mlc240z

And I might believe the neighbor about the exhaust smoke. Can't say anything about 're-seating' the rings, but the times I had the car idling in the driveway, I would get a little blue smoke out the exhaust when I floored it. Finally got the car on the road and after some 'spirited' shakedown driving, I have not seen anything coming out of the exhaust.

Either clogged banjo filters in the carb inlets or stuck needle valves in floats. Open fuel inlet and remove the banjo filters (if there), see if it runs. For stuck valves, try lightly tapping on the top of the bowls. Sometimes this will dislodge them.

If you repair with JBWeld, definitely try to 'mushroom' it on both sides of the fix as Dave recommends. It's great, durable stuff, but it never hurts to add a little bit of insurance to the fix. Not enough to impede the flow of coolant, just enough to lock it in.

Yes, please. Add 1 for me, Dave.

Yea, but then shouldn't it be known as an S and M needle? We're all going to hell. Who's driving?

Enrique's giving sound advice (I hate when he does that). But you appear to be in the same boat as I am. PO did a lot of the (subpar) bodywork on mine so it bought me some time. It' looks 'pretty' enough to take it out and drive the wizz out of it. But, it's bugging me that bondo doesn't equal a long lasting solution. I am going to take a course at local county college to learn to weld and then put it to use over the long haul. On the north side of 50 with 2 grown kids and an understanding, fantastic wife so I've acquired the patience and time to "Do it right" Ditto, Go for it!

Had hit the 4500rpm wall also. Already have the alternator upgrade in place. Still have to recheck the timing, pulled the plugs and even tho I felt it was running a little rich, light brown....all 6 look good. Only thing I did different was in the past few trips to get gas, have been putting in the mid-grade 89 octane, not regular 87. Yesterday splurged and put in 6 gals of 91 (all Sunoco). Coming home from a drive (not sure if it had enough time to reach the 89-91 mix), punched it thru and now up to 6 grand before it started to stumble/plateau. I'd guess the octane made a difference, but a little clatter prior to the 91 makes me think I need to recheck the timing. I'll try re-balancing with the back plate on. Don't know if it'll make any difference, but what the hell.

Bad tire? Might have belt separation internally.

Mine just "decided" to strip the original nylon toothed belt yesterday. Damn. Had bought a generic mast replacement thinking about eventually trying to replace the original since it was slightly bent, enough to cause crappy operation. I'd definitely be interested in anything you can find since the replacement mast is NLA. I think Dave (Zsondabrain) or Enrique (EScanlon) had a writeup on the wiring needed to adapt a modern replacement antenna to the OEM antenna switch.'

Andrew and Ronald, Please share the info on the address for a successful rebuild.

If you can't get Kroil, try PBlaster. Autozone carries it, I'm sure other places also. Throw the WD-40 and Liquid-Wrench away for a 'rust-breaker' or only use it to lube door hinges. PB is phenomenal. Since it did move, soak it a little more and hit it in the opposite direction to "retighten" the nut. Then hit it to loosen again. Moving is a good sign, so just keep working it back and forth to try to clear the threads and eventually it should break free.

John, Congrats on getting it solved. Now the first thing to do, since you know it runs, is moving over to some type of electronic ignitionLOL My experience with points ended in 1983. One of the main reasons was the PIA of having to constantly maintain the points. I use the Pertronix setup and couldn't be happier. Other options (280Z distributor, Mallory etc.) abound. I still keep the whole points setup (with feeler gauge) in the car in case of an issue with the Pertronix. I can swap out the module and replace stock fairly quickly if stuck on the road. But she starts easier, idles great, and seems to run smoother with the more modern ignition components.

Agreed. If it's been sitting and you can see settling in the filter, it's probably in the lines: if it's in the lines, it's probably in the tank. You run the risk of sucking it up and clogging the lines even further or completely. Supposedly, a radiator shop will accept it and should be able to 'boil out' the gas tank for a reasonable amount of money.

Search: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25012&highlight=steering+joint

Smart man. Learned most of what I know watching my Dad work on the cars. You'll gain confidence the longer you work on 'em. ZedHead has a good point. If MC is FUBAR, could have caused initial problem and then shredded piston seals to cause second.

When I got mine from MSA, it was a Bosch with what appears to be a one piece pulley (just looked). Belt appears to ride the same as yours, a little below the rim of the pulley. Installed, tightened and took out for a spin. Everything fine. After a few drives (alternately babying it and stomping on it), it would start to screech after getting warmed up. Had to re-tighten and noise went away. So far it hasn't come back but you may drive your Z more than I do. Do know that there appears to be marks on inside of pulley where paint has worn away. Maybe yours hasn't worn that off yet? If lengths are the same, maybe an 81-83 280zx belt? Or something similar length with a 'fatter' profile.

Must........not..........cut........kick..........panel....... If it was 1975, no problem, would have done it in a flash. I'll keep looking for a solution. Nice work, though!