Alan Pugh

Sounds to me like your fuel pump isn't getting enough fuel to the carbs for sustained high speed running. Are you still using the return line to the tank? If you are, try blocking the return line and taking it on another run, if everything is OK you need a higher output pump. More volume not pressure. I run a Facet electric pump which runs at 4 to 5 PSI and pumps 58 litres per minute. If your worried about the alternator not putting out enough charge, run the engine at 2400 RPM and check the voltage at the battery, it should be 14 to 14.7 volts. Alan.

Definately sounds like a bearing from what you have described. No noise in 4th gear is the give away here. Keeping in mind a gearbox gives you different ratios for each gear, and unless you are in 4th gear which gives you 1 to 1 drive, everything is spinning at a different rpm. I had a car once that was a 5 speed that I bought from a woman who only ever used the car as a 4 speed, it had done 65000 miles when I bought it and none of those in 5th gear. The bearing noise in 5th gear was terrible when I bought it, but three new bearings later it was as quiet as a mouse. Alan.

I used the flame method as well, although mine is on the rotisserie which makes it a LOT easier. I only had the one fireball accident, trust me you don't let it happen more than once. One side effect though, my eyebrows didn't grow back as bushy. Alan.

I agree that the clamp with bumper would stop to a degree the flex and tendency to turn under load. If this was a fix for early model racks I am assuming we are talking about 70-73 240Z's and not the later model rack fitted to my 77 260Z. I know in Australia we got a different version of the 260 than the US and there are a lot of questions that come from this. My car is a 2/77 260Z 2+2 GRS30 015866. I don't understand how I can have 2+2 #866 in 1977, two years after the start of the 015 prefix, the delivery figures don't make sense, but that's a whole new post. I'm going to refit the clamp anyway. Alan.

This is an interesting question because I have removed mine too, not knowing what it was there for. I haven't seen it mentioned any where and have no idea what it does. Having said all that, why would Nissan go to all the trouble of making a clamp like that with the little rubber bumper on it if it did nothing? I look forward to the answer on this one. Does anyone know?? Alan.

Hi Ross, This may be a long shot but if you're going to take your box apart this is worth checking. On these box's there is a nut on the rear of the main shaft that is torqued up and staked on assembly. I bought a box down here in Melbourne (FS5C71B) for $50.00 because the synchro's were gone. Well on disassembly of the box to check the synchro's out, the nut on the back of the main shaft had not been staked properly and had come undone two turns. On finding this I checked the synchro's for wear and found the wear on them to be minimal so I re-torqued the main shaft nut and staked it properly. As I said, I realise this is probably a long shot for you but if your taking your box apart anyway I think it's worth checking. Alan.

Hi George, I too think you should check the ring and pinion but more so the pinion itself. Get underneath the car and try to pull and push the drive pinion into and out of the diff. It probably wouldn't hurt to remove the tailshaft and check the nut that holds the companion flange to the drive pinion, I have seen these come loose before when the haven't been staked when installed. I'm probably wrong but I think it's worth checking. Alan.

I'm also trying to track these down as my car didn't have these installed either and the rust that is caused by these missing is huge. If I find them i'll let you know. Alan.

Ok, on the bottom of the front strut where it joins the control arm you will see the steering knucle that sits in between these two items and the tie rod is bolted to the steering knucle. To check the ball joint on the control arm grab the wheel at the 12 o'clock position and pull and push the wheel, you shouldn't feel any clunking or movement. To check the tie rod end ball joints grab the wheel at 3 & 9 o'clock and rock the wheel, you should feel no clunking or movement other than normal wheel movement. Also while your there check the rubber shock mount on the steering column just back from where the column joins the rack pinion. Let me know how you go. Alan.

Demon, What condition are the tyres in, check the side walls for damage. Also check all your ball joints, control arm and tie rod ends, if your not sure how to check these let us know. Alan.

Demon, How long have you had the car? Has it been stored for a long period of time before now? It does sound like you need new strut cartridges. To test the cartridges do the bounce test. Go to each corner of the car in turn and push dow three times quickly as hard as you can and let go, the car should stop moving. If it keeps bouncing it's a good indication you need to change them. Have you had the front wheels balanced to see if that gets rid of any of the vibration in the front end. If you can answer these questions we can help you further. Alan.

Jason, I've used paint stripper in the past to remove the bondo in my cars. It softens it to make it easier to get out and doesn't damage the metal under any further than it already is. Alan.

Is it the drivers side demister duct and plastic diffuser?

Yes it is your syncro for second gear. Alan.

DINK. In Aus it means double income no kids. I think Christa is after a rich one boys, Alan.

toecutter, Dashboard Doctor in Melbourne don't restore your dash they just repair the crack area and then re-cover it. There is another place in Melbourne called the Dashboard Centre but they do the same thing. I sent my dash from Melbourne to Brisbane and back because after doing a lot of research into what each company does for you and your dash, Dashboard Restorations came up best, in my opinion. Yes the two in Melbourne are cheaper but in the end you get what you pay for. Just my 2c Alan.

I have to agree with ZmeFly on this one. Sure the holley will be easier to tune, but you tend to starve #1& 6 cylinders of fuel. The SU's aren't that hard to tune to warrant a single down draught carbie on a performance engine. Just my opinion Alan.

No Carl you haven't missed anything, the picture of the wheel is off the Simmons web site. My three are definately 4 stud. Alan.

Alfa, Dandenong is a south eastern suburb of Melbourne and just happens to be where I work and can ship the box from there on one of the trucks going north. Alan.

If you can get the box to Dandenong I can get it to Queensland. Alan.

Cams are a tricky thing to understand when you get right into the nitty gritty of it all, and thats why we all go to companies that manufacture cams to get them, because they have done all the homework and trial and error. Every cam you buy or is fitted to a car as standard is a trade off in different areas. Variable valve timing is now standard in a lot of current day cars, which goes a long way toward solving problems with the valve timing, but the cam itself in these cars is still a trade off between driveability and performance. Unfortunately it's not as easy as retarding or advancing a cam in the engine to get the performance you need, there are a lot of other factors you must look at. Valve lead: The amount of time/rotation/degrees the valve opens B.T.D.C. Valve lag: The amount of time/rotation/degrees the valve stays open A.T.D.C. Valve overlap: The amount of time both valves for one cylinder are open at the same time. The list goes on into a whole lot of technical jargin. I believe the best way to pick a cam is to decide how you want to drive your car and how you want your car to drive, and then go and talk to the people you want to supply your cam and talk to them, but I guarentee you will end up trading off somthing to get something else. No point pulling up at the lights or being stuck in traffic and having to pull the kidney belt on. Somthing to think about. Alan.

This is the 260 2+2 plate, you will also notice the additional box in the bottom right hand corner of the plate. The 240 plate is US and the 260 plate is AUS. Alan.

These aren't my plates they have come off the internet but you can clearly see the difference between the 2. My plate matches the 260 2+2 plate exactly other than actual VIN# obviously. This is the 240 Alan.

Yes that is a possibility, but you would have to spin the crank at the same time as not all the oil galleries are open at the same time. Alan.

Get your measuring tape out and get a few measurements. Don't forget to check the splines on the output shaft. Alan.