AK260

Mine used to wobble as the shafts do get worn - you can see it in the video below. But it never - as far as I am aware - interfered or made grinding noises. Try to do what I did with mine in the video and see if you have more movement than I did. (And that was my old engine where the PO went wild with the blue paint!!) [emoji849]

Good questions! My 280zx dizzy was flawless - the main reasons for changing were 1. my tuner told me the shaft wobble (albeit small) would reduce timing accuracy further up the revs, 2. I wanted to customise timing to match my modified engine’s characteristics (I was paranoid about knock and pinking) 3. Having a very rev happy engine, I wanted to add a rev limiter to protect against a potential sticky throttle / linkage blowing the engine up mid gear change. Oh and I love the immobiliser function that works from my phone. I liked the relatively plug and play nature versus crank triggered etc options and the “classic” look of a distributor. I probably would buy it again even with it’s rough edges but the other options mentioned above are definitely worth considering. I’ve been very occupied with playing with the mix and custom timing at specific revs to reduce the two giant torque holes I get at around 2.2k and 3.5k rpms. So I haven’t had a chance to get the vacuum gauge out to properly set up the vac advance. I don’t fully trust the dials on the app as their rates of responsiveness isn’t consistent - I suspect the Bluetooth connection has a lot to do with it. For that reason I don’t have a map curve I’m happy sharing but at the moment I’m playing safe and only really adding proper advance at motorway / cruising vac. This is nowhere near optimised yet .... Oh and for giggles, here’s the curve my engine is happiest with, she really doesn’t like too much timing too early ... This makes the torque holes feel more like flat spots. I fear I may have taken the thread slightly off topic ;)

So, I have an original 280zx dizzy with 12-80 matchbox that has been flawless in 10k miles of my ownership, I spent £180 on a reman one from RockAuto as mine had a slightly worn shaft - but it turned out to be just like my other one. So I bought the 123 ignition. I’m mostly happy with 123 but as it’s been said above, mechanical items can fail be they new or not. Here is my thread which I update with experiences as and when I come across stuff and I hope it’s a balanced and factual presentation of living with one on an L6. https://zclub.net/community/index.php?threads/123-ignition-for-datsun-l6-on-my-l28.25467/ So far it’s been good since the initial issues with the cap and it’s worked well. It has some nice features. On balance it has grown on me. I find at the very top (5-7krpm) is where the biggest gains are over the 280zx item I replaced. Having the ability to customise the curve and switch between curves based on available fuel has been beneficial for my modified engine. There is no such thing as a 100% reliable classic car (or even modern ones). For that reason my spare wheel well has things like spare cap/rotor, spare distributor, coil, fan belt, HT leads, plugs etc.

That’s awesome work and saved in PDF for when I next need to do mine - I have the same issues with unlocking!! Thanks for sharing [emoji106][emoji106] On a slightly different note - I urge everyone to check their keys for this weak spot. A few years ago I was 150 miles from home and as I locked the car at night the key turned to chocolate!!! Thankfully the boot was still unlocked. The remains were easily pulled out of the lock with two small watch screw drivers though - but please check your keys!! And here are pics of my spare key at the time and another member’s key who was at the same event!!! Sorry if I’ve gone off topic a little.

I totally got the dark joke! I was tempted to say that the ammeter shows the balance of The Force - but that would have been truly a dad joke! Nice description Mr Obvious! Slightly off topic - I still get post numbers using Tapatalk [emoji848]

Or should that be an ammeter!? :p Sorry - pedant mode off now!

From what I gather there are adjustments on the back of all the gauges - ducks for cover as he awaits being corrected, without mercy or compassion! I will be messing with the Rev counter soon as it’s about 10% optimistic across the range. The 123 ignition while cruising tells me this; and I’m more inclined to believe it than a 40+ year old analogue gauge. Back on topic, I was quite surprised to find that what I considered very small variations in standing voltage at room temperature show a dramatic difference in the state of charge / the health of the battery. The AGM battery used in my Audi with stop/start, I always felt was no longer at it’s best and you can watch the voltage drop quite quickly as you stop at the lights - yet it does start the car on the coldest of winter days. With the engine off she holds 12.3-12.2v, which to me says for the stop/star to work as intended, she needs replacing- see chart below. So my advice is disconnect the battery, check voltage when not cold or hot as well as checking the calibration of your gauge. My Z gauge shows a standing voltage of 12.5ish - but then again the battery is two years old, is disconnected ( using the battery isolator) every time the car is not in use and lives in a heated garage.

Well it depends on what you want from your car - at the end of the day it’s YOUR car!! I vexed about this one for some time then slapped myself and went back to reality where I painfully gutted it and replaced the internals such that every switch and button works but with modern internals. The fact is, I don’t run original tyres, brake pads / discs, I have non-flat top carbs, non-original colour / wheels, non factory exhaust, non-stock alternator or distributor, H4 headlamps, poly bushing, stainless steel bumpers, unleaded fuel ... and the list goes on. But what I do want from my car is to drive the way I enjoy driving it, to be what I demand of it and for the stereo to function properly. That means picking up radio stations I actually want to hear, connecting to my iPhone and playing my music, acting as a hands free kit when I get a call and having enough power to be heard over that glorious straight six warble and entertain me when on the motorway while sitting at 70 in 5th being bored. On the last trip to Silverstone 50th I sat in traffic for well over 3 hours not moving very quickly and participated in a conference call for two hours + some classic period correct 70’s disco [emoji41] for the rest of the time - until we hit the decent roads and turned it all off to enjoy the real soundtrack. As an old school electronic engineer, it pained me greatly to to destroy the beautifully crafted interior of that radio but what I wanted was a fully functional, decent sounding piece of kit that is more than nostalgia in function yet looks totally original when not in use. However if I had a concourse, fully stock Z, then I’d keep everything original any day.

The PO of my car spent 7 years doing a ground up rust restoration but then driver her for only 800 miles on 2 years after just to take her to shows etc! [emoji15] The brakes were pretty seized, the engine was way out of tune and everything needed a good thrash to get back to health. Mix, ignition and timing are everything. It’s great your compression numbers are good. Sorting the other stuff above out is pretty simple. You’d be surprised the difference a new coil, dizzy cap and rotor, HT leads and plugs evenly gapped can make to your car’s running. Points correctly gapped also if that’s what you have in the dizzy. Sort out ignition and timing first (set timing at 32 degrees at 3k rpm. Then it should fall back to 17ish at idle (without the vacuum advance connected. The carbs are relatively simple to sort out so that the car runs better while you wait. This should help ... Get some brake disc cleaner or throttle body cleaner. Take off the domes and give the pistons, domes and the body of the carb a decent clean first. Take care to not mix up the front and rear domes and pistons; they wear together. Buy a decent air flow meter such as this ... https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F192596389772 Disconnect the choke cables form the carbs. Using the nut at the bottom of the carb, Wind the jets all the way up and as a rule of thumb wind them back down 2.5 turns. I use a digital calliper to ensure the jets are at the same height, each full turn is 1mm down .... Put the pistons domes and springs back on. Use SU official oil in the dampers ... https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F143244885465 Completely undo the balance screws and use the idle adjustment screws to sort out an even airflow at idle. I find the easiest way is to undo them completely so the bitterly is shut and with your finger in the carb mouth feel for any movement as you wind the screw down. Stop 1/4 turn just after you feel the tiniest movement. Then start the engine and keep adjusting the idle screws each, watching the airflow meter until you get an idle without stall. Then wind down the balance screw until moving the throttle linkage makes both carbs move together. Then set the fast idle screw to get say 1200 / 1500 rpm and adjust the balance screw until both carbs are sucking equally. That should sort the air flow and roughly the mix so the car is running better. Ideally you would want to check the float bowls have the same fuel levels before adjusting the mix but that will take a little longer and is quite involved. You will likely need to check that with your Z Therapy carbs too as they can become unbalanced due to vibrations during transport. The above should give you 85- 90% well setup carbs for OK running. Now for some “apres ski” and sauna. Apparently swimwear is not allowed in mixed saunas in Austria!!!!! [emoji33][emoji33][emoji33][emoji33][emoji33][emoji15][emoji15][emoji15] I will have to be that frowned upon prudish Brit with a towel on! [emoji4]

As I sit in bed with insomnia in the Austrian Alps salivating about the dump of snow we’ll be riding tomorrow, I feel there is something very wrong with me. I’m sat here thinking about exhausts! Is this an affliction? Is this a disease? Is it normal!? Do I need to seek medical advice? Anyhoo one thought is that the Race/Sport header is materially larger than the MSA or stock manifold, filling that side of the engine bay up a bit more and putting out a fair bit of heat with it. So for those driving left hookers, the fit must be pretty tight with steering / braking components also being present there. How do you keep the heat away from your vital to safety components e.g. steering coupler and brake booster without hefty heat shielding !? Long though short, I would imagine ceramic coating with whatever header is going to pay huge dividends. Right then, back to salivating ...

Such a lovely looking car!! The z-therapy SUs are one of the best things I ever bought for the Z. They made a HUGE difference and worth the wait / cost.

Oh I so agree! Sadly I’ve had to cover up the S/S with a diy aluminium heat shield going as I have a very hot engine bay and really don’t like the idea of fuel above hot manifold. As it happens I now get condensation on the carb domes after a spirited drive and they feel “fridge cold” to the touch as opposed to the old hot feel. Also a lot less fuel vaporisation issues idling in traffic on hot days.

Looking forward to seeing / hearing that Fuji system on yours when you finish your car, in 2032! [emoji12]

No sir, that is the Race/Sport in her birthday suit. A thing of beauty. The MSA header in the same pic is ceramic coated (at a vast expense by my local place in the UK). The coating was mainly to reduce engine bay temps. I believe if you want to do that and have it work properly, you need the insides done too.

Not wishing to divert the thread, what issues have you found with MSA (but if you don’t wish to post publicly then I totally understand). Except for the annoyance e of having to wait for a postage quote, I’ve only had positive experiences to date. Back on the thread topic: what’s been bad about the MSA header? I had one before going over to the Z/story one and I thought it was pretty good for power and the low to mid range on the L28 and good all round on my old L26. The sound was also nice with a 2.5” pipe back to a turbo muffler but that setup did drone on the motorway. Having said that I found it was leaking on the L28 ... I’m not defending MSA - just curious as to other experiences. Also this is a photo I do like sharing: Race/Sport header meets MSA ...

Brilliant!! [emoji1787] That is pure Essex!!! For those not familiar with the concept of Essex etiquette, this is an abridged crash course ... (I am told the Canadian equivalent is Windsor CA? Although Windsor UK is truly lovely!) And continuing the cultural educational exchange programme: Chav is a derogatory UK word which approximate to the North American “white trash”. Some believe it stands for Council House And Vulgar, but the most likely origin is a category a highest Cheltenham collage came up with to label the undesirables in the most subtle English ways by calling them CHeltenham AVerage!

Oh do behave, Rolls Royce any day! The Bentley would be considered too vulgar! :p

If you have anymore, I’d be interested too! ;)

Is your man able to take off the roof and sell it to someone here in the UK who just bought a car and has found a less than great sunroof repair?

Jolly good then and bully for you old bean. My work here is done! ;)

Well I like all of Canada it’s an utterly beautiful place with some of the loveliest people on the planet! My challenge is if I move that way I need to be near NY and GMT. Oh and I may have to bring an RHD 260z onto the continent - too much blood tears and sweat invested to part company!

Just to be controversial, having dealt with Canadians a lot on business trips and having a half Canadian wife, I bloody love the place, it’s culture and the people! I have yet to meet a Canadian I dislike! Even the cabinet is made up of people who know their stuff and are progressive thinkers. By contrast our cabinet in the UK is made up of some seriously Dickensian characters. If a hard Brexit does happen, it’s the one place in the world I would be moving to. Probably Toronto - go Blue Jays!!! [emoji106][emoji106]

I did and ended up in Kansas!! [emoji15]

You beat me to it [emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]

Good advice chap! Thank you, will have to try it. [emoji106]