andyk_79

I've fiddled with the electrics and got nowhere the last few days so I decided to focus on other things for now. Ifould not get a read from the indicator switch so I think that might be the root cause but it could also be that I'm really not reading the wiring diagram properly. Cleaned and plastic welded the broken console, with fibreglass as reinforcement. Happy with the result so far. Sanding and painting tomorrow. First attempt at plastic welding and it seems to have gone well. Took everyone's advice and have gone for a temp fix on the dogleg. Sikaflex curing for paint tomorrow. Got a nasty surprise when I pulled the drivers seat out though. I could see the garage floor through this hole. Is this just a missing plug? The money found under the seat I don't think will be enough if it's rust.......... I've briefly considered putting the fibreglass to use again but if it is rust I don't really want to go half assed. With visible frame the seats definitely weren't going to pass roadworthy: Have started pulling them apart. Surface rust on the frame but have got paint etc ready for this anyway.

My folks have had this book for years (printed 1970) called Readers Digest Book Of The Car. The rust repair guide uses an ............. interesting method. Scrunch chicken wire into the cleaned up rust holes and use this as a framework for building up body filler. On behalf of all car owners who have bought a car that has previously had this or similar methods applied, screw you Readers Digest!

Yeah it is conjecture. The fact the the intak is being lengthened and the first direction the intake mix has to go is against gravity it just seems counter - intuitive. it got my interest as it's the first time I remember ever seeing a design where the intake mix has to travel upwards. Most of the reviews I've seen suggest they work well enough but that the factory carbs perform slightly better

What people do never ceases to surprise me. After posting up a link to a set of twin downdraft carbs with adapters for the standard Z series manifolds (and commenting that I imagine they would be awful) I've found it is not as uncommon a conversion as I thought. Seems a few people (mostly in the USA) have gone down this path, with most agreeing the factory twin Hitachis are better. This is the set up (MSA sells them - must have missed that page when trawling through their website): And an example on an L24:

Thanks Rudi - much appreciated Ha ha ha - not taken as a jackass thing, especially since no, I don't!! From what I have read I'll be setting it to read DC voltage and set the range to somewhere around the 12 volt mark. Glad you mentioned earthing via connecting to the body - I was guessing this was the case but wasn't quite sure. Being that the indicator assumbly is plastic I'm guessing I'll need to work out which indicator wire is the earth though to make sure the earth wire is not shot ? Guessing I'll need to test with body and with earth wire for anything that is not earthing to the body so that I can verify it's not the earth wires ? On the list now - something I hadn't thought of! I'll forego the sigh of having to spend more money.......... Yeah I've been looking at the wiring diagrams for my model in the Haynes book as well as from downloading the factory manual from XenonS30. Not sure if it made it clearer or more confusing when I followed one wire from the headlight and ended up at the radio or something - definite wrong turn there !! My brother has been reading this thread and has been giving me some tips on looking at relays etc - he's a lot more electrical savvy than I am although he has electrocuted himself a lot - including using a multi-meter to test a home powerboard but having it on the wrong setting.

Nothing will ever beat your MX5's name George! Aside from my wife naming my Z Fern for the green colour it is, the only other Datsun I've owned was a Sunny I had when I was 17. It was called "the Flinstones Car" by all and sundry because with an old 1.2L 4 cylinder whenever I had passengers it started to feel like the only way it was going to keep going was to stick our feet through the floor and start running. Had a baby poo yellow/cream Kingswood Station that was generally referred to as "The Beast" due to its size and lack of handling, although I'm sure a lot of cars get dubbed the beast at some point

Adapters are to fit on standard l series sidedraft mani - that's why I reckon they would be awful! Take a look at the design of them.

Another question for those who've been through this before. Given the park lights and dash lights work, but the headlights and the indicators don't, should the indicator/HL Beam switch be first port of call ? I don't have a multimeter at the moment (getting one at the weekend) but I've seen on here this switch is a common problem ?

Dual downdraft weber carby conversion http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Datsun-240Z-260Z-Weber-32-36-DGV-Dual-Carb-Set-Up-/310232528370?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item483b4cb5f2 OK so I know I'm a little clueless, but wouldn't fact that the intake adapter goes upwards to the original manifold mean that these would be really inefficient ? I'm imaging gravity with the fuel would be a problem

Thanks Peter. Looks like rust converter is the consensus ! The mechanicals are just about sorted (hopefully) and the seats will fail roadworthy at the moment (frame poking through). Mainly the electrics, the seized brake hard lines, the exhaust and the heater core I need to get sorted on the mechanical side. Plan is that the next trip out of the garage will be to a brake shop with an unregistered vehicle authorised inspector nearby (and possibly a sparky nearby as well).

Thanks Gav. Is this a spot a body shop could repair in isolation or does it require the full panels of job? Guess it would come down to what lies beneath. I'd prefer to try and fix it properly now rather than using rust converter but a full tear down is not something I want to undertake!

Having the car back has meant time to get my hands dirty! Covered in other threads but the gear shift is fixed. This bolt was the culprit for all the play in the shifter: How the console came out of the car. This is getting tackled this weekend after a trip to Supercheap etc to get fibreglass and all the other goodies. It'll buff out............ Doing some soul searching on whether I really think I can achieve an acceptable outcome trying to fix the electrics myself now. Current count is that headlights are not working, indicators not working and ignition switch needs to be replaced and rewired. I don't want any of the repairs to be half-assed so I'm assessing whether an auto electrician visit is on the cards. A few things suggest someone has been a bit "relaxed" in their approach to the wiring in the past such as a dicky aftermarket ignition switch with a start button, some wiring birds nest around the fuse box and the headlight buckets no longer have the factory loom/plug. Example below of what is on the car and what is on the spare I have: On the car: Spare one: A couple of new onion layers have emerged: [*]The heater core is obviously leaking with the small trail of coolant I have found in the passenger side footwell. Someone had bypassed the heater at some point and the mechanic hooked it back up and replaced the hoses and tap. Looks like it's the core is the problem though rather than the tap. I'm taking the seats out this week to refoam and recover them so I'll pull the heater core out while I've got the space in the cabin to get to it easily and will take it to a radiator shop for repair. [*]Whilst under the car adjusting shift linkage I also found the one thing I had been hoping not to find given the proclaimed straight body state of the car (Have to quote Rudi here - Rust free obviously means the rust comes free with the car). This is in what I guess is the bottom of the floor pan just behind the drivers side front wheel - no idea what this area would technically be called:

Stanwell Tops: A couple on the bridge - easy to see why so many car ads are filmed there: On the road: At Bundanoon Hotel:

Thanks Gav. Some websites seem to suggest that the 72 is completely sold out everywhere, but the 71 will fit wit minor mods. Looks like the early one it is!

Is there any difference in the fitment of early vs later 240z choke handles ? I've found threads on here detailing that the 240 vs the 260 are definitely different. Everywhere I have found that is selling NOS/repro choke handles state they are for the 70/71 models. I'm not too fussed if the image on the handle or the overall shape are slightly different - as long as it physically fits properly.

Thanks all for the ideas. I've worked out the exposed bolts are possibly because I'm missing the small trim with the Z logo in this pic:

I'm thinking about taking this on as I currently have my console out but hoping for some input/guidance: My console is in 2 pieces - looks like someone has at one point either tried to remove it without undoing the bolts that hold the choke in place or they have just ignored the fact that the console was cracking significantly. Will fibre glassing etc be strong enough to hold together the completely snapped pieces ? The break is right where the choke handle bolts are. I'm worried that trying to fix it might just not hold ! Could someone possibly post a pic of how the choke handle bolts are meant to look once everything is fully installed. I think oversized bolts may have been used in some spots with holes drilled in the console to handle it. There were 3 or 4 bolts visible from above, with all bar one having small nuts on them. It looked pretty awful to me and I'm sure not how it would have come from the factory In the 72 onwards Australian delivered 240Zs what is supposed to be in the void in the middle of the fuse cover ? Intention is to get this as close to factory looking as possible.

+1 Looking forward to the next one!

Welcome!

Ended up being the simplest of things! There's a bolt that tightens the T bar shaft on the pivot point...... kinda glad the mechanic hadn't been able to track down a replacement t bar. I took it out, cleaned it up and tightened it and with the shift rod adjusted it is now fine.

Good to meet you all. Great day! I'll try and put up my pics tomorrow if there's any different to what's here. Thanks all.

PM sent

Let me check mine tomorrow. I might be interested pending fit. I was going to get thatpower steering kit one day anyway.

I'll be there with the wife and my 3 year old (see how that goes....)

Easily removed from car - not so easily scraped off the retinas !! I'm kinda wishing I had of seen it!