Oiluj

Glad to see you got it fixed with minimal work or expense!

I have a 77' 280Z 5-speed waiting to go into my stock 240Z I was concerned about the gearing, so I put together a chart showing the difference between the stock diff and the 3.54 diff. If I recall, (it's on my home computer), with the stock diff and 280Z 5-speed, gearing is between 6 to 9% higher than stock. With the 3.54 diff, gearing was almost identical as with the stock 4-speed, with 5th operating as an overdrive.

Back in the very distant past, (mid-1980's), my 1st 240Z got the front-end wobblies. Not bad, just enough to be annoying. After talking with a tech guy at MSA, I replaced the streeing rack bushings. Completely solved the problem.

Not Z related, but... On SF Bay we have a decent amount of commercial traffic. And where I get my boat hauled for annual maintenance is at the end of the Alameda estuary, past the Oakland container ship docks. I give commercial fishing boats and ships a wide berth. Some recreational boaters don't realize that commercial vessels, especially container and oil tankers, can't change course or speed the way smaller vessels can. To my mind, staying well clear of them is a survival trait...

Speaking of idiot drivers, I ran into two today, (not literally). Perhaps they had too much caffene or testosterone supplement... I also sail, and rarely do I find power boaters to be dis-courteous to sailors on SF Bay.

As SteveJ said above, measure before you do anything. A candy or meat themometer works fine. Warm the car up with the radiator cap off, then measure water temp. If it's around 160 F, to 180 F, it's good and your gauge is off.

Down & Dirty Pasta sounds like something I make. FWIW, you really can make some nice dinners in just 30 minutes. Here's a great site for beginner cooks. I use it all the time. Clear, step-by-step instructions, kinda like assembly instructions. They have all kinds of food, simple & quick to whole dinners. http://www.cookingforengineers.com/

As posted above, I use a long box wrench on the crank bolt. Works fine.

Now that's funny! Love European commercials! On a side note: I think we all accept that there are idiots that drive cars and ride bikes. What's interesting is how some cyclists sometimes over-react to criticism. OK, back to Z stuff!!

260 is a fine engine, assuming it's in good shape. I'm assuming it's on a stand or mounted on a cradle. Hook it up to a 12 volt battery and do a compression test. That will tell you a lot.

I was tagging onto a post above refrencing use of walnut shells.. But my guess is they would work on alum carbs too.

Very nice looking car, and I even like the color... Welcome to the club!

I too have heard that walnut shells are a good, non-corrosive media that is less prone to warping panels.

I'n my house, add 1/2 mustartd & 1/2 mayo. Tangy tuna!

this'll be fun! Let's start simple: Upgraded Mac n' Cheese Kraft Mc n' Cheese 1 cup Lil' Smokies sausages 1/2 cup Sharp chedder cheese (shreaded) 1-1/2 cups chopped brocolli - pan sear 3/8" thick slices of sausage. - make cheese sauce per instructions, (with extra cheese added), then add sausage. - add brocolli last 2 minutes befor noodles are done and drain. - add sauce and sausage Serve with fruit for dessert. Not low-fat, but contains some green stuff. Easy and fast to prepare.

That works too...

Don't know about the tape, but do have a tip. If you paint it, leave the lower lip or lower 1/2" unpainted. That way when it scrapes or bumps-up against a concrete wheel stop or curb, the is no scratched paint.

Sweet!!

I don't think anyone's pissed-off, or planning to go out and run-down cyclists. The discussion is really about sharing the road safely without anyone getting hurt or property being damaged. . 1) Personally, I dion't want to be placed in the position of hitting a careless cyclist, because I'd still feel some responsibility for his injuries, even if I'm not at fault. 2) I don't know about you, but I would be angry at someone who damages my property by being careless or unsafe, especially if they don't take responsibility. (HAVE had that happen). . On a side note, I'm prefer classic guns: i.e. Browning 1935 BHP. (BTW, I thought carrying w/o a CC permit was Federal, but maybe it's only a State law...)

Nice system, but seems a bit overkill to me. Add a few of Dave's light relays, better wiper relay, relay for electric fan, one for a high-power sound system, (if you go that way), and your'e done. It's all plug n' play. Just my 2 cents...

Wow, "density altitude" is a term I'd forgotten many years ago! Thanks for the memory jog and the good web link.

One last comment. I'd thank the guy who told me my tailight was out...

First, let me say I enjoy cycling, and do it responsibly. However, my experience in multiple locations around the urban Bay Area is that most cyclists only follow the rules of the road when it suits them and ignore the rules rest of the time. They consistently run stops signs & red lights, cut in front of cars, switch lanes and make left turns in traffic with no signal or warning. Then when one of them is contacted by a car or truck, (usually the cyclists fault), they "literally" start screaming about thier rights. (and no, I've never hit a cyclist). Also, if youv'e ever seen "critical mass" cyclists in San Francisco snarl traffic downtown at rush hour, week after week to make a point about sharing the road, (or in thier case, NOT sharing the road), you might be more inclined to consider many cyclists a hazard. I don't hate cyclists, enjoy cycling and respect "responsible" cyclists. But think "aggresive" urban cyclists hurt their cause far more than they help it. Not only that, even when they are "in the right", when accidents occur, the cyclist always loses to the motor vehicle. One more thing, if you are packing while you ride and don't have a CC permit, that's a Federal offense. Not responsible at all...

The heads have some value if they are in good condition.

This is a valid topic for the forum as it affects our older cars.