Bruce Palmer

Here's what we have found out searchin g the web. Nobody who shows floats actually has floats. Zippo nobody.We bought the last NISSAN had several years ago...... We have found the family of injection molding foam that was used. We have not found anyone yet who can produce new floats in runs of less than 100,000 at a clatter. We have the metal piece that could be stabbed into the float itself if some one wanted to step up and try making these on a small run basis. Anyone, anyone?? Near as I can tell we could sell maybe two dozen a year out of here..... Or we can sell grade B used out of our stash. Grade A's, of course, going out in carbs.....

I think you are nearing the "butt dyno" portion of the struggle. As was stated before 3 turns are getting you pretty close. It's now time to drive it and check for spit back through the carbs under acceleration or deceleration. When that goes away quit fiddling. You already know what fat looks,, runs and smells like. As far as SMs are concerned, they were the first step up performance wise in the first several pages of the How to Modify Datsun engines and chassis copyrighted 1973 and have been in wide use ever since.....

Any time we send out a set of those SSS1800 flat tops we remove the pieces on the bodies just behind the domes and block off those holes so that takes whatever's there out of the mix. What the circled item on the balance tube/manifold is is anybody's guess. Just make sure it doesn't leak. And for any who are ready to jump in here about flat tops, these are 38mm SSS carbs not 46mm Z carbs. I absolutely wore out a set of these in the 90's. While I'm thinking about it, That preformed hose that vents the float bowl..... where does it go (to the rear) and does it T into the hose off the back float bowl lid. That's an unusual arrangement, at least to me. Spray carb cleaner around those throttle shafts with the engine running. If the idle speed doesn't change then start scouring the area for vacuum leaks. About all I can offer at 5 something on a Sunday morning..... COFFEE more COFFEE!!

We are so fortunate in Salem to have an alignment guy who can do it and do it right. Pushing through the settings is a start. Driving after that and adjusting until it drives right is his secret. He's going to retire one of these years and we are all going to be hating it.......

Grose Jets haven't been available for about 10 years now. I think it was one of those all too typical third generating family deals to put the company under. Anyway, so you all know I have pleaded to get that portion of the DVD redone to no avail every since. In the mean time set floats by holding the lid like it comes off the carb, blow into the fuel inlet tube and mark when you feel the resistance to your breath. Measure from the float to the lid and adjust as needed.

I'm assuming at least one fatality?

ZTherapy is open when I have the phone turned on. Closed when it's off..... nyuck nyuck One thing I'd check, understanding this car is a flat top conversion, is to to see if and how the choke cables are hooked up. The flat top choke cable ends at the carb require some surgery to work well and unless they were modified correctly, may be adding to the cold start thing. Also make sure there is oil in the dampers. We recomment ATF. Idle speed all over the map is an indication the throttle shafts are leaking transient air down stream from where the air fuel mixture takes place. But regardless of all the "do this try that" stuff, the JUST SUs dvd will certainly shorten your learning curve.

Any of those holes can be chased with standard pipe taps so you can use standard plugs...... Don't tell anyone.....

We sell a dvd that will help shorten your learning curve on the Hitachis (SUs made under license for the Japanese makes). You could for very little money go through them, clean 'em up and get them running in some known state to see what you really have. JUST SUs ZTV09 for twenty five of your hard earned dollars. Whatever you do don't plug the hoses that come off the top of the float bowl lid. Those need to be open to the atmosphere. Is there anything hooked to the vacuum advance canister on the distributor? Are you running a points distributor of and electronic distributor. If you are running an electronic distributor and there is no vacuum advance hooked up at the canister it may be because the EI Dist was over advancing with vacuum hooked up..

We have a killer rebuilder in Portland that does our rebuilds and recurves of the electronic distributors. Philbin Rebuilt Products Inc. info@philbingroup.com 503-287-1718 www.philbingroup.com Very reasonably price as well

As follow up to our discussion on the thread I fail to find, I have a report back concerning how those piston tubes are constructed that would preclude leakage out the bottom of the tube. 4 screw tubes are one solid piece drilled from both ends leaving a solid floor at the bottom of the tube 3 screw are a little more involved. The tube is drilled full length. An insert is then pressed into the bottom of the tube. This insert has a hole drilled thru it to accept the needle. A what looks like a ball bearing is pressed into that hole and it nestles itself into the metal. We think then the insert may pressed into the tube as the fit is tighter than a well, you know. Bottom line there is no way any oil is going to find a route of escap other than over the top of the tube. We cut 'em apart, drove out pieces all of which was done at the ZTherpy laboratory this very afternoon... Now if someone can find that original thread and put this there, I'd appreciate it Cheers

My point above was...... if the puck is in oil with the piston in the down position, who cares how much oil is above it? Real easy deal, with the engine shut off, unscrew the cap and lift the rod and puck. If the puck comes out wet with oil then guess what, there is enough in there to do the job. the moment the piston lifts, it going to bring oil up with it. Maybe the next question ought to be what does the level do, say after 500 or a thousand miles? Does it keep dropping or does it reach a point where there isn't suffiicient vacuum in the dome to continue pulling oil up out of the tube and the level stabilizes? The oil gets sucked into the engine and burnt (let's call it top end lube) and it has to go over the top of the tube. Film at 11. See ya all later......

Okay, help me out here. You fill the inner tube with ATF or whatever your juice of choice is and you insert the puck on the end of the dipstick. The puck then displaces it's volume of the liquid of choice returning the oil in the tube to the top right? You then go drive and come back and check the level again and it's down a touch, right? My question is this: As long as the puck is submerged in the oil a ways down the tube, what more needs to be accomplished for the shock absorbing to happen. It's puck, oil and sidewall clearance to the tube. As long as the puck is in oil when the piston is down that's all you need to be concerend with. If you want to keep filling the tube to the top then the engine will keep sucking some fraction off the top of the tube lowering the level. All the work is taking place down in the oil at puck level. Now once that level gets down to where that minimal vacuum up in the top end of the dome won't suck any more out I'll bet you could drive for six months without adding any oil. Want to know how I know? My wagon is daily driven and I add some ATf about twice a year and I think it's more head games than necessary.

What a neat resource for you guys. If I can't sell you Hitachis, the least I can do is not begrudge you good luck. We're funny that way.

Negotiating room on a $15,000 260? go figure...... nyuck nyuck

Nic, Nice checkin. For your dining and dancing pleasure I'm here to tell you we Datsuns Northwest is having a summer ending barbeque and fun run up to the top of Mary's Peak on the 29th and I'd be happy to find you someone to ride with if you'd like to come rub elbows with some pretty nice Datsun folks. www.datsunsnw.org should have info on the Ft. Hoskins run..... Oh and this invite is extended to any and all within driving distance of the Corvallis area. Just need an RSVP by the 26th. dvboth@bctonline.com

Coupled with everything that has been offered up here, none will be worth spit unless you are willing to play the "be aware of what's going on around you" and be prepared to drive your way out of approaching danger. The more preciselly the car handles, the better, when you need to take evasive action.

Here's one thing I did to help take the stress out of making my 510 wagon, which is daily driven, a clearer target for the average dummy out there, was I installed a third brake light. I found a light out of a mid 80's Subaru wagon and installed it with a "Back off" module that the motorcycle shops sell. The module flashes steady, then three "one two three" flashes three times then cycles again. I watch people in the mirror and have more than once seen their front end dip when they hit the brakes when the module starts flashing. It's an attention grabber and I know has saved me from getting rear ended more than once. I would highly recommend you guys hit the wrecking yards looking for a third brake light out of a "something" that will match up with that back deck glass and come up with some bracketry for a sanitary mount to "Git 'er Dun". Yeh, start a finder contest among y'all to see who can come up with the best junk yard version. The winner could have his name put on it as say "The John Smith third Brake Light"...... I see fame and fortune ahead....

You bet. We tweaked and tested and tweaked some more until we got B117 salt spray numbers to 3000 hours and that point figured there wasn't much to be gained by going further. I remember Mike Ditka waiving 500 hour panels of the R product on one of their ad campaigns and just smiling. Shoot me a PM and I'll find you a dealer.... I know we have 'em in Idaho 'cause I set most of them up.

I would be curious to see long term how undercoat will stay stuck to POR or any of the moisture cure urethanes. The catalyzing of those product essentially ties up all the chemical bond sites in the film leaving you to go after a scratch pattern for a mechanicall source for adhesion. I spent years helping develop a single stage 3000hr barrier coat product which solved that issue and number of other short comings the moisture cured urethanes bring to the market. I'm so old and tired they put me to work doing tech support for the product out of my house. Life is good.....

Don't overlook the need to maybe remove the pistons and domes and give them a good cleaning. Then switch 'em back forth and drop test them as a pair match 'em up one or the other 'til you get the best pairing. When reinstalling the domes keep liftin and dropping the pistons as your tighten the screws to make sure you aren't thightening a misalignment and binding up a needle in the nozzle. That should be done with the nozzles all the way up then move the nozzles to where you wnt them. Running rich maybe bring the nozzles up a tick and see how that does.....

One thing I'd suggest is to change oil again relatively soon. I would have thrown in some cheap-o 30 wt. to dissolve residue left behind after sitting for years on old black oil. Having just changed oil what does the new oil look like already? And do try and get a read on those plugs pretty soon. They can tell quite a story.... We do sell a pretty decent dvd which covers engine related issues that would be a nice addition to your library.

And I'm suspecting this method won't turn the indexer block between the float bowl and the body on Hitachis to goo like carb cleaner does. Just saying.....

What that guy said......

If by raising the piston you are extracting the needle some, it sounds like you are off center and the needle is binding on the oiifice of the nozzle. Long term this will wear the nozzle orifice egg shaped and wear down the needle. Near term, I doubt setting the needle shoulder flush or fully buried in the piston will make enough difference to amount to anything. Other than keeping you busy, it matters not much.....