Captain Obvious

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:

Where did you get your replacement gaskets? Did you buy a whole set, or just the upper? I'm thinking that I'm going to have to be doing this soon...

Gotcha. Thanks for the guidance. My (buddies) pull is coming up sometime soon. Maybe within a week. I'm thinking that this thread and some others I've seen recently has saved us at least an hour of sweating and swearing. All the while with the engine and tranny dangling from the hoist!! :bulb:

So you're saying that if you're planning to pull the engine and tranny out as a unit, you should have the whole car at least 15" off the ground? Is that so the tranny tail doesn't hit the ground when you tip the water pump end up?

Seems there's been a rash of this in the past month... Haha! Maybe it's the same guy and he's just messin' with us?

I was under the impression that the old radiators would rot out right there in the car. You didn't have to take them anywhere special for that to happen. (nyuck nyuck)

And, as stupid as a question as it is (seeing as it's a new cap and all) I just have to ask. Are you sure that the rubber seal that's supposed to seal the cap against the filler hole is in good shape and is contacting in the correct location? I know, I know...

Haha! Gotcha! The negative pressure relief will certainly do that if the seal is dead. Good call! I recently had a friend that didn't believe there was any sort of vent in the cap at all. Didn't believe me until I showed him. I think Datsun did a neat job of incorporating that feature into the cap.

I'll admit that it's been a long while since I really looked at the straps on my S30, but I remember the ability to very quickly completely uncouple the strap from the car. If (failing) memory serves, I would loosen up the strap up a little (just enough to lift the stuff in the rear) and then use that detachable mounting plate you mentioned to release the strap from the car. I loved that feature.

I've got a Z32 as well, and one of the things that I've always disliked on that car is the ability to pop the stap off at once without having to mess with the tightening buckle. I don't know if you use that feature on your 1G Z, but if it were me I would absolutely do the keyhole mount on the end. Also, just me, but I don't like the sound of cam-lock buckles back there. I very rarely use the cargo straps at all, and the top priority for me would be flat. Strength and ease of tightening is second order. Flat and quick release without having to unwind the whole strap to lift the platform below.

I don't have a 71 FSM loaded, but if the 71 has the same emissions setup as 72, then I don't think there's a pressure relief on the gas cap. When the gas tank pressure goes above 10mmHg, it's supposed to force the flow guide valve open and pass the gas vapors into the crankcase. (EC-14 and EC-15 of the 1972 manual) Maybe your flow guide valve is stuck shut? Maybe the vent line between the tank and the flow guide valve is clogged? Maybe it's simply a split in the rubber filler neck? Does the tank "woosh" out some vapor when you pop the cap after sitting in the sun on a hot day?

Right. That's what I posted that I found in the FSM's as well. But it's not just the 240... The 260Z also had a speaker back by the antenna, as did the first two years of the 280Z. But what I'm talking about are the models that DID have the speaker locations below the quarter windows right behind the seats and have perfs in the trim panels for the speakers. That's what I found on mine. I'm pretty sure that we're both saying the same thing, but you threw me a little when you said that "no speakers were ever offered there". There were most definately speakers offered there... But not until 1977. We're all saying the same thing, right? :classic: