motorman7

Wow, when is the last time that engine has been running? Your smog pump is missing, but not needed for the car to run. Most of the caps are OK, my only concern would be the vacuum and parts that dampen the carb linkage return. You can get a Petronix electronic ignition set-up for that pretty cheap, and it's easy to install. New plug wires would be good of course as well as new plugs. Read the theads on engine start-up after long periods of non-operation. Good luck! Rich

Congrats on getting the car up and rolling again. It's been enjoyable reading about your travels. Rich

Hi Matt, Just did a check on my two Z's here. Both are equipped with stock springs (both nearly 40 years old). The Silver Z has the Illumina's with 205/60/16 tires. The Gold Z has stock shocks (1 year old) and 185/70/14 tires. I measured at the same location you did for both cars. On the Gold, the height is 5 5/8". On the Silver the height is 6 1/4". The difference in height is definitely a result of the difference in tire size. Not sure if the shocks impact the height at all. Regarding the car bottoming out, I would say it is definitely the shocks. 25 years ago, I drove the Gold Z up to Idaho for my folks and it was the sweetest drive of my life. It was the perfect road trip. I drove it back from Idaho last April and it was pure misery. The shocks were toast. It was like driving a boat. Add 50 mile an hour winds along the Columbia River and you have a recipe for disaster. The car bottomed out numerous times on the 1200 mile trip. Due to the shocks being so bad we did not take the car much above 60 mph. Once back in San Diego, I installed the new shocks and it was like a new car. The ride is soft compared to the Illumina's, but definitely a great improvement in the handling and no bottoming out at all; even with two people. Attached are some pics of the ride height for both cars. Rich

I have a pair that are like those on e-bay for my 3/70 Z

I personally prefer a thin film of silicon on the gasket, both sides. Too much and I dont think you get even pressure on the gasket when torquing. No RTV and the inconsistencies of the metal (warp, pits) may lead to small leaks.

Thanks for the history! What a beginning it was. Five months later they produced this beauty. Rich

ST Springs with 2" spacer

That is sad to hear. I get pretty attached to my cars so I sort of know how you feel. Spring would probably be a better a time. Hopefully by then the economy will pick up a bit more. Best Regards, Rich

OOPs!...didn't catch that. As Emily Latella would say..."Nevermind"

Looking forward to seeing your car again! Trying to decide whether to go Panasports or Hubcaps here. Rich

I need to do this on my '70 one of these days. Look forward to seeing the rest of the project. Rich

Boy I have a lot to say on this issue. One other factor that must be considered is the tires and rims that accompany the spring shock set-up. These also play an important factor in the ride and handling of the car. Another factor is personal preference, of course. I think my son and I are at opposite ends of the spectrum. He wants a car that rides on rails around the race track, and I want a car that I can drive everyday without getting beat up. Over the last month I have done one tire set change out, and 4 spring configuration changes (yes, that equates to 16 spring swap outs. I am pretty good at it now). All this was done in the effort to produce a decent ride for my daily driver, a 1971 240Z with an L26, 5 speed and LSD. I was looking for something that was both comfortable and yet sporty. The initial configuration was the Tokico Illumina adjustable struts, Tokico 5020 Springs,195/50 Yokohama H4’s(AA traction Rating) on Konig 14” rewinds, 1” diameter Anti-sway bars front and rear, and front and rear shock tower support bars. In this configuration, the handling of the car was incredible. I could rip around corners way faster than I thought possible and the tires would not chirp or make a sound. The car remained flat and had no problem doing more than double the posted speed limits around turns. The ride was like that of a go kart, very stiff. The negative of this set-up is that I spent most of my time trying to dodge potholes and maneuver around speed bumps during everyday driving. On speed bumps, I would get the occasional scrapping. Bumpy roads were brutal . On some speed bumps, I would bottom out, so had to be very careful in parking lots. So, the car was great down the backroads, but not practical as a daily driver. The first change, and very significant, was the tire/rim change. I replaced the 14” Konig Rewind set-up with 16” Panasports and 205/60 Yokahama YK520’s (A traction Rating). This was a big improvement as I no longer had to dodge the speed bumps. They also softened the ride up a bit. In spirited driving, however, I could here the tires groan a bit and also felt a bit of mush that I did not feel with the earlier set-up. I also liked the final 5th gear drive ratio for freeway driving. With the ~15% Diameter increase I now am doing about 2800 RPM and 80 MPH (Typical CA freeway speed). This is pretty nice for gas mileage I am thinking. The Konig set-up was doing 70 at 2800 RPM. In spite of the improvements, I still wanted a softer ride. So, I decided to take off the Tokico springs and put on some Suspension Techniques (ST) Sport Springs. While putting on the ST springs, I was a little spooked by the loose fit of the springs on the fully expanded strut on the fronts. So, I ended up running the ST rear springs in the front (They fit better) and keeping the Tokico springs in the rear. This was not much different than the four Tokico’s and offered no improvement. After getting some reassurance on the ST spring fit, I installed all 4 on the car. The front of the car sat about the same height as the Tokico’s but the rears sat way low, about 2” lower. The top half of the tire was hidden in the wheel well (wrong springs?). This definitely would not do, so I put in a two inch spacer to get the rear height correct. With this configuration, the ride was a bit softer than the Tokico’s, but not much. Still not what I wanted. Found myself still dodging potholes and large bumps. Finally, I opted for the stock springs in this set-up. This is what I want! Soft enough to drive every day, but solid enough to take a spirited drive down the long windy roads. It is a very nice compromise. In addition, I can now use the adjustability of the Illumina’s. On all the previous set-ups, I had them on the softest setting (1) . Now I can dial them in. I currently have the fronts set at 3 and rears on 2. So, just thought I’d share my thoughts on this for anyone interested.

I couldn't find a braided Nissan part but did find some braided ~3/4" tube that looks pretty close. I got the hose from Les at Classic Datsun in Vista, CA. Looks like this. Rich

"A man's got to know his limitations" - Clint Eastwood in "..." "Strange things are afoot at the circle K" - Bill S. Preston in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" "Nobody likes to be gets blowed out" - Magic Johnson after bad Laker play-off loss

Got the springs changed out. Removed the Tokico 5020's and replaced with Suspension Tecniques Springs. The front end looks good, but the back end sags. Will have to do something about that. May just look for a set of stock rear springs. For a daily driver, I want something a bit softer. Still have the Illumina adjustable gas shocks and 1 inch sway bars front and rear, so it handles OK. The front springs were loose when installed (car on jacks) so I added some ty-wraps so they would seat correctly when I lowered the jack. Was able to replace springs front and back without disconnecting the brake lines which was nice. The rears were a bit more snug, but no need for a spring compressor. I figure it takes about 45 minutes per wheel to do the change out.

Thank you...that is perfect. Will need to improve my search capabilities. Rich

I obviously used the search function as a dug up a 2002 thread. Still no response

I am installing some 'sport' Suspension Techniques springs on my 71Z and I am running into this same issue, the front springs have about 1 inch of free play when the car is raised and wheels are dangling. Is this right? I am replacing the original racing (stiff as a steel bar) Tokico springs which had a snug fit in the strut. The rear springs are longer and fit snug in the strut. Any thoughts on this?

Is the annual ZCON the only event where the rules are used??

Congrats on getting the car going! Just keep an eye on the temp guage going over the mountains. I love the west coast...been living here for a long time. Best Regards, Rich

Love the Pics!...Keep posting them. Nice to see the progress. Rich

Yes, they bolt into the head. If you use some steel bolts that you have in your shop/garage for lifting, make sure you have good thread engagement; at minimum 8 threads. Also, keep lifting hooks as close to the head as possible to minimize torque on the bolt.

Wow, that looks awesome! I will try and post some pics of my 920 undercarriage and wheel wells this Friday. It is all original and the build is 3/70. All still in very good condition. It is as Carl described in the earlier post.

It seems to be doing well, but I haven't really taken it on a long drive. I have only driven a couple times around the neighborhood. There seems to be a small bit of discolor near the manifold fittings, but just barely. I will take it for a couple longer drives (two shows coming up) in the next few weeks and will have a better idea. I will have a full report after the JCCS show

Wow, that is very eye-opening...disappointing actually. So the sticker I put on my re-cored radiator, 3/70 build, should read '0 C' not '0 L'.:disappoin . Will have to see what I can do to fix that. Thanks for the insight