trout_hound

Thanks for the help, guys. I'm fairly positive its fuel related. The gas is good, but I'll have to look at the lines. I haven't messed with carbs since I rebuilt the Webers in my old '69 911T long ago, but I think I can handle it, especially if I pull the trigger on a Z-Therapy rebuild kit (which includes the video). I'd at least like to really enjoy driving this baby for while as I may have to sell it this summer if my job situation doesn't improve.

Did you install the new needles? Did that help? I may go that route.

Alright, so my 72 stock 240 is painted, mostly restored, and ready to roll. The engine was recently tuned up and the valves adjusted, and the SU carbs apparently synched by the mechanic I used (who I trust, as I've known him for years). The coil was replaced, as that was causing the car to hiccup heavily once it got warm. It doesnt do that anymore, but for whatever reason, it revs great up to about 4,000 rpm then it just seems to bog out. No high rpm torque at all. My nephew who has owned some z's and is a pretty good mechanic drove it and suggested that the carb floats are the problem, and that the carbs arent getting enough gas. Its true that when you hit that spot when it starts to flatten out, if you wait a few seconds for what may be the bowls filling, then it has a bit more punch. Do you guys think I'm on the right track? I would hate to spend all that time tearing the carbs apart if thats not the issue. Thanks. DT

Those suckers are up to $17 a side now in the JC Whitney.. inflation sucks.

My whole life I've pretty much owned just Nissans, Toyotas, or Subaru's, Mitsubishi's, or Porsche's, and they have all been reliable vehicles. But when I got married, my new bride had a 80-something Renault Alliance, old person owned with low miles. It was the biggest POS ever, gutless as hell, with an idle that was demon possessed. When the water pump failed and my wife kept driving it until it seized up, I was actually happy. The day I started making some calls to see how much it would cost to have it hauled off to a junkyard, we got a letter in the mail from the manufacturer with a check for $250 bucks inside begging us to take it off the road to have it destroyed, and they would cover the towing. Apparently the heating system was prone to blowing out flames and scorching people's legs. We were only too happy to oblige. DT

She runs better, although it seems like there is still something lacking at high RPM's. It just doesn't seem to have the torque I'm used to. Maybe I was just spoiled by my last Z that had a hot cam and Webers...

I was having a problem with my 72 Z hesitating and backfiring when warm, and no top end HP. I did a complete tune up, valves, points, plugs, carbs, fuel filter, and still had the problem. I never would have thought of it, but one of my friends suggested the coil was bad, and sure enough, replacing the coil fixed the issue. I wish I would have thought of that first. DT

I'd drive down from Whitefish in my freshly painted 240, but I have to do some major tune up work (valves/carbs) to get it road worthy first... DT

I'm going to pick my '72 Lime up today after a fresh coat of original color paint and whole lot of rust and bondo removal. My pocket books is lighter, but my car is shiny and rust free. At least I'll get a couple of weeks of sunshine to drive it.... I'll post some pics up soon. DT

Thanks for the pics. That looks like a great solution if it was just the pump, but I need the whole setup, tank, hoses, everything. I could maybe salvage the old reservior and just buy some little hoses and a new pump, but its old and yellow and crusty looking and doesnt have a cap. I'm just researching options at this point, but saw some pretty cheap units that looked like they would work on ebay. I'm sure anything that looks close to the OEM will probably work. I haven't actually driven the car enough yet to get much of a dirty windshield, as its in the process of a full body restoration since June, cutting out the bondo and rust and all the fun that comes with that. What started as a couple of little rust bubbles turned out to be a major cluster-f, and having to order steel rocker elbows for each side behind the door to weld in. That's the way it goes, I guess. Hopefully it will get painted this week, if my parts ever show up. DT

My windshield washer unit got melted in a carb fire years back, and I need to replace it, as well as the hoses, pump, etc. I bought a used one off of someone on this site a while back, but it turned out to be a POS - broken pump, no cap, etc. So this time I'm thinking of either a Japanese afternmarket or OEM type of unit. Ebay has a couple of options, including a Denso unit and others supposedly compatible with multiple vintage Japanese cars. Since mine isn't in the car, I can't compare, and am open to advice from you experts that may have replaced this thing before. Thanks. DT

As a follow up, I bought the Black Dragon door seals and installed them. They went on easy, they look pretty good (although different than the original), and the doors shut fine, and the exhaust smell I was experiencing with the windows rolled up is gone. So hallelujah to that. Next step is to the shop for some rocker panel rust removal...

An old roommate of mine was best friends with the Moose Drool brewers and we used to hang out back in the day. Actually, I've become quite partial to Missoula's Kettlehouse Brewery beers - especially the Cold Smoke Scotch Ale in the 16 oz can. I do enjoy a Guinness, especially when in Ireland, but I have to say that my favorite beers are either made by the Deschutes Brewery in Oregon (Obsidian Stout, Black Butte Porter, etc), or by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (specifically, their Bigfoot Ale - over 9%). I don't really drink American lagers (better known as wizz beers), although Sam Adams Boston Lager is ok. DT

A few new children's books recently rejected by publishers: 1. You Are Different and That's Bad 2. The Boy Who Died From Eating All His Vegetables 3. Dad's New Wife Robert 4. Fun Four-letter Words to Know and Share 5. Chainsaw Crafts: An I-Can-Do-It Book 6. The Pre-Schooler's Guide to Hitchhiking 7. Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence 8. All Cats Go to Hell 9. The Little Sissy Who Snitched 10. How to Get Free Candy from Strangers and Other Cheap Eats 11. The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy 12. Smackdown! A How-to Guide on Becoming the Neighborhood Bully 13. Pop Goes The Hamster...And Other Great Microwave Games 14. Eggs, Toilet Paper, and Your School 15. Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things 16. Backyard Marshmallow Roasts: How to Make Easy Bonfires with Gasoline and Matches 17. 101 Do-it-yourself After-School Projects with Dad’s Power Tools 18. Lil' Playah! Kids Guide to Seducing Your Babysitter 19. Zoom! Zoom! Crash! The Little Boy Who Borrowed Daddy’s Z-car 20. Three Blind Mice, the Early Years: Boy with a Sharp Pin 21. Putting Your Allowance to Work – A Child’s Guide to Online Gambling 22. Hitler’s Book of Moral Virtues 23. Some Kittens Can Really Fly 24. Grandpa Chat: Little Girls Guide to Meeting Friendly Old Men on the Internet 25. Harry Potter’s Guide to Fun Spells and Hexes You Can Put on Your Parents 26. Frogger Dodger – Games Kids Can Play on the Local Freeway 27. Making Things Go Boom! The Anarchist Cookbook: Kids Edition 28. Illustrated Bible Stories - The Happy Men of Sodom and Gomorrah 29. Red Rider BB Gun’s Guide to Quick Draw Showdowns 30. Spicy Kool-Aide: How to Add Extra Kick to Your Punch With Juice From Dad's Liquor Cabinet 31. Whining, Kicking and Crying to Get Your Way 32. Things You Can Sell From Your Parent's Medicine Cabinet for Extra Cash 33. Flaming Bags of Poop: 101 Neat Games to Play With Your Neighbors 34. Weaving Tiny Baskets From Dog and Cat Whiskers 35. He Touched Me! Seven Ways to Make Mean Neighbors Go Away Forever 36: Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny: Why Your Parents Deceive You 37. Hindenburg! Making Hydrogen Blimps Out of Household Chemicals and Balloons 38. Increasing Your Allowance Using Proven Mafia Extortion Techniques 39: Stick Together! The Giant Book of Fun School Super Glue Pranks 40. It Really Was Your Fault: The Children’s Guide to Surviving Divorce

I just shot some WD-40 type stuff in there. Didn't help though. Sounds like I'm going to have to pry all the panels off and dig around to get it to open. Pain in the arse! I finally got to drive the car to work for the first time ever today though, despite its flaws...

Thanks. Obviously I've tried it both ways, and it still doesn't work. But at least now I can focus on trying to get it to open when its actually unlocked! DT

http://montana.craigslist.org/cto/1107044090.html I would be really embarrassed to be seen driving this Z unless I took a saws-all to that wing... DT

The rear hatch button on my 72 240z suddenly doesn't work, and I can't get the latch to open. I shot it full of grease, and will continue to keep working it, but I now can't remember whether the keyhole is vertical or horizontal when unlocked. Can someone take a peek at their Z and help me out? Thanks! DT