Zs-ondabrain

His Z has points, aftermarket plug wires and I did'nt check the plug brand while I was there working on his headlights. His choke cables are missing the cable clamp so they engage fine but may not dissengage as easy. It's my guess that the carbs need a good going thru. If I get a chance this week, I'll head out his way and check the carb oil, needles, his fuel filter and timing. Roughly, he's a teenager who's siked about getting his Z on the road and may be in a bit of a hurry to put in the time and patience that his Z needs. Wednesday I have 4 harness's to make, Thanksgiving is thursday, Friday is the day of Digestion (OH YES, I will eat TOO much turkey) and I have Adams 280Z coming out to my house on Saturday for a headlight upgrade harness that'll be hard-wired in. Maybe sunday, like we did earlier this week. I'll bring the 20 weight, Dave.

The Z's little toys (Radiator - ZX Alternator - car stuff in general) GAS, Can you believe this crap? ($3.15 at the moment) 5 Kids (ages 8 - 9 - 12 - 14 - 16) still growing and needing crap) Wife with severe bordem complex and a new Hobby of Beads and beadwork. But I would spend every last penny on her anyways. Suppliers jacking their prices of harness parts. And the price of copper going up And soon it'll be Christmas, Damnit

About the only engine ground you'll find on a 72' 240Z is the ground lead coming off the alternator. The negative cable from your battery should also be going to the top starter bolt. This is an old picture, I've updated the ground wires in my engine compartment. I now have 4 gauge wires going from the engines motor mount bolt to the cross member bolt, one from the starter bolt the the #6 exhaust port bolt, and a new one from the negative battery clamp to the (stock)firewall bolt location. And finally put another one from the starter bolt to the stock harness grounding location (across from the starter and below the battery. In the second picture, you'll barely see a silver 4 ga wire between the motor mount and and strut bar. and you can barely make out the one that goes behind the head towards the rear exhaust bolt. The more the better and the grounds to the head area will help reduce the electrolisis in the cooling system, which we all know destroys heads from the inside out.

Unplug the parking light fuse, turn the headlights on (and nothing else) disconnect the battery, and put the test leads on the battery clamp and the battery terminal. (if your meter has Amp check capability) That should tell you what the headlights are trying to pull. Another way is to pull the parking light fuse and one of the headlight fuses, test between the fuse clamps of the headlight fuse. the reason for pulling the parking light fuse is to keep the parking lights from giving you a false reading because you can't have the headlights on without the parking lights being on at the same time. Clean all of the grounds that bolt to the body, clean the battery posts and terminals, pull the headlight plugs and try and clean all terminals with a small jewelers file and electrical spray. Coat everything with a light film of di-electric grease (bulb grease-available at the auto parts store) The grease will keep water and oxygen from getting between the contacts and causing corrosion. Dave. Sblake1... Note to self...learn to accept or take money from friends, relatives and neighbors.

So I made a trip out to matts house today and found out where he got the name Rust Bucket. Anyways, The wiring is shot and the switches need to be rebuilt (by me if he can't figure it out) we finally got 12 volts to the headlight plugs but barely 1 amp worth. Luckily, my upgrade harness only requires .250 amps to transfer power from the battery to the headlights. Plugged in my relay harness, kicked on the combo switch and TAH-DAH!! lights galore. so now he has lights but the switches really need to be rebuilt. Don't forget to keep the grounds clean and grounded well. That's the biggest problem with almost every 240Z that has electrical problems. Was great to meet ya today Matt. Beleive it or not, I had fun fixing your Z and your chokes (whole nuther story) becasue fixing stuff is what makes me happy. Getting paid is number 2 on the list. Now if I can get JonnyRock to come down on Sunday from Bellingham, I can fix another one and make it a full week of working on Z's. Dave.

That's almost an easy question Lazeum. You need a "Tach Adaptor" Both Mallory and MSD make one. The tach in the Z's have a resistor and it makes it tough to get a tach to work after installing an electronic box like MSD 6A or the Mallory. The red 2" X 2" box above my MSD 6A is an MSD tach adaptor. Summit and Jegs sell them. Jegs part number is 121-8910 and it's about $50

I built one for my 240 about 4 years ago. I've also built a couple others based on the same design. Make a small cardboard or MDF box to cover the spare tire mounting bracket. Tape it down to the wheel well. Layer the whole wheel well with aluminum foil and tape it off so NO fiberglass resin will leak out into the wheel well metal. Coat the whole thing with resin and hand lay at least and 1/8" to 3/16" of matt in there. Make sure to leave at least 2 inches uncoated and hanging over the outer edge, This 2 inches will be resin'd to the top plate that you'll make out of 5/8" MDF. the wheel well airspace is sufficiant for 2) low Q 12" subs or 2) high volume 10" subs. I have a 12" MTX in mine but my box is a 2/3's box. which leaves enough room for the amp to set beside the enclosure, inside the wheel well. I also have a tool rack on top of the amp, never had a problem with over-heating. I built mine level with the lower lip and that allows a 1/4" plate (wheel well cover) to still fit on top properly. Then cut a hole for the sub to peek thru.

Well DUH. If someone else is "Tooting " my horn, she better be hot and willing to go both ways, or my wife will get mad..... LOL That's my 15 minutes of fame right there. I gotta re-live it as much as possible. Dave.

Even with that explaination form MSA, That does'nt explain why your Z is different from theirs. How big of a shim are you using under the mount plates? I had a similar problem with mine but all I did was put a washer under each plate to off set the bar just enough to lift it ever so slightly off the valve cover. At first, I just slid a 1/8" peice of rubber between the valve cover and the bar. I still have a slight dent in the valve cover from when it would "rub" against the cover. Dave

don't forget about "Forza MotorSport 2" They did sound bites of my Z for the Highly modified 69' Fairlady Z in the game. here's the link for your reading pleasure... It's about four pages long, with pictures YEAH http://forzamotorsport.net/news/dynospotlights/dyno06-1.htm Dave.

I too used the Eibach progressive rate lowering springs with my KYB struts and Love the feel and ride. It dropped about 1 1/2" and most people tell me that it has a great lowered profile. The tires are 225/50R16's but Mine is a 240Z so the ride may be different on your 280Z. Dave. Some will tell you not to mix the Eibach's and KYB's but I've never had a problem.

I'll deal with that crap everytime I post on craigslist. They always want to purchase the "ITEM" yet they never say what the "ITEM" is. You mentioned all the signs to look for.. ITEM Cashiers Check Their own shipping company Good Day Sir etc, etc. Location and final asking price. Pretty much all the above are mentioned in a Scam email. hit the 'ol SPAM button and move on. Dave.

It's posts like this that make me happy.. Glad to hear ya figured it out and she's purring like a lion again. I love the lopy cam sound. I have a 480/270 cam and when she's warmed up, she sounds like a small block chevy, minus the dual exhaust. Congrats on the fix. Dave.

OK. so the picture from the first post (#1) shows the fuel line going to the frame rail on the drivers side, follow that and see if you can find a filter and then change it. If you can't find one. Install one filter per fuel line before they get to the carbs and you should be safe till the next problem arrises. That's one hell of a set-up so you might wanna be patient with it. Dave. PS you can almost see how the float bowl tubes should be in the picture below....

I guess I'm young enough to still like the "Bling Bling" stuff when I pop the hood. I LOVE polished aluminum, painted parts, Stainless Steel braided hoses, and lots of other well placed shiny things. and the latest add... a 3 large core Griffen Racing Aluminum radiator with upper and lower supports made by me cause it was a custom install. $425 all together.

Your first problem is in the picture you posted..... The breather hoses for the float bowls are connected to each other. I corrected it with white lines in the photo below... Your carbs CANNOT BREATHE with the float bowls connected to each other. The second problem is "Where the hell is your fuel line?" Follow the fuel lines from the carbs. They are supposed to go to a fuel rail that wraps around the valve cover and over to the fuel filter where you pointed out "is missing" Find the fuel lines and get a filter on there. Take off those hoses on the carb and air cleaner box and put them from the float bowls into the airbox via the nipples. get back to us when that's done and the fuel problem is corrected. Can't help any more till that's done.

That is Beautiful....... Nuff said. Dave.

so in other words.... The hose in your hand in pic #1 should'nt be plugged and should go to the left nipple in pic #2. The right float bowl should also have a hose going from the outlet to the right nipple in pic #2. If the hoses are plugged or blocked off, the fuel cannot flow into the carbs. Change the fuel filter and the oil while you're at it. ONLY use NGK plugs and wires and renew the cap and rotor every once in a while with NISSAN parts. (Nippendenso) works just as good. Fuel and spark are the number one priorities in troubleshooting a "won't Start" Z. Good luck, Dave

even better would be.... What year Z is it? This makes all the difference in troubleshooting.. The 240Z's have a Green with a white stripe wire that controls all the taillights in the rear. This wire lights up the rear sidemarkers, licence plate lights and the parking lights in the taillight assemblies. Test the green/white wire at the rear on the right where it comes into the back. If there is nothing there, trace it up into the upper right kick panel where it should still be green/white. if the front ones work, it's NOT the fuse. but a connection near the right kick panel. Dave.

that goes to a fuel injected 280Z or ZX. it would normall go in front of the radiator support (in bewteen the radiator and the front grill) won't work on your car but clean and sell it to a 280 owner. Dave.

I'd try Zhome.com and go from there. A lot of up to date info and Carl should be able to clarify the authenticity of the 77 260Z? Make sure to use our "Search" button, we got a little of everything. Dave

kinda off subject but DAMN Darbji, you keep getting hotter with every photo. Anyways, Back on track. Like Red Dog said, work somewhere anywhere, don't give up yer baby. lose the truck or something. good luck man, Dave.

well at least all that crap is in the filter and not the floats or worse. Glad to hear ya figured it out. Dave.

First, congrats on finding one of the best Z car sites on the web. We're proud enough to brag but not to proud to share any info we can. What kinda miles are on the old ladys ZX? If you have a chance to get the 76' RHD, DO IT!!! they are pretty rare in the states and could be worth a pretty penny later down the road when ya fix her up. In the US, 260Z's were only offered in 74' but I keep seeing 76' RHD 260Z's alot in articles and such. The 280Z's were only available from 75' to 78' in the states, as far as I know. You also said "Any direction and advice would be great, if not, no worries, still happy to be here." what advice or direction are ya looking for? Upgrades, motor, suspension, what? we need specifics in order offer help. Welcome, Dave.