Ed

I couldn't resist.

How's this:

Good to hear that everything worked out. I just spent this past weekend doing a little work on the Z my self. One of these tasks included installing another weatherstrip on my drivers door (my 3rd one). I installed the Precision weatherstrip, the one with the attached welting. Is this the one you used?

My pistons went about .020 above the block also. As far as I could tell it was all stock when I pulled it. F54 block. I have also been using the "Felpro" gasket going on 450 miles with 9.65:1 compression. I guess I've been lucky. Or those ARP head studs are working.

Hey Adam, I'm getting ready to attempt the same thing, installing a MSD 6AL, with a Blaster 2 coil. Did you have any problems with the tach? Did you use the diagram in the Tech Articles? Can you maybe provide a detail explanation of what you did? Thanks Ed

You hit the nail on the head. Very often do we see Zed's for sale. Some of these are suspect from the get go. The pictures speak for themselves. You have a car that looks to be in o.k. condition but then the undercarriage has a "fresh" coat of rattle-can undercoating. Just makes you think, Hmm, what's he hiding???? But if the car is cherry, well documented restoration, AND fresh undercoating that looks immaculate, well what do you think then? All good points so far.

Good Point Carl, And I hope people take this into consideration before undercoating with anything. I went back and forth trying to decide what to do. And like you said a painted undercarrage looks cleaner and doesn't hide anything. Personally I wouldn't buy a car with a bunch of undercoating. Like you said you don't know if the owner is trying to hide some kind of damage. The main reason I decided to go with the undercoating and not just paint is because I have no intention of ever selling my Z. And I hope my daughter doesn't either..

She looks as good as the day I put it on. No chips or any signs of dammage. To prep the surface follow the directions on the Herculiner can. Rough-up the surface with a Scotch-Brite pad. Then wipe clean with some ?????, I can't remember the name of the solvent. The same stuff we use to clean up the tar residue. Some one help. The can will tell you. HTH. Ed

I would suggest either getting the "Ztherapy" SU tune up video, or getting a manual. Something with some kind of instruction on how to rebuild or take your carbs appart. Like previously mentioned your needle might be binding or it could be that your piston is sticking, either way you need to dissassemble, clean and properly rebuild. $.02

O.k. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Is it my imagination or is this one THICK exhaust pipe? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1972-Datsun-240z-Parts-Car-Crate-Motor-Tranny-Much-More_W0QQitemZ8057405452QQcategoryZ6783QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I have used a long screwdriver (18") with good success. Stick the handle down and rotate it for a snug fit. The other end of the screwdriver sticks up far enough to have access to remove it later.

There is a "key" that prevents the pulley from spinning on the shaft. This key is a square piece of metal about 1/4" X 1/4" X 1 1/2". There is a groove in the crank and the pulley where this key sits. If you spun the pulley on the shaft there is a good chance one or both are dammaged. Remove all your belts pull the pulley and inspect. If you can replace the key and there is no play when you put the pulley back on then you got lucky. On the other hand (worse case scenario) you might need to replace the pulley and have the crankshaft repaired. Also you mentioned that your car overheated, not good. The head has a tendancy to warp when it overheats. After you repair your pulley and you get her running again keep an eye on how your car is running. If it starts to run rough, blows steam out of the exhaust pipe, or coolant will spill out of the overflow hose then you know you have problems. Good luck.

He didn't say anything about the release cable being broke. Just that it wouldn't move. Maybe all he needs is an assistant. One person to pull the cable and the other to jimmy, push, pull, or pry.

Did you insure the springs are properly seated in their cradle?

No, no sealant. The shim is in between the two gaskets, getting them alligned was a little tricky. I also torqued the head bolts to 60lbs. I don't know if this would work with the stock bolts. Before you make up your mind on what to do with gaskets, cc the head measure your piston cc's. Figure out exactly what compression you are looking at. Then decide on a head gasket. Different brands of head gaskets will alter that compression. Someone suggested to me a head gasket at NAPA that is a little thicker then the felpro one. But if I ever do blow a gasket I will probably spend the money and get a HKS 2mm gasket.

I'm running a F54/N42 combo. The heads cc'd at 45cc IIRC, did some mild porting myself with a dremmel (see my gallery). My compression is currently at 9.65:1, That is with two felpro head gaskets and a head saver shim also from felpro. No cam tower shims. I did use ARP head studs instead of the OEM head bolts. Not sure if it helps but I haven't had any problems. I am also using stock rings. She runs fine on 91 octane. I haven't really opened her up yet. I've only got about 300 miles since the rebuild.

Eric, To have the dash cap fit like a glove, after you glue it in place take your heat gun and carefully heat the edges. Using a flat screwdriver you can manipulate the plastic to conform to the underlying original dash. Don't overheat as it will cause it to shrink. And as Enrique has already pointed out, you twist the Hazard switch to remove the knob, then using a "fork" you unscrew the retaining ring.

Chris, Is this R-200 for your twin turbo project? If so you might consider a stronger diff. I don't frequent hybridz that often but I have read about guys blowing out the R-200 with the V-8 conversion. There is a different diff that they run, something like a R-270 or something. I'm not sure, but someone will correct me.

Look in your yellow pages under "metal finishing" or "plating".

O.K., I'll ask, why are you replacing the key with a push button?

http://www.zzxdatsun.com

Hey Matt, I'm sorry but I'm no FI guy. But it sounds like a fuel delivery problem. Maybe disconnect and reconnect all your fuel and electrical connections involved with the header process to double check that everything went back as it was supposed to. Hopefully a FI guy will give you some more constructive feedback. Good luck. Ed