Mark Maras

Happy Birthday "One of the Jims." Looks like the guests want cake.

I'd put in a new set of plugs and see what difference it makes. I've had plugs misfire at high RPMs that "looked" good. New engine may be running clean but it isn't sealed up quite yet. Also check the resistance in the plug wires and connections. If that makes no difference, I'd finish the tuneup. That will need to be done to eliminate the usual culprits.

What is your build date? If it came into existence June 1972 or after, it probably had flat top SUs. (according to info at Ztherapy) That may explain the previous mechanic's decision to change the carbs. Very few "orig" Zs that had flat tops still run them. BTW, it was a good decision depending on what you ended up with. I'm still curious. TZ's carb set-up above looks to be correct for pre-June 72s back to mid 71 and as complete as most people want them. You'll notice the balance tube between the carbs has a few plugs and unused bolt holes. Virtually everything that is missing is non critical and was emissions related. Those are, I believe, the ones the Cap'n are describing. Probably a bit more coolant plumbing than the early 4-screw carbs but good carbs none the less. If you're going back to SUs I (we) highly recommend getting the DVD "Just SUs" from Ztherapy. You'll never trust your carbs to a mechanic again and you'll have more knowledge about SUs than most "experts". Anyone want to correct or add any additional info?

Wouldn't the "local Datsun guy with a good rep" have noticed that and done SOMETHING about it at the time? Seems like it would have been obvious.

Hi Kira I'm curious what is wrong with your SUs? I'm assuming they're 3 screw, round tops or do you have something else on it? DGV Webers?

Glad you had someone look at it. Always good to get another opinion. Chas to the rescue. Great advice, Specs. AND homemade tools. Perfect.

I was replacing the bearings, so I used a hammer, assorted punches and other useful implements of destruction to remove them. Crude but effective.

The exploded view does make it look daunting but it's little more than sliding each pc. off the shaft, one at a time. The most important part of the process (the most difficult for me) is to maintain the orientation and order of the parts as you clean and inspect them. Keep it all straight and assembly is easy.

IMO, Your skills have gotten you this far and if you have the bucks for parts, you can tear the main shaft down. Organization, simple tools with a clean workspace. Lay everything in order and the same direction as you disassemble it. Clean and inspect it one part at a time (It's a good idea NOT to have help in this step) and remember to set each part down in the same order, exactly the way it was. It's a good learning experience and an accomplishment you'll be proud of. You'll likely never have to deal with it again.

Yup. What Zed Head said. That is an abused trans. It looks like someone tried to repeatedly stuff it into reverse with a bad clutch cyl. Even if I left the gears in it, I'd break it down (it's not difficult) and replace the synchro assys. and all new bearings. The chips and pcs. from the gear can do damage before they settle to the bottom. Also, the teeth on the synchros don't tell the whole story. The inside surface of the brass rings is a friction surface. It can show wear even when the teeth look OK.

Ah, the memories of that snap ring and the many snap ring pliers I broke. Small screwdrivers poked into the gaps you see (under or behind) will grant you a small victory while you regroup for your second assault on it.

Found one. I thought for a sec that you were going to get another cigar. The pic of the lobe with the "chip" in it. The next lobe over has an oiler hole.

Here in Portland, even in the early days of Zs, A used Z was about the same price as a new one. The plus side of buying a used one was you didn't have to wait for six months to take it home. Paid $3750.00 for my 71 in 73. Not too far off from the new car price.

All excellent descriptions. I was sinking to a lower levels with mine. I clicked on prohibited. That'll fix his wagon!

It's the eternal optimist in me. I just wanted to believe it. Probably will go for 4-5K if one of the bodies is good. Still not a bad deal. Having a parts car is like Manna from Heaven.

I hope a member or friend takes advantage of this one. C.L. Seattle. 75 and 76, car and parts car. Looks like more than enough there to finish one and sell what's left to finance the refresh. $999.00 takes it all.

Thanks John I haven't seen those types of taps and dies before. I can think of hundreds of times I could have used those tools. A good share of my time spent on a repair is dealing with broken fasteners, corroded threads, etc. These will speed things up.

Give the man a cigar. I hadn't considered the "Band-aid" theory. It's the one that makes the most sense. We screwed around with catch cans, pan baffles and windage trays on dragsters in the sixties. Even tried blocking it all off and sealing the crankcase. Oil started seeping out of any place it could. If the air being pushed and pulled up and down under pistons wasn't enough the added pressure from leakage past the rings all had to go somewhere and it did. The best catch cans were made from a windshield washer reservoir bottle. Slide in, slide out bracket made it easy to clean.

Now that the valves are adjusted. IMO it would be wise to use your friends borescope before the "Italian Tuneup". IF there is a broken ring the damage to the cylinder and piston is only going to get worse.

The crank bolt and washer DO hold the harmonic balancer to the end of the crankshaft. To prevent the h. balancer from turning independent of the crankshaft, they share a key. Here is how it is disassembled. Remove crankshaft bolt and washer. Remove six bolts, remove unwanted sheave (pulley). Reinstall the crank washer and the bolt, torque it to specs. The sheave (pulley) that you're removing has no effect on the crank bolt length.

I'd use a six point deep socket on the sheave bolts. They won't have much torque on them because of their size. Put the trans. in first, parking brake on. That should prevent the engine from turning while you're attacking the crank and the six bolts. 1/2" drive socket and a long breaker bar will ease loosening the crank bolt.

The crank washer and bolt don't hold the pulley (sheave) on. I found one in my parts and took a look at it. I don't think you're going to find a socket thin enough to get to the six bolts without removing the washer first. IMO, Remove the crank bolt and washer. At that point you can either remove the sheave(pulley) from the harmonic balancer while it's on the crank or remove the whole assy. and separate them on your workbench (Good time to clean it up and mark the timing mark(s) in a contrasting color).

If the idler bearing is OK use a stethoscope or a short piece of garden hose to one ear and listen to the AC clutch. When they start to go bad they can make a lot of noise.

What is piston soaking and what is it supposed to fix?

I get it now. You may want to look for a thin wall socket at Harbor Freight. I found one there a while back on another project. Had to buy a set of cheap sockets to get the one I wanted. At least the set was inexpensive. Removing the crank bolt isn't a hard as it may seem. I'd remove the crank bolt & washer, leave the harmonic balancer on the crank, remove the six bolts, Remove the unwanted sheave, replace the washer and bolt, torque to specs.