AxtellZ

www.zcarparts.com no online ordering, but you can request a catalog. May be quicker just to call. HTH

i have installed SU's on both my 73 & 74. Neither had a spot on the heat shield to attatch the springs to. I just drilled & stuck in 2 sheet metal screws into the shield, and attatched the springs. A thing to remember- find the springs you're going to use first, so you have an approximate length- THEN drill a spot to attatch them (ask me how i know:rolleyes: ) It really is a simple job. HTH, Jeremiah

That's a nice looking Z! Good luck with it, Have fun (like i need to tell you that). Aren't you the guy who sold the Z to help the folks? If so, this must be the "good karma"- Zya, JA:)

My 74 came with splitfires- they work fine, but as i say, theycame in it from the PO. My 73 I use NGK's, and they're everybit as good as the splits, IMO. I had used Champion & Autolites in the 73 before, but they seemed to foul more than they should. Jeremiah

Does it shake at any other times, or only when applying the brakes? If only under braking, then i would guess the rotors of the front brakes are a bit warped. Can replace, or if in decent shape, have them "turned". If it shakes on & off otherwise, its most likely worn out bushings up front, tie rod ends, etc etc. HTH, Jeremiah

Yep, that's about what i've figured...One of my "projects" is to disconnect, clean, tighten and reconnect all the electrical contact points. Someday, when work lightens up:)

I'd think bad part or bad connection in the coil or ballast resistor area. When it dies, does the car run with the key in the "start" postion, then die again? (BR) May just be a corroded or loose connection somewhere- i'd try checking all the connections, starting at the battery. Good luck, Jeremiah

Hi all, Well, after flushing the radiator and all, the car seems fine. No sign of headgasket failure i feared when my coolant was bubbly/foamy. However, driving to work today, the temp gauge stayed right at 180 most of the time, but on occasion would "sway" from 150 or 160 back to 180. Doesn't jump around, but does move considerably (maybe 1/4"?). I assume the thermostat is opening & "colder" coolant then flows through causing lower temps. But then the oil pressure gauge kinda sways around too. Mostly at 60psi, but does move around more than ever before. So, am i just being paranoid & noticing more because my eyes are glued to the gauges, or should i chase down the electrical demons (i did have the fuel gauge & clock this winter- maybe loose connections?) Any hints? Thanks! Jeremiah

okay, its raining here, but i push on! Yes nasty coolant. Used Mac's radiator flush, flushed coolant system twice. Very ugly cruddy results. Pretty clean now though. Car idled for most of an hour. Tstat never really went past 180. Top of radiator is quite warm, but the bottom is really cool. (at least after 15 mins of idling). Plain water in the system idling with rad/cap off appears boil/foam just a bit once its hot. Gauge in car was at 180, gauge in radiator opening reads 172. I refilled with 50/50 antifreeze/water, ran it in the garage- everything appears fine, gauge reads 180, no leaks etc. But the lower rad hose is still cool, as well as the lower radiator. Heat is fine. heater hoses, etc all fine. I'm thinking its just doing its job, hot coolant at the top, cool at the bottom. Oh yeah all plugs are tan like they should be. I do plan to compression check the cylinders and pressure test the cooling system to ease my mind. I thought i may have had a plug somewhere, or a bad water pump, but all appears normal (for now). Anyone care to give an educated guess? Thanks to everyone here! Jeremiah:D

Quick update. went to flush radiator & replace cap to rule out any questions. Car ran 20 minutes, with heat on. Stayed right on 180F, ran great, and no leaks. Shut it off, pulled the rad cap, and had more of a vacuum suck, as opposed to pressure release. Started looking for leaks etc, and found all the water passages were hot, EXCEPT the lower radiator hose. Warm in places (ends), but mainly cold..Pulled the hose, it has a spring liner , but is not plugged. Water pump not pumping?? Plugged upstream? Any ideas? Thanks all. Jeremiah ps- the coolant stinks like a dead fish, and was really foamy, like the trough at the football stadium. Any clue here? Thanks JA

well, its not leaking between head/block at all. I was all over with my flashlight, and can find absolutely no indication of a leak, past or present. The only indicator has been the frothy appearance with the rad cap off. Hopefully Saturday i can bend someone's arm & get the pressures tested. Assuming it is a pinhole pushing air through on compression, would a block sealer be a temporary fix so i can drive it to a shop (everything will be 20 miles plus..) I don't want to jimmy-rig it, but prevent any further damage. Thanks everyone, glad i'm here. JA

Hey- you know where i live....wife just "allocated" me $600 to pick up a 73 for parts or a racecar. Coulda been yours Keith! Thanks for the help:) JA

Now thats not what i wanted to hear Keith! Guess i'll take it to a shop since i don't have the tools yet. If'n i do need to change the head gasket, and was to pay someone to do it, any guesstimate as to cost or hourage? Fortunately i live in farm country where work is relatively cheap! Thanks, JA

Hi all, this may get a bit rambly, but its Spring in NY (finally) and Z-fever is in full bloom! Got out my 74 1/2 260, SU carbs-N36 intakes Thursday. In the fall, i had a coolant leak (very slight). The car has 2 coolant lines which run through the intakes, the line that went through the old carbs has been blocked off. I would notice the sickening sweet smell of hot antifreeze- seemed to weep from one of the front water hoses that go into the manifold, then ran along and dripped onto the exhaust manifold and/or exhaust pipe. So, i got both water pipes from Courtesy, drove the car a bit, and it doesn't leak that i can find now! I changed the oil, it was perfect, no coolant at all. Radiator has no oil slick or anything- but if i let her run and warm up with the radiator cap off- it does have a "foam" like small air bubbles are mixing into the coolant somewhere... I have not done a compression test, as i don't own the tester (yet), but i wonder if this is a sign of imminent head gasket failure, or if anyone has an opinion. The car is running really well, but i won't drive it if i have a failure waiting to happen:( But there is the first car show of the season here on Sunday, so i'd like to go! Any and all comments, suggestions, or questions welcomed- Thanks everyone! JA

Sounds like a heck of an idea...my wife bought me a set of clear covers from MSA years ago, i never installed 'em (was waiting for new paint..) Now that i have the yellow 74, maybe i'll just steal your plan & put 'em on. Where would i find these fasteners? Thankzzz! JA

I haven't done any business in about 6 years, but http://www.impactparts.com/ used to have good prices on aero kits, spoilers etc. They may have the light covers too. Also, Keith aka 2MZ, what exactly are "Dzuz" fasteners?? Is that some Woodstock jargon or what?! Zya, JA

Duh..., forgot to ask Alex- what year did you buy? 70 to 72 SU carbs as a rule are far better, IMO. As far as manifold, for a stock motor the difference is marginal at best. I have heard of 5 to 10 hp gains, but i could only see that on a well tuned race engine. Give us a few more specifics and you'll get more answers for sure. HTH, good to have you here! Jeremiah

Hi all, transferring this from the "introduce yourself" thread, to get Alex an answer: Hi: my name is Alex and I have been a z-holic for one week now. Bought a nice clean and straight 240Z from a friend for $800. No major rust, the engine runs well (needs the carbs tuned though), and the interior is clean and uncut. No interest in restoring this car to pristine beauty but looking to build it up for back country rally racing. I look forward to pestering many of ya'll for help. BTW would installing Weber Carbs and a N36 intake improve my performance greatly over the stock carbs?

Yikes, hadn't thought of that Escanlon! Very good point. I would certainly skip it for that reason. For my "refreshed" carbs here in NY the ATF does work well in my 260, but so does the motorcycle fork oil (20W) in my 240, FWIW. JA

Well, I only have 73 & 74, they both came with both electric and mechanical fuel pumps, so i am not sure. Are you using SU carbs? I would doubt it would make a difference, unless you've run into fuel starvation symptoms, or are racing or such. I think the stock mechanical pump provides enough fuel to keep the bowls fairly full, but as i say, i only have experience with the later cars. At any rate, it certainly can't hurt, as long as the pressure is kept regulated. HTH, JA

Haven't tried brake fluid, but i imagine it would work- the viscosity seems about right. I would avoid it due to it's paint remover qualities, but as long as you don't drip it should be fine.I use ATF, which is about the same viscosity i think. JA

heres what MSA emailed me when i was shopping: "We do have the European springs, they don't lower the car (so if you have original springs, your car is likely to go back up substantially) and they are 11-18% stiffer than stock. The Eibachs lower the car about 1" from stock ride height, and are progressive, where they will be not far from stock while cruising straight down the highway for comfort, but when you corner they can get up to 25% stiffer. If you are NOT going to race at all with these springs, the Eibachs would be a good bet. If you do plan to race later with these springs, we would recommend the Tokico springs, which are up to 25% stiffer than stock, and just the fronts are slightly progressive. Apart from stock, all will feel fairly stiffer, even the European ones. If going back to original stock ride height is not a good option for you (plenty of space above the tires) than don't choose the Europeans. " If this leaves you with some more questions, let us know, you can also request a current catalog at www.zcarparts.com/catalog.cfm Motorsport Auto 1139 West Collins Ave Orange, CA 92867 Sales (800)633-6331 Tech (714)639-2620 www.zcarparts.com www.miataparts.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1815850834&r=0&t=0 probably not real good for daily driving, but racers may be interested..

I'm not really sure what you're asking:confused: Can you be more specific as to what works or doesn't, or what- you mean the carbs were adjusted to control a sticky float? I'll help if i can, just not really sure whats wrong!? JA

first of all, i'll recommend buying the ztherapy tuning video. As far as using the unisyn- you have a round disc, with an adjustable wheel in the center, and a "tube with a ball" attatched. The idea is to hold the disc over the carb, (remove air cleaner first) and the little ball will "float" from the vacuum. It is important to hold the unisyn on the carbs only a little while to get a reading, leaving it too long will give an inaccurate measure. Use the wheel to adjust the air flow so that the floaty ball is centered within its tube. you then go to the other carb to check they are drawing at the same rate. Make very small changes in idle/mixture to adjust. You can also "hear" the balance when the engine is accelrated- put your head down between the carbs and rev the motor- you'll hear the vacuum raise the carb piston & can tell if they go in synch. Hope that helps, don't know how much or little you need to know..try www.ztherapy.com and for Kyle's directions: http://www.sonic.net/~kyle/ztech.html Good luck, JA