AK260

Looks like Tapatalk duplicated my post!

Not sure about this fellow but I bought a 3D printed inspection lamp lense at a reasonable price off eBay and found it to have the 3D printing grain so rough that I had to send it back for a refund. Beware of the finish quality / resolution on some of these items. And have to say, I shudder when people print intake manifolds (a racer TVR buddy of mine recently did this) - I’ve not found the integrity of 3D printed materials to be as good as cast or injection moulding! One of my cycling buddies bought an expensive 3D printed bracket to fit his saddle for his rear camera / light / radar gizmo and had it snap as we were riding just 500 miles later - yet my cheapo Amazon Chinese aluminium one hasn’t failed in 4 years! Now imagine an intake manifold coming apart mid WOT action at 6k rpm!! :o

There was a big discussion on the UK site about some wheels not being tested for safety / rated. Not sure if that applies to these wheels but do they have the test marks on the inside? Would that even be a consideration in this case? Just good for thought.

It was fine on mine but I have a European ‘77 260z with different vinyl to the 240 so I can’t say it will be fine for yours. Best to measure the MLV you use (I.e. 5mm thick or 3mm) then use something of the same thickness like say cardboard and try to put your vinyl over it to see if it causes issues. If you don’t do the strut towers it’s bit the end of the world. I don’t carry a spare wheel, just a can of puff and a pump and use the space for things like spares, jump leads etc. So for me it did resonate but your point is valid. Also my spare used to fit so tight that I’m not sure it would fit now without delating it.

I used SilentCoat MLV with the silver backing. Watch yourself as the edges can get razor sharp. I didn’t go for the full coverage as some do as it’s overkill and adds too much weight. But, what I did find made a massive difference were: 1. Trans tunnel - fully covered. I feel a lot less heat coming off there now during and after a good blast. 2. Footwells - on those I went MLV where the original insulation would have been with 3mm self adhesive closed cell foam over the top 3. 1x piece Slap in the middle of the door skins and 3mm closed cell foam between door cards and doors. 4. The panels behind the seats 5. The rear boot deck area and wheel well act like a giant speaker so the flat bits got covered 70% and the wheel well about 50% - the wheel well may be worth fully covering for aesthetic reasons. Then overlaid with loose (not glued down) 25mm closed cell foam under the deck carpet. 6. Strut towers got MLV 7. Rear wings got a half or 3/4 piece each. 8. Oh and a couple of pieces of MLV on the fire wall - especially important on the exhaust side. BIG BIG difference when shutting doors or cruising. A lot less wind and road noise as the door skins etc don’t vibrate the same way anymore. Totally worth the little weight penalty. But certain areas like the strut towers and trans tunnel benefit from full coverage. It also helps the vinyl sit flatter. You need earphones to hear the difference but here’s a video I did for a friend: The panels without it rang like a bell. Trouble is, now I hear the transmission whining and all manner of other stuff I couldn’t hear before :p

To echo the above comments, I lost oil pressure completely during engine running in ride. I pulled over fast and I think a little poo came out too! The connector looked perfectly well connected - but I took it off and there was: 1) corrosion inside to clean out 2) play - It needed a little reshaping so that it held on more tightly. Never a problem with it since. But if both gauges are going nuts exactly at the same time, then you may have another electrical problem! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Two guys whom I know in the UK had their compression rods snap with a big BANG due to poly on both sides, so beware! This was not an isolated incident either. Fortunately both those guys were moving slowly and one of them had his go while going over a speed bump at an appropriate speed. Poly on both sides makes it too stiff under it’s normal operation on a public road without billiard table smooth surfaces! Imagine a paper clip being held in a vice and bent back and forth constantly - that’s basically what is happening. I bought the special kit from MSA to replace my poly ones with and not only did it sharpen the steering but it got rid of the wandering under braking where the toe angles were changing. https://www.thezstore.com/product/6551/tension-rod-tc-kit-70-887-zzx In summary - Always rubber at the rear side.

I used to get that. It was a number of things like the usual suspects - jubilee clips not tight enough, old cracked breather hoses etc. BUT, the one that REALLY eluded me was the tank fuel level sensor - it has two pins coming out of the back: one is ground and welded on, the other has a black plastic insulator. The metal around the insulator had rusted and there was the world’s tiniest weep coming from it! And I mean it looked like a tiny old damp oil mark. Once I replaced the sender, no more fuel smells of that magnitude ever again. But I do love opening the garage door and getting that smell of oil, fuel (evaporated from carbs) and vinyl mixed together - takes me back to being a kid in the 70s!!! Good luck buddy. EDIT: just realised you are using DCOEs - so all bets are off :D !! I’ve never had them but read many a post that speaks about them spitting back fuel through the intake etc.

I’m not sure that would help much in this situation as only plug 4 is consistently fouling, not others. Unless there is an ignition lead problem on 4 (which I seem to recall was eliminated with new leads or a swap with another OK lead?) then there is something other than electrical happening there. I am of course assuming Jalex is running a healthy distributor with a new cap and rotor + little to no play in the shaft. Glad you’ve found points to work well for you. They were shockingly bad at high revs on mine and the 280zx (12-80) distributor out gunned it on my L26 with better engine behaviours above 4.5k rpm and pushed keenly another 700 revs towards the red line. As for coils, I have to agree with you. I’ve had a number of different output coils and frankly, on the road, it’s impossible to tell the difference between a flamethrower and a stock coil - with my hairy butt dyno at least!

I asked as you suggested and got this: Adjusting the valve lash on an L28 engine involves several steps, and it's important to follow the manufacturer's specifications to ensure proper engine performance. Here is a general guide on how to adjust valve lash on an L28 engine: Start by removing the valve cover and locating the camshaft and rocker arms. The L28 engine has 12 rocker arms, six for the intake valves and six for the exhaust valves. Rotate the engine until the camshaft lobe for the valve you want to adjust is pointing upwards. You can use a wrench to turn the crankshaft bolt or use the starter motor to turn the engine. Using a feeler gauge, measure the gap between the rocker arm and the valve stem. The correct valve lash specification for the L28 engine is 0.010 inches (0.25mm) for the intake valves and 0.012 inches (0.30mm) for the exhaust valves. If the valve lash is not within the specified range, loosen the locknut on the rocker arm and adjust the clearance by turning the adjusting screw. Then, tighten the locknut to secure the adjustment. Repeat the process for all 12 valves, rotating the engine as needed to access each valve. Once all the valves have been adjusted, reinstall the valve cover and start the engine to verify proper operation and ensure there are no leaks. It's important to note that the L28 engine has a specific valve lash adjustment sequence that should be followed to ensure proper operation. It's recommended to refer to the manufacturer's service manual or consult with a qualified mechanic for specific instructions on adjusting the valve lash on an L28 engine. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

So I had to! I was bored on the loo and asked chatgpt to write me a poem about a 240z: The 240Z, a car that roars A legend of speed, forever adored With a sleek design and power to spare This car was made for those who dare Its engine purrs like a tiger in the night As it takes off with all its might The curves and lines, a beauty to behold Its spirit and soul, never to be sold On the open road, it's pure poetry A symphony of metal, speed, and glory Its timeless charm, a classic so rare A legend that still turns heads everywhere For those who love the thrill of the ride The 240Z will forever be a source of pride A car that's etched in history A symbol of speed, passion, and victory. Not bad eh!?

This is a gem of a thread!!! Sitting in what I thought was freezing UK at 1°c following with great interest! Great work buddy!!!

Totally agree with @hs30-h here!! I was initially wowed by it but then realised the SISO principle holds well when I started to research some of my other bad Japanese obsession / passion - namely Shotokan Karate. Long story short, like other AI that quickly became sexist / racist etc - it’s scanning for loudest most repeated voices and learning from it, building it’s own pattern biases in order to regurgitate and “enrich” with choice bits from other sources. Did you know that recruitment AI decided men were better to employ than women? Or that self driving AI was way more likely run over black women due to its learning bias introduced by observing white men? Or stranger still that it didn’t initially recognise pedestrians unless they were at a pedestrian crossing scenario? Scary new world we are about to live in! Having said all that, it’s still impressive capabilities in their embryonic state.

Thank you Steve! Much appreciated chap.

Hello from across the pond. Someone in the UK forum asked the question: is the 280z auto trans the same as one in the 240z? Given the years and myriad differences between the models I can’t imagine that to be the case. I can well imagine internal differences like ratios etc but what of physical dimensions? The 280z wasn’t for the UK market and we are “mostly” a manual loving nation - so the question may be better answered here with greater experience. Why am I asking? Pure curiosity and for the learning / building my own knowledge bank! Anyone replaced a 240z auto ‘box with a 280 one and has any thoughts /advice / or even a write up on this? I can’t seem to find anything on Google! It keeps pointing me to swapping out an auto for an MT. Thanks in advance and apologies if it’s a dumb question written with blurry eyes while having insomnia!

Hey fella! I’ve been off the Z scene and all things Z related for just over a year. Just had way too much going on and training for the 2022 Etape du Tour took all my free weekend time. Poor Z only did 70-80 miles last year. Great to be conversing with you and Z buddies again. Apologies to to OP for my non thread related post. The brakes are pretty simple so I’m certain you will find the issues before long.

OK I haven’t fully read up the thread but when I was installing mine, I was doing one in a hurry and spun my ratchet hand wrench quite fast - one of the nyloc nuts welded itself onto the shaft!!! It was a bit of a nightmare but at one point I needed to stop the shaft from spinning, so I cut a length of 17mm ID rubber hose (I think it was from the valve cover breather), cut an opening on its side so that it would slide onto the shaft of the damper. Then I gingerly put a mole wrench onto it and it gripped like hell!! You will damage the dampers (according to the instructions) if you use an impact wrench on the top nut. But not having read the full discussion I may be misunderstanding what you are trying to do. Good luck!!! Once you are past the issues, you WILL enjoy the way the car rides with the Konis!

If I had my time again on my L28 I would have ignored the sensible voices of the detractors and bought the Kameari roved pistons and max speeding rods to have an even faster revving engine ;) Having been in a friend’s 240 with that set up on an L28, I was surprised how the reduction in weight didn’t affect low speed drivability. It was very reminiscent of my old S2000. Something to consider if you can’t find cast flat tops.

That was exactly my first thought when I read the original post too!

AFAIK, this is the only new option available and will kill your motorway peace and traffic light racing but a total hoot any other time. Oh and mega expensive!! https://www.rhdjapan.com/kameari-r200-final-gear-set-type-2-4-875.html +1 on buying a 3.9 R200. Mine came from Arizona to the UK and before shipping it was on eBay for $200! I admit, that was 4 or 5 years ago.

Ps. They just popped up in my AliExpress notifications - looks like 13th gen is now available again. I bought the Vanssi brand on the recommendations of another UK Zclub member and I have to say, they have far exceeded my expectations and lasted well. I do a lot of night time Z driving in the summer after I get home from work, so they’ve had a decent workout. ￡23.34 34％ Off | VANSSI 13G 130W 40000LM H4 H7 H11 LED Car Headlight Bulbs High Power Style HB4 9006 9005 HB3 H1 H15 H16 H10 Fog Lamp 6k White https://a.aliexpress.com/_vDvX3P 40k lumens does seem excessive though, but take it with a pinch of salt - it depends on how they calculate it - it’s much like PMPO v RMS in the hifi world. It’s a case of divide by 4 to get each “beam’s” lumens and even then they probably measured brightness at 18v (or more) with some caveats to win the marketing arms race. The real output is around 3500-4000lm which is about the same as modern car HID (AKA Xenon) bulbs and what I experience on the road on my Z. But at that price it’s worth a punt, no?

FWIW, I had some cheapo (£38gbp) Vanssi branded LED H4 bulbs off AliExpress about 5-6 years ago. Never had to modify any wiring, they just plugged in and worked! Transformed my nighttime driving without causing undue dazzle to anyone. They will still take 1/3 of the juice required by halogens. You wouldn’t imagine it matters with LEDs but fresh wiring would make them even brighter - even though I’m still using 40+ year old wiring. I know this because my alternator gives 12.9 v at idle (Ati racing damper with half sized pulley) and at 1.1k rpm I get the full 14.x volts and the bulbs do get slightly brighter! I can’t find them on AliExpress anymore though so I can’t send you a link. The key thing to consider with those bulbs is that for a decent beam pattern, the orientation (you can spin the bit that houses the LEDs) is different to halogens. Low beam High beam Comparison to halogens Correct orientation

Thanks for the tag! Hey Dave - very lovely looking car and I suspect you are right about it being the youngest in the UK. Unless you’ve already done so and I missed it, pop over to the UK site too www.Zclub.net and let’s see if we can get you along to an event next year. Where in the country are you? I’m down in Surrey at Ict6 of the M25. Hope to meet you in person and see this beauty up close. Ps. Your side indicators are indeed on backwards as mentioned already :p

I got mine from MSA about 4 years ago

I cut the holes open into a V shape. the webbers are 65mm centres and the SUs are 72mm centres. For the post above I used tapatalk and uploaded on my phone - looking at it on the PC now, I had no idea the photos are that HUGE! Apologies guys.