Carl Beck

Fixitman: Coil springs provide a fairly constant rate of compression, once they are compressed to about 80% of their Free Length. If you look at the Spring Spec's for a stock US Spec. 260Z produced between 8/73 and 8/74.. you will see that the Free Length is 15.4 inches, the Installed length 8.7 inches. The load on the installed spring is 706 lbs. The stock spring constant (rate) is 106 lbs/in. So if you divide the load 706 by the spring constant 106 you get 6.66 inches of initial spring compression when the car is sitting on it's struts. If you subtract the listed Installed Length of 8.7 inch, from the listed Free Length of 15.4 you get 6.7 inches. (rounding errors etc) - so close enough. Now change the rear springs - to one's with a spring constant of 140 lbs/in. (the spring rate you provided) Looking strictly at the picture of the springs you Posted above - I'd guess that the Euro Spec. Spring is the clean one on the far left - and it looks like it might be 1 inch shorter than the others.. So call it 14.4 in. Free Length. Divide the load of 706 by the spring constant of 140 lbs/in and you get 5 inches of initial compression. 14.4 Free length minus 5 inches of initial compression = should be close to 9.4 inches installed length. 9.4 minus the stock 8.7 inch is only 0.7 inch increase in ride height. I'd have to have the exact length of that "Euro Stage II" spring.... to be sure, I would also have to know for sure what the spring constant is (to be sure you have the springs that you think you do) However it strikes me that it was NOT only the Euro Springs that could account for the huge difference in ride height, as pictured on the rear of your 260Z in your first Post. Where did you get your Shocks? Now old are they? Billstein hasn't sold OEM replacement shocks for the 240/260Z's since the mid 80's. Back then they were low pressure gas shocks. With the Euro Spec. springs removed, and stock springs back in the car - it still looks like it is sitting a couple inches higher - but that just may be the angle of the pictures... We'll know more when you measure the usually places... THE STOCK SPRINGS - according to the Field Service Manual: -The two rear and the Left Front are the same - the Right Front is the shorter one. -The two rear and Left Front have a free length of 15.4 inches -The Right Front has a Free Length of 14.9 FWIW, Carl B. BTW - thanks to Will (HLS30.com) for the info on the 260Z springs from the 260Z FSM.

Reset - - - I should have said, it is BEST to have a set of metric swivel sockets. In the case of the intake/exhaust manifold - I can't remember if the nuts are 12mm or 14mm... If you go to Sears for Craftsman - buy the individual swivel 6 point sockets - don't buy the 6 piece set - the set is missing the 14mm socket - one of the dumber things I've seen Craftsman do.. individually they run $8.50 for the 10 though 14mm sizes.. That will cover 95% of the things you need a swivel for on a 240-Z. The way Sears has them priced, you really don't save anything buying the 6 piece set anyway.. If you can afford Snap-On you'll always hate the price, but you'll never reqret the quality. FWIW Carl B.

You need a universal swivel, a 10" extension and the socket... as I recall. FWIW, Carl B.

Sorry mally002 - I thought you had the air injection tubes circled in Red in that picture. If your not staying stock - then I'd take the air injection tubes out as well. They stick down into the exhaust ports and restrict exhaust flow, plus you can eliminate the air pump - which most likely isn't working anyway. As for headers - to each his own. I don't like the additional heat and noise under the hood. You don't gain any measureable HP with them alone. Opening up the stock "y" pipe into a 2.5" or larger dia. exhaust system will yeild measureable HP however. I remember seeing the new Carbs/Air cleaners - but can't remember if they retain the air horns on the SU's. Do they? Removing the OEM Air Horns, without replacement will cause a loss of power. FWIW, Carl B.

Take the intake manifold and old carb's off first to get them out of the way. Soak the flair nuts on the air injection tubes, where they bolt into the exhaust manifold - down with Kroil Penetrating Oil (Aero Kroil). Spray them and let them set for a day.. spray them again and let them set for an hour or so, then spray them one final time before putting a wrench on the flair nuts. See: http://kanolabs.com/ I cut the tubes off about an inch above the flair nuts, so I can get a good box end wrench on the nuts to avoid rounding them off. The I put the box end wrench on the nut - and give the other end of the wrench a swift blow with a good brass hammer. A good brass hammer is a must have - if your working on 30+ year old cars. You can get them at Harbor Freight for around $25.00. Using the above method - I've removed about 15 air injection tube assemblies - without having to drill any of them out. If you aren't using "Kroil Oil" (Aero Kroil is the spray car version) - then all bets are off. You then get some brass pipe plugs (Allan head type), put a little pipe dope on the threads and screw them in the holes. FWIW, Carl B. BTW - if you have a gas tourch set - you can heat the flair nuts to break them loose. You just have to be careful not to melt them. This is best down with the exhaust manifold off the car.

Hi Fixitman: Where did you get "factory spec's" for the height of the top of the front and rear bumpers for a 260Z? So far - almost all of us have been using measurements taken at: 1. The center of the headlight - that is the headlight adjusting screw on the outside of the headlight nacelle. 2 The height of the front wheel arch - from the ground, measured though the center of the wheel. 3. The height of the rocker panel in front - measured from the bottom of the rocker (not the lip that sticks down), to the ground - at the cutouts that show where to place the jack. 4. The height of the rocker panel in the rear - measured from the bottom of the rocker (not the lip that sticks down), to the ground - at the cutouts that show where to place the jack. 5. The height of the rear wheel arch - from the ground, measured though the center of the wheel. The only measurement that I have found - given by the factory - is the distance from the bottom of the front frame rail to the ground - taken below the front frame rail where it meets the firewall. That is given as 6" in the FSM. So with the "bumper height" spec's you list - we have really no idea how that compares to all the previous measurements gathered. If you get a chance, can you take the 5 measurements above and report them? <img src=http://ZHome.com/FixitZMeasure.jpg> FWIW, Carl B.

I had a source in Japan, but now the Web Page seems to have either moved or is gone. The Calipers were Sumitomo MK 63's that Nissan sold though the old Datsun Competition Dept. and were for either ventilated or non-ventilated rotors. They are four piston calipers and Datsun Comp. also had different rear wheel cylinders that were used with them. FWIW, Carl

Are you stripping the entire undercarriage down to bare metal? With everything taken off the car? (suspension, fuel/brake lines, etc) Under what conditions, what road types, etc. do you plan to drive the car? Will you have the car on a rotisserie - in a place that you could spray anything you wish? Do you have a compressor and spray gun - or will you be forced to use spray cans? Without knowing all the above - it's hard to make a recommendation FWIW, Carl B.

The longer change interval is mostly if not entirely due to the HEI ignition and significantly wider plug gap's in modern cars. Also due to the use of computer controls metering out all but exact air/fuel ratio's for every combustion stroke using lead free fuels. Spark plugs rarely "wear out" or "burn up" in an L6 - normally they become carbon fouled. In which case all you need to do is clean them. Most people, not having a high quality spark plug cleaning machine - wind up simply replacing them. The el cheapo spark plug cleaners (aka Harbor Freight) are worthless. The A/C and Champion Spark Plug Cleaners from decades ago will make dirty/fouled plugs look and perform like new. Clean them up and run a file across the tip of the electrodes... and put them back in... FWIW, Carl B.

I'm not positive... I know that when you install an R200 in the 240Z body(which is all but the same as the early 260Z), you turn the differential mount around... The pictures that were posted in the other thread are of a 280Z with the R200 and it is turned the other way (from yours now). I'd say that the differential mount is correct in your car with the R180. Anyone have a stock 260Z to go check??? FWIW, Carl B.

Stephen: A 74 260Z FSM is one that I don't have. Looking at the Parts Catalog, it shows a Bar-Torsion Rear Stablizer from 08/73 to 08/74 55611-E8100 and 09/74 forward as 55611-N4701.

I'll just add this - but I think Joel's solution is better for most people. In the original article, or in follow on questions - I don't remember which - the person that did the fix to begin with - cut a couple of slots in the top bushings lip - one on each side of the mount. Then drilled a very small hole though the mount, in the grove where the "C" clip was - and slipped a safety wire though - I suppose you could use a very thin cotter pin as well. FWIW, Carl B.

OK - if we are talking about the Dealer manufactured part - added to dampen vibration into the body - then based on the pictures provided by twsutt in the other thread - Yes that damper is mounted backwards. I don't see a rubber part of the Dealer manufactured part, so I could be missing something here. I do see a rubber part on differential mount/insulator - in the pictures supplied by twsutt - But that is on a 75 280Z with the R200 rear end. The mount in question - if there is indeed a question about the differental mount - is on a 260 Z - that is based on the 240Z body with the R180. In that case, I'm not sure about the differential mount being reversed. Just want to make sure we are all on the same page at this point. I think I misunderstood the original question... Do you mean the stock bar is straight on a 280Z - or did you really mean it is straight on the 74 260Z? FWIW, Carl B.

Now that you have the Euro Stage I springs out - can you measure their free length, count the number of coils, and measure the diameter of the wire used in the coils? That would add greatly to our data related to these springs. As I recall, the springs had been painted, and the color codes lost - true/false? thanks, Carl B.

It seems to me, that if your anti-sway bar moves enough between its mounts, to hit the differential mount, then you need to replace the anti-sway bar mounts. Rather than provide more room for the anti-sway bar to move.. It's been a while since I messed with the differential mount in a 260Z, but as I recall you can't put the differential mount in backwards - if you do the bolts don't line up. FWIW, Carl B.

Some time ago - I read that the later ZX R180's were built somewhat like the R200's internally, and the 280ZX R180's had four rather than two spider gears. Strictly looking at the Parts Catalogs - the ZX R180's do seem to have additional parts over the Z R180's, and therefore do seem somewhat the same as the R200's. Anyone know anything about all this? Are there R180's that came with 4 spyder gears? (other than the LSD units). thanks, Carl B.

aka.... Torque-Thrust Terry... on E-Bay.

Hi Bonzi The highest VIN reported so far is HLS30 172767 with an 08/73 manufacturing date. The Classic Z Car Register on the Z Car Home Page includes only the cars that the owners have given permission to publish the data for and for which complete data has been submitted. I maintain a much larger list of VIN's/Engine Serial Numbers/Color/Owner/E-mail etc. that includes the cars from the Public Register as well as all the data that other owners wanted to keep private. The private list has just under 1000 HLS30's 69 to 73, and about 100 HS30's. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Ron: Thanks for the encouragement... I keep mine dry!! It only takes once to learn that lesson:finger: Right now I'm not driving the BRE Baja Z much - no one around here has any 110 octane racing fuel - all deliveries to this area have been held up because the tankers are all carrying fuel to the hurricane damaged area's first. I'm told that the next deliveries will be $9.98 per gallon as well... FWIW, Carl B.

I had a complete place setting for 12, plus serving dishes of fine china, sent from Japan - along with crystal stemware etc. They came in about five large boxes... and not one thing was broken. (of course good china is actually very strong stuff).. Of all the items I've had shipped to me, or that I have shipped over the years - very few are ever damaged in transport..... I guess that there is a certain statistical probability that some will arrive damaged or some will go missing... Might just be my bad luck it happened on three expensive and hard to find dashes.. I am holding a shipping tube right now - that was crushed and the items inside damaged - for FedEx... again left on the front porch.. which is usually fine, as I would rather have items left, than have to be here to sign for them. Nonetheless, I feel that the driver should leave a note about the damaged container... They NEVER DO... The shipping tube used was very high quality and very strong!! If you don't believe me, try bending one. These were photographic prints.. and crumpled so badly that it smeared the prints - so it was not just a matter of ironing out the wrinkles.. Replacements have already been sent (although held up coming out of California these past few days due to the storms - - should have them today or tomorrow)... and so far I have not been ask to return the damaged container nor goods.. So I'll just hold them for now.. Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you. FWIW, Carl B.

Good to hear some good news. I've been though that fence thing - and our neighborhood has been through the downed trees (although ours stayed upright). Also the loss of power for more than a few days. I put a back-up generator in after the last time - so we could run the whole house including both A/C units. With the water and high humidity - you have to have A/C to prevent mold/meldew growth.. not to mention just living through the heat and humidity of the season. The generator runs on natural or bottled gas - so we have both. They make sterile bladers that you put in a bath tub - and fill with clean tap water before the storm. That gives you several hundred gallons of reserve. It is amazing how much water you need every day.. Nonetheless, with the approach of any hurricane above Cat. 1 - we'd be out of here way head of everyone. I've been though major storms and I have seen what they can do.. All the measure I've taken, are only intended to let us live though the minor damage you'll see on the very outside fringe of a major storm... So far we have been very lucky here... Good luck with the fix up projects.. Carl B.

Finally found a few pictures from the "shipping damage". I had lots of pictures, and put them on a Web Page while working the claims with UPS, FedEx and Air Bourne. One NOS Dash was bubble wrapped and placed inside it's OEM Carton - than that carton was packed in another very strong box, with the shipper suggested 3 or 4 inches of packing peanuts on all sides. Two grown men could stand on any side of this outer box - without putting a dent in it. The first picture shows the OEM container - as it was found inside the white outer box. Crushed! When it was left on my front porch - the outer white box had obviously been crushed. I called the transport company (can't remember which it was for this one)... Told them about the package.. and they said to hold it there - and they would send an inspector out. Four or five days later he showed up, took pictures and gave me forms to fill out and mail in. That started the process.. and it was down hill from there.. Doug: I'm sure you know the process as it is supposed to be handled.. per the company guidelines or written policy etc. But I can assure you that none of this was that simple... and all of it was a complete hassle by corporate bureaucrats, trying to manage their numbers. (claims submitted vs claims paid/denied, total shipping loss for the quarter or whatever their performance was measured by.) NONE of them, at any company gave a damn if I was a satisfied customer or not. All of them treated the claim like it was a case of insurance fraud on my part) I filled out the initial claim forms completely and correctly - after that it went downhill with what I considered unreasonable demands for ever more and more documentation, paperwork submissions and claims that were somehow "lost", and the process restarted.. Also - two of the three cases - they did not recover the damaged item, nor containers. They simply told me to dispose of it. In all three cases I had clear pictures of the damaged items, the damage to the containers, along with the packing materials used - and I also put all that on a Web Page for them to see. (seems that I have since purged those pages from the server). I did find the pictures below as a copy still in my "Sent Mail" files. I may be able to find some of the other two.. I can assure you that something weighing several thousand pounds had to be sat on top of that box to crush the outer container, the inner container and the dash itself. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guys: There are a lot of "issues" with the insurance coverage on items shipped, and it depends on who or what shipping/insurance company you are dealing with. It would take several pages to outline the grief of the entire process, in all cases. 1. In two of the three cases - AIR - AirBourne/Fed-X it is the "shipper" that is insured, not the person receiving the shipment. (even though in most cases it is the receiver that pays for insurance) That means that whoever you purchased the item from, has to deal with the insurance forms and process. That means that once you have paid for an item, the seller has your money and really no great incentive to focus on recovering it from the insurance company, then returning it to you. This dash is a good example... there is only one... and if it gets damaged in shipment... you have to supply proof of damage on your end, hold the item for inspection, be there when THEY want to inspect it etc. Then you have to push the seller to do his part on his end... This may or may not be a problem, depending on the seller. 2. YOU have to provide PROOF of Purchase, prove that the item can not be repaired, supply an invoice for the replacement item if it can be replaced. ( I was very lucky that I had a friend at a Nissan Dealership's Parts Dept. that would send me an invoice for a new Dash - along with a letter from the Service Manager stating that there was no repair available for a dash - it was a replacement item only - most people are not going to be able to get that paperwork). All the document gathering and submission is on your time.. and they usually either reject the claim the first time, or return with more requirements for farther documentation. If it is a private seller of an unusual item, with what they consider an unusual price - then they require that the seller submit a notarized statement of value etc. Then you start dealing with a Claims Adjustor that offers to settle for less than the insured value - when you refuse to that - your claim goes into a black hole somewhere.. On the third dash - I arranged both pick-up and delivery - Thinking that I'd avoid the hassle of trying to get the seller to do all the paperwork on his end, if anything happened. So in this case I was both the shipper and receiver. I had UPS pick the item up and deliver it. I was not home when they delivered and came home to find a crushed box left on the front porch.. The insurance company they use, simply did not have a process set up to handle claims where the same party was both shipper and receiver - I went round and round with them... It was an $850.00 claim, and they have a automatic $100.00 deductible (that they don't make clear when you purchase the insurance - but that's another story)... Large retailers - have the funds or inventory to simply ship another item if your purchase is damaged and they deal with the insurance, or they self insure. It's the individual seller that sends a few things out - and has no cash reserve to return your money if something is damaged that presents the most risk to you. Can you refuse a shipment? Yes, if you are there when delivery is made, and if you can catch the driver before he runs for his truck. The problem then becomes recovering your payment from the seller, because now you have no proof of damage to the item, you have no item and the seller has your money, plus the seller has proof of delivery for the credit card company etc. Can you refuse a shipment? Yes - if you require a signature for delivery, leave a sign at your door that tells the shipper you will not accept delivery without a signature. Plus use only a credit card for payment. That way you only have to deal with your credit card company to get the charge reversed when delivery is not completed. But even then, if you refused delivery, or allowed it to be returned to the seller - they can/do charge large restocking fees. Like I said above - a lot depends on who you are dealing with. I'd say that in general - shipping insurance is a racket. Anything like a 35+ year old dash - I'd only buy if I could see it at the sellers location and pick it up myself - or have a knowledgeable friend pick it up personally. FWIW, Carl B.

Yes - you can be sure it will be less maintenance with the paint, although it's the outter lips that take the time.. Left to turn gray naturally, you have to keep them coated with a very light oil, and you have to keep them dry. It takes a special process, and specific primer to adhear to the mag...No one around here knew how to do that, nor what to use as the primer. So I just let them age.. Mine already had a sealing/coating on the inside of the mounting surfaces so I left that in place... without it, the mag's will leak down fairly quickly. FWIW, Carl

Hi Sean. Carl B.