moyest

Beandip, I'm in the "Australian" part of the world, and I think my expectations for horsepower have proved fairly reasonable. 133hp at the wheels has made a HUGE difference from a driver's perspective, and I hope I can squeeze a bit more out by improving the ignition (electronic). Based on all the other comments, I think I can summarise as follows: 151hp is GROSS HP for a standard L24 (nothing more). Kmack's Dyno results of 127hp is probably at the flywheel. My result of 133hp at the rear wheels seems pretty good, but bring on the "160KW" figure!!! That's INSANE! P.S: Kmack, I make that comment because my previous Dyno (standard engine like yours, reconditioned with headers and exhaust) showed nearly 130hp - that figure CAN'T have been at the driving wheels, because now I'm pushing 133hp at the driving wheels (after fairly extensive modifications) and it has made a HUGELY noticeable difference. If you're churning out 127hp at the rear wheels then you're nearly keeping up with my current engine set-up: mild cam, ported & polished head, non-standard headers and exhaust, port-matched TWM manifold, and and triple DCOE45 webers! The L24 sure is a mighty engine! Mine's back at the mechanic though, with torn O-ring / soft-mount on one of the carbies! :sleepy: Back tonight.

I have to agree with the comments on Dyno variation. When I bought my stock standard L24 powered 240Z with 2.5" exhaust, the Dyno sheet showed 131 horsepower. Now, that CAN'T have been at the rear wheels, so I assume it was at the flywheel. But the L24 in this part of the world is rated at 151hp at the engine! Anyway, I went ahead and did porting/polishing, re-profiled cam, and triple weber carbs on TWM manifold (port-matched) with better spark plugs. Result was 133hp at the rear wheels, a nice curve on the Dyno chart, and I can really feel the difference on the road! That makes me think the original 131hp figure must have been at the engine (which makes the 151hp rating a bit of a mystery!?). So there you have it. :classic: But perhaps any of you boys can recommend how to get more out of my engine set-up? e.g. electronic ignition (would that require re-tuning the carbs again, and more tinkering, or is it just a straight "swap-n-drive" scenario?) MoyesT

Wish I had one of those, MariaAZ! My car used to backfire very occasionally with its standard SU carbs and a 2.5" exhaust. Now I'm running triple webers, it pops and burbles all over the place! Sounds good though. Until one of the carbs started to run too rich, then it was even backfiring (very loudly) immediately after flooring the accelerator! Yikes! Scares the natives. If you have an anti-backfiring valve I'd keep it on, if it doesn't harm your performance. You want your engine to sound like it's running sweetly, not backfiring on 3 cylindes! That's just my 2c

Pardon my flagrant self-promotion, but... Z's are obviously much cheaper "down under", here in Australia. I purchased my 1972 Z from the guy who restored it. It is "refreshed", not "restored". It was originally poo brown, and was automatic. Apart from the paint change to metallic red and the gearbox change to manual, the car is all original bits. I purchased the car for the cost of restoration - i.e. not including the original purchase price of the car. Not bad for AUS$10,500 (that's about US$8,100). And every time the car is up on the hoist, people admire the excellent condition underneath! The restorer obviously spent quite a bit of time under there! Of course, I've spent more dough since then, but only to "customise" it to my liking (e.g. suspension set-up, leather interior, and triple carbs).

From what I can tell, this is an age-old problem for Z cars due to the aerodynamics at the rear end... MY CAR STINKS! I have the smell of fuel and/or exhaust fumes, and it's nauseating :sick: I've heard different things about how to fix the problem: 1. longer exhaust tip; 2. seal up all the little holes in the rear floor; 3. check the fuel filler hose that runs to the tank; 4. keep the windows closed and the fan on full. Well that sounds like a lot of work! :stupid: (except for option 4) Can anybody honestly report that they've done any of the above and completely eliminated (or at least noticeably lessened) the smells? Or perhaps you'd like to have a crack at ordering the above "ideas" with the most likely first? Then I'll gradually attack each one and hope for the best (and continue with option 4 in the meantime). Cheers!

Hey Alfadog and Gee, It'd be great to have a couple more 240Z's on the Gold Coast. I'm sure you guys have checked out the Southport car park on the Broadwater. It's "Cruier's Paradise" every Friday/Saturday night, but I've never found a place to park there cos there are no other Z's! The last thing I want to do is park next to the V8 boys or the riced up MR2's! See ya 'round!

THanks for the comprehensive reply. I was a bit confused by my DYNO results, and by YOURS ozlime240Z. My print-out suggests I have something like 523NM of torque! And yours suggests 581NM! That seems WAY too high, considering that a 7.0 litre Dodge Viper V10 has about 500-odd?? Can that be correct??

Hi guys I've posted a couple of threads on my new triple Weber carb set-up, but here's a story from my weekend's driving: I went out cruising with a buddy on the Gold Coast. If you don't know the Gold Coast, it's the Australian version of Florida / Miami. And there's a HUGE cruising culture. Anyway, I was en-route to one of the local congregation points, and this Nissan 180SX (that's a 240SX in USA I believe?) started chasing me down, along with his buddy in a 300Z. The 180SX had the complete modern overhaul - big spoiler on the boot, huge shiny wheels, rubber-band tyres, turbo modifications and a noisy blow-off valve.... oh, and a tailpipe so huge I could drive my car up it! The 300Z was more "relaxed", but still seemed a bit more than "factory" specs. The 180SX pulled up next to me at the lights, and I knew it was on. The light went green and he got a massive jump on me (his reactions were obviously also turbo-charged), and I prefer to "eeeeease" it in first gear. But even still, I was on to him by the top of first gear, and at the end of second gear I was already out ahead!! The 300Z was somewhere tucked in behind the 180SX, flashing his lights and swerving about, but nevertheless dropping further behind. He never bothered taking me on! I backed off at the top of third gear (which is already over 100kph) and he came gushing and whooshing and popping past me from a distance of about two car lengths - a convincing win on my part! So I think I'll leave it at that. No more drags for a while - I've proved my point. (And I don't want to lose to the next challenger!!!)

Well, after a weekend of burning up the streets with the new triple Weber set-up, I am happy to say the fuel efficiency is not too bad! Sure, if you drive the car with a lead foot you'll go through a tank of gas in no time, but just cruising the highway at legal speeds seemed fine. I hate to mix metric with imperial, but I travelled about 220kms at 65mph over two days. I couldn't help knocking it down into third gear and stomping on it a few times and still the fuel consumption was good. I went through appox. 1 full tank of gas after travelling about 315kms. I've got NO IDEA what that equates to in miles per gallon, but I know it's not much worse than when I was running a standard set-up. SUMMARY: WHO THE HELL CARES!?!?!?! It's a sports car, man! Built to be driven! If you're really that worried about getting good gas mileage, buy one of those Toyota hybrid petrol-electric contraptions that does 1,000kms on the smell of an oily rag!

Can't believe it, but some arse-wipe ran his key right down the passenger side of my 240z!!! Then he went to the trouble of wandering around the other side, and scratching the front side panel too! It happened a week ago, but I'm still really p!ssed off. :devious: Fortunately, my insurance company specialises in classic cars, and allows me to choose my own repairer. Not sure how much will buff/polish out, because I've already had a crack at it with my cut-n-polish. I'm thinking it'll need to be repainted (at least on those particular panels - all FOUR of them!). Does anyone have any tips or tricks? Words of condolence will also be appreciated. Thanks! Z Car Nut (aka MOYEST)

That sure looks good! I wonder if there's much HP/torque difference between the set-ups? For example, I think that the length of air horn can make a subtle difference, and webers certainly have longer air horns (mine's bigger than yours, hehehe... ) Good luck Zvoiture!

TRS, I agree - if there's a guy in Aussie selling a Z set-up, take it! My quoted cost of AU$1,300 was just for the fitting and tuning!!! Because of all of the fiddling around (see my thread in the "Carburettors" section). It was nuts, but I'm happy anyway. I purchased my carbs from USA. Basically, some dude had bought them for his 240Z, then decided to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring instead. So he was flogging BRAND NEW never-been-installed Webers and TWM manifold (and linkage kit) at secondhand prices. What luck! I paid $1,300 for the entire package (including US$180 shipping). Now THAT'S saving some money! Usually they're about AU$650 to $700 per carb, so that's $2,000+ right there! Money spent from "go" to "woah" = AU$2,600. Now, for that sort of money you could probably have an entire L28 block rebuilt to whatever high-performance standards you want! (OK, maybe not, but close!) Cheers Z Car Nut

I wish I had a photo, but it's too soon - I only got my car back from the mechanic last night... Brand new TRIPLE WEBERS on a TWM manifold, fitted and tuned~ Here's some info. for the punters out there considering a triple carb set-up (especially Webers), because I never found a "comprehensive" thread on the website that gives enough info about the topic. So here goes: RESEARCH: The cost of Weber carbs varies greatly between different suppliers, wholesale and retail. I don't want to give any wholesalers or retailers a free "plug" here, especially because I didn't purchase through any. But I did do the research before I bought mine privately, and the price varies about US$200-$350 just for the carbs and manifold (and that's comparing the same brand manifold, because you can't compare a TWM manifold to a Cannon manifold, for example). DCOE45's: I've seen a few threads about which size carb to use in the triple set-up. The conclusion in most of those threads seems to be to go for DCOE40's. That's probably correct if you are running a stock standard engine (L24 block), but I'm not. My L24 has a ported/polished head and a re-profiled cam (although still fairly "mild" and streetable), also with a sports exhaust. On my set-up the DCOE45's worked a treat! CARB SPECS: When you buy your carbs, try to get a set that have been set up correctly for your engine. When sellers tell you that you'll only need to "re-jet" them, they're lying!!! There's jets, chokes, venturies, emulsion tubes... The jets are probably the cheaper items to replace and play with, but venturies and emulsion tubes can be very expensive to have to replace! Just remember, you need SIX OF EVERYTHING on the twin-choke triple carb set-ups. LUCKILY, I bought my carbs off a friendly chap in sunny Florida who had bought the right set-up. So close in fact that I only had to get different jets to have it running properly. DYNO-TUNING: This is a must. You've got to get it right the first time, otherwise you'll have some expensive engine hardware that doesn't add to performance at all. The extra fee for time spent on the Dyno is minimal, compared to the cost of having to have them constantly re-tuned if you get it wrong. :mad: MECHANICS: Obviously they have to have a Dyno! But it also helps if they've set up a Z before. Again, by sheer LUCK I used mechanics who knew their way around Z cars. The workshop owner's son drives a modified 240Z (turbo), and the owner drives an even MORE modified 240Z (RB26 engine from Skyline GTR). BUT, they were expensive. I must admit I felt "ripped off" when I got the bill for $1,300 (that's Australian dollars, but still!!!). RACKING UP COSTS: Where I hit a "money pit" was because the TWM manifold would not bolt on above my extractors. So the extractors had to be heated and re-shaped to allow more room. Then heat insulation was wrapped around the extractors to stop the petrol boiling in the carbs (the insulation cost about $135). Finally, there were all the "pretty bits" and improvements on the stock linkage kits. For example, nylon locking nuts instead of nuts + washers. Still, I think $1,300 in ANYONE'S currency is a bit steep, considering my carbs did not need venturies, chokes, etc replaced. SOUND: Wild! I'm sure I can hear every piston firing in the exhaust note. The engine is so much more willing to rev out, and the "urgency" of the exhaust note is more reminiscent of a Ferrari than a Nissan block. My engine's peak performance is now at about 5,000rpm - peak HP and peak torque! LOOKS: triples look great, no question. With "sock" air filters (stuck on over each of the six air horns) it looks like a thoroughbred racing machine. I'm sure with a cold air box the exhaust note would be a bit milder, although the look is certainly not as "raw". Of course there are also the looks of passers by, who turn and stare when they hear me coming! :sick: FUMES: Yup, if you had any fumes before you'll CERTAINLY have more now! I have to divert my exhaust tip away from... well... everything!!! I need a 10-foot extension (with separate wheels), so that my exhaust fumes only bother cars in neighbouring suburbs!!! Right now my car certainly does not pass the "girlfriend" test - i.e. my girlfriend gasps and chokes and begs me to pull over! OTHER STUFF: You won't need your choke anymore, as it's like having six carbies on your engine - instant feed whenever you need it. But you might need shares in an oil company?! I might drop another thread on that later, once I know how the gas mileage has been effected (it's too early to tell). But with all those extra fumes, I can only guess that (a) it's running richer, or ( I'm using WAY more gas! CONCLUSION: I'm done gagging at the cost of this exercise, and now I have nothing else but enjoyment. I always wanted six air horns sucking air into my engine, so I'm extremely happy with the result. Suddenly I'm driving a 150mph car! Now that's a sports car baby, yeah!!!

Well, I finally had triple Weber carbs fitted to my L24. Previously I was running standard bottom end with ported/polished head and a re-profiled cam (fairly mild). I noticed a bit of improvement in performance, especially on the highway in 3rd/4th/5th gears. Had my triple Webers fitted and tuned yesterday, on TWM manifold (thanks Tony for the complete set-up all the way from Florida to Australia). The expense was horific! The mechanic had to reshape my extractors before he could get the manifold on. He also wrapped them in heat-insulating material to stop the petrol boiling. There was more "fiddling" to get the accelerator linkage hooked up, and a few dollars spent on nylon nuts and pretty bits. End result: $1,300 spent! (that's Australian dollars... but still, thirteen hundred bucks is thirteen hundred bucks!!). Performance: Incredible 30hp gain (at rear wheels)! Incredible because the standard horsepower (at the rear wheels) is around 100hp or just under. So a gain like that must be nearly 30%! Sound: Unbelievable - with my sports exhaust set-up it used to sound like a V8 on "Ritilin", but now it sounds like a 1950's/1960's Ferrari on speed! Smell: definitely more fumes! :sick: :sick: Message to all the weber-cynics out there: TRIPLE WEBERS ROCK!

Yep, the guy that did the suspension knows his stuff. He is a Z car specialist mechanic, and he sets up Z's for racing and rallying. He owns an absolutely mint 240Z. He does suspension work for lots of people. I really have to get this problem sorted, because tomorrow I'm having triple Weber 45's fitted and I don't want to have to drive everywhere under 50mph if you get my drift...

Oh, and I haven't hit any curbs or had any dramas at all. The noise just "developed" of its own free will. Don't think I've even hit a pothole lately! :classic:

Thanks guys, but I rotated the wheels (rims) front to back, so even after I changed the wheels around the noise is still there. And assuming the "strut catridge" is the thing that the suspension strut sits inside, that is OK too. I had the suspension done a month ago (and the noise started before that), but the suspension guy said all the bits looked really good. What about C-clips, U-joints, and other letter-related items?