Bambikiller240

I'm not sure why they are different lengths. I've been told (not sure how true) that it had to do with the idea that the engine is not mounted exactly on centerline of car, and that the factory expectation was that the car would mostly be driven with just he driver inside and this different length spring set-up would keep the car level on the suspension. Sounds kind of strange to me, but that is what was mentioned on the IZCC list a while back (several years ago by now) Your Haynes manual will detail the differences in the springs!

I've also heard that Fel-Blow is not a good brand any longer. I have no reccomendation from experience except that I've always used a factory Nissan Headgasket when I needed one. I don't know if they are still available. Carl (bambikiller240)

Derk: Sorry to contradict you, but that floorpan IS NOT rust free. There is significant rust showing in the cut out areas of the tar mat. My car's floorpans looked exactly like that when I decided to POR15 them to keep the (what I THOUGHT was light surface) rust from getting worse. The problem lies in that the water/moisture that created the rust that you see, has most likely crept under the tar mat and it stays there a lot longer and eats the metal much more. When I removed the TarMat.........I found significant (MAJOR) rust and when doing the PreTreatment for the POR discovered that there were actually perforations all the way through the floor in several places! Thank God I didn't wait any longer to address the issue! Since you asked for advice..........If you plan to keep the car, and want it to not deteriorate any further....I'd remove the tarmat and treat everything with the full POR15 treatment. I'd be doing BOTH sides of the car too. Then as Michael said, you will not have to worry about the floors again. :classic: The POR15 treatment is time consuming and costs a bit of $, but is absolutely worth every minute and dollar you will spend on it. You will not regret doing it (after you've finished doing it!). Just my $.02 Carl

Just one suggestion...........Loctite (blue or red) that bolt and Torque to MAX spec when you install it!:classic: Carl

Hi Steve: Did you do the installation of the parts? Or if someone else did the work, do you KNOW for a fact that they installed new (or even used) Anti-Squeal Shims between the Caliper Pistons and the back of the Brake Pads? If not, did you/they at least apply a VERY thin coat of "Silicone Hi-Temp Brake Grease" to the backside of the Brake Pads? Failure to do one or the other of these things will certainly cause the symptoms you describe. Solving the Squeal should not be difficult, but will entail removing the pads from the calipers and adding the Anti-Squal shims of grease to the back of the pads. Most easily accomplished (for me!) by removing the caliper from the car and pulling the pads, reinstalling and bleeding the system.

On US spec 240Z's the two front springs are of different lengths. I don't have my books with me right now and can't remember (a senior moment!) which (R or L) is the longer. On the 260/280Z something was changed in the suspension (I don't know what), but the lengths of the two front springs was equalized to be the same on R and L sides of the car. I believe that the Strut inserts (shocks as you say)are also different from 240Z to 260/280 style of suspension.

So, WHO is "they"? and WHERE are "they"? Last question....WHY did "they" do this? just curious (very)

Bonniec75209: When the Ammeter reads below the mid point, it is indicating that the electrical system is using more electrical power than the Alternator is creating. Possibly a bad Alternator, or Voltage Regulator, however your issues with the dash lights and radio may indicate something is shorted out and causing a drain on the battery. Has any work been done to the car recently that may have damaged the wiring? Or when the new battery was installed did the installer short out the battery cables (cause a huge ARC or spark) that may have damaged the rectifying diodes in the alternator? If you have a Sears Auto Center near by, you could take the car to them and tell them you think you need a battery, explain ALL of your symptoms and ask them to check out your electrical system. The Sears around here in N. CA will check out the car for free if they think they may be able to sell you a battery. They should be able to comfirm if the battery, or Alternator, or Voltage regulator is/are defective. Once you know what they have found, then you can decide what you want to do further about it. Let them fix it, or take it elsewhere for repair , or home to fix yourself, or whatever. just an idea. Good Luck! Carl

US Spec 240Z's did not come with Anti-Roll Bars on the Rear suspension. So the bar on your 240Z suspension is an aftermarket item if the car is US spec. The Lower A-Arms did however have provision for the link bolts of a anti-roll bar to mount up. However, since you are talking about the mounting of the link bolts to the lower (A) control arm, and not the mounting of the bar itself to the car, I can't see that it would make any difference which bushings you use. so long as the bolt fits through them. There are differences in the hardness in the various bushings available on the market, so just be sure to use a matched set of all one type, or brand. "Energy Suspension" is good, so is "Suspension Techniques", also "Ground Control" is another quality brand. Different strokes for Different folks!

One of the more popluar Upgrades for 240Z's is to get the 4 piston brake calipers from mid 1980's Toyota 4X4 trucks and install them. It's a straight bolt on deal. You just have to trim the backing plate a bit for clearance to the caliper. You can also get a ZX Master Brake cylinder to move more fluid with the larger calipers. One of our members, Ross Corrigan ;has a business called Modern Motorsports ( at http://www.modern-motorsports.com/ ) and sells an upgrade kit for Z's that sounds interesting. He can hook you up with the stuff to do Disc Brakes on the Rear as well. Check him out.

Mandatory Z content: No Z's in this kind of racing, but............ Has anyone seen the Australian V8 Super Car, and British Touring Car racing on Speed TV this winter? Wow, I have seen some great racing in these two series in the past few weeks. I'm not sure how old the races are (2002 season for sure, but what month(s) they actually raced, I don't know) but they have some great close racing going on in these series. If you'all have a spare hour or so to kill what with NASCAR, CART, and IRL hibernating, do yourself a favor and check it out. Carl

Suddenly a Loud Clap of THUNDER, and a voice from above is heard to say............... Let There Be Steaks for All of My People!! :stupid: :stupid:

Hi Guys: One thing to keep in mind is that there are several places to buy many of these items. Nissan (if not NLA), MSA, and Victoria British to name a few. DO YOUR RESEARCH!! Especially on prices! I have bought some used items from Cybersanford (Bob Zola) and he's a nice guy to deal with, and seems honest enough, and I'd buy USED items from him again. But if you compare the prices for the rubber and other Z related nicknacks he puts up on eBay, well; the prices are higher that the same items at either MSA or Victoria British. The photo's of the items that he labels as "replacement" parts appear to be identical to what you get from Vic Brit. albeit at a higher price. This post SHOULD NOT be construed as a knock on Bob Zola! He is a businessman and like all businessmen, his job is to buy at one price and sell at a higher price. How else can one run a business? (US GOVERNMENT EXCEPTED! :disappoin :cross-eye ) So just be knowledgable about the options that you have to purchase these types of items from several different sources. Just an FYI

Check with : Scott Performance 2555 Lafayette St # 104, Santa Clara, CA 95050 Phone: (408) 988-2233 and see who they reccommend. Might also try to find a fellow named Potter (I think it's Dan Potter, but could be wrong) who is a famous Z guru from the South Bay area. He may do head work himself or can point you to the shop he uses. Sorry, but I've lost my contact info on him. Maybe someone else in the club keeps better records than I. Oh, and Dando's in Fleamont may be able to point you to someone also. www.dandos.com Good Luck

If you are going to do any repairing of the wiring, solder your connections! Do not, repeat DO NOT just use the crimp-on type things. Crimp them, then solder them so you have a perfect connection. Insulate well with shrink tube or good quality electrical tape if you can't get shrink tubing.

QUACK!!!!!!!!!:stupid:

On my car the flasher still "clicked" also, but the rear turn bulb, and later, the left front turn bulb did not respond to the "clicking" of the flasher. The switch is only available as a complete assembly which includes the lever, all of the mechanical gizmo's and the little switch box. The whole thing is mounted to the steering collumn with two screws which kind of clamp the headlight switch assembly on one side of the steering collumn, and the turn signal assembly to the other side. But, yes, that little "curved box" is where the switch contacts reside. That is what some people try to dis-assemble, clean, and re-assemble. I'm not familiar with alarm systems at all, so I can't help you there. I actually know very little about electric systems. Only what has been passed on to me in specific situations, and a little basic logic regarding troubleshooting. i.e. start and one end of a circuit and check each and every "thing" as you move through the circuit. Don't skip anything or you are wasting your time! You may want to join the IZCC mail list at www.zhome.com and post your symptoms there. Lots more brains to pick, just be sure to specify what year and model of Z you have, since they cover ALL Datsun/Nissan Z's from 1970 through 2003.

Though I have not used one, I know several people who have used them and I can say that if proper care is used to install the FULL FACE dash cap, they are a great alternative. Only real close inspection around the edges of the guages, or heater control panel, or the bottom edge of the dash will give a clue that they are not the real dash. Now the grain pattern embossed on the cap may not be an EXACT match to stock, it is very close. My friends needed to do a bit of custom trimming and several trial fits of the cap before it was installed permanently. If you go this route, take your time and "measure twice, cut once! Trial fit the cap until you are satisfied that you can't get it to fit any better, then glue down. Get some extra adhesive also, because you don't want to run out in mid-installation. PS: My friends did not buy on eBay, they got theirs from MSA in Los Angeles. Good Luck!

Alansz: Double check the bulb holders for any corrosion on the ends or on the bulbs themselves. Clean as necessary. Swap bulbs around Right side to left side to see if the symptom moves with a bulb. If not and you haven't done any creative wiring around the time that the symptom appeared, I'd tihink it might be the switch. Try spraying contact cleaner into the little boxy section of the switch that holds the contacts. If the situation improves when you do this. You've found the problem. If not, well it could still be the problem, but you won't know for sure unless you can swap in another switch from a known working Z just to confirm the point. Do you have a Bud nearby that would let you borrow the switch from his car for a hour or two? They are relatively easy to swap in and out. I'd try that before buying a switch since they cost so much. My car's first turn signal switch lasted 30 years, if I get 30 years out of the $100 one that I bought, I'll be happy. Good Luck

ALL quotes are from ionman Correct! Intentionally!:classic: :beard: Some of us put airdams in this catagory. I for one (and I'm not the only one) do notice a significant positive difference in handling at freeway speeds (60-80 MPH) with an airdam My point exactly!:classic: :classic: DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS! As you can see from my avatar, my car decided to modify itself with a bit of dearskin imbedded in the left headlight bucket, and a bent hood and a bent bumper!:stupid: Not a mod I'm particularly fond of, but I'm stuck with it

Humm, not sure about that one. Since you couldn't hear the flasher before, but do hear the new one now. Maybe something is damaging your flasher unit? Did / Do the right side signals still work normally? I don't know how your alarm would affect this situation. My limited experience is on unmodified electrical systems. Sorry I can't be much help.

they also weren't equipped with mag wheels and wide tires, so I guess we're all stuck with 5" steel wheels and hubcaps too! no electronic ignition either. no cassette players (or CD players), or A/C, or armrests, or passenger side mirrors, or halogen headlamps. Headers are out too, and L28's, and R200 diffs and Round Top SU's? What the hell are THEY doing on a 73? Guess we all just have to get back to the basics....No improvements allowed! NOT!! Let the Modifications begin! DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS!!!!:stupid: ROFL :stupid: :classic: :stupid: :classic:

The bleeder screws on my 72 Z are smaller for the rear cylinders than for the front calipers, so you may need a different size wrench, but you do want it to still be a flarenut wrench. Just may need an 8mm wrench in addition to the 10mm.

morfirst: No, unfortunately, this only means that currently (no pun intended) that only the contact for current to the rear right tail light is affected by 30 years of carbon and other crap fouling the inside of the switch. More will likely build-up as time goes by and will affect more of the other contacts inside the switch. Now, before leaping to the assumption that the switch is indeed the problem, you must eliminate the other common causes. A burned out bulb, recent work that could have caused a broken wire, etc. Swap bulbs around to see if the symptom moves with a bulb. If not ...then you can use an ohm meter to check the continuity of the wires in the circuit from the switch to the bulbs. If all checks out good, then you are left with the switch as the culprit. The only way to fix the switch is to disassemble and throughly clean and reassemble the switch, if can do so without breaking anything. Since what I'm describing is not a "broken" part, but simply a dirty and carbon-fouled item, you cannot see anything broken, when you open the switch (if you do). What you will see is the junk and carbon-tracking on the contacts that causes the problem which must be removed. then you reassemble the switch exactly as it was, only much cleaner inside. It is tedious and nerve-racking for me to do this, so I bit the bullet and simply bought a new switch which cured the problem instantly. But at a cost of about $100. PS I tried for a year to avoid buying the switch by tracing the wires, and then repeatedly spraying electrical contact cleaner into the switch. When I used the cleaner things would get a bit better for a while, but the symptoms always returned and progressivly got worse. Eventually the front left turn signal would not work either. If any of you guys remember Scott Bruning from ZTherapy, he's the one who put me onto the cause and two possible cures for this problem. From my experience, he was right.

...........you can remove the bolts from the motor mounts to the cross-member and then jack up the ENGINE to get more clearance to raise the steering rack enough to replace the bushings. That is what I did and it worked well. Just be sure to have a piece of wood between the oil-pan and the floor jack, so you don't bugger up the oil pan. You only need about 2 or 3 more inches of clearance to do the job, and separating the tie-rods from the steering knuckles to remove the whole rack from the car usually destroys the tie rod boots if not the whole outer tie-rod ends. Not worth the $$ to me! Just my opinion