JCan

Zetaz. - 280zx 5 speed .. seems to be the weak link in the drivetrain.... ( I've rebuilt it 3 times now )

Leon - good to hear from you! I've read your build notes... And am impressed. Few builders have your expertise. Re transmission, I like the cd000a, primarily because of the upgraded synchros and relatively low cost. Been thinking about printing ( either directly or indirectly ) a bell housing. Zetaz - Nice 2 meet you. the current motor puts out approx 200 HP at the crank. I am planning to purchase another L28 and turbocharging it with a goal of 400bhp at the wheels... Will the FS5W71C handle 450 HP. Noting my son seems to eat transmissions almost yearly...

My son purchased a Subaru diff... Installation in 2 (approx) weeks. I'll update w pictures.

I am resurrecting this thread. Attached is the picture of the '73 240z in May 2013. Today after maybe 60k miles, the car still looks the same engine is pulling harder than ever, but we need a new Transmission and Rear end. After consulting with my son, I believe we are going to go the Subaru R180 LSD route for the rear end. For the transmission, we are planning to go to the CD009 or the 240SX FS5W71C depending on what we can find.

Great pictures! We have been using felpro gaskets for years now. I think rock auto has them. Good news is it will fix your combustion flow issues ( no overlap ) bad news is it will reduce your compression ratio due to the fact it is bigger than the opening. i think I have a compressed (used) gasket I am happy to mail to you so you can measure the final compressed piston area Good luck!

Leon. Best of luck with your head. I've had mine off several times trying to get everything to work.... Right now everything is dialed in except one cylinder. I like your idea to try compression after the engine is warm (and more importantly when the cylinder walls have oil on them. Right now all of our cylinder compression are above 200 psi. I think it is because we milled the head 0.080". Keep up the good work! (FYI - We are looking into an RB25 swap.but it wont happen for a while) Jim

My two cents. I suggest you go back to stock springs and use the KYB shocks. To level the car, you will have to add spring shims in the back, (if it is not too bad add large washers in between the shock tower and the strut assembly you can get 1/2 inch), they are inexpensive and work well. Your resultant ride will be what you are looking for (as the spring rates will allow the car to move, and the shock will dampen the movement more aggressively than stock). Regarding alignment. Your car must be aligned properly. Find an alignment shop that does 240zs. They will know how to stretch metal in order to adjust your alignment. In San Diego I used Roger Daniels 8517 Ablette Rd Santee, CA 92071 (619) 562-7969. If your car can not be aligned then there is something wrong with your body, either way, the solution is to stretch metal. However, before you do that, I suggest you purchase good sway bars front and back and a tension and compression kit for your front suspension. Best of luck. Jim

From my experience ( Ihave tried both tokiko springs and eibach springs) When you lower your car by cutting the spring, you move the operating position of the shock to close to the limit of it's travel. Now you can add camber plates which eliminate the rubber bushing which should have the effect of lowering your car 1" without messing up the shock operating position. The cost of this is the rubber bushing actually helps mellow out the ride. Regarding springs, Tokiko and eibach springs both are progressive springs and both are very stiff as compared to the stock springs. My suggestion is for you to purchase eibach springs ($225), cut the fronts 1 turn (on the soft side of the spring) and install them on your car and see how it looks. next drive it to see how you like the stiffer springs. if you like the stifness, and you believe it needs to go lower, maybe you could look at adding a camber plate to get an extra inch. My two cents - best of luck

Jim. my son and I just restored a '72 204z and have been tweaking many aspects of the car. With respect to suspension, do you plan to drive yoiur car on a track or on the street? If you are planning to run your car on the street, I suggest you go directly to coil overs and purchase bilstein shocks. this company -> https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/240z/four-corner-weld-coilover-kit-datsun-240z makes a great kit and is priced very well. Our first suspension used tokiko shocks and springs, was way too stiff; our second suspension uses eibach shocks and springs and it is still way to stiff. The primary reason the car is stiff is because when you lower the car the stock strut configuration is almost completely bottomed out. Therefore the springs have to be very stiff. This is why I suggest going to the coil overs and using bilstein shocks. When you manufacture the coil overs you can decide what ride height you want and ensure the car sits exactly at the ride height you want yet has lots of travel both in compression and expansion. Either way, what I am suggesting is a lot of work, but the work is fun and you will experience the benifits of your work every time you get in the car. Best of luck Jim

As it turns out. I have a '73 240z (even though it is built as a 72 240z). This car has a piece of metal with a rubber edge that seals the hood to the top of the core support. I drove the car 100mph today and at about 95 it starts to feel a little lighter, but nothing like the car did at 75 prior to installing the aluminum brackets as described above. Datsun did a great job building this car.

Thanks for your suggestions! As it turns out, the alternator I have in the car just died! IT shorted to ground and caused the wire fuse to blow! Amazing. It is the first time Ive ever seen this fuse blown. Tomorrow, I'll install the new 280zx alternator and try it out. Wish me luck!

Hello. I recently purchased an MSA air dam and installed it onto a fully restored 240z. When we first installed it the air dam worked okay but at 80 MPH the car started to lift a bit. We were able to substantially improve on the aerodynamics by adding some aluminum plates designed to fit inbetween the lower cross member (Below the radiator) and the air dam. This plate forces air into the radiator and does not let it travel below the car thereby increasing the vacuum underneath. Today the car sticks to the road at speeds up to 100MPH. Described is our simple project. It requires manufacturing two plates out of 1/8" aluminum sheet. This project was very easy to do and the results are easily felt on the road. Directions are simple, manufacture the two plates (left plate shown, right is a mirror of the left) using a hacksaw and a sheet metal break (bending machine). Place the plates inbetween the air dam and the horizontal support beneath the radiator. Drill holes and use self tapping bolts to secure the aluminum plates in place. The next step is to purchase a piece of aluminum rectangular stock 1/8" x 1". Cut it to length and sandwich the top rear edge of the air dam inbetween the plate and the trim stock (1/8 x 1" ) by drilling and installing screws and bolts. 4 on each side should work. below are pictures of our build. FYI - Jim

Okay... So it turns out that I purchased a 73 240z with a 60A gauge. Do you think the wiring will hold up or should I add another path to charge the battery and use a diode and fuse in line to ensure the am meter is accurate with a discharge and not accurate when charging. Thanks for your inputs.

That fixed the problem. The car is running very well now. Valves are quiet, car isnt loosing radiator fluid, fans are turning on and off at the right time, I was able to shift into second at 70mph. I'll try to attend JCCS. Leon are you going? Jim