austex

Yeah, Big sam! I'm in the same boat. And thanks for the reply, Arne. The previous owner just bypassed the mechanical one. It's still there, though. Should I run both the electrical and mechanical?

Hey guys, I just got through putting a Carter P4070 fuel pump on my 74 260, and that mother is L-O-U-D. The one that the previous owner had put on was pretty loud too, but this one puts it to shame. Anything stupid I'm overlooking? Anything I need to be sure to insulate with rubber? Because it's vibrating that whole side of the car, pretty much. I dismounted it and it was still stupidly loud, so I'm kind of at a loss at the moment. Figure there's something simple I'm overlooking. Thanks! *Yeah, I'm guessing it's something electrical, considering the gremlins my Z has.*

Alrighty, will do! Thanks.

Hey everybody, I've got this off-and-on metal on metal sound coming from what seems to be the clutch/flywheel area of my '74 260. It seems to do it most often when I start her up, but every now and then when I'm going down the road. It's a sort of "ka-teenk ka-teenk..." sound. It's pretty annoying because it's fairly intermittent, and I can't really say that it does it when I do something in particular. It sometimes does it when start it up in the mornings, it sometimes does it when I'm going down the road, etc. I'm having a hard time figuring it out... Any ideas to help with a diagnosis? It's been running like a top recently, and now that I'm going to need it to be my transportation for college, it starts clanking... Thanks for any help!

Hey everybody, I want to replace the brake master cylinder in my '74, and as I've said before, I'm still learning what the previous owner has put in it. On the master cylinder that's in there now, the bleeders are pointing to the right (engine). Unless the photos are mirrored or something, I've noticed that the bleeders are pointing the other way on the masters that I've been looking at getting. Also, while I'm here, is it safe to assume that a master cylinder that's listed as being for '72-'78 models will match up with a brake booster (8.5") for a '77 ,and, more importantly, that that combo will be all right for my '74? I have stock brakes. So, a 7/8" bore would be all right, I guess? Or should I bump up to 15/16? (I've been having the spongy brake pedal issue for a while now) Sorry about the many questions! I'm about to need to drive her a bit more than I have been lately, and I obviously want the brakes to be right, above all else.

Well, I took everything off and checked it out, and nothing seems out of the ordinary. When I first got the car 4 months ago, I made the mistake of taking it to Brake Check; let's just say they didn't do me any favors. There's no telling which shoes they put on there. So I ordered Raybestos shoes to go with my new-ish Raybestos drums (put them on about a month ago--not from Brake Check). If there's still weird stuff going on, then at least I can eliminate the shoes. Ever since the Brake Check shoes were put on, it's been acting weird. Suffice it to say... I've done, and will do, all my own brake work since then.

It's a '74 260Z, by the way.

Hey guys, interesting brake problem here (I'm assuming it's the brakes)... I was about to pull out of the driveway, put it in R, and gave it some gas and the car wouldn't move. Put it in 1st and it wouldn't move. Like the handbrake was staying engaged or something. Then I put it in R again and gave it a little more gas and something from the rear half of the car went SNAP and I could go. But now, when I put just a little pressure on the brake pedal, the car stops hard. And the pedal is kinda spongy as well, on top of everything else. It's pouring down rain at the moment, so I can't really take a look right now. Any thoughts? Thanks! PS The handbrake has always been really weak. Works just enough to keep it from rolling. If that matters in the diagnosis...

Here ya go:

Yes, once again, that's what I thought. So I'm not crazy, and my 74 does NOT have electronic ignition. Sheesh. I love the car but man it's frustrating sometimes. Thanks!

Yeah, that's what I thought too. I'm relatively new to this sort of thing. When I take off the cap, if it has electronic ignition, what should I see? Because I changed the rotor and the cap because they were...worn. The rotor rotates, and makes contact with the points. Right? Or am I missing something? That would mean it's not electronic?... Meh, stupid previous owner.

Okay, time for a stupid, stupid question. I have a franken-Z which I'm pretty sure has next to nothing stock. The body was made in April of '74, but...the head is a P79, the block is an N42, the manifold is an E88, the driveshaft is from a '71, etc. In other words, I have no idea what's original and what's not on this thing, other than what I just mentioned. I just bought it like 3 months ago. Now, I was told that 74's came with electronic ignition stock. My stupid stupid question is, how can you tell? Because for all I know, the previous owner put in a distributor from a '71 or something. What do I look for that tells me, 'Hey, this is the stock distributor and not one from a '70! Guess I have electronic ignition!'? Thanks for your time, Josh

Well there ya go. Thanks!

It does? I thought I read they started doing it in '75. I was thinking that's why I couldn't find it...

Hey guys, just quickly wanted to find the right part/model number for a Pertronix Ignitor that I want to put in my '74 260. Most of the ones I've seen say they're for 70-73 240's.

Hey everybody, first off, I just wanted to thank everybody who has helped me out with good advice. I'm a new Z owner and own a fixer-upper, so I've needed a bit of help lately! It turned out that what was wrong with my clutch was...the retainer clip on the clutch fork (that clips to the pivot ball) was bent ever-so slightly and wasn't doing its job. I'm fine with getting a new clutch since the one I pulled off looked ancient. Kinda figured it'd end up being something small... Anyway, I'm having various electrical problems which are very similar to the ones described over at The Z Garage (http://datsunzgarage.com/engine/ -- scroll down to 'Alternator Upgrade') I own a '74 260 and figure I might could benefit from the same thing that he did, by putting in an alternator from an 81-83 Z. (I know he's talking about a 240, but still...) Figure I could also benefit from properly grounding everything too. Any thoughts? The previous owner apparently had a massive sound system, and basically had everything electrical that wasn't necessary to start the car disconnected. What do you make of the circled area in the picture below? I'll take some better shots tomorrow if need be.

I ended up getting this one, with my budget in mind and since I had to spring for the master and slave too. One day I'll put a better one in it... Although this is his stock clutch of choice over at the DatsunZGarage. So maybe it'll be good. http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=PHT&MfrPartNumber=MU475361&PartType=244&PTSet=A

So I ended up getting this clutch set. I'm on a bit of a budget and it seemed like the best choice for the money. Better tell me soon if that's the wrong one and/or crappy so I can cancel the order. Haha http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=PHT&MfrPartNumber=MU475361&PartType=244&PTSet=A

How about the Brute Power one? http://www.baxterautoparts.com/Catalog/CatalogResults.aspx

So I'm going to go ahead and buy a new clutch, along with the master and slave cylinders, and I just wanted to see if any of y'all have any recommendations. I have a 74 260 running an L28, with a 5-speed. I don't race it or anything--much. Just gradually restoring it since it's a definite fixer-upper, previously owned by a so-called 'enthusiast.' So, any clutches that y'all have put in yours that you really like? I'm mainly debating between the Centerforce I and just the dealer one. Any thoughts? I know it's not a big deal, I just like making sure what I buy is good...

Alright, interesting development... I bled it again, and the pedal feels firm-ish again. I started it up in neutral and still wasn't able to shift into any gears other than R... but this time when I shifted into reverse, it died. Thanks, beandip. I just bled it at the slave. Has a brake hose going to it and a bleeder, and it's the end of the line so I figured that's where I need to do it?... So, next question, I guess....how do I bleed the master? Also, I can't see any leaks of any kind.

Well I bled it till there weren't any air bubbles, etc. What would I have done wrong? And what would other symptoms of badly needing to bleed it be? Because right now, the pedal is super easy to depress. It feels like it's not doing anything it should be doing, although it did obviously pump the fluid out when I was bleeding it. It's like the clutch is engaged, and I can't DISengage it with the pedal. It makes me think it's something in the clutch itself, but again...I haven't worked on hydraulic ones before. Oh, and it wasn't really easy to depress until after I put it in first with the engine off, then started it with the pedal in, and enjoyed all the bucking and lurching forward that ensued... Before that, the pedal felt normal.

Sorry, KTM, didn't see your response before I posted the pic. Guess you pretty much summed it up! Thanks. So basically if I just buy everything together as a set, it'll be fine? For example... I could buy the kit below, and as long as the collar is the right one, it'll work? http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/PCC08/21-2271 ...not that I'm going to get that one.

Here's a picture... Sorry if it's not descriptive enough, it's pretty tight under there for someone who isn't tiny.

Okay, I bled it....and it didn't really do much. It got some air out, but it hasn't made a difference in the firmness of the pedal, etc. ------- I posted over in the Engine and Drivetrain section about how mine has a 5-speed in it. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30134