dschock

Installed my 5 speed today. Everything works perfectly. Thanks for the advice!

I've been offered a FS5W71C from a 1979 280zx. Is this a direct bolt in as well? Anything I should worry about before I buy it?

Are the F4W71A and F4W71B 4 speeds the same internally? I seem to only be able to find rebuild kits for the type B. Any suggestions as to where I can buy a rebuild kit?

I've got a '71 z with the type A 4 speed badly in need of replacement or rebuild. I would like to either rebuild it, or upgrade to a 5 speed. I know that the type A is an inch farther forward than the newer ones, so I would have to modify the shifter. Would I need a different drive shaft? What generation 5 speed would you guys suggest for a swap in terms of gearing and compatibility? My other option would be to rebuild my 4 speed. I have found rebuild kits at drivetrain.com and zcarsource.com. The kit at drivetrain.com seems to be for a type B, but says 1970-73. Has anyone used drivetrain.com and know how legit they are? The kit is definitely cheaper there than z car source. Thanks for any advice!

Hey everyone, I've been on HybridZ for a while now and never got around to sharing my own project. I bought my 1971 240z exactly a year ago for $1200 and towed it home. It wasn't drivable because the slave cylinder was shot, the front differential mount was missing (the differential was hanging from the rear mount and drive shafts) floors were rusted out (as expected), old rubber bushings were almost gone, interior was in poor shape, and there were a lot of minor problems here and there. Other than that the body was perfectly straight and the engine ran strong with 156k original miles. It also came with brand new Tokico shocks and springs. Last summer I got it in good daily driver shape. I bought a cheap welder and welded in new floor pans and patched some holes. I replaced all the bushings with new poly ones, rebuilt the carbs, replaced all the intake/exhaust gaskets, and installed all new interior. I am very happy with the progress I made last summer. I've been using it as a daily driver since then. I haven't been able to any serious work during the year because of college and breaking my leg (that's another story...). But now that school is out and my leg is healed, I'd like to get back to work on it. I'll try to keep posting any more progress I make. It is still a work in progress. Here are some pictures of before and after. I'd love any advice or comments. Before: After: Cheers, Dylan

Do a regular compression test, then repeat it with a spoonful of oil in each cylinder. If the compression is higher, rings are bad.

What is the best way to remove the old bushings? Blowtorch, hacksaw?

Check the gaskets on your float bowls. I had the same problem and it ended up being a shot gasket. Now i usually get 20-25mpg

Well, I guess that's good and bad news. The search continues for the source of the knock. The knock only comes from the passenger side. I have replaced all the rear end bushings and torqued everything down and I cant seem to pinpoint it. I have Tokico gas shocks and springs that lower the car about 1.5 inches. I'm thinking there might be an angled gap at the interface between the inside of the shock tower and the top of the shock.

Hey guys, While upgrading to poly bushings in the rear of my '71 240z, I noticed something odd about the bolts that attach the differential rear member to the underside of the car (the bolts right next the the rear shock towers). They seem to be tapered and look like they have been machined. The bushing is able to move around and I get a knocking sound from the rear during hard braking. Are the bolts supposed to be tapered? The kid I bought the car from didn't seem to know much about it. Has anyone needed to replace these before? Since I don't have my camera handy, I drew a picture and included a diagram of which bushings I'm talking about. It is at number 3 in the diagram.

I'm going to do the oil thing first thing tomorrow.

Hey guys, I just did a compression test on my 1971 240z. My results were 170 psi in five of the cylinders and 150 in one of them (cylinder 4). Is this anything to worry about? Also, what sort of results should I expect from my car? My engine has 156k original miles, and as far as I know it hasn't been rebuilt. Thanks!

anyone?

Can someone please upload a good clear picture of the fusebox connections (all plugged in) on a 1971 240z? I'm sure a '70 or a '72 would work as well. The guy who owned my car before me really did a number on the wiring and I need to figure out how it was originally. Thanks, Dylan

Well, I checked for shorts and grounding problems, and thought I had solved it because I was able to drive for a few days. Then, as soon as I turned on my headlights it died again. I am about to do the zx alternator upgrade, but how do I know the internal regulator won't do the same thing? The worst part is I can't tell if it is working unless I try it and see if it burns out again, and that's costing me a lot of money.

The ground and power primary cables, are they the ones on the regulator? Or battery or what? I also just drove 250 miles and the car held up, but it was during the day. I grounded the voltage regulator housing before I left. I wonder if it fixed the problem, or if I can't tell until night time when I use headlights.

BurnoutZ, My alternator is good, I had it tested at the parts store. But the 280zx alternator is a good idea. Does it mount right in with the same connectors? And once I install it, what should I do about the voltage regulator I already have, eave it plugged in?

I posted about this in another thread, but I have narrowed the problem down further. I am having a problem with my voltage regulator in my '71 240z. I have gone through 2 of them in the last month because they melt inside after i drive for a bit with the headlights on. I don't want to install yet another because it will most likely burn out as well. Has anyone else had this problem and know of a quick way to fix it? I have checked all the grounding spots I could find and cleaned them up already. Thanks

The battery and alternator are both good, I had them tested at the parts store. I know the voltage regulator is fried because I opened it up and one of the coils is literally melted through. So the reason it isn't charging properly is that the burned out voltage regulator isn't letting enough voltage through to charge the battery while the headlights were on. I bought another one to put in, but I am hesitant to install it because it will probably happen again. Other than the charging system, I haven't done any work related to the electrical system, just rebuilt the carbs and some replaced some gaskets. Has anyone else had a problem with voltage regulators that keep going bad?

It turns out that my voltage regulator was fried (the one i just bought) which leads me to believe its a grounding issue maybe. I don't want to go out and buy a new voltage regulator yet if its just going burn out too. Where should I check for grounding or other wiring problems?

My battery isn't holding a charge. The battery is only a few months old, and I have replaced the alternator (NAPA remanufactured) and voltage regulator, but it still dies out at stop signs and won't start up again. What do you think the problem is? Is there a way to test each component individually? Is there more to the charging system that I'm missing? Thanks

Also, do I use the same oil/method to fill the differential?

Heh, I did it this morning that same way before even reading your post. Except I didn't warm the oil first, I poked a hole in the back of the bottle and used the air compressor to give it some pressure. Thanks!

And is this all done under the car on the transmission itself? Or is there a place to fill it under the hood that I'm unaware of?

Hey, I need to change the fluid in my '71 240z transmission. Does anyone know the right type of oil that I should use and have any tips or a tutorial for doing it? Thanks