen a mismatched plate/engine from Nissan, ever.

My surmise would be that you have a “service block” which arrived with no serial number in it, and generally the dealers left that blank when they installed it.

Looks like someone sometime got a letter-number stamp and just put the numbers on your block.

And they mucked it up.

Having a service Block in with no serial number arguably can be said to have a “Factory Service-Replacement Nissan Engine” and wouldn’t necessarily be knocked down for not having an “original” engine. (Some Z owners blew their ’70s engines at autox and got replacement engines from Nissan under warranty! What happened to those days GT-R tranny owners?)

Unfortunately, what you have is most definitely not “matching numbers,” but if you had service history to show the swap/change you could argue the accident like you theorize.

I’m querying my dad (the Z’s original owner) to hopefully get more of the story, if there is more to it. I just wanna know, you know?

8 Comments on Datsun 240Z Restoration: Little Things

Thoughts on Z-Cars: The Z32 300ZX

January 6, 2012 by Matt

Nissan Z32 300ZX 300Z Red Twin Turbo

This one’s tough for me. I want to like this car; I really do. But, like a tragic hero, a fatal flaw keeps me from being able to truly commit my fandom.

The ’90-’96 Z32 300ZX arrived on the scene precisely as I was awakening to my car interest. My dad of course owned the 240Z, so I’d been familiar with the Z lineage ever since I could remember. The ’90s were a time of incredible sophistication and one-upmanship between Japanese sports car makers, and the top-of-the-line twin turbo Z32 was the first salvo in what would eventually escalate into a full-fledged horsepower and technology war. The Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, FD Mazda RX-7 and Mark 4 Toyota Supra would all follow within a year or two, but the Z32 was the first, and it had a connection to the “family sports car,” so I naturally gravitated toward it.

Nissan Z32 300ZX 300Z Interior Inside Cockpit Dashboard Gray Grey Cloth

A little over ten years after its release, it had lost none of its fascination. I had just turned 21, and celebrated the occasion by dealership-hopping in the area and test driving various sports cars. The local Nissan lot featured an early Z32 nestled securely in the showroom. The salesfolk wouldn’t let me test drive it, but did sit in it for a good while, and the natural fit was amazing—I barely adjusted the seat and all the controls fell easily to hand. It fit me like a glove, and felt fantastic. I would have driven it home in a heartbeat if I had had the means.

Nissan Z32 300ZX 300Z Engine Motor VG30DETT

In terms of performance, I couldn’t (and can’t) fault it. The 3.0l, DOHC, twin-turbocharged VG30DETT engine pumped out 300 hp, propelling the 3350 lb car to 60 mph in around 5 seconds, and the passive 4-wheel steering system provided predictable and sticky handling.

But…one glance at the engine bay picture above will clue you into my primary gripe with the mechanicals and styling: The packaging.

Nissan Z32 300ZX 300Z Red Twin Turbo

There’s no doubt it’s an attractive and fast car. But in the process of achieving those peaks of performance and styling, Nissan decided to abandon the traditional long-nose short-deck sports car proportions in favor of a cab more centered in profile. In doing so, they not only bade sayonara to the classic Z silhouette, they were forced to cram even more mechanism (four overhead camshafts, two cylinder heads, two turbos, two intercoolers and all the associated piping) into a now-smaller engine bay. I can’t imagine changing the spark plugs or even doing an oil change on the VG30DETT—it’s a complete nightmare for a shadetree mechanic.

So while its lineage, looks and speed exhibit an undeniable pull, the abandonment of the beautiful Z sports car shape, coupled with the thought of owning a car I would dread working on spoil the party a bit. It’s a shame, really. There’s so much good in the Z32.

Editor’s note: This post is part of an ongoing series discussing various generations of Nissan’s celebrated Z-car series. Read the other installments here:

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Datsun 240Z Restoration: Coming Home

December 17, 2011 by Matt

Datsun 240Z Blue on Trailer

After many years of anticipation, HLS30-93069 finally made the 90-mile trek to its new home yesterday. As shown above, I loaded it onto a car carrier and borrowed my dad’s truck for the event. Naturally, it poured down rain the whole drive. Completely dry before and after, of course. I was more than a little frustrated with that turn of events given that it was moisture that caused the bulk of the 240Z’s current issues.

1972 72 Datsun 240Z Blue Garage

I waited until this morning to enlist my brother-in-law’s help in rolling it off the car carrier and into the garage. Fortunately, 2350 lbs or so isn’t a whole lot of car to push around, so I don’t foresee any issues rolling it in and out of its spot by myself when the need arises.

1972 72 Datsun 240Z Blue Garage

In the garage, still drying off. One of the prerequisites to actually digging into the restoration is building storage shelves and racks around the perimeter of the garage. We need space for the bits that get removed from the Z as well as general storage for the house itself.

1972 72 Datsun 240Z Garage Yellow Car Cover

After a gentle bath to remove whatever remained of 8 years of dust the rainstorm didn’t wash off last night, the Z was tucked in under an old car cover. Truth be told, it’s more there to protect my family from the car’s disintegrating rubber bumper strips than to shield the car from inadvertent kid scratches.

1972 72 Datsun 240Z Blue L24 L-24 Inline 6 Six Engine Motor

Cleaned up the engine bay a bit and reinstalled the factory orange air cleaner. Interesting Z tidbit: According to a reputable SU carb expert, the simple sheet metal air horns built into the inside of the air cleaner box flow somewhat better than any aftermarket units. Many early Z owners install non-factory air horns in pursuit of a looks and performance upgrade, but for the latter, there’s really nothing better than the orange OEM piece.

1972 72 Datsun 240Z Battery Tray Rust Rusted Out

A shot of the cause of many of the car’s issues: A rusted-out inner fender directly beneath the battery tray, up against the firewall. Driving the car in the rain, water has a direct path through the fender and firewall, down into the passenger floor pan.

I also completely removed any vestiges of the ill-advised electric fan conversion and its associated wiring, and drained the oil. The oil looked clean—there were no metallic flakes at all, but I doubt that’s conclusive as I’m sure I changed the oil immediately following the engine fire incident. I racked my brain trying to remember if there were any visible particulates in the oil then, but for the life of me I can’t recall. In any case, the engine’s coming out and going to be torn down and checked. At least it’s home. Feels good to have the Z where it belongs.

Editor’s note: This post is Part 5 of an ongoing series chronicling my efforts toward the restoration of my 1972 Datsun 240Z, originally my father’s. Read the other installments here:

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Thoughts on Z-Cars: The 370Z

December 5, 2011 by Matt

Nissan 370Z Blue

I don’t want to like this one. It disrupts my narrative that the Z-car series has been going downhill since the introduction of the ’90-’96 Z32 300ZX. But so help me, I actually like the changes Nissan made over the outgoing 350Z. And if the 370Z could truly handle (and went on a diet), I’d think even more highly of it.

Nissan 370Z Blue

That said, I do—predictably—have some bones to pick with the styling. The biggest is simply the jarring awkwardness of the proportions. Nissan clearly attempted to reintroduce some early Z-car styling cues, notably the shape of the quarter lights and the long-nose fastback sports car shape. There’s just one issue with that approach: The 370Z is still obviously a mid-cab car, and no amount of line shifting will change that fact short of actually moving the cab rearward in the car’s profile. As it is, there’s an uncomfortable visual tension between what the car wants to be, and what it is.

Beyond the proportions, most of the details are well done. I don’t have a problem with the head- or taillight boomerang shape; it’s different but not overdone, and it works. The “teeth” in the grille are a bit much—a better way to differentiate the car’s grille from its predecessor’s rectangular shape would have been to alter the shape itself instead of adding doodads inside it. But now I’m splitting hairs.

Nissan 370Z Interior Inside Cockpit Gauges Dashboard

The 370Z’s interior is a welcome improvement over the 350Z’s stark cockpit, with colored inserts on the doors and a bit more shape to the dashboard. The jury’s still out on the SynchroRev Match automated rev-matching system offered with the 6-speed manual transmission. My first reaction is that it seems like it would detract from the satisfaction of driving a manual and acquiring the skill necessary to rev-match and heel-and-toe, but who knows; in practice it could be worthwhile, as long as it’s not too intrusive.

No, overall, I like the 370Z a good deal. Fix the proportion issues, shave 200+ lbs off the 3200 lb curb weight and add a suspension package and I’d be an even bigger fan.

Editor’s note: This post is part of an ongoing series discussing various generations of Nissan’s celebrated Z-car series. Read the other installments here:

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Datsun 240Z Restoration: The Rollout

November 26, 2011 by Matt

1972 Datsun 240Z Blue

Took advantage of the opportunity afforded by being at my parents’ place for Thanksgiving to discuss the situation with my dad, and to roll the car out of the garage for a bit. It’s the first time the car’s been moved in several years, and I was shocked the rear drums weren’t rusted solid, having left the parking brake engaged. We did have to put some air in a couple of the tires, and we couldn’t find the key, so the steering locked, preventing the car from being rolled out farther. But it was still nice to get a gander at the whole thing.

1972 Datsun 240Z Blue

As mentioned, I did have a chance to “unburden” myself to my dad regarding the hopelessness of being able to give the car a thorough restoration on our family budget, and was genuinely surprised when he half-floated the idea of “sponsoring” a restoration provided I do all the grunt work—which I’m more than willing and able to do—and manage the project in general. The extent of his involvement will be clarified going forward, but knowing my dad and his connection to the car, I’m fairly certain he’ll want to be involved in some capacity.

The upshot is that the Z is going to be taking up residence in its new home here within the next two or three weeks, at which point I’ll carefully develop a game plan and start tearing into it. One of the slight deviations from my “full restoration fantasy” is that certain wish-list items, like a 5-speed, disc brakes or a 2.8l bore-out (if even possible) are going to have to wait. The focus will be the body and interior, along with restoring the engine, suspension and driveline to fully-operational condition. I would, however, like to add two things in the process of bringing the car back from its current state: Headers and a full exhaust, and an air dam. Everything else can wait, and be added later. At this point, after having owned the car for 10 years, I’m just eager to see the process move forward. Wish us luck!

Editor’s note: This post is Part 4 of an ongoing series chronicling my efforts toward the restoration of my 1972 Datsun 240Z, originally my father’s. Read the other installments here:

2 Comments on Datsun 240Z Restoration: The Rollout

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