shaun240

Hi Hamish, I have also recently fitted a set of Koni yellows which were extremely tight, including a few that didn't fit at first. If its a few millimetres you may have to get them machined. When I stripped mine down I found a fair amount of surface rust had built up on the internal strut tube walls which needed to sanded out. I used an extra long metal bar with course sand paper attached to an electric drill and spent a good 30min on each strut.

Thanks guys, Fronts are 15 x 8.0 - 0 offset, rears are 15 x 8.5 - 6 offset

While the suspension was out we stripped down the R180 diff, half shafts, tail shaft etc and replaced all the uni joints as these were quite worn out and had a lot of play which was causing some interesting "clunk" noises, which wasn't helped by the unforgiving original auto box. The diff seemed in ok condition for its age so we gave it a sandblast / respray and it went back in the car. We may go down the LSD path in the future but for now we will remain with the open R180. We had a few hick ups with some of the bushings and internal sleaves, in particular those on the rear A-arms. As you all would know a job which you think will take 10 mins turned into 1.5 hours... The moustache bar was cleaned up and new bushings installed along with a new machined sleave as the original pressed item was damaged on one side. While the struts were out we also pulled apart the hubs to check the bearings / seals etc. They seems in quite good condition and believed they had been replaced not too long ago so they were soaked in kero, scrubbed clean and regreased. We also took the time to clean up the remaining suspension / brake components. It was quite time consuming to sandblast and repaint all the different parts as we only had limited time on weekends to use our Dad's factory, so at times the painting was done at home on the clothesline on a nice sunny day. Mum was not impressed.. Front and rear suspension was then fitted back into the car. We also cleaned up the wheel arches at the same time by stripping back the re-applying bitumen sound deadener. Now it was time to fit the wheels.. We're really happy with how these works turned out, we are yet to take it for a good drive and test out the ride yet and do a full alignment. We also haven't rolled the guards yet (and if possible would prefer not too but we'll see how it goes) or done fine tuning on the ride height which will be done when we are closer to being back on the road. Next step is the manual conversion and L24 engine refresh / rebuild.

Thanks Mossy, Dad owned the car for about 5 years then sold it on. The new owner had it resprayed and sent through some photos (below) It's great to see you have brought it back to life after all these years. It has to be one of the best getting around - Congrats. Hopefully we get the chance to see it again in person one day!

Tyres are 195/55r15. Fronts are well fitted, rears are slightly stretched so they seem to tuck in under the guards well. We haven't taken it for a good drive yet as the car is still unregistered so unaware of any rubbing issues as yet but the few laps around the block seemed ok at this stage. We also can roll the guards if needed. Shaun

Thanks Gents, We really love the white and gold wheel combo.. we have stuck with the styling to match our Dad's old 240 from 35+ years ago (which is now mossy's orange Z). Check out the aerial! Gareth - can't recall the spring rates off the top of my head and to be honest we haven't really had a chance to take it for a good run yet so will let you know once its back on the road.

Hi guys, Thought it was time to start up a build thread to share our works in progress and keep a record for the car. I posted a short story last year which can be found at the link below which gives you an insight into the family story and where the passion for Z cars has come from. http://www.viczcar.com/forum/topic/12374-new-240z-member-sydney/ The car was purchased in March 2014 year from a gentleman in Brisbane who had owned it since 1990. The car spent most of its life in Melbourne, where is had a restoration undertaken in 2000 by Lowood Welding Works where the body was taken back to bare metal, lead wiped and resprayed. The motor is original matching numbers which has assisted in our decision to stick with the L24. Our plans for the car are to make it a nice street driven car that can be taken out for weekend drives without having too many issues, yet also enjoy the odd windy road. The car itself has been quite well looked after but needed some well deserved attention in a few areas, especially the suspension / mechanics, so we decided this would be a good place to start. The shocks and rubbers were completely worn out, so we purchased a set Koni Yellow Race shocks and a DIY Ground Control coilover kit. Also bought a set of new bushings all round to help take the boat feel out of the car. We were lucky enough to use our Dad's engineering factory, including the help of a competent welder, to complete the harder works such as cutting, welding, sandblasting etc. They took longer than expected to complete but we are very happy with the result. They seem like quite a good quality product, and they look good pretty good as well. While we had most of the suspension components out of the car, we decided to give it all all clean up by sandblasting and epoxy painting. This included the control arms, sway bar, tension rods, a-arms, moustache bar etc. Pretty happy with how they turned out, although it makes the remaining dirty undercarriage stand out even more, however we do plan on treating these areas in the future. The brakes also had an overhaul while they were out. We stripped them down, cleaned, replaced broken boots etc and rebuilt them to original specs at this stage. One of the front pistons was seized open which probably didn't help with the lack of brakes. We didn't spend too much time on them as we do plan on some upgrades eventually. After a 3 month wait, the Wats turned up from Otomotto. Temp fit had us a bit worried at first as it looked like they were never going to fit!Time to go get some tyres..

Fronts are 15 x 8.0 - 0 offset, rears are 15 x 8.5 - 6 offset. We are really happy with the size and fitment of these wheels for the car. They were purchase from Ben at Ottomotto - very easy to deal with although I think he has stopped importing these atm. http://www.otomoto.com.au I will set up a build thread which will show our progress in more detail. Shaun

Les emailed me today - should be on it's way in approx 4 weeks!

Thanks David will give it a go!

Yep the timing cover bolts have been removed. We are getting some small separation at the front now approx. 2-3mm but the back drivers side corner is still sticking. Will keep working away at it, just trying not to twist the head too much!

Thanks for the feedback, I have tried soaking the bolts and working the threads back and forth for the past few days but it doesn't seem to be getting any easier.. Will keep trying this process however. To give you any indication, we were using a 3 foot steel pole on the end of a 10mm allen key and still struggling. Does this seam abnormal?

Hi Guys, We're doing a bit of a freshen up of the 240's existing L24 motor and have come across a bit of a speed bump on the weekend. Started to strip down the motor to inspect the cylinders / pistons and are struggling to remove the head / head bolts. One of them has snapped just below the head of the bolt (photo attached), and a few others seem to have started to unscrew (using a huge amount of force) but are not becoming any easier to remove the further we try to turn, some are actually becoming harder. We have tried to force the head loose of the block now that the bolts are at a level to allow movement but it doesn't want to budge. Could this mean there is some internal rusting? Has anyone had the same type of issue and know if there's a way to fix it? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Shaun

Hi Gav, Please put me down for a set. Thanks mate!

Purchased HS30 - 103781 last year from QLD, may be the car PeterH was talking about! White - 3 speed auto. Will add car details to the register shortly

Hi guys, I'm in need of a new mechanical fuel pump for an L24 as the inner valves are worn, has anyone recently purchased one of these rebuild kit if they are still available, or am I better off purchasing a new pump? Cheers, Shaun

Yo-yo, I will be installing the offset style control arm bushings up front that d3c0y talks about within the next month or so, I will let you know how they turn out.

Thanks Yo-yo, We bought a set of gold wats to match the existing gold mesh wheels Dad used to run. BTW these were a custom job job done in his garage and it's good to see they have lasted 30 + years! The coilover kit and koni's came from Ground Control in the US. Very easy to deal with and good quality product. We're currently in the process of cutting/welding the fronts and replacing bushings so hopefully will be NSW registered and back on the road in a few months time.

Thanks guys Gav - That's my older brother in the pictures above, I was barely walking when these were taken. There is a good chance the original may be mossy's car! The fella who bought it off my Dad sent some photos once he did some work on it and funnily enough he painted it red..

Hi All, I have been roaming the site for a little while and thought it was time to introduce myself. Background It all began well before my time, when my old man purchased a 1973 white 240z about 30+ years ago. He spent his days under the bonnet fiddling, tweaking and tuning his favourite car. Unfortunately, after 4 or so years there came a time when a family car was required so it was time to move on and the white Z was sold.. Growing up, Dad would always go on about his “240z”. My brother and I weren’t quite old enough at the time to really understanding his passion for this car! Photos used to come out on a regular occasion where we believe he used to reminisce about his younger, youthful days. Mum would tell us stories of the constant workshop which was their house, with car parts spread out in the living areas and under the beds etc. Earlier this year, my brother came up with the plan of buying Dad another Z as a retirement present that we could all work on so the search was on. After a few months of looking, a nice white original 240 came up on Gumtree (someone of you might remember as the car with the clock in the wrong position!). It was a 1973 auto in very original/neat condition. The previous owner had the car for most of its life and it seemed very well looked after. We made contact with the owner, told them our story and the deal was done! We booked a flight up to Brisbane one weekend and cautiously drove it home. There were a few minor hiccups early on (overheating, snapped bonnet release cable etc.) but overall a fairly reliable car! We rocked up the next day and surprised Dad with the car – at first I think he was in a state of shock, but once it sunk in he seemed rather chuffed. Upcoming Plans Since then we have thought long and hard about what we (Dad, my brother and I) would like to do with the car.. After a few checks, we found the motor is matching numbers therefore would be wise to keep the original L24 at this stage. We’d like to complete a manual conversion in due course and freshen up / rebuild the motor with some tripples however for the time being we will be working on the suspension/handling as the original gear is all a bit worn and sloppy. A Ground Control Coilover kit with Koni’s yellows are sitting waiting to be installed along with some new Watanabe’s. I will start up a new thread in the Members Project section soon which will include more details on the build however feel free to shoot your thoughts/opinions as we would be more than happy to hear other fellow Z owner’s feedback. Cheers, Shaun

^^^ would also like to know this.. Looks very impressive!

Peter, if you have no luck calling try sending an email to James Ouk - james@motorsportauto.com

I have a bunch of stuff on the way.. It took them weeks to finalise quotes etc but I found that if you're dealing with James and he isn't responsive, just CC in info@motorsportauto.com and he usually replied within a day or so

Hi Andy, Enjoying your thread and build - keep it up! I purchased a set of koni yellows about 2 months ago from Ground Control in the US. They were by far the cheapest i could find (shipping incl) following weeks of searching both here in AUS and abroad. In terms of spacers - I can't help you there as I purchased the coilover kit at the same time so not sure if the spacers came with the kit or koni's but if you ask I'm sure they will include for free. Delivery took about 7 days. I dealt with a guy named Trevor (details below) http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/index.php trevor@ground-control.com Hope this helps.

I picked up one of these from Ben at Otomoto a few weeks back - I think he had a few others in stock http://www.otomoto.com.au/p/8781037/aerodesu-datsun-240z-front-spoiler-without-brake-ducts.html