260 z

I didn't open the throttles when I ran my test. My compression was 145-150 psi after three revolutions of the motor. I think I will re-run the test to see how much it changes.

I have a early 1974 260 and here are the dimensions I took. Hold down hole for battery retainer is 9 1/4 " above battery tray. Center of main electrical hole is 4 3/4 " above the rail and 3 3/4" from the inside of the rail. These were taken with the grommet in place so they may be off a little

Thanks Mayitin !!!

Do the fresh air ducts for a 240 fit an early 74 260????

I am refreshing my 260z and do not know what to do about my bumpers. The side filler for the front and back are damaged but the center ones are good. Those parts are available new but I am not sure I want to put that much money into those parts. I was thinking about pulling the bumpers in closer to the fenders a thereby eliminating the need for the fillers. I would leave the side rubber on the bumpers. Any opinions???? If djhoon90 is willing to redo all the fenders and valances...I think his idea would look good...legal, I don't know.

Before you do anything....get the car off the floor, open the hood and get gas flowing from the tank to the carbs. Then LOOK and see where the gas is leaking. Post your results then we can help you better. Right now every thing is a guess.

THANK YOU fixitman for this great lead.....I just got off the phone with Charles and he quoted me $ 350.00 for the set. I stated another member had this done at $260.00 but I didn't know how long ago he had it done. Charles said the cost of his raw materials have gone through the roof and he had to pass it on. He stated the chrome would be show quality and he could turn a set around in about four weeks. I told him I was sending mine but I could not get them off and in the mail until Monday. He said he had some there and would start stripping them to get them to me asap. He asked for half with the parts and the balance after the work was complete.

I am happy to report that after 24 years, and some great help from members of this forum, I was been able to drive my 1974 260z for the first time. I still need some fine turning on the carbs, but I am moving on to the next step of her refreshing!! The exterior tail light panel has chrome plating around the tail lights. I have called several platers in Houston and Fort Worth without any luck. I looked at two z suppliers for after market parts but they do not list this item. The panel is ok except the chrome. Can this surface be re-plated, restored or something???

Welcome to the club...you will find a lot of knowledge in this group and a willingness to help. You will discover that the older z will always need a little TLC and work. What year is your z?

z source has a section under " accessories and more " that list several wheel center caps...non are just like yours but they may be a starting point. good hunting

Chocolate supra...I am restoring my 260z after it sat for 26 years and just got it started yesterday. My tack is doing the same thing. If you repair or replace yours, will you let me know??

Thank you zs-ondabrain. I knew about that return line to the tank but did not think about it until you reminded me. That makes me feel better and confirms that my mechanical pump is putting out a good volume. One more small step for this z restorer.

welcome to the forum...sorrry to hear that you have to wait until spring to take your car out...in Houston Texas, it's a year round pleasure

:stupid::)Monday was the first time I could work on the car for some days. With the help of choke cleaner I was able to get the car running but only at 2000 plus RPM. I spoke to Steve per Bruce's recommendation and he said all that I had done was correct but I needed to straighten out the choke linkage since I was unable to keep the car running under 2000 RPM. When I did that, I could not get the car to start again so I went back to the beginning to confirm all the settings. I also recalled Steve to see if there were specific amounts that the butterfly should be open at choke and idel...he said there were not and in his closing statement said ..if you have compression, spark, correct timing, the carbs set like we spoke and good gas it should start and run. When he said "good gas " it got me thinking about the gas. When I got to the car Tuesday, I disconnected the gas line from the tank and pumped some of it into my clean " mason jar ". What did I see but a mixture of 80% gas and 20% water !!!! I went to a different gas station and bought two gallons of gas and connected it directly to the mechanical pump's inlet. After purging the lines to the carbs and draining the carb bowls, I reconnected the coil and tried to start the car. She didn't turn over three revolutions before it was running on it's own. NO SPRAY CLEANER INTO THE CARBS NOR POSITIVE PRESSURE TO THE BOWL VENTS TO GET IT RUNNING. I guess that the 20% water was to much for the car to start or idle considering the small volume of fuel going to the cylinders. It ran about five minutes at 1200 RPM on choke and when I took it off choke, it would idle at 800 RPM but it was rough. I tried to balance the carbs ( for the first time ) but went through the two gallons of gas in about thirty minutes?? Is that excessive, and if so, what needs to be corrected ??

Did you check the universals in the drive shaft and the spline on the drive shaft as it goes into the transmission?

:stupid::bulb: OK, this is my posting to inform all of you who have been helping that YOUR CORRECT. Thank you for taking your time and knowledge to assist me. Although, I am not out of the woods yet, I was able to work on the car today and here is the update. 1)The sucking or vacuum was not checked with the spark plugs out...they were removed after so the compression could be checked. I was also told last night at our local z club meeting that I would not be able to measure or feel the vacuum when the car was just being cranked. You need to check vacuum with the motor running at approximately 2000 rpm. 2) The nozzles were free and moving with the choke cables but the linkage was not opening the throttle plates. I removed the domes and pistons, so I could see the butterfly, and bent the linkage rods so the throttle plates would move to the stopper when the choke is applied. 3) The front carb's bowl, was no longer filling with gas. For some reason the new float valve were hanging up in the closed position. I removed it, cleaned up the old one, and reinstalled it... all is well in Dodge...or Humble. 4) I attached a line to the vents on the top of the carb's bowls. I did this because I was told at the meeting that my needles may be going into the nozzles to far and stopping the gas flow. My DVD is not yet here from Z Therapy, so I am not sure how to adjust that. I put the tube on the vent because when I was setting up the floats, I did this to see if I could get the gas in the bowls to come out at the nozzles by blowing in the tube. When I was cranking the motor, and the choke was pulled, I blow a little on the tube and she started without any starting fluid. I can not keep a steady air flow on the vents and therefor, the motor would only run for a few moments and at various speeds, but it did run on it's own. I will not be able to work on it again until the weekend and by then, I hope to have the DVD. Thanks again for your help and I will let all know how it runs after the adjustment and final timing.

ROFLWell, today I run the compression test and got 145-150 psi on each cylinder. I had someone to turn the key while I checked the compression and I also checked to see if I was getting any suction at the carb inlet. I did it just by putting my hand over the inlet and felt no draw as the motor was cranked. Since I had the spark plugs out, it was easy to turn the motor with a wrench, so I removed the valve cover and abserved the location of them as the pistion was moved up and down. On the compression stroke, and the piston was TDC, the first valve's lob was at 1:00 and the second was 11:00. but when the piston was going down on the intake stroke the second valve had not yet started to open. The cam timing gear has three holes that could line up with the pin in the cam. If I have it in the wrong hole, it could have both of the valves closed when the spark plug is fired ( letting the motor to start on starting fluid) but not have the intake valve open as the piston goes down to pull the gas into the cylinder on it's own????? Is that what I have done??

Thanks for the imput...I just posted what I went through on the gas side and feel that I am getting gas to the carbs but the gas is NOT be pulled into the cylinders. I am leading toward a poor or weak vacuum ???

:stupid::stupid:The question will get answered it is just a mater of time. Right now it is 26 years and counting. I hope not to much longer because I am running out of fingers, toes and anything else I can use to keep the count straight. Please help!

I have gas to the carbs. I have put a jumper to the electric fuel pump so it comes on when the key is at acc. I don't have any moonshine jars (since I returned from Saudi Arabia), so I had to test it by pump the gas into my mason jar. I have also replaced the mechanical pump and tested it by disconnecting my jumper and cranking this old girl. When I was setting the floats to 1/16" from end of nozzle, I made to large of a correction and pumped gas out of the nozzle and on to the floor. I get little or non measurable vacuum when the motor cranks. How much should there be? If I have the valves out of time, will I not get vacuum? When I spray starting fluid into the carbs, it starts instantly and for those two or three seconds...sounds smooth.

I am new to the forum and currently restoring my 1974 260z after it has sat for 26 years. I have rebuilt the motor replacing the timing gears, chair, and tensioner, as well as the harmonic balancer, rings, seals etc. I went through the su 3 bolt carbs and with some help from Bruce Palmer, I think they are ready to go. The motor is back in the car and I can only get it the fire if I spray carb cleaner in the carbs. It runs for a second or two but it is not picking up the gas. I attached a vacuum gauge just behind the front carb but the needle does not move when I crank the motor. With the number one piston at TDC, and the cam lobs at 11:00 and 1:00, the timing mark on the harmonic balancer is at 10:00 when the timing scale on the motor is at 2:00 ANY IDEAS WHERE I SHOULD LOOK NEXT ??? Also, when I put the new harmonic balancer on (purchased from Damper Doctor), the crank is recessed about .100 from the face of the pulley. SHOULD THE FACE BE FLUSH ??

Well, I will have to say you were correct on two counts, so far !! I have found some interesting topics on this site and have had more response in one half of a day then in three months at other sites. I also took your advise and stripped down the carbs, soaked them over night in carb cleaner and penetrating oil. Then about an hour ago, I remove the nozzles, cleaned them up real good and after reassembling the carbs, had nice smooth movement of the piston and the nozzle when choking. Thank you and I now owe you a lunch and if the car runs, I may make it a dinner. I will speak to you soon and hope to meet you some day. Thanks again

Hello, I am a new member and the proud owner of a 1974 Datsun 260Z. I purchased this car in 1978, but she has been parked for 26 years because it stranded my wife and I after a new years eve party at 2:00 A.M. Some times it would start and some times it would just crank. I retired a few years ago and back in October 2010, decided to put the Z back on the road. I have rebuilt the motor and clutch, replaced the brakes, fuel lines, coil and ignition unit (source of not starting in 1984), all hydraulic cylinders, had the fuel tank and radiator flushed, fixed most of the lights or switches, and now working on the 1972 su HJG46W carburetors. After a very enjoyable conversation with Bruce at Z Therapy, and his suggestion that I register, here I am. I live in the North East area of Houston Texas and Bruce said this may be a good way to get in touch with some other old z owners. OK are any of you out there???