abruzzi

Cool. Thanks for the info. I was guessing it would be ok, but wanted to make sure. Mine is a 1975 california, and is mostly intact. What is the federal vacum advance thing? It advances timing in higher gears? Geof

I have a 1975 280z with a four speed. When I bought it, the guy had a 5 speed as well that he gave me. It is an earlier wide ratio 5, but I'd still like to drop it in there to see if it's good. My brother, the pro mechanic, may pull it apart, just to see if the inside looks ok before we put it in. So, aside from the internals, is there other things I need to worry about? i.e.: - Do the 4 and 5 speeds use the same clutch and throw out? - same driveshaft and flange? - same tranny mount hardware? - I seem to have read a thread that suggests the shifter is a little long. Is that long on the top end, where I just cut an inch off the top, or is more finesse required? Is this a real incompatibility, or just a preference for a short throw shifter? - Anything else I forgot? I drive the car pretty regularly (it's my daily driver, when I'm not on my motorcycle), so I'd rather not get everything apart to find out I need part X, that is back order for 4 weeks. thanks the the info. Geof

D'oh! Now I feel stupid. For the life of me I didn't see that, and my brother (the professional mechanic) didn't see it at first. (in his defense, he tells me he hasn't seen a car with that design in a very long time.) Mea culpa. Geof

I bought a pair of rear struts for my 280z from the local autozone (Sachs) but they don't have the spring perches. I've not removed my old struts yet, but the perches look like part of the strut and not moveable. Am I missing something? Do the Tokico HP struts (HZ3012/HZ3013) come with the perches in place? If so, I'll return what I have to AutoZone, and order some of them. Thanks, Geof

My Z was running fine for a while, then developed a fueling issue. The idle is steady at 1000 rpms and mostly smooth with the occasional pop. When cold (or at least just started) it seems able to rev and pull itself through the driveway, but pretty quickly it loses the ability to rev, sputtering if you touch the throttle, even without a load. None of this affects the ability to idle. Per the manual, I'm going to check the fuel pressure on the rail to see if the pump or regulator are bad, but I won't have access to the tester for a couple of weeks. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so what are other likely causes? I was thinking airflow or throttle position (though TPS seems far fetched.) The car is a 1975 with a rebuilt 1977 engine. (so I'm told) Thanks Geof

thanks--just trying to get all the little problems sorted out. Geof

My '75 280 didn't have wiper arms when I picked it up, but got a set off ebay. Now I want to get some new blades, but I notice that there are 70-76 and 77-78 and I don't know the difference or which I have. Is there an easy way to figure this? I do see that unlike most newer vehicles these arms don't terminate in a flat or u-shaped blade. Instead there is a perpendicular hole at the end of the arm, and a post in middle of the blade slides and locks in that hole. Will the 70-76 blades work for me? thanks, Geof

Looking at my car and my brother's, it looks like you would remove the z seat rails, as well as the riser that the rails are on. I guess you would have to fab some new rails that run much closer to the floorboard. Most of that my brother would help on. I may jump on them, just because, but I haven't made up my mind yet. Geof

My brother has a 2004 WV GLI which has great recaro seats stock. I measured his seats, and amazingly they are within 1/2 inch in every dimension that matters. Brand new seat pairs have shown up on ebay for a pretty good price: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VW-2004-2005-Golf-Jetta-GLI-Recaro-seats-NEW-w-airbags_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem45e9bef9b8QQitemZ300274350520QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_500wt_942 Has anyone tried fitting these or similar recaro seats? (my brother tells me that some sport version of the Chevy Cobalt used the same seat.) Geof

While I partially agree, the US contends with issues that many other countries don't. We have 3.8 million square miles, while Finland has 130k square miles. Fuel taxes would greater proportionate effect on our economy than they would on Finland's because of the disproportionate distances required to move people, services, and merchandise. Geof

Recently bleeding my brakes, I discovered that the master on my Z (1975) has bleed valves on the MC, and if the reservoir has run dry, no amount of bleeding the wheels will give you pressure back if you don't first bleed the master. I haven't looked to see if it is the same for the clutch. Geof

I have a set of rear louvers pulled off my 280z. They seem to be aluminum, not plastic, and are currently painted orange. It's big so I expect boxing and shipping will probably be in the $30 range, assuming I can find an appropriate sized box. Yours for the asking, as I'm not a big fan of louvers.. Geof

But you repeat yourself... Geof

Don't know about the discs, but I just got a pair of rear wheel cylinders from a local Autozone for $40 each. That's a little better then $75 each. Geof

I actually know people that chose to live in Hatch. Though if you are into dirt bike riding, there is a lot out there. Geof

I got my Z three weeks ago (though I've coveted one since I was 12.) But the best barn find I got was in Hatch, NM. It was a 1958 VW Karmann Ghia Convertible--no rust, no dents. The first body style KG (1956-1958) was pretty rare to begin with, but 1958 was the first year for the convertible where they only made 1325 cars. It was complete, but needed everything redone. I had to evict a family of rats when I towed it home. Geof

My fuel pump is loud. It can be heard inside or outside, even over the engine at idle. My two questions are: 1. is this the normal volume for the FI fuel pump? Or is the sound an indicator that it is old and dying? 2. If it is normal, has anyone tried insulating or similar to reduce volume? Geof

Darn...I was going to offer to take that '75 off your hands. I'd love to have a spare to take apart and tinker with. Geof

heh. No problem. I can appreciate a lot of stuff I don't want on my car. That why we all have our own car to play with. Geof

I generally prefer the stock look. I don't mind some subtle departures from stock--rims, interior, but I'm not a fan of: - air-dams, I like the stock front valance - 17" or larger rims on the z - big rear tires - rear wings - louvers Under the hood, I don't care as long as it's still a datsun. Of course, my car has a lot of what I don't like (the crapshoot of the used market.) Geof

I live in Mesilla, right outside Las Cruces. Most of my motoring happens on two wheels, but I'm looking forward to taking this car on some of the mountain roads, like south of Cloudcroft, or Emory Pass near Hillsboro. Geof

Here is the rear part: http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/10-7114 Geof

When I first got my 280 the coolant temp sensor was bad, and made the car stumble and run very rich. Jumping between the contacts temporarily made it run correctly. Maybe that's what the PO was trying to do. Geof

heh. V8 too. But if the pics are correct, 3k is a pretty good price for a 1971 911. Geof

So my car (1975 280Z) is a California car, with presumably a CA ECU. It looks like the ECU may be flaky, so if I have to replace it, what are the +/- of going to the federal? 1. I live in a land of no inspection, so I'm not worried about that. 2. Are they plug and play interchangeable? 3. Is there any functional difference? 4. Would there be any maintenance benefits (i.e. not having to worry about CA only dodads)? Geof