Mark Maras

I also use Sta-Bil. Never had a problem with it. Wish I could give an opinion on 360 product but I've never needed anything but plain old Sta-Bil. I think the PRO 15 you mentioned is POR 15. This is protective coating system that is applied to the inside of the fuel tank to prevent rust & corrosion. It's not a fuel additive. But if there is a fuel additive called PRO 15, the confusion is mine.

I too need the rubber under the fenders. My guess was about a 1/2" thick. I have looked at dbl. sticky weather strip a O'reillys that is about a 1/2" thick but my first thought was neoprene from a wet suit or maybe from a beer cozy cooler. Glad to hear about Armaflex.(thanks Chas) I'll try to find it here in the states. It sounds better than my ideas.

i would remove it but if keeping the tar mat is a goal, I'd go at the otherside with an ice pick & don't be gentle. They are a great tool for finding soft spots. If you don't remove the tar, you'll never know what is under there slowly eating away at your Z. You'll never determine the extent of the rust nor get rid of it all. You can remove the tar mat now or later.

Early 71. Mine has carpet with a rubber heel pad.

Welcome, Plenty of good info & advise here. Tell us more about your plans & progress.

I'd go with option 1 and re-torque all of them after a few hot cold cycles & then decide what the next step is based on what I found.

A great source for Su carbs, parts & knowledge is ZTherapy. Their DVD "Just SUs". will answer every question that you have. SUs are easy carbs to work on & understand. The inlet fuel fitting on the float bowl has a filter in it. When you pull the float chamber tops to verify the fuel level, the old gaskets will "Pringle" and be difficult or impossible to re-use, Be careful after pulling the suction chamber and piston. The jet needle is easily bent. Store it carefully. I set my pistons on the cowl with the jet needles down in the louvres.

A friend has a 73 Scarab. Beautifully done inside & out with a 327, Given my choice, I'd take one with an inline 6. The power of the 327 is impressive but it changes the whole feel of the car. I don't think the exra weight up front helps much either. He won't drive it in the rain anymore, He says it's too squirrely, Even in the dry, if you're going for WOT, the car had better be pointed straight. Seems to me that something has been taken away from the Scarab, maybe just good old driveability. I love my Z in all weather, even snow. (should have kept those tire chains Geoff) and it is by far the most fun car you can drive year round. There is a limit, deep snow.

Welcome to Zville, We're going to need more info about your ignition & fuel system to pin this down. The first thing to do to eliminate the obvious is a good tune-up including valve adj. & carb tune. The mechanical f. pump will supply enough fuel for SUs you should install a f. filter in front of the f. tank. 2 types of SU carbs. factory 74s had flat top carbs. (the suction chambers shoulders are 90 degree rather than rounded.) Most flat top SUs have been swapped for the earlier round tops. A description of the spark plug color & type. Does it have good spark to the plugs? Bubbles in the filter, tighten all clamps & fittings. I don't think that will affect the float level in the carbs unless it's excessive. My gut instinct tells me this is a fuel starvation issue. Check ALL f. filters & f. lines. I don't know if flat tops have a filter at the carb f. inlet but they do have a fuel level window. Keep us posted of your progress.

We've never met, better yet, you don't owe me anything. I'm proud of you. It takes a lot of guts to follow through & make amends. I suspect you've already found the value & reward in truth. It was a life changer for me too. I will be praying for your strength & well being as life here on Z-earth, continues. Should you want to share some of your discoveries about truth, PM me. I have a few myself.

Perfect, I had fun explaining it to my wife.

A possible solution may be magnetizing either the bolt or washer, I've used a 110v solenoid for magnetizing sockets, screwdrivers & wrenches. Pull the plunger out of the sol., insert STEEL object to be mag, turn on the power for a few seconds & turn it off, before removing the object. I've not tried this with a loose object, needlenose pliars would be my choice. Hope it helps

I haven't had the opportunity to look at 280 calipers but my !st gen has twin piston calipers. I remember it well, One of the dumbest things I ever did. After blowing out the first piston with compressed air I foolishly stuck my hand into the caliper to block the air escaping from the open cylinder & blew the 2nd piston into the back of my hand. Z brake project was put on hold till I could use that hand again. As my son says, every bad decision started with " It seemed like a good idea at the time." Did Datsun really use sgl. piston calipers later on?

It was my understanding that the late 73s & the 74s were close to 2600 lbs, in part, because Datsun increased the sheet metal thickness at that time. Comparing my 71(Ist Gen) & my 74, even if the sheet metal was the same, there is a couple of hundred lbs. of changes including the bumpers. I'll bet Carl could lend some insight to this.

I had better access to the choke lever assembly by removing the console first. A couple of the plastic screw bosses were broken. Epoxied them back in place, lubed the cables, choke lever assembly & carbs. It works fine for now but I'm sure I will have to beef up the mounting point for a permanent fix. I suspect if everything was periodically lubed there would be little problem with the inferior design.

Welcome, You've found the right place for help & info. Tell us more about your 77, positive & negative aspects. I must admit I'm already envious that you inherited a Z. Most of us have to look at a few rust buckets before we can find one worth saving. Congratulations

Don't know if this relates but a month or so ago there was a lot of discussion about a rubber disc between the mc & booster rod that tends to fall down in the booster. & forgotten. Without it the pedal has a lot of travel. Possible that the mc piston doesn't have enough stroke to bleed the air out because the stroke is too short?

I agree with Mike, Frame drainage holes seem to be better at allowing water in than out, Upon opening up my rails for a look see, aside from rthe rust I was surprised to find the insides were still wet with Northwest liquid sunshine. Car had been garaged or under cover for more than six months. Theoretically, more holes will weaken the rail but flaring the holes may compensate & strengthen the rails back to near original specs. I haven't decided whether to try & totally seal the rails or add flaired holes, Either way I'm leaving doors to access the rails from the inside.

I seem to recall that part being the gizmo that holds the jack in place. Maybe

I agree with Zed. Another option may be Heli-Coils if the existing threads are suspect.

That made me remember "American Woman" Guess Who.

Maybe there is something to that 401 Z plan after all.

There must be a difference between the two bell housings where the s-cyl. attaches. Two possible suggestions swap bell housings, if there is a difference between them or a block spacer under the cyl.

Broken bolts- Yesterday I discovered something new, at least to me. Previously I had broken off several of the fender bolts. I had soaked the bolts in tranny fluid & acetone previously & used heat but to no avail. Last night I grabbed what was left of the bolt with vise-grips but it was still stuck. I heated it again & then put an icecube on the bolt stub until the ice stopped melting, grabbed the end with a pair of pliers & it came out without a fuss. Tried another one & had the same result. Tonight I'm going to try the same procedure with the unbroken bolts on the other fender, I'll let everyone know if it's successful.

The round vacuum devise is the dashpot (old term). When backing off the throttle, it momentarily prevents the throttle linkage from closing all the way to idle, A lot of Z owners just remove it. Non essential. You have the domed carbs because a PO did you a favor. The FSM for 1970,1971 should be the one to use but ZTherapy's SU DVD contains ALL the info you will need to fully understand the carbs. Believe me, SUS are not complex at all.