Captain Obvious

All jokes and double entendre aside, I do think that if you really have to pull the parking brake handle up that far to hold the rear wheels, then you're in need of adjustment somewhere.. And thanks for putting up with our childish humor.

Thanks again guys. acarnut, That's the same ebay seller I had turned up, and he's got some stuff that would be good enough. I'll hold out a little longer looking for something better, but that's exactly what I was going to do if something better didn't turn up. (He's got dog point in the length I need, but I'd just end up cutting the dog point off) And Blue, I had previously said that clipsandfasteners didn't have the bolts with both lock and flat washers, but the link from Amazon clearly has a bunch of them. So they're on Amazon, but I couldn't find them on clipsandfasteners.com. Can you figure out where the dual captive washer SEMS are on the clipsandfasteners website? They obviously DO have them!

Thanks for the help guys! Unfortunatelty clipsandfasteners and Fastenal only seem to have bolts with a captive flat washer (no lock) and I'm looking for something with both lock and flat. Mike W, Thanks for the additional source ideas. I didn't get the chance to dig into them yet, but hopefully something will pan out. And if you have a list of what you've purchased in the past... I'm looking for (this time) M6 x 1.00 x 25mm long with both lock and flat washers captive. Of course, too long is fine as I can just cut them off shorter, but it would be nice to find a source where I could buy ten of them or similar parts for other projects.

Haha!! Exactly! And performance like that only comes from the improved later version of the parking brake handle with the extra notch for more stamina and improved holding power. There's some parking brake trivia for ya! I can tell you from experience that once you've grabbed ahold and yanked one of the newer ones up and down a couple times, you'll prefer it to an older one. PS - Did you use catalyzed polyurethane?

Anybody got a generic source for the ubiquitous "yellow" hardware that is used so extensively on the Japanese autos? Traditional hardware is easy to find, but I'm looking for some of the stuff that has captive washers and I'm not finding sources that sell small quantities. There are some sources that mention "SEMS" (as in pre-assembled?) as a catch name for the hardware with the captive washers, but that name isn't consistently applied. I'm looking for a source that lists by size, pitch, and length. Not by application. Something like M8 x 1.25 x 25mm long with captive lock and flat washers. Not "seat hold down bolts for a 98 Subaru". I found some stuff on ebay, but there's got to be better selections out there. Anyone got a source that they like?

I believe the technical term for that amount of angular displacement is "Schwing!" I've also heard the term "boiiinngngng", but I don't hear that measurement unit as much anymore and I think it has gone out of fashion like furlongs and fortnights.

The years hadn't softened Moroni. He continued to murder the English Language... And anyone who got in his way.

Yeah, that sounds like the same boat I'm in. The motor currently in my Z works fine but it needs some attention. I figure that attention would be better spent on a later ZX motor. Zed Head, When I first got the ZX, I was thinking I would strip down both motors and redress the 83 as my 77. But the more I think about it, the more I've been leaning towards porting it over verbatim with the whole newer FI system for all the reasons you mentioned.

Why a ZX motor? Because "they" say that the later ZX motors are a little better than the previous years. Basically, I turned up a running ZX motor that has the P79 head with the F54 block and the flat top pistons. A combo which is desirable. I figured that if I was going to be swapping motors, I may as well try to find one of those. So about a year ago I bought an 83 280ZX for the motor and it's been sitting in the driveway since. I haven't yet had the proper opportunity yet to move the motor over to my 77. It's on the list for this off season. So at this point, the short answer is... Because that's what I have?

I'm thinking it's more than just the threads. It looks like a previous owner seized and spun the outboard wheel bearing race.

Nice. I wish I had an uncracked dash. I'm pretty sure that the mechanical bulk of the dash is shared from 74 to 78, but I wouldn't be so sure about the wiring. I haven't looked into it, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were some minor wiring changes between some of the years. I would at least take a good look at the connectors and make sure the same locations are populated with the same color wires on all of the connectors. 76 to 77 sounds pretty innocent though... I would be more concerned between anything with an ammeter vs voltmeter or a 78 to anything prior because of the fuel pump changes. All else fails or if you do discover any differences, just strip the wiring harness out of your 76 and move it over to the 77.

Fiero!

Haha!! Excellent! I love the waft of smoke that comes up from behind after your burnout,

Yeah, I know. I've been meaning to take a look at it, but the real way I planned to fix it was to drop in a 280ZX motor instead. I keep putting it off because (in theory) the motor that's in my car currently won't be there for very much longer. In theory...

Thanks for the input. I put the "correct" non-projected plugs in my 280 (because that's the kind of guy I am) and I've just always wondered if I'm leaving any performance on the table by not running the projected tips like most of the other years. My car does not run lean and I'm in no danger of overheating my plugs. In fact, I think it could stand to run a little leaner. Something that I've been meaning to look into for a while but hasn't bubbled to the top of the priority list.

So all indications are that the projected tip plugs are better than the non-projected... Was there any indication as to why they ever went away from the projected tips in the first place? I'm still looking for the downside to the projected tips that made Datsun move away from them for a bunch of years.

There was some discussion about projected vs non-projected tipped plugs in the past, including this thread: http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/44600-spark-plugs-projected-tips-vs-standard/ And there is continued speculation as to why, in 75, they went away from the projected tip in the first place only to go back to them in 1980. Is there any info about that in the TSB? Have you got a copy?

Just remember that I'm no automotive expert. I'm just a guy with an opinion, and we all have one of those. And funny what John said about the C5 being light years ahead of the C4 as a street car... I was going to say the same thing about the C4 when compared to the C3! 280ZX 300ZX (Z31 or Z32) Mercedes Porsche Corvette C4 Del Sol Fiero What else...?

Hmmm.... Well I feel like I'm the wet blanket with all your ideas, but I've spent some seat time in many of the corvette generations including the C4 and I'm not sold on the idea. In fact, I spent a couple hours driving a '94 C4 and then jumped right from there into the seat of my '94 300ZX and it was like night and day. The cars were both ten years old at the time and both cars had been stored indoors, babied by their owners, and had similar mileage, but the difference in how they aged was astounding. Here's my most basic impression of the Corvette... It's a GM car. The ten year old Vette was creaky, squeaky, and rattly. The dashboard shook up and down over bumps. The ride was jarring and a little squirrely. Felt like the rear end just couldn't figure out where it wanted to be, especially when accelerating. Almost like the differential was shifting back and forth from one side to the other even while in a straight line. Interior colors had started to fade and craze cracking had started to appear at the stress points. Steering wheel had started to get mushy. You know... Like any other GM car. My 300ZX on the other hand, drove like your typical ten year old Japanese import. Fit and finish was still excellent. Interior was excellent. Ride had gone a little soft because the suspension was used, but it was predictable. It felt absolutely fantastic compared to Vette. No squeaks or rattles. It didn't feel NEW, but it felt RIGHT. So my bottom line is that while the Vette looks great and feels great when new, in the end it's just another GM vehicle with all the same crap that happens to any other GM vehicle. Interior foams turn to goo. interior panels squeak, suspension feels a little unpredictable, and the only reason it ever goes fast is because it's got a huge engine. Take a good look at your Saturn. Has it started to fade yet? And lastly if it isn't already bad. I've heard from some close friends who are Corvette owners that the Vette community is catty and snobbish. There is more competition than camaraderie and the people just aren't "nice". You know... Like we are. Boy do I feel like doggy downer...

Wow. Some engineer ought to get his butt kicked for that one.

I had a 1994 300ZX which is what I believe you are calling the second generation. So if you mean the 90-96 variety, then you saw what I was talking about with the engine compartment. It's packed. And mine wasn't even a TT (Twin Turbo). Sure is pretty though. Here's the short period where I had both of them at the same time: I know it's just a Civic with a different body on it, but how about a Del Sol? I walked past one in a parking lot this afternoon and I gotta imagine that driving around on a beautiful sunny fall day with the targa top out might jussssst be enough to make you forget that you're driving a Civic? Maybe?

Because it's cheaper, and you can do it yourself in a matter of minutes without any special equipment. Think of it as a prototyping / tuning exercise. Solder the jets closed, drill them out smaller than you think you'll need, and then work your way up from there by drilling them out larger, a little bit at a time, until you get the performance you desire. Then once you've got that size nailed down, buy (or make) real jets that are of the size you found works best. I suspect motorcycle, "jet kits" are much more common than on cars, and certainly cheaper. Or you could spent thousands of $$ on machining equipment and then spend a multitude hours of unpaid labor making your own....

I think that when you're making "upgrades" you should start with the largest contributors to performance and work down the priority list from there. The problem is that things like cold air intakes are almost always starting from the wrong end of the spectrum. Pulling warm engine compartment air is not a significant detriment to your Z cars performance. Neither is the pressure drop across your paper air filter. Not until you've spent lots of money on your engine first. After you've done a bunch of engine and carb upgrades, THEN maybe you might want to turn your attention to something like a cold air intake. But with a stock or mostly stock engine? Nothing to be gained. How much time do you spend at WOT anyway...???

I'm no brake expert, but I believe your impression is correct. The only significant difference between the earlier and later 240 wheel cylinders is the location of the brake hardline where it connects to the cylinder. However, I'll offer up one additional option... In 77 they changed from the single piston floating cylinder design (70-76) to a much more reliable dual piston fixed cylinder design (77-787). And by swapping the brake backing plates and E-brake hardware inside the drums, you can upgrade to the later design and use the 77-78 cylinders. What's the downside? (There's always a downside...) You have to pull the stub axles to get the backing plate off. So if you're doing wheel bearings or something and have the backing plate off anyway, it's a convenient time to upgrade to the newer design.

Goose Chase!!! Just kidding of course and I do hope you find the right vehicle. Have you come up with any other alternatives other than a 280ZX or a 300ZX? I've highlighted some of my perceived issues with the 300ZX prior, but one thing I can tell you is that it would probably be easier to find a 300 in much better shape than a 280. Just beware of the ricermobiles. Walk away from anything with painted interior parts, fiberglass aftermarket body kits, or anything that mentions "neon" in any context. But surely there must be some other sporty T-top cars that are of interest?