Tony D

Is that a TRICK question, Carl? If you know the answer, make sure you count GroupZ as 'Paid'...even though for the past two years their check has not been cashed... And officers inquiries fall upon some dark mass in the unknown ether... And downward flow of information has been...er...scant. The better question is: Of those clubs that paid, who is getting regular communications from the ZCCA? For real trivia, a good one is: Of those original members, how many have voluntarily not renewed?

It was a DOT requirement for the 1981 Model Year to combat odometer fraud. All models and makes were covered. Things are slow to change when regulated by a government bureaucracy.

Nobody will have any luck convincing the guy to sell ANY of those Z Cars for anything LESS than $700. At least that was the asking price years ago for a rat-eaten 73 240Z (the Red One). We call the guy "English Bob" and the story of that lot goes on for a long time. None of those cars has moved off the lot since 1997, when I moved in less than 2 miles away from the site. The guy has an English Accent, and around 2000 was actually living an in motorhome on the property, if you were up at the right time you could catch him half-naked taking a 'shower' off the hose on the minimarket/dairy (now a stereo installation shop---or is it a car sales lot now as well...) There is a phone number available, but trust me, unless you are willing to pay $1000 for the POS you see in that series of photos, he won't even talk with you. I have approached him with offers as high as $1500 for various vehicles on the lot (the Z's) and he will not entertain that sum either. I know of at least half a dozen people over the years that have all gotten the same answer from the guy. He wants ridiculous money for what he has, and is...er....eccentric to boot. And if things turn up missing, rest assured he knows what he has. Also there is video that overlaps from the neighboring businesses... Not worth it for what it is. Funny thing is, if you think that is something, there is another yard in the same vicinity with 30+ Z-Cars, almost all of them 240's, with several three digit VIN cars in there as well! But that guy isn't selling either. It's the desert, they won't rust away to nothing. They can afford to sit and let them appreciate. Condition 7 and better cars (which these Van Buren cars are not...they are worse) like in the other yard nearby can be sold for low $2000's now... There is a guy off Clark (I think) that seeks and sells early Z's. He has a 73 that I followed him home behind... And an Orange 72 that has sit for some time. Sweeney is the name he goes by.

That's Carrol Smith's take on it as well, Carl!

Wheel arse'y-front road (Magnesium) (5 1/2Jx14) 40300-E4200 Wheel arse'y-rear road and spare (magnesium) same Nissan Part Number... I have some shots of those on a car from a pig barn (no lie!) Nasty, Crusty Black ones... I wish someone made a correct aluminum replica. Having that nice looking wheel for a spare to make a nice billet reproduction from a place like Boyds would really set off a period-correct restoration! Not like using the above Nissan Part Numbers will glean any reward...

Hey! McMaster is over in Norwalk... And if you order first thing in the AM, it will make their 9AM UPS Ground shipment...the parts will be at your door by 6PM that SAME DAY! At least they come to me in Perris/Moreno Valley that way... And that's only if I'm not driving down the 605 any time during the week. Fastenal is no substitute for the cornucopia this is McMaster-Carr. And if you want the stuff in Stainless, Mc-Fadden-Dale Hardware has an outlet in Ontario, and Corona. They got EVERYTHING hardware related! Flushseal/Dryseal plugs (and the taps), button-headed stainless steel metric machine screws (think M6X1.0 and you go "Ooooh! Tasty!") Right off the 91 at Maple St, or off the 60 or the 10 at Grove, just south of Mission... Oh, and McFadden-Dale stocks Kroil in spraycans, as well as gallon cans. They also have (believe it or not) COSMOLINE! Want to store some parts???? SanBerdoo ain't Trona! Don't be that way!

My mind goes weak with age... I just did this with my son on his L20B manifold in the 510 Wagon... I had pipe plugs and a tap that went RIGHT into the factory straight threaded holes. Now, I preface this by saying I MAY have had a 'flushseal' tap and plugs laying around because these babies threaded right in and went in flush, and looked slick. I know I used liberal amounts of nikel-based anti-seize so if they need to come out later.... Now, I also found some Toyota Bolts that threaded in as well, so there has to be a metric threaded plug (or metric setscrew) that will screw in similarly and then can be locked in using a 'staking' technique. As for headers-vs-manifolds...like Carl said, unless you are tuning for a peak at a specific rpm (we altered primary lengths considerably on our L20A Bonneville Racer to get our peak right where we needed it, cut almost 5" out of the primaries!) the stock manifold, ported and cleaned of casting irregularities will function VERY well even on relatively hot motor builds. The 79 L20B manifold my son and I just put on his car had a 2.5" headpipe hole, with only about 75% of it open due to a HUGE cast-in restriction bump. Took it out altogether, and really lightened up the manifold in the process. A little port matching and bump removal at the exhaust ports as well made it look really 'flowey'... If this performs like a similarly cleaned up N42 Manifold on my 75 Fairlady Z 2/2, I think he will be very happy with the results. And the best thing: "IT ALL LOOKS STOCK"! When the CHP pulls you over for a roadside emissions compliance check LOOKING STOCK becomes a VERY good thing!

The twin 46mm 240 Carbs are well oversized for anything the L20A will ever need. What was wrong with the HG38's you removed? They will power the L20A just fine. Did you add the four studs so the 46mm units are properly bolted down and sealed, or are you still using the twin studs of the 38's? As I recall, the inlet manifold is also smaller where the carb throat enters... this may create a big step the fuel will have issues with at higher RPMS. Running rich should not be an issue, you can always let the needle out of the suction piston a mm or so to stick the needle into the jet a bit further, if required. But the manifold opening, studs, and etc will make for a miserable running car. I have seen people do the same thing on L20B's with SSS carbs and eventually they go back to the 38's. In the L20B four cylinder's case, the real trick is to use the Fairlady Z jets and needles in the SSS carbs for proper fueling to around 110HP to the rear wheels (not bad for a four banger!!! Or an L20A for that matter!)

I had a gentleman's bet of $1 with the owner of the car most likely to make 150mph using an N/A L-Engine Six Cylinder in an S30 with a stock body (no G-Nose)...Didn't have to pay, though he was close. Physics is not your friend, indeed it is a harsh taskmaster. For all those with 'stock' 140mph 240Z's, I have two words... "Speedometer Error" Or, depending on my mood... "Bovine Excrement" And yes, with a G-Nose, 173.325mph on a closed course, in less than 3 miles, from a standing start blowing by like a mother but the fees were already paid... Actually, in stock bodied cars, I have seen V8's struggle mighitily and not exceed 155. The aero is terrible at that speed, and cubic horsepower really means just that! 350 will get you in the area, but it's still not likely!

Man, I was halfway there last weekend, I could use that car, but I'm in SoCal, and have work booked solid the next few weeks. Does oregon have a 'Temporary' registration, one you get 'while under maintenance'? Would that temporary tag suffice as 'registration'? It does in California (much to the chagrin of Code Enforcement). If you play the game right, you can have that maintenance sticker/temp reg extended for months, at least giving you time to sell it or get it garaged someplace. It would be a dire waste to see it crushed. E-Mail me and we can maybe work out a contingency plan if you can't sell it locally turbotonyATexciteDOTcom GoodLuck!

That quote is priceless, and goes hand in hand with something hls30.com said on page 2 of this thread...something about 'being noticed' by the ZCCA. Well, if paying your dues involves sending in a remittance, and then being ignored for over a year...if someone figures out how to get the ZCCA's attention let us know. The Charter Member Clubs are dropping out of a disfunctional organization. I don't know what politics are at work, but our club in SoCal has had not one word of correspondence from the ZCCA in over a year. We paid our money, and they never cashed the check. E-mails were sent repeatedly, no response. One of our officers even sent an e-mail to let the ZCCA know their website was taken over by Porn Spammers earlier this year. Not even a 'thank you for the heads-up'. Voulnteers or not, there is a common courtesy in replying to repeated inquiries as to disposition of membership funds paid and not redeemed, and actually interacting with those clubs who actually are paying the dues. To think this may all stem from a simple question of 'what does our ZCCA Dues get us as a club?' question some years ago just boggles my mind. It is a sad state of affairs indeed when a club can't get any response from the national organization of which they are supposed to be a member. Maybe I sense this in Escanlons' commentary as well, as I've heard similar sentiments from others along that line as well. I think the commentary where someone said there is a lack of passion is somewhat correct. I think the lack of passion is not really the issue, but lack of focus. It appears the focus is on fifedoms and perpetuation of seat and privelidge amongst the annointed, and as was stated 'the rabble can eat cake'---if you ain't in the 'in crowd' you're out. And that's the wrong attitude to have in a 'national sanctioning body'. As far as conventions go: San Diego...best AutoX, 200 feet short of a full mile with elevation changes and rides in the #75 IMSA GTS car with Butch Leitzinger driving. Hula Hotel and Swap Meet was a nice touch, but probably won't ever happen again. Colorado...Nice Tour Drive (except for the Gravel Road Miscue) as well as a fun track event. The Rain on the car show dampened a great venue. Plenty of 'kid stuff' as well. Alburquque...Liked the 'Quiz Tour' format to get acquainted with the local sights. And the timing was GREAT, the Drive-Through Liquor Stores would still sell you a bottle of Rum, a sixpack of coke, and give you two big plastic cups of ice....all while you were sitting in the car. Egads! They shut 'em down shorthly after the convention. Hmmm, I wonder why? Atlanta...Best Car Show Venue IMO... Vegas...Car show was Air Conditioned, but not quite as nice as Atlanta's and kind of cramped in comparison. Very bare due to the problems as alluded to earlier. Functional. And not without warning. The beginning of 'the era of fifedoms' and manifestations of same. San Antonio...GREAT TRANSPORTATION to off-hotel-site events. The River Walk was a good time, and gave me the opportunity so go since I didn't when at Lackland in the USAF... Very Smoothly Run Convention from what I saw. Wish the host hotel actually honored reservations---ended up at a nearby Holiday Inn instead due to them trying to jack up the price on a confirmed reservation. Kingston...My vote for best Convention Ever (even though they promised a 'Long Distance Trophy'....) Great track venue without American-Style Litigiousness Induced Mega Disclaimers, Wonderful Country Drive Event (my 8 year old was the navigator, which says loads about clarity of their instructions), Guinness that was Draught Proper in the hotel (that alone was reason enough for first place vote), Car Show was larger than the Hockey Rink, but it's Canada...eh? Where else would you hold a car show there? Overall very well run from what I could see, was very impressed by the polish of the whole affair. Syracuse...Great local food, GREAT TRACK VENUE, good host hotel...though honoring their reservations was not a highpoint, same as SanAntonio. I resided in a nearby Holiday Inn as a result, same as San Antonio. Nice way to array the Car Show at a non-conventional venue. And the Air Conditioning was welcome. Great bunch of organizers and great enthusiasim by the people putting it on. LA, It could have been better. But 'history' for that one is too personal to me since I was there. I'll leave it at 'I liked the BBQ at the end of the Santa Monica Mountian Drive' and 'Willow Springs was fun...' and move on from there... I lament not making this years event, but I had other committments that precluded it. I have never been a fan of conventions so late in the year simply because I can't get my kid to go with me. I was looking forward to this years (2008) but given the late date, it will be unlikely I will be able to attend this event either. Even though I have property within easy driving distance where I could prestage vehicles... And likely due to the proximity to the Toledo 24 Hours of Lemons Event in September that will be the last time I will be heading to the Mideast Region in 2008. For those staging the 2008 Convention: Good Luck! You will need it. Dang, have I been to 9 of these? Sheeez! I didn't realize that until just now!

I will second the "Fuel Pump" fuse thought. In the early cars, the wiring is extant in the harness for the fuel pump, you just have to add the fuseholder pigtail to connect to it. On the car Kats has, the fuse holder and pigtail is included factory soldered in the box. Kats, I may have Kuraido Tomoyose's mobile phone number, if I can find it... I will PM it to you. He owned that 432 for years. He built the engine that was in my 1973 240Z (original matching numbers L24) Alas I sold that engine to someone other and installed an L28(T) along with many other goodies from RS Okinawa like HKS Surge Tank, Mikuini Carbs, RSST Springs...all the good stuff available in Japan that I simply never saw in the USA (at the time.) Keep up the photos, and documenting differences. It's very interesting!

Something is worng with their system, it's telling me my paypal account spending limit is exceeded. Guess I need to e-mail them directly and get my five reserved to pick them up in person on the 15th... "Oh Bother!" said Pooh Bear.

"Do you mean to say that if they worked at a Datsun dealership and a triple carbed Z rolled through the door that they would refuse to work on it? " In many instances, that was exactly the case! Similarly GM dealers eschewed Quad 48IDA's on Inglese Manifolds... Subjective Opinion, perhaps. What makes a fact? If I see it everywhere, doesn't that lend credence to the status of it being a factual observation? You may want to read the subtle qualifiers in your selected quotes. Interestingly you chose 'The lights are on' passage without including who SAID the statement to which I was referring, and how it relates to the general disconnect with the land of imports the ruling class of the Ford Family (and most of the Detroit Big Three) were on the point. You got your nickers in a twist because I said I agreed with the Nissan Factory Engineers Evaluation that their general distributorship workforce would be incapable of properly maintaining the proposed Triple-Mikuini System. Anything else said, or brought up is irrelevant, really. I don't think my head is allowing me a view of my pancreas by any stretch of the imagination. You have agreed finding a good mechanic is difficult. Well, that is the same thing the Nissan Engineers were saying, your average guy at a distributorship most likely would not be able to handle this job without some more training than they already had. I don't know why that statement upsets you so much, but it seems pretty straightforward and logical assessment of the situation existing at the time. It's not Impuging America, even the Big Three make these kinds of assumptions. Some cases they are warranted. Chances are more often than not, they are.

Damn, it's all one sentence, draw the obvious inference: "#305 is in my back yard, and that was the explanation I got when I put it back there about 5-6 months ago." How much clearer do I need to make it? I mean I did post it...who else would I be referring to as 'mine'?

Atually, one of our Group Z club members Pat Cordova is the original owner of his 1972 240Z bought and delivery accepted while he was stationed in the Army on Okinawa. My 75 Fairlady was brought down from the mainland for the last Shaken-Sho (typical of the GI Used Car Market at the time). Okinawa had many strange vehicles like RA22 Celicas with the JDM 18RG DOHC Engine, yet in LHD---only one of which was ever officially imported by Toyota Motor Co. USA into the USA for testing and evaluation (RA22-000005, owned by Jogi Luz at Toysport in L.A.) The only dealership in Okinawa at the time that was selling Z's (outside of Army Air Force Exchange Dealers) was Naha Prince. When I was there, you still had to go to Naha to get your Z-Parts, and the gentleman behind the counter had three fingers...very helpful and knowledgable on the S30's. Before I left, I went to Naha Prince to see the 'new' R32 GT-R that was in the showroom. None were allocated to Okinawa, and the story was the vehicle in the showroom was already sold to someone on the mainland, but had to be displayed that month before they could take delivery. The Parts department was actually across the street in the Sunny dealership. If you want information on Z's in Okinawa during the 70's, talk to Oshiro Georgi, and Tomoyose Kuraido...both work on American Installations in the center of the island. Tomoyose's father was an American Citizen that owned a large machine shop (where the Johnny Walker Warehouse visible off Rte 58 in Naha currently is located). Tomoyose owned the only Z432 on the island at the time, and it changed hands, ending up with Oshiro who owns it to this day. Oshiro sold his Honda City Turbo II to buy the 432! I have seen several other early Z's which were claimed to have been bought and delivered on Okinawa during that same time. My 1970 (-ish) Fairlady Z was bought by a DOD School Teacher on the mainland, and in 1976 shipped it to Arizona when she rotated duty stations, where it resided until I purchased it in 1990. My 1978 Fairlady 280Z was bought early...it looks to have been produced around the middle of July, and was shipped the following September...given military regulations requiring 1 year of ownership to ship the vehicle it is believed to be a one-owner car. When that owner was at Norton AFB in CA, there was eventually a problem with emissions on the vehicle, and he traded it in to a dealership for a new Z31 (1988). It got put into the back lot with the idea that the dealership would restore it for showroom floor duty...but the dealer went bankrupt, so the parts manager was given the vehicle for 'severance pay'. It sat in their back yard for 14 years... One day someone my wife works with saw her driving my 75 Fairlady Z 2/2 and said "Hey, we have one just like that!" My wife, after telling me not a month earlier "No more Z-Cars!" had the duty that evening to come in and say to me "Honey, um, do you want a Fairlady Z?" I digress... My

Aaaah, so 'Charles' is a different person than "Charlie"... See the other link, #305 is in my back yard, and I was told it was a companion to #51 to do a proper restoration. Or it was another early car with a 2XX serial number... they are both back there near the pepper trees in my back yard. #51 resides with Charlie up in Pasadena I believe. His inventory is 'dual warehoused' much to my wife's chagrin!

It is my understanding that Charlie still is the owner of #51, and from what understand #305 comes with the deal as the 'sacrificial parts car' to complete a proper restoration on #51. #305 is in my back yard, and that was the explanation I got when I put it back there about 5-6 months ago.

All the cars 69-78 had the same profile. If the car you are looking at 'has a longer back' make sure it's not a 2+2 (four seater). There was no 2+2 before 1974, so if you have a 73 and think the 74 'has a shorter back' chances are you are haveing an optical illusion played on you, all 2-seat coupes have the same roofline and hatch slope.

The point being made was that on average the service structure was not compatible with OEM requirements required to support such a system. I'm not saying they all were morons, but ON AVERAGE they WERE NOT capable of that level of support. Not that it takes a genius to synch carbs, but Forrest Gump was working on the chassis rack, and Bubba was just promoted to LOF... We are talking about guys with an Average I.Q. maybe in the 100 range if you are lucky. You would hope they could do it, but many times they can't. And that's a fact. Not a knock, just a cold evaluation of the workforce...not just here in America, but generally EVERYWHERE. You are mixing people in the afetermarket with people on an OEM level. You make the assumption that since the engineers did not have confidence in their OEM service structure to support the product that is somehow is a blanket condemnation of Americans in general. It's not, it's a factual analysis of their workforce and there is nothing wrong with agreeing with it from my point of view. They felt the same about the JDM workforce, limiting access to Mikuini-Equipped Triples to only special workcenters with specialized training. You admit you can't find a good mechanic. That in and of itself is a condemnation of the 'average worker'! Don't use absolutes, as I wasn't. FOR SHAME! I made the comment 'frankly I agree with them' because I do. The service departments most likely could NOT support this setup. I remember having to reset my Corvair after coming back from the GM dealership because they would NEVER get the synch correct. Would it pass GM specs? Probably, maybe, but three notches on the Unisynch was not acceptable to me! And from what I read in the FSM it wasn't acceptable, either! It sure as hell wasn't that way when it went IN to the dealer! And this was within a 2 hour drive from the factory training centre. Gawd forbid someone at a Buick Dealership / Datsun setup had to worry about getting to Carson or Gardena for training. Getting power from one engine or another does NOT mean they can come in an synch a multiple Mikuini Setup. It's a red herring. I deal with technical instruction as part of my job. I deal with people here in the USA with High School Educations...period. I have YET to find someone in the general distribution network with a 4 year degree. Now...overseas? At a MINIMUM I deal with people having a 4 Years Bachelors. I was amazed to be doing a field evaluation on a gent with a MASTERS in international finance! The educational requisites for going into the mechanical field here in the USA has been very VERY low. What makes America great is the fact that ANYBODY can do WHATEVER they want. What hurts America in many cases is also precisely that as well! Someone may be a stellar performer as an individual, but has absolutely no background in finances or anynthing other than his specialty. Not a balanced individual. Again, not a knock, but a truthful assessment. You are using extremes to make your point, while I am using the sad averages. It becomes clear you haven't spent much time in the Mideast. I grew up there. I never said acceptance of Japanese Vehicles was a sign of intelligence. I simply said that I moved BECAUSE OF IGNORANCE. There is a big difference. I never said people in the Mideast were ignorant because they couldn't work on a carburettor, I said the general workforce of the Nissan / Datsun Service network was likely not about to work on CARBURETORS! That they be in the Mideast is irrelevant to the discussion. But regarding the Mideast comments; that's based on years of dealing with them in the most-trained regions of the Big Three not being able to service their own products much less a smaller line of supplementary vehicles. You're parsing and twisting what I said into something else altogether. My simple statement was that Nissaan Engineering thought that the service network most likely could not support the product, and I agreed with that assessment. Nothing more, nothing about the mideast, just a general statement that the average Datsun guy in the mid 60's and early 70's would most likely not be able to properly service a triple solex setup for long term emissions compliance and low customer complaints. They used specialized dealerships in Japan to deal with this, and as a matter of fact, the NEW GT-R is getting the SAME treatment in the JDM. Likely here as well. What does that TELL YOU about the CURRENT 'Average Dealership Mechanic'? Has anything changed with FAR BETTER internte-based training of technicians compared to the 50's 60's 70's? And that was ALL I was saying. All the rest is pent up agression over something I never said but which obviously you have some issue with. Pushrod V8's? Who cares? The L-Engine is similarly 50-ish design as well...what does that have to do with anything? If you take so much offense to that, evaluate what you have said, because you are supporting my statements. There are stupid people everywhere, they are the rule rather than the exception, and that people with preconceived notions can be bullheaded and refuse to see the obvious answer even when it's placed before their noses!

Actually, that was quite some time ago, but if you want to hold a grudge on Metric system being inherently intuitive, I can't help you. it was not last week, check it. Similarly, after 20+ years of having to deal with Midwestern attitude about japcrap, nazikrautburningwagens, and whatever other racist, narrowminded and ignorant drive you care to hear I got fed up and LEFT. Rally around the flag if you want to. There was a time in my youth that I felt if I could do it, anybody could. Unfortunately as time has gone by, I realized that this was not the case. Instead of getting upset by their incompetence, I simply choose to accept they exist and call a spade a spade. People are idiots. But I find the acceptance of Japanese Vehicles, and Imports in general to be the RULE here out west, than back in the mideast. I will remind you in the late 70's a Ford Executive...one of the annointed 'family' in fact, while being driven around SoCal commented there 'sure were a lot of imports out here'...and when the local Ford Rep explained that people drove great distances, so fuel economy was a big concern as well as reliability the Annointed One insightfully replied that 'It must be some sort of regional anomaly'.... The lights are one, but nobody's home. And that was the environment in which I was raised. Sorry, but it's still distasteful. But with that kind of an upbringing and seeing it all around me, it's hard to shake the impression that there is a dearth of intelligence in that part of the country when it comes to Imports, Import Technology, and generally anything that didn't come out of Detroit. And they didn't cover up the third carb, the covered up BOTH the secondary carbs. That would probably have gone hand-in-hand with the guys putting the 390's on the Corvairs, both 140 and 180HP models... etc. Ignore the rest of the examples, I got a million examples. The point was in 1970, multiple carburettor systems were not the standard in the general mechanical knowledge pool. And that is what you have to draw from. Fixate on what you want to argue about, fine. Just don't miss the bigger picture. Sure there are idiots everywhere, and sure, California is not an exception. Thanks for making my point about why it was considered a bad idea to go with Triple Mikuinis on an OEM application versus two SU's. Frankly, with non-adjustable jetting the Mikuinis would be easier to meet emissions compliance longterm than variable jetted SU's. They made JDM emissions requirements till 1980 at least on Toyotas with 2TG's and 18RG's. And those requirements were stricter than CA regulations for a good part of that time... So while on the face of it the 'polite answer' was that emissions nixed the package, there is more to it than that. Primarily nobody KNEW what US Emissions REquirements were going to be one year to the next. THAT is a better explanation than simply saying Mikuinis wouldn't meet emissions requirements. Once they stabilized after 1975, it became easy to make compliance. But from 67 to 75 there was so much fighting, lobbying, and changing of regulations it wasn't funny.

Disconnect the coil wire and see if you are getting a spark on initial powerup. My Megasquirt does that, explaind at 'the other site'...

Well, that gives me something to do this Sunday. I have to drive to Tempe/Mesa area for a Job starting Monday...I know how I will be killing the evening I guess...

My wife's 260 with round tops will get a solid 27+ mpg if I keep it on the highway at or below 65mph (you could say 60mph average I suppose). Get to the 75+mph range, and the car will be in the 22-24mpg range. Crack triple digits for a tankful, and you will see 19mpg... In town it can be anywhere from 17-mid 20's depending on how friskily I'm teasing the throttle. This 260Z has a 3.7 Gearset, late ZX Gearbox, and stock everything else save for the Round Tops. So FWIW, chances are good you have the carbs tweaked a bit rich, or have some other non-optimal componentry.

! I recall people changing from the Zeniths and Solexes wholesale on Porsches because they were 'too complex' to tune. And they went to a Weber...yeah, 'complex'... And scads of people went with a Single 48IDA or even a 32NDIX on a VW offroader because it was 'easier' to tune than 'troublesome multiple carbs'. It's not 'self-loathing anti-Americanisim' at all, but a simple observation of everyday facts of life, as well as posssibly revealing some unpleasant facts---don't shoot the messenger! Corvairs were loathed with two one-barrels, much less the four one-barrels, and the big conversion was to put a single two barrel on them, or even better a 390 Holley (sound familiar?) Resulted in terrible drivability when cold, and carb icing, but hey, there's only a coupla screws to turn, and I don't have to 'balance' anything---whatever that means. Call all the names you want, but years of firsthand observations show me that maybe Nissan's concerns about their service department throughout the midwest at the time may not have been too far off base! Keep in mind this was a period when people may have to travel from L.A. and the corporate office to fix customer's cars, or attend to troublesome warranty situations. In the 1970's multiple carburetor systems on small bore imported cars had the average corner mechanic running for cover. That was something exotic, like on a Ferrari, or other European Marque. For the same reason, people lifted up the secondaries and stuck galvanized plates of sheetmetal and tar under their Tri-Power Firebirds 'because they sucked too much gas'... There's a reason I moved WEST. To get away from simpletons who thought because they could fit a spanner to nut that made them qualified to dispense high performance advice. I came to where I bought all my VW parts from. I came to where those funny little jap cars that everybody seemed to like to take sledghammers to every fourth of july for $20 a whack came through the ports. I don't know if that answers your question or not, but facts of the matter are MYTHS surround the complexities of triple carburettors. About how they need to constantly be adjusted, blah blah blah. I know they're not true, you know they're not true, but I can see guys who insist that they have to fiddle with it every week or more, and will tell everybody they know that is how they are supposed to be. The 432's were serviced at specialty dealerships in Japan for just such a reason. Does that mean any dealership mechanic couldn't do it? Probably not...but would you let your Porsche 904 Carrera be serviced at the local VW dealership? Flat Four Air Cooled, same same, right? Engineers rarely give much credit to the field folks. You may get extremely pi$$ed off about it, but it's a fact of life. You want to cry about an Engineer's estimation of their service force in 1968, talk to them, don't beat me up over it! Judging from my experiences in the 70's with midwestern service networks, the Nissan Engineers may not have been that far off base. If it's a personal slight to you, then you'll have to deal with it, but I'd suggest yelling at the Nissan people, not me. While emissions may have been the death blow, the final nail in the coffin, the coup de grace....serviceability longterm was on everybody's mind. You may not want to admit it, but keeping it running with the existing service network is a major concern to any OEM when they introduce a new product. Just look what Nissan went through trying to get people to understand how a 'power valve' works in the 73-74 Flat-Top SU's. And then the major education campaign for the 'new' EFI system coming in the 1975 model year.(Very similar to the VW Education Campaign done in 1967 with the Type 3 debut and conversion from Dual 32 PDSIT carbs to Bosch EFI...) But back to the topic at hand: If the car doesn't have forged pistons, and is limited to below 7000 rpms, then you may as well give up on triples and go with the Four Barrel. It will make the power same as anything else below that point, and it's cheap. Cheaper than most any of the alternatives given thusfar.