FastWoman

Yeah, SALMON! That's exactly how I would describe the color of the plastic on my Standard Fj3 injectors I bought off of Ebay. I don't recall whether there are any other markings on mine. I see current pics in green, but mine are a very attractive salmon. Yum! FAIW, the aftermarket injectors did not appear to make my car run any richer (which would have helped solve my lean-running problem).

Sounds good. I'm in. Please let me know when you're selling the things. I presume your system has the option of using an O2 sensor for closed-loop operation???

Superlen, that's awsome! Dare I ask.... How much do you think you'll be asking for one?

Thanks for the suggestion, but that would be like an "antique"-looking AM/FM radio and CD player. It's just not the same. If I ever go to a MAP sensor system, I'll just do the big bypass tube.

I agree with Captain. I wouldn't use non-stainless and/or slotted clamps. Those hoses can come apart (not just come off) if poorly clamped. If you have a fuel leak, fuel will run over the hot exhaust manifold, and your car can go up in flames. I once had a fuel filter leak on my '66 Mustang, and yup, the engine caught fire. Fortunately the damage wasn't a fraction of what it could have been (especially considering the car was in my garage when this happened). Anyway, don't mess around with the wrong clamp. Get some of these: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-G3912/ ... in the correct sizes, of course. (I don't know whether this one is the right size.) They are extremely flexible and do not cut into the hose. These are the best clamps I've ever used.

It's a rather simple device, so I'd also test it and clean it up. In addition to the FSM tests, I'd use a mechanical (needle) type of multimeter to measure the resistance from one end of the potentiometer to the wiper contact, throughout the entire sweep of the potentiometer. You want to see the resistance move smoothly, with no stuttering or gapping in the needle movement. Things that I'd also check, if you haven't already: -- Stuck cold start valve. -- bad thermotime switch -- misadjusted or malfunctioning throttle position switch Also pull your plugs and see if they all read the same. You might have a problem that affects only some cylinders. FAIW, it's more common for these machines (particularly the '78's?) to run lean. A severe lean condition will give you carbon fouling of the plugs, owing to incomplete combustion, so it might look like a rich condition. Do you get backfiring through either the exhaust or the intake? If you have backfiring through the intake, you might have a severe lean condition. Backfiring through the exhaust would probably indicate a rich condition.

There aren't many MS Z's on this forum. I believe Pomorza (?) MegaSquirted his and is pleased with the results. I will probably do a MS install on mine someday and am very pleased that the DIY folks have a Z guy on staff. Although I have no input with regard to an existing system, I do have some input with regard to what I would like to have in a MS system. I would love a drop-in ECU replacement, leaving the clunky old hardware under my hood. This may sound strange, even insane, but I really enjoy old engines in their most original state. Otherwise I'd have some sort of 24 valve VVT inline 6 configuration -- like the Z3 I sold a while back. The open-loop, vane-type AFM systems from long ago are an important part of automotive evolution, and I'd like to preserve mine as a working example. I can imagine others might want a drop-in ECU replacement for another reason: Our analog ECUs seem to drift in their calibration. Most of the drifting ECU problems seem to with the '78 Z's for some reason, but perhaps those were just the most numerous. There seems to be a pattern that they get leaner and leaner over the decades, requiring the addition of resistance in the coolant temp sensor circuit to compensate. Although I modified my system thusly, this is a rather scary step for most Z owners. I can imagine that a drop-in ECU fix would be very appealing to a lot of people. As many of our AFMs have also been violated, I can envision a package that would include a drop-in ECU replacement and a recalibrated/refurbished AFM. I would think of this as the EFI version of a Z Therapy care package (a couple of nicely rebuilt SU carbs for a 240 or 260).

Yup, Chinese door locks, a Taiwanese cylinder in my original ignition lock assembly, and a NOS Nissan hatch lock. Strangely, the Chinese/Taiwanese stuff now seems to work more smoothly than the Nissan hatch lock. Go figure.

Here's something I've considered, but never tried, for a mucked up panel: Apply adhesive, and stretch real leather over it. :-)

Big, rectangular holes? Those are the tool box holes. There should be hinged lids on them, at least on most models. On the '77/'78 models, we just have vestigial holes, covered up by the stupid false floor. You could indeed mount a couple of 6x9 speakers in the compartments and have the whole thing completely reversable to stock -- as long as you remove the toolbox lids and cut up something else.

Siteunseen, I've never heard Morphine. I'll check them out. I'm a big Chick Corea junkie and have the Mad Hatter album loaded up, along with Jean Luc Ponti's Imaginary Voyage and Bela Fleck's UFO Tofu. Of course I also had to load up some Miles Davis (Kind Of Blue) for the inaugural drive. Mike, no pics yet, but I'll take some. When I was a college kid, I remember packing a 12" 8 ohm subwoofer into the driver-side rear quarter panel recess of my old '75 Z. It was mounted into a 3/4" plywood enclosure that was flush with the hatch opening. Beside it was a power amp with graphic equalizer. Then I had miniature 8 ohm box speakers hanging behind the seats at head level. Nobody was doing stereo systems like this in the early 80's. It sounded pretty good, but the components didn't hold up too well in the Texas sun. Then the subwoofer sounded awful when its suspension rotted. It wasn't designed for car audio.

I used carb cleaner and a toothbrush. There's a gummy glue that's used to seal the waffle side into the body, and the carb cleaner will slowly soften it. No problems from that, but be aware that it will happen.

Hi all, When something works out well for me, I like to share it with y'all. My stereo system recently went (somewhat) south. It wasn't a very good system, and it turns out the PO had miswired it, with the two-channel power amp driving two full-range speakers PLUS one subwoofer that was wired across the two. Strange. Anyway, that killed the little amp. My goal in re-doing the system was to achieve clean sound with respectable power, but not to create a system that would shatter windows in the neighborhood. My listening tastes are very eclectic -- classical, jazz, rock, more jazz, folk, even more jazz, and lastly... jazz. What I was retiring: -- The power amp (crippled) -- The huge subwoofer box in the back (a loose cannon and a space hog) -- The OEM 8-watt B-pillar speakers (1978 Z configuration) What I had to work with that was still good: -- a Sony casette head unit, still just fine -- a Sony CD player, still fine -- a pair of "OK" Pioneer 6" full-range speakers in the doors -- not coaxial, no whizzer cone, just plain full range speakers What I decided to add: -- a pair of Boston Mobile Audio (Boston Acoustic) SE45 4" coaxial speakers in the B-pillar cutouts (35WRMS/80 peak, 90-20k +/- 3dB, 92dB SPL 1W/1M) -- An Alpine MRP-F300 power amp (50WRMS x 4 channels when driving 4 ohm loads and 75WRMS x 4 when driving 2 ohm loads. I'm driving 4 ohms, but appreciate the stoutness of a 2 ohm amp.) -- An Infinity BassLink 10" subwoofer (Harman Kardon) The head unit has only two high-Z outputs (L and R). They feed both the L and R, front and back inputs to the power amp in parallel. I simply wired two RCA-type connectors at the ends of the L and R cables. The amp drives all four speakers in high-pass mode, with a 100 Hz rolloff. The amp then provides a pair of high-Z outputs for the subwoofer input, representing summated front and rear L and R channels. I of course use the same 100 Hz rolloff for the subwoofer. The subwoofer is mounted between the driver-side shock tower and the driver seat. It's a tiny bit space-hoggish, but not nearly as much as the prior subwoofer box. It's also much lighter. The feet of the subwoofer are bolted with big fender washers to the false hatch floor of the '78, but it could also be bolted to the deck above the driver-side tool box. I did my research on this subwoofer, and reviews are all good. I also looked into more compact subwoofers, which I considered putting under one (or both?) seats and/or in the floor area behind the seats. However, from what I've read, those have problems with inadequate power and/or early failure. The Infinity units, in contrast, seem to keep thumping away. A big selling point for me was the prominent heat sink fins. Heat is the enemy, after all. The result? This has got to be the best sounding car stereo I've ever had, without so much as the assistance of a graphic equalizer, and I remember two of my prior Z installations sounding rather mediocre. It's cleaner and fuller than the 7-speaker Harman Kardon premium factory system I had in my BMW Z3, which I thought was pretty good (albeit lacking a bit in the deepest bass). The best aspect of this system is that the sound is so well balanced, with great clarity. Despite the full-range Pioneers (the weakest part of the system), the frequency response seems to be rather flat from bottom to top (SPL meter measurements not yet done). I don't hear any dead spots or strange resonances. Kudos to the amp. I've always been a fan of Alpine amps. They're a bit hissy sometimes, and they don't boast the greatest THD specs, but I find their specs honest and their sound subjectively cleaner than so many of their competitors'. The fact that these amps can drive 2 ohm speakers says a lot. If I had time to doodle with this system, I'd be really curious to see how much harmonic distortion they really produce, as I now have an O-scope that will do the analysis. However, I fully realize the greatest source of harmonic distortion is wimpy speakers, and the second greatest source is anemic power. No worries on the power end. Kudos also to the new 4" Boston Acoustic speakers! They really seem to pull the high frequency load all by themselves. Perhaps there is a bit of high frequency rolloff due to the Pioneers, but this rolloff is quite gentle and easy to equalize out. And BTW, yes, the high frequency response seems to get through the factory configured interior paneling holes just fine, somewhat to my surprise. I'll only add a note that the speakers aren't a perfect match for the factory cutout. Although they mount up flawlessly with the factory captured nuts, They leave a gap of maybe 1/8" to 3/16" all the way around. I filled that gap with a bead of black 5200 polyurethane caulk. The only weakness of this system would be that the 20 Hz low end specification of the subwoofer would be rather "optimistic." But what do you expect out of a 10" subwoofer in a small box, anyway? In all fairness, the unit does as good a job as the subwoofer I have on my home theater system, which has about 3x the cavity size. I have to say I'm impressed with this little box! Anyway, there you have it. It's a moderately priced system, but a very nice performer. I highly recommend any of the components I installed either individually or in combination. I make this recommendation as a lifelong electronics and audio geek, audiophile, and former acoustic researcher. Could the system be better? Well, yes, of course. You could go crazy with your wallet and install something nicer that would gobble up all sorts of space. You could also design a much more highly powered system that could pound pedestrians in the chest as you drive by (if that's what you're into). However, considering its compactness and affordability, I think it offers a lot of bang for the buck. There's plenty of clean power for those who don't want power just for the sake of power. (And 400W total power is plenty, anyway!)

Ah, gee! That's horrible! Glad you're OK. My condolences.

Wow, old thread! I have to agree with Enrique's take, so many years ago. What makes it a classic is that people love it, and it brings back fond memories. I've had so many conversations with people that start out like this... "Wow, is that a Datsun Z? What year is it?" [answer] "Wow, I used to have one of those..." [insert personal story] I remember fueling up at a gas station in West Virginia. Someone pulled up in a beat-to-hell Pinto. His wife sat in the passenger seat while he went in to buy beer or cigarettes or something. I stared in disbelief at a running, operating, still-in-use Pinto. I commented to the wife that it actually made me happy to see the old car on the road. She said, "Yeah, we get that reaction a lot." Thus, I would categorize Ford's exploding econobox as an American classic, for better or worse.

FAIW, I bought my '75 Z when it was 8 years used, and I'm pretty sure I got the original key. It was like the one siteunseen pictured, IIRC. It was definitely not the round style pictured in the manual. I now have "Great More" keys. At the time I was re-doing my locks, I looked for an OEM style key blank and couldn't find it. However, I, too, would have paid a small price to have the original. I'm often particular about the parts of the car I touch.

That's true, siteunseen! If I recall correctly, my engine ran about the same after I tore apart my intake, checked/serviced all the parts, and carefully reassembled with the new injectors. The biggest difference was a mild/moderate leak in the intake manifold that was sucking up exhaust from an adjacent exhaust leak in the exhaust manifold. My engine didn't run completely straight until I corrected the fuel/air mixture, but that seemed to be a problem with injector pulse width and had to be corrected through the ECU. My GUESS would be that the FJ3 injectors were approximately the same as stock, but it's so hard to tell for certain, as I had a lot of plates in the air at the same time.

Yes, FJ3 sounds right. The ebay seller says they're "Standard Ignition," but I recall the name of the manufacturer might be slightly different -- Standard SomethingElseSimilar. Mine have painted black (almost a very dark olive green) bodies with beige plastic tops and connectors. Mine didn't have a square hole at the tip (you mean where the fuel comes out??). It was just a small, round hole, about the size of the pintle.

I've been running a set in my car for about 1.5 years, and they've done fine.

Sorry for being a stranger... Grant, yes, I used silicone dielectric grease. I'm just used to calling it "vacuum grease," from my laboratory days. As far as I can tell, it's the same stuff. Tomo, I'm remembering the detent the same way as Willoughby, but it's been a long time.

Personally, if I had to go through the work of replacing all the hoses, I'd throw another $150 at the project and buy a new set of Standard Ignition injectors off of Ebay. Old injectors can leak too.

I live in a pretty small community, and my Z is my daily driver, so I think my viewing public has reached saturation. They've seen it, stared at it, and commented about it if they were going to comment at all. It got quite a few looks in the beginning, but now not so much. Where I do still get comments/questions/long looks is: -- Car dealerships. Car people LOVE to talk about my Z! -- Sometimes at gas stations. -- Sometimes at red lights, someone will be hanging out a window, giving me a thumbs-up. Rarely, though. -- Restaurant parking lots. People hanging around outside smoking (cough, cough) love to strike up conversations and will recount the good times of their youth. It seems a surprising number of people have connections to the S-30. On a rare occasion I had to be towed, the tow truck driver told me he destroyed a Z engine at 160 mph. "Great car!" he said. I think my car would get more attention if it were red or Hulk-green. Silver is a pretty nondescript color.

FAIW, if the tach redlines, it probably also means the ECU is dumping lots of fuel through the injectors. (Both are triggered off the same signal.) I suppose the engine could die from being flooded.

Monkey see, monkey do... http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/gmhei.html It's a funky diagram, but clear enough. My module was about $11. I mounted it on the fender where the distributor pickup coil connects. I'm betting on a bad connection or short, though. The fact that it happens when you're rolling to a stop is very suspicious.

knarfabot, if you try jiggling/wiggling/picking, you are more likely to have success with a small spritz of WD-40 in the key cylinder. I remember driving around a Cadillac we bought cheap from a donation lot. The glove box was locked. We had all sorts of theories as to what might lie inside -- cash, drugs, a gun or knife. I finally pried the thing open, and it was empty. To my surprise, I actually didn't bust the latch (although I don't recommend it in your case!!), and I was able to wire a paperclip to the latch for opening it thereafter.