Miles

I was just looking at the Arizona Z Car website. they sell a set of 240Z springs 180 LB/in. front and 200 LB/in. rear for abot $160.00. Has anybody tried Arizona Z Car for parts or bought their spring kits? Thanks Miles

Mike What spring rates are you using front and back? Thanks Miles

How do you remove the old shocks in a 72 240Z? Do they screw out with a pipe wrench? Do the struts have to be completely removed from the car? Also, what is a good source for springs? We are looking for 150 lb spring rate front and 175 lb spring rate rear and not more than a one inch drop. The car has a 350 sbc. Thanks Miles

Do I have to pull the trans to replace the rear seal? Thanks Miles

We used a W.c. Camaro T5 five speed trans for our V8 conversion. There seems to be a lot of trans fluid coming out of the tail stock of the trans when the car is parked on a slope. Do I need to replace a seal or did I just put too much fluid in the trans? Thanks Miles

We used a 82 Camaro radiator with a Black Magic electric fan for our V8 Install. The radiator is the one shown in the JTR book. Now that summer is here we are finding that most of the water in the radiator is venting out of the radiator cap which is rated at 15 psi. Can I safely go to a 20 psi cap with the Camaro radiator and not risk blowing a seem? Thanks Miles

Brakes are working. Put some city miles on them and they stiffened up. Bled them one more time and got a few bubbles out of the right front and right rear. Now that the brakes are done we were finally able to open it up and experience the full potential of a V8 Z. What a ride! Thanks again for your help. Miles

I bled the brakes on our72 V8 240Z using the above procedures, but the pedal is still spongy. Adjusting the rear brakes manually helped bring the pedal up, but I am having trouble getting the right and left sides adjusted evenly such that one wheel will lock up. I am going to back the adjusters out and readjust the shoes again. Hard stops from 25-30 mph will not lock up the fronts only the rears. I assume this is partly due to the new pads or the proportioning valve. My Haynes manual says that if you can't lock the front brakes at 30 mph the proportioning valve should be replaced. I note on my other stock 72 240z daily driver that I can not lock the fronts either. Is this normal for 240Zs? I am considering replacing the proportioning valve in the V8 Z with an adjustable unit from MSA or Summit, but don't have a clue how to connect it to the stock hard pipes. If someone has installed an adjustable proportioning valve in a 240Z I could use your input. Thanks for all of your input. I'll just keep grinding away at this til I get it right. Hope to have the brakes resolved soon so we can make it to the next northern California (Rio Vista?) Hybrid meet in July. Miles

Just finished complete 100% rebuild of front and rear brakes on a 72 240Z including a new master cylinder using all stock parts. Noted that brake pedal was soft with original old brake parts. The pedal is still soft with all new parts. I know the pads and shoes will have a springy feel for a few hundred miles. I bench bled the MC. I have checked all connections for leaks and found none. The pedal is still soft and pumping does not stiffen the pedal up. Perhaps I did not bench bleed the MC correctly. What is the procedure to bench bleed the MC? Thanks Miles

Lone How does the Ford starter solinoid help? Do you install it in series with the B+ cable to the starter? We have a lot of advance dialed in a sbc 350 and when the engine is hot it takes a bit more cranking to start. I was thinking of going to a gear reduction starter some day. Thanks Miles

AZGUY I used the MSA kit to install a 350 sbc and 89 Camaro T5 trans in a 72 240Z. Very easy to install. There have been a number of posts in the forum recently on the MSA and JTR mounts. Click on my photo site below to see installation pics. Miles

Ross I was about to purchase metal master pads for the 240z, but the KVR pads sound better. Do you have to heat up the KVR pads before they become effective? I am using stock pads now and they suck. Miles

Lone I'll try the Elk Grove Chevy dealer when I have the bucks. Did the dealer deliver the engine? Thanks Miles

I was having the same problem with my son's 72 240Z V8. So I replaced the master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, rear shoes etc with new original Nissan parts. I have bled the brakes, including a power beed, five or six times and finally got all of the air out this morning. Proper shoe adjustment helped stiffen up the pedal. If you replace the MC be sure to bench bleed it. Check for leaks at all of the hard line unions including the connections to the MC. I sprayed brake cleaner on all of the unions I could reach and wiped them clean. Pumped the brakes a few times and sure enough there were some unions leaking brake fluid. Hit the leaking unions with a 10mm tubing wrench and all is well. Miles

Mike On Ford and Chevy brakes I used to adjust the shoes until the wheel would not spin and then back off the adjusters a few clicks until the wheel would just turn with some slight resistance. I'll try that approach. Thanks Miles

Just rebuilt my 72 240z rear brakes with original Nissan parts: cylinders, shoes, springs retainers etc. I also replced the old master cylinder with a new Nissan master cylinder which I bench bled before installing in the car. I am going to rebuild the front brakes next week with all new parts. The existing pads are almost new. I had the system power flushed and bled after I did the rear brakes with silicone DOT 5 brake fluid. The rear brakes now have about 150 miles on them, but they are still spongy. Pumping the new master cylinder does not firm up the pedal and bleeding reveals no air bubbles. A hard emergency stop will lock the rear wheels and requires almost full pedal travel. It feels like there is still air in the system. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Miles

Highrpm Thanks. I'll add this to my do list. Miles

Mike How does your car ride with the 225 front and 250 rear set up? On a scale of 1 (soft) to 10 (skate board) how would rate the ride for city driving and occasional hammering the pedal out of the hole? Thanks for all the info Miles

Mike For street use would 200lb/in front and 225lb/in rear be about right for a V8 Z? Do you have a source for springs and shocks? Thanks for the warning Miles

Jonathan There are three kits JTR, Motor Sports Auto (MSA) and John's Cars discussed here in the forum. I looked at all three and went with the MSA kit because it did not require any modifications to the car other than drilling a few holes. Most of the hybrid folks use the JTR kit. I was not impressed with John's kit. Johns sells a manual for about $25.00. There is not much useful information in John's manual. Start with a car in good condition where most things still work. Beware of a car modified by previous owners. A poorly modified car is APITA. I spent a lot of time correcting the previous owners hack jobs on the electrical and suspension systems. Here is the MSA no. 800-633-6331 MSA web site: www.zcarparts.com Read the JTR manual at least five times. It is a guideline for the conversion. If you have a basic road worthy 240Z and don't get to fancy the V8 conversion is fairly easy. You'll need basic mechanics tools, engine hoist, floor jack and some jack stands. All of my tools had been stolen so I had to spend about $600.00 to set up for the project. When we are done with our car we will have about $5,000 invested not including the tools. See my picture site below for current project status. If you decide to buy a converted V8Z post a car wanted add here on the forum. Good luck Miles

Has anyone used Eibach Progressive springs on their V8 Z? How well do they perform? Our V8 Z will be a street car. I Think the Eibach progressive springs are 69/150lb/in front and 86/303lb/in rear, and I am concerned the fronts may bottom out with the V8. As an alternative I was thinking 200lb/in front and 250lb/in rear. I want the ride firm. but not like a skate board. Seems like JTR suggested 175 spring rates all the way around. Any input would be appreciated. Also, what is a good cheap reliable source for springs and shocks? Thanks Miles

MACH5: I used the MSA V8 mounting kit on my son's 72 240Z V8 conversion. You can see photos of the installation on my picture site below. The advantage of the JTR kit is that it sets the engine in lower and further back in the engine bay. The advantage of the MSA kit is that it bolts in the car with no modifications except for drilling a few holes. The JTR trans mount requires pounding the floorboard flat and I have gotten the impression that some of the JTR installs have problems with driveline phasing i.e. getting the driveline and differential properly aligned. The MSA trans mount slips up in the tunnel. I put an angle finder on the output shaft of the trans and moved the trans up/down with a floor jack until I got the desired angle and then drilled and bolted the trans mount into position. I have zero driveline vibration problems with this set up. The engine mounts are easy to install with only one hole to drill on each side. By the way, the MSA trans mount is designed for a 700r4 auto trans, but I used it to install an 89 Camaro T5 five speed trans. The MSA mount bolted to the T5 like it was made to order-no mods. If you use the T5 trans be sure to hammer the trans tunnel (corner of floorboard just under the gas pedal area) to provide clearance for the throwout arm movement. I plan on using the MSA kit when I convert my 72 240Z to a V8 this summer. If you are going to run a lot of HP and want the engine in as low and far back as possible go with the JTR mount. The JTR engine and trans mounts are well designed and will probably take more abuse. The MSA printed instructions/pictures are unreadable, but the MSA phone techs helped clear things up. If you decide to go with the MSA mounts email me and I can give you some tips on the install. As an incentive for starting your project, driving a V8 Z is the second best feeling in the world. Miles

Lone What is a good source for crate engines in Sacto? I plan on using a crate when I convert my 240Z. We weren't able to bring my son's 240z to the meet as I still have to rebuild the front brakes. Hope we can have another Hybrid meet in Rio Vista soon. Miles

Lone Thanks. I'll have the shop check the toe adjustment. I have just installed all new rear brake hardware. They seem to be ok. I am in the planning stage on what spring rates to use when I get around to replacing the old ones. I was considering progressive springs, but they may be too soft for a v8 Z. May go with 200lb/in front and 250 l/b/in rear. The car will be for street use 95% of the time so I don't want to get too stiff with the suspension. Also, I thought I saw your car at the Rio Vista meet. Looks good. Liked your seats. Did you use a crate engine? Thanks Miles

Our 72 240z v8 pulls to the right when you let go of the steering wheel. An old Z guy at the allignment shop says it is most likely the tire that is causing the problem and that there is no adjustment on the Z to correct the pulling problem. He also said that it could be from worn parts, but was not specific about what may be worn. I also noticed that the right front spring sags about 1 inch as compared to the left front spring. What could be causing the pulling problem? Thanks Miles