EuroDat

I have used RockAuto to order a MC for my 280Z. It was a new 7/8" Beck/Arnley and came in record time. The 15/16" is only available in re-manufactured, but it has all the parts you need and its probably cheaper than sourcing all the other parts not to mention the time spent searching.

The parts you are missing are hard to find without buying another MC. It might be easier to get one from RockAuto And for $53.00 you have a complete unit without the 2 reservoirs. Its only $30.00 with core. Chas Product Detail

I dont think the AAR is your problem either. The fast idle problem you are having can be easly tested by blocking the air hose after its warmed up. I would fit a temporary hose so I could clamp it shut with vice grips (the original hose might not like being cruched by vice grips). If the fast idle still happens it something else.

My experience up till now is without vacuum you get a lot of large bubbles is the mixture. Its very hard keeping it bubble free and still mix it thoroughly. You can compress the bubbles during the curing period to make them small, but if its exposed to heat the bubbles will expand to the point of cracking the lens or making it all lumpy.

The nut has been replaced by 32354-E9803 (left hand thread). You should be able to get that no problems. I used it in my trnamission, couldnt see any difference from the original. Chas

Im wondering if the pulley hasnt slipped and the 10deg your reading isnt right. Mine slipped and I discovered it after tuning the engine. I checked it by punching the guts out of an old spark plug and welding a 6mm bolt in it. The bolt was just long enough to stop nr. 1 going over TDC (turning engine by hand), marked the pulley, removed the plug, turned engine just past TDC and repeated the procedure. Between the two marks is exact TDC. Mine was about 6deg out. The rubber insulator had slipped. It had me fiddling around a while before I found it. Would make it interesting if you was doing valve timing. Chris I can completly understand your frustration. We are on the side line offering advice and your in the thick of it. It might be time to walk away, relax and think about something else for a while and come back with a clear head. Better than freaking out and attacking the car, which you would regret. Its been such a good project so far. You just found your snag at the very end. Gooluck Chas

Its not that hard to replace if your take your time and prepare well. CLEAN everything, that is so important and use something like Smooth-on Urethane Liquid Plastic Casting Resin from Smooth-On, Inc. Pressurizing will help prevent bubbles. Chas

The 10psi increase is normal with oil. I had a car with a broken top ring which increased 30 psi with a couple of squirts of oil. I cant watch the video where I am now, so Im just going by your description. If the noise started after you started using SeaFoam it might be causing your problem or increasing it to the point that its noticable. I like Zed's reasoning about the timing. Its also easy to check. You can map the advance curve by increasing the revs every 500rpm and checking the advance (without the vacuum connected). Check it with vacuum connected to make sure its working as well. I cant remember if the FSM has a curve? The cover is to protect the electronics in the AFM, but Im not sure if the shaft is sealed or the cover does the sealing? If the cover does seal it and the shaft is worn it could make a differance, but it would be marginal if any. This is an MSA rebuild so it should not be worn. Goodluck Chas

Its most probably an acrylate polymer or a polycarbonate resin, a common brand name these days is lexan or plexiglass. Its melting point is around 300 degF and its has eccellent UV stability. If its one of those two, its not easy to make without specialized equipment. The chemical reaction generates a lot of heat and you need to pressurize the process to prevent champagne bubble effects. I dont think its a poly urethene because it doesnt stand up to uv for such long periods ie 40 years. You could duplicate it with PU resin. That is a lot easier to work with and you can achieve good results a little costs. You will need a pressure chamber to cure the resin. A good UV resistant PU resin will last 15 years without yellowing to much. Note: ALL PU resin will yellow no matter what the rep says. I have a blog on inspection light lenses with a home made kit to give you an idea. Chas

Its best to use a socket on the bolt in the crankshaft pulley. That way you will keep the chain under tension just like when the engine is turning the camshaft. I cant remember what the size is, but it should be in the FSM. My friends Z gained 20hp by adjusting the cam timing on a dyno test bank. A little can make a big difference in top end hp, but he had no problems down low. Chas

Hi Leon, Maybe I am missing something and definitely wouldnt be the first. I thought the PU bushes could spin in their housings and its not manditory to torque the bushes at the right ride height. When I asked a rep from Energysuspension "what the differance was between black and red bushes" he said the black bushes have grafite and tend to squeek less over time than the red bushes. The red ones may require re-lubricating. The original bushes MUST be torqued with the suspension in the correct ride height because the outer section is press fitted and the inner section has saw teeth to bit into the lock washer. The rubber is designed to twist in its housing and should be relaxed in normal ride height. I could fit my PU bushes by hand and didnt need a press which would indicate the bush can turn easier than twisting the hard PU rubber. I torqued mine at the correct ride height, but that was just routine or so I thought. Chas

Nice to hear you found your end goal. Does wonders for motivation. Looking at the photos of the flywheel and transmission I would prepare for the worst when dismantling the engine and drivetrain. You could try mixing a batch of ATF and Acetone, ratio 50:50. It works better than WD40. Chas

That goodnews Hardway. Wont be long and you will driving around Chas

That Ztherapy nipple does not look firmiliar to me. Might be alternative because most of the originals are badly corroded by now. I didnt know the E46 manifolds had water heating. I always thought that was on the E88, N33 & N36 manifolds. Chas

Hi Leon, Grats with the taillight trims they look great. After forty years most of these things are a little worse for wear. Rechroming this stuff is the icing on the cake to any restoration. Chas

Thats goodnews. Would be a PITA to start all over on a new strut, knowing what you went through with these (spindle pins). Chas

John beat me to it. I think its ovaled as well. Probably from falling over. Maybe it fell hard on the ground during your spindle pin drama and you didnt notice at the time. It wouldnt take much. Do you have a set of vernier calpiers? You could then measure the inside diameter and see if it is oval. You could try screwing the old nut back in, lay it on a block of wood and tapping around the outside with a soft hammer, preferably widest part of the oval. Chas

I dont know much about SK/OER carbs, but it sounds like a mixture problem. Like Zed Head said, with no load it should get close to red line easy with a little amount of fuel. Thinking out of the box: could it be a blocked mufler? Causing exhaust backpressure. A rag of something that fell down the pipe and now blocking the mufler. Although this would probably let you idle but not rev so high. Chas

Just accured to me, you mist a golden opportunity to see how far its out. You could go back to the wheel alignment guy and ask him to check the chamber with the chamber adjuster all the way in towards the engine and then with the adjuster all the way out. Measure the distance between outer en inner points, then you know the distance per degree chamber for if you decide to move anchor point. Ask him how far (in degrees chamber) you need to go to be within spec. Then you can work out your next step. Maybe a street chamber kit will be enough? Motorsport can tell you how much you can adjust. Chas

The "Street chamber kit" strut insulator is for the top section of the strut above the spring. You already have a "chamber adjusting kit" and the amount of adjustment is limited to the diameter of the lower control arm bushing. Making your strut tower adjustable might not give you enough because standard springs dont give you much freedom of movement. This is generally done with coilovers which have a smaller diameter. I think your trying to solve simptoms and not the problem. During the impact the control arm collapsed but before it did it gave the crossmember a heavy push which moved it and the frame. Your problem is in the position of the anchor point for the lower control arm. This in relation to the rest of the anchor points (strut insulator and tension rod) is whats causing your alignment problems. The correct but expensive and time consuming task is to straighten or replace the bent section of the frame and replace the crossmember. Not knowing how far its bent I would also have to ask myself "is this worth it". It could be better to use this car as a parts car on another project Z. If you need it short term as a daily driver: An alternative if the frame is only bent, not cracked and doesnt have torn welds is to correct the position of the lower control arm anchor. You have already tried this with the "chamber adjusting kit" which was not enough. The only options then is an adjustable control arm or reposition the anchor point. You will need to know how far to move it, maybe the college can help you work that out and then decide what to do. Or another alternative is find another daily driver. This might be your best option. Here is a photo of repositioning the lower anchor point. This one is done to correct geomentry after lowering the car and widening the track, but the method is the same. Goodluck Chas

There are three main types of vacuum power booster on the 2 seater Z 1. 6" The 1969 to jun-72 have codes E46 (series 1 & 2) and E87 on the series 3 240Z 2. 7-1/2" The 240Z series 4 and 260Z have the code E30 3. 7-1/2" The 280Z is also 7-1/2" dia. but has codes N42 & N43. 2 + 2 seater with 9" version 260Z Code N37 280Z code N4210 & N4310 Anything after June 72 should fit in and give you an increase in braking power. The 2+2 booster will require mods, but I can't remember what is involved. Hope that helps Chas

I think your camber problem could be causing the steering problems when turning left. Changing the rack wont stop it from pulling to the right when you let go of the steering wheel. That is typical a difference in caster/chamber adjustments mainly not being equal left and right wheel. Your right front frame rail could be bent along with your crossmember from the impact on the front wheel. This is a mod an old friend done in the 80's when he was side swiped on the left side by an uninsured driver. Being students, spending money on beer and women meant no money for a decent rideLOL. So this is what "we" did to fix his chamber problem. It turned out the crossmember was bent (15mm), but a new one would not fit because the frame was also bent. It wasnt perfect, but it worked He welded plates in the left control arm holes on the old crossmember and re-drilled them 15mm further out. That gave him the correct chamber. He drove it for two years like that before he replaced the frame rail and the crossmember. I cant remember how it drove. I thought it was a dodgy mod at the time and still do. You need to know how far you need to move the wheel to get the right chamber. Your torsion rod would need to be adjustable as well. Noises: From your description could be anything. The front wheel noise could be a slightly loose wheelbearing and the disc rubbing on the back shield or a stone in one of the pads, just to name a couple of things. If it is a real grinding noise you will see metal wear by now or the wheel bearing will be shot. The vibration could be just a wheel balance problem or the tyres could have flat spots from sitting a long time on one spot. Or replace the oil in the diff and see what the oil looks like. I would first try the simples things first. Chas

I also think the K is from the Maxima N47 L24E but cant be absolutly sure. Here is a timeline for the 280Z & 280ZX. Its not complete and the information is being improved all the time, but it will give you a guide as to where and approx when things changed. This table is based on USA models. Chas

That would be a shame if she looses interest after this is solved. They are an easy car to work and play with. This forum is always been helpfull for those in need and I have found many answers by searching the forum. Good luck with the repairs. Chas

Lets see, your asking quiet a bit of info. Ill try and sum up the main differences in the questions: 1: The lower compression will make a difference in power and you will notice. Like Leon says, that doesnt mean it wont work, just not perform like it could. 2: the 280Z came out with a L28 engine with block code N42 and the head code N42. N42 Head: Silicon/bronze valve seats. An "external" spray bar to lubricate the cam. Square shaped exhaust ports. About August 1977 they changed the head to the N47 to comply with tougher emmisions in California. The main changes are: Steel valve seats to be able to use unleaded fuel. Emmision chambers. An internally lubricated cam. Drillings through the cam allow oil via the bearing journals to the cam lobes. Round "diamond" shaped exhaust ports with a steel liner to increase heat for better emmision control. There is also a maxima N47 head which is different. It has smaller closed chambers and can be identified by an extra sensor port between spark plugs 5 and 6. 3: If you choose to go for a N42 head you will need the exhaust manifold with square ports. Your cam will work on the N42 head, but its not advisable to mix match parts in the valve train. If you do you need to check lash pad paterns etc. 4: all heads after the N47 come with internal oiled cams. 5: The common mod for P90 (en P79) heads on earlier blocks it to shave 2mm of the head, raise the cam towers 2 mm to correct the vavle timing and fit the valves from a N42 or N47 head (there stems are 2mm longer). This raises the compression and gives you a good chamber design for better performance. Its a lot of work and for a standard engine not worth the effort. Since you are thinking of using this head the way it is, my advice would be to trade it for a N47 head and go from there. The trade should not cost you much if anything since the P79 is more sellable then the N47. Chas