2ManyZs

First, milling the top of the piston is going to have to be done very precisely or you'll end up with hot spots that will eventually melt the piston crown. I would not do this unless you have access to some pretty precise machinery to do the job properly. If you do it, you'll need to do all the pistons the same or you will throw the whole assembly out of balance and cause even more problems. Secondly, if you are going to run a turbo with flat top pistons, I think the compression ratio is going to be too high for that to be feasible without special pistons(read, very costly). The compression ratio needs to be lowered not only for the cylinder pressures the turbo will build, but also to control detonation. I think you are going to build your engine to be either turbo or non-turbo. You can run a turbo spec engine without a turbo with less problems than you can a n/a engine with a turbo. So, ultimately your piston choice will depend on whether or not you are going to install the turbo.

Guess you guys don't want TNN on Sunday huh? There is a show on there called "Trucks" that did a feature one this particular mod. Only difference was they put it on a pickup if I remember right. It might be OK as long as you never need to go on the road, not even sure it would be legal to drive on the road in most states........ There was one a while back that would flip over when hitting an obstacle, instead of just climbing up and over it would flip itself onto the next side and climb it that way. This one is driven the same way as a tank with the rollers, the older conversion drove in the middle and would rotate around the axle if needed. Guess that is why you don't see too many of them, it's a bit too different and obviously has its limits....

I think the US market was less saddened by the fact that Nissan decided to drop the Datsun badge for the simple reason that we are so used to seeing all the different brands of cars here that are built by the same parent company. Most of the true Datsun lovers were more concerned that the Nissan being brought here were becoming less the simple, affordable, quality cars that we were used to and that they were becoming something that followed along with what everyone else was doing at the time. Most anyone who really knows their cars knew all along that Datsuns were actually built by Nissan. We have General Motors here that builds cars and trucks under the names of Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Cadillac and Ford does the same thing under more than one nameplate. So when we talk about brand identification it's a bit different than some of the other markets that have only one or two brands being built by the same manufacturer. I think after losing the guidance of Mr. K's marketing genius when he retired in 74 was as much a fact in the Datsun name being taken off the cars as much as anything. Mr. K had built a reputation for Datsun with his advertising campaign, and with his input into what cars Nissan should build to export, that it would have taken someone with his equal passion, and insight to have saved Datsun. Datsun had some of their best sales years while Mr. K was President of Nissan North America, and within 5 years of his retirement, the Z and some of the other cars had changed so dramatially that while sales were still very good, the cars had lost their "mystique". If General Motors can keep the Corvette alive after all these years, I see no reason why Nissan couldn't have kept the Z alive and true to it's intent. GM did one thing correctly, they set up a team of engineers and marketing people to concentrate on just the Corvette. I think the Z could have gone on almost as well as the Corvette if it hadn't been lost in the beaurocracy of Nissan. Nissan at the time of killing off the Datsun nameplate was worried about losing it's identity by having more than one namplate affixed to its cars. Nissan wanted people to know who was building the cars it sold, yet today they have done an about face, and it has helped them. At one time there were only Honda, Toyota, and Datsuns being sold here in the US. Now we have Acura, Infinity, and Lexus to further confuse the consumers into thinking they are getting something better than what is sold a block down the street. I think the biggest problem with the manufacturers now days is the fact they want to compete at times with themselves. I guess a lot of this could be dropped on the shoulders of the so-called "marketing geniuses" they have on their payrolls. I think if Mr. K's replacement had had his vision, and dedication you would still see Datsuns in the showrooms today. He may not truly be the "Father of the Z" as he is called, but without his marketing skills and his insight, I doubt we would have seen the Z make the mark it did on the industry, or if it had, it wouldn't be the Z that we all know and love.

Also check the mounting bolts that mount the seat back to the hinge of the reclining mechanism. If it isn't the seat bottom mounting it could be these are a bit loose also....

Uh hate to say this, but we already have a section in the web-links under Z Car Businesses dedicated to Australia..... http://www.240z.org/modules.php?s=&op=modload&name=Web_Links&file=index&l_op=viewlink&cid=9 Isn't that kinda the same thing????

Well, I can say there is one thing that it doesn't do... It doesn't show up on the Microfiche in the electrical section:cross-eye Might it have been a dealer add-on?

You might want to double check your points and possibly replace them along with the condensor. Just a little added insurance with only a small cash outlay..... might even change the plug wires if they seem hard or brittle at all. Be sure to check the rear brake cylinders and all the lines (if they are still the original rubber lines) for leaks when you do the brakes. It might not be a bad idea to change the oil and filter again after you drive it for a while in case any crud dislodges after you start it up. As far as cleaning additives, the oil should have enough additives to take care of that. You ought to put a little oil down in the cylinders before you fire it up, just to be sure the rings have some lube, and spin it over with the coil wire unhooked for a minute until you see the engine has oil pressure on the gauge. After it builds up pressure and lubes the engine, hook up the coil wire and fire it up. Be sure to check the clutch master cylinder also, and rock the car with it in gear to make sure the clutch disc is not rusted to the flywheel/pressure plate. Should be about it with what you have already done.....Oh, make sure the chokes work....:stupid: that might help to get it started....

Yeah, the color is just the additives they put in our gas, diesel and even kerosene now. Blue, red, you name it, they dye it whatever they want to keep track of it...taxed fuel is one color, untaxed off road only fuel is another, and don't get caught with untaxed in a vehicle on the road......more government controls.... Yeah, I'd say he owes you at least what it costs in parts to get all of it out, another tank of gas(from another station), but doubt you will get a lot for your trouble. I've gotten dirty diesel fuel and had it freeze up and only gotten new filters and a lot of additives to burn off the water... Bet he's nervous that it isn't ground water contamination in the tank, or he's up the creek with the EPA. :tapemouth I'd blow out the lines, and put a can of additive in the tank even after all the cleaning.

Must be a new way to sneak your pets into a Nascar race......

I know I have never seen anything that looks like that on a Z. Wonder if it was someone's idea of a remote starter they didn't remove? Odd that it looks to be hooked to an original looking plug in the harness though....:stupid: :cross-eye

I think the first thing would be to check your plugs and determine if all the cylinders are flooding or running rich. If that's the case it is possible you are running too high a fuel pressure with the electric pump and are flooding the carbs without the return line. Do you have a regulator in the line? If not try a cheap on set a 5 psi and see if it runs a bit better. I would still re-install the return line after installing a regulator though. Second would be to check your ignition out as BleachZee suggested. Third would be to pull the distributor while the engine is at TDC and make sure the distributor drive gear is installed correctly, most service manuals have a diagram that show the proper alignment of the drive gear. It is possible it is out of time at the drive gear so that when you set your static timing by the marks the distributor is still out of time and that might be why it runs better with the timing set too far advanced than it should be. Have you also checked the wiring around the coil and ballast resistor? That should keep you busy for a day or two and hopefully the problem will be something fairly simple that is just being overlooked...... wouldn't be the first time that it turned out to be something simple that is causing the problem.....

Sweet find, looks like you stumbled on a great find. Don't even see any cracks in the dash...:tapemouth

Probably the best bet for finding the correct speedo gear would be from a Nissan dealer, Courtesy Nissan in Texas might be the best bet, but MSA might also have them. They are going to be kinda tough to find in a junkyard since so few came from the factory with the 3.90 rear. In fact, one of the only ones from the factory with a 3.90 here in the US was in the later ZX's. You should find Courtesy's web-site in our web links here on the site.

If you can find a constant flow pump, if there is such a thing, you shouldn't need the damper. If I'm thinking correctly though, most if not all Fuel Injected cars now use some type of damper in the fuel rail. It would seem to me that if you put a pressure regulator as close to the fuel rail as possible, the pump would pressurize the line from the tank to the regulator and the regulator could provide nearly the same function. Since it would only allow only a certain amount of fuel to enter the fuel rail and then to the injectors, it would cause a restriction in the line from the pump that would then stabilize the fuel pressure and volume in the line aft of the regulator. Might want another opinion, sometimes my "common sense" approach doesn't always pan out.....:cross-eye

Guess he gave up trying to fight them and joined them....

FWIW, the fuel damper is there to even out the pulses of fuel coming from the pump so as to supply a nice even fuel flow. Some pumps have a fuel flow that comes out in "squirts" instead of a nice even flow. You would have instances of pressure spikes without it. Hope you can understand that, not sure if that adequately explains it or not...:cross-eye

Hmm, first off you have the timing too far advanced at 10 degrees BTDC, it should be 5 degrees BTDC. Point gap should be .016 to .020, have to go find my feeler gauges to see what that is in mm. If that doesn't help at all, is it possible you got the plug wires mixed up when you switched? It sounds like you may have the plug wires mixed up the way it is backfiring out the carbs and the exhaust.

If anyone else is going to ask "Santa" for a compressor for Christmas, here's a pretty good start on a decent set-up. Not the biggest you can get, but for the occasional use it would be perfect..... http://www.sears.com/sr/product/summary/productsummary.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0204663428.1040330303@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccfeadchdfhemlgcehgcemgdffmdflh.0&vertical=TOOL&fromAuto=YES&bidsite=&pid=00916554000

Hmmm, hard to tell, but if it has no rust and an original owner car, it's almost automatically worth more than 1K. I'd guess anywhere up to 3k, but it all depends on the buyer and how much they want the car..... and how much they are willing to put into it to restore/drive the car. 280 values are slightly less than 240's for the simple reason they were imported in such larger numbers that they are easy to find. My guess would be between 1 and 3K with 2K to 2500 the most likely "saleable" price.Of course, on the west coast where there are many more Z's to choose from in decent shape, I may be being a bit optimistic...:cross-eye

Thanks Mudge, that was the link I was searching for. Couldn't remember where I had seen it....:stupid:

If it is in fact an R-160 with the 3.90 gear ratio, all you need to do is look in the tech articles here, I posted the correct speedo gears that apply to the different rear diff ratios. Match the color and teeth of the gear to the rear diff ratio and you are all set....

It is probably a 3.90 if it is an R-160 out of the 510, that was their stock ratio while the stock R-180 had a 3.36. Guess that would be the reason he changed it in the first place......They do bolt in easily into a Z, just not quite as strong as the R-180 would be. In fact, I have one in the shop that was taken out of a 240....

Daniel might be able to help you shed some light on what you can do as he is also in Charlotte. Seems to me, if it only has to be in place and they don't test the emissions, it should pass as the pump is now "in place", just not operable.

Hmm, if it is an R-180 it can't be from a 510 as the 510's came stock with the R-160. R-180's could be swapped into the 510's but it shouldn't make any differnce in how it fits in a Z since it probably came from a Z to begin with.... It is usually a bit of a PITA to fill a rear while in the car as it is hard to get the fill bottle up high enough and then you sometimes need a hose on the bottle to feed it into the diff. Not sure what the problem is if you can't get the plug out at all as it should be accessible if it is an R-180.

Hoods, yes. Only differences might be in the hood vents on some. Fenders, yes. Doors, yes but there may be some small differences in the latches and inner door panels. Hatches from 2 seaters should all swap OK, might be slight differences in emblems and strut supports. Headlight buckets should all be the same. Even the fiberglass ones from the early cars are the same as the metal ones on later cars. Rocker panels on all 2 seaters are the same, same as rear quarters. 2+2 will fit any 2+2 by the same token. Bumpers might have the most differences, that is if they made them somewhat like they did on the US cars. The supports are usually the major differences on the early thin bumper cars. Cowl panels and inspection lids should all be the same. As far as parts from other Datsuns goes, well, don't know. Luckily I've usually had at least one parts Z to pick parts from....