2ManyZs

Anybody tried to bend the flange that the stock welting attached to to give a little extra room for the new weatherstripping to compress? It seems like this might be an alternative to cutting the new weatherstripping. A hammer and a block of wood, or maybe a set of body shop vise grips with the wide panel jaws might work.

I don't remember where they used to go, and I also don't remember there being so many. I remember there being only two. Yeah, they need to be plugged, just not sure the best and easiest way. I guess you could try the old JB Weld in them, or tap them out for a small machine screw or use a self tapping screw, but then you might have to take off the carbs to make sure no cuttings get in the intake.

Plug em if you aren't using them. Most if not all can be plugged off with pipe plugs after you remove the hose nipples. Some of them can be a PITA to get out though. If you can't get them out you could try using vaccuum plugs from the auto parts store but it would be better to put pipe plugs in so you don't have any vaccuum leaks. Just go to the hardware store and pick up a couple of each size 3/8 and 1/4 in pipe plugs and plug away.

Well, you have to remove shift knob then the console with the outer shifter boot, remove the screws from the inner boot and remove it, then take a small screwdriver and pop the e-clip loose on the shifter mounting pin (put a finger on it so it doesn't fly away) and lift up on the shifter. It should pop right out and probably bring the lower bushing with it, then just pop out the two halves in the pivot of the shifter and replace the bottom one. Reverse the order and you are done, unless you let the e-clip fly away. Usually takes longer to remove and replace the console than it does to replace the bushings. If your inner shift boot has any holes in it it's not a bad idea to replace it too, lots of air and fumes can come in around there.

There are only a small number of things that could cause the knock, most aren't good. Bearings (either rod or main), piston to valve, wrist pin would be the most serious and costly. Your oil pressure sounds right which leads me to believe it may be piston to valve or possibly a wrist pin or rod problem. You really need to check it out thoroughly and soon before it gets any worse and is more costly to repair.

I can think of quite a few cars that might give up their seats to a Z. Miata, Sentra, 280 Zx, 300 ZX(?). I guess it all depends on what you can find, what feels good to your "framework", and what will fit in the Z. Take a measurement of the bottom cushions overall width and go scour the junkyards. Most of the time the interferance is the bottom cushion width not fitting down into the tunnel area, and lining up with the stock seat mounts. You will probably have to do a little modification to the seat tracks to bolt them up or make up some brackets to make them fit. I seem to remember a discussion about the late model Miata seats fitting, and they have stereo speakers in the headrest, one less thing to tinker with.

Well, the only way I know how to check the valve to piston clearance is to remove the head, place something like plumbers putty on top of the piston, replace the head, and crank it over by hand. When you put the head on be sure to use the same thickness of head gasket you are planning on using and torque the head to the proper specs. Then remove the head, peel the putty off the top of the piston and measure the thickness at the thinnest place. This will give you the valve to piston clearance. I beleive there is probably a special putty for this but don't know the correct name for it. They need to know the valve to piston clearance after any head work is done. If the head is shaved it reduces the clearance and they are trying to determine if the cam lift will cause the valve to hit the top of the piston. When the head is shaved you will also need to shim the cam towers the same amount that the head is shaved to correct the cam timing. Since you say you are going to have the compression ration changed with head work, this will mean shaving the head. BTW, if the head is straight you could save yourself a little money by using a thinner head gasket instead of paying for the machine work to shave the head. There are two different thicknesses available besides the stock thickness. MSA has them. With the E-31 on the L-24 you should have about 9 or 9.5:1 so in order to keep from having detonation problems you should try to keep the compression ratio at 10.5:1 or a little lower, you should come close to this with just the thinner gasket, but to be sure I'd have to look in the engine calculator to see what it would turn out to be. A lot depends on the overbore (if any) and if you are using the stock flat top L-24 pistons. If you haven't looked you can download the L engine calculator from the Downloads section here on the site and do a little experimentation on your own before you start forking over any money.

You need to hammer on whichever side has the nut. The control arm has a machined area where the nut mounts flat to the control arm. If you notice the control arms are the same right to left except one side is upside down. It goes all the way through the control arm, perhaps it was pulled down so tight the other end is even with the control arm. If it was that may be why it is being so hard to get loose. It should not pull down even with the control arm and is probably wedged in very tight.

Try not to move the spindle pin that connects the control arm to the strut. It has a taper that the locking pin slides into so you may make it even tighter by tapping the spindle pin bolt back ond forth. About the only way to get the lock pin out is to get a punch or brass drift and beat it out. You may end up ruining it as it is a bit on the soft side. You can get just the lockbolt new from MSA (part #23-4241 11.00 or so) so if you have to beat it to death to get it out you can get a replacement. You may end up mushrooming the threaded end so that it won't come out, but you could just use a cut-off wheel to grind it off so that it will come out. You are trying to beat it out from the nut end right? Not being a smart a** but it could be confusing looking at it since it is the same size on either end, it comes out by knocking it upward from the nut end. It has very little taper where it goes into the control arm, the taper is where it locks into the spindle pin itself. The spindle pin is also available so you can replace all of the bolts for around 34 each side. BTW, when you are done replacing the bushings try not to force the lock pin in too hard or you will mushroom the top and it will not want to go in far enough to start the nut on the bottom. If it doesn't go in quite easily try moving the spindle pin slightly as the tapers are no lining up. And take note as to how the spindle pin comes out as it will only line up one way.

If you have some tools and some mechanical abilities try a couple things before you spend any more money. Have you put an electric fuel pump on the car? It should have had one as a factory recall. If it doesn't have one, get one and take the mechanical pump off. You will need a block off plate for the head, but it's quite cheap. Can you or have you removed the smog pump and it's related plumbing? If you can this will make an fairly significant improvement. If it is legal to do so in Utah on this year car do it. Disconnect the coolant hoses to the carbs/intake and plug them off. This will make the car quite a bit more cold blooded, but if you don't drive it in winter you shouldn't notice much difference. I had a 73 for my first car, and after a while (and removing some junk) I got it to run darn near as good with the flat tops as a buddies car with the round top early carbs. It was a bit of a pain in the winter since it was my only car at the time, but the improvement was well worth it. Of course the other alternative is finding a set of early carbs to replace the flat tops. In the end you may have saved a few bucks. But if you don't mind getting your hands dirty you might save even more by just getting under the hood and trying a few things before you start throwing money at your local Z guru. Even those of us who have tinkered on these cars for years learn something new everyday on this site.

I've heard quite a few people say the same thing after replacing the weatherstripping. I think you may have to adjust the door striker until the weatherstripping starts to compress and conform to the door. It may have been re-adjusted to compensate for the old rubber that was getting kinda flattened and is now way too far out of adjustment to let it latch.

Well, there are kits available to make a Z a convertible, but most now only offer a removable hardtop usually made out of fiberglass. I have read about manual folding tops being used but I think they were modified Triumph or MG tops. Most kits come with reinforcement for the chassis and/or a roll bar too. Take a look at www.reactionresearch.com and then click on automobiles then look for the Z Spyder. Not a bad kit, but no folding top. There are a couple other places that advertise a convertible kit but not sure their URL's. ZTherapy also has a video on how to do it yourself with a video about making a folding top I believe.

The oil spray bar for the cam probably isn't causing a "knock", but it may have contributed to causing the knock. You will need to do two things. First find out what kind of oil pressure the engine is carrying at idle and when you rev it up to about 2,000rpm. If the stock oil pressure gauge can't give you a good reading, by a cheap mechanical gauge at the auto parts store and hook it up to get an accurate reading. Second, you need to find out where the "knock" is coming from. Is it down low in the block? Or does it sound like it is coming from the top of the engine in the head area. If you have a very long screwdriver, place it against the block and put your ear near the handle of it, it will act as a "stethascope" and you should be able to tell if it is high or low. If it is down low you may have a rod or main bearing about to go, if it is up high you may have a valve problem due to the spray bar being broken. Normally, if the spray bar just breaks apart, instead of spraying oil directly on the cam it will flood the head with oil. However, it may have caused a drop in oil pressure and caused a rod or main bearing to seize or spin. Either way, it would not be a good idea to drive the car until you find the exact cause of the noise. Check it out and let us know and we'll try to go from there.

If my car looked as good as yours Tom, I'd be pretty PO'd if people didn't notice it! BTW Dan, you must have really good hearing yet to hear the exhaust over the "noise" emanating from the 3,000 watt amps and 36 inch sub-woofers in those Hondas!

This is making me think your problem isn't the head gasket after all. 1. Bad antifreeze. ( Fish smell???) 2. Clogged radiator, reduced flow may be causing pump to cavitate. This may be why the lower hose wasn't as hot as the rest. Pump is not able to force the water thru the radiator like it should. 3. Bad pump. Did it do this before or after you flushed and re-filled with new antifreeze?

I think you forgot to attach the pic.

I for one wish Nissan had brought this car to the US, it would have sold out in no time. I'd rather spend the money to have one of the Skylines long before I'd spend a cent on the 350. This is IMO one of the biggest mistakes Nissan has made since they discontinued the 300ZX here in the States!

I'd use 18 or 20 gauge sheetmetal. If the hole is not too you could have it spot welded, but if it is bigger than a couple inches I think it would be stronger to butt weld it in place with a Mig. You could check the gauge of the panel when you cut out the rust. I know there are panels that are thicker than others on a Z. Not sure what gauge the inner fender is. Probably 18 but you should check and use the same to patch it.

I wouldn't put anything in it. If it is the headgasket you should be able to drive it 20 miles with no problem if you leave the radiator cap loose. That way it won't build up too much pressure and try to push any coolant out. Just leave it at the first detent and don't tighten it all the way. BTW, I happened to see this in one of the old service manuals I have and thought it might add a little here. Condition: Overflow loss, or poor circulation and overheating Possible cause: Coolant foaming due to insufficient corrosion inhibitor Correction: Flush and re-fill with new antifreeze. Something else to think about.

Well, 59ghia is right about how the head gasket leak can put air in the coolant system. Dan, all the carburated Z's had coolant to the carbs or the intake to help with the cold start hesitation and warm up issues. That being said, after I thought about it a while there are a couple other possibilities, they are a long shot, but still possible. 1. The radiator cap is not releasing the pressure build-up as the coolant gets hot and is forcing the air back into the system. This could cause the coolant to have a lot of bubbles in it. If the engine is not overheated and the radiator cap releases a lot of pressure when opened it is a possibility. I think the cap should be no more than an 13lb cap if I'm not mistaken, and I think the testing pressure is around 20-25lbs pressure. 2. It could be the water pump is cavitating and causing the coolant to froth, whether due to a bad impeller, or maybe the lower radiator hose is collapsing under load and causing the pump to be starved for coolant to pump. Thereby adding air pockets into the cooling system. 3. It may be the head gasket after all. It could be the head wasn't torqued down correctly and the gasket is blown (or about to). Or (let's hope not) the engine could have been overheated at one time or another and the head is warped just enough to let the compression blow the gasket. Usually if this happens you will see coolant running down the outside of the block, cause when the heads get warped they usually let a lot of coolant out, been there. Done that. :mad:

Ya, but my tools and garage are here! Another Z? You trying to have more than me??? And it is warmer down here!

Well, bring it down here and I can do the compression test for you. Time? Probably 4-6 hours, I guess working by myself changing a head gasket will pretty much kill an afternoon, if no studs break or anything out of the ordinary. Cost?? How much you willing to pay?:eek: Just remember the old saying, you get what you pay for. And make sure they have the right tools or the timing chain is going to cause a lot more work and expense. Here I sat all week with no work, and I could have made some money.

It's pointing in the direction of a head gasket leak. Try having a pressure test done on the radiator and see if it is holding pressure. If it leaks down you know it's going somewhere. If it isn't leaking on the outside it's probably got a leak in the head gasket. :mad: Most any garage should be able to do a pressure test on the radiator, then if it indicates a leak try the compression test. Sorry, wish I could give you better news.

Well, if you can budget the 600 for the ZTherapy carbs they are definately worth it. They do much more than just polish and re-plate the housings and linkage. Every piece of the carb is as good as it was when it was brand new and in some cases it probably is better. They re-bush, re-plate and rebuild every part of the carb. If I ever get the body work on my 71 it's getting a set and I may have to get another set for my other 240. Consider what a new four barrel carb goes for now and I think you will see that ZTherapy carbs aren't really all that expensive considering the carbs are as good as new.

I doubt if anyone has ever taken a fender off an old Z without snapping at least one of those four bolts off, the water runs out of the drain for the front cowl area and runs right down the panle and into the front of the rocker panel and there is no drain there to get rid of it. You have two choices, you can drill them out and try to remove them (you may snap the nut loose trying this) and re-thread them in the next size up or you could just replace the whole rocker panel. Replacing it might be the best route to take, the is the possibility that there is more rust in the rocker under the door you haven't found yet (people like to pack them full of bondo) and replacing a rocker panel is not the most difficult job and replacement panels are fairly inexpensive. If you do replace them, be sure to drill a small (1/8 inch) hole between or near the bolts to drain out any water that may get in there in the future. A little seam sealer on the top flange of the panel is also a good idea to keep as much out as possible. As for the battery area, if the hole is away from the firewall you can cut it out and make a patch panel without too much trouble. The battery tray itself is another matter, you will probably need to find one out of a parts car that is in better shape than yours as I don't think there is anyone making replacements.