Zs-ondabrain

Nevermind, I thought I had some with pins but I guess I lied. The 260Z hood did'nt even have an emblem at all. You can use some thin double back tape, just clean the area well with rubbing alcohol. Oh well

I might have an extra hood emblem with at least one pin, maybe even two. Did you lose yours or recover it? Dave.

Go thru the album and you'll see all the bubbling and peeling on the white vinyl. The firewall was Undercoated, No belt on the A/C pump, overspray from the repaint, no taillight cover or left quarter plastic, etc, etc. I had considered a Black Targa Style top for the 260Z because of the dented.rusty top. The style I was looking for is the 1/8" foam under black fabric (limo style) with either a chrome or black strip to end off the edges. I doubt I'll do it though, probably do a reroof like Arne did. Dave

Bob, I, as well as hundreds of others have Earls Stainless Steel braided brake lines on our Z's. I've had mine for 4 years now and they still work the same, great. He is correct to a point. Very few perfomance items are DOT approved, like my headlights, they are 90/100 watt H4's. They are brite, clean and make driving my Z at night as real pleasure and much safer than the stock bulbs, which are DOT approved. The H4's are not DOT approved and are for "Off road use only" but like he said, it's a Liability issue. Hope that helps. Dave. Marysville, WA.

Let's see the photos before we prematurely scrap the car. Where in Edmonds do you live? write me at wolfin32z@yahoo.com maybe we (wife and I) can come over and check it out for ya. I'm just off exit 201 off I-5 so I'm about 20? miles from you. Let me know what your schedule looks like. Dave.

I personally love it, though there are others who prefer the Tokicos. Unfortunately for you, everyone has their own "Preferred" product. I love KYB's and Eibachs, hands down. They react (tight in the corners) when I want them too and are nice and smooth on the freeway. Most will tell you not to use KYB's with Lowering springs but I've yet to find out why, as mine still work awesome. Dave

That's your frame rail, that EVERYTHING sits on... MOTOR and Suspension for example. Ya, it's very importamt to have a stout frame rail on both sides. Dave, Marysville, WA. 20 miles north

It should be very similar to the 260Z stance. I have KYB struts and Eibach PR springs and here's what it looks like. Also, I have 225/50ZR16's if that helps. Dave.

his is a good place to start.... http://www.racetep.com/weberX.html Dave. Also, The webers require at least 4 pounds of pressure, so make sure your Fuel pump is in good working order. If I remember correctly, The 73 has both manual and electric pumps. The Webers work better on electric. I too have Triple 40DCOE Webers. % screw don't make sense to me but what is your model number? (40, 44, 50 DCOE?)

You should be able to swap studs easily. In the rear, just remove the drum, spin on a lug so it's almost flush with the tip and give it a smack. I should pop out. The only problem I foresee is if the replacement studs are longer than stock. Then it might not go in as easily as the stock stud came out. Seating the new ones is as easy as bolting down a lug nut til the stud seats. Done it a couple of times, Dave.

Thanks for the final clarification. I just haven't had time to get out and do the research myself. But now I'll ask you this, Will the wiring you've described above, work on a 260Z? (2/74') Thanks again, I know we all appreciate your efforts. Dave.

And when you do all this, Make sure to upgrade the Battery cables to no less than 4 gauge wire. You can make your own and buy the new connectors and mounts at the local auto parts store. But make sure to also make a new ground wire from the battery to the firewall (8 gauge) and also make one to go from the starter mounting bolt over to the ground point on the fender (8 gauge), where the harness is grounded. This will reinforce a great ground to your electrical system. Just remember that the better the grounding system, the less problems you'll have down the line. I have done all these and also have a ground wire going to the Head. Grounding the head directly helps to reduce electrolisis in the cooling system, that will normally eat thru aluminum and cause premature failure. Dave.

They were originally a "Z" specific Shop. Times have changed but the name didn't. Less Z's called for a little Diversification. They do occasionally work on Z's, both young and old. Johnny is no longer their so I can't tell you if they are still worthy as a Z shop. Johnny is now in Oregon. He KNOWS Z's!!! He started a new shop and here's his info for all you OREGONIANS... Johnny Z MotorSports Performance Automotive 1140 13th St. N.E. Salem, Oregon I'll post the PH# after I'm sure that it's the correct one. Dave.

The damn fender even says 260 or 280Z. Definately not a "DATSUN" emblem. Sniff sniff, I smell an idiot. Dave.

Sounds like a short somewhere else, possible a bad alternator? I competent mechanic should be able to test everything beforehand. There's a limiter that's not limiting, if you know what I mean. Maybe it's time for that 81' to 83' 280ZX alternator upgrade. Internally regulated, no more external voltage reguilator to go bad, better amperage to the battery, etc, etc. I sell the the adaptor for the conversion. $15 Dave

The crhrome trim peices are removable, philips head screws, I think. So yes, buy the panel, remove your chrome trim and put it on the the CF panel. Yes, it's that easy. Dave.

It's definately different, but Nope, ehh ehh, not me. good idea though. Dave.

Interstate batteries are the Best, in my humble opinion. Others will argue with me here but the Interstate battery is usually Underated. My last one was a 60 month battery that lasted for 108 months and 3 different cars. Keep in mind that I run Hi amp stereo systems, H4's, fog lights and other accessories that will drain an inferior battery quickly. Go to the local battery shop that carries Interstate batteries and tell them your make and model and tell them you only want interstate. They'll give you the right one and it should be about 750 Cold Cranking Amps. If you run an Optima battery dead, your best bet it to throw that $200 battery in the garbage. They won't full charge again after being drained like that. Interstate will. Dave.

Actually, Black is now More common as red is almost a special order item. When trying to buy all my Poly bushings for the 260Z, I wanted to go with red (as most of my offset colors on the under side are red) but found that if I wanted red, I'd have to go thru Energy Suspension or some other special retailer. The black, graphite impregnated bushing are better all around. They look stock, last longer (because of the graphite) and are actually stronger than red. It was explained to me that the red coloring process makes the Urethane weaker than the black, which is a more natural material? Or something like that. EVERYTHING is getting Urethane in the 260Z. I just want all the hard work to last and not have to be readjusted every year do to wear and tare. Don't get me wrong, rubber works and can last for years, but the rubber I removed from the 260Z was Trashed and should have been replaced 20 years ago. Mikemerkury, I forgot to mention the Sway bar bushing in my previous post. They are very easy to swap and a great place to start. The rubber factory doughnut bushings (on the end links) tend to split, tear and make the front end sloppy. It's as easy as buying new end links and poly bushings, that come with 2 new grade 8 bolts, nylon lock nuts and new washers. The stock ones tend to rust and deteriate and can "Snap" or bend if put under too much tension. If you stick with the stock size sway bar in the front, the body mount bushing is easily replaced. If you go with a larger bar, make sure you order the larger bushings and new body mount brackets. The larger bars urethane will not fit in the stock bracket. I did'nt take pictures of every upgrade so make sure you take plenty of before and after pics, both for us and your personal folder. You'll love showing off the end results of "Before and After" Dave. Here's a couple before and afters and the new 25mm front bar. just for your viewing pleasure.

The rear inner control arm bushings are a breeze to put in, as are the Ball joint and tie rod end boots, as long as your installing new ones. 2 minutes, tops. The mustache bar bushings are more involved. You need or want to burn out the old rubber and center sleeve, then use a dremmel with a drum sander to clean the remaining rubber out. Them use the Mfg Urethane lube before installing the urethane. This ones a pain because you tend to get an air pocket in there and they try to push back out. Urethane first, then the new metal sleeve. Half hour to 1 hour. DO NOT cut the large metal sleeve from the mustache bar. Outer control arm bushings in the rear are a pain in the a$$. First, burn out the rubber or the center sleeve then the rubber can be almost cut out. Then use a hack saw or saws all to cut the outer metal sleeve in 2 places, out 1/2" apart from each other. use a flat head screw driver to ply the sleave away from the metal of the control arm and seperate it from the body. Then clean it and prep it for the urethane grease. Similar to the picture of the front control arm below. Same thing for the front inner control arms but pay attention to which side is long and short, Take a picture that you can refer to when installing the urethane bushings. Don't forget to use a thin film of the supplied lube on every urethane to metal surface. The Steering coupler is only a couple bolts. no grease needed. Front strut rod bushing easy enough. but unless you're racing, you might wanna stick with rubber on this one. They typically just need to be retightened a little to remove the slop. Steering rack bushings are fairly easy as long as the motor is away from the front crossmember or vice-versa. The only problem I had with them was the Squared edge of the urethane bushing into a round edge seat. You'll see what I mean. I believe the one on the gear-set side (drivers side) is the problem child. Hope this helps. You can also check out the rebuild pics of my 260Z on cardomain, link is below, in my signiture. Also, either replace or clean and regrease the front strut bearing that sits between the upper spring perch and the mount. You'll thank me later. Dave.

It's probably better to put in a new one. They also slow "Spikes" in the system, which we all know Can hurt our old Z's compoments. Even some new alternators come with them already installed. Dave.

It will, and you'll eliminate the "Slosh" of worn rubber bushings

Turn up the fuel just a tad. From what I understand (and could be wrong) Backfiring around that RPM is a result of Lack of Fuel. Check w/ Z Theropy and see if they say the same thing or not. My triples did it all the time till I gave just a smidge more fuel to 'em. Dave.

That would depend on the rest of the components in the system. What combo are you going with for your suspension?? Struts? Springs? Tires? Wheels? I ask because I have Urethane all around and 225/50ZR16's with KYB struts and Eibach Springs. My ride is great, not too harsh, not too hard. Taller sidewalls will be even softer. Dave.

Somebody hasn't been paying attention. We've done plenty of articles, posts and writeups about replacing the clock with a quarts clock that runs on a "AA" battery. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7817 http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29123 There's many more write up's on the subject, just use the search and type ( AA Clock ) Some think it's a bad (not a true replacement) idea but many have done the swap (me included) and have been happy with the results. Dave