zKars

So I wire brushed the stub clean and set up a rag pad around it to hold penetrating oil and let her sit for 24 hours with hourly application of more weasel squeezings....

It is common I have found to struggle with the removal of two particular head bolts. Left side, #4 and 5 from the front. Coolant seems to get there and rust them into place. So the recent engine (N42/N42) needed the head off, and sure enough, all were easy to break free, but #4 was a struggle, and #5 broke. Here we go again. Took the head off, and found stage one of the birthday present. The bolt broke a good 3/8” of and inch above the block! Yahoo! Look at the crud around that bolt. The head gasket was mostly eaten through here. Old engine, old coolant.

The pedal box is from a 75. No changes on this piece in the 280 year range that I’m aware of. Maybe check the parts fiche to be sure, but can’t think of anything 77-78 specific that would affect it.

Here are pics of them side by side. 280 box is obviously wider (larger booster), yes two holes under the dash at the front vs 4. 280 box is also deeper from fire wall to dash mount. The two tabs that stick out the side look about the same.

I’ll put the two side by side and post a picture and you can decide. My guess is there is enough dimensional difference that it would not be worth the effort. What exactly is your problem with the current setup? There is a booster rebuilder somewhere in the US that can make your present booster new again. Search for “Brake Booster rebuild datsun” MSA and probably Zcardepot sell alternative boosters. Even going with a more aggressive pad compound (hawk or porterfield has some options for stock brakes)

Did you find a wing bolt yet? Can you measure the one you have pls?. There are two different lengths, and if you have the later flat tops and its matching “larger” air cleaner, I think the bolts are shorter than the earlier ones. Send me a PM and we can take it from there.

Yes there is supposed to be a little rubber pad on there.

And because looking at orange Z pictures is never boring... https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-datsun-240z-165/

When you google them, they are associated and spec’ed to ridiculously expensive exotics Ferarri, Mazeratti etc. Hence their crazy value. Quite rare and quite valuable. $1800 would be a steal. Ebay has a new set at the going value, no intake etc.

This has been an area of annoying persistent leakage for me in the past. Now I always use a sealant on both sides of the gasket. The ones I get in most gaskets sets are thick and hard as a rock, no way they are going to seal without some help and perfect surface prep. I hate drilling and extracting bolts like that, but there may be enough meat there to go up to M8 if things go sideways.

Yes, without a reverse lock out port to poke a 1/4 socket extension and air hammer into, that thing is a witch to remove. I built a crazy complex U shaped thing to push them out, worked ”ok” but tough to get all the angles right. Dang wedge pins can be very tight. Drilling an access hole then NPT plugging it after would be my goto solution, but not everyone is comfortable doing that.

See “Peachy”

The 75 rack moves 1.51 inches for one pinion revolution. Feel free to convert that steering angle any way you like.

When I get a free day (2025 at the rate I’m going) I’ll measure my vast array of steering racks and let you know! At the very least, I have a known 75 rack that I can measure and tell you about. I don’t understand rack and pinion ratio’s anyway. One turn of the wheel produces a certain amount of rack movement. No ratio of nothing.

These do two things. It raises the effective top of the strut hydraulic top mount inside the isolator. It does thus give you an inch of addition compression stroke. The other thing it does is eliminate the rubber in the stock isolator. I’ll bet that really softens the ride, wouldn’t it? Where is that tongue in cheek icon when I need it? The thing it does NOT do is give you an advertised “softer” ride. IF you are bottom out the shocks due to lowering springs, it gives you another inch of compression travel so you MAY not get that great jolt when that happens, but that’s it. Overall, I bet you get more road noise and vibration when driving without the upper isolator rubber. Just my impressions from what I see.

Its part of the front of the 240z heater box that sits behind the center dash vent that directs vent air forward and to the two eye ball vents on the ends of the dash. Doesn’t exist on a 74-78 260/280

https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/30-8062

Factory roll bar mount points IIRC. More of the same on the sides below the quarter windows. https://zclub.net/community/index.php?threads/240z-factory-body-brace.23013/

Yes, the choke lever mechanism is designed to add both richness AND higher idle speed. If you look at the SU’s, the little metal rod with the kink moves with the choke mech and moves a little arm the prevents the throttle blades from getting back to idle hence adding idle speed. You have to adjust the kink angle with pliers to add or subtract the amount of idle increase you get with choke handle motion. Takes a bit of fiddling around. I use one pair of needle nose vise grips on side of the kink as backup, then bend the other side of the kink with another pair. Yes you have to take off the air cleaner to have any prayer of getting in there I too have dreamed of separating the richness and idle control to get those both “just right” depending on conditions. But that’s what EFI is all about!

Another data point. 75 280. L28 Has pair of SEMS washers. Now I’ll go check my 71

Let the exhaustive discussion begin on which one is right for what year range. GO! Actually I have no clue. I just looked in the valve cover bolt bin and pulled out four unique examples. There may be more.... That one on the right might not be a valve cover bolt at all...

Someone added a relay panel to run whatever it was they added to the car. Fan, driving lights, big bright headlights. Something. Not stock for sure

Dash pics

I don’t want to say much about the new dash pad itself yet, but it is made in a very different way to the original. It is one homogenous thick black rubberish blob with a textured outer appearance that seems to just be texture stamped into the blob (texture looks to be a great match to the OEM), rather than a plastic texture skin over a foam core structure like the OEM pad. Likely going to make longevity much better. No clue about long term UV susceptibility or need or use-fullness of using spray on protectants like “armor all” or the like. There are no instructions for care and handling guidance in the box. There are no pre-cut holes for the dimmer, speedo reset, cig lighter or hazard switch. Even the glove box area is mostly a large skin that has to be cut out to “Fit”. The gauge and vent openings are all open and sized properly, no trimming there. And unlike the stock pad, there are no wrap around flaps of the cover material that line areas like the glove box opening or HCP opening. Don’t think you need it, but it might affect the “look” of the glovebox area when it’s open on the left and right side. You will likely have to paint the steel exposed frame black to resemble OEM. Only read good things about this pad from FB users. Looks like I will use my 72 frame instead of buddies 70. Two reasons. One, the 72 frame just fits better, all the holes for the screws are in the right place (only the two at the bottom of the HCP area are different on the 70 dash, you could just drill two new holes in the frame). Second the frame is stronger and better braced. I noticed the raw dash pad is slightly curved compared to the frame, it will need to be flattened as I put the screws in to draw it into the frame, which is aided by the stronger 72 frame. Gotta remember to swap the VIN plates....

Brace bars are stamp steel verses round bar in the 72 frame