Arne

That's "OEM Quality", not OEM. I got a very similar aftermarket windshield for my car from a local glass installer last Spring for $160, no freight.

OK, here's what I think you have. The first pair (E46) appear to me to be a pair of 3-screw carbs from a '72. Not certain on the manifolds, but I think the E46s were also for the '72s. The second pair (N33) are also 3-screws from a '72, but are on manifolds that I think are from a '73 with EGR. The third pair (N36) are a pair of later 4-screws (w/float drains) from a later '70 or a '71. The N36 manifolds are (I think) from a '74 260Z with an earlier balance tube. All of the carbs are pretty much interchangeable in pairs. The heat shield on the N36 manifolds is the early type, for cars that have no heat riser. You could use any of the manifold pairs, but should use the balance tube from either the E46 or N36, not the one with the ERG stuff. Some people think the N36 manifolds flow better than the others, but I've never seen hard numbers to confirm that. So all in all, it looks like the last picture has the best-looking carbs, has the heat shield, and are on (arguably) the better manifolds with an easily desmogged balance tube. Probably the package to use, IMO.

I know what pair you are looking at, Mike, and the price is right. Sell the auto to that outfit down in CA and you're golden. If they were down here I'd already have them. I believe the truck tranny will bolt to any L-series motor, but that the truck ratios may be a bit wider than most Z owners want.

I think Z Specialties might also offer the floor pieces separately. http://www.datsunstore.com/

If the squeak you hear is a u-joint, you may not be able to feel it. Squeaks are often tight spots, not looseness. If you don't think they've been replaced in the last few year, it's probably not a bad idea. The early cars (through 8/71) are quite hard on halfshaft u-joints due to the differential location. No need to order u-joints from far away. Any normal parts house should be able to get u-joints for a 240Z. I got Spicers (with grease fittings) for mine locally. The local driveline shop had them in stock.

Yup, that's how I se it too. A third option would be a round port header, and still some exhaust work. As I said, not a deal-breaker, but you need to allow for that in your offer.

There is no significant difference between 3-screw and 4-screw performance-wise, assuming you have the same needles and nozzles in both. The 3-screws have the ability to channel coolant through the base of the carb if you use manifolds from a '72-74, but other than that there's no preference, from what I've seen.

Your 240Z exhaust manifold will not fit (properly) if it is a round-port head.

Does the engine run now? Can you run a compression test? Listen for noises? Look for smoke? Because if you don't have any clue how good it is, $300 could be too much. If it burns oil, has bad compression, needs a valve job, or something like that, $300 is a pretty expensive core. Plus a '77 would have originally been a round-port head. Even if you ignore the "conventional wisdom" that says round-port heads suck, you won't be able to use your existing exhaust either. Not that the exhaust should be a deal-breaker, but it's something to consider.

For reference, Greg's 205/60-15s are about the same height as my 195/70-14s.

Something else to bear in mind - these days many 240Zs with stock springs sit taller than they did when they were new, due to the addition of gas-charged strut inserts. My car with unsagged stock springs sat a full 1/2" taller when I installed new KYB shocks. My current setup is those same KYBs with cut-down replica Euro springs (NLA at this time). By cutting the springs I was able to adjust the ride height to accommodate the gas-pressure. Eibach springs are designed to work with modern gas-charged inserts, so no adjustment is necessary.

Aftermarket u-joints sometimes do, but not always. Factory u-joints do not. A squeak like that often warns of impending failure. If so you've got some time probably, but something to think about. If there's no grease fittings and they're squeaking, they're definitely toast.

14x6 with 195/70-14s. My car is almost stock height - might be 3/8" lower than stock. Definitely taller than what Eibachs would give you.

Sounds like a u-joint to me, assuming that it only does it while you're rolling.

Those are narrow ones. Either 5.5" or 6.0", can't say for certain from a picture. No matter anyway, either width will be OK with 185-215 section tire sizes, or even as wide as 225 if you want to push it.

There may be a typo on the ZT site. The rare (or perhaps 'uncommon' would be better) carbs are early 4-screws w/o float bowl drains. Used on '70s only, probably the first 6-7000 cars.

With the tires mounted it's hard to measure them accurately. But since we know that they only made them in two or three widths (depending on the manufacturer), we can make some pretty accurate guesses. They will be either 5.5", 6.0" or 7.0" wide. The 7.0" are much deeper, so you probably have one of the narrower sizes. If so, either the 195 or 205 width is fine. The 195s would be a bit narrow on 7.0" rims. If you post a picture, I can probably ID them from that.

Here's a question for you - how wide are your Cyclones?

Yay! Now I won't need to feel bad about them keeping for myself should I run across a set!

It's all personal, but to me I don't think 195/60s have enough sidewall to fill the fender gap, even after lowering. I'd consider either 195/65s or 205/60s instead, assuming that the tire of your choice is available in one or both of those sizes.

Well, if you've already searched and read the old threads, you've already seen all the recommendations. Time to make your own choice.

In my experience, unless you have invested in a pair of true high-end H4 lamps (such as Cibié, Hella, Bosch, or IPF), you probably won't notice the difference. Certainly not on any sealed beam, and not on most H4s, especially the MSR variety. Other than the top brands, none of the rest direct the light output accurately enough that the headlight covers will have any noticeable affect. And even on the top brands, the effects would likely be fairly mild.

Sounds like the oil pump drive is off by a tooth. Either that, or you have the wrong distributor support pedestal for the dizzy you are using.

I'm sure there's some valid engineering reason relating to how the bodyshell was designed and/or assembled. But I don't know the details.