Starting Carb Conversion: Flat Tops to Paltechs

[siteunseen]

 

21 hours ago, w3wilkes said:

Just one comment on the header gasket and not sure it applies in your case. The MSA headers come with a gasket that MSA says should be used rather than the OEM gasket. Here's the gasket for headers.

Motorsport! Performance Header Gasket, 70-74 240Z-260Z - The Z Store! Nissan-Datsun 240Z 260Z 280Z 280ZX 300ZX ( Z31 Z32 ) 350Z 370Z Parts

Their gasket is like a compacted bunch of paper towels. They fold over when held outward. If you sprayed them with copper they may be okay but I always use Nissan when available.

Their exhaust stud kit that comes with the headers are like the hardware you get with stuff from Lowes. Through away immediately. The nuts spin down the studs with my fingers. They need to be flanged clamping nuts, out of round, conical, pinch nuts, whatever you want to call them but SELF LOCKING for sure. Zcardepot has all the choices and info on his site. I bought mine from Nissan for a 4 cylinder Altima. 8mm with flange lock nuts. 

If MSA's will spin down so easy they will spin off that easy too eventually. People say use lockwashers, don't do that on a header. The pressure should be equal around the manifold stud. 

 

[w3wilkes]

35 minutes ago, siteunseen said:

 

Their gasket is like a compacted bunch of paper towels. They fold over when held outward. If you sprayed them with copper they may be okay but I always use Nissan when available.

Their exhaust stud kit that comes with the headers are like the hardware you get with stuff from Lowes.

My MSA 6 -> 1 headers only came with the MSA header gasket and I re-used my factory now 50 year old studs, nuts (that spun down with my fingers), fat washers and bolts. Maybe that's why my MSA header gasket and headers haven't leaked in the 4 years since I installed them?

[Dadsun]

Y'all are making my head spin....

[siteunseen]

I'd never installed a header before so I asked a couple of people that had and they said they had to be some type of self locking nuts with bigger bottoms to spread out the pressure. Not to use lock washers and flat washers. I used their past experience with good results, that's all I'm saying. I/we had many back and forths on this in 2011.

If you go to zcardepot.com you can see what he says. Likewise if you go to msa's site you can read what they say. My local Nissan parts guy agreed with my Dad and my German car mechanic's advice. Use some type of locknuts.

[siteunseen]

8 minutes ago, Dadsun said:

Y'all are making my head spin....

Get a neck brace.

 

[siteunseen]

21 hours ago, Dadsun said:

Y'all are making my head spin....

Wait until you ask about cams or the best oil. We have a lot of back and fourths, opinions I guess, but it's all fun. 

[Dadsun]

18 minutes ago, siteunseen said:

best oil

I've been happy with my Castrol High Mileage 10W-40 blend so far. Seems to have helped recondition some minor seal leaks. Come at me, Bros.

[siteunseen]

I use Valvoline Maxlife 10w/30. Started out with VR1 but that's hard to get around here and rather expensive compared to Maxlife.

[Dadsun]

Ok,.so the intake and exhaust manifolds are off now.

Vote on which way the gasket should be mounted. As shown on car (pic 1) or the opposite (shown in wrapper in pic 2)?

Btw, this OEM gasket from zcardepot isn't holding up well. See peeling at top of intake flange location. 

 

[dutchzcarguy]

Metall plates on the gasket against the exhaust-manifold.  SO, like it sat on your engine.

Did'nt i see this pic of yours in another topic?  Your gasket is no longer usable, and you have to check your exhaust manifold because it leaks on more than one place! (see the black soot on the gasket and the engine..

Can you put a picture of all 6 exhaust- outlets here?  With the gasket on and then one pic without the gasket..  It's a leaky exhaust, because of the bad exhaust manyfold contact area.. it was leaky for some time, evidence is the soot.

Edited February 8, 2021 by dutchzcarguy

[grannyknot]

7 hours ago, Dadsun said:

Vote on which way the gasket should be mounted.

I have always faced the metal side to the exhaust manifold because the head has coolant running through it and the manifold doesn't.  You might want to take a coarse file to the mating surface on the exhaust manifold to make sure that all rust and carbon deposits have been removed and the surface is flat, those 2 exhaust leaks on cylinder #5 and #6 show that something is off.

[siteunseen]

Metal to the header on mine.

As an add on for my positioning it seems like there were some lines or some other imperfections on the head side. Therefore it needed the softness of the gasket. The header was nice and flat and once tightened down it created it's "seating" in the metal on the gasket.

My 280 has a Felpro with a little tick of exhaust leak. I'll never use those again but that Nissan metal gasket is absolutely quiet. I like hearing the valve train clicking away.

Edited February 8, 2021 by siteunseen