texasz

Victor, As I mentioned much of the history of what's going on is located in another thread which I provided a link to above. However, to help a bit here's some of the info. No points, it has an electronic ignition. Appears to be in good condition. Timing was set. Plug wires are pretty new and in good condition. New plugs were gapped yesterday just before installation. I have not done this nor do I know how. Fuel filter is new. Could not find the window to see what the float level was. As stated above, this was one thing I did yesterday. As stated above, this was one thing I did yesterday. I hope this helps a bit.

Updates moved into the Carb forum in this thread.

Well I finally had a bit of time to play with my carbs yesterday. As some of you may know from a previous post, Running Like A Dog Today, I was having some problems with the way the car was running. Bottom like is that it was running very rich. The plugs had about 3 hours of running time on them and were carbon fouled like you wouldn't believe (black, black, black). I got new plugs and printed out the instructions from zhome.com on how to tune your SUs and took three of my repair manuals out to embark on trying to fix the problem. Now I know that I did not really fix much but was fairly pleased with my results considering that this was my first run at messing with carbs. The car used to backfire ALL the time. I got that resolved (mostly). I do not think that I have the mixture right nor do I think that I have the carbs balanced. However, I did find that the knarled nut with the ball on it under the carb was only turned 1/2 turn down from the carb!! From what I have read it should have been 1.5 to 2.5 turns down as a starting point to tune them. I turned it down more and the backfiring stopped! The only time it backfired after this was when I pressed on the gas then started it. It seems as though the plugs are stilling fouling up but I think that I'm getting closer. I too the car out for a drive and it really seemed to drive, accelerate, and idle better now that it was getting more gas. However, it is still running rich I think. I really need to find a color tune to help me with this. Anyone know where I can find one? Also, I bought the Syncrometer from MSA instead of the Syncrotester and am not sure that this was a wise move. All of the documentation references the Syncrotester and where the floating ball should be but there is nothing to tell me how to use the Syncrometer. Should I write off the Syncrometer and just buy the Syncrotester or can someone help me to figure out how to use the Syncrometer? As an additional request, if there is anyone in the Austin area willing to help me learn how to tune my carbs I would really appreciate it.

First off welcome to the group. There's a wealth of information here and everyone is very willing to share it with you if only you ask. 1. You can read up on zhome.com about the cars history, production info and stats. 2. Definately look for rust! Look at the floorpans, under the battery tray, the rockers, the rear deck above the taillights where the hatch closes, frame rails, etc. You could probably find someone local to do your carb work but there is also a place in CA that has a good reputation for these carbs; it's ZTheropy and they have a website, ztheropy.com. 3. Can't help on this one, I'm in TX. 4. A/C was available as a dealer option as I recall so adding it I do not think would hurt the value (someone else here may have better info on that). However, if you want to buy the system you can get it from MSA (MotorSport) www.zcarparts.com or from Courtesy Nissan in Dallas TX, they have a website too. Either place I think it will cost you about $600-650. For more sites check out the links section here.

gav, Where did you find that model of the police Z? That's really cool. I wonder if they are available any where...

I'm completely new to the internal workings of an engine. How would I know if it has been milled down too far?

That's the kind of aswer I wanted to hear. And pretty much what I expected but had to make sure. I may have to build on this thread after I get the head.

I will soon be getting a head that was rebuilt a couple years ago and has never been used or installed on a block. Are there any special considerations that I should be aware of before trying to bolt it on and use it?

I installed an alarm in an early '80s Honda Accord hatchback around 1989 or so and it was a MAJOR PITA!! It took 8 hours over two days to do and this was a basic system, no power window or lock actuators, no starter kill; just door, hatch, and hood trigger switches and a vibration sensor. I'm not sure if I will ever do that again, every car since I have just paid the guys at Custom Sounds to do it...and it gets done the right way. Just my experience. Now granted this was when I was new to cars and audio (and the like) equipment. It would probably go quicker now that I know more.

Here's a sway bar I found for sale and need to know if it will fit the REAR of my early 240Z (8/70 production date). Also if you can give an idea how much it should cost would be great.

Ernie, any luck with getting those breaks unstuck?

Charlie over at Zed Findings will sell the floorpans as a pair or seperately. Shipping was no different for me if I bought one or both so if you think that you may need both it will be cheaper in the long run to get them at the same time.

It was I who had started a thread here about how bad zcar.com was. And I feel for this guy on the other site. He really should come over here and get help instead of insulted. bambi...I don't think of you like that, you are one of the ones that always seems to have some helpfull advice. I know that you've helped me in the past. Thank you by the way! And thank you to everyone here who is so willing to help others out.

Just a note on having a glass company put in used glass... I had this done on a Blazer I owned years ago. I went and found a windshield in a junk yard for $75 and the install price was $50 totalling WAY less than a new windshield. HOWEVER, the glass company would not take any responsibility should the old used glass break upon re-installation. So basically, if they would have broken it I would have had to go get another one. Fortunately there were no problems but the lesson here is that while they do know what they are doing and typically do things the right way they probably will not ensure that the used glass will not break and will take no responsibility if it does.

Hmmmm....Mine does not have this and it was made 8/70 which is titled as a '71. Was this not a goodie that was on the US market cars?

Correct Jeff, there is no tranny and the started in in a box under the engine which is attached to the engine stand via the trans bolts.

biker, I forgot to mention that someone along the way has converted this car to elctronic ignition so there are no points. GTZZZ, is the video really that helpful? I guess maybe I should buy a copy of it.

Ok, so if you read the original post you know what the car is/is not doing. 1 - I pulled the plugs and they were ALL black as could be. Looked this up and the car is running rich. This was supportive of the fact that the car is backfiring like crazy. Damn, these plugs are less than two weeks old. I wiped them down and put them back in. 2 - I pulled the air cleaner and while the car was running sprayed each carb with carb & choke cleaner. Oddly enough when I sprayed the front carb the car would bog down as expected but when I sprayed the rear carb it would not bog down no matter how much I sprayed in there. I put my hand in front of the rear carb and it was pulling air. 3 - Using a scynrometer I tested both carbs and the meter shot up to 30 (the highest reading). This is one of those nifty meters that MSA sells to balance and tune your carbs. Now I do not know what a reading of 30 means nor how to adjust them to be where they should be. 4 - While the car was running I turned the adjusting screws on both carbs counterclockwise a couple turns and this did not seem to make any difference. I turned the adjusting screw on both carbs all the way clockwise then counterclockwise 1.5 turns. This seemed to make no difference either. ??? I'm lost!! Now what??? :disappoin

The engine is on a stand in my garage. How would you do the compressino test?

Fuel filter is less than a month old and still looks brand new. A couple guys I work with and I just took a break and walked out to see the car (one had not seen it yet) and they both agreed that the problem has to do with the fuel system in some way. Suggestions were to spray carb & choke cleaner into the carbs to try and clean them up a bit. Another thought was maybe about a vaccume leak somewhere (but I have no clue how to check for this). At lunch I checked for moisture on all the plug and coil wires and everyting looked dry. It's in the mid to upper 90's today and the car was parked out in the sun so it has heated up nicely so anything that may have been damp should be dry by now. Yet it still runs like crap.

Is it obvious which has been done to look at the valves? I'm working a deal to get a head that has been rebuilt and never used and I'd be curious to know what was done to it. What should I expect to have to pay for the 3 angle job?

Hmmm.... Sounds like a good thing to have done. How much difference does this make? I'm just wonding aoubt the cost for benefit to see if it's really worth doing.

I will be starting to rebuild my new engine and need some info. First off let me say that it is an F54 block and I'm working on getting an N42 head from someone (deal is pending), and will be running carbs on an N36 intake; car already has a header on it. The PO of the engine said that the car had been sitting for a couple years before he bought it. He said he drove it home and then pulled the engine to do a V8 swap. I will be pulling the FI and head and replacing both with different pieces as stated above. What should I do to the engine during the rebuild? New rings? New pistons? Take the block to a machine shop? If so what should I have them do? What gaskets should I use? Do the freeze plugs need to be replaced? Tell me EVERYTHNIG! Basically I do not want to have to pull the engine out once it's done and I want it done right...but I am on a budget like most of us are. Car use will be for weekend pleasure and autox if this helps any.

What the heck is this!? How is this different than just having a valve job done?

I drove my Z to work today and man was it running like crap! It was sputtering and backfiring (from the exhaust) on acceleration like crazy, not even hard acceleration just average. If I pull the choke up then it drove better...killed any power I have though and made passing tougher. However, I would have to push the choke all the way down when I came to a stop otherwise the car would stall. I drove it a 1 1/2 weeks ago and it was running fairly well all things considered. Now today the temp was 5-10 degrees less and the humidity was higher as it has been raining here on and off for the past several days. I did have it running on the 4th showing it to a few friends but did not drive it anywhere. Any ideas or help would be great!! I'm at a loss as to what's going on.