Walter Moore

Do a search on the forums: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27999&highlight=barrel http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26285&highlight=barrel http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25255&highlight=barrel http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23047&highlight=barrel http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22458&highlight=barrel http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22491&highlight=barrel http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21877&highlight=barrel It seems to be a very touchy subject, but the SUs work fine on nearly any L24. The next step up is triples. The 4 barrel apparently doesn't gain you much, if anything. Remember, the throttle plates in the stock SUs are over 1 3/4 inches. Those things flow a lot of air.

As cheap as thermostats are, I never saw any reason to test one. If you are going to all the work to take it out of the car to test, why not just replace it and be sure?

I was dubious of this, it sounded like an urban legend. After extensive searching on the internet I found this: http://www.mobil1.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Car_Care/AskMobil/Flat_Tappet_Engines.aspx Apparently the issue is the phosphorous that is in the older engine oil because it can damage catalytic converters. That is the often repeated statement by those who don't seem to have a financial motive to sell some additive or something. I also found several "experts" who loudly denounced using either diesel oil, or engine oil additives in gasoline engines. Who am I to judge? However, you will note that Mobil still maintains that for "normal service", standard engine oil is fine. Don't agree? Do your own research and make up your own mind.

It seems like you would have to add a lot of body stiffeners to make up for the structure that you lose by taking the roof off.

I had my tank epoxied by a local radiator shop. They did a good job, so you might be able to find someone local as well.

Check out the ROUND flanges on the SUs! I have never seen flanges like that on a 240Z in any picture. Are those really early 4 screws, or do you think they were originally on something else?

The brakes are likely spongy because the rear circuit is empty. The brake fluid in the rear reservoir didn't evaporate, it went somewhere. You need to look for a leak. Most commonly you will find that one of the wheel cylinders is leaking, but on a 36 year old car it could be many things. My car's brake lines were rusted completely through. I had to replace the entire line. The worst source of leaks on my car was the rear brake proportioning valve, which on a 71 is located above the passenger side half shaft. My leaks there were the RESULT of replacing the hard lines however, so if you haven't replaced the brake lines that may not apply to you. Clean your garage floor, park your car inside, fill the rear reservoir, and start pumping the brakes. After a few dozen pumps, look under the car. If there is a puddle of brake fluid, trace it back to the source and fix it. By the way, my brakes are still a little spongy even after I bleed them several times, but I don't have any leaks now, so I think that after I have driven it for a while I will bleed the rears again and hopefully the trapped gases will eventually come out.

That is a really nice car. How far is Knoxville from Smyrna? (I know... get a map...)

Can someone explain this piece of wisdom to me? I have read it several times, and don't know if I just got lucky, or if this is not true, or what. I have an L24, and when I rebuilt my E31 head I had to have the original brass intake seats cut out and replaced with the larger 280Z intake valves. If I remember correctly the original valves were 42mm and the current intake valves are 44mm. My exhaust valves are 35mm I think. Anyway, I rebuilt the whole engine, but because the cylinders were still in specification I didn't have it bored out at all. The machine shop just honed the cylinders and I put it back together. I didn't notch the cylinders, pistons, or anything else. It runs fine, and I haven't bent any valves that I know of. So when is it that the larger valves cause a problem? Is it just on the E88 head? Is it a stack-up thing that only affects certain engines? Or does it only appear later, after the engine begins to carbon up? I don't understand.

Do you mean that my headlight bucket wasn't supposed to have studs that attached it to the fender?

I guy that I used to work with ran is bracket racer (drag race car) on ethanol. He said that you just had to re-jet the carb. I suspect that is all you would have to do to the Z. Just change the jets and needles. Z Therapy might know what was required. As to benefits? ethanol burns colder than gas. Not sure about E85, it might not burn any cooler. But the big drawback is fuel mileage! There is a lot less energy per volume in ethanol, so it takes a lot more fuel per mile to drive. (hence the need to increase the size of the jets.) Propane used to be used in fork trucks used indoors because it burns so much cleaner. OSHA tightened the regulations on indoor CO levels, and now everyone uses electric fork trucks. For the same reason there used to be people who would convert exotic sports cars to run on propane to make them pass emission tests. The problem is that propane burns really hot, and you have to dramatically increase the radiator size, and add extra cooling fans to keep the car cool. With the L series engines propensity to warped heads when they overheat that might not be a winning combination.

The car is in Kentucky, and if it was driven in the winter that could account for the rust. I suspect that a lot of "restorations" depend heavily upon Bondo for body repair, and at the first sign of winter road salt, that stuff surrenders immediately. I wouldn't pay what he is asking. If someone does, they are going to be in for some nasty surprises.

Have you checked to make sure the jets in the SUs are actually moving down when the choke lever is in the ON position? It took me about four tries to get that set right when I installed my new carbs from Ztherapy. (But then I had never worked with SUs before...)

Sure... the radar gun reads every car, but how can you be sure that the police will really know which car gave the reading. Twenty years ago I was passing an "arrest me red" Mustang on the interstate in my sky blue Volvo. I was running about 70 in a 55, passing the Mustang on the right when just at the crest of the hill I saw the rollers on top of a police car. I slammed on the brakes, and the Mustang, who was only running about 60 slipped ahead of me as we went through the officer's field of vision. He immediately pulled onto the roadway with his lights and siren on fire, and gave my ticket to the poor fellow in the Mustang. (There is no way that it was for 60 in a 55, they never give out tickets for only 5 over.) So color, and vehicle model CAN play a role in who gets a ticket and who doesn't even with RADAR technology. (By the way, passing on the right is not illegal in Indiana, so the only thing I was guilty of was speeding. Just thought I should clarify that for those of you who live in Ohio.)

That is different. I don't see very many cars driving down the road without a hood, or rear hatch.

Good luck with the rebuild. I took mine apart because it wouldn't start, and found that someone had driven it for a while with a leaking head gasket. It eroded the #6 cylinder head, and the head had to be welded to fill in the erosion. By the way, does the head still have brass seats on the intake valves? Those are expensive to replace as well.

Just a stupid question... My wife and I took the Z for a little Sunday drive this afternoon, and I noticed something unusual. Every time that I ran the car up to 7K RPM in 1st gear and then shifted HARD into 2nd, the rear tires squealed! Is that normal? I have never owned a car that would do that before... I had to do it twice, just to make sure it really happened. Thank goodness I am a safe and sedate 47 years old. I would hate to think what some young person might do with such a vehicle... Now where did I put that RADAR detector... :devious: