doradox

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/search.php?searchid=629353 The first of 24 pages of search results for "rota".

260-240 whatever. What I said still holds. Factory not modified. I'm sure the Bilsteins work just fine. I was just pointing to another variable in your search for the ride height you want. The few missing parts obviously won't add up to 350-400 lbs but they will make a difference. Why don't you remove the sway bar so you can drive the car then remeasure the ride height. If you don't there's a chance that when you finally do and everything settles you'll end up lower than you wanted if you get it set where you want in the shop. I'm trying to provide some help. I've seen what I have described happen many times. You may very well have bad springs. But if you don't account for all variables you might not be happy with your end result. Steve

Search for diff removal. One of the members recently posted very concise instructions. Steve

This might be a dumb question but, have you checked the fluid and bled the system? Steve

I'd have those U-joints checked again. Take the shafts off the car to do so. No play AND free movement in all directions. A bad joint can feel "tight" or "good" on the car but you can't check for smooth operation on the car. On decel the diff nose tends to be forced downward so the strap is not doing anything. Is the fit between the driveshaft and trans tailshaft bushing good? Steve

You do realize that the ride height numbers are for a stock 240Z (with all it's parts) on the tires it came with at the recommended tire pressure. They are good for the relative height difference between front and rear if you are looking for the stock "stance", but are just ballpark with any modifications. Was your suspension reinstalled properly. I am asking because the final tightening of all suspension pivots to the recommended torque should be done with the weight of the car on the wheels and at the ride height you a going for. Since you don't have that ride height I am assuming not. Are the Bilsteins gas charged? That can make a slight difference in ride height as the stock struts were not. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27517 highlight=springs fourth post Until you have a complete car that has been driven to settle the suspension and then recheck ride height you are chasing ghosts. Nice car by the way. Steve

I've had both. On a late '73 I didn't have the body mounts and had to get a sway bar kit with it's own mounts. On an early '73 it had the factory mounts and I could use a bar made for the stock position. It's been a while since I've had those cars (20 and 10 years) so I could be wrong but I think the bars are different. Specific to the mounting scheme. A larger factory mount type bar reduces clearance just by the fact that it's a larger diameter but it should still clear. Tolerance variation can stack up and leave you with a less than desirable fit though. Steve

I think it's OK. The bend in the bar matches the body section it needs to clear.

Yes, you can remove the belt and it will not effect anything adversely. Except emissions of course. Steve

It looks OK to me. If you lengthen the link sleeves a little that will increase clearance between the bar and the diff flange. But not much.

Dude, you're right. Everybody IS happy. I woke up feeling really good today. Did you buy some oil recently? Everybody is soooo happy today it's unbelievable. Steve

I'd stick with the stock mount for the street. The mustache bar is rubber mounted too so having one solid mount and one flexible mount isn't the greatest idea. Something will eventually crack. Steve

I'm not defending this guy but nobody NEEDS an original key blank. And he's certainly not forcing anyone to buy them. So, if someone were to pay that ridiculous price then whatever. It's not unjust or a rip off or anything else like that. It's just being stupid. Steve

Dude, you are like sooooo out of character. Not one misspelled word. Well except for the missing apostrophe in haven't. But seriously, I think the reason we all want to see your car is 'cause we're all in such awe of your comic genius and figure you must really have a totally 100 point car or something. Or maybe all your car pics have your really hot girlfriend or sister or mom and we just can't help ourselves. I mean, we just gotta see. Dude, you are like killing us with the suspense. Steve

It's a well known fact that the 280Z runs best when it's blowing some blue smoke out. Especially when you floor it. You are like soooo lucky. All the factory racers were always trying to get their engines to blow just the right amount but it was really hard and almost no one ever could do it. I think it's some kind of ancient Japanese secret or legend or something like that. If you wanted to you could probably sell your motor on ebay or Craigslist. I bet if some JDM kinda guy heard about it he would pay top dollar. Dude you have struck it rich. Just don't let that guy who's selling the keys talk you into selling to him. Keep the money to yourself. Steve

Dude, like, when I was younger and lived in Tucson all the cool 4X4 guys had 280Z bumpers for their brush guards. They would get two bumpers and cut and weld them so they would fit on their trucks. It worked so well that's why you see so many 280Z's with no bumpers. Dude, you are like bringing back so many old memories. It was such an awesome time with all the bumpers and welders and brush and stuff. Steve

You need to use the average MPG setting and make sure you get more than a few miles on that tank before you pass judgment. My wife's Suburban gets markedly better mileage once it's fully warmed up 10-15 miles. If I just check it after a cold start it will show 2-3 MPG less than after it's had time to warm up. I've never noticed any difference in gas mileage from tank to tank. At least within the margin of error created by different driving conditions. Here's a link to some info on where gasoline comes from http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/gasoline/index.html You will probably be surprised to learn that the EXXON, Shell, whatever, brand of gas may not be produced by EXXON, Shell, whatever. It's a mix and match game with supply agreements between all the oil companies and refiners. Once the additive package is added at the terminal it becomes "Shell" gas. Steve

I think welding it to the hood and underside would be the best way to do it. Z's are famous for their reliability so you shouldn't need to open the hood for a really long time. Believe it or not but the Z hood is one of the strongest hoods ever made and should be quite capable of handling any load you might put on it. As far as paint goes a good exterior latex house paint because the outside of your house is always outside so that paint is really good for outside stuff. Home Depot has lots of it and can mix any color you'd like. Or maybe not. Steve

I understand that. Greed driven by the rising value of rare items unfortunately brings that out. This kind of thing happens virtually every time some item becomes popular and people start competing for the money that popularity draws in. Oh well. Steve

What's the deal? Don't think the keys are worth it. Don't buy them. I see a lot of cheering going on when a restored Z sells for a high price. Be careful what you wish for. If people start thinking they can make a few bucks on selling restored cars and rare parts then you are going to get exactly what's happening here. It's about supply and demand. They don't make 240Z's anymore so the supply is shrinking daily as they rust away, get wrecked/crushed and "restored" by people who don't know what they're doing and ruin the cars. Promoting the 240Z will increase demand. Prices will go up. Has anyone seen Classic Hemi Cuda's going for a million bucks? Imagine what an OEM key blank for that thing would be if it were as rare as the one for the Z. I for one hope the Z never gets particularly popular. Steve

Had an all chrome cheapo from AutoZone when I bought it. Then I bought this one from AutoZone. The mounting kit is a joke and puts the knob way too tall. Fortunately the guts of the knob are die cast. I used one of the mounting spacers included with the knob as a drill guide and drilled and tapped the inside of the knob. I still used the mounting spacer to help stabilize the knob 'cause the threads aren't too deep. I put loctite on the shifter threads to hold 'er on and keep it from rotating. It's rock solid and close to the stock height. It might be a little modern for some but it's a lot like the stock knob on my driver so it feels at home in my hand. Steve

To answer #2, you need an exhaust for several of the reasons you listed. With no manifold at all you can't tune the exhaust for maximum power. It's loud. It causes the failure of exhaust valves. The exhaust gasses go places you don't want them to. The pressure is an unwanted consequence of designing a system that solves all the other issues. Every design solution is a compromise. It has to fit in the space given to the design engineer, not cost too much, not be too loud or heavy, tune for power at xxxx rpm, keep the cat converter hot, not be too close to combustibles, be easy to manufacture and easy/quick to install, and on and on. So, even though I create "backpressure" in my exhaust, It's something that comes from the other things I want. It's not something I purposely design in. Steve

You could still have air or your rear brakes are out of adjustment. At least those are the most common things that cause low pedal. Steve

If you want someone to design an exhaust system for you try... http://www.burnsstainless.com/TechArticles/Theory/theory.html Look at this.. http://www.burnsstainless.com/Xdesign/Race_Engine_Spec__Form/race_engine_spec__form.htm to get an idea of the complexity of designing a system for a particular engine. Or just go with what other racers are using. At least you won't be any worse off than they are. Steve

Any one could be better depending on the specifics of the exhaust design ( tubing size and length to name two) and what your definition of better is. More top end power? More low end? Works best with cam X, Y, or Z. I think the whole point is that it's not black and white. It's the combination of lots of factors, many of which are not well defined. There's a science to it but there's some dark art to it as well. Steve Steve