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I think that part of the disconnect here might be that Mike is a social media focused guy who happens to like Z cars, while many of the more active members here are car guys who just use the internet to learn about and talk about cars. In the end it's a compromise between the two mindsets. As for the drop in activity it might be that what several of us have mentioned plays a part. In social media world you're supposed to stay "logged in" at all times, permanently engaged. In internet privacy world you stay logged out until you feel the need to engage. With the current state of CZCC.com if you click on a link to see what the latest posts say while you're logged out you get taken to the first post in a thread no matter how long it is. You have to log in or go through the hassle of scrolling and clicking to get to the new stuff. So, many of us just bail out and click on some other internet site. In short, the site is just harder to use now, less enjoyable. Instant gratification has been diminished. Overal though the site is still one of the better car-based sites on the inernet. I visited zcars.com a while ago and it is chaotic. Even after you find a sub-forum that you might be interested in viewing it has about 20 pinnned threads that you have to scroll through to find the new stuff. The "Topics Last ..." format at least avoids that, although I did see some pinned threads here that confused me. It wasn't obviuos that they were pinned. Also, while I'm here, and I've already mentioned this, potential new members have to pay $10 to join. If you're searching around the internet to talk about your new Z car, you can join Hybridz or zcar.com for free. Pretty obvious that people will do that first. So, fewer new names popping up, just us old-timers here resisting change.

I like to view the last 24 hours looking for something I might can help with. Now it just shows the title and nothing else as far as questions or brief parts of the question. I miss that. Well, well, well now...Just figured it out. You need to have an instructions page for using the forum. LOL! If you click the box to the right in the smaller red circle it goes back to what I like. Who posted and a few sentences about what they said. Below is a screen grab after I figured it out. A few minutes ago it just said "Lily build" Zed Head posted a post (which is kind of silly sounding, maybe redundant)? "Zed Head posted in a topic". It's my nutty brain that sees these odd to me small things. Time to eat dinner was my first one when I was a kid. "time to eat dinner" what the hell else you supposed to do with it? It used to look like this and I didn't like it.

Looks great Jim!

I found this and thought it was cool... so here I am sharing it with y'all

Or just log in... What's the point of using guest mode?

Just thinking through the option of adding a longer duration of time that the piston takes too drop - that would occur with higher weight oil. Probably wouldn't be the way to address the issue, because it would only add say another second or so (just guessing), before the piston would reach the same point of travel (and the needle reach the same point inside the nozzle) where it goes really lean. I found I was able to tighten all of the nuts holding the carbs to intake manifold as well as the intake manifold and header to the engine. Some I was able to tighten nearly a quarter of a turn. I fired the engine up after that, and I got a wildly different AFR at idle. So! It was raining and I didn't want to take the car out. I will revisit and see if I tightening up those things has perhaps eliminated an air/vacuum leak.

Thanks Guys, ya CanTechZ I saw the note, thanks again. I had a hell of a time with my first set on installation but that was definitely a "me" thing so Chris was super kind to send me a replacement of the rubber side. I will definitely have a second set of hands with me to preserve the integrity of the the 90 degree joint, plus I'll move the car into the driveway for way more space. I'm really looking forward to installing these seals, and I also have an S30 fuel tank to install as when I restored mine, I have always felt there is powder coat inside the tank that continually fills my filters way too soon so I went nuclear with one of their reproduction tanks. It looks really nice, too. Cheers

I have done mine although my door hardware is not complete yet. But they are very nice and soft and latch like factory weatherstrips

Click on X hours ago - go to post that happened X hours ago Click on title of thread - go to first post in thread This how most other forums work, across the internet. This is how CZCC used to work, logged in or not. We've all become used to this format. Something changed when you started customizing.

Plus 1 on the drop down menu's at the top

I really got into following the Peking to Paris Rally when Chris Bury and his father built a car for the rally.

Hey guys, yes the biggest challenge is competing with the social media sites. As I've been thinking about our approach I want this place to continue and promote our strength. Our strength is our knowledge and large database of ideas and experience. This comes in the form of information and users who are pro's at what we do. I am far from a social media guy but it doesn't hurt to try new ideas. The best ideas will stick. In an effort to remain relevant in our purpose, we need to keep up with our code. Some of the new ideas that I've tried over the past several months is a result of new software features. Today I implemented a new idea putting the menu on the left side (desktop users only). Let me know what you think. I've also gone back to the traditional forum views since it seems nobody really likes the hybrid 'feed' views on the main page. I agree the subforum navigation (with checkboxes) was pretty confusing so I also reverted back to the traditional format. If it works better, then I think we should stick with what we are good at. Our content was based on a forum view, so that's what I'll stick to. This place will always remain free to browse. New members are no longer required to pay money to join. I originally did that about a year ago to protect our members from fraudulent accounts and scams. As you can tell, we have been seeing an uptick in spam bot accounts so I need you to continue helping me identify those. We do have an anti-spam account check but some bots have gotten through. However, if we can make this place easier for legit new members, it's a risk I'm willing to take. Lastly, guys remember this place costs me money every month. I've been doing my best to keep ads at a bare minimum but it will be impossible to exist without them. I've also got a good relationship with MSA but I have a feeling they will be focusing on the forums that bring in real sales this year. So we have to prove we are worthy of their support. Our interests are very similar, we are the go-to online resource for the Classsic Z, and they are the go-to resource for parts. I appreciate all of your feedback and have made adjustments as result. Let's keep up the healthy feedback and we can continue forward. As I learn new programming techniques, I'm sure there will be more. ;) Mike

I admire that you're spending so much time with Tres Hombres. ❤️

I have a bookmark set to show me unread content with my preferences. I also agree, traffic seems down. I know there is an S30 forum on Facebook and I have seen members posting there. Maybe that is slowing traffic on CZC? I would rather be here than Facebook!

Hi Everybody! First off I have to say, what a great site this is and thank you to all who contribute to it. I stumbled upon this car in January of 2021 while logging my neighbors property about 1/2 mile away. The owner, who moved here in 2003 to help his aging parents on their small ranch, brought this with him from the Seattle area. He offloaded it here in the woods, and it remained there until he showed it to me. He kept mentioning something about the darn squirrels and mice getting in a car, and he was kind of sad about it. "What kind of car is it?" I ask. Oh, "It's a Zcar". Hmmm, I remember those in high School in the late 70's, my friend had one. Let's go look at it! So off through the forest we go, and wow! this is cool! I opened the hood and was immediately in awe. Then, when I opened the inspection lids, This is really cool. He started talking about side draft carburetors and I was lost, but he thought they were amazing. Life on the ranch became overwhelming and time just got away from the gentleman, he is now in his mid 70's and it's been 18 years since he parked it. He tells me he found it on Vashon Island completely buried in blackberry bushes, along with an old VW, back in the late 1990's. So he rescued it, got it running, and his wife drove it for 2 years before it ended up here. I went home, did some research on 240z's and couldn't sleep. I had to save this car! I went back the next day to work and made a deal with him, brought it home. What did I just do? Along with the car, he had a few things, books and a few parts. Back in 1999, you could go to a Nissan dealer and pretty much still order anything you want for these cars.

Carefully stripped of previous finish to preserve wood fibers in the rim. No cracks, scratches, or gouges. The rim was refinshed with two coats of hand-rubbed, oil-based stain, topped with two coats of gloss spar urethane, wet sanded amd hand polished. The spokes and hub are refinshed in two coats of SEM Satin Black. The horn mechanism is original and in very good condition (no horm pad). $385 includes standard domestic shipping, payment via PayPal.

I've been busy dealing with life recently, but that doesn't mean I forget spending money on more or less useless automobilia :-) First, the Japanese L-series Service manual. I have it in various language, but never had "the original" one from JP. And since it popped up for a reasonable price, I had to have it. Then i got another Datsun Switzerland price list. This time from April 1980. As usual, you can find all of them scanned in high-resolution for free download, here Some may know my List of various Japanese L6 Intake manifolds, carb kits and Turbo / Surge tank kits. And thanks to a hint, I recently acquired this lovely Japanese printed ad from the very first FET / HKS Turbo Kit. You can read a lot about it in my Intake / Turbo surge tank post, here. Thanks to a hint from Mymechanix, i got a beautiful Differential strap. The originals are usually worn out, and this replacement belt from Aliexpress has the perfect fitments and dimensions. All other alternatives come either in a leather look or rubber, this one is much closer to the original design. Unfortunately the surface is glossy and has some prints on it (see the one on the left) so i will try to sand it down, to get as close to the original look as possible.

Fiberglass repairs on the early scoops are very easy as is replacement of broken mounting studs. I've done several. I currently have one I'm prepping for JDM style headlight covers that has a few cracks that I'll cover with fiberglass cloth before moving ahead.

You're going to have to use a machine shop so why not let them get the guides? They've got access to all that kind of stuff. I worried myself to death looking for chrome faced rings like Nissan used for my standard 2.4 block and all I could find were steel. My machinist had them in 2 days. It's worth a call I think.

Yup! Same thing happened with me. I ordered a downpipe January 7th, assuming it was in stock. They emailed me the next day, saying it's been backordered, and it will be 2-4 weeks. OK, fine. 6 weeks go by, nothing. I email them about the status. My email is ignored. Another week goes by, I email them again, this time I get the 7 to 10 days time frame. A few more weeks go by. I get the run around. Now just about 3 months have gone by, I check with JDM CAR PARTS. They have them in stock and actually make the downpipe here in the U.S. wait, aren't both these places in California? Why doesn't Datsun Garage go to JDM and get my part and mail it to me. So, I file a PayPal dispute. Here's is a letter I just received from Datsun Garage.

Just stopped by the site not logged in to see what's up. Clicked on the "1hour ago" link, took me to the first post in an 18 reply thread, clicked on the "18 replies", took me to the first post in an 18 reply thread. This is most likely the major factor in the big drop off in activity. You can see from the main page that most people don't stay logged in. There's only five signed in right now. But 135 others (don't really know what that last one means) who also can't easily get to the new stuff. Just trying to help. You can try to change the behavior of the masses or you can make the site easier to use for them. Carry on...

I love it when a plan comes together! Fully operational below dcoe throttle body actuator for DBW ITB. Mostly hidden!

When I visit the forum, I use the "Topics Last 24 Hours" option. And I poke around without signing in because it's faster, easier, simpler, and I can do it from pretty much any location or device without having to worry about any security concerns. So it's safer. When Zed Head checked, I may have been one of the 135 people viewing the forum without being signed in. This is the page I start with: https://www.classiczcars.com/discover/20/?&view=condensed When I'm not signed in and I click on the "1 hour ago" link, it takes me to the first post in an 18 reply thread. - Undesirable However if I DO sign in and click on the same "1 hour ago" link, it takes me to the post that was made 1 hour ago. - This is what I want But regardless if I'm signed in or not... if I go to the All Activity page here >> https://www.classiczcars.com/discover/ and click on the "1 hour ago" link, it doesn't matter whether I'm signed in or not... It always takes me the end of the thread. (Again, which is more desirable, at least to me (and Zed Head).) So @Mike , the code is clearly in there. Signed in or not.. Just figure out why the "all activity" page operates differently than the "last 24 hour" option. It shouldn't be a cookie thing since it would work the same way for all users. And all of this is clearly a different discussion than "unread since last visit"... THAT most certainly requires cookies, etc. But the links we're talking about should not be a cookie or sign in thing.. And as for menu at the top. I like the way you have it now. It's there if you need it, but off the top of the screen not taking up any unnecessary space if you don't.

Yeah, even for just another data point, it would be interesting to re-enable the throttle opener system to see what it does to the numbers when you let off the pedal and coast. And as for the rich blip... I'm not sure I understand your thoughts on experimenting with a heavier oil in the dampers than what you already have in there. It appears that the rich blip is already showing the dampers are doing what they are supposed to do. If you want an even deeper rich blip, or a blip that last longer (wider), then you would run heavier oil. But do you really think you need that?

Fixed, thank you!

I'm not a huge fan of the left menu, either. The top drop-downs seem to be the defacto standard for websites.

The left panel takes up about a quarter of my window view. While it offers easy access to forum feature links, I'm not sure how often I'd use it. Soooo, most of the time, it's just in the way. Maybe dropdown menus would be worth considering.

Thanks for all you do Mike. My Z and I would be lost without this forum. And I get the fact that this forum is competing for eyeballs with other social media sites like FB. I think you are right about the strengths here. The expertise and knowledge about the classic Z's is top notch. The trick is how to leverage that strength in a way to attract new users without alienating the existing ones. I hope you come up with the magic sauce that pays the bills. I'm on (mostly lurk) a couple of the FB groups, and occasionally ClassicZ will get mentioned as a source for expertise or info. I'm not sure if that get's people to actually JOIN or not, but it certainly can't hurt. I agree. Let's just hope that we can figure out a way for everyone to be satisfied!!

The wireless bras need recharging.

What he said (thanks Captain) I go to the activity tab at the top of the screen and go to the "unread button" Please tell me I am not missing something. I also feel like traffic is down. Oh and now I remember what I'am missing @conedodger

Since the very rich AFR at idle I am experiencing with the N27's is not acceptable, I decided to order some SM needles and give them a shot. A comparison: While the differences at each used station are "small", they are evidently quite large when tuning SU carburetors, as I found out watching How SU carburetors work parts 1 through 4 here: https://www.youtube.com/@ACDodd/videos Anyway, they were only $40 delivered, so not an expensive thing. I swapped those in last weekend and made a few more runs to collect AFR. Doing so, I saw some changes and made some new observations. First the plots: Idle: I am quite happy with that. 14.7 to 1 is stoichiometric. For idle speed, I think that would be ideal. But I think this is great. cruise: For the recording of cruising above, I was mostly on flat road holding the speed at an indicated 50 mph in third. My RPMs are now being recorded, but honestly, I don't know which to believe, my tach, or the LM2, as there is a notable difference off of idle. Generally, the LM2 is reading higher by as much as ~500 rpm. I plan to notate some speeds in gears and tach and LM2 rpm readings and compare with calculated info based on transmission and differential ratios and tire diameter to see which is more accurate. Again, for cruising, I like the AFRs I am seeing here. I do not notice any surging or anything out of usual when slightly lean by this much while cruising. It should be good for fuel economy. acceleration: Now, for acceleration, I am less pleased. The first steep rise is first gear. I think I pressed record just after the light turned green and applied full throttle in first, then shifted to second and applied full throttle, then shifted to third and applied full throttle - very briefly. My focus points are seconds 2-3 and 6 to 8 and a half. For those, I am in a steady state - full throttle - flat road. In first, the AFR is a bit under 12. In second, it looks like about 12 to 12.2. So, rich. What got really interesting is that when I shifted to third and again applied full throttle, the engine essential "stopped" as the AFR spiked up to north of 20. I suspect the float bowls went dry. I was able to repeat this a second time. So, I will need to investigate this further. Now that I have watched the video series mentioned above, I will plan out my next steps differently. I won't be messing with needles for now. I need to check the springs in the carburetor to see if they are original and in good condition. And I need to investigate my dampers. They may have too much wear. One of the indications that I have an issue with either the springs or the dampers is that (and this is with both the N27 and the SM needles), the AFR is going extreme lean on throttle off deceleration. It is worse with the SM needles - going north of 20. But it is bad with the N27s as well, going north of 18. Lots of popping out of the exhaust... Based on the info in the videos, that is either spring or damper.

I've got one that is in fair shape, It is FRP. It does have a few cracks and one of the studs is broken off half way down, but definitely still useable with a bit of repair work. Let me know if you would like some pics. I'm in BC.

So Driver’s side fiberglass. Let me put a magnet on it just to check. I have both left and right hand sides. I’ll check it out when I get to my shop today.

I had the thought that there is probably some patent literature about it out there and found one that describes a design whose purpose is to isolate the sound/vibration from the car body. It's translated from Chinese so makes for a weird read. In short, I think it stops the people in the car from feeling the vibration. Buzzy butt, probably. It's from 2008. https://patents.google.com/patent/CN201300772Y/en I tried to find a patent from around the Z time frame but patent searching is hard. I did find this though. Radar equipped cars in 1972. https://patents.google.com/patent/US3833906A/en

As far as I understand it (and I've seen the same thing on several different makes of old cars) they act as a spring/damper, which has a positive effect on the sound quality and also insulates the mountings from high frequency vibration when the horn sounds. But they certainly have an air of late 1860s rather than late 1960s, so I empathise with your curiosity.

I ordered them from Godzilla Raceworks about 4 years ago. The distribution center/configuration department is in Orlando Fl. I received them in less than a week since I’m right next door so to speak. Godzilla originally said it might be a few weeks if they didn’t have the Swift springs in stock. The paper work/instructions were very thorough. I disassembled the shocks and cut the tubes. Took them to the metal fabricator next door and he welded them for me. Can’t remember if it’s front or rear but it’s crucial because they were marked L/R.

I had to educate myself on Swift springs. Found this helpful. Sounds to me like it would be worth the extra cost. Found this one with good Coilover 101 info too.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/9457218524394324/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=marketplace_general&referral_story_type=general&tracking=%7B%22qid%22%3A%22-82326136670945814%22%2C%22mf_story_key%22%3A%2275032482911560762%22%2C%22top_level_post_id%22%3A%2275032482911560762%22%2C%22commerce_rank_obj%22%3A%22%7B%5C%22target_id%5C%22%3A75032482911560762%2C%5C%22target_type%5C%22%3A6%2C%5C%22primary_position%5C%22%3A1%2C%5C%22ranking_signature%5C%22%3A0%2C%5C%22commerce_channel%5C%22%3A1000%2C%5C%22value%5C%22%3A0%2C%5C%22upsell_type%5C%22%3A103%2C%5C%22candidate_retrieval_source_map%5C%22%3A%7B%5C%2229969350039319002%5C%22%3A3099%2C%5C%229321956344592424%5C%22%3A3099%2C%5C%229385868504802216%5C%22%3A3099%7D%2C%5C%22grouping_info%5C%22%3Anull%7D%22%2C%22lightning_feed_qid%22%3A%22-82370666948524824%22%2C%22lightning_feed_ranking_signature%22%3A%22374976621229495474%22%7D

The reason I originally went with coil over shocks was I removed the ridicules bumpers off of my 78 280z and replaced with them with the 240 series style. I removed the bumpers/crash absorbers and that weight itself, with the stronger springs allowed the car to raise well over 2”. I could have gone in a different direction but the coil overs gave me the opportunity to dial in the height. The Swift springs from Japan gave it a softer ride. It handles great and glad I went the route I did. Considerable fabrication involved. IMO well worth it.

Do you like them? Is it a noticeable upgrade?

$100 each sounds like a bargain! Good luck with the Spring cleaning.

Yeah interesting to watch your baby during this auction! Hope you can get to the reserve mark. A few more days to know for sure! But hey I am partial to the color... not sure what this guy has against yellow.. lol

One of the cars I worked on this winter have an older set of Z-Therapy rebuilds on it, so when I got to the point of putting the carbs back on, I didn’t look too closely for problems. But as I was syncing and setting up mixture etc, the engine would randomly change idle, always upward and sit there unstable as hell. Blip the throttle, fool with the choke and it would settle down. Then off it would go again with very little provocation. Finally realized I was just grazing the little fuel hose on the bottom with a tool or finger while working on them, it would set the idle off on one of its fits. What I was doing was shifting the nozzle around in its tube, creating clearance and a vacuum leak when it sat just so. I’m waiting for new nozzles from Z-therapy now, should solve the issue. The back carb is much better and doesn’t exhibit this behavior. Other carb sets I have laying around, from which I was going to snitch parts, are all worse. The nozzles literally rattle around in the tube. So expand your mantra when you help yourself or others decide on SU quality and vacuum leaks. It’s not just them shafts that get worn.

I just did all my fuel lines this year with Gates E85 rated hose. 1/4" fuel rail to carbs - maybe 2 1/2 feet 5/16" supply side to fuel rail & tank to steel line - about 6 feet 3/16" return line from rail to steel line & steel line to tank - about 5 feet These all seemed to fit perfectly. Needed to use a little more hose on the supply side because I also converted to an electric fuel pump.

It's only the clock that eventually stops ticking... so that you can hear the valves better.

For what it's worth I have never heard a non ticking L series engine they all make some valve train noise

On an impressive banked display ( no doubt evoking Fuji Speedway ) with a banner reading '69 NIPPON GP WINNER NISSAN R382 AND NISSAN SPORTY CARS', were that very R382, the '69 East African Safari Rally winning 510 Bluebird, the '69 Japan GP Touring Car race winning PGC10 Skyline GT-R, and a blue 'HLS30' variant 'Datsun 240Z', wearing number plates that read "Fairlady Z Export Version":

Displayed on a rotating circular platform right outside Nissan's main booth, an orange PS30 'Fairlady Z432' attracted a lot of attention, and certainly had the wow factor: