Zed Head

I might have confused things by calling the shank of the bolt a "shoulder". A 10 mm shoulder bolt would have a distinct shoulder machined to 10 mm, I believe. The bolt in question is not a shoulder bolt.

Would that be to the top of the tube (no shock), the top of the shock (where the nut bottoms out, no insulator) or the top of the insulator (complete assembly)? With all of the numbers, one could mix and match on paper, and do math on cutting for adjustable spring heights. If you have the numbers... Thanks.

Sorry, your first post reads like it's still coming off. Not very clear what the problem is. How can you hear noise from the valve with the valve cover on? Are you spinning or running the engine with it off? OR are you hearing noise as you turn it over by hand with the cover off. You might just be hearing noise from the crankcase through the timing chain area as some cylinder pressure leaks past the rings. It's common to hear hissing noises if you're just turning the engine over by hand. They all do it.

The things that you're checking won't have anything to do with the lash pad coming off. Here's something that might cause your problem - a lack of lubrication. Make sure that you have oil coming from the holes in the camshaft or the spray bars. Maybe someone left the plug out of the end of the camshaft or blocked the oil passages in the cam towers, or you have a bent or clogged spray bar.

The Body chapter of the FSMs has some dimensions. They show 853 mm for the 1972 240Z and 836.4 mm for the 1976 280Z, between the centerlines of the tops of the towers. They also show the 240Z tower height as 640 mm, and the 280Z as 682 mm. 42 mm difference, ~ 1 5/8". I'm glad this came up because I've wondered about the strut height difference before. Now I have the body numbers but don't have the strut measurements. Some of the difference is taken up by the strut top insulators, 240Z being shorter than 280Z.

I have a few spares in the garage that I started collecting after I broke one. The shoulder on the bolt is 9 mm, and the hole it fits is 10 mm. Once you try to get the bolts in to holes you'll see that if it was a tight tolerance 10mm bolt in a 10 mm hole you'd probably never get it assembled. Even with the play you'll have to wiggle things around to get both bolts in. I think 9 mm shoulder in a 10 mm hole is the factory setup.

Darrel's right, they tend to become part of the insulator, and don't fall out when the strut's apart. You have to dig them out. But you said that "they're in", but the rear end still seems low. Do you mean that they arrived in the mail, but aren't installed? Not clear. The FSM you linked doesn't show a blow-up of the strut so you can't really tell. Here's an informative link - Datsun 240Z/260Z/280Z Rear Suspension (Strut, Shock Absorber & Transverse Link)

This part sounds like you did everything right and the u-joint is just too wide for the yoke. Maybe you got a + tolerance joint and - tolerance yoke. Nissan factory u-joints come with a set of clips of various thickness, and a procedure to use to get the right clearance for the cap. Maybe the old clip will give the right clearance or you could mix and match the new clips. I replaced all four of my half shaft u-joints once, drove the car, realized the new ones were looser than the old ones, and took them all back for a refund. They were Precision brand. Now I have a collection of old half-shafts with factory u-joints that I wlll use as replacements. I like old factory quality better than new auto parts store quality. By the way, some, maybe all, of the factory joints come with a small cap, slotted for a flat blade screwdriver, for the zerk fitting hole. The idea is to install the fitting, grease them, then remove the fitting and put the cap in the hole. There are also short zerk fittings available that won't bind. Edit - I think that I should have said + and + on the tolerances. Of course it all depends on what part is being measured. Fun.

I have a 76 Z, and I haven't even been able to get the two leads off so that I can short them. It seems to be the most difficult component to work on in my car. Can't see any windings, it's all covered, can't reach any mounting screws, can't reach the wires. Might be easier on a 240 without the relays and bracketry in the way.

Isn't the critical dimension across the u-joint itself, from the inner edges of the clip grooves? That's the machined dimension in the yoke that it has to fit. Add the clip widths, both, to get the machined yoke dimension. Cup/cap height can vary.

Did you re-use the valves? Sounds like one is sticking open, either bent or galled in the guide area.

In the FSM. Engine Mechanical chapter, I believe. XenonS30

My point was that the claims about saving fuel are crap. I've read the accounts about stopping hot spots and high performance applications. I think this a case where the company is trying to grow sales by adding BS to their sales pitch. Diminishing the reputation of the company and product in the process. Not uncommon in the business world. It's sad to see. Edit - and I think that propylene glycol antifreeze will probably do the same for less money. Just one of those situations where if you don't have patent protection, people can find ways to get the benefits of your work for cheap. Too bad for Evans Cooling.

Pretty sure it's propylene glycol. You can buy it as such in any auto parts store. Without water the heat transfer properties drop and it doesn't cool as effectively as the typical water blend. Leno's either a dummy or getting paid to BS people. Probably the latter. Leno's a shill. Here's some text from the Evans web page,which, to me, confirms it's a bunch of crap. Reciting theory over reality. They probably sell molecular modifiers for gasoline for better mileage also. That would be a pretty noisy, power-sucking fan that reduced mileage by 10%. "Increasing the Operating temperature means the fan does not have to run as much, increasing fuel economy by up to 10%" Home » Engine Cooling Systems

The OP is talking about fumes from the tail pipe getting in to the cabin, I believe. It's a big problem with the S30's, maybe not so much with the S130's. It is possible to find all of the various leaks in the back of the car and fix them to keep the fumes out. It take some work though. A big leak area, for my car anyway, seemed to be the vinyl covered access board that covers the bottom of the inside of the hatch. There are small weep holes in the hatch, plus the big holes covered with rubber plugs, that can let fumes in to the internal structure of the hatch, and then through the access cover on the inside to the cabin. I took extra care to seal that with weatherstripping, and also to make sure the hatch itself seals tightly to the body. Other things to look at are the foam seals around the tail-light assembly, the access hole grommets for the various tubes and wires and any rusted out areas, like the bottom of the spare tire well. With the windows open or even just air passing over any holes on the sides of the car, the pressure inside the cabin gets lowered and the fumes that collect behind the car get pushed in through any tiny holes. I don't even smell fumes any more, unless I am stopped and get a whiff through the fresh air vents. The fumes while driving smell is gone. To Wade's point though, a cat with out an O2 sensor will probably not last long.

On the control arm bushings - take two thin scrapers or putty knives or similar, grease them up and use them to guide the bushing into place. If they're urethane, they'll compress. If you're using the metal/rubber originals, you might have a little more trouble and have to find thinner steel, but the concept might still work. On your T/C rods, it's much easier to install the T/C rods and bushings with the suspension compressed. You can actually get it all done with the car on the ground, just reaching your arm in from the front and side. The two bolts will drop in with a little wiggling and the car can be pushed around a little to get the rod nut and bushings on. With the wheel hanging it's almost impossible to get it done without torquing and compressing all kinds of things. I did it once that way before I learned.

The closer you get the IR gun the tighter the spot measured will be. Many have a diagram of the beam spread in the instructions or on the tool itself. If you're too far away you'll get an average of the hot exhaust and cool intake and other parts.

I don't know...it's got a half dash cover.

I do have a spare set in the garage for a 280Z. But ~$40 is what the local wrecking yards (PnP around here) charge. I'll bet if you kept an ad on a few CL sites you'd get some offers. People parting out cars looking for an easy sale. Good luck.

Exhaust manifold info would be good. Square port N42, round port N47. I think that the exhaust manifolds used in the ZX cars are different from those used in the Z's also, and they also have a round port for the P79 head and a square port for the P90(A). The bolt patterns are the same but the ZX manifold is shorter from top to exhaust pipe flange (can't use the ZX manifold on my Z with a stock Z exhaust pipe). I just measured them the other day, but one was on an engine. The ZX manifolds also have an O2 sensor port. And the N47 head came in the middle of 77, I believe, July maybe. And the F54/P79 came in late 80. I could be wrong on the N47, pretty sure I'm right on the F54/P79. Also my 76 N42 exhaust manifold has an EGR port. I think that the CA models might have had EGR. The Service Bulletin says they all do, but it's not right. The picture has it right though. The xenons30 site has the 1976 Service Bulletin and various Owners Manuals. Looks like a cool resource when it's done, thanks for putting it out here. p.s. The valve seats should be silicon, not silicone. Tiny detail. And, I don't know the fine details, but in the 1976 TSB page 8, it says that the intake valve seat material was changed to something more durable but they don't say what. Maybe the change happened in late 76. I think that TSB's come out after the model is introduced. Groovy~ Edit - Just saw CO's post. I thnk that the N47 head with the CHTS port is actually the (in)famous Maxima N47 head. Used on the Maxima L24E. Smaller combustion chamber and valves.

B stands for Battery. The thick white wire with the red stripe goes there. E stands for Earth, also known as ground. The black wire goes there. The T plug plugs in to the same hole as the other alternator, the one with S and L beside it. The thing that looks like a small can, the condenser or capacitor, looks correct in your first picture. That should be it. If you were having over-voltage problems it may be that the original issue was with your external voltage regulator. You'll find out when you get the alternator installed.

Maybe you can go halvsies with someone that needs the bushings. $14.39 each. I posted something similar on a different thread - put the price you're wiling to pay for just the washers in your thread. Obviously it's less than $28 for 4. The problem now is that anybody with spares now knows how difficult they are to find separately so may want to hold on to them.

Napaonline has the whole kit for $11.99 per side. $23.98 plus shipping. (Edit - NAPA's poor web site says that they charge a flat $7.95 for shipping - $31.93 to your door. Under $35!). One of the Seattle NAPA stores has it for $14.39, "at the warehouse". $28.78 total. Looks like the deal. NAPA AUTO PARTS

Engineering specs. are usually set after extensive factory testing and include a safety margin. Tightening up the lash will reduce the safety margin. So it really comes down to how important a quiet engine is to you. You might be able to safely quiet things down with some insulation on the valve cover, or on the bottom of the hood. Or you could get a preheater for your engine block and never run it cold. Just saying that using valve lash to make things quieter could be risky. A thicker oil might get you there with no risk. You would think that you could shave a few thousandths off of the spec. and be okay but it's possible also that the valves will heat up faster than the rest of the parts during warm-up and you'll burn/warp a valve before the engine gets hot and loosens up the lash. So you might be okay cold, and okay hot, but too tight in-between. Just a possibility. By the way, I will not be baring with you or any other classiczcar members (that I know of at this point in time).

I've always thought that if people will just say what they will pay instead of looking for a good deal that they would get many more offers. Who wants to haggle over something they didn't intend to sell anyway? How much is being offered?