Zedyone_kenobi

What I saw was questionable, but it makes me realize one very important thing. I really want some driving lights on the front of my Z.

I have a nice shiny new cad plated gas cap with a new chain and a new piece of rubber protect-o flap thingy on my Z. IT looks just beautiful. Very OEM. However It does have one little drawback. During track days, on most left turns, if my tank is even somewhat full, I have a stream of gas that pours down the side of my right rear quarter fender. This mixed with dust, dirt, and tire debris are quite a unsightly and it stinks. So if I decide to go crazy, is there an modern aftermarket gas cap that would keep the gas in the filler neck better than the OEM one. Perhaps my replacement cap (from motorsport) is just not quite up to OEM standards. Any comments or recommendations on a functional gas cap, that, you know actually CAPS the GAS!

no shortage of good weber help on this forum. But the book will explain how it works. Once you get that, you will not be so intimidated by tuning. Also, a wide band O2 will do wonders for your sanity while tuning.

blue your avatar is freaking me out a little

Nope in my infinite wisdom I pulled the carbs on the roadster with the Z blocked in. Not my best shining moment of brilliance.

You got me man. I have been swamped with roadster work lately. My Z gets driven often and enjoyed as the Roaster is getting new carbies. I will get that done. Just need to find time to have a dyno day. My one year old has been monopolizing my time lately

well done I certainly appreciate the effort this article took. The pics were well staged and fit the mood of the writing. I plan on doing a 'so you think you want a Z video soon' Working out the details now. A note on the tech gap. I was helping a friend of mine look at a TR6. He brought his 13 year old son. When his son asked what the 3rd pedal was for, I looked at him and told him he had failed as a father... I sent that story to the Save the Manuals campaign....and they printed it!!!

I will be very happy to help out however I can bud. Good luck!

I know you will keep me in the loop, I look forward to your engine pics as soon as they start trickling in! Eiji will steer you right. The man may work at a modest pace, but his engines are art.

A few more questions...Need more data... Which F55 jet are you running? 55f8 55F9 55F11 Also, what Etube are you running and what air corrector and main jet What do you consider cruise RPM. So when your idle is at 9.5:1 your cruise rpm is pretty good. You could actually afford to lean it out a bit more in the cruise afr. More info would be nice though before just guessing.

Not a bad idea. I like the look of open polished air horns for the Z, but also would never dream of operating like that for long drives. A quick pop off air cleaner would not be a bad idea for the bling factor.

To me a Z with a V8 is no longer a Z but is nothing more than just another kit car. Kit cars can be valuable and desirable to some. But is NOT a Z. Too much has to be changed, and the car is a miss match of parts. But the value is tough. You will certainly make more money keeping it OEM. Perfect car with a V8 value is probably less than Perfect car with an original engine. But again, if you find the right guy at the right time, anything can happen. Your odds are better with an original car if $$$$ is what you are seeking. The only kit cars I have ever been able to stomach is the factory 5 cobras and the well done Porsche speedsters. A V8 Z, nope, never liked it. Seen too many hacked up cars to waste time looking for one done right. I get zero goosebumps when I pop open the hood of a Z and see huge corvette plastic engine covers. I get far more weak in the knees when I see triple Webers/Mikuni's on a straight 6.

I just want to say you guys just reaffirm that the Z community is the best one on earth.

Good on you man if you are getting back on your feet. Stay straight and keep your nose to the grindstone... You will make it.

I know it is gone, but is it really that hard to vacuum a car out before taking pictures!!!

OH yes, One big detail. They are NOT OEM Datsun Roadster seats. They were nice and firm, but not too much, they fit me well, they were light, and looked decent. They moved up and back with ease, they reclined with ease. The fabric was well looked after. They were easy to get in and out of, they did not rub bad on the sides the back or the legs. They were perfectly functional... But they broke the cardinal rule. They were not original to the car. So they had to go. It is really as simple as that. Here is a better look. they are for sale by the way.

You sir are a man after my own heart. VERY nice work A word of advice though. You just put an aluminum Radiator on a metal frame car. You will want to put some sort of rubber in between the radiator and the metal frame to prevent galvanic corrosion due to the dissimilar metals. It may save you some headaches in the future. Your car is a thing to behold. I wish my 71 had as clean a background as yours did. But we all get to a point where we bond with the car. You are well on your way to 'making it yours'. Keep the pics and updates coming buddy.

You would know man! They do have totally different personalities. The Z is the jock of the two. After I stripped out the bleed threads to the roadster today on the front passenger caliper, don't ask... apparently there is a BB in there that seals, and I had no idea about that. It got ugly, profanities were involved, which naturally lead to my credit card being used. Well after all that, I took out the Z for a feel better spin. I am so pleased with where the Z is. That thing feels like a completely DONE car. It drives idles and reaches 7k with so much zest. She makes all the right sounds when you want her to, and nothing when you don't. Just needs paint and I consider the Z rally ready.

Need to post an update. I got my OEM seats back in from the upholstery shop and just installed now vinyl in the back ... Car is looking REALLY good now. What a completely rewarding job that is. Makes such a huge difference. from this to this

And we are VERY glad to have you with us Z fan. I look forward to hearing far more from you.

Any car that pays homage to our WWII heros makes me tip my hat. Bravo.

eeeewww, that would require drilling them out, tapping them with the correct tap kit and CORRECTLY inserting a new helicoil. May I be so bold as to humbly disagree with you my good man. I have never had any luck with those things and holding torque requires a near perfect installation which has many variables. I know you were only offering an alternate solution. Trust in the good engineering of Datsun. The car was old, but the engineering principles used on bolt strength were VERY well known even in the early 70's. Do not forget we sent men to the moon before the 71 Z even came out. We were pretty smart. I put lots of faith in those old engineers. I have yet to be let down.

me thinks you may be a bit too worried. I am using those captive nuts on my 71 and pushing a strong L28 though it. You will break the rubber mount before a welded in nut on a metal frame breaks. The load is just not that big compared to the yield strength of steel.

Lycoming, Continental.... you sound a lot like my dad who passed away in 2012, who was a certified A&P mechanic and instructor. I get all my anal mechanical tendencies form him. Oil most certainly does cool the engine, ask any 911 owner, who engines are primarily oil cooled supplemented by air. I agree with you. The 185 number I could see I suppose for suspended H20 particles without the benefits of surface tension to keep them bound together, as well as the PCV system. But I would wonder if the PVC system connected to our SU air cleaner was capable creating less than atmospheric in the engine case. Still great thread here full of neat bits of info. For what it is worth I run a 190 degree nissan thermostat in my Z, with a 60/40 water/coolant ratio

As far as an N42 head with flat tops, my engine came home with 10.6:1 compression with N42 and flat tops, and I can tell you the most timing I can run is 30 degrees at max advance without fuel additives. (NOS brand is a viable option BTW). I would like to dial in more advance, but I start to get pinging in 3rd and 4th if I load the engine up at low rpm. My problem is very narrow and usually I do not notice it. But one day I will probably pull the head off and get some work done to it, while I do that I will probably put on a 1.5mm head gasket and drop the compression to 10:1 and be happy with it.