Zed Head

madkaw has posted about having to grind the welds at the bottom of the strut tube. I think it's in this thread, way back.

Don't overlook that application specific gland nuts are supplied with the replacement shocks, of all brands. The original Nissan gland nuts were meant to thread all the way down in to the strut tube and seal against the tube and the shaft to keep the oil in. The replacement gland nuts are meant to center and clamp the new self-contained shock in to the strut tube. The strut tubes themselves were not manufactured to accept a shock seating against the bottom where the welds are. In a way it's just blind luck that so many of them have fit well. Not a surprise that some finessing is needed in certain cases.

It's in the pictures. BHCC does deserve some credit for supplying a ton of pictures. The car has seen some high speed bumps. At least the PO used galvanized metal.

This one from BHCC is fun to browse. Nice rivet and screw body work and a Turbo valve cover. Who knows, might even be a turbo engine converted to NA. https://www.beverlyhillscarclub.com/1973-datsun-240z-c-14808.htm

Howdy folks!

Well, that's a bummer. I didn't realize that MSA is the one selling the part without the D-shaped hole, and that that is the part giving you trouble. Seems like a major miss, Koni and MSA did not coordinate their efforts. Opportunity missed. Is this the part? It would help if you posted a picture of the area that gives problems. A thousand words and all that. https://www.thezstore.com/product/4135/insulated-spring-seat-strut-mount-set-70-78-240z-260z-280z

If the oil ring and top ring are different then it looks like somebody made a mixed set. Rings need to match the hone in the bore. I think that the green might be more than just paint. Makes you wonder about the pistons too. Have you confirmed that they're all the same size? What is this special styrofoam box? Interesting puzzle. Somebody could buy them and put a new ring set on. If they can find a new ring set.

You didn't say much about what's not right. Your picture just shows that the distributor is in the hole the right way. Could be many other things not right. Firing order, stuck mechanical advance weights, stuck vacuum advance, loose advance mechanisms flopping around, carb problems. On the initial timing, you need to know what's in your distributor and if it's working right. Looks like Nissan used a different distributor for emissions engines, according to the FSM. When you have your timing light on, watch the mark as you rev the engine. Estimate how high it goes above about 2500 RPM. It should rise to well above 20 pretty quickly. If you have a dial-back light you can get an exact number. p.s. also not uncommon for the old damper/balancer rubber to be bad. The timing marks might be incorrect. Here's the 1972 tune-up specs.

It's Bernoullian. Stick your head in the hole and you'll probably see the holes where the gases get in. The panel is a big open shell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernoulli's_principle

You might have missed this because it wasn't the problem in site's case. But it is a big deal if the panel is not completely sealed around the edges. There is no way to seal all of the entrances in to the inside of the back hatch lid. The area around the latch loop cannot be sealed without lots of effort. The best way to keep the gases from getting sucked in is to completely seal the perimeter of the cardboard panel. I used stick-on foam weather-stripping from Home Depot. The funny thing about the problem is that opening the windows makes it worse. It creates low pressure in the cabin, which causes anything hanging out behind the car to get sucked in through the hatch lid.

But, if you're using the 240Z distributor maybe the clamping screw is on the back.

Aren't the top rings different also?

Looks like the mounting pedestal is backwards. The clamping screw screw should be to the front. Might be some other things not quite right. It's funny how hard it is to find a simple good picture of how the drive quill should be oriented. Probably why so many people have problems with it. Nissan never really got it right throughout ll of the years of the FSM. 1978 isn't bad though.

8325 is right behind it. Better shape, seems to be. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-datsun-240z-247/

8877 went for $13,000. Had a crunched nose and some bad left side rear quarter body work. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1970-datsun-240z-102/

Here's some more ideas, but it's your fault if you damage it? I almost posted earlier about the irony of offering a performance part that is very difficult to use with other performance parts. Kind of funny. But if sales are good, carry on. Not bad, but the closer option would be a flare wrench crowfoot. Might work. Maybe Koni or MSA could do the work to find a size that fits a Z top hat? And do the math on the proper torque setting. Honestly after the aggravation most people aren't going to be using a torque wrench anyway though. Right? https://www.amazon.com/Sunex-9710M-8-Inch-Crowfoot-Size-10/dp/B0002SRJF4?th=1

Pretty easy to unbolt the MC from the Booster without removing the hydraulic lines. Unbolt the warning switch so you get more flex in the lines. The warning switch does not block flow like it is proposed to do some times. It just moves the plunger to turn on the light. There's a troubleshooting chart in the FSM.

Also interesting is Blue's cam spec's page on AtlanticZ. He shows the L24E cam as an E. And notice though that the specs for the early L24 are the same as the early L28. You can also see that the specs changed as emissions specs got tighter. Catalytic converters and all that. Big picture, I don't think a person could tell the difference by the way an engine performs. Although, the L24E shows as having lower lift. So, you could follow the bread crumbs - somebody has an MN47 L24E head with a K cam, Blue shows the L24E as an E cam, the L24E used the MN47 head, K is probably very similar to E. Are you sure it's a P79 head? Do you actually see the P and the 79 on it? http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/cam/index.htm

I wrote a thing yesterday and pasted a link but I guess I didn't hit the submit button. Here's a link about a K cam in an MN47 head. The MN47 head is used on the L24E. Specs would be in a late 70's, early 80's Maxima FSM, I'd guess. Post #7 if it doesn't go directly there.

It's been a while Mr. AK. What's been happening?

I'd look for signs that the cam has been changed. Witness marks on the bolt heads, does the cam rotate easily, is the timing chain and sprocket original, etc. Are you sure the L24 E specs are different? It's really just a 2.4 size 280ZX engine. No reason for significantly different specs., except for better fuel mileage maybe. Can you link a source for the different L24E specs? Whatever you find out it's probably a good core for grinding. Good luck.

I think that they're all about the same as far as performance. Changes were most likely made for emissions. What would you do differently if you had the exact specifications? The lift is the same, the valve openings and closings chnage by just a few degrees. Here's 1982.

How about making a special washer with a D-shaped hole? Squared, or slotted, or spanner-holed, whatever depending on the room available, something to grab on to. Or maybe with the spikes underneath to grab the surface, like a lock-washer. Leave it under the nut after tightening, for future removal. Koni or MSA should make them, and include them with the product.

You might have the rod to the master cylinder adjusted too long. Could also be the rod at the pedal to the booster. This can close the fluid return hole to the MC reservoir. The fluid expands and can't escape. The fluid leaking out of the switch is probably coincidence or a result of the constant pressure on a small leak. Anyway, there should be a small amount of play at the rod from the brake pedal. Easy to check first.

Something might be coming loose. Better check the things you touched when you installed the coilovers.