andyk_79

This place could be a good meet up option for the sydney/caberra event. 150 ks from both. Gotta be better than Marulan maccas anyway......... http://www.bundanoonhotel.com.au

Re: the 12 volt - my understanding is you run the lower resistance 1.5 ohm coil with the pertronix kit if you retain the ballast resistor. that way you get the 12 volts on start up but don't need to touch your tacho?

No choke on a cold Melbourne morning? You might get the engine started but it would be a PITA. Others more knowledgable than me can comment on whether the rich mix also protects cold internals?

Thanks - if your 71 manual went onto your friends 72 auto it sounds like the autos had the same size (and therefore same stud pattern - there was a difference in stud patterns between 71 and 73 from what I understand). Will go with the option of getting mine rebuilt then rather than trying to source a replacement. Reduce the risk !

Thanks for the offer - much appreciated!!

With not having my car at home at the moment but trying to organise parts, I'm trying to work out what brake booster I need to order. I saw somewhere that the autos came from factory with the bigger booster (and different stud pattern) that was not fitted to the manual till 73, but was hoping to get some more surety. Would be a simple case of grabbing the tape measure if the car was here - so frustrating!! So can anyone confirm - do I order a 73 onwards booster ? I won't hold anyone responsible for their posts!

Interesting - so while most of the info floating around suggests they weren't being advertised till late 73, it looks like they were available. Another 240z urban myth debunked then ? A few sources I've looked at say late 73 was when they started coming in but obviously not.

OK so I went through the the full detail of the quote (provided in writing on Friday night), took a breather and stopped and thought about what I want out of the car. It really did come down to wanting something that is old schoolish in terms of look and build. So: - Am going to take on a lot of the list myself. About the only thing I have completely ruled out is the steering rack needing a rebuild. Judging by the other threads some of you already know that inner tie rods for these things just don't exist any more. Mechanic has a guy lined up that will machine up the inner tie rods etc and rebuild the rack for $450 - I can deal with that. - The prices he got on bushes seem quite high. I've ordered what I can tonight. Think that will save me a few hundred based on the quote. Can't believe the difference in prices between bushes from Australian suppliers vs what you can get from overseas. Even if a couple don't fit and I have to chuck them out I'm still well ahead. - have ordered a remanufactured booster and master - saved about 3 hundred in supply cost there. Will also then potentially get a rebuild kit to have a go at reconditioning my current one as a spare but that is low priority - Brake hoses - went for the HEL braideds (in black so that they look OEM). Saved $180 there over the supply cost in the quote - Since the shocks are gone I went back to my old school build plan and have ordered a set of Tokico Illuminas and a set of King Lows. The shocks delivered from the USA I'm paying roughly the same price as what the supply cost in the quote. Even though I'll probably never adjust the damping rate I wanted to get sometihng that lowering will not void a warranty. Considered the KYB GR2s as an even cheaper option (or the Tokico Blues as well) but whilst I'm sure they're a great unit I was put off that they're only really meant for stock ride height. I looked again at Coilovers but common sense won out in terms of that is outside of my plan for the car and it is also another $1000 or so on top. When I looked at the price of Konis I figured it was getting up into coilover territory anyway. - Radiator and heater hoses - ordered tonight as well. again well below the supply cost in the quote....... and seriously if I can't change them over myself there is something very wrong with me !!!!!! So - have saved 1 to 2 grand in parts costs all up, as well as looking to cut over a grand in labour costs.

Sooooooo, my mechanic picked up on something that I had half thought about: auto z's were not shipped to Australia till late 1973. My car is a factory auto (cross members etc have not been touched) that was Australian complianced in 1972 (confirmed by ppsr). Chassis number stamped on firewall is definitely a 240 and all plates match. Mechanic had trouble talking to his Z contacts because no one would believe he had a 72 auto in his workshop. Thoughts?

Love the old Cedrics. Gotta wonder where the name came from - reminds of Hitchhikers Guide with the guy naming himself Ford Prefect because it was a commonly used name

Arrived yesterday - seems like a nice set up. See how hard it is to fit once I've got the car back.

I thought it was hanging from the crane for a second and was going to make a joke about how heavy is your wheel, then noticed it's hanging by a wire in front of the crane

Thanks D3c0y. Haynes Manual - is on the way. I've also started downloading the PDFs of the factory manual. Tools - I've got the basics from stuff I have done before but was thinking of going to Supercheap or similar and spending a few hundred on getting a much more comprehensive set up. The approach I'm thinking of taking - if it's something that needs doing and in my long term plan I was going to upgrade I'll do it now rather than replace it with OEM/reproductions and then have the expense again to upgrade later. Also - I am officially declaring this Project Bolt On - I want to avoid having to have something custom made if at all possible. Might mean I spend more on parts but it suits my confidence level ! Hopefully other unco office workers like me can gain something from what I do! I can afford the 9 grand quoted but we're close to having a deposit for a house so I am concious of how much I spend and on what on the car. I can justify spending that now if it means I am bringing forward some of the upgrades I would have liked to do later. Parts List Suspension and steering bushes - I've been reading through the threads and anywhere I found someone mentioning an eBay supplier that supplies a bushing kit that fitted their Z I have been checking it out. In a lot of cases the eBay supplier doesn't exist any more. I've been warned that some of the bushes for USA delivered cars were a slightly different size to AUS delivered. I wanted to go a mix of rubber and nolathane to avoid too stiff a road ride, but given it will be a weekend cruiser and won't be a daily driver and with the number of full nolathane/urethane kits available for convenience I am thinking maybe something like this (appreciate if anyone has used this can confirm bushes are right size!!): http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ENERGY-SUSPENSION-HYPER-FLEX-MASTER-BUSHING-KIT-NISSAN-240Z-70-73-BLACK-7-18101G-/180735011444?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a14a56a74&_uhb=1 Shocks/Struts - Still not sure if he is just saying the shocks or what here. For bolt on factor I like the coilover kits from Techno Toys Tuning and reading on some other threads here they seem like a good option. I want to lower the car at some point anyway. Again probably a more expensive option but I do like the look of them ! (bowerbird moment - attracted to the shiny). Just not sure if that then means replacing tie rods etc (which I think the mechanic reckons I need to do). If that's the case I'll probably order all the bits from TTT so that I know they all go together. A big move away from my original old school thought but my mindset changes every day! Alternatively I'm thinking I'll order a set of Kings and some Konis. The mechanic was saying something about something that needed to be fitted to the top of the back struts (that otherwise replacement shocks won't fit) - I seriously don't understand what he's talking about here as I have seen a lot of people on this forum who've done the Koni and Kings changeover. Tried reading through other people's threads and still can't work it out ! Steering Rack - I need to wait to talk to the mechanic if he just means the rebush, or if he thinks the rack itself needs work. If the rack needs replacing then I like the bolt in electric power steering kit and a couple of people in the threads here have said it works well. I know it's more expensive than some of the other options but again it is straight bolt on with no fabrication or fiddling (apart from the wiring) and it's something I would have liked to have done down the track anyway : http://zpowersteering.com/ Brake Hoses - These are all cracked. This is one job I am very confident doing myself. Thinking of getting the ADR approved braided option from these guys. Need to speak to them but given they are Australian manufactured I would hope the fittings are same as factory: http://www.helcarkits.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=363_553_554&products_id=10679 Brake Booster - Stuffed. Found a few places in Sydney that do a full recondition including blasting and painting around the $450 mark, but thinking ordering one from the USA will still be cheaper. Found an online place below offering replacements from the USA for just over $100, but haven't found any mention of this place on any forums so I'm a bit wary of using them: http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/shop_parts/brake_booster/nissan/240z.html MSA obviously also have rebuilt boosters from the USA - I've already had good experiences with them so am thinking they might be the goods. The shipping was expensive but they got what I ordered to me faster even than some Aussie supplied stuff I ordered. Break Master Cylinder - these seem to be on all of the Z shops so I'm sure this will be fine. Anyone who can suggest best option here ? I was thinking of getting the bigger 280 one in case I do upgrade the brakes later but I don't want the car to be constantly locking up the stock set up. Diff seals/gaskets - all need replacing. To be honest dropping the diff doesn't really sound like my cup of tea to do this job so I might get the mechanic to do it Exhaust - since it needs replacing and it'll need to be custom bent up anyway I'm thinking I'll get a 2 1/4 inch. Just need to work out someone in Sydney who does good work at a reasonable price. I'd love to go stainless as well but I'm guessing this have a marked impact on cost ! Miscellaneous electrics - issues with lights, has an aftermarket ignition barrel on it which the key can be removed while car is running, not sure what else. Thinking at the moment it might be best just to spend the dollars to get a sparkie to sort it all out. Save my sanity I reckon if I do most of it myself, even with the extra cost of bolt on parts and the fact that I would now be upgrading rather than just replacing a number of the parts I can still end up on about the same budget (especially given the 9 grand quote does not include exhaust and auto electrician)

Thanks as always for the comments all. I really do appreciate the community on this site and the sharing of experiences!

Soooooooo the mechanic called me today after getting the parts quote from Stewie Wilkins. $9,000 parts and labour to do what needs doing to get it roadworthy and functioning, except for: - bend up of a new exhaust - new tyres Catching up with him tomorrow to see the proposed shopping list. Now definitely considering how much of it I would be willing to attempt myself. Most complicated thing I've done before is change a brake disc (and have done general servicing stuff). Given he reckons I need new struts (along with other suspension bits) I'm thinking the longer term plans might be rapidly changing. Thinking this thread I should be change the title to Project Bolt on because I can't weld or do any fabricating with unsteady shaky hands so I'll be looking for aftermarket solutions that bolt on !! Prepare for more noob questions from me !

Nissan Factory Service Manual - shiver condition but an interesting little piece of history http://www.ebay.com/itm/1973-Nissan-240Z-Factory-Service-Manual-/291180031352?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43cbaead78

Thanks Scoota. I realised how much of an idiot I am when I took a look at that build thread and realised i have read bits of it before! It didn't sink in at the time that it wasn't a Chev V8 you had done!

It's looking awesome Gav ! These wheels are a faux wood finish aren't they - I haven't had chance to look at mine much yet because it's still in the shop ? Guessing that's the reason for not sanding too far because the faux grain would disappear ?

Did you do a build thread on this Scoota ? I had a quick look through but didn't see. I'm interested as well - the weight and where it can be sat in the engine bay make it an attractive proposition to my mind - I'm surprised there's not more based on this but I guess the popularity of the chev engines in the USA has meant there are a lot more after-market bolt ins available to do chev conversions

Interesting project! Less common conversion but hard to argue with the results: http://lainefamily.com/240Z_V8_Conversion.htm

Phillay could I ask what black you used - noticed your finish is slightly glossier than Gav's satin black?

Synical old me - are we talking "I've been paid an endorsement" love or "I genuinely believe these are the best thing for your engine" love. It's so hard to pick these days!!

Off topic I know but is that the mahogany wheel from the z store? So very pretty !!!!!

Tutorial step by step on converting L24 dizzy to electronic using pertronix igniter kit: http://youtu.be/x9hX1YsDxvs

So is anyone planning on attending next term ? Presume it starts in 2 to 3 weeks ? Whilst I can't find any real rust on mine yet I'm still interested. Some people from the eBay thread may remember the dodgy bubbles in the passenger side sugar scoop - ended up only being badly prepped area so paint has bubbled, but am willing to bet I'll find something one day!