240 Z questions
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240 Z questions
hey- i was wondering what years of the 240Z were most reliable. and also- does it have power steering? is the carburated engine reliable and powerful, more easy to work on? better gas mileage? does this handle good? and also do the strut tower braces really improve handling? thanks
the Dude
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 381
From: Bay Area, California
Re: 240 Z questions
Well, reliable is a variable term - you're talking about a 30 year old car, and there's no such thing as constant reliability with a 30 year old car unless things have been replaced/rebuilt. It doesn't have power steering, none of the Zs until mark 2 280zxs do. 70 and 71 models had problems with rear differential positioned slightly forward and that caused the halfshafts to be bent at an angle back, which caused common u-joint breaking. This was fixed in 72 and up by changing the rear crossmember and angling it back.
a carb'd engine is just as reliable as a fuel injected motor if you're talking about the block itself. Carbs require tuning, and behave differently under hot/cold conditions, but can make more power than the FI counterpart. 70-72 came with round top SU carbs, and 70 and early 71s came with the e31 head which is more desirable for better performance/compression. 72 and 73 came with e88 heads to be more compliant with new emission laws. 73 came with crappy carbs that everyone dislikes and replaces. And yes, it's easy to work on.
Does it handle well? if the suspension is in good shape, for its time it handled very well. if the struts are blown, that's a whole different story. My suspension is nowhere near stock, so I really can't relate since my car handles better than most sporty cars out there. The strut tower brace helps, but that's not something I'd bother with for a mod in my case. It'd always get in the way of motor access. If I was to use one, I'd make one that doesn't have bolts in its design, so it would actually be useful. To answer your question, do strut braces improve handling - that varies from car to car. If the chassis flexes a lot, it will help a bit. But hte problem is that most braces are 2 point braces - so there's no 3rd reference point
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'73 240z
'99 neon R/T
a carb'd engine is just as reliable as a fuel injected motor if you're talking about the block itself. Carbs require tuning, and behave differently under hot/cold conditions, but can make more power than the FI counterpart. 70-72 came with round top SU carbs, and 70 and early 71s came with the e31 head which is more desirable for better performance/compression. 72 and 73 came with e88 heads to be more compliant with new emission laws. 73 came with crappy carbs that everyone dislikes and replaces. And yes, it's easy to work on.
Does it handle well? if the suspension is in good shape, for its time it handled very well. if the struts are blown, that's a whole different story. My suspension is nowhere near stock, so I really can't relate since my car handles better than most sporty cars out there. The strut tower brace helps, but that's not something I'd bother with for a mod in my case. It'd always get in the way of motor access. If I was to use one, I'd make one that doesn't have bolts in its design, so it would actually be useful. To answer your question, do strut braces improve handling - that varies from car to car. If the chassis flexes a lot, it will help a bit. But hte problem is that most braces are 2 point braces - so there's no 3rd reference point
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'73 240z
'99 neon R/T
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: 240 Z questions
auxilary is right. The carbs are easy to tune, i'm about to do it myself. F.I is alot less user friendly, and a lot more things can go wrong. The 240z is a very simple car, with a lot of space under the bonnet to work in. If something does break it would be easy for you to fix, and a lot less electrical things (which in my opion are a bitch) can go wrong
They do handle very well, especially with good suspension. They are light and well sorted.
Alan, Australia
They do handle very well, especially with good suspension. They are light and well sorted.
Alan, Australia
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Posts: n/a
Re: 240 Z questions
What is a Fairlady Z? Is driving a car without power steering easy? I mean I am 17 and my car right now is a 93 Dodge Intrepid, and i am afraid not having power steering will be a b*tch to drive (i have driven a car w/o power steering before, and i didnt think it was that hard) i mean more than likely i will get use to it, but is this car hard to drive at all? What year is the best to get (with carbs) 1973? or 1974? thanks!
the Dude
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 381
From: Bay Area, California
Re: 240 Z questions
no, it's not hard to drive unless the steering rack is shot. the Z is pretty friendly to drive provided that everything is maintained well (ie. everything needed to be greased is greased, and bushings/bearings aren't shot)
a TRUE fairlady Z 432 was a 240z sold only in japan, very limited production numbers (420), had a crossflow hemi head, 4.4:1 limited slip rear differential, and an s20 block instead of l24 (meaning it was 2 liter 6 cylinder vs. 2.4 liter 6 cylinder) making 160hp. transmission was a racing transmission with close gears.
late 71 240z would be ideal if you want a slightly better motor, 72 would be ideal, imo.
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'73 240z
'99 neon R/T
a TRUE fairlady Z 432 was a 240z sold only in japan, very limited production numbers (420), had a crossflow hemi head, 4.4:1 limited slip rear differential, and an s20 block instead of l24 (meaning it was 2 liter 6 cylinder vs. 2.4 liter 6 cylinder) making 160hp. transmission was a racing transmission with close gears.
late 71 240z would be ideal if you want a slightly better motor, 72 would be ideal, imo.
------------------------------
'73 240z
'99 neon R/T
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: 240 Z questions
In other words, pretty trick hey?
Don't worry about non power steering, unless you are pretty weak. Being 17 you are a strapping young man, it should be easy for you. I've got a smaller steering wheel and bigger tires on my car and i still get no problems (i'm pretty buff though
)
Alan, Australia
Don't worry about non power steering, unless you are pretty weak. Being 17 you are a strapping young man, it should be easy for you. I've got a smaller steering wheel and bigger tires on my car and i still get no problems (i'm pretty buff though
)Alan, Australia
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,906
From: Saskatoon, SK
Re: 240 Z questions
manual sometimes comes in more handy when yer car stalls and yer power steering pump and brakes dont pump...well....good luck...
and alan....wer all buff, with big ******** over the internet
and alan....wer all buff, with big ******** over the internet
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: 240 Z questions
yup sure was the R
and none have made it out of Japan to my knowledge and they sure didnt make any LHD versions.....
you can pick one up in japan for about $20,000 - $60,000 AUD
Rusty Datsun x 2
1x Bronx Grey 260Z 2+2 (Soon to be blue)
and none have made it out of Japan to my knowledge and they sure didnt make any LHD versions.....
you can pick one up in japan for about $20,000 - $60,000 AUD
Rusty Datsun x 2
1x Bronx Grey 260Z 2+2 (Soon to be blue)
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