Jeff G 78

I've seen oil pumps look like that. If I see any denting, I pitch it and buy new. Every dent will result in lost flow/pressure. It should be pristine.

What brand of windshield and hatch seals did you buy?

Throttle open simply allows air into the cylinders. I haven't lifted the pistons either, but it's possible doing so could change the results. As long as you are consistent, it shouldn't matter. With compression testing, it's more about cylinder to cylinder variation than actual numbers. Most gauges will vary a bit. I can't see where opening the choke would make any difference as all it does is lower the needle to enrichen the fuel mixture. That shouldn't matter at all.

Yeah, the 996 has good A/C. The Z won't be driven much in the summer until I put the A/C back in it.

My cars made it to Phoenix. The FJ and 996 were unscathed, but something must have been kicked up and the driver's side mirror was broken off and the stainless steel trim that caps the door is dented from the mirror hitting it. Luckily, the mirror was already crap and there was no damage to the door itself. The cars were completely filthy and likely salty from a winter storm he drove through in New Mexico.

Rod and I have been phone, FB and internet friends for years, but we've never met in person. We have always wanted to race together and it just never worked out. When I said I was selling the car, he offered to take it, prep it and store it so we can race it. We haven't worked out the details yet, but it might just work.

He is near Atlanta Motorsports Park. Rod Earwood

Well, my '78 was loaded today and is headed for Phoenix. I got the race car done and ready to sell, so I finally took a few pics of my cars together for the first time. As for the fate of the race car, I *might* have a plan that allows me to keep it. A fellow Z racer in Atlanta might be willing to take the car back to his place and race prep it. When I want to race, I'll fly in and race it with him. That way, I don't lose the car, but I don't have to take it with me where I have no space for it.

Does Steve know you have a '72? The '72 SU's have a different float height in the front vs rear carb, The stanchion is higher in one than the other, so both will have a fuel height of 22mm from the top, but a different height from the bottom.

I just went through this last weekend on my 260Z race car. Start by making sure the bushings are fully seated. I used a big clamp with a socket on the outboard side so the steel sleeve wouldn't stop the compression. This also makes sure the sleeve is slightly outboards. Once both are compressed as much as possible, grease the bushings to help the knuckle slide in and place a VERY thin putty knife on each side and then work on getting the knuckly into place. Mine were very tight, but after a few attempts, they both went in. Getting the spindle pins in was a pain in the arse too. Everything has to be lined up perfectly before the pins will go all the way through. Finally, rotating the pin to the ideal position for the wedge bolt is a bit tricky, but not too bad. Good luck!

I need therapy after throwing stuff in the dumpster. I had 40 years invested in many parts. I literally kept less than 2% of my stash. In the end, this move allows me to finish my '78 and enjoy driving it. I gave away a 280Z dash with one hairline crack just because I couldn't move it. The dash in my car is far, far worse.

Yeah, I figured that the $10 check valve was a temporary fix, but at least it's super easy to replace and I can get a new one in a day from Amazon if it fails prior to me replacing the check valve in the pump. I almost bought the one that comes as a pair for $10, but it didn't have clamps, so I went with the single with clamps instead. On a side note, I feel bad that I have had to throw away so many good Z parts in the past few weeks. Today, I'm cutting perfectly good front fenders up with a death wheel so I can throw them away. I am also pitching a rust-free POR-15 lined late '74 fuel tank and an okay '78 fuel tank. I just can't take them with me. I've pitched bins of parts. 😞

Another update as I get closer to moving day. I had a dumpster in the driveway for almost a week blocking the Z in the garage. Today, the dumpster got picked up and it was time to fire the Z up and move it outside to give it a quick wash after 10+ years of sitting in the garage with only a dust cover on it. After sitting for at least three full days, the car fired right up with only 1-2 seconds of cranking and no stall after the initial start. I think I'm in great shape now thanks to everybody's help! The Z parts I saved are almost all packed up and I'm 90% ready for the movers. I just need to finish my race car so I can put it on the market. It's getting close too. The movers come Monday and the cars leave Tuesday. For those between Michigan and Phoenix, keep an eye out for my Z, my 996 and my wife's FJ Cruiser heading west next week or the week after. They say it could take until the April 6th to get my cars. 😞 Once I get the AZ house under control, I will concentrate on making the Z presentable. It needs some block sanding, front and rear early bumper swaps, my Xenon front airdam installed and a BRE rear spoiler before it can get painted. I'm not sure when it will all get done, but hopefully in the next year or so.

The flywheels are all the same size with different dowel locations for 225mm and 240mm clutches, but the larger OD clutch for the Turbos and 2+2 give you more surface area and clamping load, though they are heavier and have more inertia. It's a way to get OE pedal feel and disc material, yet support more HP. A smaller, high performance clutch also works, but at the cost of heavier feel and less progressive take-up.

I had Top End Performance take mine down to about 15 lbs. in my race car. Since it's a race car, I can't say how it is in traffic, but I can't feel any difference in the pits or loading/unloading. You still have a stock flywheel, but without the extra inertia. It's cheaper than buying a new one too.

Update on the check vlave: I bought and installed an inline check valve for $10 and installed it between the filter and the fuel rail. I started the car yesterday to pressurize the system and then shut it off and let it sit for about 20 hours until this morning. The temp was mid-20's in my garage this morning, so it should be worst-case for cold starting along the trip. Prior to adding the check valve, the car would crank for 20 - 30 seconds and then try to start and cough a few times. It would require 2-3 starting attempts until the whole system was pressurized and all cylinders were getting good fuel. This morning, the engine cranked for only about 5 - 8 seconds and started for a few seconds before stalling. It then cranked for another few seconds before startin and chugging to life. As suspected, the fuel is now staying in the rail for the most part, but I think with the check valve so close to the engine, the underbody line is no longer full of pressurized fuel so the engine doesn't want to keep running once the fuel in the rail is burned. The check valve I added helps a lot but is not a 100% cure. As I did my final purge of old parts yesterday ahead of the move, I did find an old, rusty EFI fuel pump bracket with the pump and hoses connected. I don't know if the pump works or which car I even removed it from, but I was able to pull the check valve off. I tried to blow through it both ways and it must be varnished shut as I couldn't get any air through it. Once I'm in AZ, I will soak it in acetone an see if it is any good. If not, I will search for a new check valve similar to the OE part. I may hit you up @EuroDat if you are willing to sell one of your check valves. For now, I think the crank time is acceptable for transportation across the country. Thanks everybody for the help!

I went with Mustang GT500 rear brakes on my race car. Silvermine sells the mounting brackets and the rotors are vented. The calipers and rotors are from a S197 Mustang GT500. From everything I've read, the Maxima and 240SX rear disc conversions don't have enough stopping power to match the front vented Toyota 4x4 caliper/Z31 rotor setup. Unfortunately, I will never get the chance to try my new brakes before I sell the race car, so I can't give a review. I will try to upload some pics of my setup later.

I usually go about 75% of the torque range, so for the mustache bar I'd torque the nuts to 65 ft-lbs. The RT mount is super easy to install with the diff out. It slips right into place once you remove the strap hardware. You will need to do some trial and error on how much of the snubber to cut off. If you go with a RT mount or not, start with a new front diff mount. Your is most likely shot.

How does everybody manage to take photos and/or videos while working on a project? I am always too busy and my hands are always dirty, so getting my phone out take pics mid-job never happens. I do try to stop and document a few times once I finish a task and clean my hands and always do at the end of the day or when the project is completed. I guess many of you have kids that you can lean on to be the photographers.

I would never redo these parts without upgrading to the RT Mount. While you are in there, it's the best solution going forward. The OE mount was a bad design and the RT Mount corrects the bad design. With the diff removed, it's a very simple install. I learned the hard way that trying to do it with the diff in place is very difficult and frustrating, but can be done. Start with a new OE diff mount and the RT Mount and then you can remove and discard the strap and strap mounting parts. If you back to OE, the front mount will fail again at some point. The OE mounts will be NLA someday, so a future failure of the mount due to the strap design could get costly. If you have a street-only Z, I'd cut the upper RT snubber a bit shorter than normal. In my race car, I kept a bit of preload, but I'd give a street car a bit of a gap to cut NVH. https://www.technoversions.com/DiffMount.html

You should be able to drive a narrow putty knife between the hub and backing plate to create a gap. Like Yarb said, soak the hole where the hub meets the backing plate and all around the perimeter of the joint. A good penetrant is a 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone. Heat on the backing plate outside the hub flange might also shock the bond.

I've had both the gauge and the sender go bad. I was in a 14 hour race where my gauge would read below zero in a long, fast RH corner at 6,000 RPM. With no bad noises coming from the engine, I was sure that it was a faulty reading and not zero pressure for 20 straight seconds. The sender is the easy swap and is probably worn out either way.

Thanks Chas! The pictures really help with my search. In my 40 years of working on Z cars, I've never removed the check valve from an EFI pump! 🙂 I will scour the internet to see if any of these Bosch parts are still available. It's unlikely that I can get anything prior to vehicle shipping, so I'll likely try an inline between the filter and the rail to see if that works short-term. I'll reply to your IM as well after I get out of meetings. BTW, what ever happened to Sarah? I can't remember why she left the forum.

I think I have a few regulators, though, I'd rather not disturb the old hoses right now. The car fires right up even after several hours, so it's a bleed down issue of some kind for sure. The cold start seems to work fine.

I'll try the oil pressure sender wire first. That's super easy. I think I'll install an inline check valve between the filter and rail and see if that works. If so, I won't have to deal with any electrical. I got the quote back to ship the car via the same transport company as my other two cars (Company pays to move two, so I have to pay for the Z). The quote came back really high, so I'l likely going to use another carrier. $1813 to move the Z on an open carrier! I got another quote for $1200 and I'm awaiting others to come back.