Zedyone_kenobi

You know I did not ask. I am going to totally redo the foam with OEM foam anyway. I think my biggest gripe is how far down in the car I am. However, I do feel 'in' the car, not 'on' it. I have to be careful about not getting my foam redone and the straps on the bottom redone so that I feel I sit ON the seat and not in it. I have to walk the line here.

You know I did not ask. I am going to totally redo the foam with OEM foam anyway. I think my biggest gripe is how far down in the car I am. However, I do feel 'in' the car, not 'on' it. I have to be careful about not getting my foam redone and the straps on the bottom redone so that I feel I sit ON the seat and not in it. I have to walk the line here.

I have been wanting to redo my OEM seats for while. IF you saw mine you would think they look perfect. They are not faded or torn or even the slightest bit worn. However, I have always thought the foam had given up the ghost. Come to find out the PO had the OEM seats recovered, but did not do new foam. So what is a guy to do? Well I was dead set on getting the Kameari seats for the car. They are just absolutely stunning. But something tells me that they may be a bit too narrow. Plus they are 1700 dollars plus brackets, plus 575 dollars shipping. That is a hell of a pill to swallow. I probably could have saved for it, but the thought that they would be narrow and hard to get out of gave me pause. Having narrow seats is not the end of the world, I would fit, but having seats that could cost upwards of 2500 dollars that are also narrow, is just too much of a risk. One day I may see some and sit in them and realize they are the best seats ever, but I just cannot gamble with that much money. So I had what I thought to be a clever idea. I read about that interior shop www.interior-innovations.com that some of you spoke highly of. I decided to give them a try to see what I could come up with. I picked out a leather seat cover with silver stitching and a leather shift boot to match. I will have a classic Z logo on the headrest also in silver (may have gone too far with that, but you only live once), the pic below shows modern Z. I had to photoshop this pic to show the company where I wanted the buttons exactly. I will have the OEM buttons carried up the back of the seat as shown in the picture. Overall I am quite happy with the results. I think it will have the look of the Kameari, but keep the OEM seating position and brackets and allow me to order OEM foam replacements as needed. I cannot wait to get these in.

Your patience will be rewarded. Just to be clear, when you say series one, what do you mean? I only ask as I have seen different meanings to that term, and it is a term that Datsun never used itself. It is an owner invented term. When I hear series 1 Z I think 1970-1972 (maybe 1973). I don't really think of a series II car but if I did I would say a 260Z is a series II car and a 280Z is a series III car should you be so inclined. But again, that series XX is not something Datsun ever used to denote models. So bud, when you say series one, do you mean a 1970 only?

Well the point is that you can buy a Z that has already had a bare metal restoration (or close to it) for less than 30 probably. In essence you are buying 40k dollars in work and parts for 25k dollars. These cars are not like 911's (yet) and you rarely get more from them than you put in. So buy one that 95% there and does not NEED a bare metal restoration, then you can spend time and money just maintaining it and modifying it the way you want to (wheels, triples, decals, seats, etc)

Sorry, I may have skimmed over that. Okay, not doing the work all yourself will make things more expensive, and this leads me to the most important thing. Buy the BEST Z you can, even if it eats up ALL your budget. You can make more money. Buy a car that is just about 'done'. It will still be VERY much a project I promise you.

Okay wait, I have to ask for some clarification here bud I am confused, Are you planning on buying a car here in the colonies, and having it worked on and restored here and then shipping it, or are you planning on getting it to you and restoring it? I will add something else. Buy a car that be driven while you work on it. Being able to drive one is the fuel to the restoration fire. Having a non running car for years is true test of ones will, and as many of us can attest to here, life happens and priorities can quickly change.

No problem, tell us about yourself. What is your age? Mechanical skill level. Amount of money you can put toward the car every month? Do you have a place to work on the car. What kind of work are you comfortable with. Do you have access to good mechanics/machine shops/body guys/upholstery shops? There are NO wrong answers to any of these questions, but it helps to know exactly what your situation is as well as your goals. All of this matters. Getting things done locally is always better as you can put 'eyes on' the project and you are in a position to dispute work done and approve what you like and ask for corrections for work not done well. It appears you are dead set on building up THAT exact car from the petrolicious video, which is great. It is good to have a vision, but keep in mind you can enjoy these cars in almost any guise. I wish you luck.

Okay so now I have watched that video 100 and ONE times... Man, I need some 15x8" wheels.

Man, looking at your car make so ashamed of how dirty mine looks... Well done sir!! You do very distinguished work. I salute your attention to detail.

Car looks like a wise old Sensei that would tell you a cool story over a cup of herbal tea that you think is totally unrelated to your life until about a week later than it clicks. (I have been watching a lot of kung fu lately)

Quite the list and budget. You should certainly be able to find a car and get it to your spec for 30k. Some things I may mention. If the car above is your direction, then I would suggest dropping the numbers matching or original engine requirement. That car has a Rebello stroked engine so it is not original. Also if you enjoy that look originality should not be a huge issue. Properly modified 240z's do not give up too much to original ones, as long as the mods are tasteful and done to a high level of quality. You should be able to find a really decent Z for 15-20k that has not be cut to pieces and is mostly 'there'. You want to find one that has not been cut up or modified too much as you want to have a known good 'start' point. As to where to look. Look at www.bringatrailer.com they have good deals on good cars from time to time. Also the absolute best place is local Z car clubs. I live in Texas and found a good clean Z car in North Carolina on a North Carolina Z car club. Look all the local chapters web sights and you can guarantee you will find a car or two loved by a knowledgeable owner. Also looking at the classified here is a good place. For 30k I would be tempted to sell you mine! Most of all, email me all you like about any questions you may have or want an opinion on any car you see. I am happy to help you find a project for you and your son. The Z to me was the perfect classic car. It had heritage, performance, reliability, affordable parts, and easy cost to get into. It has a timeless look and will always hold its value and sense of beauty. We are here to help and are glad to lend a hand!

I am thinking I want to get more F9 E tubes for the roadster and see how they run. OR buy two more F11 and see how the Z likes them. So many ways to tune these things. I will get those floats adjusted soon. I spent the week on the bathroom floor trying to potty train my 3 year old.... but I am happy to report we had brilliant SUCCESS!!!!

Let me find out roadster jets 45 DCOE idle jet: 55f9 main jet : 140 air corrector : 160 e- tube : f9 z jets 40 DCOE idle jet: 55f9 main jet: 140 air corrector: 160 e-tube: f11

just measured, the distance from the bottom of the PC to the collar that was resting on the jet shelf (I like that btw) was 27.71 mm. By that , I would say my floats need to come up.

Sounds about right bud. I think I read all that somewhere. But not nearly as concise as you put it. Very well done. One thing, the PC rod is perfectly symmetrical. So it would be 25mm from the base to the collar from either end. I know you knew that, but in case others are following. I have the PC rod on my workbench from the last time I took a measurement. I will measure it and post it here. Have to go wake up the two boys who are still sleeping and begin the 'its time to go to school war'... Edit, while I am at it, I may as well do the Roadsters DCOE45's as well... going to be a floaty day.

Yup, this is the tool you are referring to. I love this thing. This is when I first got it. Currently, IF you take the white collar shown in this picture, and move it to the left passing the first indication until it is about 2-3 mm to the right of the second indication, that is where my fuel levels are on my Z right now.

Interesting... I will check. I can tell you how far the level is from the outside top of the cover to fuel level. But not the inside top of the cover to the fuel level. I will take off a cover and measure the thickness of the plate so I can subtract the two. Will be interesting. Just to be clear, you are saying with the fuel level at operating height, The distance from the top of the fuel level to the inside of the fuel bowl's ceiling should be 25mm. Well that should be easy to determine.

Well said and I will do exactly as stated. I will take measurements again while the car is running. Would be a good time to clean everything off as well. I will probably weigh all the floats as well to see if any gas has some how worked its way into the pores affecting buoyancy.

NO I checked them with the fuel pump running but the engine off. Figured as long as their was pressure on the system it would be fine.

yes, I used the Kieth Franke class tube method with the little device he sells. They are a bit low from the mark on the glass tube. But they are even. I think they have been at this level all along. I may try to raise them up. I checked all the filters in the carb bodies, they look fine. I checked the tightness of the bolts they are all fine. I run about 12.3:1 at idle on my wideband. I will try to adjust the floats this coming friday when I have more time off. You know I had always wanted to see what some DCOE 45's would do on this engine...

Yup, the regulatory plunger in my Mallory pump stuck and I ended up sending 18 psi to my webers for darn near a minute before I realized what was happening. I made a thread over that problem, including the solution. I am not back to a rock steady 3 psi. However, when I started it up the very first time after this happened the car acted very funny at first. One of the floats was stuck all the way down and I was running on 4 cylinders for a while. I tapped the top of the carb where the float needle is and the fuel pressure dropped to zero then increased to read 3 psi like it should, meaning it was being held completely closed and empty and when I tapped it, something moved and the fuel started to fill it. So I have not done anything else YET, but the car does idle a tiny bit rougher than it use to. I have a funny feeling I have done damage to my floats or my needle/seats due to the over pressure condition. First I am going to check the float level to see if it has been altered. Something tells me it probably has. I am planning on removing the needle/seats and will probably replace them, although I am not sure what will go wrong with a ball and a spring. I will examine the floats. Perhaps they will need some adjustment. The car starts fine and idles around 900 rpm very smoothly. However now I have a slight pop out of the carb at times when I tip into the throttle and under the slightest input of constant throttle I get a pop from the exhaust. These are new events for my triples, as they have been spot on perfect for 3 years, right up until I tried to make them take 18 psi from my temporarily insane fuel pump. Any other ideas.

Looks like you are off to a great start bud! Keep it up. We all teach each other in some kind of way. It is the best community on line!

I have no advice, but I certainly wish you all the luck in the world bud.

Travel'n man, that is my desired setup for my Z. I have LSD STI 3.90:1 diff in my car now, and the 4 speed eats it up, car pulls hard all the time, but I would kill for the 5th gear. Thought about taking the transmission out of the roadster and putting it in the Z but chicikened out. You would not know where I can find a 5 speed do ya Guy old buddy.