JimmyZ

Here's a page I made for this sort of question... http://warbuddies.homestead.com/RestoHelp.html Jim

You don't want the crank to take a swim but you really don't want the oil pickup to ingest air during cornering either. The real question is how far down does the pickup go? Has the pickup been modified? In theory a "calibrated" or correct L28 dipstick when cut to length will tell you if the oil level is too high. This assumes that the stock pickup is being used of course. Sblake is probably right about the 5-1/4 quart amount. Just cut your 280Z dipstick end off enough to check the level. Jim

I've done lots of reading on such sites. The question now is what is the current cost. Over on the HybridZ site I found that Sunbelt has nice cams for our engines too. IIRC the 2mm gaskets are getting hard to come by??? I would call them but don't have the serious $$$ on hand to back up my query. I don't like wasting anyone's time unless it will be worth their while. I do plan on building a stroker in the near future though. Jim

I'm very interested in how you got the phone to dial. Was it a solenoid or some more elaborate IC/programming? Jim

Let us know what you find out. I'm toying with the idea myself. I live on the East coast too. Jim

RE washers/shims. If you've got proper tolerances with the shim after torque you're in pretty good shape. Later down the road the copper or aluminum may introduce some slop though. (If you call .001-.0015 slop) Since the OD of the bearing bores is a "loose" fit the designer would have wanted the faces of the bearings to register at the bottom of each bore. This would help keep the bearings aligned. Antifriction bearings are very sensitive to misalignment. We're only talking about a service life reduction of several years if a poor fit is used. It's not like your wheel is going to fall off in a year or two. I've got a brother in law that is an A&P for an airline. Although the school he and his co-workers went to was pretty good they manage to do some things that would make an engineer cringe. We were discussing the use of an air chisel on 4130 steel engine mounts once. Apparently no one educated them about the need to not create notches. (There were other things discussed which were equally distressing) Somehow the planes manage to keep their engines attached and several home and shop mechanics manage to keep their wheels on. :)

Carl, Just curious. Does your '72 FSM have any mention of using a fish scale on the rears? RE the earlier post I thought you were asking ME about the fish scale. (You were asking Julio) FWIW If you go by the Haynes manual the 25-30 oz spec equals 1.5-1.8lbs of tug at the wheel stud. Really curious to see what the FSM says. Here's my understanding of the deep groove ball bearing assy in the rear hubs. The tapered rollers up front are a completely different animal. 1.The issue is in the rigidty and fit of the bearings to their bores and shaft. 2."Preloading" or compressing of the ball bearing assembly which reduces internal tolerances is detrimental to the bearing. For instance, a spacer that's too short for one reason or another will cause the bearings outer race to shift relative to the inner race = bad. A spacer too large will allow the bearing to shift in it's bore. Tightening to reduce end play will cause inner race to crush reducing the bearing's internal clearances. They bearings will be too tight and bind. =bad 2a Using a scale on the axle simply checks that the bearings internal clearances are spot on. 3.It's highly likely that the designer specified the internal clearances of the bearings to jive with the the compression of the nut torqued to 200 ftlbs. (The races take on the right tolerances under compression otherwise they are "sloppy") This is why they reccomend tightening to achieve proper "preload". (Manual says preload to simplify things for the layman) 4. 200 ftlbs isn't much torque for a "fastener" of this size. You aren't going to get the stretch in the male member needed to reliably secure the nut in service. It's not long enough to have stretch. That's why it's staked. The torque exists to create a rigid assembly given that all of the parts are within tolerance. The reason I'm writing this isn't so much for Julio but for the next guy who is searching the archives. We might also get lucky and have a resident engineer chime in. 2c Jim

I remember somewhere seeing a scale being used to measure the force required to rotate the axle. You simply pulled one of the wheel studs with a fancy fish scale. So I'm getting off my bum and cracking open an FSM and Haynes manual. According to the Haynes manual the "tug" should be 25-30 ounces and endfloat should be under .0057". (pg 124) The '73 FSM from Carfiche doesn't have the "fish scale" pics which I could swear were in the '72 FSM. My '72 FSM was destroyed in a move. Perhaps I'm remembering a Clymer manual I once had. There seemed to be more detail in earlier FSM's IIRC. The whole idea of using the fish scale is to provide a means of checking for interference in the bearing's internal clearances. (Kind of like double checking your math) Single row ball bearings should have NO preload. They should be located precisely to curb shock loads or misalignment. What I think has happened here is that Julio's spacer/distance piece is out of tolerance. (Or they got swapped from one side to the other) According to the 73 FSM they used different spacers for different manufacturing tolerances. The castings had an A,B or C stamp on them which coincided with a different spacer. If you wanted to be really nitpicky You could take the entire thing apart and measure the distance between the bearing bores and compare that to the spacer measurement. The spacer measurement would need to be 0"- to - .005 of that measurement assuming the bearings were flat across their faces. (Preferably 0") Using a copper washer would be a poor choice for the long haul. It would compress and eventually give excessive slop. Turning a new spacer on a lathe would be best. 2c FWIW etc Jim PS This is what happens when Machinery's Handbook is your bedside reader.

I'm thinking that you should see if there are any specs for the spacer/crush sleeve. It's possible that it has worn or some other part ID/OD is out of tolerance. Was there any evidence of seizure with the old bearings? (Or impact damage/deformation from an accident?) Calipers are just a quick sub for a good set of mikes. You're looking for tolerances below .001". Sure, you can use a standard to get a set of calipers pretty close but to reliably read .0001" increments a mike is needed. I think a -0 to +.0005 fit ID/OD would be a good tolerance for a ball bearing in this app. (+.0002" would be ideal) It might even be that you got a bearing which was made "too well". The internal tolerances might be so tight that fitting it to a shaft or bore might cause it to bind. 2c Jim

The internal clearances on the ball bearings is more critical than the torque on the bolt. The nut gets staked and serves a similar function to it's cotter pinned brothers on the front axles. (Tapered rollers I know) Both serve to maintain proper "preload". If you visit the Timken or SKF bearing sites you'll find some info regarding the effects of improper preload. Internal clearances in a ball bearing are very important. The fish scale method of determining preload is pretty good as long as your scale is good. Things such as the tightness/looseness of the axle or bores also change the int clearnaces. Bearing tolerances are also a factor. Preload on a single row bearing isn't what you want proper int clearance is. You've tried rotating the axles in both directions a few times right? Even though this is something you would do for tapered rollers it can't hurt on the ball bearings. Perhaps there's a bit of sand in there giving your fish scale a hard time? If I recall isn't there a spacer involved? It's possible that the spacer is under it's tolerances. Just throwing some ideas out there. Jim

Easier to go down to your paint jobber and get something like the scruff block shown on this page... http://www.dura-block.com/durablockline.html They are made in many densities. You want a rigid block for straight/flat surfaces and a more "spongy" block for curved surfaces. The reason not to use a block that is too rigid is that you might inadvertently sand a flat spot. These blocks are made by 3M, durablock... you name it. All you do is simply cut a sheet of 400 or 600 grit in half and wrap it around the block. Have a hose with the metal end cut off flowing water over your sanding area. (Hose w/ metal may ding or scratch surface) Keep the paper well rinsed so that there's no buildup otherwise you will cut gouges in the paint. Check the paper often and run your hand over it to clean any buildup off. be sure to have the surface well cleaned from both debris and wax/grease. Use wax and grease remover prior to any sanding or painting. Finally there's no need to buy that fancy piece of ____ as shown in the picture. People have gotten along without it for ages. 2c Jim

Be careful how much info you pass on. As mentioned in the last post RE vehicle security it's best to keep the details/capabilities of your system secret. I've given thought to catching the crooks myself but thought about the great GPS trail leading up to their door.:tapemouth It would be very hard to explain in court.

I've given thought as to how such tracking could be turned against me. The Instamapper site is just a generic GPS service. It seems that the automotive application is just one of many. I can't imagine how it could get better than .35 cents a day though! The only down side is that the iden phone is "noisy" from an RF standpoint. It wouldn't take sophisticated equipment to detect its prescense once one was in the car. Cya, Jim

I've always agonized about how to keep the Z in my possesion. With our warehouse and vehicles being broken into several times I needed to buy some peace of mind. It seems that car alarms are only deterents and buy a little time. The last time one of our vans was broken into I talked with a cop whose specialty was auto theft/burglary. He said real time GPS tracking was the best possible means of getting your car back. I mentioned LoJack but he went on to talk about how the number of police cars equipped with the detection system wasnt' so great. The best way to get a car ASAP was to be able to relay real time street info from GPS tracking such as On Star. Only problem is that the theives who are good can thwart On Star! The problem with aftermarket GPS tracking is that the cost has been prohibitive until recently. Just thought I'd share what I've found and see if anyone has any experience with retreiving a stolen car with GPS. This service is as close to free as you can get. The i425 w/Boost mobile runs .35cents a day. Tracking service is free.http://www.instamapper.com/diy.html This service costs only slightly more but has better software. (= more bells and whistles) There are people offering hacked phones which are better suited for car locating requirements. For instance there is a phone which has a one month battery and resets when motion is detected. The "package" can be mounted anywhere on the car and does not need to be hard wired to the car. http://www.accutracking.com/ Having an internet capable phone with a decent screen would allow one to call 911 from another phone while retreiving the map. It doesn't get much better. I think the ultimate setup would be to have a cell phone paging alarm with motion, tilt, microwave, ignition kill and an alarm actuated hood pop. (Manual release hidden) The GPS would be there in case of a tow truck thief. Jim

Have you tried soaking it in carb cleaner? If there are no plastic parts involved laquer thinner works even better and should unseize it. I think you end up needing to get another carb as parts are becoming scarce. A call to Ztherapy would be a good idea. It is possible that someone may be able to fabricate what you're missing. It would be easier to just buy a carb or a set of carbs though.

Tearful and painful lesson! The drywall screws were a nice touch! I think I'll go sink some in my car right NOW! ROFLROFLROFL Seriously. This Z owner is screwed. Poor guy.

Hi JB, There are a lot of us in Florida! There are actually a few in your area that I'd like to meet. A few of them race and could help with advice and parts leads. Check the HybridZ site for the East coast Z owners. There might be a few that we don't have on this site. I think it would be better to sell the boat sooner than later. Soon, people will start to sell their personal/luxury items as the economy sours. (Just opinion) I've seen lots of Jet skis, boats cars etc going up for sale as people get laid off and try to make the mortgage. Perhaps this can work to your advantage as there may be someone needing to part with an old Z un their back yard. I'm in Central FL but pass through your area every other week. (In the company vehicle not the Z) Cya, Jim

It sounds to me like you haven't done any paint/bodywork before. If you have the aptitude to learn these things it's doable. For someone who does this day in/out this sort of thing would be a two-three day turnaround. For someone like us it may take weeks or months. After doing my own pans and rail I was comfortable with it. Another member had me replace his pans over a day and a half. If you have the equipment to fix it yourself and you're attched to the car I say keep it. The cost of having a shop do the work could easily buy another 280Z... or two or three. I put in a frame rail on my Z and it wasn't difficult. The problem is having the garage space or work area to both store the parts and do your stripping/sandblasting. The engine, tranny and everything else are going to need to come out. Use Aircraft remover to strip the undercoating. Be careful not to get any in your eyes! Wear goggles and some full body protection. If it gets on your skin you will get chemical burns. The asphalt melt sheet (topside of pans) can be removed with a scraper and a heat gun or carefully used propane torch. (Use torch to warm not melt) You'll need a decent MIG welder, compressor, sandblaster and paint equipment. Might as well replace the pans or at least do a partial pan replacement. (I'm assuming the car is not for winning shows) You can use mild steel and fab your own pans if you can't afford the repro's. 2c Jim

I got a 1500 ftlb impact wrench from Harbor freight. It spun the nuts off even with the brake disengaged. Waited and got it on sale for $100. Yes the nuts turn the "normal" way. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94109

Yes! You actually get to fly it! It's a bit cramped but there are a few 6'4" pilots who can squeeze in. The cockpit is 24" wide. Here's a website I inherited from a friend who passed away. (No, he didn't die flying) http://warbuddies.homestead.com/ RE Poindexter's query about when it will be finished... If I had six months of free time and money it would be done. Some of these planes have taken 12 years to finish. Jim

ROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL Must be nice!!! Wow!

I have a Hobby Model balsa kit of an F4U from the '40's. (still in box) It was given to me by a girlfriends father years ago. Made a few plastic models when I was a kid but my paint jobs were God awful. There was a fellow named George Cauthin (RIP) who made the first 1/2 scale F4U 30 years ago. He worked for Skunkwerks. Who knows? You may have met him! Carl there's always ultralights. No license needed. Several of my friends who fly them have tried to get me to build one... Something to fly in the interim. Just look out for all of the traffic in your area. It's amazing how much Central FL has grown RE controlled airspace and traffic. Sadly I think we are seeing the end of general aviation. My generation is probably the last to truly enjoy it. The last time I flew the Stearman it was $180/hr. (7yrs ago) Now with aviation insurance rates/availability being what they are I might be able to get checked out in a Cub for that much $$/hr!! (It's probably closer to $150/hr) There's a P-51 which is available for rides in Kissimee. http://www.stallion51.com/ Even though it's $1600+ per hour it would be well worth it. RE Wifey.. She takes her "vitamins" regularily. Believe me I've really tried the few times she's slipped and forgot her prescription. :) Cya, Jim

I haven't flown in years. It's just too expensive with the cost of AVgas and rental. That's why I'm building a homebuilt. On an experimental you can do all the maintenance and inspections yourself and save$$. At age 8 I saw my first Z about the time I was watching Black Sheep Squadron (TV show with F4U's) and fell in love with both machines. Got my Z at around age 20 and 19 years later I'm half finished with the plane. I agree. The planes of that era are very much like our Z's in the fact that there's a certain magnetism to them. I think you'd be surprised how easy it is to pick up machining/welding. I went to Vo-Tech for a few months and learned enough. It's surprising when you find how many people have this sort of hobby/inclination. Thought I was unique! (Just average) It took years of shopping and saving to equip the shop. Nowdays the equpiment is becoming very affordable. (Check out Grizzly Industrial and Enco) I'm not rich and earn an average income. Wish I had kids but the wife and I were too old by the time we were ready. (She turns 43 this year) W/o kids what's a guy to do... Build a dream shop! A half scale F4U...

Mt Dora ;)Just a little North of you. Around the corner from me there's a guy named Jake that has his Z friends come over and "play" in his shop. They have everything I don't have but hope to have someday. Cya, Jim

Currently I'm working on building a second garage. The primary garage barely fits the Z with all of the equipment I have. Just one 71 240Z in my garage when there is a storm approaching. It's safer to keep the Z out of the garage otherwise. For tools.. 12x36 lathe 9" 1928 Southbend lathe Milling machine TIG, MIG, Oxyfuel Equipment Plasma Cutter 5hp and 7hp compressors Bead blast cabinet Pressure pot sandblaster Digital Storage Oscilloscope Engine hoist The list goes on... The garage is mainly for the construction of a 1/2 scale F4U Corsair. (Experimental) I've been "cheating" on my Z by loving on the plane for some time now. I think the Z knows somethings up. Jim