Zedyone_kenobi

I plan to run a pertronix unit in the new dizzy. I have a pertronix now. I do not plan on recurving anything. Why, Because for how cheap it was to acquire this distributor, I could not get mine recurved. So the advantage is a stock euro dizzy with pertronix over a stock US distributor with pertronix. So comparing running 5 degrees initial advance to 17 degrees will definitely change the way the car drives. Every other country got a more aggressive curved distributor. The US got an 'emissions' unit. I think this will be a nice step up. I stopped running points a long time ago.

I would be leery to let a shop that known nothing of an L series motor install a header. But that is water under the bridge. My first piece of advice, ask them what header gasket they used. Reason being is the intake and exhaust use the same gasket in most cases (my only gripe about the Lseries) and I would hate to think they just unbolted the manifold and either put the header on old the gasket, or they just cut you a new one. Also, ask them what torque values they used for the bolts/studs. They are going into aluminum remember. Just stay on them. I know mechanics hate being second guessed, but it is YOUR car and they should treat you with respect.

Shade keep in mind that MSA does not sell these anymore. At least they did not when I checked. I had to buy mine from a nice chap in the UK. That is why I am going to get it rebuilt. As I do not know how good of condition it is in since it is used.

well though lots of waiting, I finally got my hand on a used euro dizzy for my 240Z. I plan to have it rebuilt prior to installing. I plan on using these people... http://www.advanceddistributors.com/ They will rework the curves if I want to but I think I am going to keep it exactly stock and just get it cleaned, rebushed, and ready to install my pertronix on it. I may even get a new pertronix so I have a complete spare. I will snap some pictures of the new unit before and after rebuild. Currently my stock 1971 240Z dizzy has these stats: Static 5 Degrees Centrifugal 24 Degrees Vacuum 18 Degrees The euro dizzy looks more like this Stock 17 Degrees Centrifugal 12 Degrees Vacuum 11 Degrees I plan to use the OEM US vacuum advance module on the new european dizzy. I will give my impressions as this goes on.

That is the route I took with mine. I cleaned it off and resprayed it an picked up the new decals. LOVE the stock OEM look of it all.

I want to thank OptimaJim for taking the time to respond with very accurate information. My optima will only get to 12.4 v, which is pretty close to the red top specifications listed by Mr. Optima above. I will keep up with my battery tender jr, and keep my redtop healthy for as long as I can. I have had great luck with my optima. For the record, even at 11.2 volts my optima was able to crank my datsun. It is a great product. I know this thread got off topic a tad, but thanks to optimajim for helping out. It is good to see a vendor go the extra mile to give some personalized information. Thanks Jim. I will try to run my dedicated battery charger at 10Amps for 2 hours to try to break up the sulfates. Have a great day.

Hear hear! I agree with ES

If you had the paperwork for the car, then it should have been displayed properly. It sounds like to me you would have put it off forever had she not done her duty. Volunteer or not, she had a duty and responsibility. As do you. Owning any car is a heavy responsibility, and I think you need to ask yourself if your ready for this one. If so, go get your car and lets get it running and fixed up!!

That is a good enough point. I may have to invest in something more meaty.

This was also posted on the other website I frequent. They are using an LS7 in it. Which is not a bad engine persay, but a little run-of-the-mill for a Zagato designed beauty like this. It is the equivalent of using gorilla glue to hang up the Mona Lisa. Yes it will work just fine, but not really an elegant solution. Plus the press release I read is that the asking price is suppose to be less than 100,000 dollars, which to me is just not possible. You cannot build an body by hand in Italy, ship it to South America and mate it to a chassis, and then sell it in America for less than 100,000 bucks. But it sure is pretty.

I think what I will do is hook it up all weekend and see if it will get me to 13 volts. After 24 hours, the battery was not warm at all, so I am not really worried I am hurting the battery or that it has a short.

That is what I was expecting, but after 24 hours of charging, the red light is still solid and it never gets above 12.4. I may have to look into grabbing a replacement battery just to see if I can get it to charge to 13.XX

How hot did your tender get. Mine is hot to the touch. Not so hot you cannot leave your hand on it, but pretty darn warm.

Okay folks, I recently purchased the 60 amp alternator upgrade from MSA and the install was simplicity itself. I am very happy, but to make the job complete I also bought a Deltran Battery tender Jr 12v model. I have heard nothing but great reviews so I decided my red top optima deserved it. Now here is where it gets weird. I have left it on the car for a solid 24 hours now and it is still glowing red meaning it has never reached the 80% charged level it should and go green. So I picked up my voltmeter and started to do some fiddling. Hooked up to the battery tender, I get about 12.3 volts going to it or so after 24 hours. Unplug the battery and it stay around 12.4 volts. Start the car with my new shiny alternator, and I send a constant 14.2 volts to the battery, which is good. Alternator should put that kind of juice out. My old 40 amp alternator/regulator combo that was stock with the car only put out 12.2 volts. What gets me is no matter how much I charge my battery, it never gets above 12.4 or the 12.2 range. IF left for a long time without driving or charging it will often read less than 12 volts, 11.4 was the lowest. Now my recollection is that a fully charged battery should have in the neighborhood of 13.XX volts.. I have been thinking my optima is old and may be on it last legs. Any comments?

Why not high pressure/high volume oil pump Get your pistons coated with a low for low friction Larger oil pan to hold an extra quart Also, I would avoid shorter rods. They will make for increased side loads on the cylinder walls. I would go for a longer rod if you have to build a stroker, you will get more torque out of it.

I think she is a beauty. Pictures tell only part of the picture, but it sounds 10k is a very fair price for the amount of work. I would like to see how she runs and drives.

Wow, that is VERY clean. superb job man.

I can add to your question. Is the pulley/damper one piece on Z cars, I have not looked. I have no smog or AC system on my car, yet it has a 3 groove pulley. I would like to put a lighter single groove on it. To shed some light on your question, is the OEM'ness of the stock part is probably driving up the cost due to rarity.

THat radio and faceplate look TASTEY!

I will give you an amen my brother!

Question, just because it has the vents on the rear hatch, it does not mean it was a series one. Where are the 240Z badges behind the C pillar and on the deck lid. Why would you take those off during the respray and not put them back? also, is that an overflow tank underneath the coil? I have never seen one of those on a Z. I would think that would get in the way of the stock air box, which is always missing. comments? Also the comment that it has a dash cap on to protect the perfect dash underneath is a bit hokey to me.

I like my set of gear wrenches I got at Sears. They offer fine indexing and a relatively small head. One thing of note, any indexing boxed end wrench will be bulkier than a non indexing boxed end wrench. Meaning it may not fit into some areas you would would like it to fit. I would get a set of gear wrenches for sure, but also a good set of slim boxed end wrenches available. Do not skimp on tools. They make the job easier, and the better the tools the more joy you will gain from working on your car?

I get the engineering behind it and all (BS in MCHE), I was alluding to the fact that I am not sure I can actually feel 1 extra volt.

Installed my 60 amp alternator today with custom plug. Could not be easier. Great instructions Arne! Took the car out for a drive. MY old alternator was only putting out 12.4 volts, my new one gets 14.5 volts. Very strong. I am getting almost 13.89 volts to the hot side of the coil, versus 12.2 volts. Car runs liquid smooth now. I cannot make the car hiccup or bog, or pop or sputter. Ran strong all the way to 6500 and even was smooth under all combinations up to that magical 5000 rpm band. I am very pleased. I swear the extra juice makes the fan blow stronger, but it is probably my imagination. I do wonder if it will effect my headlights since my old alternator was so marginally charging.

No special tools. just some open and closed end wrenches will do the trick. I would recommend getting the stud kit for the intake/exhaust. I put one in mine when I swapped out my carbs. Really made things easy and you know you have good bolts going back in. Also, make sure you clean out the threads in the head when you have everything off. It is a horribly boring job and it will murder your fingers, but having clean threads to put bolts/studs in will make all the difference. Plus, dirty threads negatively effects the running torque, meaning you may not get the proper preload on the system when you put it all back together. Other than that, patience. It is not hard, but it is time consuming. Take a couple of hours to properly clean off the sealing surface of all the parts. Cleanliness is key to a good seal. Also read up on the proper torque specs of your manifold/header. Good luck, and take Franks words to heart. Soak those bolts before you put a wrench to them. Do everything you can to make those things come out easy. The last thing we want to hear is you stripped your head or broke a bolt. Take your time and you will be fine. Remember, working on these cars is suppose to be fun, not aggravation.