beandip

No need to go to Hybridz, just do a search here . All the drive train have been changed so many times I cannot remember. 3.9 or 4.11s will do what you want . You will most likely need to change to a R-200 for the stronger diff. Nissan pickups FWD front diff can be found in 4.11s . I personally haven't done the 4.11 swap but many here have. I believe the truck front diff is a 180 like you have now. If so this would be the easiest change over. I did install the 200 though and it is a easy swap. Do a search and you will come up with all the details .

John Coffey's posted article really nailed it. The Truth some times hurts when you don't agree with some information that is contrary your own wants or desires. I know on my Z for an example . She cost me $500.00 to start with. She is now mostly completed. Almost all the work was done in my garage by me. I had help from my friend EScanlon , lots of help. My project took about 38+ months to have the Z up and roadworthy . I did all the mechanical and much of the body work and most of the prep for paint . I disassembled the car with the exception of the dash , EScanlon R&R ed the dash. So I didn't have much labor costs involved, I calculate about $500.00 out of pocket for welding . Parts and supplies are a different matter. I don't count my time spent on the Z or the time at Bone Yards and such . My Z is now a good looking driver , not show quality, but nice. I sat down and started listing all the things that I have replaced and or rebuilt and it covered two legal pages and I wasn't done. I didnt rebuild the engine either. I did replace the L-24 with a '82ZX engine that had been rebuilt and had 35K on it. My Z I redid for me. She is not period perfect and I was never aiming for a restoration . Would I do another one ? If I were younger maybe. But now I would rather help someone else on there car and drive mine . Sort of like having Grandchildren, you get to play with them and have the fun , then they go home with there Parents. My 2cts Gary

ZTherpy will do it .

I agree. The old set up was just fine . Including a couple of pictures is good. but all the other stuff is ...... My 2 cts Gary

:rambo: All that has been stated is right on. For someone that wants to learn about cars. I think a 280 or newer would be a better choice. Because from now on all cars will be injected and have computers. Learning on old technology like our beloved 240s while good for all other aspects will be valuable. Today most shops don't know how to work on Carburated engines. Not only Nissan but Ford, Chevy, and all the rest. I prefer the 240 over the later cars because I understand and can work on my early Z . My Son recently took his Ford truck in to the dealer to have it worked on. When after a week it wasn't finished he found out . The dealer had to send a mechanic to a training course because they realised that none of the employees knew how to work on carburetors. He finally got the Truck home, running like crap. I was able to have it running smooth and fine in 10 min. they didn't know how to do the adjustments correctly. This was not a small town dealer either. Just a sign of the times. I really love my 240 for not only the looks, but for her simplicity. The looks and style extends up to the ZX . The ZXs have the superior engines but the bodies are different and heavy . Still a great Z . One day I may own one. I won three injected vehicles and I don't attempt to tune or do much with them . Gary:rambo:

I vote no to the chrome/polished ones. I bought a set of the black ones from MSA a few years back , but cant bring my self to install them either. I really prefer the clean look with out. I may change my mind and do them anyway one day. I painted mine metallic black . Gary

I am NOT fan of any rattle can paint or primer for this fix. There are some great products available that will do a great job of sealing these areas to help prevent further rusting action. If applied as directed by the manufacturer I recommend using one of them. Rustoleum IS NOT ONE. Any regular primer is not acceptable either , for me. Personally I use and have used POR and have been vary satisfied with the results. I know there are others but I haven't used them on my car. POR cures extremely hard and will deflect rocks better than any paint I have ever seen . It brushes on and cures like it was sprayed. Do not use any short cuts or substitutions on the prep. The company make several products for use on rust repair and various applications on Cars I have used several and have them to be good products. I have heard of Rust Bullet , and a few others . Since I haven't used them personally I cannot comment on them. There is plenty of information in the threads . If any one wants more do a search , or send me a PM Gary:)

Since my Z was mentioned in this thread . I would like to comment that With the Euro stage 1 and KYB-G2s , I couldn't be happier with the ride . Courtesy Nissan may have the springs still , they bought 40 sets. I wanted my Z to ride lower so I removed some of the coils . Since these springs are not progressive the ride stiffness didn't change , just the height. When pushed hard on corners the car remains flat and corners vary well. On uneven road surfaces there is enough movement in the suspension to be sufficient , because she in lowered. For competition track use , they wouldn't be what I would recommend but for street and some hard driving in the mountains and rural roads I like the ride. These struts do not pump up , but stay the same, hi-way driving is not as smooth as stock but much more firm. The feel is subjective since it amounts to tastes. Some like a rock hard ride, some don't. I wanted control and cornering but tolerable ride . Thankfully this is what I ended up with and am happy . If I were to take a 1000 mile trip I think the stiffness would be tiring. Gary:rambo:

Thanks for posting the solution , this is how we all learn. Good job. Gary

The undercoating on my Z appears to be a petroleum based product. I use a small angle grinder , like a die grinder , with a disk that has small ''fingers'' and is made of rubber with some sort of grit mixed in it. They come in yellow and green and brown I think . The different colors are different in coarseness. For me green worked the best. They remove paint and rust too. Any auto paint supply should have them. The disk doesn't clog or gum up. Harbor Freight has the angle grinder for around $20.00. I is great for tight places . Gary:rambo:

Don't forget to open the valve to the heater core so you can flush it while you are at it. Are you using a flushing agent ? When you are finished and have refilled cooling system and are starting the engine for the first time , watch the temp gage and also keep touching the head and the thermostat cover. It is vary possible to have a large air pocket that will not allow your coolant to get to the thermostat . This can cause the engine to over heat. If you find the head hot too the touch and the thermostat cover is not and the gage shows cool. Shut down and wait for the heat of the head to get to the thermostat and it will open allowing the flow. Just a heads up . Gary

have you tried a Nissan Dealer ? headers will relieve back pressure and aide to the engine breathing more efficiently . However If you are retaining a sock engine , the benefits of a header will be minimal. Headers will add heat in the engine compartment and the sound of the exhaust will be louder.

I am planning on Sunday, Brian L , Roger W. I would enjoy meeting you two on your way and EScanlon and Nwcubsman , we all could meet at the roadside rest that is on the way on I-5. Toni & Steve as well. Plus any one coming from the north. That would be vary cool to all come in together. PM me and we can set up something . This a good show to take in , it really is. Gary :knockedou

I am not a injector guy , but today I spent 6 hrs resurrecting a 280 from 12 years of non operation . One thing I do know . the fuel rail supplies pressure equal to all the injectors at the same time . The injectors fire in the proper sequence dictated by a source that is electrical. I would bet a dollar against a donut that the trouble is a connector or some connection that controls the cylinders in question. GaryROFL

If you disconnected the vacuum line from the manifold and plugged it off , then started the engine . Then applied the brakes and the engine did not react. If the vacuum line is not leaking and as you say the valve is installed correctly . You have a faulty vacuum booster. I don't believe kits are available any longer, I haven't seen one in years . Gary

WD-40 cuts right through pine tar. Gary

When I found 1 half shaft ujoint that was bad I just did them all. As it turned out when doing this there were two others that were on the verge of failing. So if I had done only the first one I would have been under do it again in short order . When I replaced the diff I installed new moustache bar bushings . My old diff had 250K + on it but was going strong and no noise. I just wanted a different ratio. I also did the Axel bearings and found one stub Axel with a slight amount of play, part of a clunk .

the tape on the exhaust pipe was some information I received from Dynomax. However I am not running a Cat and this may cloud the issue. One other thing that was mentioned , was when adding the glasspac . Use one that does NOT have the louvers in the pipe inside . They extend into the air flow and restrict. Thrush makes there glasspac with a perforated pipe that will not restrict flow. Either this one or a glasspac designed for a race application. They are made with a perforated pipe.

Sounds like a normal well tuned carbed engine. Other that installing a injection system and computer to do the thinking for you , things sound like every thing is as good as it gets. Gary

Just a note here , to check the level of oil in a automatic tranny. The engine must be up to normal driving temp. Then with the engine running at idle. Shift the gear selector to reverse then to drive then back to reverse then to park. Stop at each position for a few seconds. Then with the engine at idle check the level of fluid. And add if necessary. DO NOT over fill. Now when checking the oil level make note of the color of the oil. If it is dark , change it . It should be pinkish/reddish in color not brown or black , like engine oil. Use only ATF in a automatic trans. Gary

I have been around a while and this has been a great help to me in my project . I have made some great friends though this site also. Gary:laugh:

Once again Arne nailed it. There will be many other cars there other than Zs. 5 10s ,1200s, roadsters . race cars lots of stuff as well as modified Zs , and OEM. There will be lots to look at. There is camping available and a swap meet. This is a three day event. I can see as Arne stated the need for early registration. I am not entering my Z to be judged but would like to park on the grounds like we were able to last year and show our cars. Since I am not entering to be judged I wont Pay the $30.00 just to park on the grounds and do it in advance . So then I will just park across the street and walk in . Gary:tapemouth nuff said

how long has the car been setting and or not in use ? Otherwise that short of time on the 3 amp charger is not nearly enough . Overnight another story. I don't know what kind of ''booster'' was used. If the engine is not frozen from rust then it is likely the uncharged or bad battery. Put the car in gear and see if it will cause the engine to rotate. With the key to the off position. Just in case! Trying to start the engine with a low charged battery puts a great load on the starter , not a good thing to keep doing. Gary

Well , what happens if you restrict the turning of the spinning wheel? If when you slow the spinning wheel you don't hear any clunking of grinding or such noise, things appear normal. Could be that the brake shoes are slightly contacting the drum on the non-spinning wheel. Since you have the care off the ground and hopefully on jack stands. Go under , never with just a jack alone holding the car up, and grasp the half shaft on one side and see if you can rotate it . Do the same on the other one. Check the ujoints closely for ANY play. There should be zero. There will be a slight amount of movement in the diff. this is normal. Question , does the diff have any whine or howl? hopefully none . have a look at the drive shaft ujoints also. While checking all the ujoints look for ANY signs of rust around the edges of the round parts toward the inner area of the ujoint. Any signs of rust color means the joint is toast. One more thing , hold the half shaft and the wheel and check for ANY play between them. Check the tightness of the two bolts on the back of the diff. where the moustache bar bolts up. The moustache bar should not have any play where it is bolted to the body on each end . this about covers what can cause clunking. You will never remove all of the clunking. This is just the nature of the beast. Gary:knockedou I started this reply an hour ago but was interrupted. ha ha

Again some interesting information . I have been using Quaker for YEARS . Looks like I may need to change . Some thing I will research further. Thanks for a vary interesting page . Gary