LeonV

Pierce has banjos and lines: http://www.piercemanifolds.com/Default.asp Not sure what you mean by "nice fuel lines". You can get proper fuel lines at the local auto parts store or buy them from Pierce with your banjos.

Nope, there is no head casting with 'N33' on it. It looks like they came up with alternative names for the 3 variations of the E88: small chamber, large chamber, and large chamber plus bigger exhaust valve. Again, there is no such thing as an N33 head casting. Just as I thought.

This sounds like the emergency switch has shut off the rear circuit, a new master may not solve anything. Search for "brake emergency switch", "rear brakes not bleeding", or something like that. I know it has been discussed before.

Uh-oh. That's the easy part... Search "spindle pin" and you'll find plenty of information.

Your engine is operating properly, use the cold start device when cold. If it runs great in the cold without the "choke" then you're running too rich.

This means that you have a late 280ZX long block. The P90 only came on the turbocharged cars. You can confirm that the bottom end is from a turbo by looking through a spark plug hole with the piston at TDC. If it's dished, then it's a turbo block, if flat then NA. FWIW, the turbo engines have a compression ratio around 7.4:1.

I sense irony...

There is no "N33" head, that may have been something you saw on the intake casting. The head casting number is on the bottom of the head, by the #1 and #2 spark plugs. The block casting number is on the left side, below the manifolds. If it is a 280Z engine, then the block casting should be "N42" which came with either an N42 or N47 head. However, mix-and-match possibilities are endless so you won't know what you have until you verify it.

I used a 1/2NPT plug from the hardware store if I remember correctly. However, I believe that most, if not all pipe threads in the S30 are BSPT, so I reluctantly used teflon tape. NPT threads are the same pitch but of a different shape, so an NPT plug will fit but likely not seal.

Precisely. A slightly stretched timing chain is not the problem.

All a worn timing chain does is slightly retarding cam timing, which shifts the powerband up. You will have a bit more power up top and a little less down low. It has zero effect on ignition timing. Cam lift and duration are unchanged, just valve timing changes. The intake valve will definitely be closed by the time spark should occur.

Not a problem.

(1) Remove horn pad (2) Loosen nut (3) Remove wheel All is described in the manual and in countless threads.

Put them where the FSM recommends. Under front rails, by the TC bucket and the rear transverse rail in front of the rear wheels. Pictures are in the GI section of the free FSM, probably page 5 or so. Are those spots rusted through?

Before jumping to any conclusions, have the valves recently been adjusted? If not, do so and run another comp check.

Is the swallow African or European?

Take all plugs out and do it again. Crank enough times to stabilize the reading.

What exactly do you mean by "more pedal control"? Dual masters will take quite a bit of work to adapt and you will lose power assist.

Stupid question that must be asked: have you checked the oil level?

I've never heard of differences between early or late '73 240Zs. All 240Z tachs are the same 4-wire inductive loop type, as far as I know.

Exactly. Alignment specs look good, looks like you're using camber plates. You can get more caster with adjustable TC rods and modifying the upper strut mount. Definitely replace the Illuminas with something more well suited for your rates. You can also try dropping the rear to reduce understeer.

Agreed, my most commonly used tools seem to be Craftsman. Well made and I haven't had any problems with them.

If your problems are during transitions, then you must make sure you have good dampers, assuming your alignment settings aren't way off. If you're running something like Tokico HP or Illuminas, you will want to ditch them as they are not designed for high spring rates like yours. However, what you're describing seems to be understeer issues. You need to make up for a lack of front end grip. More caster should somewhat help, but an LSD can exacerbate the issue (depending on type of LSD) since locking the drive-wheels in a turn will tend to make you go straight. However, certain combinations of parts could give terrible results, and others great. Adding just a rear bar will tip the cornering balance towards the rear, but it also further unloads the inside rear wheel resulting in less traction when accelerating out of a corner. If you already have rear traction issues, this could be a problem. You then add the LSD to solve the problem, but that will also change the dynamics of the car's behavior as described earlier. And so on... Definitely add the rear bar and see how it feels. My Z is very similar to yours, since I run a stock front ARB and no rear, and open diff. I've been considering adding the rear bar for autoX as I need more rear cornering stiffness and I don't have serious traction issues yet.

Your charging circuit isn't charging. Blindly replacing parts in an attempt to solve the problem is not recommended. There is a complete testing and troubleshooting procedure in the FSM. You have not even stated what car this is happening to...

You have low voltage to the spade connector on the solenoid. If you can jump the starter and it works every time, you will know for sure that this is your problem. If your battery is strong and your alternator charges (CHECK THESE), there are two solutions: (1) clean all connectors related to starter wiring and hope that you've dropped the resistance enough or (2) incorporate a "starter relay" (as Bruce mentioned) to take the load off the starter circuit and give the solenoid direct battery voltage without running it through 40 feet of wiring and 40 year-old connections.