sblake01

A little off topic trivia: BAP-GEON=British Auto Parts-GEorge Owen Automotive as explained to me by a friend of mine that worked at the one in West Covina, CA a few years ago. But back to the original question, would MSA or VB have the info you seek?

I do remember FAR Performance. The carbs I ran were not stock carbs, per se. As far as the flat tops I used, the 'tinkering' I mentioned made them work much better but also made it tougher for them to pass the emission test. Remember the 'Hamilton Stations?' Anyway, a couple of friends of mine, Paul Corbin, rest his soul, and Elvan Meneses, who sill runs Z car Specality in Upland, and I approached them similarly to how you would approach blueprinting a Holley, or a Rochester carb. As I recall, it involved some drilling, machining, closing off things, etc. This was in the late 70s-early 80s. No one really has much interest in them today so there isn't much being done with them. In their stock form, I would have to agree with the general consesus.

Statements like that are what keep the general opinion of flat tops where it is. Not wanting to start that argument up all over again, I just want to say that I have had success with them on two different cars and know of others who have also had success with them. There isn't much difference between the US and other versions. I have been told (I believe by Bruce Palmer in another thread) that the flat tops I had on my 510 were Datsun Comp. flat tops. They weren't. They came from a 73 240Z. After a rebuild and a little tinkering, they worked fine for me. I also had them on my 73 620, those were from a 260Z. Again, no problems. Don't believe everything you hear, no matter how many times you hear it. Just my experience and my $.02.

After we get settled in the new house next week, I'll scan a factory sales brochure that lists the standard and optional equipment and attach it here.

Actually, the waters haven't churned in a month. Let it go.

I believe that the Z22S would have been the carbureated version that was in the pickups in the early eighties. I don't think we got the Z22E here. The only NAPS Z engines I reacall here are the Z20S, the Z22S, and the Z24S. I don't remember ever seing that engine in the fuel injected (E) form. Someone correct me if I'm mistaken. (Like they wouldn't?) :classic:

My 78 also has the original vinyl.

Okay, okay! I'm:stupid:. I got '74 260Z' stuck in my head when I read the first post and reacted to that. But in the picture it's obviously a 280.

Welcome, Rob. Sweet looking 260. And a 'late' 260 it is. What's you build date? In my research (looking at identification tags in the junkyards) I have found that even though 1974 was listed as the only year for the 260z here in the US, some of them were actually built late enough to be registered as a 75. I am one the apparently small group that doesn't mind the late, larger bumpers. I just feel that it fits the era and is part of what makes the later S30's...well, the later S30's. And they also define the final evolution of this great car that has brought us all together here.

Glad you fixed it! Actually you can probe the fuses for continuity with your digital VOM while they're still in the fusebox. One of the ones I have is a little cheapo from Radio Shack but what makes it perfect for that job is that it emits and audible 'beep' when there is continuity.

That's it for me tonignt! I'm going to bed.

New cars also use MAFS not AFM's. And a lot of other newer technology. I would rather run my nearly thirty year old fuel injected cars with the technology they were built with, rather than tinker with things in the attempt to find something better. That's just me. You do what you want. Expert? Not by any means but I can keep my cars running. I really dont think you'll gather much information here. There has been threads on using a MAFS instead of an AFM but that would require an entirely different type of engine management than you or I presently have in our cars. I'm happy with mine the way it is. You would seem not to be. Try it. Let us know how it comes out. I really can't see you gaining anything by just moving the air temp sensor but if you did eliminate the one in the AFM you would probably need a different type of sensor to put it in the plenum and a different type of system to know what to do with the information it senses.

Because it works where it is?

On my 78, that light indicates that either the emergency brake is on or the brake fluid level is low. A 73, if I reacall doesn't have the sensors in the caps for the brake fluid level. Are you sure he was driving? Maybe he was just warming up the car and still had the emergency brake on during that 30 sec period.

My first car was a 1958 Rambler American. Also $50. I replaced the head gasket on that thing by myself in about an hour and a half! It was a flathead 6. But, I did do my share of walking when I had that car. I can honestly say that my 280Z has never stranded me, except for when someone stole it and that wasn't it's fault. I doubt if I have a total of $2500 in it but that just shows how the value has incresed for those cars in that last 8 years or so plus I did a lot of the work myself. If your potential Z has been cared for like it sounds, it should already be reliable. As it has been stated before, try to find someone knowlegeable of these cars and have him (or her) help you check it out before you buy it.

Does anyone remember the original 'Dash Riprock?' I don't mean the band (of 'Let's Go Smoke Some Dope' fame) but the character on the 60s show 'The Beverly Hillbillies?' He was one of Ellie Mae's boyfriends and I think he was played by Larry Pennell who was kind of a bit part type actor that seemed to pop up everywhere.

The 280 was still rated at GHP. My tag says 170 hp. If that were net then wouldn't the gross be even higher? I believe the net ratings began in 79 with the ZX, at least here in the US.

Carl makes a very valid point. I'm looking at it from my prespective. I will soon be 55 years old. I have tinkered with cars since I was about 14. I was my older brother's helper. I don't claim to know everything about these cars. It's an ongoing learning experience. I do know enough to keep them running. And I have advisors, this list included.

I understood why Chris made the statement to me. I reacted to part of the story without reading through the whole thing. I'm okay with that. Had I read the whole thread, I never would have made the statement that lead to Carl's response (#121) But there is a lot of opinion and speculation here and I don't really have anything else to add since I've read the same info that everyone else has. Everyone has their own take on it. Now, how much for the 69 Fairlady?

To say that Z's aren't very reliable would depend on a lot of things. The eariler carbureated cars as e racer1999 mentions I can't really address since it's been over 30 years since I've owned one. My recollection of my 70 and 72 is that they were both reliable but they were both new. You are talking about fuel injected Z which is similar to the 78 that I have owned for the last 8 years. It spent roughly the first four years as my daily driver until it got stolen. I did get it back, repaired the theft damage and stopped using it as a daily driver at that point. As a daily driver, the only problems I encountered during that span was a water pump failure and a blown tire. A water pump could go out in four years on any car and the blown tire was my fault for waiting a little too long to by new tires. I drove the car from Upland, Ca. to Whittier, Ca. five days a week, a 75 mile round trip. I presently use my 810 as a daily driver. The 810 is esentially a sedan with a 280Z drive train. Again, in two+ years no real problems other than a leaking oil pressure sending unit and a bad fan clutch. Both easy to replace and not too costly. Both cars were in good running condition when I bought them. That is the important thing when you're looking for a potential daily driver.

That uses the same reasoning a Tomohawk's dragster/Corvette thread. I assume we are comparing gross hp to gross hp as stated by the factory. These are just numbers that can be used for general comparison. I doubt that 30+ years later that a real-world comparison could be done. 'Lies, damn lies, and statistics' as the old saying goes.

Yeah, I know that now :stupid:

Seems like a very ambitious project! At $5K for the head and $3K for the custom port work etc. and still having to work out the intake/exhaust, wouldn't an RB be cheaper? EDIT: Okay, I guess the $3K was for porting a standard head, but still......

I'd be very careful about scrubbing that 30+ year old headliner. It is for that very reason that I no longer have the original one in my 810 and am still in search of an upolstery shop that has a similar material and the skills to properly install it!

Looks like you missed the opportunity to go for the 243mm (2+2/Turbo) assembly. But at least your ratchet died a hero!