Gary in NJ

I played with the carbs tonight. I got the idle down to 650-700 rpm. I leaned out the mixture but need to get them richer again. I have "wide-tab" three screw SU's, so I have the pesky locking tab on the fuel screws. That tab just makes it impossible to move the fuel screws smoothly. So they're coming off. I should have it all sorted out tomorrow evening. I really love working on these SU's.

That looks like it'd be LOUD. Please tell me that it is

It does look that way, doesn't it. How maddening to track down a problem only to find a manufacturing defect.

By the way rv6aflyer, I too built an RV-6. Nice to see others from Van's Airforce here.

Welcome to the forums. Carbs have more personality - you'll have a Zenn ownership experience if you get a car with carbs Good luck finding the right Z. That can be half the fun.

I believe this is what you're looking for... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-Datsun-Front-Spoiler-240Z-260Z-280Z-Fairlady-Z-wing-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem19bbf571b5QQitemZ110527607221QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

The seats in my car are in decent shape, and I'd like to keep them that way. So I'm considering putting covers on them. On my last 240Z I had black sheep-skin covers, they were comfortable and didn't look too bad. For this Z I'm considering these: http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/WSC/50-3816 Does anyone use them or have feedback? I'm thinking the blue insert would look good on my car.

Yeah, with firing after TDC the spark plugs are firing with the piston on the down stroke after maximum pressure. I wouldn't expect combustion. I think you have the distributor off by a tooth or two.

If the engine is at TDC, the timing mark should be at zero. You'r3 about 20-30 degrees ATDC. If you rotate the timing mark to TDC/zero, you will see that your distributor is no longer pointing at the #1 cylinder (It will be between 1 & 5). You'll need to loosen the distributor and rotate it so it is aligned with the #1 position.

I have the FSM but it looks like I interpreted the data incorrectly. The FSM says 17 degrees without emissions equipment and 5 degrees with the equipment installed. Since the air pump has been removed I assumed that the 17 degree figure applied. Thanks for pointing that out. Regarding the 24 degrees of total advance, do you happen to know the rpm that the distributor reaches full advance?

I'd say you did well for $300, er...$800 (so far)

I'll know later in the week when I get my light on there (this Z is new to me). I know the value is 17 degrees BTDC with the vacuum advance disconnected. I haven't found a high-speed figure. I'd like to know the maximum advance and at what RPM that advance happens. My timing light has a feature to check the high-speed setting.

Chris, When I lift the piston in the dome, the engine stumbles and recovers. I believe that is an indication of correct mixture.

Yeah, I'm gonna have another go at setup. I'm 95% in the ballpark right now. I'm going to do a full tune-up (plugs, wires, points, timing) onthe engine, and then dial-in the carbs. I think I can go leaner on the nozzle mixture adjustment. I left the nozzle adjustment locking tab in place while making my fine mixture adjustments. The problem is, I think the mixture nut wanted to be where the locking tab and the elongated part of the nut come together. Do most people remove those tabs? If I leave them off will the mixture nuts move over time?

Arne, I'm going to be replacing my front seal this weekend. From what I can see, the procedure is: 1 - Remove Fan 2 - Remove Alt Belt 3 - Remove Idler/Pully with pully tool 4 - Remove old seal & replace 5 - Reassemble Is there more to this then what I have outlined above? Did you pack the seal in grease when you installed it? Any tribal knowledge that you can pass-on would be appreciated.

Appropriate music for a 70's Z (in my opinion, which is all that matter to me): Genesis, Pink Floyd, Yes, The Who, Led Zepplin, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Eagles, Neil Young, Peter Frampton, and Styx.

Another Z in NJ. Good to hear. Post some pictures when you get a chance.

Guitar, bass, piano. I'm damn-near a good singer too I played in bands up until recently. Got tired of lugging gear at 2AM and getting to bed at 3AM. Edit to add instruments: Acoustics: Gibson, Martin, Ibenez Electric: Tele & Tele HH (Strat neck) Bass: Fender Jazz Deluxe Piano: Samick Baby Grand 165

I'm with Bart on this. Can you smell clutch (smells like brakes) when it slips? If it is a simple adjustment, do it now before it becomes a clutch/pressure plate problem. The FSM is your friend on this one.

Don't worry about over filling it. Any excess will run down the shaft and be consumed during combustion. If you look in the top of the bell housing and down the shaft you will see the top of the piston shaft. If not, move the piston with your finger, you will see the top of the piston shaft move up the bell housing shaft. You only need to fill it to the top of the piston shaft. Back in the day I used 30wt. I now use ATF - only because I had a quart that I had no other use for. Anything in a 10 to 30w range will work. Just make sure both cylinders are filled with the same fluid at the same height. This way they will move/react the same.

I purchased and watched the ZT DVD Friday evening. That DVD is very informative and thorough. I felt very confident disassembling my carbs and getting them up to spec. The float bowls were very dirty and the floats tabs had the floats sitting at the very top of the cover (no wonder this car was barely running). I had them completely cleaned, adjusted and running in about two hours. I followed the sync instructions which is the same procedure as I used 25 years ago. I also got the same result that I got 25 years ago; I found that the engine runs smoothest at an idle rpm of 1,000. I started with the mixture knobs set at 2-1/2 turns out and the high-speed balance screw on the RH carb out (not touching the tab). I had the similar screw on the LH carb out as well (I believe this is the idle recovery screw for the emissions system). I started the engine and proceeded to adjust the Throttle Adjustment screws to get them in sync. From there I adjust the mixture knobs to get maximum rpm (still set at about 2-1/2 turns). When all was said and done, I was at 1,000 rpm. I know I should adjust the Throttle Adjustment screws (turn-in) to achieve 750 rpm but it idles much smoother at 1,000 then 750. Should I readjust the mixture knobs (again) once I turn-in the Throttle Adjustment screws?

Nice looking car. New member-to-new-member, welcome to the forums. I've found this site great to relearn everything I forgot, and I've learned a lot of new information too.

Right, so what attributes do non-R plugs have that make them desirable for our old engines? Are they less resistant to fouling? Will they save the planet

I ordered the tune-up kit from MSA for my car. I expected (assumed?) to receive BPR6ES spark plugs with the kit, but got BP6ES plugs. Now I understand that the BP6ES are what are called for in the FSM, but I also like simple pleasures like static-free radio reception and clear cell phone communication. I know all of the benefits of using resistor plugs. Are there disadvantages? Why in this modern age of electronics would I WANT to use a non-resistor plug in my car.

No ideas, but some thoughts. If there isn't enough advance, I wouldn't expect the engine to sputter, I'd expect it to fall flat on it's face. Can you accelerate through the sputter, or is 4,500 rpm the ceiling? Make sure that the sputter isn't really detonation. Detonation is different then pinging. Detonation is usually the result of too much advance and it is destructive.