zKars

I'm assuming you're thinking of putting your spacer/preload washers between the MBar and the two stock nub washers to get the nubs to touch/compress against the MBar eye. You must be sure the ID of those new washers is LARGER than the OD of the central sleeve in the MBAR bushing, ie does not touch it, or you will create a metal to metal sound pathway between the outer Mbar eye that the new washer now rests on, and the central sleeve, which is in tight contact with the frame above. However there is nothing to keep this washer from migrating off of center eventually, and coming in contact with the central sleeve again. Think carefully what tightens against what and how rubber isolation is kept when this is all assembled or it may result in things getting worse, not better, or changing over time, confusing this more. You really need nub washers with bigger tougher nubs to increase preload. The stock rubber bushing system was designed to contrain a stock torque level drive line with a non-LSD diffs etc. I'm not sure you/us/we can get the balance of stiffness and sound isolation we crave with our "improvements". I hope I'm wrong...

The moustache bar bushing rubber is likely old and soft or beginning to break down. Tightening down the nut just locks the bushing's center steel tube and the steel face of the washers to the frame, you rely on the hardness of the "eye" bushing rubber and the hardness of those "nubs" on the upper and lower washer to prevent the rotation/twisting of the M-bar that might allow it to touch those up-rights or anything else. Squishy bushings will let it twist all over the place. I'd love to have a go-pro and a light back there and take your car for a good spirited drive to see just how much that m-bar twists around. I am also facinated by your earlier comment about diff whine increasing when you put the front diff mount back on. I think you've just increased and/or created a better/new vibration path from the diff to the body rather than a change in driveshaft angle being the source of the increased noise. I just experienced something similar. I installed a new transmission insulator/mount and put poly bushings on the trans mount cross member ends. I did this to see if it would raise the trans tail to correct the driveshaft angularity, thus eliminating some driveline vibration I have. Well the end result was both good and bad. My driveline vibration is drastically improved (new trans mount insulator was a good 3/4" taller/thicker than the squished worn old original mount), BUT I now have much louder diff whine AND transmission noise! Did the drive shaft angle change this or is it the new poly bushings in the cross member that transmit more noise to the body? BTW, to stay on topic a bit more, I also have a few clunks in the rear, and have very close M-bar/upright clearance with R200/Z31CLSD finned cover/brace etc, and when I put a pry bar between body and M-bar near the ends, I can move/twist the bar pretty darn easy. My M-bar bushings are really soft and the nubs on the washers are half worn out and soft too. New ones are on order. Had to come from Japan, all out of stock in Canada. Used to have the poly bushings, but then again, the diff whine transmitted was un-bearable. I'll have to experiment with some thin materials at the Diff/Mbar contact and Mbar/body mount points to see if we can't reduce this transmission.

Plug them. Connecting them short circuits the head cooling system. This has been discussed at length here and on hybridz. This didn't make perfect sense to me initially, since doesn't having the heater on produce the same short circuit? Well yes and no! The heater valve and the heater core are a significant restriction compared to a wide open 5/8 heater hose, AND more importantly when the heater core is loosing heat it is helping the overall cooling process. Its just so dang tempting to just put a single hose with two clamps between those two nipples.... No need to find two big fat bolts or plugs of some kind and "4" hose clamps... Fine in an emergency road repair short term, but don't be lazy!

Lots of curiosity today it seems. Can you give us more details about the engine build? What was done to get 3.1 litres? Are the Mikuni's 40's or 44's?

I may have discovered your initial "Rear too low, front too high" problem after the initial Eibach install. The 6203-001 springs are the fronts, the -002's are the rear... The picture you show in post #1 where the 6303-001 part number is visible on the very very short spring next to the stock rears was the clue. Many many of us have been caught by that little detail in the past. You likely accomplished much the same spring rate by using a shortened rear spring anyway. Someday when you're bored you can switch the Eibachs around and see if you prefer the ride and likely somewhat lower ride height any better. It looks just fine the way it is.

Sorry for the delay there. The ebay fittings you link to are close but not correct. Those have parallel threads (straight) not tapered. you need BSPT not BSPP. Regarding the other question, only the pipe/sensor fittings are BSPT. I'm assuming you don't mean the various bolts that hold things together. THey are standard metric stuff, 6x1, 8x1.25, 10x1.5. This one looks more right. BSPT Male to NPT female. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Auto-Meter-2269-1-8-NPT-to-1-8-BSPT-Oil-Pressure-Metric-Adapter-/201055603779?pt=Race_Car_Parts&hash=item2ecfd90c43&vxp=mtr I just searched 1/8 BSPT adaptor, got lots of hits. Autometer makes one. http://www.autometer.com/cat_accessorieslist.aspx?pid=11 Try your local speed shop.

Kacrow76, I believe C.O. and Wade will thank you for this post as it justifies all the effort and thought that went into this excellent discussion. The answers to your questions are, in fact, all explained in the text above. I suggest you re-read and see if additional insight can be gained. You are indeed missing something. One clue; Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....

I've had no luck finding then either. MSA has a Polyurethane "equivalent" that is designed with integral camber ajustment (anybody ever try these?), check these out. Motorsport! Street Camber Kit, Front, 70-78 240Z-260Z-280Z - The Z Store! Nissan-Datsun 240Z-260Z-280Z-280ZX-300ZX(Z31/Z32)-350Z-370Z Parts @ $130. Not bad. As for affordable OEM parts availability, search for 54320-E4100 on ebay, there are a few OEM parts from a three supplies with these in stock for ~$55 a piece. Does your 260 have rear insulators the same short height as the fronts or same taller ones (54320-N3701) as 280's? The fiche seems to indicate 9/74 and later needs the taller ones but check before ordering. Only one ebay seller for the tall ones, at $162CDN.... MSA lists them too, @ $214.95

These appear to be the regular front strut steering bearing that gets sandwiched between the upper spring mount and the strut insulator. Can't imagine they would anything special or actually unique over the usual parts store parts. Who knows though. 54325-21000 Bearing strut mounting is the OEM number and description. For reference and comparison to whatever pricing you're looking at, Rock auto shows them as : BECK/ARNLEY Part # 1013848 {#5151008, 5432521000} Category: Strut Bearing $14.97 or MOOG Part # K9476 $16.89 (Prices are CAD, reduce by ~%10 for USD) They show 543250B000, 5432521000, F3XY18H198A as alternate OEM part numbers

stock sensors will likely not work. Ohm readings hot/cold hi/low pressure won't match the new auto meter ones, at least very very unlikely, would have to compare. Good find on the canadian supplier. Stainless is the reason for the cost. Call them and ask for brass equivalents

None of the above. Primarily BSPT. BSPT to NPT adapters are your friends. Others, me included, have cheated and run NPT taps into those threads and gotten away with it (close, but not exact, 1/8 bspt is 28 tpi while NPT is 27tpi), but if you can find adaptors (McMaster Carr has them in the US, but don't like selling to CDN's... ) then go with them With an adapter in the water temp sender location, (that hole is ~ 1/4NPT) it may space the new sender out quite far. If your sensor is 3/8NPT, then you'll have to bore that hole out anyway, and re-thread. Carefull, those housings crack.

I did it once by using very thin feeler gauges stacked around the perimeter. Still was a royal PITA! Add some heat to soften the cover around the gauge as you jamb it through from the back. No fun no matter what you do.

Now that are, are a bunch of good'ens! yes sir eeee. My favorite is the Rossiz's frost plug replacements, all wired up real purdy. Classic!

This guy apparently just got some Tokico's from Sparktec.com just now. WTB: tokico struts for a 240Z. - Parts Wanted - HybridZ

What are you talking about? It did take a month to do! It just occured over a 6 month period in between doing real work. See what I mean about communication problems? And congrats on the successful arrival at the new digs! Digging life on the coast?

Outstanding! It looks right at home there. Congratulations. I think I can see the reflection of the grass in your gas tank in that shot on page 6! That tells me what the rest of the car looks like up close. Stunning.

In the car restoration business, there is NOTHING more common, and frustrating, than body shop delays. Someday I will understand this issue better and learn how to better control it, or maybe just learn that there are some things you cannot change. Maybe home renovation contractors are worse, but I think they are all suffer from over promise, under deliver, and poor communication of the realities of the business. They are both victims of "you'll never guess what we found when we removed the old paint (body man) / walls (contractor)". Hang in there, it will all turn out great in the end. Patience grasshopper....

That would be no.

And now I have to retract my presumtive statement above. Apparently it's not Mark, but another Z on his way here from Ontario to BC. I tried to put two and two together and got 137. What are the chances of two fresh Z's coming through from Ontario, I mean, come on?!?!?! Now that said, hopefully Mark will be through later in the year, or we'll see ya at the Edmonton Z club show in July. Now, back to your regularily scheduled programming...

A little birdie told me tonight "someone" is coming back from Ontario with a fresh Z and might be passing through Calgary this weekend. Now who could this be? Hmmmm...

They are spring protectors, ie where the hook sits on a metal piece, these protect the metal from wearing and making noise. They is set on the clutch and brake pedal box. Can't think of any on the heater box unless they are tiny. There is a fairly tough spring that controls the vent/no vent flat. Maybe there.

Very cool picture Bart. Where did you find that? and the $10,000 question, who are the other finely dressed gentlemen in the picture?

You do not have a problem, just slightly saggy rear springs. THere is no way you have a 3" difference. Trim front springs to match, but no more than one coil with stock shocks, can't afford to remove much rebound stroke. Make sure you bump stops are in good shape too.

I had one similiar problem with one SU. The float level would not stay where I put it. In playing with it in my hand, I found there seemed to be friction between the ball on the needle valve and the float tang, like the angles were funny. Move the float by hand, and it would jam, but intermittently. In the end, I replaced the needle valve. It worked smoothly after that and I was able to adjust it normally. Worth a shot.

David: Let me first thank you for your service and the service of all the organizers to make this event possible. I don't just say that to suck up. Well, maybe a little I have witnessed what it takes. I will be there. Bringing 3 other Z's full of Z friends. I will review my brain re: my first ZCON in 2012 and see I can recall things that confounded me or could have gone smoother that I can share with you. I can tell you the list will be short.