2ManyZs

Looks good. There is one small downside I see to this though. In order to pull the fenders you are going to have to pull the headlight buckets and air dam as a unit, or unbolt the headlight buckets from the fender. I hope you have good mounting studs on the headlight buckets, as a lot of times they snap off when you try to remove them. I'm not trying to "rain on your parade" just saw one potential thing that might spoil an easy job some afternoon, causing a few choice words being uttered in vain. BTW, is there any room behind this that a person could put some type of "bumper" or do you have to remove the bumper supports to make room for this to fit? Someone posted this question so I just thought since you were in the process of doing the job you could shed a little light on the subject.

You are right, the E-31 has the smaller valves as do the E-88's. However the 280 valves can be put into these heads. For the best info on heads I would suggest looking at the Datsun Garage web-site in the web-links section. There is a lot of good info on the different heads and there pluses and minuses of each head. There is no head that is really bad, just a couple that are better than the rest. BTW, the web-site is number four in the top ten web-links for a reason. It is packed with good info, not only on heads but the whole drivetrain.

Sorry Rattfink, I meant to reply to this post but it got lost in the shuffle. Rob is right, it takes something out of the ordinary to make the brake booster not operate correctly. If you aren't sure about yours I believe you can buy remanufactured ones to save a little money over a new one. I have never taken one apart so I have no idea what rebuilding would be like. If you are having brake problems, one thing to check before anything is the vaccum hoses to the manifold and the check valve. I mistakenly put the check valve in mine backwards once and took it for a drive. Talk about a scary feeling the first time I came to a red light. So be sure if you replace it to have the arrow pointed in the right direction or you won't have any power brake boost at all.

If there is no crease in the metal you should be able to get it popped out. There are shops that specialize in radiator and gas tank repair, perhaps you could find one of them in your area and have the tank repaired and re-sealed at the same time. www.gastankrenu.com is one that kmack recommended, but unfortunately the closest one to you is in Houston, TX. As far as the pipe idea goes, I don't know if I would try that or not. Not only could you create a spark, but you coud end up dislodging rust and all sorts of gunk that may have accumulated on the bottom of the tank. Plus you would have to be careful as there are small baffles built into the bottom of the tank. Might be better to try the suction cup suggestion, or possibly to remove the tank, seal all the openings and pressurize it with air to pop the dent out.

We were quick to respond as we were just discussing tires for his car in the chatroom a couple days ago, so everything was still fresh in our memory.

As far as the frame rail question is concerned, you didn't say exactly what or where the rust is. But, if it is only in the frame rail there are replacement frame rails you can have put in. They aren't too expensive but if you have limited welding experience it might be better to have a body shop do the swap. If it is under the battery tray above the frame rail it will require some metal fabrication to replace the rusted out area. you really should check the area out carefully though, if one part is rusted through then it may have spread to another area that is hard to see. Check it out carefully. Yes, MSA sells a spring that is blue also, I believe they are called the Motorsport springs. It is quite possible they come from the same supplier.

Well, before I say anything more I better apologize for making a mistake on my post about the front vs. rear spring rates. I didn't proof read my post very well, what it should have said was that this is NOT the way it should be. Guess I should stay off this thing after work when I'm trying to stay awake. The rear springs are stiffer than the front for a reason. It allows the car to handle more neutral. A Z is an understeering car (plowing) so the rear springs should be stiffer to keep the understeer under control. With stiffer springs in the front than the back it would plow even more, while considerably stiffer springs in the rear than the front would make the tail step out more (oversteer) which could get a little scary at times. Now, you say you want to keep the car at the ride height it is now so you won't be happy with the Nismo springs if they end up lowering the car more than it is now. What you want is to level the car at the height it is now, correct? Not only that but the lowering springs will ride a bit stiffer than the stock one. If you want to try to keep the ride quality you have now you might consider the progressive rate Eibach springs, the more suspension travel you use the stiffer they get. So during everyday driving you wouldn't use the travel and not sacrifice the ride quality. Or maybe the best thing is to find a set of new stock springs and see how that looks, perhaps yours are sagging a bit. The bad part about that is the fact that a pair of stock springs will cost almost what a set of 4 lowering springs cost. Ouch. As far as the rear toe problem, the only way I know to correct that would be to use the adjustable camber bushings whereby you can adjust the rear toe in. And no, I haven't seen a BRE style chin spoiler in urethane either.:tapemouth

Bad Dog, there are still quite a few choices for decent 14 inch tires available from some of the better tire brands. For those of you with 6 inch, 5 inch or 5.5 inch rims there are more choices available to you than there are for the wider sizes. You can run up to a 195 aspect tire on a 6 inch rim, although with the 5 inch you might want to stay below a 185. So as you will see by the Tire Rack web-site there are quite a few choices to be had. The problem now is for those of us who still have 14x7 inch wheels or wider and can't find a selection of tires in the proper sizes. It wasn't too long ago you could choose from half a dozen brands, now it's down to just a couple. Most people have given up and gone to 15 inch rims. Silvr3r72, I hope those RE950 work out OK. I think those tires may fit into the Z driving style better than the Yoko's you asked me about.

As far as a CD unit goes , I have never seen one that would mount in the stock location. All the HU I have seen have been a DIN mount. Couple other thoughts. If you can find a compatible head unit to mount in the stock location why not use a remote changer mounted behind the seat. Or, this might be the better way for more than one reason, why not look into one of the remote HU's whereby you could mount it in a hidden location?? In the glove compartment or wherever. There are a couple companies that make these units for people with older classic cars but don't want to modify the dash to use a new style HU. Something to think about if you really want to spend the money to get a decent stereo. Crutchfield probably has them although I haven't gotten a catalog from them in a while. BTW, I have the MSA speaker box across the back with an old set of 6x9 Infinity's I had in another car a long, long time ago. Doesn't sound too bad with the rather sad HU that was in the 240 when I bought it. I plan on mounting a couple more Infinity's either under the seats or on the kick panel and use a better head unit when the car is finished. I plan on putting the HU in the console. Luckily I have a spare console to do this with or else I would be looking to mount it in the glove box.

jcdozier, what springs have you got on your car?? My 280 ITS car is only an inch lower (24 inches) on 225/60 14's. Now I know why you have a urethane air dam.

I believe it was Alphadog who started a thread about speaker locations but I'll be darned if I can find it now. There were some pics of speaker mounting so if you have the patience you might want to search for the thread and take a look at the mounting for the front speakers. I believe the thread was titled sound, not sure which forum though, maybe open forums or Help Me. Only bad thing about putting a new stereo into a Z-car is the small number of choices in the old style post mountings, everything now is a DIN mount so you may have to do a bit of cutting on your console to mount one.

I see no reason it couldn't be done, might be a little time consuming but it probably would be worth the effort as long as the chrome plating is in good shape. The chrome plating usually peels off before the paint so that is possibly the reason most people just replace them. Just find a good automotive aerosol paint, or you might try one with a brush to see how it looks. I would imagine it would be quite difficult to mask off some of the areas that you don't want to paint on some of the emblems. You might try a liquid mask, put it on with a small brush and then you could spray the background, or if you have an airbrush you could try it that way. Let us know how it works, if you decide to do it and if possible post a before and after pic. Then perhaps a few more of us might get off our duffs and try it ourselves.

I'm not offended, I just took the opportunity to be a wise a-- myself. Now, if I could just find a good corner to put these unruly pupils into............... Oh, say HI to kmack when you pass the principals office will you? I had to send him there the other day and he hasn't been seen since.

I've got another idea, why not take an old hood, get one of the Chevy style cowl induction scoops and bond it on to the hood? But before you bond it on the hood open up a good sized opening under the scoop? Since the cowl induction scoop faces the cowl, the amount of water being sucked into the engine bay would be reduced to a very small amount. Might get some while sitting in the rain or when you wash the car, but some already gets in there anyway. There are fiberglass hoods you can buy with the cowl induction raised center but I don't know if there would be a way to make it functional. BTW, they do look good on a Z. There are a couple places you can get just the hood scoop in fiberglass and you could go from there. Just another thought from a tired mind.......:sleep:

Your question needs a little clarification. You say the pressure of the new strut in the front, did you replace the rear struts too? If not, then that could be a small part of the rear sagging a little lower than the front. About the only thing I can think of to lower your front to the height of the rear is to cut maybe 1/2 coil off the front springs, but then you might end up being nose low. The lowering springs in the front would do the trick but then you would have a bit stiffer springs in the front compared to the back. That's the way it should be anyways, so if you could find a pair of just the front springs it might be worth a try. However, before you consider this just as a warning. Not all lowering springs have the same amount of drop, in fact it has been my experience that some lowering springs will leave you in the same position (rear end low) when putting the lowering springs on all four corners. Perhaps the best alternative would be a set of rear lowering springs on the front, that way the spring rates would end up close to the stock variation. BTW, I have a 72 sitting on my trailer, with stock springs, and stock size tires and wheels and I measure 26 1/2 inches front and rear.

It's possible that your linkage may be the problem. Check to make sure it is returning to the stops. Might be the springs are stretched a little bit too. You might want to invest in the ZTherapy video for tuning your carbs, much simpler than trying to read it in a book. Another slight possibility is that your timing might be set a degree or two too far advanced. If you have not checked it you might want to see what it is, and check your vacuum advance at the same time.

ATTENTION CLASS!! I did not put the 240 into the embankment. The only time I put the 280 off the track I did hit the bank in a slow speed loop. Notice, I said my 280, with the big armored bumpers! Bangin second gear on a wet track in the rain,plus a spot of oil on the track made for a quick, harmless spin. I have never even driven the 240 as yet, since it was already crunched when I bought it. Thank you class, you may now resume your studies.

It is possibly the voltage regulator that needs to replaced. The alternator should put out pretty close to the same voltage all the time, it's the voltage regulator that controls the output to the battery and various systems. They can be adjusted but most people just replace them as they are not expensive. You can probably pick one up at Pep Boys etc. for under 20 dollars. Try that and see if that helps.

Doug, it is possible to put the hood vents into an earlier hood. Yes, you have to cut holes in your hood and then drill holes for the mounting bolts(4). Like Daniel said though, it will allow water to enter the engine compartment, but it will also let hot air escape after you turn the engine off. It's a trade off. You should be able to find a set of hood vents without much problem if you decide you want them, in fact somewhere in all my parts boxes I have a pair. I got them years ago to put on a car then decided I didn't want to cut the holes in the hood. Or you could just find a later hood if that is possible. And to answer a leter question, a "pull fan is a little more efficient as it will circulate the underhood air better than a "push" fan. It may not draw the air as well thru radiator as a pusher, but a pusher won't circulate air under the hood as well as the pull fan. It's a toss up, but any fan will draw much more air if it is in a shroud.

Well, my racing experience with a Z is racing in a class that didn't allow any type of rear spoilers. In my opinion you will never get a Z up to the type of speeds that you really will notice any effect from a rear spoiler as far as downforce. Too big and you increase the drag, so the big question is what do you like the looks of? Dan is right. The single biggest aero add on you can put on a Z is the front airdam. If you have ever driven a Z with the stock valence on the interstate you will notice a bit of lift in the front and the car will tend to wander. The front airdam will not only look a little better, but they actually do work. You would need to get the car up over 125mph to see any benefit at all from a rear spoiler, but you will notice the difference a front spoiler makes at speeds as low as 50mph. I've had my 280Z somewhere between 110 and 120 on the main straight at the track without a rear spoiler with no problem, but I know it would have been scary at that speed without a front airdam.:eek:

The simplest way to tell a 240 door from a 280 door is to look for the side guard door beam. Open the door (or look near the latch), on the outside seam where the outer door skin is crimped around you will see a raised portion about 4 or 5 inches wide. If it has the raised portion you are looking at a 280 door. No raise, it's a 240 or early 260. The latch differences are so slight you may not notice.

Well, I looked through two factory manuals before I found it. 6 ft/lbs for the camshaft locating plate bolts. Since the only other bolts on the camshaft is the sprocket bolt I guess that these must be the cam tower mounting bolts (why they didn't call them that to make it easier?).

I guess they didn't have a Pinto body laying around, or perhaps the Gremlin was a little too "tame". :tapemouth

Most everything you will need you will be able to purchase thru MSA, VB or one of the other Z parts suppliers. However, at times you may find that some items aren't available (weatherstriping, and emblems are just a couple) from time to time. In time you should be able to find everything. Good luck with your project. It may take time to do the job right, but with a little patience you should be able bring your car back to its old glory.

Welcome ranz. Hope you enjoy the site and the people that "live" here. 240znz, at least we here in North America can spell aluminium correctly!! Got Ya. Gee, I always thought we did drive on the right side of the road, don't you guys drive on the left???