Captain Obvious

Nice! Where did you find that info? Now I just need to translate it so I know what I'm looking at!

Well if it were me, I would do something more thorough, but that's just the way I roll. RTV should work fine if you don't want to do something more glamorous. Just fill in the hole, then add a little more, and then squeeze the flat plate back on. Make sure you don't use so much that it oozes up into the intake stream (or wipe out any excess if that does happen).

Unless the torsion bars are binding somehow/someway, I don't think it could possibly be the issue. They don't do anything to provide alignment. All they do is provide upward force on the hinge. No location control. Just force. Are you sure you have the correct hinges for the car? Did they change anything over the years? How about pulling one of the three hinge mounting bolts out and verifying that the hole is slid all the way to the edge of the slot?

Maybe your fenders are too low?

If that block off plate was simply a flat plate, then it won't work. It's more complicated than that. So was it just a flat plate?

I must've gotten onto the nice list.

Cool. Must just be a trick of the light. I'm also pleased at how close my camera can focus. And in the cases where it can't focus because it's too close, I've found that I can hold an eye loupe up to the lens and decrease the focal length more. For example, here's a shot of some needles I have here:

My pleasure. I can tell you where to find those connections, but I still can't tell you why they're there. Haha! If I had to guess, I would dovetail off something that Chas mentioned... I suspect those connections are some sort of precursor to the valve cover mounted injector cooling fan assy.

Perfect. Only thing that catches my eye though is that it looks like there was some needle rubbing on the first needle pic? The shiny spot up near the hilt on this one? Is that just a trick of the light, or is that a rub spot?

There has been some discussion about that cooling fan motor sub-harness in the past. Unfortunately the pics are dead because photobucket sucks, but here's some threads: https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/46256-always-hot-connection-for-radio-install/?tab=comments#comment-420468 https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/52262-recommendation-for-new-radiator-and-elctrical-fan-for-280z/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-478260 I reattached a couple of my previous pics here... The two connections for that sub-harness are under the dash above the passengers right knee. Tucked up to the right of the glove box:

How confident are you that they are the correct needles? I know it can be a little risky (because of potential damage), but unless you are nearly 100% positive they are correct, you might want pull them out of the suction pistons and try to verify the needle number.

Unfortunately Alice's doesn't exist anymore... Here's what's left: However, the nearby church is still going strong: Here's an inside shot (taken from down among the pews) up towards the bell tower where Alice, Ray, and Fascher the dog slept: So is this a record for just how far off target a thread can be jacked?

Sounds like a plan!

Well to be clear... It's a significant amount of extra area. It'll only be a significant amount of extra air if the rest of the system will pull it.

And they all moved away from me on the bench there....

Touché.

Remember that scene at the end of Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

Oh OK... I was just kidding. I do have Z parts under the bed. Please don't shun me.

Wow! I do NOT , nor have I ever have any Z parts under the bed. So there's an indication that youze guys have the affliction worse than I do!! I feel so good about myself!

Haha! Really looking forward to the progress.

Yeah, I think going to a newer computer based EFI system is the best choice for what you're putting together. Do you think it would be deeper as well?

Haha!! The bottom of his car looks better than the top of mine!

It's shiny... Too shiny. (wink wink)

Hi Kats, I'm with you completely. There are really only one or two cars in my life that I regret not buying when I had the chance. And a Dino 246 is one of them. I had the opportunity to buy one of them a bunch of years ago before the prices reached their current level and I did not buy it. I should have. When you posted those pics of your Z next to the Dino, it reminded me about that. There's another saying in the US.... "Don't cry over spilled milk." It means "don't spend time worrying about things that occurred in the past which you can't change now." In the end, however, I think I would be afraid to drive the Dino because of the value. I think it would just sit in the garage because I didn't want to risk taking it out.

There is a saying here in the US... "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." In it's simplest term, it's used to describe the guy who looks out his window into his yard and thinks to himself that his neighbors yard always looks nicer than his does and he wishes he had his neighbors yard instead. Put into the context of automotive enthusiasts... People here in the US modify their cars changing over to fender mirrors, changing to right hand drive, re-badging their 240SX cars to Silvia. Converting to clear JDM tail lights on their 300ZX's. The Honda guys peeling off the US hood ornament and installing the red Japanese H instead because it's neat. Wouldn't surprise me to find that kids in Japan do the exact opposite. The grass is always greener.