Time To Buy A Z

[Carl Beck]

Hay guys,

...snipped.....The book had stated, Leaner carburetor settings lower compression, and carburetors more prone to vapor lock bedeviled all cars with reduced power and poor derivability – particularly frustrating in a sports car like the 240Z - page 16. The 260Z was quicker then the 240 but still suffered from carburetor vapor lock - page 23.

As the name suggests, the 280Z had a displacement of 2.8 liters, achieved by stroking the 260z’s motor by 3mm. ...snipped......

Hi ZRedline:

I'm afraid that Mr. Sessons rendition of the Z story is a good example of how screwed up things get when people that know very little about a subject sit down to write..

Vapor Locking - effects the carb's because is starves them for gas, but that really isn't a "problem" with the carb.'s - they were no more prone to vapor lock than any other carb. - it is a problem with the fuel delivery system. One that is easily cured in most cases by the addition of an electric fuel pump at or near the gas tank.

The "problem" with the Flat Tops was "Percolation" causing a richer than normal air-fuel mixture. It affects the carb. float bowl and the high pressure fuel line (the outlet side of the fuel pump) and cause hot start problems.

The 280Z's 2.8L displacement was not achieved by stroking the 260's L26. The L28 was a new block casting, with larger diameter cylinder bores. The L26 was achieved by stroking the L24.

At least as tested by most of the automotive magazines here in the States, the 260Z was never faster than the 240-Z.

Everything with a grain of salt....

FWIW,

Carl B.

Carl Beck

Clearwater, FL USA

[Carl Beck]

Hey Guys,

..snipped.... If I read it right, the original question was not to do with carbies vs fuel injection but more the relative price and availability of the S30 versus the 280ZX.

I do think the ensuing discussion has been interesting and useful but is this a case where the carbie issue could belong in another thread? Anyone trying to use the search function for the topic of carbies is less likely to uncover this valuable discussion unless it has its own title.....snipped...

.

Hi Dave:

You have a valid point related to finding information in the future... but this is after all a forum for "discussion". Not simply a question and answer service - right?

As long as the discussion threads it way through related information, it's usually considered "on topic". The original question was indeed about seeking and buying a Z or ZX, and the various issues associated with that decision or purchase are relevant. Dee-Dee did say ..."or any common problem the Zeds have"...

If one is new to a subject area, holding a discussion with many others yields all manor of information that a person new to the subject would not otherwise know to ask or to search for in the first place. That is I believe why it is so important to discuss these topics with newbies, rather than pointing them to the archives for searches at too early a point.

BTW - wouldn't you also find the L28's in wrecked/totaled 280ZX's imported into Australia?

FWIW,

Carl B.

Carl Beck

Clearwater, FL USA

[boyblunda]

Advice taken and appreciated Carl - I sometimes struggle with fully understanding the ettiquette on this site but it does not upset me and this (ettiquette) I am sure is best discussed on another thread.

Thanks for the additional information with regard to the L28 engine.

You are correct in saying that there are many L28's floating around in Zeds in Australia and I would think that old 280ZX vehicles are most likely the source for almost every L28 in an S30 down here - some people wanted the larger capacity engine and others wanted a cheap second hand motor to replace the original tired engine. Other second hand L28's were imported from overseas and sold through wrecking yards and engine reconditioners. The only genuine 280Z's I am aware of in Australia were imported second hand from overseas.

EDIT :

Thread on 280Z in Australia created by Zedrally

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20983

[Zedrally]

snip

The only genuine 280Z's I am aware of in Australia were imported second hand from overseas.

? Where are they? [really going off topic now]

Just asking a question here to expand knowledge,as I've never heard of a 280Z in Aus.

There have been a few imports of HLS-30 Shells etc, I can't see the value of importing a RS-30 into Aus. Perhaps they may have made their way via NZ?

Cheers

MOM

[boyblunda]

Perhaps I should have said "heard of" rather than "know of" in my post.

I have seen an imported 2+2 that was being dismantled in Perth and was advised by the owner that the doors were different in this car compared to the Australian models due to it being an imported second hand vehicle from Japan. It took the owner a few attempts to allow me to clarify the situation there. I thought the car had an L28 but I cannot swear to that now and even if there was an L28 in the car, it may well have been a substitute engine for the original.

There was a period of time in the 80's when importing second hand vehicles to Western Australia and possibly to the rest of Australia from Japan and Singapore was popular and easy to do. The sporty type cars such as the Mazda RX7 were the most popular choice of import as they sold for a better price in Australia. The laws for importing second hand vehicles have changed since.

A number of American cars found their way to Western Australia when there was a US naval base at Learmouth. We had several queries for parts for American cars, and I think that included Zed enquiries, from the Learmouth navy population at Perth Shockabsorber Centre who sponsored my rally car at the time.

On the WAZ register we had a post about an HLS30 found in the desert.

http://wazregister.com/forumframe.php

However Mike, I cannot verify the existence of a single genuine 280Z in Australia at this point in time. It would be interesting to hear from others across the continent on this.

EDIT :

Thread on 280Z in Australia created by Zedrally

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20983

[Zedrally]

Can we split this thread?

I have some questions on 280's [can anyone give me the model designation?].

MOM