BoldUlysses

What if you relay the headlights and reduce the current/heat through the switch (which is good practice anyway)? That would presumably open up more material options.

So I think I may have it sorted out. Don't want to speak too soon though... I installed an extra fuel filter inline next to the tank. I also installed a new primary fuel filter and the new fuel sender unit, o-ring and lock ring. I had to re-solder one of the connectors and use the heat gun on the rubber boots to get them soft enough to push over the terminals. I also blew out all the fuel lines with my air compressor turned down to 40-50 psi or so. Started the car after a bit of cranking to fill the filters, and it seemed to run...OK. Still missing and hunting somewhat, but I got it into a state where I could drive it around the neighborhood. After some more tinkering, it was alright, but then it died again the way it did last week. I coasted into the driveway and pulled the top off the rear carb fuel bowl: Dry as a bone. 😡 Really frustrating, but then I noticed that I forgot to put a hose clamp on the fuel pump inlet line. Also, it was kind of loose. I wonder if the fuel pump had been sucking air, creating a kind of vapor lock condition in the fuel lines? Regardless, I put a clamp on it, and the car seemed to run a lot better. I was able to drive it down the road a little ways and it didn't threaten to die at any time. I didn't want to get greedy so I came home and decided to wash it. It's the first bath it's had in almost 20 years. The paint cleaned up really well and looks fantastic; the painters did a great job with it. There are a couple of tiny water leaks but nothing major. I don't plan to drive it in the rain anyway. Current engine bay status: Yes, that's blue painter's tape protecting the left shock tower from getting scratched by the air filter wingnut.

Beautiful! Still planning on running the coolant-heated intake manifolds? I see the tube still in the t-stat housing.

I haven't tried to contact them directly, but I have ordered a number of things from them over the past month, and everything been processed and delivered very promptly. So someone's there...

^Yeah, thought the shaft and gear were all of a piece or otherwise locked together. Having recently dropped the oil pump, there's a bit of trial-and-error that's involved in getting the teeth lined up so the tang sits at 11:25. Took me a couple of tries. It's pretty easy to pull the distributor and recheck the angle of the tang if you're concerned about it.

Not really; it looks like they changed the casting. It's also missing the eccentric on the nose of the cam that would run the fuel pump. Potentially dumb question: Why would you want to "downgrade" to a mechanical pump when you have all the bits for a LP carb-friendly electric pump all present and accounted for?

Huh. Makes you wonder why they couldn't do the same for the rear bumper...

Looks (and sounds) great! That smushed breather hose coming off the cam cover doesn't fit with the cleanliness of the rest of the build though... Maybe it's temporary?

So the forum software won't let me edit the first post in the thread (where I wanted to place this image), but I figured I should share anyway. My mom found this a couple of months ago. My parents driving away from their wedding in the Z, May 1974. They'd had the car for about a year and a half at that point:

Probably a misguided attempt to "clean up" the engine bay, and/or they were trying to solve a vapor lock problem.

Wow; great insight, sleuthing and tips! I searched high and low for a pic of the inside of the tank; nice find! Such a relief that it doesn't have screen on the end. And my symptoms sound very similar to yours: Seems to run better with more fuel in the tank. I think the added gravity of the extra fuel supplies a little extra pressure, and also dilutes the contaminants in the tank. Filter is on the way, and EVERYTHING is getting checked and blown out this weekend. I've seen folks run an extra inline filter back near the rear axle; I may do the same. Wish me luck, and thanks again!

RIP indeed. What a way to go... Details on the car? (too soon?)

^Hell of a gap! 😂 I think you're missing a zero: 0.035".

Is there a sock/screen on the inlet to the fuel supply line in the tank? I actually cleaned and resealed the tank with the POR-15 kit about 10 years ago: https://por15.com/collections/fuel-tank-restoration/products/fuel-tank-repair-kit I made sure both the supply and return lines were clear at all points in the process, but I'm worried now that like 90% of the sock/screen got coated anyway. I have a clear filter already, and I do see some dark flecks in the bottom. Hmm. The good news is that this a relatively recent issue. If the screen/sock had been clogged from Day 1, it would manifested itself a long time ago. I just don't want to have to replace the tank...

Rebuilt the OEM fuel pump earlier this afternoon. I had the dinky-looking aftermarket piece on there, so it was nice to get this one back on the engine. Still waiting on the filter. I ordered an inline fuel pressure gauge too to help me suss out the issue. Going to blow the lines out with compressed air also. Really hoping it's not the screen in the tank.

How much "provenance" does it being a one-family car bestow? Mine is higher mileage than the one above, but I have wondered... Ha! Same. I love mine also.

Spoke too soon, obviously. The fuel tank sprung a leak, which I traced to the o-ring on the fuel level sending unit port. The grommet for one of the electrical posts might be leaking also, so I just ordered a new o-ring, lock ring and sending unit. I checked out the evap system too just to make sure I had it connected properly and the tank wasn't getting pressurized or anything. I've got a nice steady 700 rpm idle at 20° BTDC. Car runs OK at low/moderate speeds, but wants to either run on 1 carb or die completely in high-load situations. This got me stranded on a local road earlier today. Fortunately I was able to get it to catch again after a few minutes of intermittent cranking, and I was only a few hundred feet from my neighborhood entrance, so I was able to nurse it back home. Very frustrating. Suspect fuel supply issue, so I'm going to rebuild the pump and replace the filter. Sigh.

I drove it around the neighborhood a little yesterday evening, and I pretty much have it eating out of my hand now. The front carb's piston is a little sticky, as is the rear carb's choke. Once I clear those up, it should be 100% driveable. It's much quieter now at idle since I replaced the air injection plugs. I'm sure the brass plugs were leaking. A wiring connector to the combo switch at the steering column worked its way loose, so I have to tap the plastic shroud on the column to get the headlights to come on. Need to reseat that. Also, I finally installed this OEM underhood inspection light I found on a junkyard Z about 10 years ago. The plastic lens from the junkyard was cracked and yellow, but fortunately ZCarDepot sells replacement lenses and even LED bulbs. I don't think our Z ever had the light, since it's in the area where everything was removed/relocated to make room for the A/C compressor. There's a strong gas smell in the garage now. No leaks of any kind, but I wonder if the PCV valve I bought might be faulty? Need to investigate that and the evap system.

Yes, the carbs were rebuilt by ZTherapy back in 2011. I tried the carb cleaner misting trick, but it didn't seem to reveal anything (the idle was hunting so much I'm not sure I would have been able to tell anyway). Regardless, I got the intake all sealed up. New PCV valve, fresh balance tube gaskets: New steel exhaust manifold air injector plugs (w/high-temp thread sealant) to replace the ill-fitting brass ones I had in there previously. Also gave all the manifold bolts a retorque. I discovered some flakes in the rear carb line that must've gotten past the filter somehow, so I blew those out and checked the float and needle just to be sure. The engine seems much happier now. I sync'd the carbs and drove it around the neighborhood for a few minutes before it started raining. Idle seems steady and acceleration is smooth. I think it was a combination of a vacuum leak and potentially gunk in the carb line. Going to keep testing. Interior is coming together, though it's still got a long way to go. The steering wheel and handbrake handle need to be refinished obviously, and the radio isn't installed, but I wanted to get it put together "all up" before I have to pull the dash again to install the new heater control valve and the blower motor.

Anybody have a source for these door cards in red?

Been chasing an issue that cropped up after the timing reset above. The car intermittently seems like it drops one of the carbs and will barely run, before "waking up" again. The idle is unstable as well, alternately bogging and racing. I drained and refilled the tank with 93 octane w/stabilizer. Timing is set to 17 degrees BTDC with the vacuum advance disconnected and capped. Carb mixture screws are 2.5 turns down (baseline). It feels like I have a vacuum leak, so I pulled off the carbs and IMs again to make sure everything is sealed up. Going to buy another PCV valve to ensure it isn't that, and new balance tube gaskets are on the way (I had trouble sourcing them during the initial reassembly). Nice clean mating surface: We'll see where that gets me. In other news, the interior is really coming together. Got the new shift boot secured to the console and the new horn pad. Pictures forthcoming.

The 240Z does have a hole for the wiring harness. It's below and to the right of the battery tray. I'm not familiar with the 280Z's bay but I'm sure it has more holes b/c of its added complexity.

Better: The oil pump was indeed 1 tooth off. I wonder how long I'd been driving it around like that prior to the restoration? I haven't touched the oil pump, but the engine was rebuilt in the '90s. Maybe the builder messed up way back then? Had to drop the front swaybar to access the oil pump. Probably first time those bolts have come off in 50 years, so the threads smushed and cleanup was required: Choke reinforcement bracket installed: Interior is coming together: Did some reconditioning work on the HVAC panel, but nothing to show yet. I drove it around a bit. I think the gas has gone bad. There were several periods where it felt like the engine was working through a bad batch. I put fuel stabilizer in there, but a good percentage of what's in the tank is 2 years old, and it's 93 octane but not ethanol-free. So I'll probably drain the tank and feed that gas to my lawnmower and go get some ethanol-free 93 w/stabilizer.

Got the PerTronix points replacement installed. Not super impressed with the quality, but it works. Thread here: https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/67639-pertronix-points-replacement-does-this-look-right * * * * * * In related news, I've had issues getting the car timed correctly ever since I refreshed the engine, so I decided to ensure everything was aligned at TDC. This doesn't look right to me: I think my oil pump might be a tooth off. Going to drop it this weekend and see if I can get everything aligned properly.

Quick update: Got it installed thusly: The zip tie is loose-ish. It runs just fine (better, even), but I'm having trouble getting the car timed---that's an issue for another thread though. Overall, not too impressed with the quality of the PerTronix piece. The metal plate needs to be cut away around where I have the sharpie mark above AND the grommet for the wires doesn't fill the entire opening (it's round and the opening is more oval-shaped). Unless I shore that up, there's a real risk water will make its way into the dizzy. Some more work to do here.