Bruce Palmer

There would be one really easy answer to this study and that would be to call and talk to Steve Epperly the owner of ZTherapy about what fits what and what doesn't. Steve has done about every SU (Hitachi or otherwise) swap in the western world and has built linkage for them as well. Call me at 503-587-9800 and I'll hook you up with Steve. Cheers.............

If you want to clear over the stickers. Go to your local Automotive paint jobber and pick up a can of U-pol clear in the gold aerosol can. It is a thrermo set clear that will no resoften under heat and should work well. Spray very light coats over the stickers so you don't reflow the ind on the stickers.

The next thing I'd do is try lowering the float in the rich carb. Bend the tang on the float lever "up" to lower the float level. Be careful removing the float bowl lid to not damage the gasket. Just a little adjustment at a time until you find the right level. Get the fuel level about a 1/16" below the top of the nozzle tube. You'll need to re-set the mixture on the fuel nozzle when you're done. The JUST SUs video for $15 is one of the best bang for the buck resources you'll ever find for your toys.

Historically body shops lose their hat a$$ and overcoat doing these jobs. Too many hidden suprises to cover in the average "give me a price" quote. Only way the shop can make out is "time and materials" and that can leave the custoomer bleeding on the ground. Body men make their money on collision "quick in quick out turn the $$$$ basis"

One of the best evaluations about the shortcomings of FWD looked at it this way. FWD requires the front 2 corners the carry the majority of the vehicle weight, do the majority of the braking, put the power to the ground, AND do the steering while the back 2 corners keep the back of the vehicle from dragging on the ground. They are also finding that in bulding performance vehicles, FWD can only handle so much power without being evil to drive. All the new high performance cars are going back to RWD. FWD cars are cheap to build and really fool bad drivers into thinking they have something going in the way of control. The buying public really got this FWD concept stuck in their ear big time.

For these kinds of problems there is a very well done informative video at www.paintucation.com called "Metal Prep and Rust Repair" that'll show all the steps taken to repair the problems you're liable to bump into. Even shows how to bolster the repairs with Zero Rust.

The 2 tape deal for $30 is still good....

At this stage in the lives of 30 something year old SUs, a good general cleaning is needed. A lot of "issues" can be overcome just by getting them cleaned out. Our Just SUs video is a great tool for doing this if anyone is uncomfortable tackling the job cold turkey.... www.ztherapy.com

...heat shield. Get ready for some Datsuns to come steaming south on I-5 through Redding heading for the track day at T-hill on the 15th. Then they and a gob from the south will come steaming back through heading for Shasta City that afternoon. Big All-Datsun doings up at the ski area at the mountain Fri Sat Sun. www.dimequarterly.com for details

... in the exactly the other direction from everyone else. We are getting more calls from fuel injected car owners that are saying their old FI systems are starting to come unpacked (due mosty to component age and parts availability) wanting to put on a complete early SU setup and doing away with the FI. We have one fellow here locally that took his 280 to Nissan here to have his FI fixed and the dealer could not fix it so he's swapping over to our SUs so he can at least drive and enjoy his car. SU carbs have about 4 moving parts and when you know where square one is on those 4 moving parts, there is nothing simpler to run any where for any price. We sell 2 different videos that depending on your skills, help with tuneup related engine issues (which can show up as things that can act like carbs) and one that covers JUST SUs (in fact that's the title). We can also slam dunk a set of "done" carbs but I think you might find your time better spent with the videos checking out what you have going on first. Check out www.ztherapy.com and give a call if we can help. No way should a dialed in set of SUs leave anybody looking for a ride to work.

... in finding a body and that is great, but as a side step that won't take any time, post a message on www.autobodystore.com and ask if any of the body type people in your area might suggest a fabricator that could do the repairs. Man, that "crunch" had to be a sickening feeling.. I'd suggest maybe Zero Rust and duct tape, but I think you're beyond even that.... Try the autobodystore thing. You might be surprised....

... Back in the mid 70's when guys I knew got flat top carbbed Zs, the second thing they did was go looking for the earlier carbs 'cause the word was out even then that they (the tuna cans) were junk. Since becoming involved in ZTherapy I marvel at the number of people that are just now getting around to doing it. That's 30 years of fighting those carbs and they weren't worth burying the day they were new. The flat top carb fiasco is very indicative of the knee jerk engineering of that period when everyone was scrambling to get smog numbers down and safety numbers up. Get it out and sold and we'll sort it out later.

..out of Canada called Removall. It's a water borne non toxic stripper that does not dissolve the paint but soaks through the paint and off gases lifting the paint from the substrate. Check with a local Sherwin Williams paint store. Stay away from the methylene Chloride based strippers unless you have credits built up at the local skin bank..... Cheers......

... some real info here. #1 I could not find any of the numbers you listed in the SU bible. More than likely these are individual piece part #s. The carb # is normally on a little tag under one of the float bowl lid screws. Doesn't matter much as most of the differences between carbs of this style is linkage and metering needles only. If they fit a Z then they are 1 3/4" which would make them an "HS-6". That linkage because of it's length looks like the set came off a 6 cylinder something...... They also are a 3 bolt face for attaching the air cleaner. They came in 2 bolt also. So I'd say "HS-6 3 bolt origin unknown". Anybody familiar will go from there, those not that familiar probably shouldn't be looking at them in the first place. Hope that helps....

.... is that that teeny little spring that came in your needle and seat set was too strong? Hmmmmmm....... Did you readjust your floats?

.... Where in the chain of events DO you have gas flowing??? Can you pull gas from the tank to the fuel pump inlet side? Can you blow air back through the supply tube into the tank?? Fuel pump: With the engine turning over on the starter put your finger over the "inlet" (look at the arrows 1 inny 1 outty) and see if that little sucker is sucking your finger tight to the tube. Now try the output tube. You should feel pressure against you finger. Just in case you have the lines reversed because the orientation of the new pump might be different this is also a good check to tell which is IN and which is OUT. This should NOT be this difficult!!!

... and see if you can pull fuel at the inlet side of the fuel pump. Smells like a tank problem. I've seen some pretty scarey stuff in Datsun gas tanks. Bottle caps, rocks, sticks, etc. etc. Am hearing more about rust etc. in these 30 something year old tanks causing big blockage problems. One guy on the 510 list flat had the bottom of his tank rust through. Scaley rust developing, breaking loose and moving around could certainly block tank outlets.

...with the tank and lines? There is something else going on if your float levels were good one day and not good the next. They don't just change unless you have brass floats that can fill with gas and that will be a gradual thing. To double check that your floats are set "just right" take the domes and pistons out and look down in the nozzles to see where the static fuel level is. Another thing, pull the fuel inlet nipple off the float bowl lids and check / clean the final filters going back to the tank / lines thing?

... If you want to get hands on and save a buck or 2 we can do the Tune Up Kit ZT 150 for $150 and ship ZT110 for $175. You then with the help of the video, can clean up & swap all your stuff over to the new bodies (with the bearings butterflys and shafts already installed). The downside of this is your carbs are only going to be a clean as you can get them, the linkage won't be all re-plated and dazzling and there is no 3 year warranty. Shipping on the sets we've done to Australia and NZ is not that bad via Global Priority Mail and the service is 4-6 days. I can't quote shipping without a destination but I know I was surprised how reasonable it was on the orders we have done.

... the deal just fine assuming your carbs are in decent shape and all the tuneup issues with the engine have been addressed. SM needles for starters and over size nozzles as a second step if you feel you might have a fuel starvation problem. By the time these carbs might let you down on the big motor, the ticket will bust your pick anyway. You want to run out of carb before you run out of money...... You might read over the description of the ZTV-01 Tune up video for those engine related matters can can directly effect carb performance. We talk to a lot of guys who blame their carbs for things that are wrong in the engine. Not saying that's what you have going on here. Just thought I'd slip that editorial comment in as it really does get overlooked a lot.

... to be for sale at Bluelake. Anyone looking for a nicely done, fun, reliable 510 wagon Daniel Beatty from the roadster club will have his there for sale Sunday. L-18 SUs electronic Dizzy dog leg 5 speed plus a ton of other stuff. Here is a web site to check out http://www.nowroc.com/webpages/forsale/wagon.htm I can vouch for the car. Check it out. Should be a great driver and mileage getter.....

...you've got 3 screw insulators and the outside section around what was the water passage has broken out. These old blocks are very prone to cracking from being popped off a million time over the years. I'd guess you aren't running water to the manifold or if you are, the manifold is the earlier 4 screw that didn't have the water ports. Some time when it's convenient I'd pull em and build up and re-form those areas with epoxy putty. Good insulators are getting real hard to find. We have new gaskets....

.... Be that way. Understand though that if it comes down to car count with the WA crowd, we will count you guys as OR caravan cars...... Nyuck nyuck A lot of scrambling going on. My brother in Law and his wife are in Ashland on vacation and will be stopping in Grants Pass to pick up a 1200 door for one of the guys here in Salem. Let the thrash begin.........

Staying at the Super 8 in Salem and run up with the group Sunday ayem?? We had heard there was a group coming from way south. How many do you think will be coming?? We would love to have ya join us. Nothing will be happening at Bluelake 'til we get there anyway! Did he really say that?? Damn straight!!! Got to make sure we have more than the WA group, even if it means hijacking another group!! Hope the weather co-operates.....

Just a freshen up on the 2 caravans to Bluelake this coming Sunday. We have 1200s, roadsters, 510's, Z's, and maybe even a pickup or 2 coming from the south. How you Seattleites doing???? See ya there!!