Jeff G 78

Since you are not replacing the timing set (chain, gears, guides and tensioner), you would likely have to advance a hole or two anyways. When you reassemble, start with hole #2 and check the chain stretch per the FSM. If it needs more, go to hole #3. If that doesn't do it, it's time for a new timing set. Don't forget to stuff a clean towel down around the chain until you are ready to reinstall the gear. Every small part in your garage will get sucked down that open hole like it's a giant vortex. It looks like cylinder #6 was the one with the head gasket leak since it's the only clean piston.

Replace all fuel hoses and vent lines and be sure to seal all pass though locations. Exhaust fumes will seep into any tiny gaps, so find and fix them all when the tank is out. The fuel vent hose grommets always dry up over time, so that's a good place to start.

Just make sure the free play is within spec. Too little and you will kill the clutch.

After re-reading all of the posts, this does seem to be a hydraulic issue. With the car up on jack stands, crawl under it and check for leaks. If you don't find any, have a helper slowly push the clutch pedal. See how much free travel they have until the slave rod starts to move and how much free travel until the clutch release arm starts to move. Also note the total travel of the arm with the clutch pedal pushed to the floor. I believe both specs are in the FSM. If the pedal itself has slop, adjust the pedal clevis and retry. The older North American S30's have an adjustable push rod at the slave cylinder and the later cars have a fixed push rod. If you have an adjustable rod and everything else is good, you can adjust it there. If there are no leaks and the free travel at the slave is too high, simply adjust the rod and re-measure until everything is within spec. If the rod is fixed, do the same thing, but under the dash at the master cylinder rod clevis. My experience tells me the slave cylinders don't partially fail. They usually work one day and then you immediately have zero pedal pressure when the slave fails. The master *might* fail a bit slower if there is a tiny nick in the seal and some air has entered the system. I have driven S30's for up to a week with no clutch while waiting to get a new slave. They actually shift very well as long as you rev-match on down shifts. Heavy traffic sucks because you have to keep shutting the car off at stops, but it can be done. Good luck.

Brand new, or new remanufactured? I've had several reman units o bad very quickly. It does sound like a bad clutch to me though. When the MC or slave goes bad, the pedal will have no pressure. Time to pull the trans and replace the clutch.

After verifying that the front calipers are on the proper sides (bleeders up), bleed the master cylinder. Use a 6" long hose. With the hose on the front MC bleeder port, insert the other end of the hose into the MC reservoir below the fluid line. Open the bleeder slightly and slowly pump the brake pedal up and down until no air bubbles come up through the fluid. When the bubbles are gone, close the bleeder and repeat for the rear port. You MUST bleed the MC prior to bleeding the calipers and wheel cylinders. Once the MC is bled, start at the LEFT rear. On a Z, it is actually the furthest from the MC since the lines travel down the RH side of the car. Continue to the right rear and then the right front and left front. Don't forget to keep adding fluid to the reservoirs. If they run dry, you will have to start over with the MC bleeding.

Yeah, I really like that size too chaztg, but the limited selection turned me away. If I could have gotten Falkens or Hankook RS-2 or RS-3 in that size, I'd have gone that way for sure.

I can never decide which one of your Datsuns I like best. Your dad's S30's are all incredible, but your 510 is also a favorite of mine.

Ahh, yes. The oiler bar must me checked and cleaned anytime it's out. They have been known to crack and break off like that. Hopefully it didn't ruin the cam, rockers, or tower.

Exactly!

Yep, like Guy said, 225/50R16 can rub depending on wheel offset and brand/model of tire. Guy started a thread a while back about the same topic and I posted pics of what I had to do to make my 225/50R16 tires fit without rubbing.

Looking great Guy!

I've replaced valve springs with the head on and it's very possible, but not fun. Doing the seals is essentially the same job as replacing the springs. It does save time compared to pulling the engine or even the head, but not a lot. The cam will need to come out which then requires a lot of other stuff to be removed. I'm very comfortable around Z's and Z engines and the job still takes me a full day. I used vacuum hose in the cylinders and it works great, but it does compress a bit more than rope. With stock valve springs, this isn't a huge issue, but performance springs are hard to get on with any give in the valves. Pulling the cam requires the engine to tip rearward until it can slide out the front and clear the radiator. The hood has to come off as does the trans mount, exhaust, radiator shroud, timing gear, and fuel rail. The only savings IMHO by not pulling the head is that the head gasket is saved and the cooling system stays filled. If you have a header, leaving the head on saves time as well since the head cannot easily be pulled with the intake and exhaust in place. The header gets in the way. With a stock manifold, you can leave the intake and exhaust and lift the assembly out. On a carbed car, I can pull an engine/trans and yank the head quicker than I can pull the valve springs with the engine in the car and the head on.

Did you (or the shop) pull the cam towers when you had the head machined? If so, the cam might not be spinning freely, causing the noise. If the towers were off, pull your rockers and the timing chain and make sure the cam spins freely. If the cam is binding, it will destroy the cam and towers.

That's why it has been confusing for us. A "ZX clutch" doesn't tell us anything. The coupe ZX is the 225mm and the Turbo and 2+2 ZX clutches are 240mm. Glad it all worked out.

Aaaargh, I lost a response in the system. Anyways, what I said was... You never told us if the clutch kit you bought is for a 2+2 or a coupe. Earlier, you said the car is a 2+2 and that the clutch didn't fit the flywheel. Did you buy the right parts?

This makes no sense. All L series crankshafts are the same at the end where the flywheel bolts on. Post a picture and I can try to help. I will be away from the computer for several hours myself. I have the trans out of my Tacoma 4x4 and I just stopped for lunch. I need to install it now.

Let's go back and get a few things clear. 1. What are you trying to reuse and what are you buying new? a. flywheel b. clutch disc c. pressure plate d. throwout bearing e. pilot bearing (must be new) f. throwout collar 2. The ZX is a 2+2 correct? 3. You already have the hydraulics and pedals done? Once you answer these questions, we can better help you.

It will work just fine, but you need to get a 2+2 clutch and pressure plate kit or use everything that you removed from the ZX if you don't plan to buy a new clutch kit.

Remove the spacer plate. It's a round disc about 4" in diameter. It's only used with the auto flex plate. BTW, don't forget to install a pilot bearing (bushing). As for the clutch and flywheel. You should be using everything as a matched set. If you are buying a new clutch kit, you have to match it to the flywheel (coupe/na or 2+2/turbo). If the flywheel holes are too far out for the pressure plate, then you have a 2+2/turbo flywheel and a coupe/na clutch. Be sure to also match the throwout bearing collar and the pressure plate. There are a bunch of different length collars and you MUST use the pressure plate that matches the collar you have. Do a search here for throwout collar and you will find a picture with each collar and it's length.

I probably missed it, but what tire size did you go with? I only see the 16x7 rims size and your old 14" tire size. Yours appear really tucked-in compared to my 225/50R16 Hankooks on zero offset 16x7 Panasports. Do you have any rubbing front or rear? Your rims and tires look great BTW. Nice choice!

When I replied about the wheels, I wasn't even thinking about your flares. Is the sheetmetal fender still intact behind them, or has any of it been cut out? If it has been removed, ignore what I said. If it's intact, what I said still applies. Sorry about the brain fart I had.

Depends on the tire size. Zero might work if the tires aren't too wide, but you might need to be a bit positive to clear the fender lips. I had terrible rubbing in the rear of my '78 with 225/50R16 on zero offset Panasports. I had to trim the fender lips to make them fit. Other people have had no trouble with similar sizes. The tire brand and model will make a big difference too. Some run taller or wider than others.

This is exactly what I did on my 260 crapcan racer. I cut 2 full coils front and rear. We did add much longer jounce bumpers as well which are in contact at curb height. They add quite a bit of additional rate. We started with 102 lbs/in and ended up with around 170 lbs/in. It has new poly FRONT TC bushings with old rubber rear TC bushings and everything else is old rubber. The car seems to ride better than my 280 on Tokicos.

They are M6x1.25. Any Z fastener with a 10mm head is an M6. The 12mm head fasteners are usually M8