SMW

Hi SB: I would check with both Zspecialties and Zsport to see if they have the springs you are looking for in stock. I'm sure either shop can get the parts you are looking for, but they may have to order them since I imagine it simply doesn't pay to keep those types of parts in stock around here. So if your buddy is only in town for a short time, you may be out of luck without some sort of pre-ordering. That said, I haven't been to either shop for a couple of years, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Both shops are north of seattle proper -- 25 to 30 miles away from city center. Let me know if you need more local info. Cheers, Steve

I would just like to add my interest in your custom wiring project. My electronics (stock '70 240) caught on fire a couple weeks ago, and I'm in the midst of redoing parts of the interior and wiring. I was just about to order a painless wiring kit, so if I could get a more custom set, and support a Z-specific enterprise, I'm all for it. If you need any pictures, my dash is out and I can get you a digital picture of anything back there that you are interested in. Let me know -- Steve

One option is to go to the junkyard and grab the linkage from a 280Z. The later linkages engage with less slop at the firewall. Also, they bolt right up in the same place as the 240 linkage. If you go this route, get everything from the donor car from the cross-piece (parallel to the firewall) to the long piece that goes from the firewall to the manifold. -Steve

First things first, what all the screws are: 1. The one on the balance tube. This is only there to help with carb balancing. It allows you to set the rpms to 2-3,000 or so for high speed balancing. Under normal circumstances the screw should not be doing anything. 2. The screws on the center linkage between the carbs. The one on the left (towards the front of the car) doesn't need to be adjusted. The one on the right allows you to balance the carbs at the higher engine speed. You can see when you work the throttle linkage that there is slop in the system. This screw allows you to account for the slop, so when you hit the gas, both carbs are opening the same amount at the same time. 3. The idle speed screws. These are the ones right behind the dome. I believe that these only act to crack the butterfly open at idle to allow enough air to enter the engine so it'll run. These are adjusted on both carbs during the balancing sequence. I think that they only affect how the engine runs at idle, after the butterfly is opened by the throttle, these cease to function. 4. The mixture nut on the bottom of the carb. These move the jet nozzle assembly up and down. The higher the assembly, the leaner the mix. Float level: 9/16" sounds right. Other things that may lead to the ultra-rich condition: Sticking float. I've also heard that if the float is punctured it may, well, float causing the fuel level to be way too high. Sticking needle. Check to make sure the pistons are moving smoothly. If the metering needle is binding in the jet nozzle, it could allow fuel to continue to flow. Chokes. Make sure the chokes are fully disengaged. On one set of SU's I had the choke wouldn't release all the way because of road grime/grease in the jet nozzle assy. Return springs -- attached? I suppose even having the carbs way out of balance (which you probably have now, since all of the adjustment screws are all the way out) could have mixture consequences. Is the midnight black color on all of the plugs? Other possibilities would go to the general condition of the engine; ignition timing, valve clearances, etc. Sorry, running out of ideas -- perhaps something here will be useful. Steve

If you have only changed the idle and throttle (high speed balance - the one on the linkage) settings, then I don't think you have addressed the amount of fuel being supplied to the engine. I would recommend checking both the float levels, and the position of the mixture nut (located below each carb). I believe the baseline setting for the mixture nut is found by tightening the nut as far as it will go, then backing off 2.5 turns. Then you will use the idle and high speed balance screws, along with a syncrometer/tester, to balance the carbs. I can't remember the float level specs at the moment; they should be in any of the manuals. Also, it is a good idea to lift each piston by hand and make sure they fall smoothly. HTH - Steve

That blackout photo isn't real, unfortunately. Looks like a photoshop job over that 'earth at night' sat photo that circulated about a year ago. More info here: http://www.snopes.com/photos/blackout.asp The NOAA shots are great, more in line with the descriptions I've heard of the blackout. Cheers, Steve

A couple options for you: I recalled an ad in the forums, an L28 out in Carnation http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8466 There are also a couple of Z shops around, there is Zspecialties in the Monroe area (www.zspecialties.com), and Z Sport [3532 Smith Ave. Everett, WA (425) 259-4691 (800) 633-3308] up north. There are more possibilities linked on the Z Club of Washington's site (www.zccw.org). As far as junkyards go, I haven't gotten that far yet -- let me know if you find a good source. HTH, Steve