JimmyZ

This is exactly the type discussion I was shooting for! Living in the same town (Orlando FL) for 19 years and being around the same type of people limits your musical field of vision. It seems that radio stations are more interested in keeping ratings than trying new things which finds me turning the dial "off" more than on. I really like older stuff so long as it's not the same stuff that's been driven under by said radio stations. Every now and then I'll rediscover some old music and reflect on how I used to see things when I first heard it. The Datsuns!!! Holy SH...! Awesome. M'fer from hell! Great! Looks like me and Youtube have some time to kill. Nice Jim

I thought E-racer was making some of those bands up. Some I had heard of. (recognized about half) But "The Ataris"?? Pretty cool band once I got to their site. More stuff to check out for the Z-minded. Hrududu, Those are great driving songs but most of them have been played into the ground by the classic rock station(s). Van Halen, AC/DC, ZZ Top, and Eagles are awesome, timeless groups. I'm trying to find new stuff to break the monotony. I've got mostly 70's/'80's music in my collection since IMHO music went to crap after the late '80's. There were a few good bands in the '90's. 60's- to late '80's were the best. Love the Stones and Zepplin but radio killed 'em for me.

Yeah I had just posted right before you did with the correction. Got their DVD "Lichtspielhaus" and it had these songs, their videos, live stuff and interviews which explained the videos/songs. The stuff makes more sense when you understand it. I just like the raw feeling of the music w/o being distracted by lyrics. When going over certain speeds the music is a distraction so I switch to channel L24 which has a little less bass than your L28.

Misspelled. The groups name is "Rammstein"

Think I found the perfect music to drive to. To each his own of course. The groups name is Rammestein. I've pretty much worn out my old Metallica, Judas Priest and Ozzy tunes while driving. This German band is AWESOME!!!! Rammestein songs for Z driving Du Hast Engel Ich Will Links 234 Sonne I fully do not expect everyone to agree but the music is perfect for city driving. Jim

Cool. It's so much easier with this tool. In a pinch a carefully used flathead screwdriver(s) can be used. You'd have to take care to avoid the crank sealing surface. It is more critical of scratching than the seal's bore. Whatever tool you use it's best to to avoid scratching anything of course. Do a search on installing the seal if you haven't already. It has come up before.

Get a seal puller.

One headlight being dim is usually traceable to the fuse box. Each light gets it's own fuse. Try rotating the fuse in it's cradle to get a better connection. At least this will tell you where the prob is. There are a few threads here RE refreshing fuse boxes. It might also be a wiring issue. You can watch the lights brighten or dim relating to engine rpm. This is normal in the early Z's.

Normal on my '71. They came with weak alternators. If your battery is fully charged and the needle deflects more than 1/4 past the middle then you might want to test your regulator. The regulator tells the alt when to make juice which shows up on the guage. Normal voltage to the battery when running will be between 13.6 and 14.2 volts. Just use a voltmeter to test this at the battery. If different, get a Haynes manual and test the reg and alt. I normally get about a needles width deflection past center and sometimes no deflection when running regardless of electrical load. If your battery gets drained by leaving the lights on or if you have a short then the first few minutes you'll see major deflection eventually returning to the middle. Hope this helps, Jim

I'm trying to understand. When shifting progressively 1,2,3,4,5 you have no problems right? When downshifting for braking action from 3>2 you are having trouble. Are you having trouble getting into 2 when the RPM's aren't in line with the gear being selected. If so, then a cheap little brass ring (baulk ring) which acts as a brake is all that needs replacing. (Most likely) If it's simply hard to release from 3rd gear then there are a few things it could be. (Input shaft main/needle bearings, bad front countershaft bearing, cracked synchro sleeve, loose pin/bore on selector fork) Tearing down will tell. I know that you believe the clutch to be innocent but tearing down will tell on that one too. Before taking anything off verify that the slave or master isn't leaking. It might be that the clutch isn't fully realeasing but most of the synchros can overcome it except the "sloppy" one you're writing about. 2c Jim

Did you pull a couple plugs and see if they were fouled. (One off each bank #2 ) I'm thinking that maybe a little excess fuel is getting by the float/needle due to pressure. A rich mixture would be the result. Return line would fix this of course. It could also be something as simple as the points not being tightened enough and vibrating to a smaller gap. Possibly a stuck piston in the carb? Let us know... I'm sure you will Cya, Jim

huh? Really? A stock 240 beating the new 350?

That's cool. Fun in my Z someone raised you right:) Behavior is molded by environment... where you live, who you hang with, parents, etc. I grew up in a few bad places and some good ones. (Single parent household) At age 15 I had a friend who could steal ANYTHING right in front of you. I chose not to hang with him too much but he was an extreme example of a NY kid gone bad. As a kid I stole a few things but nothing extreme. It was kind of a rush like smashing pumpkins on Halloween. As I got older I began to see how a person's actions shape their being. I also realized that the people you "hang" with determine the standards you set for yourself. I actively chose to become a different person than my peers. Ignoble acts done repeatedly diminish one's being. This is something that people can pick up on and will keep you from being succesful in this world unless you are very resourceful.

Enrique got it:)

Fairlady I'm sorry we're all coming down on you but most of us are old enough to be your father or grandfather. We just want you to have a good life, pride in yourself and in your accomplishments.... Which includes your ride of course. I'm sure you're not a clepto and are probably a decent guy but bragging about jacking something to a board is a way of saying something. What were you trying to say? I was in your shoes when I first bought my Z. I had it three days and a driver w/o insurance pulled out in front of me. He "stole" from me by not being socially responsible. In fixing the damage it took me six months to prep the car for paint. There were times I couldn't even afford a sheet of sandpaper and had to wait until I could. I walked a few miles to/from my crummy, low paying job while going to school instead of driving my dream car. Around this time I had a GF move in and constantly bitch at me for having the car. In time the car was finished and on the road and the GF loved it and I loved loving her in it. (Maybe that's why the seats gave out so quickly) I've had some "steals" in buying parts for the Z but have never stolen anything for it. The last thing I ever stole for a piece of transportation was a can of fixAflat when I was 16. I had no money and needed my motorcyle on the road so I walked into a store shoved it in my jacket pocket and walked right out. Never looked to see if I was being watched. Just did it. This is just the kind of crazy sh@# that kids do and people that are older than 18 should not do. I like being able to vote and own guns so why would I screw it up with a felony? It's a rude awakening when you realize that you have to pull your own weight in society. There are lots of people who don't but look at the quality of their lives. Jim

Carl is right. There are many things it could be besides the non existant return. Many older vehicles I've owned/worked on had no return. (Holley, Rochester carbs) In theory the SU's don't need a return. Fuel flow problems can sound like ignition problems. This was my experience when my tank started passing rust chunks years ago. It sounded like a bad miss due to the filter clogging. The engine finally stopped at which point I'd replace the filter and drive a little more. More recently, when assembling my car after a complete disassembly I got some crud in my pump and lines. The parts had been sitting on the shelf for years. (Had to slap the car together quick as I was moving) I replaced the mechanical pump but took the old one apart and found that the one-way valves were jammed by debris. My fuel return opening in the rail was also clogged. My SU's didn't want to take on fuel with the return plugged for some weird reason. As metioned before they should be able to fill w/o a return line. The rough running is probably due to something else or related to something caused by the lack of a return line. Either way it seems best to put the return back in. I'm assuming you checked ignition issues before assuming fuel. The possible over pressure to the SU's may have made things run rich and fouled some plugs. Don't recall seeing a bypass measure on the mechanical pump. Vapor lock also comes to mind with the temps being what they are and no circulation. 2c Jim

I've thought of a good counter to Dave's post! Dave is right that we shouldn't be looking down our noses since we've all "been there done that." Perhaps the reason so many are so quick to jump on the "theft is a bad thing" bandwagon is that there is some truth to this. I'm not religiously biased but do firmly believe that short term karma exists. In other words this will come back and bite you in the arse in this lifetime. That's what we're trying to have you avoid. In my twenties I started a lawn service and pressure cleaning biz. The lawn service was started with pawn shop bought equipment which was surely "hot". It's funny that once things were up and running and I was buying/could afford $6000 mowers etc that I was stolen from myself. Most of the "hot" equipment was the target though! It's as if I had gotten the equipment on loan. At age 19 he's too young to know Ratt's song "Round and Round". Crap music but true lyrics. 2c Jim

Did a quick search on HybridZ and found that there is some interchange between the Z's. Didn't get confirmation of someone actually doing it (using 280 tank) but here's the link. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=81374 Taking tanks out is easy. Getting back in w/o scratching paint = no fun. I used to use a jack to hold my tank while putting it back in. After all the work and BC/CC paint job on the tank it became a two man job to get it in w/o a scratch. Should have used Imron:) Jim

I think you know what to do and I don't blame you for not wanting to do it. :nervous: Make your return hard line out of 3/16 brake line since it will be readily available at any REAL parts store in 25ft rolls. Make sure you use a quality tight fitting flexible line where needed and clamp it well. I just measured my hard line on my 2/71. It is within a few thousandths of the 3/16 line I used for fashioning new clutch/brake lines. 3/16 line OD= .192-.194" Before starting, check that the fuel tank return is still usable and that the fuel "rail" has it's restrictive opening flowing fuel. (Hope the rail is still usable) Hydraulic pressure is a function of restriction no restriction = no pressure. I know we're talking about low pressures with carb systems but the system needs it. The hole is the size of a needle. I did not enjoy removing and replacing my fuel/brake hard lines on my Z. At least you'll only be doing one.

NiceROFLROFLROFL If he would have actually driven the car and not made out with his cameraman so much the outcome would have been different. Such a shame to have such a great collection of Z's there and not have some real competition/tests. The media really needs to change as the people of the world are growing sick of their slanted style. Doesn't matter which party etc you are in they want to play on your emotions or ignorance for their personal gain. A few times I've been a part of the news and found that they painted a very different picture of what was really going on. (No, I didn't commit any crimes:) )

SU carbs right?

Maybe we should all post pics of our tanks when out of the car? I saw a tank out of a 280 (don't know what year) and it was very different. Didn't think it would fit in a 240. Think it was a later variety tank as mentioned above. Did see a 260 tank out once and it looked slightly larger in the thin section that fits under the tire well. Fitting a 240 tank into a 240 has never been fun for me. I can't imagine the frustration of trying to fit something which may not. Still, it might get someone out of a bind if they knew that the tanks crossed over as 280master says. Have you known anyone that has made a successful swap to the 240? This would be good news for some. Pic of my 2/71 tank attached.

Hybrid Z site has a thread regarding blasting methods. This one has come up. Just search dry ice. The thread was really about wet sandblasting but the ice thing came up. It is a very interesting way to strip a car and no compalints. Just wondering what the price is. It's a lot easier/cheaper to use aircraft remover and sandblast only the areas that need it. (2 gallons A-rem for a Z) You could have an entire car stripped and derusted in two days with this method. 2c Jim

Blake you might be right on this one regarding 280Z pumps... I know that on new cars the fuel pump relies on the gas for cooling and "lubrication". This is definitely true on in-tank pumps and to a lesser degree on ext pumps. I'm not saying that running it dry once or twice will kill a pump but it will shorten it's life. It's my understanding that when you run a centrifugal pump dry that the inside rotor may contact the bore and wear on the tolerances. (Things are spinning pretty fast in there) The effect is like having a worn oil pump. When things get worn to a point it won't be able to put out the volume/pressure it once did. When running a tank low sediment/contaminant concentration becomes greater giving the pump internals something to chew on. (=NG) Mechanical pumps don't mind going dry. 2c Jim

I like the part about engine serial matching VIN. Shouldn't it be off by 200-2000 digits? It looks like the console is from a later 240. Maybe he got his tags off #383 and put them on a '72-73 shell. Maybe his firewall reads something like 3x383 instead:)