NR240

It sure feels strange looking at my old car thanks for posting that pic Nigel

I am sure that someone here can explain this perfectly.. From my knowledge there is a few different gearboxes for the 280zx. And yes there is 2 or 3 different gears available, i have no idea what they all mean, but do remember reading an article about it a few years ago, i think it made mention of white/blue and red gears, and possibly a yellow one? not sure.

Gav, One good thing about doing a repair job as opposed to a full fledged resto is that you will still be able to drive it comfortably without feeling like you need a straight jacket everytime you park it and leave it somewhere!!!! Let me tell you, once you commit yourself to a ground up rebuild, your brain undergoes some kind of change, you add up all the money, all the time and effort and you can hardly drive the car for fear of scratches, dents and wait for it.... yes rain!!! oh my god, at one point i would not drive the car if there was a remote chance of rain in the next 48 hours!. That is completely pathetic but yes it does happen to you, so Warren and Matt i look forward to seeing how your "mental health" is when you guys are finished!! i can laugh now because i dont have to worry about that kind of thing anymore. Actually selling the car was also very difficult mentally, it took a few days to get over it, but now i am completely fine with it, and i love the cars just as much. PS: remember the rule of 3's for fixing up old cars 3x the amount of problems you expected 3x the cost that you had budgeted 3x time you estimated the job to take There will be much rust in the car, you just can't see it yet. Nigel

Gav, I empathise with you... my tip is too not let these things bother you too much. There will be many things in life that won't go to plan and sometimes it is hard to not get upset. I remember going nuts at my dad many years ago for parking too close to my Z etc etc , i regret saying those things now. Anyway on to the problem that you have.. You know what i am going to say... Spend the money, do it right 1st time! I know it costs money, and probably money that you dont have or were going to spend on your engine. There is simply no point in spraying the car and semi-fixing it, thats going to cost you a few thousand dollars by the time its all done, and then you will have to spend double that amount to do it properly later on. You may as well just do what zedevan said and paint over it and drive the car until you can afford the bodywork. I know that you wouldnt compromise with your engine, why compromise on the most beautiful part of the Zed, the bodywork!! Having said all that, you need to do what is right for you. Best of luck Nigel

Bruce, The Nolathene steering coupler does not need metal sleeves, thsi is why it comes without them.. Just put the bolts through the bush and install it. you will notice a big difference to the steering. How do i know this? Well i spent an hour cutting out the old metal sleeves from the original rubber bush only to find out that the sleeves do not fit into the new bush! They are not required. Make sure you put in new rack bushes as well while you are at it Nigel

Sounds great, let me know details Nigel

My 73 240Z was identical to sjcurtis. I had to source earlier parking light units with 2 globe inputs, as i converted mine to the earlier 240 setup. Mine had the indicators mounted underneath the front bar. I know that the english cars were mounted above the bumper, but not sure with Aus spec 73's.

Huw, Have a look at Unique Car Insurance, they deal in classics. I am insured with Unique and have been for 6 years no problem. 20k full comprehensive premium $500 p/year. I was with Shannons long ago and vow never to go back! Things may have changed since then however i will never insure anything with them again. I am older than you and have a limited k's clause. If you are young, be prepared to pay a lot more and have a higher excess etc. Good luck!! Nigel

I have seen this set up before. I personally don't like it. However, you will need to simply locate some inertia reels brand new from Repco or somewhere (Klippan is a known brand). Do not buy secondhand seatbelts i would never compromise on safety like this. You can fit them yourself to the strut tower tops. You might want to get an engineer to check that you have mounted this correctly, because if you are in an accident and they break off, then i dont want to see the result!

Yeah Rob Laughton lives on Atherton road Oakleigh. Gav, Toperformance will be able to get those nuts off for you. There is actually a special tool that fits into those two holes in order to undo it. Having said that, the centre punch will work fine, as long as you are not planning on re-using them. Good luck

I agree with Natez, What a great shame! The more people continue to butcher these cars, the less remain. The price has to go up!

Speed Technology in Mitcham. See Steve Newing.... he knows all about it. And wont cost you $800

Hey Gav, Not wanting to state the bleeding obvious.. But, why do you need the bellows or boots? I have had Koni's for several years without boots and they have been fine, there is a seal around the piston that protects it from debris and dust etc.. so i can't see how it could be compromised? Nigel

Gav/ Sulio I used to work as a sales rep for a printing company a few years back. I can pull a few favours from the guys, so call me before you go to print!! The designs look great...... My only concern (and i have spoken to Gav about this) is stipple. You cannot reproduce stipple or shading effect when screen printing as the "dot" size is too big. A lot of these "magazine" type pics look great on the screen but turn out terrible when screen printed. I cant even count the amount of times large ad agencies in Melbourne sent us jobs that were completely useless on the printing press.. as the designers had no idea on the printing process... Keep up the good work!.. let me know what you decide on.. and i will ensure that we get a red hot deal.... Nigel

Ok... I wanted to conduct some kind of poll (not sure how to set up) to see what everybody would choose. You have to assume that time/money/complications are not an issue here. Would you choose the "old school" carb setup or injection if you could? I think injection may result in more power, but you do lose that 70's feel, nothing like a set of triple's and the noise they make! What does everyone think?

Warren, How is the restoration going? ETA? You planning any mods?

Zeddophile, Running Carbies, the main reason was to try and stop vapour lock on hot days so you dont look like a retard hopping down the road when the lights turn green at 35 degrees. From what Richard was saying it looks like this might solve it, my mechanical pump works fine, but i may as well change to electric as it doesn't seem to be that costly or difficult to do.

Anyone running an electric fuel pump? I would like to know: - Cost estimate - brief how to - type of pump (pressure rating etc?)

I am tipping you will need an engineers cert if you want to comply. I remember Vicroads told me that i needed an engineers cert if i wanted to upgrade an L24 to a 26 or 28!! because technically it is a diff motor. No idea re: fuel tank, call Vicroads. I have harnesses installed and no engineers cert, been pulled over many times and never once asked about the seatbelt mounts so some things you can get away with but i imagine that the motor is going to look non-original so prob best to get that done properly.

The original 240 inlet manifold setup also included a small water pipe that ran through the inlet manifold and rejoined at the thermostat, this was designed to warm the car up quicker. I must admit it was one of the first things i got rid of due to vaporisation in extreme heat. Having said that, i normally wait 10 minutes before driving anywhere in my Zed, otherwise it is simply suicide, and no fun driving a cold car!. Just one of those things if you run carbies. Switch to fuel injection and problem solved!!

I would wait if I were you. Save up some cash and do like the other guys have done. Otherwise it will sound crap (I know guys who drill holes in their mufflers etc, it just doesnt cut it) I have HM Headers, 2.25 exhaust, one hotdog and muffler. Sounds tough. Dont go too big on the exhaust as backpressure is an issue. It is interesting Sulio that you mentioned those "washers" in order to match up the header base plate with the inlet manifold (due to the difference in thickness). Initially I did not do this and found that all of my head studs would bend over with the heat. So I had these offset washers machined up. I have no issues now The little things we do!......

I went satin black as well and it is holding up well. I would use a wire brush to really scrub all the parts and remove flaky rust and grime. I even soaked my crossmember in a lethal combination of degreaser and petrol for weeks to try and get the crap out from inside!

I can't say for sure without seeing it in person, but i say just bend it as hard as you can and bolt it up, if it snaps so be it; buy another one! Mine is under a bit of tension, and i had to bend it to get it to fit as well, but yours does look to be way off from the pictures

One thing to keep in mind Car stickers need to be screen printed in order to prevent fading. Traditional "offset" printing using 4 colour process with plates is no good, picture will look great, but this type of process cant lay down enough ink to stop fading after a few years of sun exposure. Therefore screen printing is the way to go. Avoid any stipple effect, solid colours work best and less colours makes it cost effective; as normally they are printed on a one colour press, requiring a separate pass and wash-up for each colour. Sulio's black and red design would work quite well under this process. Some stickers look great on the screen, but turn out terrible when screen printed. The NDSOC stickers are screen printed. My two cents?

Any progress on the club stickers? Would be nice to show them off when they're done!