Oiluj

Nice Job! You have to use "proffesional grade" adhesive or it will droop when it gets hot in Summer. (Ask me how I know...)

How do you know the file was a bastard? I agree with John. After scraping, heavy "Scotchbrite" and some solvent has worked for me with no damage to the surface.

After 15 years with the company, I was layed-off yesterday. Cons: 1) At my age, getting another engineering job's going to be difficult. _ Have to see what happens. Who knows, I may have to re-invent myself... Pros: 1) Got some severence, so I have time for a job search / no reason to panic. 2) I'll have some time to complete my Z! (A/C hose, fix minor details, install the 5-speed). 3) I'll be able to finish my neighbor's Z cosmetic refresh. 4) I'll even be able to go sailing every week through Summer!

It's refreshing to read everyone's differing opinions. Shows the range of how people here view their cars. While I may not agree with all viewpoints, I don't question that we all chose our Z's for somewhat similar reasons. I admit to having a certain amount of "emotion" when it comes to S30's, especially 240's. I heartily agree with others regarding the sound of the engine. It's got an underlying, "gritty" mechanical sound, not duplicated in mechanically quiet modern engines. And as stated above, the exhaust music from an inline 6 at higher revs is distinctive. I think the evolution of the L-series engine, (with modification, capable of generating 300+ HP), probably would have exceeded Mr. K's desire for more power... As I indicated above, the feline, exterior lines of the Z are unmistakable. There are add-ons and modifications that can skew the look of the car in both positive and negative ways. I love to see well done changes that highlight the positive aspects of the Z's design. Interior mods, for me, are more of a form-follows-function thing as far as I'm concerned. In terms of performance upgrades, better brakes, engine tuning, suspension mods are all worthwile changes, (especially if reversible. to stock). These can be accomplished without any significant change to the look and feel of the car. Lastly, my view is of the S30 is as a rally, auto-x or road-race car. They were not designed to be dragsters, especially when compared to muscle cars of the era. The Z's at it's best racing through the curves "at-speed".

If you can't find them, try McMaster-Carr. http://www.mcmaster.com

Who needs the fat lady? I put my engine in by myself. Really not that hard. Just have to move slowly & carefully. I made a rear lift point from 1/8" aluminum. Did the stress calcs and it was plenty strong.

For me, changing the powerplant to a V-8 makes it no longer a Z. While not to my taste, RB engine upgrades are OK in my view. I do not look down on transpalnts of Z engines into other cars, as the L series drivetrain has proven to be so robust. What I really dis-like are radical exterior modifications, that stray too far for the already sexy, feline lines of the Z. However, one exception is the Ferrari GTO body Z kit. Looks very nice, though truely, it's still no longer Z... I recognize my views are probably old-fashioned, but then at 59, I'm no spring chicken!

Design A12 was pretty nice.

In my limited experience driving in snow, I've found AWD to be the best, but RWD and FWD can be driven safely. As pointed-out above, any car with hard braking loses all traction on ice. I think many AWD drivers grossly over-estimate thier vehicles' capabilities when the first snow & ice arrives. IMO, it's a function of how they are marketed...

Sweet!

If it had been a "smog exempt" 1975, I'd be very interested.

My search guided me to information about fatigued dizzy springs on an MG/Triumph site. I just measured the old spring and did some quick spring rate calcs, using spring formulas on the "Engineer's Edge" website. So much easier than digging out my books... http://www.engineersedge.com/spring_extension_calc.htm You can do more detailed calcs, but I didn't think it was warranted, as the replacement springs are made for use in dizzys. I don't recall the actual spring rate, I was doing it on my phone in the autoparts store. Springs do wear-out under cyclical loading, and heat accelerates the process. The centrifigal spring gets more of a work-out than the vacuum spring, which I think accounts for the difference. Even so, the vacuum spring was stretched-out as well, just not as much. Both springs showed evidence of micro-cracks on the surface when viewed with a 10X loop. Makes me glad I have all new valve springs!

Wade, I couldn't agree more. Old, mechanical systems do wear out... Even as an engineer, I was truly surprised to see how much that spring had stretched. It was literally doing nothing.

I'm running the stock dizzy. The pre-ignition was very minimal, but it was just enough to bug me... I'll check-out the unilite dizzys, but now that the stock dizzy is working well, it'll be a lower priority. Need to complete the cosmetic refresh of my neighbor lady's 240, and fabricate / install a coolant overflow bottles for both Z's. I'm also saving my pennies to get the bumpers re-chromed this winter...

Always had slight pre-ignition, even with premium, (91 octane), fuel. Had this problem since doing a stroker upgrade to my Z, which increased compression. Did some research and determined I should look at my distributor advance. It was one of the few things I didn't look at when rebuilding the car. I opened-up the distributor, and found the 40 year old centrifigal advance spring was completely stretched-out. (See Pics). Lack of spring force was allowing the centrifugal advance to max-out at between 1400-1500 rpm's! Pic 1: Stretched springs in Distributor. Pic 2: New vs. Old spring. I cleaned everything up and replaced the springs with new parts having equivalent spring rates from a local auto store. What a difference! No more ping at any load or speed! Now I may even try advancing the timing a few degrees...

Make sure you do some frame stiffening, or all that V8 torque may twist the chassis out of alignment.

Sounds like what he has is a catalytic hydrogen generator. GM & BMW were both looking at that technology in the early 1990's. Know of a small, (now defunct) company that made a similar device and had a VW powered by the system. High cost per BTU vs. gasoline and low output limited power / speed.

Dry as a bone. Engine rebuilt & I replaced rear seal on tranny as a precaution. Original diff is still tight and there are no records of anything being done to it. (I have all records). I'm hoping my rebuilt 5-speed doesn't leak after I install it!

There is a place that will re-sleeve brake components with stainless or brass inserts called "White Post Restorations". Quality workmanship and better than new when they are done with it. http://www.whitepost.com/brake.html

Welcome to the Datsun club!

Nice car. Welcome!

Nuthin! Recuperating from a bout with Shingles. Back to work next weekend on neighbor's 240Z refresh & boat's brightwork...

Used them for about 2 years. Good source, though I prefer to shop local when I can.

What he said!

Have the non-vented Toyota 4x4 calipers, 280ZX master cylinder, larger 280Z booster, adj. prop. valve and stock rear drums. Did have to do a small amount of adjustment to fine tune brake bias. She really DOES feel like she stops better than stock. I'm glad I did it, though it's not required for street driving.