tanny

Thanks for the replies. I'll check the Portland people out. Maybe call them and see if they're up to the task. Tucson, where I live, doesn't have much available. Vic.

Is there a vendor who can rebuild a 1973 240z Tachometer. Not someone who just substitutes a junkyard unit, but actually can go through the circuit board and the mechanical and repair. I vaguely remember there used to be some guy, I think from around the San Diego area(maybe not), that said he repaired all Z gages. Anyway, any suggestions are welcome. Victor.

I've often wondered if parking my cars well away from other cars(at the extreme outer limits of a parking lot) might actually invite morons to do damage because it probably makes my cars more noticeable. Haven't had anyone key my Z yet, but I did have a shopping cart put a $400 dent in my one month old 2006 Civic(I parked at the bottom of a slanted parking lot, allowing the shopping cart to gain enough speed to do the damage. Live and learn). About the only consolation after getting your car keyed is knowing that the freak who did it is stewing in his own resentment of people owning something nice. Not much, but something. Victor.

Addition to my previous message: ps The tiger sounds must be from putting ESSO gasoline in your tank. "Put a tiger in your tank". That may date me a bit.

Thanks for all the guesses. The sound definitely is not present when the car is stationary. If it were something hanging up on the brakes, you would think it would change tone or even stop when I apply the brakes. The sound really does sound like it's comming from the front wheel well. No mods have been done to the car(other than the bushings, and I did use the included grease when I installed them), so I don't think the noise is being caused any change in suspension or aerodynamics, unless maybe some rust has sneaked in and caused a whistling hole somewhere. I've been eating mild foods lately and I don't have any grand kids yet to pull my finger, so "ill wind" is not likely. All U joints were replaced about 3000 miles ago, so that seems unlikely. I think I will have to give in and maybe check and readjust the right front wheel bearing and check those calipers at the same time just in case. The exhaust or vacuum leak is a possibility, but the sound sure seems like it is a rotational type sound. The spinning the rear wheel idea might at least eliminate the U joint possibility, even though they are new. I do need to have someone tell me if they can hear the sound from outide the car and maybe they can confirm if it is coming from the right front. I never saw or heard a whistling spark plug(except a Model T compression whistle), but I did wire one of those whistling smoke bombs to the spark plug on my sister's 64 vette. Even after 43 years I have to laugh remembering that shocked expression as her new vette was going up in smoke(or so she thought). So cruel, heh, heh, heh. Thanks again for the help. Victor.

My 1973 Z has developed a high pitched bird like chirping that speeds up and slows down with the vehicle's speed. It sounds like it is coming from the front, passenger side area. The sound is not influenced by engine RPM(when engine is gunned in neutral while driving at speed or sitting stationary). Applying the brakes(either the brake pedal or the emergency brake) does not change the sound. Driving in a tight circle in either direction has no effect on the sound. The pads and shoes have plenty of meat left. Closing or opening the air vents has no effect on the sound. The heater fan has no effect on the sound. Opening or closing the windows while moving has no effect. Two years ago I installed a complete urethane bushing kit and replaced all wheel bearings. This noise didn't start until about 9 months ago. Has anyone had any similar experience with animal sounds emanating from their Z? Any suggestions other than filling the tank with bird seed? Victor.

I hooked my triple webers directly from the mechanical fuel pump(which is supplied by the original electric pump on my 73). Originally I installed the pressure regulator between the mechanical pump and the carbs, but then I tried eliminating the regulator and hooked into the original fuel return line, and didn't have any problems supplying enough fuel to the carbs(although I don't have a cam, so possibly if I had a high performance cam I might have needed more pressure than the gas return line alone would allow). I also insulated all the fuel lines around the engine compartment and fabricated a large heat shield. Definitely no vaporization problems. Victor. ps I was able to jet the webers enough to make them serviceable, but never could get them to run lean enough. Just too much carb for my un-modified low performance engine. Switched back to stock(actually roundtops) carbs with no performance loss.

57 and contemplating selling the Z to pay my $450/month individual health insurance premiums. That may keep me alive for another year. Love the US healthcare system:tapemouth

If there is not enough weight on the tongue, you will lose steering control. Really critical to have enough weight on the tongue so that there is never any lift on the rear of the car. My mother rolled a brand new Chrysler Imperial(with myself and a friend as passengers) on an LA freeway because the trailer we were towing had been loaded so that there was almost no weight on the tongue, and she lost all steering control as we headed downhill and started to brake. With the Z being so light weight, it wouldn't take too much to create an unsafe steering problem. That, and the flimsy mounting possibilities wouldn't exactly make me feel very safe towing a trailer. I guess I'm just a bit paranoid after getting upside down on the freeway. Good luck though. Victor.:nervous:

That's what I tell all the women.:laugh:

Anyone know of a good Z mechanic in Tucson AZ capable of working on SUs to try and pass emissions? Thanks, Victor.

2006 Civic sedan, automatic. Fairly ugly generic car, but I actually get a hair over 40 mpg consistently(no fudging) on freeway driving with the AC on. Didn't really expect that good of mileage. Kinda rough and noisy ride(not nearly as plush a ride as my 1992 F150 had). Was able to fit 25 ten foot lengths of 3/4 inch pvc pipe and a few 8' studs inside the car with the trunk closed, so it is more useful than I anticipated. Has lots of goodies in it but it amazes me that it has no glove compartment light. How primitive! May be getting a 1974 Mazda PU in the near future. Victor.

Darrel, I moved to Tucson a couple months ago due to divorce, health, and both kids are in college now, so I headed for warmer parts. Don't know anyone here but am actually enjoying being by myself and pursuing my own projects for once. Finishing things on the Z that I had put off for quite awhile. Thanks for the info, Victor.

I'll do what I can with the roundtops. Maybe I can find a mechanic here in Tucson who is familiar with getting cars to pass the smog test. At least find someone with an exhaust analyzer and see if we can mess with the carbs and timing and get it to pass. What a pain. Thanks, Victor.

That was a shocker. He helped me quite a bit with my Z over the years and I am really grateful. Good luck man. Victor.

Speaking of smog...... My 73 240z triple Webers were running rich so I was pretty certain my car would not pass the AZ smog test. Failed miserably. Unfortunately AZ only exempts pre 1966(or 1967?) so I obviously had to do some major carb work. I am putting 1972 SUs on, but I have absolutely no smog equipment on the car(the way I bought it, and the po didn't save any smog equipment). Is it possible at all that the car could pass with just the stock carbs, or will it be necessary to try and find all of the smog equipment and put it back to totally stock? The engine is rebuilt and runs well otherwise. These smog guys weren't even interested in carbs or any other mods, so I don't think having the roundtops from a 72 in my 73 will matter. They were only interesed in what came out of the pipe. Also unfortunate is that I will have to get the test every year. Although I don't want to, I have been thinking of registering the car in CA or the west slope of CO(30 year exemption) if it becoms too problematic to get it passed in AZ. Any suggestions on where to find all of the smog equipment? I know that my 73 came with the boat anchor carbs and more extensive smog setup than the 72, but I would sure like to have it pass with the round tops. If I end up having to put all the smog stuff back on, is there a good diagram or article that would help me with the 72 smog reconstruction? Thanks, Victor.

Thanks for the heads up. Victor

I have a 1973 240z that had triple Webers on it, and I am replacing these with stock 3 screw SUs. The rod that goes from the firewall to the carbs is too short and it looks like the rod that I need would have to be somewhere near 12 inches long. I'm not sure what modifications the previous owner made to the linkage, but shouldn't a stock 1972 linkage rod be the right size? Or was the 1973 linkage setup on the firewall different than the 1972? In other words, do I need to just fabricate(weld in an extension) what I need from my present rod, or will the stock linkage rod from a 1972 be the right length? If the stock rod will work, does anyone have a spare one? Thanks, Victor.

The Z is not a particularly safe car, especially in a side impact crash. It is very low and light, two major factors that decrease crash survivability. The safety of a Z doesn't even come close to the most recent cars. I hear a lot of "whistling past the graveyard" delusions on these threads. If you really are worried, I would recommend getting an Excursion or a Hummer. I agree with a previous thread that being alive isn't safe, so you have to decide how much you really want to worry about a future crash. Drive with as much awareness as you can muster, forget how flimsy the metal is around you, and just enjoy the ride. Glad you survived. Victor.

Thanks for the advice everybody. I was wondering whether the clamp weighed enough to cause any significant balance problem. Don't really want to experiment and have to take the axles apart again. Didn't realize that the C-clips would be that difficult to get out. I'll have to think about whether I really want to replace the boots. The old boots are in great shape, was just going to replace them because I have the axles out. Thought it would be a good idea to regrease them also. Is there a way to grease them without taking the the axles apart, or would that be pointless? Thanks, Victor.

I purchased some rear axle boots and they come with clamps for which I have no tool. What can I use as a clamp: hose clamp? Thanks, Victor.

Thanks for the pic help.

Looks like I didn't install the pics correctly. May need help on this.

When I bought my 1973 240z, the PO said the differential came out of a 510. It is a 3.90. Not sure if he was positive though. Does ayone recognize the mystery diff? It is slightly lighter weight than the stock diff. The pics with two diffs have the stock(so he told me) diff on the left and the mystery diff on the right. The individual pic is the mystery diff. Thanks, Victor.

Yeah I'll definitely borrow a pin puller if the pin doesn't come out easily. I did buy new pins and bolts. Thanks people. Victor.