Hardway

Thank you for the detailed update USAFDarkHorse and thank you for your service. I love your Z! Makes me want to get out drive mine through some back roads when it cools down a little here in Texas. Your NSX is beautiful. The black with the dark silver wheels just looks perfect. A fitting car to cruise around in Japan.

Good question Captain Obvious. Yes, these have the floating rear wheel cylinders, held in place by two opposing clips. I thought about your question about the rear wheel cylinder possibly being on the wrong side and I do not think it can be done. The main reason for this is if you had the wheel cylinder on the wrong side the hard line would not line up and the parking brake cable would not work properly.

Good news! I got my brake issue figured out. I started to jack up the front of the car and when I did I took a second to try and spin the wheels. Sure enough, they spun with no hesitation. I let it back down and jacked up the rear of the car, passenger side drum moved with just the right amount of resistance, the driver side was locked up. Got the wheel off and used a pry bar to turn the drum and hub. Once I could get to the adjuster I loosened it and got the drum off without issue. Everything looked good inside, the adjuster was not chewed up so I put it back together and tightened it up to match the other side. I put it back on the ground, reinstalled the check valve and hoses. I took it out for my same 5 mile test drive and all the brake components seem to be working properly. I am guessing that over time the parking brake mechanism might have ratcheted the left rear brake shoe too tight. I will keep an eye on it and if it happens again I may look at replacing the wheel cylinder or adjuster if I can buy one separately. As always, thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread. I am sure it will help other Z owners in the future.

I checked my balance tube and unfortunately it only has two bosses cast in to the top rear of the tube, no holes. At this point the only hose I could use is the booster hose. I will PM you my contact info so we can discuss it more there. I called a custom hose builder here in town and they do "mold" or form hoses. He knew what I was needing but could not recommend a place. For now, I will keep hunting for an engine side hose.

I appreciate all the comments and feedback guys. I ended up returning the truck today. After considering what everyone said and talking with some more of my friends I think a V8 is the way to go if I get a truck. A diesel is really too much as I would probably only two something a few times per year. For now I am still rolling in my FR-S.

Thanks for all the info guys. The truck I am looking at actually has the 3.55 gears and full tow package including transmission oil cooler. The 3.55 gears ups the towing capacity to 7100 pounds. It does not have the trailer brake setup but one could be installed if needed. I have the truck right now as an overnight test drive and really like it. Based on everything I have read about this setup lots of guys have reported great success pulling medium to large boats, travel trailers etc. Good luck at Z-Con Mike! With all the work you have put in to your car I am sure it will do well. Be safe out there guys. I look forward to a full report once you return.

Good observations Zed Head. The brakes started locking up on the last half mile of my test drive. I could tell because it was hard to take off from a stop and the car was being dragged down. I managed to get in the garage, turned it off, and that has been the last of it. As I have had time to tinker with it I started with what was easiest to get to. This weekend I plan to dive further in to it and will start by cracking open the bleeder screws and see if fluid comes out.

Thank you for the info and offer Dan. My engine side hose plugs in to the end of the balance tube, unfortunately not on top. If the booster side hose is the same I would be interested in it. If needed I can shoot a picture of it tomorrow and post it.

The calipers are new and the car drove and stopped fine up until the last half mile of my test drive. I don't think it is any kind of rust binding them together. I am going to look at the lines as the behavior of the issue points to them. I will also be double checking all the caliper hardware to ensure it is greased properly.

I am looking at getting out of my FR-S and back in to something with more room and capability. I have seen plenty of guys haul Z's with Toyota Tacoma's, Jeep's, mid-size SUV's, and all the usual full size trucks and SUV's. I am looking at a crew cab Dodge Ram with the gas V6, 8-speed auto, and 3.21 gears. This combo has lots of reports of pulling down real world highway mpgs in the low to mid 20's. The truck has a full towing package on it and a tow rating of 4100 pounds. Seeing that my '71 240z comes in around 2500 pounds and a U-haul car hauler weighs like 2300 pounds, I am already over the limit for the truck. Now I am considering a V8 but almost hate too since 99% driving is highway driving to and from work, doing 80mph each way on the TX 130 tollway. What do you guys use? How well does it tow when you need it to? If possible give gearing, trailer specs, and mpg's if you have them. Thank you!

Thank you for the explanation Captain. I agree, I don't think the check valve is the cause of my sticking calipers. The inspection of the check valve is part of my piece by piece examination of the braking system. Sounds like it is working properly so it will go back on the car.

At one point someone used to sell non-braided brake booster vacuum hoses. Now the only hoses I see are braided which are technically correct but carry a premium price. I have a '71 240z, built Aug. of '70 so according to MSA I need the engine side hose at ether $69.96 or $77.95 and the booster hose at $89.95. After shipping this will be almost $200 for two rubber hoses. I understand supply and demand, cost of development, manufacturing, etc. However at those prices the margins must be near 90%. I took my two hoses to two different parts stores yesterday hoping to find something that would work. Of course they did not have anything remotely close. I am going to check two independent stores later this week and a NAPA on the other side of town. Does anyone know of another source for these hoses? I personally don't care about the braided cloth on the outside but I need to replace my hoses as they are the originals, very brittle, and quite ugly.

Both front calipers are sticking. It has been sitting for 3 days now and last night I took the parking brake off, put it in neutral, and to tried and roll it and it would not budge. I have run in to this before so I am wanting to do some real trouble shooting before I start throwing parts it. The check valve may be just fine, I was just curious how it should actually behave.

My '71 240z has a metal check valve with a rubber isolator around it. It is not plastic or black and grey like the ones being sold now. I removed it to double check that it was installed correctly and it was, on the booster side of the valve you can blow air through it and on the intake/engine side you cannot. My question is, how much pressure should it take to open the valve inside? On mine when I blow in to it, it takes some strength to overcome the valve. When it does I can feel it closing or thumping inside. It is not smooth but I do not know how it should be. My car has always stopped fine with plenty of pedal feedback but right now I am working to diagnose why my front brakes are sticking and I am doing a check of all the components. Any feedback is greatly appreciated regarding the proper action of valve.

I have read through this thread multiple times to make sure I understand it. Just to re-cap below. 240z = RedWing Cost estimate to get back on the road = Approx. $2000 Timeline = Long term, 1 - 2 years depending on ability to raise funds Labor needed = many hours Current condition = Has not run in 8 years. Value = one owner series 1 car. Work space = back yard, could be pushed under car port after 280z is sold. 280z = RedBird Cost estimate to get back on the road = Unknown Timeline = Near term, 30 days. Labor needed = Unknown Current condition = Not running but complete and maintained. Car ran correctly up until 6/1 and has had other work already done to it. Value = fuel injected car with regular maintenance. Work space = car port As others above have suggested, get the 280z running again first. It ran well not that long ago and ideally could be brought back to life with some trouble shooting and repair. Could be something simple but I would not ditch the FI unless absolutely necessary. Overall it sounds like a nice car and I think would make a better driver than the 240z in a much shorter amount of time. Get the AC fixed if possible and just drive the 280z. The 240z has a lot more question marks, costs, and time needed. It could easily spin out of financial control. If you sold the 280z and sunk all the proceeds in to the 240z there is no guarantee it would be road worthy after $2K was spent on it. It will need everything plus many weekends of time to tackle all of the known projects. This does not take in to account what will be discovered as things are taken a part to be rebuilt. I fully understand and appreciate the sentimental value the 240z holds. However, it will not be back on the road any time soon and really needs to be gone through bumper to bumper. The money factor is huge at this moment since even at $100/mo she is looking at 20 months just to pay for parts. Working under just a car port is not ideal and will make each project take longer. From the way it sounds the 240z needs to be someone elses project car in a garage so it can be secured when it is apart being repaired. I would say get 280z running, clean up the 240z, take some good pictures, provide an honest description, and sell it. Series-1 cars, as long as they are complete bring good money. That way she would have a running classic Z car that is dependable and money in her pocket for future repairs.

I agree with Martz. At $6K if anyone else finds out about it that car will be gone.

Thanks guys! Bart, I am using Castrol 10w-30 with a zinc additive. The car is due for an oil change so I will look in to the classic line of oils and see what I think.

In competition, the difference between success and failure can be a mere fraction of an inch The quote above also holds true for valve adjustments. In my case we finally have success! Once I was done with CrossFit this evening I decided to dive in to the cylinder head again. With the valve cover off I closely examined everything to see if there was something that may not look right. After several minutes of looking everything over with a high powered flashlight I could not find anything out of the ordinary. I also rolled the engine over so the cam was just letting the valve close. Closely looking at the lash pad of each rockers could not see a line of any sort, even under high powered light. Before removing any parts for a bench inspection I decided to double check my lash adjustments one more time. I figured if it didn’t help I could shut the engine off before it warmed up and proceed to pulling the rocker arms. I knew I was dealing with cylinders 4 through 6 with my primary focus on number 6. As I checked them they felt to be in spec with a cold engine. When I compared them to the front three cylinders I noticed the fronts were just a bit tighter but still in spec. I figured I would work to get the rear three cylinders to the same spec. It took a lot of trial error as the adjustment screw only needed a fraction of a turn. After I was done and several rotations of the motor to double check everything all of the valves were now on the “tight side” of their measurement. With everything back on and buttoned up I turned the key and like always it easily started and ran. I instantly noticed it was quieter but I was not ready to celebrate yet. I let it warm up and gave it a few runs of the throttle. As the temp came up and everything was still quiet my inner Ed China said “job done”. I figured this triumph deserved another video so I have posted it below. I took the car out for the first time in almost 2 months, covering about 5 miles. I got back and everything was still quiet, WOO HOO! Unfortunately another problem reared its head again, my front brakes are sticking. Oh well, another project for another day. Thank you to everyone who posted up and helped me get through this. I have said it before and I will say it again, the classic Z community is one of the best out there. Our passion for these vehicles and the support we give one another is second to none. Thank you again. On the video below there is a “whooshing” and hissing sound in the back ground. That is my floor fan running full blast and being picked up by the mic on my phone. My apologies. As noted above, I think I do in fact have a small exhaust leak somewhere.

Yesterday evening I listened around the head and engine block. As noted before everything was quiet and consistent at the front of the head and the block. At the rear of the block just below the head I could faintly hear the tapping sound around #6 and #5 and as I went down it went away. Everything sounded normal at the skirt of the block. I went back to the #6 spark plug, placing the lead right above it, this is where I could hear the tapping the loudest. I moved to the left and right but could not distinguish if it was coming the exhaust or intake valve. I could also hear some faint tapping on #5 and #4 but nothing like #6. The sound may be traveling through the head? Everything on #3 - #1 was quiet. By the time I was done it was just too hot in the garage to do anything and I did not feel like diving in to a hot engine. After work and CrossFit today I plan to take the valve cover off and analyze everything on for cylinders 4 - 6. I could not find how to remove the rocker arms as Geocities on the Atlantic Z site is no more. Can someone post up how to do it?

Good work Charlie! You have been busy my friend. Sorry to hear about the issues with the Eastwood paint. There stuff is usually top notch. I used satin black Rustoleum rattle can paint when I did my suspension and to my knowledge it is still holding up. It never flaked off or anything while I was reinstalling the components. Hopefully the rest of yours holds up. On the strut gator boot, if possible, get the dimensions of what you need and then Google them. I had the same problem with the steering rack boots for our cars. The companies make them too big and I ended up using a pair made by EMPI for a VW. I had to do enlarge the outer hole on each boot but the fit was 5x better than the stuff that is labeled to work on our cars. The auto parts store might have something that works but if not the Internet is your friend.

The repair to intake valve # 4 was rather involved. The reason I was having issues with it was the valve seat had been machined too deep in to the head and the angles were off. He cleaned up the seat, re-machined it to set the angles correct, and used a valve for a 280z, machining and turning it down to properly fit. I can now set the lash on it with no issues. Since the other valves were no sealing correctly I had him replace all the valves, turning them down as needed. After reading about using 280z valves I checked with him to make sure the valve would not be extending too far and hitting the block. If I needed to notch the block I could but he assured me they would not as he used my old head gasket as a guide. Later this evening I am going to listen around the head and the block to see if I can pin point the problem valve(s).

Thank you for sending me the picture Bart. I placed it up on Photobucket. I am not sure since the original location of the picture might be outside the US. Either way its easy to see now. The cam shaft and rocker arms were not replaced and neither were the lash pads. Before I had all the work done everything was quiet when the engine was cool. Once the engine warmed up the #4 intake would tap really bad. I spoke to the machinist earlier this morning and I am going to use my mechanics stethoscope to listen more around the head and engine block. He has offered to take a look at it and see if we can figure out what is happening.

Hey Bart, I have tried it on 3 different computers at both work and home. Firefox, Chrome, and IE 8 give almost the same result. They download the top 10% of the picture and just keeps trying after the better part of 30 minutes. I can see it is one of my pictures with red arrows and I see the URL is tinypic something. Can you email me the picture and let me put it on my Photobucket account and link it from there? I will PM you my email address. Thanks!

Without being able to talk with the person that owned the car or the shop when the repair was done it is hard to say. Radiators and horns get replaced for various reasons, not necessarily due to collision. If the body gaps look good, the car drives straight, and the wear on the tires is even meaning it is holding a good alignment, its hard to say what negative effects if any are being caused by the work done on the frame. It could have been rust or collision, maybe a forum member with a trained eye can tell from the pictures. Nice to see it still has its "D" wheels covers. $6K for a running, driving, Series-1 is very reasonable. Brakes can be fixed, the whine and clunk you hear from the rear is probably wheel bearings and the diff mount, again very fixable. The rustproofing could have been Ziebart or something else done by the dealership or another shop in the cars life. If the interior looks as good as the exterior and based on everything else you listed, I don't think you can go wrong at $6K. If the seller is in no hurry don't wait too long as he might be placing other buyers in line. However, I fully understand and applaud the level of due diligence you are doing. Keep us posted!

For some reason your picture is not loading Bart. Can you try re-posting it?