kmack

I assume the car does not run since you say it's in a pasture. Bad sign number one. A bent hatch is bad sign number two. Biggest things to look for are rust, rust and more rust. Do a couple searches here and you'll find hundreds of thread describing what to look for and what to avoid. A couple things mechanical-wise to think about. A good 280Z (good body and mechanically sound) usually runs for somewhere between $2500-4000 here in Texas. (Calm down guys, I said Good, not great) If this car has been sitting, you can be gauranteed the fuel will be bad, possible rust in the gas tank, fuel lines will be bad, injector lines will be bad, water hoses will be bad, rubber brake lines will need to be replaced, injectors may be sticking or not working, or worst-case, the motor might be frozen. The wiring may also have problems. Body work is expensive enough, but all the little items you'll need just to get the motor running and the car safe for the street can eat your budget up before you realize it. I'm not trying to deter you away from this car in anyway. Just keep in mind, you are looking at a vehicle that may need almost a full restoration to be driven safely. That can get expensive. I would dig into this vehicle more and find out all you can about what it might need, if the owner will allow it. At this point, and based on your limit description of the vehicle, I wouldn't pay more than just a few hundred dollars for it.

Check your float level. If the carbs and everything else was working fine before you rebuilt them, then maybe you inadvertantly adjusted the float level so that the float valves are staying closed and not letting fuel in. You did say that you removed the floats and added gas and the car ran. Was there gas in the float bowls when you first opened them? Try this: Disconnect the small rubber line between the fuel pump and the fuel rail. Does gas flow? If yes, continue to next step. If no, Fuel pump. Now disconnect the fuel lines from the fuel rail to the carb float bowls. Both of them. Does gas flow? If yes, then continue. If no, blockage in fuel rail. Disconnect fuel lines between float bowl and choke nozzle (bottom of carb.). Does gas flow? If yes, possible blockage in nozzle. If no, float is sticking or staying closed. You have to be methodical in the process. Go step by step, section by section. And ONLY change one thing at a time! My guess right now is that it's in your floats. But if you follow these steps, you'll find it. It's definitely fuel related so at least you only have one system to check! :classic:

Stephen is right. My apologies, Steve. I felt a personal attack there. But I still stand by my comments (in general).

I had the same anxiety about the SU's also. But they really are easy once you understand them. And they're not hard to understand. They work off the simplest principles of carburetor theory! If you can understand how a simple caruretor works, you're set! I've had people at race events ask me how hard it is to tune my sidedrafts. They are amazed (and usually don't believe me) when I tell them it takes less than 15 minutes, with no special tools (other than my flow meter).

Driving like how? How do you know how I drive on public highways? Have you ever seen me drive so fast that I have to cross over the line into oncoming traffic in a turn? Did I say that I was drivning in the turns any faster than the posted 45 mph speed limit? And trust me, on that section there is now way to sustain 45 mph! Don't get me wrong, I don't condone reckless driving like passing in a No Passing Zone or driving around people on the shoulder. But you make it sound like we're all criminals because we may have over-stepped the speedlimit a little, no matter how safe we were in doing it! So when traffic on those CA freeways is moving at around 75-80 mph, do you go with the flow or stick to the posted speedlimit? And yes I know at what point my car "breaks free" and I know what to do about it. That's why I participate in AutoX and high-speed events. But that's me. I'll step down now...

Be careful how you phrase that, Jeremiah. I know people that can't fix toilets and end up calling plumbers or just live a toilet that doesn't work. Who would have thought that a toilet could be so complicated? :stupid:

Some of my welding burns are due to the Mechanix gloves! I wear them so much that I end up wearing holes in the finger tips. Then I do something stupid like accidentally touch hot metal after I've been welding. I'm actually on my 6th pair of gloves in the last year and a half. Northern Tools carries some of their gloves with the elastic wrist band (instead of the velcro closure) for about $10 a pair, btw.

Hey, I said it was new age punishment, not old school! If I did that when I was his age, I would have lost more than that! Not the mention the smackin-around I would have received. I did some pretty dumb and stupid things in my life growing up, but I always paid the price, too. Lots of spankin's, grounding, monetary payments, and the like. But I think I turned out pretty good. So far....

Someone got busted!!!! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62054&item=8107675670

About 45 minutes West of San Antonio, is a road called FM 337 that runs between Leakey and Vanderpool. Nice long stretch that starts out fairly tame no matter which end you start at. Semi-straight, simple elevation changes, nice areas to stretch the Z's legs out with. But the mid-section of this road is unbelievable! Nothing but twisties, up and down and over the hills for a good 3-4 miles!! :love: We're talking turns where the signs say 15 or 20 mph and they usually mean it! I found this road years ago back in my motorcycle days. Took a few of our club members on a Saturday morning cruise through the area recently. Oh what fun it is to have a 350Z trying really hard to keep up with a '71 240z!!! They could only catch me in the straight sections. But everyone had the best time rowing through the gears in their Z's. I can't think of a better way to spend time driving your car.

If you are fouling plugs, it's one of two things: too much fuel or you're getting a lot of oil in the cylinders. Wipe your finger across one of the plugs after they foul (do it quickly so you don't burn yourself). Now you need to determine if the "wetness" on your plugs is oil or fuel. Most likely, it's fuel. From the sounds of things, it sounds like your car is running really rich. A lean fuel mixture will not foul plugs. I don't anything about how the Weber DGV's work so I can't help you there. But I do know that our local Z club President had them on his 240 once, and he could never get the car to run any faster than 60 mph! And it ran really rich, and shot flames out of the tailpipe! Once he switched over to SU's, never had a problems again. Find yourself a knowledgable DGV person or get a book. Then do a step by step process of elimination until the problem is solved. One other thing you might look at is your ignition system. Make sure you points are in good condition, the coil is good, and that your battery & alternator are putting out what they should. A weak spark can make fouling plugs very easy.

Yes, it hangs down by about 2-1/2". That's the down side. With a stock valance in place, you can see the bottom of the radiator and you have to be careful about not parking up close to concrete parking stops or curbs. If you have an airdam, it would hide the radiator.

I've been in the same boat before. My motto: If you don't get hurt while working, you weren't working hard enough. Works for me at least. I've had 3 stitches in my arm from rebuilding a tranny. 5 stitches in my head from dropping an exhaust manifold (don't ask). :stupid: And I have too many scars to list on my hands, arms, legs, face, chest, and they all come scrapes, pokes, welding burns, slipped wrenches, broken sockets, broken ratchets, slipped screwdrivers, etc. The unfortunate thing, I work on my cars so much that I never have enough blood left over to donate. :dead: But honestly, I'm not accident prone!

I'm currently running a 280ZX radiator ('82 to be specific, but they're all the same) in my 240Z. Only two mods were required. Only two of the mounting tabs will line up: either the top two or the bottom two. If you line up the top two, then the top of the radiator will hit the hood when it is shut. Line up the bottom two mounting holes, then drill new holes for the top two mounting tabs. Only other thing is you have to get a new lower hose for a 280Z or 280ZX. The lower hose connection on the radiator comes out straight on the ZX, unlike the 240Z where it bends upward. Thus, you need a slightly longer hose with a bend on the end. Benefit: additional cooling core (3 vs. 2) and overall larger cooling capacity. Coupled with an OEM thermostat (larger opening) my 240 now runs cooler than ever before even at sustained high speeds in the hot Texas summer heat! That enough description for you Bambi? :classic: :classic:

This is for those that might be interested in swapping out their 2-row radiator to a 3- or 4-row (if you can find one) and/or adding an electric fan to their early Z car. This should apply to all their locations, nation-wide. US only. Pick-N-Pull Manager Special's June 15-21! Valued Customer, The following are our Manager Specials for June 15th through 21st! These prices will be honored starting Tuesday at all participating locations: Radiators only $24.99! Fan Electric only $9.99! Dash Pad only $7.99! Headlight Bulb only $0.49! http://www.picknpull.com

My '73 parts car had bolts holding the intake on with studs for the exhaust. I can't say for sure what my '71 had on it as all the studs had been pulled off when I got the engine. The Parts CD/microfish shows 2 different length studs for the intake and the exhaust. I tried ordering them from my local dealer. Got them in just fine only to find out that some of them were too short. I don't remember which ones exactly, but about 1/3 of them needed to be of the longer length. Just get the long ones. Better to have a little extra length than not enough.

I always thought that for AFR (Air Fuel Ratio), you wanted to get as close to 14:1 as possible. Maybe I'm wrong, but this is what I've been shooting for. Anybody have any input regarding this? The info could help both of us...

That's EXACTLY where I'm headed next!!! But, :tapemouth don't tell anyone.... especially the Mustangs!:classic:

Barnes & Noble, Walden's Books, etc. Here in Texas we have a used book store chain called Half-Price Books. They always have something regarding autobody work. Check a place like that. Or you could stop into a auto paint supply house. If they don't have anything there, they will be able to direct you in the right direction to get one. Good luck. It's always great to see someone willing to learn a new trade and be able to do work themselves.

I also agree and say dig into this car. Granted you may find that it might be too much for you to handle and go get another body. But at least you'll have a better understanding of the problem areas with these cars and will know what to look at with the next body. And what to avoid.

Sorry, I didn't take any pictures of my install. Should have. The hardest part is putting the filler neck back in the tank. As for the grommets, I couldn't find any when I did mine, so I used black eletrical tape. The thick stuff that's almost like rubber itself. Take that and wrap it around the body extension and the hose really, really tight. Do that a couple of times. Makes for a really good seal. So far, mine has been holding well for the last 2-1/2 years.

What thread are you replying to?

huh?

You should be able to find a fuel cell that will fit the space perfectly after removing the spare tire well. Plus you won't have to worry with those damned vent lines anymore, also.