Jeff G 78

It might be in Japan, but it looks like a LHD 240Z,

I drained the water from my race car's radiator yesterday and filled it with 50/50 just in time for the cold weather this weekend.

Here you go. http://datsun-240z-upgrades.net/ One important note is that Dave's harness is a plug and play for a 240Z. Talk to Dave directly about the mods needed for a 280Z. I believe it can be done, it isn't quite as easy though. I don't believe he can source the 280Z connectors. Here is Dave's email. info@datsun-240z-upgrades.net

Thanks Patcon. You got to it before I could.

Look into wiring upgrades before headlamp upgrades, Dave Irwin has what you need.

Nice looking repair. Thanks for posting and enjoy your beautiful Z.

What is the seller advertising the XS3 VIN car as?

It should be a 1970 240Z with the HLS30-04044 VIN. Can you post a picture? I have no idea what the other VIN is.

Can't wait to see the pics Jai.

Will do Jonathan. I just measured the hex size and it is 1-5/8. On Amazon, I found a single 1-5/8" wrench for about $16. HF only has wrench sets in the jumbo sizes at a much higher cost. If there is anybody on the forum that has an immediate need for a puller, please let me know. I could loan my prototype out to get quicker feedback. It will be a few months before I have a chance to try it out on my own spindle pins. Feedback now would allow me to make changes over winter while I have more time. Once spring comes, I'll be busy working on my cars.

Yeah, I was going to check out HF for big wrenches. It's not like the wrench needs to be high quality and it will get very little use. Powdercoating makes everything shiny though! I can easily powdercoat the pipe. I have access to the sandblast cabinet, powder gun and oven. The powder cost is near zero per tube. The process just adds a bit of extra labor.

A socket wouldn't work since the nut threads about 9" onto the rod. A big box end wrench would be needed. Alternately, the nut could be turned into a big wing nut with some fabrication work.

That's kind of my plan Mike. The materials are pricey, so it wouldn't be a cheap tool, but if it works better than what's out there, I might make a batch here and there to help the community. I doubt I could make any money at all on them since quality acme rod stock and acme nuts are not cheap. The labor wouldn't be too bad when built in batches, but each tool does require machining, welding, and also powdercoating if I sell them. The key is the testing to see if the tool works as planned. I have one car that has never been apart and another set of spare rear corner assemblies that are virgin and from a VERY rusty car. If the tool works on all four, I will make more prototypes for sure and figure out how much I'd have to charge. I'd guess the price to be around $80 - $100. One issue I see is that the acme nut is huge and most people wouldn't have a wrench big enough to fit it. From memory, it is something like a 1-1/2" hex. If the tool works and I sell zero, I will be happy. If I sell 10 and help others, that's even better. If the tool breaks or doesn't work and I cannot modify it to function properly, I am still glad I tried.

Yes, I just forgot to take a photo of the business end. It is bored and tapped with a chamfered lead-in to match the spindle pin's taper..

Thanks Mark. I forgot to mention the snap ring. I was going off memory from 6 years ago when I last rebuilt one.

With the MC out of the car, remove the bolt in the bottom of the casting. It holds the piston in place. If it doesn't come out, you might need to pop it out with compressed air. Be very careful not to shoot the piston out. The kit should have seals for the piston as well as for the ports. Those might not need to be replaced. If you see any corrosion in the bore when you remove the piston, the seals will get chewed up very quickly if they seal at all. Use a dental pick to GENTLY remove and assemble the seals. Be sure to take photos before you remove the seals so you get them back together the same way.

Will do Mitchell. I know that some pins simply will not come out, but I wanted to make a puller with the best possible chance of success.

Great looking car. My first nice Z back in 1986 was a '76 280Z in 240 Green. I always liked that color.

Yep, sounds like the clutch was slipping. Chances are good that there was no real damage. Clutches can slip if pushed too hard, but it takes quite a bit of slipping to do damage. All slipping is bad and will reduce the life, but don't sweat it. The next time you are on a long 2nd gear grade, put it in 4th or 5th gear and see if it slips again. Watch the tach and listen for an increase in RPM. If it slips, the clutch is at the end of its life and needs to be replaced. If left to slip, the flywheel will be damaged and will likely need to be replaced rather than simply resurfaced.

I finally got around to making my acme thread puller. I thought I took a picture of the internal threads, but I guess I didn't. As planned, I used 1" acme threaded rod and a S30 front strut top bearing. I have enough material to make a few more, but I will hold-off until I try this one to see if the design needs any changes. I might machine flats or a hex on the nut end of the acme rod to aid threading on the spindle pin. I haven't tried it yet though since my spare corner modules are buried in storage until spring.

Yeah, those are cool. Are those a retail item or did somebody take a splash mold off of clear covers? I was considering using my clear covers to make fiberglass covers.

The stock setup works great, but I understand the desire for rear disks. I have great brake feel and excellent performance from the OE brakes with just a pad change, braided hose upgrade and quality fluid. For the street, I'd keep the front rotors and calipers and for the rears, I'd go with the MM setup (they are back in business with a new owner) or stick with the stock drums.

I would be most interested in non-clear covers since I will paint them anyways. Ideally, they wouldn't need gaskets either if the fit is decent. The ones I currently have on my 260Z race car need the gaskets as the fit isn't great.

It depends on the specific tire you choose. A summer-only tire will likely have square shoulders and will most likely rub in the rear. Mine rubbed severely until I trimmed about 10mm of the weld flange off the fender lips. I tried rolling them first, but that wasn't enough. Getting wheels with a +6mm offset will help on both the front and rear. MSA's Panasports are +6mm, I believe. My Panasports are zero offset as are the Konigs.

Good to know. I'm pretty sure that my Hankook RS2 225/50R16 tires are on the wide side as well. They rub more than other tires of the same size. I work in the auto industry with performance cars and sizes are only a general indication of actual size. A stack of four tires can easily vary by several inches in height from brand to brand. Some tires are much more trapezoidal than others as well. The listed tire size is the sidewall width, not the tread width, so a tire that is very square will have a much wider tread than a trapezoidal tire. There is a good article written by a pro racer friend of mine that helps explain tires. http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticles/ID/3974/How-to-PROPERLY-select-and-size-TIRES-for-PERFORMANCE.aspx