2ManyZs

I may be mistaken, but I think MSA sells rebuild kits supplied by ZTherapy. I'm not 100% sure but I think the reman carbs that MSA sells are also done by ZTherapy, that is why they get a premium price for them. Easy way to find it is to call MSA's tech line and ask them who supplies their carbs and rebuild kits. The number is (714) 639-2620 if you don't already have it.

The L-28 was used from 75-83 so there should be plenty of them available. Only difference in the blocks was the later L-28 had a siamesed cylinder with more webbing between the cylinders. These can be identified by the block number of F-54. Nothing wrong with a good L-26 either, the only problem that was experienced with the L-26 was the flat top carburators, and they can easily be changed to the earlier round top carbs. Same goes for the 73 L-24 with the flat tops carbs, change the carbs and you have as good an engine as any L series there was, just donw on displacement compared to the L-28.

No problem on the extra thread. There are so many variables involved in an auction vehicle it is hard to compare one to another. The model of the car of truck has the biggest impact on its auction value. If you are looking at a vehicle that is a high volume seller, you're going to end up paying closer to book value. What a dealer pays at auction is also determined by what the vehicle is as well. Just as in anything else, the demand is going to have the most impact on what the dealer and ultimately you end up paying. Remember the old adage, Caveat Emptor, let the buyer beware! Shop around all the larger dealers for the model you are looking for before you go to a smaller dealer, you will usually end up paying less since they can buy form the factory in bulk, where the little dealers may have to go to a private auction to pick up their cars. Or ffind an auction that allows the public to bid and just go see what the model you are looking for is going for. These types of auctions are hard to find but they are out there, but unfortunately they usually get the left-overs form the larger "dealer only" auctions. Or find a used car dealer that might allow you to tag along with them one time, offer to drive back one of their purchases if you have to. You would get first hand knowledge of what you are looking for and how much it brings at auction.

Complete RB would be the way to go, but it still isn't going to be cheap, and you will have to go out of the country to find one, or find someone who is importing them.:cross-eye

Best thing to do is to get yourself one of the NADA books (or similar) while shopping. That way you can look up the car you are looking at and get a ball park estimate of what the dealer has into it. They will try to get you to pay retail price, while they have invested only wholesale price(or less). The trade in value is usually somewhere in between. Most dealers are going to try for a 10% mark-up, but a lot depends on the dealer itself and how many units they really have crossing their lots. Low volume dealers are going to try for the highest mark-up while a higher volume dealer may discount their mark-up to sell larger amounts of vehicles. Best thing to do is find the make and model you are interested in, look up its value, then go make an offer of what you are willing to pay, if they don't like it, leave. Come back the next day and offer it again, if they don't budge, then the haggling begins. One thing to think about, if you have come close to terms, asking for an extended warranty can make a big difference. Some "program" cars (usually lease vehicles off lease or company cars) still have the remainder of the factory warranty attached, however, getting an extended warranty can make up the difference in what you are willing to pay versus what they are asking.

About the only way you will find a DOHC head is to go to Japan to find one. Then if you do find one it is going to be very, very expensive. I think you may as well resign yourself to not having one like the rest of us have. I've never seen anyone that makes a DOHC head as a replacement either.

Hmm, last time I was at the Advance store they had the Permatex high heat copper in an aerosol can. Wonder why you can't find it? It should be something easy to find.

He probably included the price of a good header in the exhaust price. That itself could cost close to 400 if it were Jet-Hot coated.

It isn't what it used to be.... must have something to do with being 40.:sick: :devious: Back seat of a 73 Plymouth Cuda was even worse than a Z!

The only major difference in the engine blocks was the bore and stroke. There were no real issues with any of the engine blocks. Early L-24's like to rev a bit higher due to their slightly shorter stroke. L-28's have a little longer stroke and a larger bore for more displacement. If you want a good run down on all the heads that were available and some good tips on building a decent L series engine, read through the Datsun Z Garage web-site by Brian Little. You will find a lot of what you seek there. He has done a good job of describing nearly all the different engines and has some good advice on what to look for and what works. You can find his site in our web-links area.

The diff was relocated somtime during the 70 production run. The very early cars had a bit of a driveshaft angle problem. Not sure exactly when they were moved, but anything after mid year of the 70 production run has been OK that I have seen.

With what you have already done it sounds like the drive gear is the problem, they are just plastic gears and have a tendancy to snap where they pin holds them on the shaft. Make sure you replace it with one that is the same color, they are color coded to for the number of teeth so that your speedo will be as accurate as possible. Each rear end gear has a different speedo drive gear to calibrate the speedometer. As for the 5 speed trans question, yes any 5 speed from a 77-78 280Z would work, but you will prbably have better luck finding one from a later 79-83 280zx as there were many more of them on the road, and consequently in the junkyards too. The later 280zx has a bit different overdrive ratio but it is lower which is preffered. Most people use the 5 speed so they can use a lower rear end gear for better accelaration without sacrificing cruising RPM's on the highway. Better to get the 5 speed first and then worry about changing out rear diffs later as your budget allows.

Not sure about the caster as most of us don't have any caster adjustment. Toe would be best about 1/4 negative to 1/8 positive. I usually ran my 280 at 0 toe, front and rear. Ride height is going to depend a lot on where you run and what rules you have to abide buy(if any). I would start with setting it up to have 5 inches from the bottom of the rocker panel to the ground and go from there. Camber, now there is one that is going to be different for everyone, due to tire sizes, track, and a whole pile of other variables. I would start at probably 1 1/2 negative in the fornt and maybe 1/2 negative in the rear. You should check your tire temps after exiting the track and adjust you camber according to your tire temps. Higher temps on the outside, more negative, higher temps on the inside, more postive. Take your temps at three places on the tire tread, inside, center and outside. Adjust your camber and tire pressures to get the tire temps as even across the tread as possible. Tire pressures are a matter of what tire you are running as well, some tires like a cold psi of 36-38 and a hot psi of 44-46. It is going to depend on the tire itself and how you adjust your suspension and what you want the car to do. This is kind of a "seat-of-the-pants" type of adjustment. Hope that helps get you started!

If you ask me, the only way it works is if you believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and a few others. Don't bother, if it were that easy, it would have been developed years and years ago.

This post really has caused a case of arachnaphobia hasn't it? Here's the female Black Widow, its poison is more potent than a rattlesnake, yet it injects such a small amount that it rarely causes any adverse effects with adults. Males are not poisonous. Glad I'm not a male black widow, the female eats the male after mating!! Yikes!:dead:

Bad thing about them is there are more than one variety. Here's a Brown Recluse. One of six poisonous spiders in the US and probably the worst IMO.

These are for 260-280's but should look good in a 240 as well. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1859785731

If anyone is interested: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1860076826

Since it was OK before and after the episode, I would check all the wiring connections around the coil, distributor, and ballast resistor. You might have a loose or corroded connection, of course it could be a bad wire somewhere in that area that has been corroding and causing resistance in the wiring harness. Might be one has been pinched or crimped one too many times. Also, check the wiring inside the distributor to the condensor and points and make sure you have good connections there too. Wouldn't hurt to use a little dielectric grease after you clean all the connections with some contact cleaner or whatever you have available.

If the car has been stored for several years, I would say most of the reason for the clunking you are hearing is because of the deterioration of the rear suspension bushings. Not only the mustache bar bushings but also front differential mount. All the rears have some amount of backlash, but the bushings cause it to be more pronounced. I'd replace the bushings first, then see how it is after that. I think you will notice a big improvement. 3.36's in standard trans models and 3.54's in automatics. 240's and 260's had R-180's some of the late 260's and 75-76 280 had R-200's After 77 they jumped back and forth between the R-180 and R-200 for some reason. I think they even had a 3.90 available in one of the later years fo 280zx's. Not sure which years were which and I don't think I've seen a list anywhere that spells it out in detail.

It should fit, but you will probably need the straps for the later 280 tank as they held about a gallon more gas and their shape is just a bit different. I think the 240 straps may end up being too short.

I hope gealicpride isn't a blond, she may find this offensive since she is a female from Maryland.

Hmm, sounds like a case of arachnaphobia to me. FWIW, even if it was a black widow their bites are rarely if ever fatal to humans. Much better to be bitten by one of these than the Brown Recluse. Their bites seem harmless at first until the body starts to decompose right on the bone. Seeing a person who had been bitten by a brown recluse on National Geographic was enough to make anyone ill. :sick:

Yup, so sorry. The subject line in the e-mail said it was spotted in Annapolis, MD. Hmm, state capitol, hope it wasn't a state worker. :cross-eye