Captain Obvious

I'm going to make a few more bars... Just sent out a couple PM's to people who have expressed interest. I'm not liking the sound of the C-clamp thing. I straightened mine in a quality bench vice with wide parallel smooth jaws. Tell you what... I've got some spare original blocks left over from bars I've reconstructed. If you crack yours trying to straighten it, I'd be happy to send you a replacement.

Thanks for the offer to take a good look at the 77 doors for me. Let me tell you what I have right now: a) All the hardware in the door jamb (both fore and aft) is hex headed bolts with a Phillips cross in the center. Captive lock and flat washers. You can use a 10mm wrench or socket, or a Phillips screwdriver. The two fasteners behind the door panel are dome topped Phillips screws (I guess I would call them truss heads) with a large head. They must be turned with a screwdriver only as there are no flats on them to use a wrench or socket. I have no idea if they are stock in that location or not. c) No spacers between the sash and the door I was a lot more afraid of the doors before I started working them too. I don't know what earlier years are like, but my 77 isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Thanks again, and I'll check into the quarter window mounting.

And BTW... Your descriptions of the original harware and it's locations was excellent.

Thanks very much for the help Jim. Yeah, doors are just so much fun... Nothing like cramped working spaces with razor sharp sheet metal burrs on all sides and complicated adjustment procedures that are difficult to do alone! As with most all of my projects, this one started with working on one thing and has since spiraled wildly. First, you pointed out a huge piece of required info that I did not specify :stupid: The car in question is a 77 (with the weatherstrip along the top of the sash). With the model year in mind, let me tell you a little more info about why I asked about spacers between the sash and the door metal... It appears that all of the bolt holes for the sash mounting are oversized to allow for adjustment of the sash. No problem there. Problem is that when I fully tighten the rear bolt at the upper rear corner of the sash (the one hidden by the door panel when done), the sash is drawn in too far towards the center line of the vehicle and doesn't align neatly with the strip on the rear quarter window. The sash actually passes beyond the strip on the rear quarter window. I don't know if the sash is bent, the quarter window is out too far, or if there is supposed to be a spacer between the sash and the door in that spot. Sounds like spacers aren't the answer... Is it possible that my previous owner somehow managed to install the rear quarter windows further out than they used to be? I know he had them out to paint the car, and I suspect he used new aftermarket rubber when he put them back in.

Not sure if I was clear with my post above about the N54's I measured... I'm not talking "runs rich for a stock motor". I'm talking "Billowing black clouds of smoke and probably completely undrivable in any condition." The measurements I got from my pair of NOS aftermarket N54 needles are richer than the SM's. That's why I'm thinking that there's some kind of mistake being made here. I don't know if the N54's I have are made incorrectly, I'm measuring incorrectly, or if there's some other detail that I'm missing. But there's a problem somewhere. I'll double check my numbers as soon as I get a chance, but I'm thinking there's more than that going on. As for the the length being shorter... If that part of the needle is never pulled to the top of the nozzle, then why do you think it would cause a problem?

I'm working on my doors to fix a few issues and while I'm in there, I'm putting in Sportage weatherstripping. Couple of questions: 1) The chrome trim up around the top of the window (Nissan calls it the sash)... What hardware is supposed to be used behind the door panel to hold the sash in place? By that, I mean, is it supposed to be a bolt or a screw, and what does it look like? I'm not sure what I have in there is the right piece of hardware. Not the bolts in the door jambs that are visible while the door panel is in place... I'm talking about the ones that are not visible with the door panel in place. 2) Are there supposed to be any spacer between the sash and the inside sheet metal of the door in the locations discussed above? Again, not the bolts in the door jambs, but the ones behind the door panels. Are there spacers used there, or is it sash directly contacting stamped door metal? 3) Was the original weather stripping continuous, or was there a break in it? And if there was a break, where was it located? I was looking at a junk Z yesterday and it appeared that there was a break in the upper 90 degree corner of the window and the weatherstrip was mitered to 45 degrees to fit that corner. But I have no idea if that was stock or replaced some time in the past. The reason I ask is that the Sportage weatherstripping is a little too long to use as is, and has to be cut to remove some length. I figured I would put the break in the same place the factory did, and along the top somewhere makes the most sense to me from a water ingress standpoint.

I took a look at the numbers I got when I measured my N54 needles, and guess what... The N54's I have are way rich for the Z. I had measured the N54's and recorded the numbers months ago, but I never actually took the time to compare those measurements against the other needles I've had success with. Well I just did, and I can see why they would run very rich. Sorry I didn't look at the numbers before... I could have saved you some aggravation. I don't know if you and I both have manufacturing mistakes from the same aftermarket vendor or what, but at least I can give you a reason for your results. It's not the length that's causing you a problem... It's the girth. Five second check of the M49's indicate the same thing. (No surprise there, right?)

Maybe it's time for me to make another one or two spray bars? Are the tubes on yours OK? Yes, the block is cast, but despite that, I was able to bend mine a little and it did not crack. YMMV. I believe all years up until they switched to the internally oiled cam used the same bar. Problem is I suspect that all of them suffer from the same issues and because of that, I'm not sure that a used bar is really a viable alternative. As for having a machine shop make one for you? Ummm... You probably don't want to know. :tapemouth

Bruce, Do you have a pic of that chart with the N54, or can you please list the station measurements? It would be good to know how close to expected numbers I'm getting with my measurements. :bulb: Maybe Santa will bring me an optical comparator for the shop...

I'm from the opposite camp... Get in the ballpark with a dry measurement, but after that, I've always wet set everything. It's been a while since I had the problems, but IIRC, it went like this: Start with a dry bowl with a clear plastic tube on the outlet nipple bent upward and taped up to the side of the bowl. Put fuel into the inlet until the level stops rising. Check the level against a Sharpie mark on the outside of the bowl. It's a little low. Drain the fuel, take off the bowl cover and bend the tang to allow more fuel. Put it back together and repeat: Still a little low. Bend a little more and repeat: Still a little low. Bend a little more and repeat: Level keeps rising and spurts out the vent nipple. :ogre: Repeat for and hour and finally decide that a little low is "good enough".

Haha! The only way I could even tell they had letters on them at all was with an eye loupe! I'll get to measuring the profile on the M49s as soon as I get a few spare minutes. I don't have any SM's to compare them against, but I've done the N27's and can tell you how they stack up against eachother. BTW - Those N54's were strange birds... It seems they have a flat spot at midrange where there is essentially no taper at all. Almost non-monotonic.

I've had problems getting the bowl level correct as well. After an hour or so with what must have been fifty wet-set attempts... All the things I can do, and that seemingly stupid easy task gave me the fits. Glad to hear it's not just me.

Blue, Are you sure they are N49 and not M49. If they are M49, let me know, and I'll profile them for you. I have some of them, as well as the N54. I profiled the N54's but never got to the M49's... I got sidetracked by EFI stuff. As for the length, don't worry about it. Even with the suction piston all the way up, that last station on the stock needles never sees the light of day. In other words, you should be able to lop that last station off the tip and never know the difference. At least unless you try to run ten turns down on your nozzles or something like that. :laugh: One thing about the dampers in that kit... They look like they have the metal top caps. If you keep backfiring your damper rods up through your plastic caps, the metal ones might last longer.

!!ecin yreV

I would assume that the sensor is pipe thread, and I would assume that the hole in the thermostat housing is as well. Note that I didn't verify this in any way, but that would be my guess. If they are both pipe thread, then you should be able to get brass adapters from one of the big box stores or a plumbing supply house.

Nice. Yeah, I know there's no perfect answer. There will always be issues. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46722

Here's the latest... Just doesn't make sense. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40886&page=3&p=404366#post404366 Still can't tell if it's trolling, or thread padding, or just honest first time on a forum. Maybe there needs to be a new administrative rule put into place like "Your first ten posts will be moderated and must be reviewed and approved by a site moderator before they will be allowed to be included on the forum".

It was probably a crusty goober stuck in the hole. I've seen some really crusty spray bars by now! I think that when the oil starts to leak out of the bar from places you DON'T want it to, the decreased flow in the areas you DO want flow causes the oil to bake and gel. That's something I forgot to mention before... Since the tubes thread into the distribution blocks on the redesign, you can take them out to clean them if necessary. I've threadlocked them in place, but I used the non-permanent grade. Thanks Phred! I appreciate it!

I don't really know either, but my only guess would be that there was simply more room on that side because of all the rocker mechanicals were already there. I never took any measurements, but I bet the cam isn't centered between the two inside walls of the valve cover. About being a rocker oiler... The holes in the original spray bar does not point straight out. They actually point down a tiny bit. Not angled down far enough to hit the rocker, but definitely not parallel to the mounting bolts. No idea why. Blueprint? Heh... Let me refresh my memory tomorrow and see how smudged the back of my napkin is. Actually, the last time I made one of these, it became clear that I might be making more, so I did actually jot down some dimensions instead of just doing it all on the fly. Again.

Thanks. I've had some problems with Felpro in the past as well. Mostly in areas (like head gaskets) where the gasket is in contact with water.

Is your temp sensor for the fan threaded? Maybe you could pull that entire piece of piping off the thermostat housing and simply thread your sensor directly into the housing? Not the right size? Maybe use a brass threaded adapter to change to a different size?

Robert, Your bar sounds just like how mine was. I don't think anyone bumped mine. I'm thinking that it was just thermal expansion and contraction. It's too consistent across owners. Take your bar off when you get a chance and see what the sealing surfaces look like. Haha!! Maybe I've got another one of these things in me? Are your tubes in good shape? Mostly straight and spray holes not messed up? I thought one of the aftermarket vendors offered one? Either MSA or Black Dragon? Do they not offer it anymore?

5thhorsemann, Thanks for the encouragement and input. I've made three of these things to date and each one has been easier than the first, but even even after three of them, there is STILL no way anyone would want to pay what these things really cost. As I'm sure you can tell, it's all labor. A CNC shop could whip the basic parts out at quantity at a reasonable price, but like you said... I'm turning handles! Very old handles. Thanks also for the input on the center mount. That's the one part of my design that I'm still not thrilled with. I've been struggling with a way to improve the design and I'm toying with a few ideas on that center bracket to use on the next one. I had considered making a thicker center mount out of aluminum blocks, but I hadn't thought about extending it farther and cutting a slot for the oil holes closest to the center mount. One of the other non-obvious things that I get with the thin center bracket is that it allows for significant misalignment of the tubes. By that, I mean, I want the distribution blocks to establish the locations of the tubes, and the center bracket is there simply to keep the cantilevered tubes from flopping around in the wind. With that long length between mounting points, I wouldn't want the tubes to be tightly constrained at both ends (axially OR radially). One end or the other. My current thoughts on that center bracket is to leave it stock, and then let the long tubes (the two center ones) float into the distribution blocks on O-rings. The O-rings would seal while still allowing the tubes to move in and out as their lengths changed. The two short tubes would still thread in, but the longer ones would slide. I would have to put sleeves onto the tubes to block the original oil feed hole and clean up the uneven surface, but that would still be easier than turning the threaded couplers. Bummer about the Bridgeport. That hurts.

Robert, I understand completely, and I looked at the original distribution blocks for a good long time trying to decide if I could reuse them. In the end I decided that it would just be better to start fresh. To answer your question... There probably is enough meat on the original blocks to thread them, but my blocks had other issues as well. The rear block itself was bent and that was what was causing my rear tube to slant inwards (like yours). Also the mating surfaces of both blocks where they seat onto the cam tower was gouged, probably from the temperature related squirming. Your blocks might be in better shape than mine, but with all my block's issues in mind, I cut the cord. The new from scratch blocks also allowed me to include larger seating surfaces on both sides... One side onto the tower which keeps the distribution blocks square to the tower, and the other side for the lid which ensures a much better seal than the original one. So, in the end, I think it's possible to thread and re-use the original blocks, but you'd be missing out on some of the improvements. Is it worth the time savings? It wasn't to me.

I never knew they used flush anchors like that. I'll have to take a look at the JY next time I'm there. I'm actually thinking that I'm going to sell the Z32 soon, so I probably shouldn't even consider making changes like that right now! :laugh: