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Wait, wait, wait... So the guy using a laser guided custom made body panels is telling someone else that they are showing off???

Yes the series 1 240's are more desirable for plenty of reasons and always will be. Yes they made more 280's, but if you ask me they rusted or got trashed just the same as a 240's so one could argue about which is harder to get. When I was looking to scratch my Z itch, I actually preferred a 280 over the 240 just for the refinements and dependability (I've owned a 240 long ago). Since I got mine 5 years ago, I've seen prices go up at least double on average for restorable 280's. Throw in "restored" cars and the prices have climbed higher. I see asking prices of 8-30K for 280's on a regular basis. I'll add that prices can swing pretty wide from west coast to east coast with the higher prices being in the east so also toss in the regional factor. I've ruminated on value for a while, and wether you've brought back a 240 or 280 from the brink, I think one would be lucky to break even cost wise but the enjoyment factor is priceless, any yes, I know it's a disease. My wife occasionally asks how much more to finish the Z and I always tell her it's a never ending story but it's worth a lot more than what I paid for it ?.

Whoever wrote this manual back in the day had a nice understanding of the Z's prospective corrosion spots. There are some places missed, though: lower boxed section at the rear of the front frame rails (behind the T/C rod bracket) underfloor reinforcement rails underside of hatch floor, where the floor meets the rear valence panel inner cavity beneath the rear hatch sill plate full perimeter of the hatch cavity (not just the trailing edge) windshield posts front cowl (esp. along all the seams) In the 1970's, it seems, many of the popular aftermarket rustproofing solutions were flawed by design. Ziebart (a wax-type treatment) was considered the gold standard, but the material apparently dried out and cracked after several years, creating thousands of crevasses and concealed ledges for salt water to lodge in. As a result, the 'rust preventative' became a rust accelerator. IIRC, there was a successful class-action suit and the company went out of business. Another name in the day was 'Bondeco'. They seem to have disappeared, too. Maybe for the same reason (modern wax-type treatments (e.g. WaxOyl) use better formulations and don't seem to suffer from the same problem). Also in the 1970's, old-timers swore by the effectiveness of oil-spraying. Unfortunately, most of the shops that did this were kind of 'rural' and they used old crankcase oil. Not the sort of thing to be spraying onto your brand-new sportscar! We now have RustChek and the like, which use a clean, thin, perfumed oil that does a nice job of creeping into seams. I have a 2006-vintage car that I bought new and had sprayed once shortly after purchase. It's still solid and rust-free (although at least half of the credit for that probably goes to manufacturers' increased use of galvanized sheet metal).

Now you guys are just showing off ...??

Crisis averted, lesson learned, idiot badge earned... Rotating the steering rack solved the issue!

Yup!

With the adjustable KONIs, you are adjusting the rebound (the upward stroke) damping forces generated when oil flows through the piston (the "plate" you reference) valving. By turning the knob higher or lower, you are closing or opening piston rod orifices and increasing or decreasing spring preload holding valves closed against the piston blocking other piston orifices. This provides changes in damping force from the slightest piston motion through very high pistons speed and lets the KONI Engineers finely contour the damping curve for optimizing both control and comfort. The lower the adjustment setting is, the more open or less restrictive the damper valving is and the softer the damping force is. That means you have less motion control but that doesn't necessarily mean that you have a softer or more comfortable ride quality because sometimes insufficient control can provide an uncomfortable ride quality.

So I frequently search online for 280z parts and such, typically on Craigslist via Search Tempest. I’ve noticed over the past ~18 months I seen a lot more adds saying, “looking for a 240z or 280z”. Are you all seeing the demand signal for these car going up as well. Every time my wife grumbles about having this car I always tell her I can sell it in a heartbeat If I wanted and not lose $$. I’ll be curious to see how the market for these cars matures over the coming years. Here’s a search I did this AM. First 4 adds are looking for Z’s. https://fayetteville.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=280z&sort=date&bundleDuplicates=1&searchNearby=1&nearbyArea=634&nearbyArea=274&nearbyArea=335&nearbyArea=36&nearbyArea=336&nearbyArea=254&nearbyArea=48&nearbyArea=464&nearbyArea=61&nearbyArea=367&nearbyArea=60&nearbyArea=272&nearbyArea=128&nearbyArea=41&nearbyArea=366&nearbyArea=101&nearbyArea=289&nearbyArea=290&nearbyArea=457&nearbyArea=462&nearbyArea=291&nearbyArea=353&nearbyArea=447&nearbyArea=446&nearbyArea=253&nearbyArea=171&nearbyArea=712&nearbyArea=323 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mine is "cocooned" in the farthest side of my garage. I'm waiting as long as I can before selling. Paid $1,400 in 2010 for a rust free, original paint and interior. I spent another $500 or so rebuilding the motor. Ended up just wetting my beak for the 240s.

But yes, as the market starts to rise for the 240’s, the 280’s start to look more attractive to people. Lower price, arguably better construction, and similar looks. We all want the original, but with a few mods like dropping the 3,000 lb bumpers and swapping indicators and taillights... it’s pretty hard to tell. Of course, the resale value will always be higher for the original of whichever flavour you own, but that only means anything if you plan on selling it! I never buy a car based on what I’ll sell it for later. When I’m ready to sell it, the car owes me nothing....!

Never tell her you can sell it in a heartbeat! Tell her, “If I just fix it up a little more, I can get our money back” That at least buys you time and more mods...[emoji6]

I think that is not correct condenser. Usually only one lead and the body is grounded.

Got my parts shipment in from Zcardepot. Firewall insulator, glove box, emblems, spindle pins and lots of small rubber parts. It's the little details that make everything look great. Still having a hard time getting the pics to come out well. I have to use the flash, otherwise all I get is reflection.

Any mention of what the rustproofing material actually was? I bought a 5 gallon can of a military spec, self healing, wax based anti-corrosion solution (similar to cosmoline) in a rustproofing effort. I applied it to all the areas I could reach, that I thought could be moisture traps, until it ran out the seams. Created quite a mess on the garage floor and smelled like solvent for a while, but that went away in a week or two it seems. No lingering smells now. I didn't drill into inaccessible areas like the frame rails though. At the time I couldn't convince my self to do that! Hopefully it wasn't a futile effort. I suppose it could still be done more thoroughly and the holes capped.

I'm no suspension expert and I'm going to go out a little too far on my limb here, but I don't think that's quite right. I believe the force exerted by the gas is proportional to the diameter of the strut shaft where it exits the cartridge, not the diameter of the internal piston. I don't think the diameter of the internal piston has any effect in this case. My understanding goes like this: The more the strut is compressed, the more of the shaft is INSIDE the strut. The additional volume of the shaft (A*L) inside the strut assy will displace oil inside the body. That volume of oil displaced will compress the gas inside the strut, but only by the amount of VOLUME of the strut rod which has entered the strut. The internal gas pressure is static across the internal piston. At least that's how it appears to me way out on my limb here.

Stock rad clears the trimmed up rails nicely. Aside: the stock rads sure are beefy. Were they meant to serve as a structural brace?

This had happened to me in two different vehicles. -1975 MGB -1982 Toyota MR2 Problem clogged fuel filter due it excessive debris in fuel tank (rust). I’d let the car sit a few minutes and it would start right back up. I would investigate your fuel system. A lot of guys will put a cheap $3 Fram paper fuel filter between the tank and pump. It’s clear so you’ll get a good idea what the fuel looks like exiting the tank. If you just put a new filter on in the engine compartment you’ll just reclog it if you’re have excessive debris in your tank. So put this cheap filter on and it will confirm or eliminate your fuel tank as the culprit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Unless of course you are MIG brazing with Silicon Bronze, then you want 100% Argon. You can get away with 75/25 mix but you get better control with straight Argon.

Same. V-band turbo inlet anyone .... e

That looks much better. Got to love an easy fix!

True, but smoothing out an EFI intake might be a good place to TIG some AL or relocating the valve cover vent

It seems to be the way to go for Mig + Aluminum.

The lack of symmetry is likely in the float settings. That's what I'd check first.

I noticed this difference between the jack spanners I have. The top one on the first picture is early fabrication. The later spanner has a '3' in the casting

If you remove it and sand all the old fuel/varnish off the shaft it should work fine. Good luck. Ps make sure those hoses are still pliable and soft that go from the nozzle to the float chamber. I've got some new ones from nissan if you need the p/n. They're J shaped thin wall hoses. Nothing else will work very well.

I had sticky nozzles that wouldn't come up plus bad out adjustment on the valves. The PO had used 1/4" fuel line (if I remember right) for the hose from the float chamber to the nozzles. That does not work very well. Bought the thin wall hose from ztherapy, adjusted the valves and boom, new car.

You didn't mention if you found any foreign matter in the rear float bowl chamber or the needle and seat. My thought on the front carb acting up is, it has now picked up some crud like the back one. I'd start by cleaning the float chamber in the front carb, reset the floats to the recommended level, reset the nozzles to 2 1/2 turns down, use a Uni-Syn to balance the carbs. As it's been running kinda poorly, I'd also change the plugs, and reset the valve clearance too. Basically, a complete tune-up to eliminate any other possibilities. It's also possible that the nozzles are sticking in the down position when the choke is off. With the choke lever off, reach under the carbs and push up on the nozzles. If you feel the nozzles move up, lube the outside of them with some lithium grease. It may start better, for now, by using no choke and part to full throttle to compensate for the extra gas.

Thanks. Now I need someone who needs one to see this.

It's 2.5 from the top. Turn them clockwise until they snug then go counterclockwise down two and a half.

I've either cleaned them or replaced them if the needle tip shows wear. The problem is likely crud in the needle and seat. Check the filter in the banjo fitting while you're disassembling things again. Have you made any carb adjustments since the problem started?