Z do's and do not's & Simple modifications
 

Hi I am a 20 year old university student who is working on purchasing a '73 240Z. I am new to the Z community and I am not sure what is consider acceptable modifications to this car. I have found a low rust semi-restored one(New paint, engine has been tuned) the previous owner paid people to do the work to it and thought it was a waste of money. I am planning on using it as a project for the next few years to take a break from all my work and see if I can have it ready to use as a summer (nice day) daily and just enjoy learning about the car and history that it has made.

How I began to get into Z's was through my friend who purchased a 260Z in the spring of last year. The car is very rusty, there is dents and scrapes all over the body, the suspension was partially collapsed and the carbs desperately needed tuning. Needless to say the interior was in similar condition. I thought it was a stupid purchase and really was sceptical of it. That was until I got a chance to drive it. The input to the driver is simply amazing. It reeked of exhaust and the engine was exceptionally loud as the sound deadening and roof liner was gone. You could here everything the engine was doing. The brakes steering and clutch are lovely. I honestly didn't want to get out after I drove it I just knew I had to have one.

What I am considering is putting as much of the Japanese fairlady parts on it as I can find. This will include the headlight covers the mirrors and badges. I want to keep stock ride height, but put slightly stiffer suspension on it. I am seriously considering wire wheels and reupholstering the interior. Also I would consider putting a butterfly valve on the exhaust for above 4k. I am wondering if there is any really big no-no's for modifying these cars. Also if there are any inexpensive ways to get more power from the engine without the possibility of shortening its life.

Cheers,

Curtis

Welcome to ZDriver!

It's your car... you can do whatever you want with it. :D Most Z enthusiasts look down upon "rice-ing out" any Z car... I'm personally not a fan of slapping Fairlady parts onto a non-Fairlady Z (but that's just my point of view)... it's kinda like all the Honda fanboi crews who put the JDM Honda logos on their cars for the "cool" factor.

Just the basic things you'd do on any n/a engine... cam, ignition, carb tuning / upgrades, etc.

Good books:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...SH20_OU01_.jpg

http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/978193112...1_s260x420.jpg

It's fairly easy and fairly cheap to get 300hp in that car by dropping an American made POS small block motor in it. I obviously don't agree with that. But many people do and this is America and they have a right to defile their cars any way they want to. hahah. Seriously though. There are so many options with these cars its nuts. 73's are great. Yeah they HAD flat top carbs. Find me a z that still has flat tops in it. Impossible. Once those are gone youve got a good car. You have rear sway bar mounting points to add a sway bar from a 260z. Thats awesome. And you have an electronic fuel pump too. Also better safety, but more weight. Lets see pics.

Anything that's easily removable (wheels, steering wheel, etc) won't detract value significantly.

It is your car to do with as you wish, but keeping it reasonably close to stock will help hold it's value.

Also, I was in your situation 20 years ago when I bought my first Alfa as a non-running project. It never ran well and I sold it to buy one that ran for a bit more. But here's my general plan for any car.

1. Make it run, make it reliable, and fix any major issues so you can use it regularly.

2. Fix the interior to make it pleasant to drive.

3. Then and only then start making cosmetic modifications, paint, spoilers, wheels, etc.

Nothing worse than having a sweet looking car that you can't use. AMHIK!

Good luck!
Ian