Mike

Back when I could drive my Z, I did the same thing. I replaced my stock header with a Motorsport 6-to-1 and 2.5" exhaust. My power increase was very dramatic. I could tell that the car was breathing a lot easier -- especially during acceleration. As far as noise... I could tell a difference. My car was louder, but it hummmed to a nice tune. Sounded strong and healthy instead of weak and choked. I can't give you scientific numbers, but headers are usually a lot better than stock (for the early Z's anyway) because they are tuned for the car. All the pipes are similar in length to create a balancing effect. Your other options include a 3-to-1 (6-to-2) header and a 2.25" exhaust. I have heard that the 2.25" exhaust gives you the same benefits, but it's not as noisy. IMHO: You can just buy a better muffler and use the 2.5" system. If you buy a header from the internet, make sure it has flange thicknesses that match your intake manifold. My Motorsport header had a thinner flange and it caused problems for me. The flange is used to bolt the header to the head. There are about 4 bolts that hold the intake and the exhaust header to the head (they share the same bolt). If one is thicker, the bolt doesn't fit right. Anyway, that's my $10 worth. I'd say go with a 2.5" exhaust and buy a good muffler. Definately go with the 6-to-1. [m]

Did you know that you can edit your old messages? Or, better yet... just reply to yourself and insert the updated info. Just thought you should know. If you want to make changes, just click on the edit icon. Of course, you can only edit your own messages. [m]

Sorry, I don't know automatics. Otherwise I might have been of some help. [m]

This story is also available on my home page. It was also created a long time ago in a galaxy far far away..... (that's my lame excuse to make up for grammatical errors) ------------- I first purchased my 1971 240z in 1989. I bought it from a family friend and he was the second owner of the car. The first owner of the car is also a family friend. So, I know where the car has been! Obviously, I am the third owner of the car and I'd have to say that I've pampered it the most. I have too much money into the vehicle to sell it. Plus, it means much more to me than the top value of the car (probably around $2,000). I bought the car after it had been sitting for about a year. The master brake cylinder was shot and the engine was blown. So, I replaced the master cylinder and towed it home (actually, my dad drove it through town with a blown head gasket -- but, we won't tell anyone about that). It then sat in my families garage for another year while I managed to fix the engine. To make a long story short -- I had the head rebuilt from Performance Specialties here in Corvallis. I then decided that the bottom end of the engine should be looked at. So, I took the entire bottom end of the engine over to Bob Forrest Engine Rebuilders (also here in Corvallis). He then tore the entire thing apart and called me into his shop to look at the damage. He took me into a dark-room and shut off the lights. He then switched on an ultraviolet light and pointed it at the engine. There were cracks in the block! Apparently, he put a chemical into the engine and forced it out through these cracks with high pressure. This test was able to confirm his belief that the engine had frozen over in the Winter! I needed a completely new engine. Well, Bob ended up finding a new engine block and we had to rebuild that one from the ground up. I'm sorry to say that the serial numbers don't match. That's the only drawback to my Z. Anyway, I had the engine completely rebuilt and also had Bob put on the fresh head from Performance Specialties (I eventually found out that Performance Specialties originally had Bob do the work on my head -- and they charged a profit on top of his work). So, I had a new engine. I was ready, believe me... I wanted to drive my baby. My dad and I transported the engine from Bob's place (after paying ~$1k) to our garage. We cleaned up the engine compartment, replaced the clutch, and hoisted the fresh engine into the old car. Now, you have to realize that we didn't end up doing this in ONE day! The entire engine "insertion" took us about a month. Weekends were just about the only time we could work on it efficiently. After we put the engine in the car, I had yet another chore.... I had to put it all back together. This, in itself, was a hellish nightmare. It was, after all, the first time I had ever taken that car apart. [m]

Junior Member until you write 10 messages in the forums. After that, you become a regular member!! Whhoooo! Sorry, no gold stars. In fact, I could change it to 2-3 posts. That way "single message" users are still at junior status. Okay, I talked myself into it. Junior member status until 3 messsages have been written. After that, regular member kicks in.

Oh yes, quite a lot of work But, it's worth it. I sure could have used something like this when I started to work on my Z-Car. I just keep remembering the "good ol' days" when my car actually ran. Heh. [m]

Welcome to the Internet 240z-Club's new forum area! We are very excited to bring this to you and expect to see good results in the next few years. These forums were created with the thought that information can be stored and used by everyone who owns an early 240z or 260z. It's also nice to have somewhere to go when your Z-Car is acting up and you don't know where to turn. Believe me, when working on Z-Cars, it's much nicer to obtain help on a global scale -- especially when thse vehicles get older and a rarity on the road. Since these forums are new, you might have a few questions about how they operate. After you check the FAQ and new user pages, please submit a question to this forum. Your question should be answered within a few hours. If your question pertains to a specific Z-Car related item, take a look through our forums and make your selection based on that particular genre. For instance: If you have a question about the carburetion system, post a message in the "Engine & Carburetion Forum".... etc etc. You get the idea. -- Moderator Mike