dclamm

Thanks Bruce, My first "fix" if it happens again will be to blow the line back through the tank to clear the inlet. If it continues, new tank I guess... or carry a can of fuel I can alternatively run to the pump... BTW, those carbs are wonderfull, no problems there!

Was on vacation and hadn't started the Z for 3 weeks (ran great before vacation). Got home, it started right up, then died after about 30 seconds. Float bowls were dry. Pulled the line off a carb, no fuel coming out when cranked. Pulled the inlet line off the fuel pump (mechanical, no electric pump) and cranked, no pumping action (no suction on the thumb that I could tell). Blew back through the filter and heard fuel go through to the tank. Figured the pump was bad (cheapo from Autozone about 4 months old). Ordered a new pump. Today took the old pump off, and it worked by moving the lever once it was off (good suction on the thumb). Hmm. Put it back on, everything is fine. Took a long drive:) Need to pull the valve cover and look, but is it possible the lever slipped off the cam? Maybe the cheapo pump has some side to side play in the lever? From what I remember of the width of the cam, not likely. And why would it do that after sitting 3 weeks? Also thought maybe the line at the tank got clogged (new POR tank liner 4 months ago) and I blew it out, but again, why after sitting for 3 weeks? Any ideas? It's fine right now (and I have a spare pump on the way), but don't want to be far from home and have this happen... Dave

I did ball joints recently (early '71 240) and had mis-matched knuckles, in that the hole for the ball joint was a different size L to R. I've never seen one with a different twist like you have. I bought a used steering knuckle from AZ Z car source so I could use the same 14mm ball joints. To me it looks like the L (driver's) side is more "twisted" than mine or ones I've seen photos of in other posts. So I'd guess you need the Left side. BTW, measure the ball joint hole, (should be 11mm or 14m) and the length and make sure the replacement is the same or it won't work with your ball joints ('72s should have the 14mm but someone could have changed them at one time as I suspect happened to mine). Lot's of other posts on ball joint/knuckle sizes and lengths (some early cars had shorter knuckle arms too). Dave

"Everybody Wants To Rule the World" ...Tears for Fears. "Reelin' In the Years" ... Steely Dan

I've been pretty lucky, no major nightmares, even with MGs, Triumphs, Fiats and Jeeps. Worst was a '73 240Z, my fault for buying it when it was raining, didn't look real good underneath. Body looked good, but after I bought it, found the frame was rusted and had been in an accident. It had a spring leaf welded between the the frame rails at the T/C mounts. It dogtracked bad and would switch lanes when hitting a bump in the road. Flattops vapor locked and it wouldn't start after hot. I've never bought another car when it's raining.

Your profile says you have a 260. Can't help on pic 1 as it's different than my 240. Oldhemi is correct on pic 2, crankcase vent, hose should go to PCV valve on intake man. Pic 3, there is a short reducer hose that goes between 4 and 5, the tube around the back feeds coolant to the carbs/intake. #3 and 6 are where the heater hoses attach, go through the grommets 1 and 2 and attach to the heater core/valve under the dash. I'm about to replace those hoses and just got them from motorsport auto. Best shot I could find of the heater hoses attached. Dave

quote: "The master I got had the front-brake reservoir in the front, as did my car" Timhypo, I believe early 240's (70-mid 71) had the front reservoir (larger one) towards the front of the car. But my understanding, that changed by '72, the front reservoir was towards the rear of the car. The early MCs are much more rare (and much more pricey to buy).

I went through this on my recently purchased Z that sat for a long time. I dropped the tank and tried to drain the gunk, after a week upside down and spraying with various things it was obvious it wasn't all coming out. Paid $100 to have it cleaned at the radiator shop and lined with POR15 tank liner. I spent many hours trying to get the gunk out of the hard fuel lines. At first the line was completly clogged but I kept spraying carb cleaner from the engine side and blowing it through and it eventually came out clear. What a mess! It was in the carbs too, so I got a set of ZT carbs cause the stuff had stuck everything up. Good luck, hope you're not in as bad as shape I was. Dave

Thanks for the comments. I'm going to stick with the 13 PSI cap for now and keep an eye on it (not a daily driver, still sorting things out so not going too far from home, plus the old lumpy tires limit me to 50MPH, new ones on order). Put some miles on it today and no leaks at all and no overflow, temp normal. Once I'm confident enough to venture out in it will likely get a new radiator. Dave

Got my '71 Z radiator back from the rad shop today (had a blown tube that was sealed off and two others leaking that were repaired). It's been re-cored at least once as it's a 3 row core. The radiator guy (good old guy in the business for awhile) recommended going to a 7 PSI cap (vs the 13 psi I run) to relieve some stress on the old cooling system. Said it wouldn't affect the running temp much but would increase the longevity of the various components/gaskets (including his repair I presume). Opinions on this? I know it would lower the boiling point, but would that just cause more overflow when stopped? (I don't have an overflow tank on it). Would it cause any other problems? My engine is stock, no mods, don't drive it hard. I took the A/C condensor out so has good flow, 180 thermo. Wondering if this is a legit suggestion and if anyone else has tried it good/bad. Dave

My 9/70 production had one 11m and one 14mm ball joint/steering knuckle combo. Old ball joints looked exactly the same but for the stud size (guess one side could have been changed out to a different size at one time, or they were mismatched from factory). I bought a used 14mm knuckle and went with the Moog ball joints (after trying another brand that would not fit), Moog's were perfect fit.

Ordered two ball joints from Black Dragon a few weeks ago and they would not fit (brand name was not on the box or on the part). A few days ago I ordered the Moog parts (PN K9011) from O'Rielly online (no shipping or sales tax). Have not received them yet so can't say if they fit but hoping for the best based on this thread. Would have got them locally to check fit before purchase but no one had them or could get them quickly. After I ordered from O'Rielly I found the same Moog PN on Rockauto for around $20 cheaper including the shipping, oh well. By the way, before ordering I measured the stud diameter to be sure (9/70 prod I thought should have the later 14mm ones) and the left side was 14mm as expected. Figured the right side was the same.. WRONG. Right side had a 11mm (early style) balljoint and steering knuckle. So I ordered a used steering knuckle from Az Z Car Source. This front end job is taking lot's of twists and turns! Dave

Also helps to get #1 piston at TDC so the crankshaft is not in the way at the front of the pan. At least on my 240, I could get the pan out without lifting the engine off the mounts, but takes some wiggling around. Not sure on a 280.

Before you put the new sender in the tank, did you hook it up to the two wires that go to the guage/ground and test it manually? Did the guage indicate full when the float/arm is held all the way up? Can't see how installing it in the tank could change it unless the fuel is not holding the float/arm up as high as when you manually test it out of the tank.

Hi Gary, The hand throttle would have attached to the accelerator pedal rod under the dash. Early cars had the firewall bracket and attaching point from the factory (mine does). There are a few hand throttle units "out there" and in cars. My understanding is the very early cars came with it but dealers were told to remove it before sale (safety reasons?). Some got through. Not sure what it would take to rig a choke cable to do this function but would like to know. I thought I heard of a "blanking plate" for the slot in the console, but could have imagined it.. Dave