Jeff G 78

Looks great Mike!

I added a header to my '78 many years ago, but retained the stock cold-end. I cannot tell any difference in sound inside or outside the car. Keep in mind that most people swap the cold-end when they add a header so that will drastically affect the interior noise levels.

Chase, do you have a link to the ebay Honda bar? It looks like there are many different styles and contours. Which style fits the S30?

No offense, but eewww. If you want to go with something different, how about these? 16 16x8 XXR 531 Black Wheels Rims 0 Deep Dish Lip 4x4 5 Datsun 240Z 260z 280z | eBay

Leon, did your wheels come from MSA? If so, they are likely +6 since MSA had custom offsets made to minimize rubbing. Mine came from a regular Panasport retailer just after MSA quit selling them, so they are zero offset. I agree that my Hankooks are possibly on the wide side with square shoulders to boot, but the whole stance looks wider on mine. It was lucky that both pictures are almost the same vantage point. I'd really like to try the 225/45R16 tires next time to give me more front and rear clearance.

I'm curious why people order staggered fitments. They don't improve handling. Z cars usually understeer at the limit and wider rears only make it worse.

Leon, if I had to guess, I'd say you have some positive offset. Look at where your tires sit in the fenders compared to mine.

I'm now also on the lookout for a used round port header. I'm building a F54/shaved P79 engine for my 260Z ChumpCar racer.

I run 225/50R16 on 16x7 zero offset Panasports and mine rubbed on all four corners. You are likely OK in the front if you go with +4 as Arne suggested, but in my case, even +4 would not have helped the rear rub. I tried to roll and when that didn't do it, I trimmed the flange by about 10mm. One option is to run the new Dunlop Direzza ZII in a 225/45R16. The diameter will be better for gearing, rubbing and overall looks IMHO. I think my 225/50R16 tires look a tad tall on the car. The first pic shows my clearance test with the spring removed. After trimming, the tire just clears the lip. The second pic shows the trimmed lip.

Keeping the PS will be tricky. Seriously though, you can shed about 80 lbs by replacing the big bumpers and shocks with either 240 chrome or fiberglass/CF bumpers. Besides the bumpers, you can ditch the spare tire and jack/tools, replace the iron exhaust manifold with a header, install a smaller battery, remove the mastic from the interior, and install a fiberglass or CF hood.

I wouldn't try to use the stock FI pump for carbs. Either use a mechanical pump or install a low pressure electric pump.

The ECU only controls the engine. You are safe.

Kurbycar32, Were the shafts on the back worn out like the ones pictured above? I'm just curious what all was replaced by the locksmith.

I checked AutoZone and the Maxima locks look similar to the pre-'77 Z locks. Thos might be a good alternative to the Ebay locks, but the coat hanger fix or cutting/welding is still needed for the '77-'78 cars.

Thanks again CO. Not having the return spring would suck. I will have two keys to deal with, but it's better than being locked out of the car.

Makes perfect sense Cap'n. Hopefully the spare lock I have with the long arm is as wear-free as it feels. At least I'll have one side working properly. I'm glad I figured out now that the Ebay ones are not an option.

My only thought on the root cause of the second failure was if the used head you bought had been shaved before you bought it. That would make the distance between gears to be short and cause chain slack. Did you check the notch and mark per the manual after you put it together?

Those are purdy Matt. I'm thinking the long arms might have come with the redesigned '77 latch system.

OK, I dug through my boxes and I found four door locks. One had a pair of keys in the lock and in the box was one other key along with the other three locks. After a lot of WD40 and key wiggling, the lock with the key started working very smoothly and the shaft/lever combo appears to have very little wear. The other key fits one of the three other locks and I managed to get it to operate, but not smoothly yet. Both working locks with keys are marked with an L on the lever, so I assume they are both lefts which is better than two rights, I guess. The lock that works like new has a much longer lever with a rubber sleeve on it while the other three have short arms with a hole an a plastic insert that snaps onto the pushrod. From what I remember, my '78 locks have the long style arms with the rubber sleeve, so at least the one that works well is the right style for my car. The Ebay ones are the short kind with the plastic insert so I don't see how they would even work on a later S30. It looks like the Ebay option is off the table for me. If the one I have fits the left side and works well, I'm in business and I can remove the worn lock and see if I can mend it with a wire for future use.

That makes no sense. When you tore it down, was there any sign of damage to the chain or guides? How many teeth did it jump? When you replaced the chain, did you also replace the gears, guides and tensioner? I have never had a Z chain jump regardless of the age or condition of the engine, so for it to happen 2 or 3 times means something else is going on. Please give us more details about exactly what happened, the driving conditions, assembly method, etc.

I know this has been discussed and the general consensus is that the quality isn't great, but will these replacement locks last for a while? Mine have the typical shaft wear and they no longer move the arm far enough to push the rod an unlock the door. Datsun 510 240Z 260z 280z 1600 Door Locks with Keys | eBay My locks are both shot and my options are to find better old ones, do the wire fix on mine, or replace them with new ebay ones. I have a few old ones that might be less worn that my current ones, but they don't work smoothly. Some oil might help, but I haven't tried yet. The wire fix doesn't look too hard, but how long does the fix last before something bends or breaks? And finally, how bad are the ebay locks? My car doesn't get driven much, but I do need to have working locks. Right now, the only way I can unlock the car is to open the hatch and reach in lift the rod on the door. It's hard to reach and I look like an idiot trying to get into my car. :tapemouth

Ugggghhhh! I'm sorry to hear you still have a leak Steve. Depending on how the prep on my 260Z race car goes, I might be able to make the 16th. I'm building a new motor and I have a bunch of other mods to do as well. The plan is to have it ready for a track day at Grattan at the end of May. If we get it ready in time and that testing goes well, June will be pretty quiet, but if it needs additional work, I'll be thrashing to get it ready for our 12 hour July race at Nelson Ledges. I hope to get my street Z out of the garage pretty soon too. Last year, it stayed in the corner of the garage with the cover on it all summer.

When is it Steve?

Exactly. I learned the hard way what happens when you put them in the wrong way. When you tap them in the wrong way, they can grab the seal and slice the rubber.

Steve, the steel strips have a blunt end and a sharp end. The sharp end goes inwards, but if you look close, it is beveled like a wood chisel. Like a wood chisel, if you put the sharp edge towards the seal, it can slice into it. Instead, you face the sharp edge towards the iron block to protect the rubber seal. Does that make sense? I'll see if I can find a picture of one.