Royce

Yup, there is were I put the jack stands too! Just wanted to add that when you jack up the rear it is best to put the jack under the front diff mount, which is actually removed in Keith's picture. If you jack the rear of the car up by the diff you are likely to damage the rubber insulator that is between the diff and the diff mount. Wow, it took me a minute to figure out what angle you took those pictures were at. Been a while since I have seen the Z from underneath with no rear suspension! (I guess that's a good thing!) Hope it makes sense! Have fun!

The other thing to consider is what class you plan to run in if you plan to compete. For example, I don't think many SCCA classes would allow you to use anything other than stock. Always best to check the rule book, if that applies, to make sure you can run what you want to run. Even the dog leg first gear trans would probably be an issue for some classes.

I have tried a couple calculations and don't get what he lists at all, what size tires does he have!?

I to would like to wish fstr240z a speedy and complete recovery! Please keep us posted on his progress!

I agree with 2manyZ's that a restrictor plate, not NASCAR style, in place of the thermostat is better than no thermostat at all. But this is typically only done in race cars as even with a restricter plate it can be hard to get the engine up to operating temperature if you are running a fan. And if all the metal parts aren't up to operating temperature they will wear more quickly. Best to solve the problem properly than to go with a bandaid fix, removing the thermostat, which might just mask one problem but create others. I think checking the thermostat in hot water is a good place to start.

Are you sure it is really heating up! If you shut off your engine with the water temp at 250 there would be water shooting out the overflow on your radiator. Maybe the flow is low because the thermostat is not open yet because it really isn't heating up! Buy a confectioners(sp?) thermometer at the grocery store (that goes to 250+ degrees F. When the car is running, take off the radiator cap and put in the thermometer and see what temp the water in the radiator is. If it is less than the temperature required to open your thermostat than there you go. It is common for an old water temp sending unit to fail and give you high readings. Hope it helps!

I am sure there are many differences other than just the steering wheel being on the other side. There are a few internet clubs that is specifically just for Z32 info... http://www.z32.com http://z32.org http://TwinTurbo.net Hope it helps.

Don't mean to take the tires off the rim. Just swap the rear wheels/tires with the front. You don't have to leave it that way for long, just long enough to determine if the front tires/wheels are contributing to the problem. Have fun!

First thing I would do is rotate your tires from front to rear and see if anything changes! While you have the fronts off look at the rotors. You want to look for dark spots on them or strange wear patterns. They are probably warped but that wouldn't cause a vibration while just driving down the road. That could be an old tire that is out of round, a bent rim, wheels/tires that need to be balanced. If rotating the tires doesn't move your vibration from the steering wheel to the seat then it could very well be steering rack or tie rods.

This has talked up at www.hybridz.org. Sorry, I don't have much more to add.

Yes, I agree with Dave Sommers regarding the transition from verticle to horizontal defrosters. The horizontal defroster was part of the changes with '72 model years cars in the US and probably officially started when the factory ran out of the old verticle ones. Because the verticle type was used through the rest of the years of first generation Z's they are much easier to find. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see an early Z with the horizontal type defroster glass installed. Have fun!

I have not heard of this being particularly common but I have broken a R180 Mustache bar, long time ago. There are two things to watch out for. First, the R180 and R200 bars are different. The R200 bar is beefier than the R180 bar. Also the rear mounting bolts are larger on the R200, therefore, the holes were the diff mounts to the mustache bar are larger. I have heard of people drilling out the holes on a R180 bar to fit it to the R200. This could easily result with a weaker bar that will eventually fail. Another thing is to keep the rear diff mount nuts tight, where the diff attaches to the bar. There is a little space for movement so if the nuts are not kept torqued the diff can move around and damage the bar. If this happens a couple time in 30 years there is a greater chance for failure. I don't think there are any shortage of R200 bars, at least not in California, since they are the same for '75 - '78 280Z's. Hope it helps.

Hey Beandip, Actually, I was referring to what OwenK quoted about the future posibility that cars more than 30 years old may only need to be smog tested if driven more than a given number of miles. For example, if this number is more than 5K miles a year my Z car would never see a smog station. So in that situation the government would want some verification that my car does not need to be smogged. I know some collector insurance companies requires a picture of the car speedo be sent to them each year to verify miles. I suspect that the DMV may require the same for verification.

I most like the fighter w/ leather. I least like the Club4, looks like a stock '70 VW Bettle wheel. The wheel on my car is made by Dino and looks very much like the old simple Momo wheels on '70 Ferrari's. I think I bought it with the adapter for under $100, but that was more than 10 years ago. I'll snap a picture to add later just for kicks. Have fun!

Be sure to give them bones the time and rest they need to heal! A little time away from the car will make you forget about all those things you wanted to fix. You'll enjoy her that much more when you get back in the saddle! Take care!

Yes, a very subjective topic, but here goes... I have non-adjustable Tokico strut inserts and Tokico lowering springs (about 1 - 1.5"). I put them on in '89 and unfortunately, I don't know the spring rates but I believe this setup is the same or very similar to the one MotorSport Auto(MSA) currently offers. Otherwise completely stock suspension, including all rubber bushings and stock front swaybar. Oh yes, I did change the length of the steering knuckles, I put in shorter ones that make the car turn more quickly. In other words you turn the steering wheel less to change lanes. And I do have camber adjustable, front inner control arm bushings. I don't know if these help much but I do like the way the car drives. I suspect it improves performance over the stock setup and was good as a daily driver but it would certainly not be a very competitive setup for all out competition. The car rides well and handles well but not as stiff as a winning racer would be. If I were to do it again I would probably go with a coil over strut setup because it would give more options. Also, I don't drive the car as much any more and am planning to do track events in the future so may want to go a little stiffer. Also, the coil over strut setup would give me a little more clearance for larger tires. I currently have 205R60x15 on 15x7 rims with 10mm offset. To me the tires look a little narrow on the wheel but I would probably need a 1/2" spacer to get any wider tire to fit. This is because the tire is very close to the spring perch on the struts. Coil over shock setups would replace this spring perch with a different spring mount that should allow me to put on larger tires without spacers. Tire hight should also be considered with your suspension as it will have a lot to do with you overall ride quality as well. I do plan on changing the front suspension bushings to polyurethane in the future. It's been a while since I did mine so I don't know what the cost is these days but should be close to your budget. You may be able to get coil overs for close to the same price. So you know where I am coming from, I have been vintage racing (not a Z car) for the past 15 years. I feel a softer car is often much more fun to drive. Especially if you are learning performance driving, don't need to be #1, or the car is also to be driven on the street. A stiffer car will be less forgiving and can take longer to learn how to drive fast. That's all I can think of now. Hope it helps!

1) I agree with MikeW, I don't think a leaking cap will cause the clutch not to work. You don't want brake fluid all over your engine compartment but you may still have a problem with the master cylinder or the slave cylinder. Once you get the new cap try bleeding the clutch fluid at the slave cylinder. 2) This is much debate about the size of original Z tires. I have heard that the 175R14 originals were more like a modern 75 or 80 series. I think this would make it between a 185R70 or 195R70 tire. If you are looking for originality, I don't think you can find the correct size anymore. I think a 195R70 is as skinny as I would put on a stock height Z but it of course it depends on your qoal or visual preference. Hope it helps!

Sounds like you guys need to go to www.zhome.com and report your Vin numbers so they can update the table! If there isn't a way to reach Carl Beck, current editor of www.zhome.com, on the website let me know, I am sure I have his email somewhere.

I wonder if this would also mean we will have to be sending in pictures of our speedometers with odometer readings each year. I don't drive my Z much and my speedo works but I know several people with classic cars in which the odometer doesn't work. No they haven't tampered with them to show lower miles, some old European cars do not have very reliable units and are expensive to have fixed. I don't drive anywhere near 12K miles in a year but I know lots of folks that have daily driver, pre-'74 Z cars. However, as a Californian that have seen the smog getting worse and worse I think going after cars that drive more miles is a good approach.

I haven't taken the smog off my car yet, it still works so I don't mess with it! But from your user name sounds like you have a '73 240Z??? If so your car would have more smog stuff than mine. What has been done to the car at this point? Why do you want to remove the smog equipement (to make it look better, to increase power, you have a problem you are trying to fix)?? I think you will get more specific responses if you provide a little more info. If you still have the stock carbs many people change to early SU's and the early intake balance tube, but you probably already know that. If not, this will get you started in eliminating much of the later 240Z smog mess. I am sure smog equipement removal has been has been discussed in the last year. You may want to search for "smog" in some of the forums- engine, open discussions, etc. Or check the photo galleries for some earlier cars. I hope it is helpful.

With the time and effort put into making other carbs work with your current setup, why not get a different cam??? If you talk with a cam shop (ex. Elgin Cams in Redwood City CA) they can usualy come up with grind that will work for you. And if they can reuse your existing cam it may not be all that expensive. You also may want to talk to a Z engine builder (ex. Rebello Racing, Pacheco CA). Maybe you can try different cam timing??? One of the problems with the flat top carbs is finding parts and anyone that knows how to set them up. Lots of people are using them with success but from what I have heard they typically change to something else when they start to have problems with them. A decent set of SU's is relatively cheap but you may find you spend as much time and money as with the new cam. Sorry, I don't have any specific info. Hope it helps!

Oh yeah, and start with a flywheel in good condition!

You asked for the cons, I would say there are a couple cons but the pros are worth it. 1. You could damage the flywheel and it may come appart. Lightening a stock cast flywheel can be tricky business and best left to the experts. Make sure it is properly balanced. Lightening any flywheel while give you worse gas milage. I don't know how much but I wouldn't care. I have collected a coupe extra flywheels and plan to have one lightened one of these days! Have fun!