Mark Maras

When you're finished with the electrical, adjust the valves & go through the basic carb cleaning, testing & tuning procedures. If you're not experienced with SUs, don't be afraid of them. They are the simplest carb I've ever worked on & you'll love the feeling of accomplishment when you're done. A quick compression test will set your mind at ease if you think it could be internal problems. Don't get discouraged, we all started out this way, these are learning experiences. Mark in Portland.

I must admit, I got a little excited when I heard the name Weber, In truth, I love SUs. I've never seen any other carb or carbs that will run trouble free for decades. At least, that was my experiece with them. Anyone interested in the Weber DGVs? Mark in Portland

Years ago my fan clutch locked up on my 71. It sounded like an airplane prop and robbed the engine of a lot of horsepower. My solution at that time was a flex fan. I drove the car for close to twenty years with it on and had no issues with it. Not original but a good solution. I likely still have the original steel fan if anyone is interested. Also, I'm going to be dissasembling my early 71 if anyone needs parts. Dan is using my old ashtray in his project. Glad to see it going to a good home. Mark in Portland

I just recieved my new round top repair kits from ZTherapy. Thanks Pam, Bruce & Steve. After trying the standard jet adusting methods a few times, the piston would drop until that 1/32" from the bottom. I tried adjusting it dozens of times to free it up. The last turn of the wrench would always cause it to stick. I doubt that this is new but I haven't seen it in any forums. Everyone let me know why I shouldn't do this if it works so well. Method: Needle-set to height Install the spring and round top with damper rod removed Loosen the jet adjuster nut Install the jet Using the choke lever, not the linkage, carefully check the alignment of the choke linkage to the jet. Adjust if needed. Then install linkage. While lifting and dropping the piston repeatedly, slowly tighten the jet nut until the piston slows or stops. Loosen the nut a little and using a non invasive item such as a wooden spoon handle put it down the oil reservoir hole and rock the piston back and forth all directions. Tighten the nut a little and check piston drop. I got mine centered on the first try. Mark in Portland

Welcome Gearman50 As you will soon find out this is the best place to discuss all things Z. Please don't leave us in suspense, tell what you have and your plans for your Z. Mark in Portland

There must be some truth in that statement. I've never seen a Z with downdrafts, but I still have a set and I'm curious if anyone has used downdrafts and would like to hear their opinion. Performance is my main question. They may not be as good as sidedrafts but does anyone know for sure? Mark in Portland

Among the goodies that came with a 74 260 that I recently purchased are 2 down-draft carbs, air filters, twin manifolds and linkage. The carbs say Solex on the side but a reliable source says they are Weber DGVs. As you can tell, I know little about them. I hope some of you out there are willing to educate me. I'd like any info and opinions. I was told that one of them needs a power valve diaphram otherwise they both appear to be in good clean condition. Mark in Portland

Makes perfect sense. I got my kits from Z Therapy this weekend. When I compared needles, the factory early 71 needles were the long ones.[1/8"] The new needles[sM] from Z.T. were the same length as the ones I'm replacing. I'm betting that the old ones came from Z.T. too. The car lived 1 hour south of Salem. Anyway, it's time to learn how to get the nozzles centered so that I can hear this engine run.

Cables- Generic lawn mower cables will work just fine. If you don't like the looks of the spiral wound sheath use the outer sheath from a bicycle brake cable with the inner throttle cable from the lawn mower. The bicycle inner cable is wound and does not push and pull. Mark in Portland

Welcome to Z addiction central, Jay You've found the best club to ask about anything Z and recieve answers. Should you need parts I have an early 71 parts car that I'm about to start stripping of anything useable. Mark in Portland

Welcome Joe Solex-I'd liketo hear about your experience with the twin Solexes. I recently bought a project L26 that came with a set of them. When I showed them to Steve at Z Therapy he said they were DGV Webers. Steve, being an SU fan and dealer, didn't have many kind words to share about them. I'm going to put the L26 on the road with SUs, but since I have the DGVs, I'd like to hear anyone's impression of these that has experience with them. Mark in Portland

Talked to Bruce @ Z Therapy today. I decided to get kits from him. As he said " If you're getting new needles in the kits the old needle length doesn't matter anyway." I'm looking forward to viewing the SU DVD that comes with the kits. I drove my first Z for 22 years and fell in love with SUs. They were the most trouble free carbs I've ever seen. Keep-em clean and check the tuning when you get bored and want to hang out with the other love of your life. Mark in Portland

My early 71 carb needles are about an eighth of an inch longer than the needles that came in the round tops in my 260. Sorry, I don't the age of the short needle carbs. Mark in Portland, O

I'm cleaning up two round top carbs that came on a 2.8 engine in a 260 project car. Obviously they are not original to either. One carb has a damaged top, I took an original top and piston from a early 71 carb. Upon comparing the jet needle length I found the early 71 jet was about an eighth of an inch longer than the one that came off the car. Both needles are installed to the proper height. Were there different lenghth needles from the factory or am I dealing with a replacement? If it is a replacement what advantage do the short needles provide? Mark in Portland

Thanks I tried the Z store, so far haven't been able to reach them on website or E-Mail. Will keep trying. Mark

Does anyone out there know where to buy the rear sill replacement panel for a 240-260? Mine is beyond repair and needs to be replaced. Mark in Portland, Or.

That sounds like another excellent place to check. As I'm cleaning it, haven't started yet, I'm going to inspect all surfaces of the water jacket in the head and block. If I should find anything suspect, does anyone out there have any ideas or experience with testing methods to confirm damage or is this going to be obvious?

Thanks Guys I'll check the thermostat housing. I've considered condensation. I don't know much about the history of the engine, When I pulled the pan the oil was an emulsion with some separate water. The engine appears to only have 92,000 miles on it. Not even a ridge in the top of the cylinders. After checking everything I can, I'm going to pull the 75 engine out and reinstall the original 74 engine. I'm open to any and all suggestions on this project. Keep em coming. Thanks Mark

Thanks I'll do that. Any other places to check? Mark

My experience with my 71 was interesting. BP6ES always worked fine over decades. When I changed spark plug wires to copper I had massive radio static which I eliminated with Volkswagen Beetle spark plug boots, They screw into the wire and have a resister in them. This eliminated the static and I never had a problem with them and they didn't effect the performance in any way. Good Luck Mark

Thanks For the info. The 71 Z is complete. What are the advantages in using the head and cam from the 71? The 74 engine does have notched cylinders. Am I to assume the head gasket is the only place that will leak water into the oil with the possible exception of a cracked block? Mark

Water in the oil! I have an engine out of a 74-260 Z that reportedly has a blown head gasket with water in the oil. After pulling the pan and head, the inside looks pristine. The engine has 92,00 original miles on it. The oil doesn't have much water in it. The color is dark grayish brown and very opaque. Evidently the engine was not run very long with the emulsion of oil and water. My question is if the head gasket is not leaking, where did the water come from? The only place in the head gasket that looked bad was up front where it overlaps the front cover. This is the original engine out of the 260 & I'd like to use it. I'd appreciate any and all ideas that you may have. I will be pulling the 75 engine out, that came in the car, and will probably sell it to finance more restoration. I also have a complete 71 Z with a very rusted out body but full of very usable parts if any one is interested. location is Portland, Oregon. Thanks Mark

I have a complete 71 parts car and a 74 260 that I'm currently restoring. at this point in time I don't think I will be using the 260 emblems since the car will be a combination of 71 and 74 parts. I will probably replace the 260 emblems with Fairlady Z emblems that Santa brought for Christmas. I will take a look at the 260 emblems when I get home & let you know the condition of them if you're interested. Thanks Mark mmaras@scsfence.com

Santa brought an engine hoist, engine stand, Fairlady Z emblems. and a new Datsun cap. Now the next labor of love begins. Mark Maras