Mikes Z car

Captain Obvious, Thanks for the offer for the damper stalk, turns out they are different though I got lucky and found a round top carb damper locally I didn't know at first was available. I was able to put the brass cylinder end of the bad damper in a drill chuck (took a few tries, the chuck just barely could grab the end of the damper stalk) and managed to spin it to check for bends, none found. I installed the new damper stalk today and now both damper stalks pull up smoothly with the same force as I gather they are supposed to. Nice feeling to see that after chasing this around with everyone's help. The car runs great now though I also synchronized the carbs, adjusted the mixture nuts under the carbs using the pull up opposite piston procedure and set the idle speed with help from the forums here all of which no doubt helped. Mike

That link wanted me to install software. Your post reminds me of when I first turned the key to start my 71 240 I had back in the 70s after putting new rings/ bearings in it. I also replaced the timing chain. I was afraid of monstrous backfires or other anomalies but all it did was run very slow because the timing was retarded due either to the timing chain replacement or how I put the distributor in.

I had a 73 240Z for a few years that had been kept in a garage and covered. The car cover that it came with looked like solid vinyl with a different soft material on the underside and apparently did not breathe. The cover worked okay while the car was garaged but when I used it outside not knowing about breathability it fogged the paint on the hood. (anyone have that car?- it was in Northern Calif)

bhermes, In looking at the pictures of your tank, your float appears to be turned 90 degrees to the way mine was laying on the bottom of my tank assuming your two pictures showing the float are upside down as I am perceiving them to be. Your tank looks different than mine so maybe your sending unit is supposed to look that way. Anyone know if some Z car tank floats rest an end on the bottom of the tank as bhermes' gas tank pictures in post #44 seems to be showing?

On my sending unit I checked the continuity between the two posts with an old analog multimeter on the resistance range with a needle instead of a digital display. That way as I slowly swung the tank sender through its range I could more easily see if the resistance smoothly varied between extremes of resistance (I measured 11 (full) to 80 (empty) ohms, others have measured closer to 8 on full). If the meter needle went to infinity frequently indicating an open circuit then I knew the connection between either the coil and the wiper arm or between the wiper arm and the post it connects to was not as good as it should be. I did the resistance checks using alligator clips to keep everything connected. My unit needed help, so after I sanded the coil of the sending unit (and soldered a wire from the wiper arm to the post it connects to) I tested it in the car by connecting it with alligator clips to the wires it normally connects to and then swung the float slowly through extremes of motion remembering my pertronix (back then) so as not to leave the key on too long for testing. Here is another post on adding a wire: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35258&p=318623&viewfull=1#post318623

INST3D, That drawing is really looking good. Mike

I couldn't get the filler tube off the tank of my 1970 car this summer either, eventually it fell off with my wrestling with the tank in violation of murphy's law. Learning from retrospect I wonder if I had heated the part of the filler tube that is on the tank with a hair dryer or heat gun would have helped? I noticed when I heated my filler hose with a heat gun at the top where the gas goes in so I could push it through that area that it went from rock hard (probably was the original filler hose) to extremely pliable. I did get carried away and managed to push a hole in it with a screwdriver but the hose was being replaced anyway.

GongZ, Here is a snapshot of the eBay listing for the acrylic watch dome to make this thread longer lasting. Great idea on using a router! Nice graphic showing the process of making a map. Mike

Koalia, Would you post a few more pictures of your 5 spd shift knob as in your post #30 but straight on to the knob instead of at a slight angle? The distance from the shift knob in post #30 I think is good to make an artwork that might have shadows though a straight on picture should make the "shadows" show up balanced. Thanks, Mike

mgood, I don't know if this is worth mentioning. I saw a green 4 spd shift pattern, just the pattern itself no knob, in a box of shift knobs/parts last weekend at : Datsun Z Doctor 504 E 43rd St Ste A, Boise, ID 83714 phone 208-376-8727 Can't vouch entirely for the condition as I was looking for a B&W 5 spd pattern and wasn't paying that much attention. I don't imagine it will sell soon. Make him an offer and see if he will sell it? He has worked on my car a few times. Mike

Thanks EScanlon for posting the pictures. I can see the relief in the plastic making the drop shadows. Hmm.. Wonder if a mold could be made from one. The 5 SPD map is so rare I gather that one wouldn't want to risk destroying a map trying to copy it though.

I wonder if you could make a template with poster board by making holes that are just big enough to pass a bolt through the 4 existing seat mount holes and then make a couple more further forward or back on the floor (if there is enough left) that would mark where they are now?

Captain Obvious, I am not sure I am using the correct terminology but if you look at the black and white shift knob picture in Koalia's post (post #30 in this thread) there are slightly darker "shadows" that outline the numbers and other markings on that shift knob if I am seeing them correctly. Some fonts come that way though I could not find anything on the net that looked remotely correct for Koalia's shift knob. Wish I knew more about resolution but I think to get those shadows on the shift map artwork I posted a higher resolution is needed, anyone know more about this? Mike

Oiluj, You are welcome for the post. If you can figure out how to put those drop shadows on a shift pattern I will stand up and salute you smartly! Mike Here is what it looks like on a shift knob that I got yesterday that needs sanding and re-varnishing:

I finally noticed the 5 SPD Euro knob appears to have a drop shadow around the numbers and everything else. The black and white pattern attached here will print to the correct size. To adjust the size of either change the pixels per inch.

I was buying wipers at an auto parts store last weekend and the salesman followed me out to the car when I mentioned the 240Z I was buying them for was out in the parking lot.

Captain Obvious, That is perfect. I also am worried I am taking too much bandwidth. Mike

Captain Obvious, Wow, thanks for the nice closeup! Can you give me the measurement of from the outside edge of the ring to the outside of the ring on the opposite side of the ring, at its outside edge as well? (I sure can be a pest huh!) If anyone has tips on making a picture into a printable graphic I would appreciate it. I understand Kinko's will print on plastic, maybe the colors come out better if they do the printing. Mike

Some would say this goes too far but I say balderdash! If you look closely you can see a stock Z car shift knob in the gentleman's right hand.

hls30.com, Sorry I wasn't trying to be confusing I didn't realize there were so many different shift knobs for a Z! Thanks much for the pictures. Koalia, Thanks for the picture. That is the shift knob I would like to put in my car unless there is a 5 spd wood shift knob that was ever put in a 240Z in the U.S. Mike

hls30.com, Thank you for the great clarification. The 71 240Z I sold 27 years ago had a light color wood shift knob with a 4 spd pattern. I would like to put a similar wood shift knob in the 240Z I have now except it has a 5 speed and the 5 speed knobs are naugahyde/leather. Do you know Where can I see a picture of a knob with the 5 spd concentric circle pattern that was also available? Captain Obvious, I would enjoy seeing a closeup of the shift pattern you have, straight on if possible to minimize perspective distortion in case I have any luck making a drawing out of it. Do they change color with age so they were originally all red and have now a mottled two tones of red with a bright red and a duller red?

I got to playing with the eBay picture of the 5 speed shift pattern and drew a pattern on top of the picture after compensating for the eBay picture angle and distortion by using sketchup and paintbush app, a lengthy procedure for me. The result is the attached printable 5 speed shift pattern. I set the pixels per inch at 559 to make the whole picture print 1 inch wide so it should print close to the correct size but if not adjust the pixels per inch. With a Mac the preview app will do this by clicking on the tools tab, then adjust size, then set the pixels per inch to a larger number to make the printed pattern smaller. I feel sure this is easy with Windows though I am ignorant of how to do that. If someone gives me the exact inches or mm size of the shift pattern from a real shift knob by measuring from the middle of the circle on one side to the middle of it on the other I will repost with the correct pixels per inch. I did have trouble finding an exact match for the font Datsun used so if someone knows what would be more accurate let me know.

Hi all, I went to sync the carbs after a failed start and noticed both carbs were overflowing gas out of the bottom of the carb where the nozzle is. That got my attention as visions of an engine fire or a garage fire went through my mind. I have a cutoff circuit that cuts off the fuel pump if the engine stops and this may have prevented a fire. The PO had converted to an electric fuel pump with a pressure regulator. As both carbs were overflowing that seemed to point to something in common so I took the pressure regulator apart. For some reason the allen screw that aligns the pressure so that a knob indicated 3 PSI really is 3 PSI had no setscrew and could be turned easily with my fingernail. It had turned by itself over time and began allowing most of the fuel pump pressure to go through unimpeded to the carbs. I don't know if the setscrew fell out when I disassembled the regulator or if the factory forgot to put one in. I did replace the regulator with a new one for safety but took the old one and intentionally damaged the threads of the allen screw to keep it from easily turning and reassembled the old regulator aligning it to proper pressure by use of a fuel pressure gauge while blowing in the regulator inlet. I need more work like this I never could quite hit 3 PSI.

Looks great. Here are some more pictures. Corner of hatch:______Lower 1/3: Middle 2/3:__________ Top 3/3

Captain Obvious, I think I found the red herring as you described it. The damper with the melted cap has variable resistance in how hard it is to push the piston up when the damper is screwed on or slightly unscrewed. The piston is easier to push up as you move the damper from side to side with the damper unscrewed with your test but I also notice when it is properly screwed in I sometimes still get variance in the upward force needed to push the piston up. It is consistently easier to push the piston up on the carb with the damper with the melted cap than the other carb even when the melted damper is in its operating properly mood. I could try taking the valve apart and sanding it or spinning the valve seats together with an abrasive but I might be better off getting another one as I don't know how precision the valve seats have to be as they come together. Mike