Ed

I would have two Zed's, they would both look identical from the outside (twins). One would be completely stock. The other would be a V8 monster, well balanced, roll cage, NOS, etc.. The fun would be having people wonder, "which one is he driving today"?

I need a drivers side door for a 73. I only need the shell but will take all. Must be in good to excellent condition (no rust).

So, bearing clearances has nothing to do with what type of oil to use? That's the message I'm getting. Seems like personal preferance and weather conditions is the deciding factor. I always thought that the older the engine the thicker the oil.

Fortunately for me my job lets me drive FAST (performance driving instructor). Going sideways at 60 mph is how I spend my day! Not in my Z, No Way:finger: Ford Crown Vic's get the abuse. What makes me drive crazy in my Z is people hoggin' the fast lane on the freeway, thinking that "I'm doing the speed limit, that little car is just going way too fast". I'd like to take them for a ride:angry: Move the F*%@ over!

How do you decide what viscosity of oil to use? I'm talking about 10-30 vs 20-50. We know that new engines have closer tolerances in the bearings requiring thinner oil ie.. 5-30 or 10-30. But at what point would you use a thicker oil, 0.001-0.002 or more? Lets assume we are operating at moderate temperatures and driving around town.

So how do you know what viscosity to use on an engine ie.. 10-30 vs 20-50? Does a new engine require thinner oil because of the closer tolerances in the bearings? And at what point would you have to go to a thicker oil (0.001-0.002 or more)? I know I've opened a can of worms here but lets just assume that were talking about moderate operating temps.

Is that 1/8 mile sprint car, open wheel? Those boys are nuts! Don't they have some kind of leash for there arms so that incase of a crash your arm doesn't go flying off.

I've never been able to get a liking for the left, left, left, left, kind of track. When these boys do use a road coarse things sure get interesting.

Though the points are a good concept at moderate RPM's they tend to "bounce" at highter RPM's usually around 5000-5200. What they actually do is they can't keep up with the RPM's and stay open. I 'm sure someone has a better description.

Check your ignition timing. Sounds like it might be off a bit. Also check the condition of your points. It might be time for a tune-up.

Maybe your points are bouncing?

Sean, I'm in the same boat. I too have an 81' L28 on an engine stand in the garage. I put new bearings in it this weekend. You have alot of questions I'll help you with what I've done so far. Stock rods should be O.K. make sure you use new bearings, check the clearance make sure they are still within specs. You should already have the flattop pistons as that is what the 81 has. Unless you got the turbo. ARP bolts are really a plus use them where ever you can. Unless you plan on using racing fuel I would suggest keeping the compression at about 10.5:1 maybe the N42 head with the flat tops. Some mild porting to remove cast flashing. And a mild cam. If it doesn't meet your expectations in the end atleast you have a good foundation to give it a little NO2!!!

How did it do on the ride back?

I picked up a working antenna out of a 260 at the junk yard for 5 bucks. Unfortunately I had to hold out for about 2 years until I found one.

Are you sure you want to put the original tire's on there? (skinny little buggers) The car looks SOO much better with some meat holding it on the ground.

I too replaced my dipstick for one that fit better. And noticed the same problem. What I ended up doing was doing a complete oil changed (5 qts. of oil & filter) ran it for about 5 minutes then let it sit for about 5 minutes. Pulled the dipstick and made notice of where the oil level was on the dip stick. The oil mark on the dipstick was off (checkermark) but I made a mental note of where the correct oil level is. I'm sure this isn't the best way but it does let me know how my oil situation is. I wish there was a way to move the rubber stopper to correct the dipstick.

I got one of those POR-15 kits with Marine Clean, Metal Ready and POR-15 for a little project under the hood cowling. Anyway, I get ready to use the Marine Clean, I dilute it with some warm water about 5:1 and start washing away. That stuff is strong! Not only did it degrease the car but it also removed the natural oils in my skin! It dried up my hands something wicked! I thought my hands were going to crack into little pieces and fall off. It ended up drying a layer of skin right off my hands. Morale of the story is be careful with this stuff! Use gloves. I learned the hard way. :stupid:

I have a 73 and I'm looking to replace the sticker on the center console by the choke indicator light. It is silver and about 1" square with the word "CHOKE" on it. Does anyone know where I can get one?

I have a MSA 6-1 header and it leaks too. What kind do you have ? At first it didn't leak but after a while the "special" gasket started to develope pin holes. I called them on this and they sent me another "special" gasket. The first one looks kind of like paper. The new one is more of a composite type material. I haven't put it in yet. I have been doing some homework on the subject because I don't want to have to replace it again. Check the flange thickness on your intake manifold, is it the same as the exhaust manifold? If not you will need to modify the washers in order to put the same amount of pressure on both manifolds. When you had your header manifold off did you check for smoothness on the face? Sometimes there is some weld spots that portrude. Another thing is to check the manifold face for straightness, use a straight edge. I have heard of other guys using the stock exhaust gasket (the one with the metal center) with good results. You can also try a copper based high temp silicone to help the seal. Hope that helps.

I'm moving to Niagara Falls soon. Maybe we can start one in the Buffalo area.

I went to the Motorsports Z show in California. As I was cruizing around, drooling over other Z's I saw a group of people getting together and holding a big ol banner for a foto. The banner said "240Z.ORG". Been here ever since. It's a great place to be.

I used an 81' five speed. Used the same shifter out of my 73' and had no problems at all. Oh yea, my car is a 73'

Well, if I had to do it all again I would start by doing my home work, hold out for a rust free California or Arizona car that was in great shape and free of rust, spend about 3-4K on the initial purchase on an already reliable car and modify after that as needed. Wait, I've already done that. :classic: Oh, yea!!!!!! When it comes to the wife, I usually tell her "hey, we're spending 400 dollars a month on your car so,... I'm going to spend the same on "maintaining" the Zed! (I usually get no argument).

So, if you use an L28 with flat top pistons, modified head (N42 or E88, ported intake & polished exhaust), Carbed, with a mild cam for street drivability, headers & exhaust. What kind of horse power can you expect?

Definately check the timing. An engine that won't rev over 2800 has to have something really out of whack.