Jeff G 78

We were working on the LeMons '74.5 260Z today, trying to start it for the first time in 15 years. A PO messed with or removed nearly every system on the car, so consider it a basket case. After installing 3 screw SUs and tons of stuff that had been removed or hacked, we were ready to start it. After not getting anything, I checked the timing. With the #1 cylinder at TDC, the distributer rotor was not pointed to 9 o:clock, but rather at 7 o:clock. I pulled the distributor to check the shaft position and it was dead on 11:25. I turned the engine until the rotor did point at the #1 plug and it was way off 11:25. I had to pull all the wires and index them one hole counterclockwise. Once I did that, it fired up and ran great. Anyone ever see this before? I know where the shaft needs to be as well as where the #1 terminal is located and this is simply off. It runs fine the way it is, but I want to know WHY!! The good news is that the engine sounds great even without the carbs tuned. I never even touched the timing after I moved all the wires. Oil pressure is good and once it was up to temp, we checked compression and got 150psi on all six cylinders. Now it just has to run near redline for 1000 miles on a race track.

Are you talking about the stiffening braces to keep the urethane air dam in position at higher speeds? If so, I remember seeing a great write-up on hybridz.org with pics and dimensions. Look in the body section and search urethane air dam brace.

Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing novy.

This is what I don't like http://jalopnik.com/5337515/maserati-biturbo-gets-cash-for-clunkers-death-sentence Yes, it's a POS Maserati, but with only 18k miles and a perfect interior, it shouldn't be put down. :disappoin

Watch these videos as well. This guy does a decent job of explaining SU tuning.

Assuming the dealer didn't let on that the car would not be turned in for a rebate, they would be slimy. If they were honest and told the customer that they would resell the car, it wouldn't be a CARS transaction, but rather a simple trade-in.

Yes, but a slimy dealer could give the customer $4500 and not write it up as a CARS turn-in. It would simply be a trade-in.

On Jalopnik, they had people sending in Death Row pics from dealerships. Many of the responses came from kids who worked at the dealers. There were many claims of cars that would likely sell for more than $4500 on the used car market.

Either buy a parts store slave or buy a rebuild kit and do it yourself. I just bought a Beck Arnley kit including piston for $3.62. Chances are good the seal is just old and cracked.

My DD Toyota 4x4 qualifies, but there's no way I would part with it and get stuck with a payment. It has 258,000 miles and is rusty, but it runs great and gets 20mpg. I still need a truck, so I would have to buy a $30k truck to get the same option content as what I already have. This whole CARS program is going to get the country into further debt. Many people who take advantage of it can barely afford their clunker, yet think they are getting a deal, so jump into a new car with a huge debt load. Those of us who are smart enough to keep our paid-for vehicle still get stuck with the bill as well as the increase in loan defaults that will surely follow.

Just be very careful that you don't bend any brake lines. I'd actually be surprised if you can remove the booster without removing the lines. The MC will have to slide forward quite a ways to clear the mounting studs. Hopefully it can be done. Good luck.

Hey Ron, I just got the microfiche CD to work. I had to disable the web plug-in per the CD's recommendation. Weird, I never had to do that before the Adobe 9 download. Yes, now I see that the pistons do look different. I guess I will simply get the basic rebuild kit without the piston. I can't imagine the seals will be any different. As far as parts go, anything that is free via sponsorship, donation, etc. technically counts towards the $500. Used parts aren't going to be scrutinized unless they add performance. Now, if someone were to give me a used Rebello engine or set of Illumina struts for free, they would have a problem. One thing I am looking for is a '79-'80 ZX distributor so I can dump the points. I have several '75-'78 distributors, but would then have to get a GM HEI module and I've heard the HEI units are lousy for high RPM usage. The race is October 3-4 in Northeast Ohio at Nelson Ledges. Of the ten S30s I've had, this is my first 260 and it's quite the bastard child. I can never quite be sure what parts do or don't fit it. Some parts are 280, some are 240, and some are unique. I like my '78 because I always know what works. The car is pretty clean and luckily, everything comes apart easily since it's from Texas, but all of the hydraulics are shot after sitting for so many years. I poured about a tablespoon of powder out of the brake MC reservoirs. The piston was frozen solid just like the clutch MC. I will replace the seals in the wheel cylinders, front calipers, clutch slave, brake master (spare), and clutch master (spare).

So Ron, when I check any auto parts store's website, they all list the rebuild kits as 70-78. I could certainly see the seals being the same, but does the piston look the same? From what you say, the shorter MC should work fine as long as I can rebuild it. I do have the Parts CD, but when I tried it today, it wouldn't work. I think the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader is incompatable with the CD. It worked fine a month ago, but now gives me an error when I try to go to any section of the CD.

I am rebuilding my '74.5 260Z LeMons car that has been in a barn for 10-15 years and the clutch master cylinder piston is frozen solid. So, I went to my parts stash and grabbed another MC that I could rebuild. I am not sure what year the MC is from since I have parted out everything from '72-'78 Z cars. What I found is that the MC is shorter than the 260Z MC. They are both 5/8" bore, but the reservoir is shifted a bit and the whole unit is about 1/2" shorter. I always thought they were all the same for the S30s. I can't get the piston out of the 260Z MC, so I can't measure the stroke to see if they match. The auto parts stores only list one MC, so I need to know if the shorter one will work and if a standard rebuild kit (with new piston) will fit it. Our LeMons rules only allow us $500 total, so I can't simply replace the MC with a new one. A rebuild kit is $6 vs. $40 for a new MC. Longer MC was on 260Z, shorter came from my parts stash and has no name cast in.

Try Danny's Datsuns in OR. He sells used Z parts. Otherwise, there are always a ton of cars being parted out and listed in the classifieds here, zcar.com, and hybridz.org.

Yikes! Yes, it's a V12, but what a turd of a motor.

Sorry, not sure if a ZX pump is the same or not. What is that pump? New OEM, used OEM, aftermarket universal?

There should be TONS of them out there. Post a WTB ad on all the Z sites or simply look through the classifieds for parts cars.

I spend a lot of time reading the archives at hybrid, but I never post there. I am an auto engineer and they are still too technical for me. :stupid:

They are quiet and last a long time if not destroyed by tank debris. I was just reading about issues with aftermarket pumps made in china and sold under the MSD name. You are better off with a quality OEM pump than a new Chinese aftermarket POS.

I'd look for a good used OEM pump.

It all depends what you want to do with the car. If you are going to do track days with it, the SR20DET or S2000 swaps will work, but if you want street power, a turbo L28 or V8 swap might be a better choice. Anything and everything will fit, so it just depends what you want.

BTW, getting photos of the inside of the tank to come out is really tough! You can either get the camera lens or light in the tank, but not both.

Start by removing the round inspection lid under the false floor in the hatch. It is to the right of the tire well near where the tools sit. Once you remove the cover, turn the lock ring, unplug the connector and remove the fuel sender. With the sender out, shine a flashlight down in the tank (not a trouble light!) and find out what the bottom looks like. If it's gunky or rusty, it's time to drop the tank and clean it out. Soak the fuel tank straps for a day or two in PB Blaster or other penetrant and remove the tank. The hoses can be tricky, but they will come off. Once the tank is down, order the POR-15 fuel tank kit online from the POR15 store and follow the directions EXACTLY! It takes several days to do right, but will fix your tank for good (only if done BY THE BOOK). Here was my tank before and after. It is a messy, no-fun job, but the results will be worth it.

No, it's not synthetic. They do make it in both dino and synthetic, but I have only seen the dino. Look here. http://www.valvoline.com/products/consumer-products/motor-oil/racing-motor-oil/6