1973 Rebuild

[Captain Obvious]

I have vague recollection of someone here putting roller bearings into their clutch pedal to get an uber smooth fantastic pedal feel.

I'm gonna test old brain cells and tag @zKars maybe, for possible pics of this process?

[zKars]

Yes I did put a small roller bearing into the clutch pedal arm where the old pin hole was to both remove slop and make it a never-wear-out-the-hole situation. The added benefit was a smoother pedal fell, although it was likely as much a simple improvement over the old pin the worn out hole feel.

I used a small 1/4” ID router guide bearing with maybe a 1/2 or 5/8“ OD and just tack welded the outer race to the pedal arm to keep it in place after drilling a matching hole for it to sit in.  I used a grade 8 1/4” shoulder bolt that fit the bearing nice and snug too with a nylok nut to keep it in place.

[Matthew Abate]

I just opted for a glob of lithium grease between the pedal tube and the inner tube, as well as between the inner tube and the bolt. Keeping it off the threads was fun!

[Captain Obvious]

11 hours ago, zKars said:

Yes I did put a small roller bearing into the clutch pedal arm

I assume if you had pics, you would have posted them?

[zKars]

9 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

I assume if you had pics, you would have posted them?

But of course. Long since lost, not even sure I took any. 

[Captain Obvious]

1 hour ago, zKars said:

But of course. Long since lost, not even sure I took any. 

Yeah, I figured. It really sounds like a cool mod, and it's been forefront in my mind recently because my clutch is squeaky and notchy. I'm sure I need some attention down there.

[Matthew Abate]

Question for the room:

I’ve seen that the recommended sequence for assembling the interior of the car starts with the grommets in the firewall and then the rest of the firewall parts, but I imagine getting the tubes, wires, and other stuff that goes through those grommets is easier with them out, and I won’t be ready to put those thing in for a while.

Is there a trick for doing this with the grommets installed and all of the insulation, boards, and stuff (not counting the dashboard) bolted to the firewall already?

My interior was in cardboard boxes when I bought the car and I didn’t get a chance to take notes on the disassembly sequence, so this is a knot I have to unravel.

Edited July 8, 2022 by Matthew Abate

[SteveJ]

Not sure what you found or who might have said it. putting wires through grommets that are already in place? Not likely. You'll never get the connectors through.

Tubing? Well, maybe with this:

[Matthew Abate]

Got a slightly off topic question for you guys…

I have a line on a rebuilt E12-80 280ZX distributor. I am wondering if this is the right move, or if I should be looking at something else.

The something else list right now includes the 123 Distributor, the Pertronix setup, the Crane HI-6s, and the Electromotive XDI (potentially NLA).

I like the idea of the 280ZX distributor because it is the simplest option listed above. However, I don't see reliable sources for replacement ignition modules and I hear they tend to burn out. I don't really want to put something with a computer in the car, but if I do I want the best performance I can get, which I think would be something like the XDI or the HI-6s.

This is all on my mind because it lightly impacts the wiring choices I make. If the E12-80 is the best choice I should grab it while I can.

Thoughts?

Edited July 12, 2022 by Matthew Abate

[SteveJ]

I haven't had too many issues with the 280ZX ignition. The Pertronix is one of the lower cost options, provided you have a good 240Z distributor to start with. I have only had it installed for about a year, so no reliability data on the Pertronix, yet.

The reviews seem to be mixed to me on the 123. Some people love the adjustable nature of it, but some people have complained about the quality of the distributor caps. (You won't get a good spark with a bad cap.)

As far as simple, it's probably easier to install a Pertronix on a distributor on the car than swap in a 280ZX distributor.

With regard to the ignition modules, you can keep a couple in the car with a small screwdriver and replace one easily on the side of the road should you ever have a failure. (I only had a bad one on a rebuilt distributor.)

If you go with the ZX, consider getting the bearing plate(s) a user listed here.

I had a Crane (the cheaper between the two you can use on the Z) in my 240Z that I installed in 1997. It worked for 13 years and died with very little driving. I'm not sure if it was a bad module or dirty optics. I didn't have the drive to dig into the cause. Anyway, you have to mount the module somewhere. The ZX distributor and Pertronix do not require mounting a module somewhere.

[w3wilkes]

One other note on the ZX distributor is the E12-92 module also works just fine. I've been running E12-92 since somewhere around 2006.

 

[Patcon]

I dont really care for the pertronix because I've been stranded by them. I have the zx dizzy on a couple of engines but I like the 123 dizzy alot