Randalla

I think there really is something to this dual ownership thing. I own three early Z cars (71, 72, 74), a 2001 740i and a 1986 635 CSi. Though there are really no similarities from a styling point of view, maybe the appeal is in them both being driver's cars with great design.

Check out Summit Racing. I just ordered some steel chrome center caps for my American Racing "Spectres." Only paid about $30 for all four.

Type "Vintage Datsun Wheels" into your browser. Contacts name is Mike

OK, I'm giving you the best two wheel resources I know. Don't forget me! Both of these guys are in Oregon I believe. The first is Just Wheels at nwlink.com. (I don't have a phone number). The second is Eric Neyerlin at Z Parts. Eric knows more about Datsun wheels than I could learn in three life times. Call him at 541-679-0791. He probably has the best stick of vintage Datsun wheels in the country. If one of these two guys don't have them, or know where to find them, I think you may be out of luck.

You're good! Have you ever seen a set of these running around in the UK? Still have never seen a set Stateside. I'm guessing these are pretty unusual. Thanks so much for the reply!

I just picked up a set of the wheels that I can not find any information on. I know they were purchased in the early 80's in Japan by a U. S. serviceman and I was told by the seller that they were vintage even then. I have searched every jdm wheels database I could find, but am not any closer to identification. I know they are jdm / almex and the size is 4 X 114.3 X 5.5 and that they were manufactured by the Yokohama Rubber Company. Beyond that I have very little else to go on. I absolutely love the look of these. They will likely end up on my Roadster. The seller had them on a Fairlady Z at one point. the only other casting marks are "YSE455-1" and the size includes a "JJ" designation and the number 25 (offset perhaps). I would be very grateful for any information at all.

I am just about to change out my booster as I am having the same symptoms (hiss when brakes are applied with car running and RPM's rise by about 300). I'm curious why the RPM's rise with this condition. My best guess is that the carbs are being leaned out somehow, when air is seeping past the booster diaphragm. Anyone else care to offer thoughts.

Nice clean job on the spray bar. Seems like it works as good as it looks. A couple of questions. Did you enlarge the holes that spay the cam? Looks like a very steady stream of oil now, which should enhance lubrication. Any thought of producing these for sale at some point?

The camshaft is not being replaced. We had the valve cover off to assess timing chain stretch and possibly move the cam gear one hole.

Mystery solved. After re-reviewing the repair history, the owner found a receipt from 1997 showing the camshaft was replaced with an internally oiled one. Wonder if there is any benefit to running both the oiling systems as currently installed on his car???

Unfortunately I have returned the car to its owner until he gets a new spray rail at which point I will again have the car to take a photo and post. However, I know what I saw when I removed the valve cover. It was definitely an internally oiled cam. The only explanation at this point seems to be a mid-late 70's cam swap, even though the owner claims that was never done.

Duffman, here is literally what the 1973 Datsun 240-Z service manual says in the engine lubricating system chapter: "The rocker mechanism is lubricated under two types of lubricating methods. The rocker arm and valve are lubricated intermittently by the oil fed through the oil gallery in the camshaft and the small channel at the base circle portion of each cam. Lubricant is supplied to this oil pipe (spray rail pictured) through No. 3 camshaft bearing, and the rocker arm and valve are lubricated intermittently by the oil through the small holes or the oil pipe." This is confusing at best. I may be reading this completely wrong but it sounds to me like in 1973 there were two means of lubricating the top of the motor.

Are you absolutely sure about that? The reason I ask is I have been working on a friends 1973 240-Z, which has both a spray rail and an internally oiled cam. He is the original owner, has all the repairs and paperwork from new and there is no record, or recollection, of a cam shaft being replaced. I pulled the cam cover off for the first time in nearly 40 years he said. There was nothing to suggest any work or changes had been done previously. I don't recall having seen another 73 with both the rail and internally oiled cam.

Can anyone give me the production dates when the following changes were made for cam oiling on S30's? The first scenario was a spray rail only (1970-1972?). The second scenario is cars that came with both a spray rail and an internally oiled cam (1973-?). The final scenario is cars that came from the factory with only an internally oiled cam (?).

Working on a friends car (1973 240-Z) and trying to figure out why we can not get the heater fan to run with the OEM switch. The fan has not worked for about three years. A year ago he took the fan out and wired it direct to the battery to test it and it ran fine. That led him to assume the switch was the culprit. I had an extra switch, which we tried with no success. I'm wondering if there is anything between the fan and the switch that we may be missing. Of course both fan switches could be bad but the odds are at least one would be working. Is there an easy way to verify the switch is good? Any other thoughts regarding things to check.

I would encourage you to get a picture with him and the car if you can. I tracked down the original owner of my 72 240-Z. Even though he is in his 70's (25 years older than I) he is a great guy and we have become good friends. He had some great stories about the car and I got shots of him with the car and presented him with two framed photos. I found him at the same phone number he had when he bought the car 40 years earlier.

One more long shot, but worth considering. Do you notice any difference when the gas tank is topped off vs. 1/2 tank or less? If so you may want to check the fuel pick up tube in the tank. I don't know if this has actually happened or not but it was something we looked at on Duffman's car since he had recently had the tank boiled out and we suspected the chemicals may have perforated the tube, thereby allowing air to be sucked into the system. Admittedly this is a real long shot. You know of course, that when you find out what's causing all your problems it will be some little detail we have all missed so far.

This is a long shot, but Duffman, on this site, was having a similar problem with his L-28 with mechanical fuel pump and a fuel pressure gauge installed inline between the fuel rail and the SU carbs. We went though many of the same things you did with no success. We set and re-set floats, checked for obstructions in fuel delivery, rebuilt the distributor, etc. The fuel pressure gauge fluctuated periodically, indicating an air suction issue somewhere. That led us to look more closely at fuel delivery from the tank to the carbs. The fuel tank had been out of the car recently which was a further clue. What Duffman discovered was the short fuel hose from the tank to the metal fuel line was sucking air where the clamps were. The car never leaked fuel but was apparently sucking in air and creating a lean condition under hard acceleration. As soon as the hose was replaced (some cracks were seen around the end) the problem was gone. Before you lose the mechanical fuel pump, install an inline fuel pressure gauge and watch the pressure under all conditions from idle to WOT. If you notice a 20-25% change you may also be sucking air somewhere. By the way Jeff, I am an ex-Detroiter, moving from Milford, MI to Scottsdale, AZ in 1994. Used to head to the Northville Dairy for ice cream when I was a kid.

Steven, I'll be really surprised at this point if the problem turns out to be fuel, in light of all we've done and what we have eliminated. I'm feeling much more confident we have an electrical/ignition issue that shows itself only when the engine is under load. Still wondering if a faulty voltage regulator might cause this condition. I don't know, however, if the VR changes under load. Maybe someone else can comment. If the VR is not the culprit I think Doc needs to do his thing on your distributor.

I'm in the process of getting my Roadster back on the road and am planning on using the same silver (the BMW name is Titanium) that is on my 2001 BMW 740. The color is gorgeous. I get lots of compliments. It has as very slight blue cast to it which makes it a cool rather than a warm silver. If I was ready to do one of my Z's I'd consider it for sure.

Anybody planning to go to the Grand Datsun Classic in Williams, AZ on October 8th? Looks like there will be nearly 50 Datsuns in attendance, of every description. So far cars are coming from six states as well as Mexico. Bob Bondurant will be attending the event as well. I know it's a drive for some of you, but this is shaping up to be a great event. You can still register (no charge) though the end of September on SOCALROC's website. Hope to see some of the Z brotherhood there. I'm taking my 1971 and 1972 240 Z's.

Granted, as the first Scarab and one that has the correct pedigree and documentation this is a very rare/valuable car. However, 300,000 is a bit crazy as factory numbered Scarabs that have come to market typically sell in the $30-40K range. A good sales price on this one might finally benefit the others that come to market. I have one located here where I live but it needs a complete restoration for it to bring anywhere near $30K.

Excellent! Truly amazing how much better these engines run when really dialed in. Syncing the two carbs will make at least another 20% difference if they are not at least very close now. How many degrees advance are you running?

If the idle speed increases when you lift the pin, the carb is adjusted too rich. If the speed decreases it's too lean. Turn the mixture nut counter clockwise (looking from the top toward the ground) to lean it out, clockwise to richen it up. You want the idle to rise briefly when you lift the pin and then settle back to roughly where the idle was before lifting the pin.

I owned three of these cars and always loved the look. Unfortunately Lucas Electric components were a nightmare. For Jag owners, this picture just looks like a "minor short"...