Zedyone_kenobi

Not a bad idea. I like the look of open polished air horns for the Z, but also would never dream of operating like that for long drives. A quick pop off air cleaner would not be a bad idea for the bling factor.

To me a Z with a V8 is no longer a Z but is nothing more than just another kit car. Kit cars can be valuable and desirable to some. But is NOT a Z. Too much has to be changed, and the car is a miss match of parts. But the value is tough. You will certainly make more money keeping it OEM. Perfect car with a V8 value is probably less than Perfect car with an original engine. But again, if you find the right guy at the right time, anything can happen. Your odds are better with an original car if $$$$ is what you are seeking. The only kit cars I have ever been able to stomach is the factory 5 cobras and the well done Porsche speedsters. A V8 Z, nope, never liked it. Seen too many hacked up cars to waste time looking for one done right. I get zero goosebumps when I pop open the hood of a Z and see huge corvette plastic engine covers. I get far more weak in the knees when I see triple Webers/Mikuni's on a straight 6.

I just want to say you guys just reaffirm that the Z community is the best one on earth.

Good on you man if you are getting back on your feet. Stay straight and keep your nose to the grindstone... You will make it.

I know it is gone, but is it really that hard to vacuum a car out before taking pictures!!!

OH yes, One big detail. They are NOT OEM Datsun Roadster seats. They were nice and firm, but not too much, they fit me well, they were light, and looked decent. They moved up and back with ease, they reclined with ease. The fabric was well looked after. They were easy to get in and out of, they did not rub bad on the sides the back or the legs. They were perfectly functional... But they broke the cardinal rule. They were not original to the car. So they had to go. It is really as simple as that. Here is a better look. they are for sale by the way.

You sir are a man after my own heart. VERY nice work A word of advice though. You just put an aluminum Radiator on a metal frame car. You will want to put some sort of rubber in between the radiator and the metal frame to prevent galvanic corrosion due to the dissimilar metals. It may save you some headaches in the future. Your car is a thing to behold. I wish my 71 had as clean a background as yours did. But we all get to a point where we bond with the car. You are well on your way to 'making it yours'. Keep the pics and updates coming buddy.

You would know man! They do have totally different personalities. The Z is the jock of the two. After I stripped out the bleed threads to the roadster today on the front passenger caliper, don't ask... apparently there is a BB in there that seals, and I had no idea about that. It got ugly, profanities were involved, which naturally lead to my credit card being used. Well after all that, I took out the Z for a feel better spin. I am so pleased with where the Z is. That thing feels like a completely DONE car. It drives idles and reaches 7k with so much zest. She makes all the right sounds when you want her to, and nothing when you don't. Just needs paint and I consider the Z rally ready.

Need to post an update. I got my OEM seats back in from the upholstery shop and just installed now vinyl in the back ... Car is looking REALLY good now. What a completely rewarding job that is. Makes such a huge difference. from this to this

And we are VERY glad to have you with us Z fan. I look forward to hearing far more from you.

Any car that pays homage to our WWII heros makes me tip my hat. Bravo.

eeeewww, that would require drilling them out, tapping them with the correct tap kit and CORRECTLY inserting a new helicoil. May I be so bold as to humbly disagree with you my good man. I have never had any luck with those things and holding torque requires a near perfect installation which has many variables. I know you were only offering an alternate solution. Trust in the good engineering of Datsun. The car was old, but the engineering principles used on bolt strength were VERY well known even in the early 70's. Do not forget we sent men to the moon before the 71 Z even came out. We were pretty smart. I put lots of faith in those old engineers. I have yet to be let down.

me thinks you may be a bit too worried. I am using those captive nuts on my 71 and pushing a strong L28 though it. You will break the rubber mount before a welded in nut on a metal frame breaks. The load is just not that big compared to the yield strength of steel.

Lycoming, Continental.... you sound a lot like my dad who passed away in 2012, who was a certified A&P mechanic and instructor. I get all my anal mechanical tendencies form him. Oil most certainly does cool the engine, ask any 911 owner, who engines are primarily oil cooled supplemented by air. I agree with you. The 185 number I could see I suppose for suspended H20 particles without the benefits of surface tension to keep them bound together, as well as the PCV system. But I would wonder if the PVC system connected to our SU air cleaner was capable creating less than atmospheric in the engine case. Still great thread here full of neat bits of info. For what it is worth I run a 190 degree nissan thermostat in my Z, with a 60/40 water/coolant ratio

As far as an N42 head with flat tops, my engine came home with 10.6:1 compression with N42 and flat tops, and I can tell you the most timing I can run is 30 degrees at max advance without fuel additives. (NOS brand is a viable option BTW). I would like to dial in more advance, but I start to get pinging in 3rd and 4th if I load the engine up at low rpm. My problem is very narrow and usually I do not notice it. But one day I will probably pull the head off and get some work done to it, while I do that I will probably put on a 1.5mm head gasket and drop the compression to 10:1 and be happy with it.

You know the same thing sort of happened to me. I center bolt was not positioned right on my mount so I ordered another one. It happens, but also check you have the cross member and mount installed in the right direction. It makes a difference I think. I will have to dig up my old post. Since you got it back on with a used mount you probably have it installed correctly One more thing, I would not worry about the strength of the bolts. All those bolts really have to hold up is the weight pressing down which is not much at all, as almost life the tail shaft up with your hands with the engine bolted in to its mounts. The engine mounts take up most of the rotational torque as well, and all the transmission mount has to see is the little bit of flexure the engine mounts allow. I would drive without worry.

Okay, Any warm surface will cause water to evaporate faster than say just 70°F ambient air. But why 185. Natually 185 would cause water to evaporate faster than say 170, but why do you say 185 is the cut off point? plain Water will boil at 212, water with coolant even higher. Allowing the oil to reach 212 would guaranty your engine oil is free of water.

bravo Well bought man.. You did good. Now go out and drive that work of art. You will not stop smiling ever. Its been 6 years for me and I love my Z more and more every day

You guys are awesome By the time I get around to spending more money on the Z this will be an old and well understood mod. My Z's mallory is running so well, I will have a hard time pulling it. Any chance 123 makes this ignition for the 2000 roadster?

The guys at Z therapy are truly top notch. No kidding. You cannot go wrong there. SU's are fantastic carbs. They are very close to set it and forget it. When healthy they can keep a Z purring along for a great long time. Best of luck

won't drive, huge dent in hood, rear wheel wells need to be replaced.... NO way this is worth 8000 dollars. I always find it funny how many people rebuild engines and then 1000 miles later store the car for 20 years. Unless you want a HUGE project, avoid this car. If this car were 2500 I would say got or it, but 8000 dollars you can buy a running driving Z. At least I think you still can.

Installed my 60F8 jets this afternoon after work. Car did not like the mixture ratio. It felt rich, but when the idles screws were adjusted to get the best (read as fastest) idle, the car stumbled in every gear and still had bad popping through the exhaust. Then I installed the 55F9's. Wow, such a small change and what a difference. The car settled into a very smooth idle, I could not make it stumble with clumsy launches or wide open throttle openings or barely applying any gas and letting the clutch out too fast. The car just is just thrilled with this mixture. Now I will say this as well. And this is interesting! While I was putting my jets in, the FedEx truck came by. And dropped off my NOS OEM 68 datsun seat covers. They are just stunning. But with them I ordered 4 new oil filters and 8 new NGK BPR6ES plugs. So after I put in 55F9s in the car I went ahead and installed my new NGK plugs (gapped to .035"). The car had Autolites in it (PUKE!!!) But the way that baby climbs to 6000 rpm is just glorious. It is seamless. Makes me wonder if it was the autolites or the jets. Happy to report that the 2000 feels like a race car now.

Every time I see a Gnose, I start getting very evil thoughts.

That engine shot has my attention... what is that!!

I did email you... or so I thought.