IdahoKidd

Personally, I much prefer an ammeter. I can tell when the battery is dead, knowing that it is headed that way is of much for help.

That car can be saved!

That generally speaking, if the car was high priced and valuable originally, it probably is now. I have a 1985 Mercedes 500SEC that was the most expensive passenger car available in 1985 at $54,000. (It doesn't even have a cup holder nor a tilt steering wheel). That car is worth about $5000. I have a buddy with a 3 year old Range Rover, original price of mid $60's, can't sell it for $8K.

GREAT color combination! When I had to declare "color" on my registration, I had them go outside and decide for themselves. One car tag says red, the other says orange. The pics are of the twins as they were as of last week. The pic of the car with the interior really is the same color, it is outside in natural light and really doesn't look that way to the eye.

My 77 runs flawlessly and I'd drive it anywhere at anytime. When I got it, the PO had really messed up the installation of the newly rebuilt motor (that is what led to this board) and once it was fixed (wiring issues), it is great. Not in a lifetime would I change out the fuel injection for the SU's. (I bought a 240 with SU's). Look at as many as you can, buy the best one you can afford. Money spent now is pennies on the dollar for money to be spent later on. There is also a difference in the cars themselves (280 and 280zx). The zx is a little more plush, and a lot more unattractive.

I have the entire rear suspension out of my 72, as well as the front crossmember and suspension. I am thinking of getting it powder coated and hoping someone might share how expensive this might be. Thanks! (can't edit the spelling error in subject line.........ugh!)

The single strut bracket on my 72 (Otto) was broken when I got the car. The spot welds had come loose. It was a major PITA to get it welded back into place. I drilled out the old welds from the bracket and then spot welded the two on top side. The two on the underside were a major pain, mostly because I was laying upside down in the back of the car trying to get my hood under the thing so I could see to weld. I did manage to get it welded and ground it down so the gasket fit (and painted it so it wouldn't rust). The bigger problem was that the old gasket had been torn when the thing broke free in the first place. After several repair attempts, I bought on from Black Dragon and replaced it. Works like a champ now.

I guess there are two basic points here. One is that tires have gotten freaking expensive. I would have paid more for better IF they had been what I wanted. My choices for the wheels I have (have 3 sets of period correct, the slots, the heavy vane, and the fine vane -30 vane) are all 14 inch. I would have been happier if I would have gotten the same tire brand in a 215/60 or 225/60. I just bought a set of bridgestones for the SEC, 205/60HR16's a couple of months ago from a tire shop quite some distance from my home for over $100 less. There are more options in those tire sizes (15/16/17's). So, when it comes time to put tires on the project car, I will put on 16 Rota's and get a decent tire. The part that chaps my arse is that they charged me $30 for 4 rubber valve stems with a chrome sleeve. These are availabe on ebay for 28 cents each. I have employees that bust their arse for $15 an hour. How can LSTC justify working for two full hours to recieve 4 rubber valve stems that are worth a dollar and twelve cents? I will have a discussion with the manager this morning and they are likely to have the sale reversed and their merchandise back. I have 13 vehicles on the road. I am stubborn. I can find another tire dealer somewhere.

Mount and balance is $100 carry in, plus the shipping. Math isn't there with tire rack. Arne, didn't you mention you spent years in a tire shop? If so, I feel a little better about the tires. Actually, I am more than comfortable with them, just seems like a hell of a lot of money.

I bought Toyo 908 Eclipse from Les Schwab Tire (70,000 mile warranty). They charged me $7.50 for a chrome sleeved rubber valve stem when I specifically asked for a metal stem (slotted aluminum mag wheels). I am feeling just a little bit violated and will be back in the morning. They can have the stems back! Good looking tire (for mini van tires) but nothing else available (some really poor cheapies). Next nearest town is 100 miles.

Looked there. In the end, it would have been the same. Can't get a 215/60/14 unless it is a bfg ta. Wasn't what I wanted. By the time shipping and mounting, even the cheapies were over the top expensive.

Bought a set of 195/70/14's for Otto today. Only size available to fit the car in a 200 mile radius. $472 bucks! Ho Lee Kee Rap! I worked at a tire store for years in the 80's and felt bad when it broke the $200 mark. 7 bucks for a metal valve stem?? Some song and dance about tariffs on Chinese tires. But, it did drive better, all 3/4 of a mile home. The old Aqua Treads were just over 20 years old and had been setting for at least the last 16. Couldn't get the flat spots out and the dry rot in the grooves made me nervous, but $472?? Ugh!

Might be just a junk quality o ring or wrong size. Might have had an edge crushed during installation. Replace with a new one and put some vaseline on it so it slides in easily and allows for good fit. Other than that, one guess is as good as another.

I absolutely agree with esmit about the values. I have a bone stock original (wrong hose clamps on radiator and one braided line missing) 240 that isn't worth what its slightly modified twin is worth, and that car will be worth about 40% of actual investment when it is finished. Nothing kills the value of a Z like installing a v8 in the back yard. To the average guy looking at what they think is period correct, the 2.8 is a direct and accepted replacement. If you don't know the difference, you can't tell the difference. Each of us have made a decision as to how far to modifiy the car and if that mod is reversable. Once you start cutting, fabricating, etc, going back is difficult. If there were only a dozen 240's left on the planet, it would be sacraligious to alter them. There are literally thousands of them out there so it really isn't a big deal.

the only substitute for cubic inches is cubic dollars. "Speed costs money. How fast can you afford to go"

More power! I've got to have more power!

Follow up: Spoke with Les Cannaby this evening. It is an r180 with a nismo lsd. Now to decide what ratio I need to change it out to. It is almost unanimous that 4:62 is too deep for much of anything streetable. So, 3.7's or 3.9's? Going to search for a gear calculator and see what comes up. Everybody has a favorite. Car is going to be an occasional weekend driver, mostly around town, some rural hilly two lane mountain roads. Probably running a 225/50/16 or so. Any thoughts?

The neg side came exposed and the pos side came under the wing. After my battery shifted (didn't have the correct hold down apparatus) and the pos post made contact with the inspection lid and burned a hole through it (took about a second and a half) I bought the same size battery with the posts on the opposite side (group 24F I think). It makes for disconnecting for service and for jump starting SO much easier, and with custom cables, if you didn't know the difference, you wouldn't know the difference. I bought bulk lenght 4 gauge wire and soldered the ends on. When all was said and done, I probably have $12 bucks(?) into each cable. I know that on my 6 volt stuff, the old Chrysler and the IH pickup, the heavy cables are a MUST.

I did see a reference in the text about Jmortensen's but didn't realize it was his. It definately is a limited slip of some sort, both wheels do move the same direction. I have been away from rear end stuff since the mid 80's when as a kid we were modifying chevy stuff to get the biggest tire made under our trucks. At that time, the carriers were often rated by the ring gear they could support. A 3 series carrier wouldn't accept a 4xx gear ratio and a 4 series carrier wouldn't accept a 3xx ratio, etc. I don't have a lot of disposable cash for this project and don't want to buy a 3.7 ring and pinion (for example) to find out that it won't fit this carrier. There is so much info on the net (if it is on the net, it must be true, right?) that part of it overlaps and contradicts the rest of it. I know from the brief description and the haphazard pictures it is difficult to determine much, but I was hoping someone recognized the thing, where it might have came from, and so on. I've never met nor corresponded with jon, but have read enough of his posts to determine he knows what he is talking about (can't say that about a lot of folks.....)

Thanks Jon. Now I am curious if it would have been oem in something from Nissan or would have been purchased over the counter. (if oem in something, I can look for another for the other car:cool:) I found this site and thread http://www.driftworks.com/forum/technical/65994-diff-identification-help.html and specifically post #5. The picture there looks like my picture, but if I read it right, that one is a 200, thus part of my confusion. So, I guess I will keep it, give it a shot for this car, which essentially is an in town "pretty" car. If the gears are too deep, how difficult is it to find a different ring and pinion? I am guessing that unit isn't built much anymore and parts are going to be difficult? first pic taken from driftworks site, second is mine

Yes I have 4 z's that are drivers, and a parts car. 2 280's and 2 240's. I have one of the 240's on the rack and all of the suspension out so can't move it. It appeared, in just a casual observation, that the other 240 had the same appearance (differentially speaking). The whole 240 thing is a pain. Both are 72's, both are 110 orange with white interiors. One is an auto, one is a stick, but it makes it tough to determine which car is which in conversation. So, named one Otto, and the other Manny. What's a guy to do? :classic: The 240 that this unit came in I bought a couple of years back. It had a 260 motor in it and a 4 speed. The PO said it had a posi with 4:56 gears in it and "was set up" for the 1/4 mile. Beyond that I have no information at all. I honestly didn't think it had a posi and certianly didn't think it would have gears that deep. I'll try to get a pic of the Otto car's rearend;) tomorrow for a reference. I was certain some of you guru's would know exactly what it was and could tell me to keep it, sell it, or chuck it. I have never driven the car so can't tell you much about how it works. Everything inside is clean, intact, and functioning as near as I can tell.

It's probably an old Nissan LSD, if the cross pins look like this then that is a pretty sure bet: http://album.hybridz.org/data/500/90952way1.jpg If it has 4 of these square shaped cross pins, it is a 4 pinion, 2 would be a 2 pinion, I think some R160's had a 3 pinion setup. __________________ I had to go look. Only one cross pin that goes all the way through. I can see 4 spider gears. Bottom of the case has "4 X U" stamped on it.

I've got a pic of the diff cover now. If I can identify what the carrier is, the next step would be to find out what other gears I can go to. I'd really like to keep the posi as it was a "bonus" with the car. I don't have a traction problem with any of the other three Z's, but bragging rights and the cool factor and all:cool:

Rotating the tires and counting drive line rotations, it came up at 4 1/2:1. No one around here had ever heard of such a thing in an r180. To end a bunch of local arguments, I pulled the cover off . The numbers on the ring gear are 37 X 8, which works out at a 4.50. Can anyone tell me from the picture what I actually do have, such as a brand name, or a type or how I can find out? (It is a 180 isn't it?) 4.5 seems pretty deep for a driver, but it will have an 83 5 speed in front of it (this is all in my 72 240 with an L28). I am open to opinions on what I should or shouldn't do

Sounds like a plan. Going to be a busy day!