Arne

I remember (from my years in the brake repair business) that lots of Japanese vehicles from the '70s and early '80s used similar Tabco and/or Tokico cylinders. The Nissan Patrol was offered in the states only in the late '60s or early '70s. Might be hard to find listings in the parts books. But a cylinder for an all-drum brake vehicle is probably a decent way to go - wheel cylinders take more fluid to operate than discs do. Another possibility might be some Japanese car/truck that came from the factory with four piston calipers. I wonder what kind of cylinder Toyota 4X4s use?

My heater panel was disassembled when I got my car, so thanks to Chris for the fiche pic, it will help. I also noticed that I am missing several of those small clamps, I guess I'm going to have to rummage in the pic-n-pull to find replacements.

I am almost ready to do the same thing, Bruce. I think I've got it all figured out now. Send me a PM, or e-mail me from the link in my 240's web page.

I guess this is why we hash this kind of thing around so much. The carbs we see in the real world don't quite match what the experts tell us to expect. The carbs I acquired to go on 12746 (build date 10/70) have no drains, and I don't know if you'd call my float covers round or square, but they do have 4 ears/screws. The inlet does appear to have a banjo bolt that attaches it, and mine have plastic damper piston caps. Seems to me that the mere absence of the float drains is not a big deal, I seem to see them on eBay fairly regularly. (Unless the same few sets are being sold over and over again! ) The part of that description above that I've never yet seen is the metal damper piston caps. So maybe that is the part that truly identifies the earliest carbs. I dunno... As for my set, it doesn't really matter to me if they're the "correct" carbs for my car. My goal is to have a period looking daily driver. The original engine was already long gone when I got it, and I'm going to swap a manual transmission into it as well. My car will never be original again, so I don't care if they're the right ones, as long as they work. (And they will.) That's not to say that I don't understand the desires of those folks doing bone-stock true restorations - I do, because I've been there too. That's just not my goal for this car. The pictures below are of my (probably) not-so-rare carbs.

Sounds to me as though even the 15/16" master cylinder doesn't have enough volume for calipers of that size. It takes so much fluid to fill all those pistons that you have to press the pedal a long ways.

So the earliest SUs were the ones WITHOUT the float drains? If so, the set I acquired for #12746 are the early ones. My car is not going to be anything special, I just wanted SUs on it instead of the hack-job injection that's on it now. Maybe I should sell my drain-less carbs and buy a different set that's less rare?

The original Tornado mirros were Italian, and made by Vitaloni, the OE supplier to Ferrari, Alfa, Fiat, etc. It appears that Vitaloni still makes that style, but Tornados are now electric only. The non-electric version is now called "Pronto" and is either red or silver painted. (Black is shown on the price list as "out of stock.") http://www.talbotco.com/vitaloni_mirros.html

I think that MSA shows them as available in their catalog, don't know if that's true though...

The brake light feeds (individual left and right) also go through the turn signal switch. A bad contact in the switch could cause the lights to flash with the turn signals but not work for the brakes. Edit - I don't think this is true for later cars, but it is true for 240s. Edit 2 - This is not the case for 240s other than in the US, either.

Good looking project. Hope yours has less rust than mine. Since we're not too far apart geographically, maybe we'll run into one another at some Z meet some day.

No, I don't replace them every time I have them out, only the first time I service them on a new-to-me car where I have no clue to their history. Once replaced that first time, I just service them regularly from there on out.

Welcome to the forum, Tim, and welcome home too! Where are the pictures?

Good to know, Brian. When I get close to doing the tranny swap I'll contact you.

I've been through this before with an earlier restoration. A few additional thoughts: Even a brand new original Nissan part (either NOS or current, if still available) will most likely still need minor finish work prior to painting. When Datsun built the car, the hood was pressed and assembled quite close to the final assembly line. Not so for a replacement part - it has been shipped from Japan on a boat, and then transported by truck at least twice, perhaps several times. No way it is going to arrive as pristine as when it was packaged in Japan, it's going to have small nicks and dimples at best, and could even have gotten slightly twisted somewhere along the way. A really good used one will have a lot shorter trip to you than the new one, and MSA will probably package it as well or better than Nissan would. Any good restoration shop will know where and how to get all the paint stripped from a used body part. They will also know how to prime and seal it prior to painting it. I guess my advice would be to express your concerns to your repair shop, and then trust them if they are comfortable with the part they receive.

In my mind, front wheel bearings are so cheap, I see no reason not to replace them if there is any question about their condition, or if you think that they are not fairly recent. I will replace mine the first time I have the hubs off for any reason - just because.

I just went out to the garage and removed one of my nozzles and looked it over. Found a nice ridge worn in the side about 10-15 mm down from the top. Since new nozzles are in order, ZT is the only choice. Thanks for all the input, folks. I really appreciate it.

I have owned dozens of sets of H4 headlights over the past 30 years, and can say that if all you're looking for is style, pick whatever tickles you. (Those blue lensed things would get you a citation here in Oregon in a big hurry, though.) But if you are looking for better lights, get a name brand like Hella, Cibié or Bosch. To learn more than you wanted to know about lights, visit http://www.danielsternlighting.com/home.html Disclaimer - I have no affiliation with Stern lighting, but he's got good data, not guesses or hype.

I have been using European (E-code) headlights in all my vehicles exclusively since 1976. I have used more different brands than I can remember. In the 7" round size for the Z and ZX cars, the absolute finest I have ever used are Hella. (Cibié was a fairly close second.) They will cost more than the no-name lights and don't look as trendy, but if your goal is better lighting, they're the ones to get. As an aside, no independent tests have ever shown any of the tinted bulbs (Xenon, Super-white, etc.) to be better than normal halogen bulbs of the same wattage. Most are actually worse. To learn all there is to know about headlights, go to http://www.danielsternlighting.com/home.html

To answer one of your questions - a '71 with a VIN of 22541 should be what many call a Series II. Series I cars were '70 and very early '71 models (like my '71, VIN 12746, build date 10/70). The primary differences between Series I and II are in how the interior is vented. Series I has vents in the hatch just under the window, Series II (and later) have vents under the Z emblem just behind the rear quarter windows. While some people prefer the Series I, to me it was just luck of the draw. I'd have taken a later '71 or '72 instead, if that was the best I could find at the time.

OK, sounds like ZT might be worth the extra cash. I suppose it's handy that they are located only 70 miles away, as well.

I'd rather have a really good used original hood than get stuck with some cheap aftermarket part.

Nope, old Opel wheels are 4 on 100mm. Datsun is 4 on 114.3. Not even close.

In Eugene, all the dealers farm out their headliner work to "The Top Shop" on Centennial Loop near Autzen Stadium. I've had them do other upholstery work for me in the past, always with excellent results. Last experience was a set of 25 year old Recaros for an old BMW, they did those for me about 5 years ago.

Any one have any feedback on the following rebuild kits for round-tops? Victoria has aftermarket (I presume) kits for $20 per carb. MSA has kits that are (supposedly) OE Nissan for $28 per carb. ZTherapy's "tune-up" kit is $120 exchange for the pair. Other options? I'm leaning towards the MSA kits, as the ZT package seems to be more than I need (includes their video and SM needles, both of which I can live without at this time).

Yup, totally normal. The crankcase is vented into the intake, after the air flow meter. Removing either of those items lets lots of un-metered air in causing a very weak (lean) mixture.