kmack

Feel free to stop by on your way through SA anyway. My house is on the NW side heading out of town and is 2 miles off I-10. I'd love to see you car in person.

Well, Carl, Having never used Speed Bleeders, I can only recount what I heard from others that have. There was a long discussion about them a few years ago on the email list. That is my basis of information. But I have personally used the power bleeder on every vehicle I own and a few others I don't. Yes, they do not have vehicle specific reservoir caps for the bleeder. They have adapters that will fit multiple vehicles. I think they have like 3 or 4 adapters (at least 3 for sure). I have all three. I have used all three and as long as you keep them tight, never will a drop of brake fluid be spilt. Haven't had a spill in two years. As for my opinion, I prefer not to have to get in the seat, pump the pedal, then get out and get under the car time after time for each wheel. Plus with the power bleeder you can actually see when the air bubbles stop running. With the speed bleeders, unless you have another person, I don't see how you can pump the pedal and watch the fluid for air bubbles at the same time. Not quite as accurate in my book. But then I race my car, so it's more of an issue.

Este, That gurgling sound was most likely the master cylinder. As for the rod being pushed in, there is a spring in the MC that is supposed to push the cylinder back out some. So staying pushed in is not a good thing. On the booster side, outside appearence does not necessarily mean it's bad. Mine looks terrible on the outside. But only recently starting acting up. I have a slight "rushing air" sound coming from underneath the dash while depressing the brake pedal. My idle speed will also increase at the same time. It's due to a vacuum leak cause by the malfunctioning booster. It's not hard to replace the booster. Only hard part is getting at the 4 nuts up under the dash to get it off the firewall. You have to be somewhat of a contortionist. Not bad, but definitely not the most comfortable thing in the world. Where are you located in Texas?

If it will seal the deal, just tell him you plan to fix it up. Once it's bought, who cares what he thinks! My father-n-law bought a Porsche 944 that was immaculate. Premium price to, but an otherwise well maintained and solid car. PO passed on selling it to an 18 year old kid becuase he thought the kid would wreck it or run it into the ground. We didn't have the heart to tell him the car was being bought soley to go racing!

Not to rain on your parade, Carl, but I've heard some bad things about the speed bleeders. Some of it being longevity issues with the life of the product, not to mention they don't always get the right product in the right packaging. The biggest reason I like using a power bleeder is you never have to get in or out of the car to push the pedal. That saves a lot of time. I can flush the entire system on my 240 in less time than it takes to jack up the car! Usually less than 15 minutes. And as tight as my garage is at times, not having to get in or out of the car is a big thing in my book. Well worth the money spent for the time saved. Also, the power bleeder can be used on other vehicles without much involvement.

I'm not sure when the MSA NAtionals is, but you're more than welcome to stop by and say HI when you come through town. I'm planning the Hill Country run and it's looking to be a lot of fun! Lot's of great scenery. For the car show on Friday, we've got one of the local Nissan dealerships willing to clear their lot for us and the show! Their entire inventory moved out of the way. How's that for support? And the local Fiesta activities during this time are an absolute blast! If there is one thing San Antonio knows how to do, it's PARTY!!!

None taken...

Z FIESTA 2005 – Z SPORT’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY - Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Z Sport, the Z Car Club of San Antonio, is now making plans for a 10th Year Anniversary Party – Texas Style – And You’re Invited!!! This event will be held 21-24 April 2005. Plans include a beautiful spring time Hill Country Caravan, a Car Show, and the annual San Antonio Fiesta Flambeau Parade. While this celebration is not a ZCCA Convention, participation by the Texas Clubs as well as clubs from neighboring states will bring the fun and camaraderie that is present at the National Event. Costs will be kept to a minimum so money will not be an excuse for not attending. Monthly updates will be sent to keep everyone informed of the progress. This anniversary party, along with the City of San Antonio’s annual Fiesta Celebration will be the highlight of our 2005 events, so mark your calendar now, and plan to bring your club to join us next April. www.z-sport.com

Nice color! Based on the pictures, be glad you didn't pay more than $500. The passenger floor rust is a typical problem related to the old-style batteries leaking acid out over the years. Just about every old, non-restored Z will have rust in this exact area. It's just a fact of life with these cars. Yes, the floor pans from Zeddfindings is exactly what you need for this particular problem. The rust on the front frame rail and the loose swaybar mount is a very bad problem. Most cars I've seen that have rusted in this area, also have major rust almost all over the car. I would start combing the entire car for signs of rust. Try to contact another Z'er in your area that is knowledgable about rust areas and what to look for. You'll also need to start looking under the carpet and behind interior panels for signs also. Bondo can cover a lot of problems, but only for a short time. You can get replacement frame rails, but they can be hard to find sometimes. Contact Keith (aka, 2ManyZs). He had some at one point awhile back. Or send me an email and I'll get in contact with him and give him your information. Keep us posted on how the progress goes...

este, If you had a brake line "snap", you really need to take a look at all the other lines also. On a '73, the old rubber lines will be rather...old. Replace them. You've already replaced the master cylinder, might as well relace the rubber lines, too. If this is not your primary mode of transport, I'd also take the time and rebuild/replace the rear cylinders. You might have to rebuild them because new cylinders for the early cars are getting in short supply. It's easy to do and not much is involved. Rebuilt front calipers are pretty cheap to get. I think about $35-40 each at Autozone and the like. Pick up at least a Haynes manual for the car, too. As for bleeding the system, the bleed nipples for the rear are located on the rear cylinders right next to where the hard metal lines connect to the cylinder. You'll have to look on the back of the wheel. If they are not there, then they may have been broken off by the previous owner and you'll have to replace the cylinder. Either buy or try to find someone that has a pressure bleeder. It is by far the easiest and surest way to get all the air out of the brake lines. Not to mention you'll be able to do the work completely by yourself. Makes changing brake fluid easier too. Pressure bleeders will run about $45-55. Do a search on the net for Motive Products. Something else to consider (as I'm having this issue at the moment), if you hear the sound of air rushing out from under the dash while you are applying the brakes, you'll also need to check out the brake booster. If the booster is bad, you can still drive the car, but it's much harder to brake (takes more foot pressure). Hope this helps.

I'm voting turbo also, but not a stroked 3.1L turbo. Locate a good 280ZXT donor car. Should be able to find a running rust-bucket somewhere for cheap (around $1000). Pull the engine, ECU, and entire engine harness out of the donor. Put it in your car. Your done. Now focus on turbo upgrades, boost controller, etc. Then go blow the doors off some little punk Acura. Btw, to correctly build a NA 3.1L motor will take somewhere in the neighborhood of $3k-4k. Add a turbo and you're looking at more. Plus you'd still have locate the FI and electrics for it all on top of the motor cost. Now you're looking at $7k plus. A slightly modified 280ZXT will easily get you 300hp. Or you could just swap in a supercharged SB 350!

The above contact information for getting on the show is entirely WRONG! If you are interested is possibly being considered for participation on the show, you need to click on this site: http://www.triageinc.com/fullthrottle.html

It's alive!!! IT'S ALIVE!!!!

Denatured alcohol is basically the same as rubbing alcohol (but with slight differences, sorry don't remember much from Chemistry). I'm not sure how alcohol reacts with brake fluid. Might want to test it with some extra brake fluid outside of the system first.

It used to be called 'gymkana', but now it's refered to as 'autocross'. Check out your local SCCA chapter.

That's a shame...the end is the best part. Does the word "stoppie" mean anything? :eek:

If you think a standard SCCA AutoX is hard, try to remember your way around one of these courses! :devious: http://tom.kat.free.fr/mini.wmv http://www.noflatbatteries.com/videos/ChrisEvans.wmv Are you dizzy yet? :sick:

Just use the intake manifold for the carbs and then mount the carbs on. You'll need to locate the correct length throttle rod that comes from the firewall (one from a 240) and you'll also have to mount up the chokes on the interior somewhere (console). May be some differences in fuel line placement, but I don't think that's a big issue. Make sure you clean up the SU's pretty good. Also, give Bruce @ Z Therapy a call and order some SM needles for those carbs. The stock 240 needles are too lean for the requirements of a 280 motor. The SM needles will richen it up to where it needs to be. Other than that, it's pretty easy.

blitzkraig, I tried to get on your website, but it's not coming through. I'm interested in your write-up on the T5 tranny swap. Got any info I can use? I think I found one...

That's what I was thinking. As for the extra noise, it'll have to overcome a few "other" noises for me to hear it: - engine/exhaust noise, relatively quiet exhaust below 3500 rpm - something in the left door starts to rattle around 75 mph, still haven't figured out that one. Hard for me to diagnose the problem while I'm driving, you know? - some wind noise, since I don't have A/C and it won't get cool enough here in Texas for the heater until about February. Thanks for the reassurance that my thinking was correct.

I run my 240Z in autocross and high-speed events. I'm looking at putting in a solid differential mount. Question is, do I still need the strap across the diff. with a solid mount installed, or can it be removed? If the differential is solidly mounted, then it really should be able to move up or down much, if at all. My thinking is that would eliminate the need for the strap. Any thoughts?

Your oil will be thicker on start up due to the oil being cold. That equates to a higher oil pressure. (It's harder to push thicker fluid through the passages) Mine does it, too. If you're worried about the actual pressure, an aftermarket guage will fit into the stock location. As for the Ammeter "flicker", another typical deal with these cars. Since guage is wired directly into the electrical circuits, any fluctuation in the power will be reflected in the guage. That's just the way wires run. I'm not an electrical person by any means, but that is what I've read and been told. Also, corroded wire connections will always be an issue with an older car. It would be a good thing/benefit to clean up every connection you can get to. Especially on the fuse block.

For those located within driving distance to a Pick-n-Pull: This weekend all Pick-N-Pull locations will be participating in a Half Price Sale! All parts are 50% off their normal price! The Half Price Sale starts Saturday, October 16th and ends Sunday, October 17th. In Nevada, our Sparks and Carson City locations Half Price Sale will be on Friday, October 15th and Saturday, October 16th. Prices valid at all participating locations. Parts availabilty may vary. Visit your local Pick-N-Pull store for details. http://www.picknpull.com