Randalla

Thanks Bonzi Lon. I wonder if anyone has ever flowed these different intakes and if there's enough difference to matter for anyone doing a performance build. For those of you with Rebello motors, which intake did they use on your motor's build???

Going through my parts stash this afternoon I noticed I have intake manifolds with four different casting numbers, E46, E88, N33, and N36. Seems like I've also seen one in the past with an N37 casting number. This raised a few questions: Are there other casting numbers out there for 240 and 260 carbureted Z cars? Which casting numbers went with which years? Are there any differences between them in terms of flow characteristics? Seems like I've seen some discussion on here in the past with regard to the last question but I can find it with the search function. I'd be interested in answers to all three questions. Thanks guys.

Steve, do you mean the connector for the water temperature sensor that screws into the thermostat housing?

Thanks for the reply Chuck. Took the Z for a ride last night and the temp gauge began working briefly and reading properly, before dropping back to zero. Another piece of information I just recalled is last Fall while driving up to Williams the temp gauge went to zero then read properly again two or three different times on the trip. The fuel gauge which has always read about 3/4 after a fill up, all of a sudden, after filling up, read completely full. That only happened once but I thought it was curious. Do you think a bad ground could cause both of those conditions?

Recently I lost the fuel and temperature readings on my 1972 240Z simultaneously and am wondering if there is a connection. I know on Roadsters there is a step-down voltage regulator that controls both functions, but I'm not sure if there is any relationship between the two on an early Z. Checked the connections at the fuel tank and the temperature sensor and they seem secure. Is there a single fuse somewhere that controls both? Thoughts?

This is my second Z32, and I had never heard that before dutchcarguy. Very interesting trivia the turbo having four unique wheels, CRAZY!!! Thank you for the education. Certainly don't ever want to get on the wrong side of the BaT trolls😄.

Will ring them tomorrow. Thanks for the referral.

Considering going to either 245/55/16 or 245/60/16 to fill the wheel well up a bit but would like to see what they'd look like and know if there would be any rubbing lock to lock.

Thanks for the kinds words guys. "Diseazd" is that your Z32? Tire size? I realize that Classic Z may not be the best place to solicit input on Z32 models but thought I'd try.

Just picked up a 91 300ZX 2+2 in desperate need of new tires. Currently has stock wheel and tire size (225/50/16) which looks pretty wimpy to my eye. I want to fill up the wheel wells more. For the time being I'll stick with the stock 16" wheels, though I'm not really a fan of the look. For those of you that have upsized tires on stock wheels I'm wondering what size you've got and if you have any clearance issues. Thanks!

Thank you Steve for that explanation. Appreciate your feedback and I will be checking this out today and reporting back. It is a 240Z and I'm running a Pertronix pointless ignition.

I believe I have a bad ignition switch. Before I replace it I want to be sure I don't have another issue. The starter is energized and turns with the key, but the car does not start or even pop. I've ruled out any mechanical issues. I'm not measuring any voltage at the coil when power is switched on with ignition. Can anyone confirm a Z ignition switch can energize the starter, but not the coil?

I'm alive and well. Still planning to produce some more Float-Syncs but have been distracted by other Datsun stuff. Hoping to have some by the end of the year, but no promises.

Interesting how much misinformation still gets circulated on Scarab Engineering, its cars and its founders (Brian Morrow and Keith Bergey). 4 years ago I wrote the definitive book on the company after visiting with both founders and speaking with them extensively. My book, "Resurrecting the Legend - The Real Datsun Scarab Story," can be found for sale on eBay.

I don't currently have any units left for sale but am considering producing more if there seems to be sufficient interest.

We've made incremental improvements, but it still doesn't seem quite right, though I'd say it's maybe 50% better. Turns out the strut inserts were the correct ones for his car after all, and after seeing both versions in the flesh I don't really see any way they could be assembled incorrectly, as dimensionally they are quite different. Any improvements made can be attributed to three things I think. I added a small amount of gear oil in the strut tube before inserting the KYB inserts to neutralize any harmonics that could have been created. I also replaced the spacer between the spring perch and insulator, though it was only a small amount compressed/deformed. Tires on his car were set at 35 lbs., so I deflated them temporarily to 25 lbs. as an experiment. I did climb in the hatch with my stethoscope to see if I could isolate where the noise was coming from when driving over the road reflectors. Unfortunately that did not yield any new information. This is a moving target but we do seem to be moving in the right direction.

The struts were recently replaced by someone else to try to solve the problem, but from the pictures posted on Rock Auto showing both early and late strut cartridges, it appears that person used the later inserts. When I take the strut apart next time I'll be able to verify if he has the correct KYB part number. If not I'll swap them. If he does have the correct part number I'll have to keep searching for the problem.

Correct struts are ordered. I'll report back here on progress and results in a couple of weeks. Thanks everyone for the thoughtful replies.

Thank you Jeff. Will definitely check that during disassembly/reassembly with the new cartridges. The current condition is that the gland nut holds the cartridge tight with a couple of threads still showing.

Thank you Captain Obvious for this. You're confirming where my head is currently at. Re: your inquiry, why I don't know the part number on the insert, I reassembled the strut and installed it back in the car before I had all the information I tracked down subsequently. Looks like I'm moving toward replacing both cartridges with the correct ones for an early 260Z, and hoping I have the correct insulators. I only wish I had a duplicate set of early and late 260 components so I could inspect and mic everything, side by side. Anyone out there have a 260 parts stash that's willing to take on that challenge?🤪

Thanks guys, appreciate all the thoughts. A couple of more pieces of information. I didn't mention it in the first post that we checked the spare tire well and down inside the rear quarters thinking maybe something had fallen in and was bouncing around. The bushings, with the exception of the rubber diff mount, were all urethane but were replaced by someone else trying to track down the issue previous to my work. The new urethane bushings didn't make any difference. The sway bar links are tight and the bar is oriented properly. I did find one loose exhaust hanger, but tightening it didn't make any difference. I like the idea of a test ride in the hatch to listen closer to the area I believe the sound is resonating from. I will be trying that. U-joints are good and half shafts are tightly bolted. Gas tank is firmly secured. I've done a lot of work on S-30 chassis cars (probably well over 50) but never encountered this issue before. Thinking at this point someone may have installed the wrong KYB part number, but I'm not sure yet exactly how they differ and what the effect would be of installing the wrong part. To your comments relative to the low amplitude of the bump, that's what make this so strange to me. Going over a big dip where the suspension is fully loaded and unloaded does not produce the banging. I'll soldier on, but am obviously open to other thoughts. Again, thanks for your responses thus far. I'll keep this thread current as I get more information. Thanks for the offer of taking pictures Steve J but everything under the car looks fine. The car has always been in CA or AZ so very little chance of any repair or rust.

I'm working on a customer's 260Z (1974 narrow bumper/earlier VIN). The car was brought to me after it was worked on by 2-3 other shops who couldn't solve the problem, finally throwing in the towel and giving up. I'm determined to solve this issue for my customer. When the car is driven over a tar strip or road reflector there's a very loud, disturbing banging noise. The sound is definately in the rear, and happens whether it's the left or right tire that rolls over the bump. The car has a pair of recently installed KYB strut inserts and all new bushings through out the suspension, but the problem is no better than before being installed. Car also has a brand new rubber differential mount. When I received the car my first step was a visual inspection, followed by tightening every nut and bolt in the rear end to assure nothing was missing or loose. The banging was still present. At that point I thought the strut insulator may have come apart causing metal to metal contact when the suspension was loaded and unloaded. I pulled one of the rear struts out and disassembled it to look for damage or perhaps a missing part or incorrect assembly. Nothing was readily apparent (see pictures). After contacting KYB, I learned they had two distinct part numbers for strut replacements on a 260Z, one for early cars and one for late cars. Each one is dimensionally different, 12mm vs. 20mm, from the bottom of the threaded portion to the point where the shaft flares. Apparently the correct part number for this car is 361001 (the 20mm version), but I don't know if that is what's on the car or not. I also noticed while I had the strut apart that there is quite a gap (1/4”) between the shaft of the insert and the hole in the spring perch that it passes through. I thought there might be movement/contact when the suspension was loaded and unloaded that could cause the banging. There were also no washers around the strut cartridge anywhere, which I seem to remember on other Z cars I've worked on. At this point, all this is just conjecture, but I'm hoping someone with a similar issue could shead some light on the mystery and suggest other potential causes.

I own, and use, both a soda blaster and a larger version of the ultrasonic cleaner pictured above (both inexpensive Harbor Freight products), on Z aluminum castings (carb bodies and fuel pumps). Both work well, but one thing I learned is there are two versions of Simple Green, one green and one purple (both available at Home Depot). The green one will etch/dull the castings, with soda blasting the best way to counteract the effects. The purple Simple Green product says right on the container it will not etch aluminum, and I've found it works quite well when diluted 5 parts water to 1 part Simple Green/Purple.

Currently have an AFM gauge wired in, sitting atop my steering column shroud, with the sensor installed in the correct position in my downpipe. It's not super precise, but did give me a way to dial in the needle profile I'm currently running (TF). Will also give me a basis to compare the SUs I'm currently running and the triples.

Frankly, I was surprised at the torque number as well. The first pull was a little lower, at 218.2lbs, but still pretty stout given my engine specs. Patcon, agree the triples look great and they sound awesome sucking in all the extra air. May have to try them and see where I'm at. The switchover doesn't take that long unless I scrub the linkage and substitute a throttle cable.