Jeff G 78

According to Wiki... Italian tuneup is a slang automotive term for attempting to restore engine performance by driving a car at high engine speed (RPM) and load. The term originated from Italian mechanics in the 1950s using this practice to burn off carbon deposits from the spark plugs of sports cars.

Run the car HARD at high RPM to burn off the carbon.

Getting the engine to sit on the mounts during install can be very tricky. Adding the DS install will make it MUCH harder to line everything up. My 260Z with a 1" rear bar makes the DS removal very difficult, but far from impossible. You just have to get the right combination of wrenches and angles to reach them.

So, did you have to remove the front bumper to get the hoist centered over the engine or did you just remove it in case it wouldn't reach?

I use a floor jack under the trans with the handle pointing towards the rear of the car so it rolls easily. Once the engine mounts are off and the weight is on the hoist, lower the trans jack all the way down. As you lift the engine and start to roll the hoist, the trans will pull the jack forward a bit.

Correct. He doesn't have to remove the driveshaft to pull the engine/trans combo, but he will have to do it before he installs the engine/trans, so it's better to remove it now.

I thought only CA got the converter prior to the ZX. My Fed '78 with original exhaust had a shielded resonator.

Do you have a Bernz-o-Matic? For $15 you can get a MAPP gas bottle and a torch. Heat will almost always help manifold nuts come loose. Get them glowing red. If you cut it off and plan to reuse the manifold, you will still have to remove the nuts later.

Same in the US and I never understood that. I have a bottle of Red and a bottle of Blue and I always have to take the cap off to figure out which is which. What genius at Loctite decided to use a red bottle for both strengths?

Unfortunately, no. I am too busy to make it this year.

I've seen the KD tool on ebay from time to time.

I use aluminum dryer vent and flatten it. It's not pretty but it does the job. I have better pics, but not on this computer.

After causing a race DNF and a lot of money, I learned that the crank damper bolt needs Loctite. It can and sometimes will come loose and destroy the engine. I also learned that stock L-Jetronic EFI does not play well with an aftermarket cam. If you want stock EFI, stick with the stock cam. If you want a performance cam, go with carbs or a modern EFI.

On the radiator support, you will see a spring clip that holds the hood prop. Remove the prop rod and then tape the little red cap off of a WD40 can over the clip. The oil pan will easily snap the clip off if you don't protect it with the WD40 cap.

Thanks for the mention Cliff @siteunseen. I would not recommend removing the intake and exhaust manifolds. I have done it that way, but getting to all the studs without breaking them is hard enough on a stand, let alone in an awkward position while in the car. Pulling the engine/trans is easy. Just make sure you plug the trans output as Cliff instructed. I use an old driveshaft yoke which seals perfectly, but a pain cap or a sandwich bag and rubber bands will work as well. The higher you get the rear of the car, the easier it is and the less height you need for the pull. You said you bought a hoist. Is it folding or fixed leg? I found that the folding hoists don't quite have enough reach for a Z and you will need to remove the front bumper. It will work to get the engine out, but the reach is a few inches short to get it back in and aligned over the mounts. I struggled and finally bought a non-folding hoist which you see in the pic Cliff posted. You might want to tape a rag over the sloped side of the hood latch bracket, The valve cover will be very close to it and can easily scrape the paint off. My crusty race car doesn't matter, so I let it drag if needed. I do swap valve covers if I have a nice one on the engine. I usually always use two tie-down straps on each lift eye. That way, I can release pressure on one while the other holds the load. It's great for getting the angle right.

Yours must have broken at a different spot than normal. They generally break on the arm where it meets the base. I've swapped them many times and the offside arm serves no purpose, so with it broken off, once the handles are swapped, they function perfectly. Yours must have broken lower on the casting where it actually mounts to the door. I've never seen one break there. Weird.

Yes, you can. I used to do this all the time.

The NOS part could be scanned, so wouldn't even need to measure. Same goes for the washers I'd imagine. Make a mold and encase the cleaned original washers with rubber to make the nubs. Note that I know very little about home 3D printing, but from what I have seen, it should work.

I wonder how hard it would be to make a 3D printed mold and then match the durometer for pouring replacement bushings?

The late 260Z and all 280Z's have the resonator/catalytic converter hump in the tunnel. I had to cut my late 260Z tunnel hump out on my race car in order to lower the race seat.

There is no such thing as the best tool. If I need to pound a nail in, a micrometer does me no good, yet for precision measuring, the hammer is just as useless. Whenever I work on anything house or vehicle related, I tend to need every tool I own. If I don't own the perfect tool for a job, I either make one, or I improvise and use what I have in the toolbox already. If I have the time or think I'll ever need to do the same job again, I'll usually make a tool or jig.

The more scrub radius there is, the more effort it will take to steer the car. You are correct in your statement that positive offset wheels will reduce the scrub and therefore, the steering efforts. I've never really thought that the Z steers hard with its manual steering and zero offset 225 max performance summer tires.

Go to Youtube and search "University Motors SU Carb" It's a fantastic series of videos on British SU's. 95% of the information is exactly the same as our Datsun SU's.

I love making tools and jigs. My latest was a modification to the spindle pin puller I made. Since I already had the puller, I made another sleeve and turned it into a rear outer bushing puller. It made removing the OE bushings almost easy.

I never understood the '75-only pinion pattern either. They did a few odd things over the years.