Walter Moore

Now that is funny... Does the air dam scream at you when you start the car?

Heh, if you tried that on most rust-belt cars you would likely be injured by the flying fiberglass and bondo...

How hot was it when you had this problem? The early cars are known to have vapor lock issues, even when running, in hot weather, which is said to be the reason that Nissan added the electric pumps. You would not see the problem on the open road, because the higher airflow at speed keeps the engine bay cooler. Search for threads on vapor lock for more information. Edit: Also search for threads on fuel smell. That is a common problem as well.

It seems like I took mine to "Indy rack and axle" or something like that. (I can't remember the name exactly right now, but I turned 50 recently, so what do you expect.) It was just North of the State Fairgrounds, not the best neighborhood. I didn't know about the place on Washington street.

I have also seen V8 conversions in the later (S130) 280ZX platform. It is a slightly bigger, heaver car, but still smaller than a Camaro of the same era. And in some places they are more available than the early cars. That might be an option for you as well.

Beautiful cars.

I had no idea that fan clutches "lock up". I thought they were just viscus couplings that limited the fan speed so that it turns at roughly the same speed regardless of the engine's speed. Guess that shows how little I know...

Could the system just need to be primed? (I don't actually know if the FI systems need that, just a thought.) If you pulled the pump there may be air in the fuel lines that needs to be purged.

It sounds very much like linkage adjustment. The neutral/park switch is in the transmission. If the linkage is mis-adjusted the transmission will still be in reverse with the shifter in Park. You can download a service manual here: http://www.xenons30.com/ It should have instructions for adjusting the linkage.

Well that is interesting, I can't see the last two posts to this thread. The main page lists 5 posts, but I only see 3. What does that mean?

Nice thread hijack. According to my information the parking/turn signal/brake bulb is a 1034 (replaceable with a 1157), while the reverse light is a 1073 (replaceable with a 1156).

After 39 years the pigments in wire insulation will change subtly. White wires turn yellow and black wires fade. The White with a blue stripe you describe almost has to have been originally white with a black stripe. There is no white/blue wire on the alternator shown in the factory service manual.

I wondered the same thing when I was looking at the car. Is the red tank for NOx, or a fire extinguisher? I couldn't tell from outside the car.

Fuel injection pumps have way too much pressure for the carbs. A quick search for electric fuel pumps should answer your question. Steve, Don't discount the possibility that the mechanical pump is the limiting factor in your horsepower. I had a mechanical pump (which I purchased new) on my car for about one year after I got it running. At that time the car developed a strange symptom in that it just "hit the wall" (in runners terms) at 60mph, and wouldn't go any faster. (Didn't matter what gear the car was in either.) I switched to an electric pump at that point because I didn't want to risk another bad, new pump. That "fixed" the problem, but introduced all the electrical gremlins associated with electric fuel pumps. Anyway, it seems like the leaning out problem that you have could easily be a symptom of the mechanical pump running out of capacity. From my experience that seems to be one (of several) failure modes of the mechanical fuel pump. When it reaches its maximum fuel delivery rate the pressure just drops to nothing and the carbs run lean. The system equalizes and the engine keeps running, but it can't produce any more power. The rich mixture at lower speeds may have been an across the board issue if the pump could have kept up with the demand.

Steve, This is a little off subject, but what was your actual fuel mileage on your way to ZCON and back? To my great surprise I recorded 25mpg on the highway portion of the trip. Since we were running basically side by side on the way down, and have (I think) the same transmission and differential, ratios that might give you a hint as to whether or not you were running rich. (I skipped the dyno at the show because I guess I just don't want to know...)

On a 73 you are correct. The 81 transmission and differential will fit. There may be some issues with mounting the differential related to the mustache bar, but if you do a search on the subject I am certain the information you need is on this site, or perhaps HybridZ. The holder for the speedometer gear is different between your transmissions, and the ZX gear may not be accurate with your early speedometer. (I don't know what gear the 81 has, but the 83 I bought had an 18 tooth gear) Per the FSM, on a 71 the 3.90 differential requires a 19 tooth gear. I don't know without some research if that is true on a 73.

Everyone that I know who has restored a car with the intent of making money on it has ended up selling it at a loss, regardless of the brand or model. In my experience, the only people who really make money on restorations are the ones paid time and materials to do the work.

The show starts tomorrow. Is everyone ready? The Indy Z car club is driving down as a group tomorrow morning. Hopefully we will see you tomorrow.

I guess I missed this thread when it was new. Your car is in really nice condition.

The pipe diameter isn't really a major part of the sound, it is the muffler type that makes the exhaust loud. "Turbo" mufflers have minimal sound reduction, and it is claimed less back pressure. They aren't really any quieter than old fashioned glass-pack mufflers. They just last longer because there is no fiberglass to shake lose and blow out. Personally the turbo muffler that I have on my car is too loud, but not loud enough that I feel motivated to replace it. I guess we will see how I feel about the noise after driving it to Tennessee tomorrow. (My wife may have something to say about it as well...)

I know I am being picky, but the device in question is a capacitor, not a condenser.

Interesting car with an interesting story. I am glad it found a good home.

I guess next time don't leave it parked on the street.

I don't know anyone that sells a stainless exhaust for the Z car, at least not retail. A good aluminum plated muffler should hold up for years. It is the "good" part that is the difficult part.

The procedure varies by state I am sure, but in Indiana there is a set procedure. I know people who have gone through the process. You have to do a title search to determine the last registered owner, and then track them down and send them a registered letter stating that you intend to apply for a title to the car. You either have to get their permission, or show proof that they reasonably should know but will not respond. There are even companies that will do the leg work for you. I suspect that if he is waiting on a "duplicate" title he isn't very far along in the process.