Lachy's 240Z - again!

[Alfadog]

Hi all

I've been posting a few help topics so thought I better introduce myself and the car.

 

Brief History:

The S30Z has got to be my all-time favourite car. Sure there are others more beautiful, more exotic or even more ground-breaking however at the end of the day the Z simply does everything it was designed to do so well, and plays such an important role in the history of Japanese cars and sports cars in general.

 

My first car was a silver 1970 240Z purchased back in 2001. Still remember its VIN - HS30-001031. Good times were had. I cleaned it up a lot, fixed up some of the tired mechanicals, fitted an exhaust and stereo and that was about it. It was really this car that started my obsession with classic Japanese autos. Owned the car for about 3 years until I acquired an immaculate 1-owner Datsun 240K 3 years later which forced the sale of the Z - but that's another story!!

 

Here's a pic of the silver Z.

 

The Search:

I have spent the last ~2 years without owning a car at all, while focusing on home renos. When I started looking seriously again about 6 months ago I was considering an R32GTR, an early step-nose Giulia or a 240Z. In the end I figured the R32 could become very expensive and not that 'fun' to own, the Giulia would be gorgeous but I knew all about Alfa ownership as my dad has had a lot of them... and as I found myself scouring the net for Z's for sale more and more - the choice became clear.

 

I looked at a few cars, but in the end have bought a nice white 1971 car from WA owned by a member on this forum (original build thread). A lot of the 'big stuff' had been done, but by no means was this 'finished'.

 

 

Spec:

Engine:

Original L24, rebuilt in 2013

50thou over size flat top pistons

Bored and decked block

Reconditioned E88 head - Larger valves, new guides, new seats and seals fitted

Performance Camtech 702 cam fitted with double valve springs

ARP Rod bolts

New Oil Pump, Water pump, starter and reconditioned Alternator

Rebuilt Triple Delortto DLHA 40's

Petronix Electronic ignition

Alloy Radiator

 

Other Mechanical:

New Bushes fitted throughout

Arms and subframes sandblasted and painted

New Steering Tie rods

Reconditioned front brake calipers

R200 (? ratio) diff

 

Body:

Full body Respray in 908 White

New window seals

Shaved front and rear badges

 

Interior:

Mostly original - pretty tired and missing a few bits!

[Alfadog]

One of the big problems was intermittent cranking! Investigated a lot but in the end was a pretty straight-forward fix.

 

1. Bought a multimeter, checked battery. Good healthy 12.5V. The +ve terminal had electrical tape over it, so took the liberty of replacing the terminal and putting on some caps to protect them in future.

 

2. Checked the battery ground, and cleaned it up anyway. Was ok.

 

3. Bought a remote-starter kit from online but while waiting for it to arrive found out this trick - remove the ignition wire and use an insulated screwdriver to bridge between that and the power terminal. This effectively closes the loop and will start the ignition. This worked a charm - and showed that its not the starter motor as suspected since its new.

 

4. However what this did show was the female spade connector from the ignition was pretty damn dirty. So I replaced this just in case, but it wasn't the issue either.

 

5. Next up is the switch itself. The keyed ignition is made of two parts - the key barrel and the switch. Often the little tongue gets bent so the connection isn't quite lined up to where it should be. Didn't seem to be the case for mine. I also had the same problem trying to switch on the engine directly from the switch, so it's not the barrel. It must be the switch or the wiring...

 

6. Went down to the Z Shop in Glen Iris and finally got to meet Lyndsay. He was very generous with his time and knowledge - and wow what a huge workshop it is. I bought a 2nd hand switch from him and tried it out. No luck unfortunately... so I took a look under the dash.

 

7. I found this discreet looking black box. Doesn't quite look right - so opened it up and surely not a stock Japanese 70's bit of kit! This is a Dynamco immobiliser.

 

I'm going to hazzard a guess that this is part of the problem.

 

8. I carefully took apart all the electrical tape holding the thing together and tagged all the wires before cutting the immobiliser loose. As you can see it was a bit of a mess under there.

 

9. No more immobiliser. I was ready to be disappointed - but put the switch and barrel on and tried again with the key to see what would happen. SUCCESS! Cranks without any issue. Problem resolved.

 

While I was at it, I restored the ignition key barrel surround. Ignore the fitment of the plastic encasing - it appears I am missing a few screws.

[Alfadog]

Some more side projects over the last few days, as I'm trying to get it ready for RWC (suggestions welcome).

1. Horn didn't work. Most of you will be familiar with the notoriety of these things being loose, so I was surprised when I couldn't really get mine off! Yanked it off to find it had been 'glued on' using silicone sealant. Quite a lot of it seeped out and in between the two metal contact plates, therefore stopping any chance of them meeting when horn pad was pressed. Cleaned off the silicone and re-assembled, voila, we have horn!

 

2. Tail lights go on when parkers are on, but not when tail lights are on. I decided to take apart all the stalks etc. to inspect and give them a clean up since the problem seemed to be bad contacts. The way it operates is very clever but basically this part operates with two little plastic knobs suspended by tiny springs that move a wafer thin contact piece across the different points. Over time the plastic deteriorates/wears down. You can kinda see below one of them in particular is quite worn.

So I dabbed on some superglue to the top to build it up again (these things are TINY!)

Re-assembled... voila! We have tail lights again.

And here are the stalks cleaned up. Cleaned this up with warm water, soap and a toothbrush.

 

3. Also cleaned up the stainless steel sill plates as they were really in need of it. Used a steel wire brush and lots of degreaser to clean it up. I had to resist getting the metal polish out... these were more a satin finish from factory, not polished. If I was brave I'd have a go at beating out the small dents but this metal is so thin I don't trust myself. Anyway looks a million times better already.

[Riceburner]

Is that a Cyclops engine immobiliser?

 

Glad to hear it's all going well again.

[Agno]

Sounds good so far Lachy!

 

Got any photos of your 240K?

[Alfadog]

Yeah it was a Cyclops system, which is just a rebranded Dynamco.

 

It's cranking ok but still can't quite start - as per this help thread!

 

240K was a beautiful car. Definitely "the one that got away!"

[mossy]

I heard you bought some new wheels, when do we see pics of them on the car