Hello All,

I'm 17 and I just got my first car a couple weeks ago... a '73 240z

first, a little bit about the car

i cant name the actual brands and models off the top of my head.. but i can name recently upgraded stuff (all done before i bought it)

Engine rebuilt less than 1k miles ago, Performance Cam, electronic ignition, springs, 3 row rad, new carbs, intake manifold... some more upgrades that i cant recall off the top of my head...

anyway.. a few questions for all you z gurus out there...

When starting up the car on cold mornings it usually takes a second try... is there any way to get that thing going on the first.. perhaps a stronger starter motor? any tips about starting on cold mornings... im getting tired of my neighbors givin me funny faces

also.. I usually let the car warm up and wait til the temp needle hits the first mark but occasionally i get imapatient.. how much damage am i doing by drivin it before it warms up?
and what is sufficient warm up time? is there any way to warm up the car faster?

Occasionally my car will rattle, bang, and jerk around a bit after i shut it off...the person that i bought the 240 from said that cleaning the spark plugs should fix this.. is it more likely that the car is idling too high? this only happens about 1 in every 10 shutoffs. any ideas on this would be appreciated...

also.. is there any set average at which the engine should idle at or around?

The car could use a nice weatherstripping job... if i did it myself, how much better woiuld it be to go for the specially fit z car trimming over the generic stuff?

oh.. and seeing as i live in southern california where it is always hot, is it worth investing in a 4 row radiator?

also.. the seller threw in a L28 engine since his wife was making him give up zs all together (women!) and i was hoping to slowly rebuild the engine and eventually replace the L24 with the N42.. sound like a plan?

I dont know that much about cars, but am hoping to slowly learn as i have to keep up my datsun.... I have a feeling im going to be visiting these forums quite a bit and will have you all thoroughly annoyed with me in no time...


if anyone knows of good technical reference or anything that will help me along the way, feel free to post (right now i have the car's service manual, Wick Humble's "How to restore your z-car", and intend on pickin up "How to Rebuild Your Nissan and Datsun OHC Engine" tomorrow...

any help would be greatly appreciated as well as any other info, thanks

 

oh yeah.. before i forget.. there is a bit of rust on the car.. so i'll be repainting it not too long from now.. any ideas on colors?

also.. is there any way to add speakers up front without damaging anything? there isnt much room to work with and i dont want to start punchin holes in my door...

and any other ideas on what to do to my 240z?

 

As for speakers i bought a set of Miata seat with the speakers built in. That is the only way to get speakers up front without causing permanant damage. I would clean the plugs ,cap rotor and points and have the Carbs checked to see if they are in synch.
Good luck and enjoy.
Oh yea i am also building an L28 out of a 79. I am leaning towards going with a 750 Holley carb and bypassing the injection and multi carb problems.

Gotta get my Z's

 

For speakers, I bought a rear speaker box from Motorsports Auto (MSA) in Orange, CA - you should try to get their catalog, it has most everything.

Are you pulling the choke lever when you start it? If so mine starts first try (but it has brand new carbs). WIth the old carbs it often took a few trys. You said that you have new carbs, are they rebuilt '73 carbs, or older? Check out ztherapy.com to see which you have. Older carbs are better.

I usually let my '71 idle for about 20-30 seconds before I take off. I do not wait for hte needle to move.

Idle varies by car, but should be around 700-750. It takes a special tool to reset the idle, as you need to adjust both carbs, and ensure that they are balanced. The tool is a flowmeter, or synchrometer.

The "dieseling" tha tyou describe (i.e. run on), is either a idle that is too high, incorrect timing, or cheap gas. I'd guess it's your timing.

Weatherstriping is in the MSA catalog. It's hard to estimate a price as there are a bunch of pieces that you may or may not need. I redid my doors (completely) and rear deck. The cost for parts was about $200.

Good luck.

 

as long as you start with the choke, and leave it on for a little while you won't damage your engine. Mine starts first try, but it wouldn't start one time when the plugs were fouled up, you could try cleaning them up, this may help. Aslo don't rev it hard while its cold. I thought you cold adjust the carb by screwing the pin that holds the throttle link in place (its a pin that rests against a flat plate of metal with a sring on it, connected to the throttle linkage) I think the haynes manual states idle should be 800rpm. As for paint, a zed looks good in any colour, but I am impartial to metallic red or black or moroon (sp?). But you should pick a colour that you like.

Alan, Australia

 

Alan,

Are you talking about the screw that's mounted above the linkage? I guess you can use that screw to control your idle, however it's purpose is really for tuning the carbs. The balance screws are on the carbs themselves, and should be set to the correct idle using a synchrometer. Once they're set, the screw that you are talking about is used to increase the engine RPMs to a higher level (3K or so), at which point the carbs are rebalanced using the lower linkage screw to ensure that the carbs are in sync. Once this is set, the upper linkage screw is backed off to where it's not in contact with anything, and it's not used until you need to check your carbs again.

I guess you could use it as a idle control. I don't see as it could hurt anything.

 

yeah, that's the one. I guess that was my half-arsed approach to fixing the problem, you're probably best doing it properly. My carbs need a tune up, running too rich. Too much to do, too little money

Alan, Australia