RPMS

Hey, Al, This might be a stupid question, but have you adjusted the hatch at the hinges to close a bit tighter? One thing I've done in the past to find the source of exhaust infiltration is to take a dollar bill and lay it across the weatherstrip. Close the hatch, and try to wiggle the bill. If it moves easily from inside the car, it's not sealing properly. If it doesn't, move it around the hatch a few inches and try again. If you're sealing well all around the hatch and you're still getting exhaust in the car, maybe you're leaking somewhere else and it's getting in through the floorboards or the firewall? How far does your exhaust tip protrude from the rear of the car? The further the better, I understand. Hope this helps. I had a Z like that once, and it darned near killed me.

Like the others said, this one's a 240 if it's a 1970 model. 240's in the US were produced from 1969-1973. 260's were produced ONLY in 1974 in the states. The easiest way to tell what you're looking at is to look at the stamped metal plates on the driver's side door jamb and in the engine compartment. Here, I beg to differ with my colleagues. Although the floorpan is the most common area to see rusted out in these cars, it's so easy to fix that I don't think it's the worst place to see it. Ditto with the rear quarterpanels - they're cosmetic. They're right about the frame rails, especially underneath the battery. Plan on spending $750-1000 to get new frame rails welded in, if you can't do the work yourself. I'm also discouraged when I see the box sections underneath the doors rusted out. Peel back the vinyl covering the doorsills and take a look. In many cars, this section will be almost completely rusted through, reducing the strength of the body considerably. Similarly, take a look at the shock towers, and make sure they're sturdy and rust-free. Body rust can be ugly, but the car can still be completely safe. If the frame is rusted through though you could find yourself in a heap of trouble, especially when you're torquing the body with a MUCH stronger engine. Just my .02.

Howdy, aaib, and welcome to the group. You might try going to the Nissan dealer to see if the stock inserts you're missing resemble your aftermarket ones. Also, you call what you're missing a "shim". A little flat thing like a thin plastic washer? If it's what I'm thinking it is, go to your local BMW dealer and ask them for the plastic washers that go to either side of the shifter lever of a 1985 535i. This may be the same sort of thing you're looking for, and it might save you some money. As an alternative, you might want to just pull another shift lever out of a boneyard and refurbish it. Cut down the height a couple of inches and refurbished with new plastic parts, the last one I did cost me just a few bucks, looked EXCELLENT, and felt great!

It's not about being older and wearing a hat. It has something to do with wearing hats in general. I think they cut off circulation to the old noggin, or something, no matter how young or old you are. But I do think that if you turn the baseball cap backwards (or, for the older segment, if you put a feather in the hatband of your fedora) you suddenly loose about 75 IQ points. I think it works as an antenna for stupidity waves, or something. If you're going bald and want to shield your exposed scalp without looking stupid, may I suggest avoiding hats altogether and using something like, say, aluminum foil? It also shields you from the intruding probes of space aliens. Now, let's talk about octogenarian women who are so tiny as to be invisible inside the car, save for knuckles and lavender hair. How they manage to see over the Powder Blue hood of that 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham is beyond me...

Hmm... I think my 535i might disagree with you. It's over 250,000 miles old, and still runs smooth and rattle free all the way up to 130 mph. Yes, it's had its share of problems, but no more than any other car I've ever owned, Z's included. It's been a very trouble-free car all things considered. I've owned 2 e28 5 series, 1 e32 535i, and an e24 635 CSi. All have been basically good cars, and none have been bad. What separates BMW's from the rest of the herd is the balance between power, stability, and entertainment. For factory hot rod sedans, you can't beat 'em. Scott Ferguson 1985 535i 1984 Honda CB700SC 1974 Datsun 260Z

German or not, it's still rice. Look at the front fender vents for confirmation. Real M-Roadsters (the appropriate name for the Z-3 in "M" trim) have a chrome piece bisecting the vent horizontally. The seats also don't have contrasting piping stitched into them like the M's do. Any bets as to whether it still has the stock 2.3 liter engine?

Jealousy is SO ugly. Especially when it's me...

Thanks, Pete. Every time I go to your page, I see something new! GrayZee, I don't know what sender you're using, but mine REALLY didn't like the stock ohm readings. It read 3/4 when the tank was less than 1/4 full, and when I filled the tank, it really buried the needle. I think I may have even overloaded something in the gauge, since it still reads super-high when I disconnect the power. *sigh* I guess nobody said that anything on this journey was going to be EASY, did they?!?!

Howdy, Gents. I once visited someone's site who put a GM sending unit in a Datsun gas tank to supply signal to an Autometer gauge. Anyone know whose page that's on? Or can anyone tell me what sending unit they used? Was it from a Geo Metro? Anyone? Anyone??

Dave, Lone, y'all ROCK! Thanks for the info! After work I'm going to see if the speed shop has the right part. If not, I'm gonna make my first purchase from Summit!!!

The hose shop idea seems like a good one. Especially since I have the feeling I'll be needing them later on for A/C hoses. I tried going to the local performance auto shop, one that even carries Autometer stuff. But all they did was shake their heads and suggest that I bring both sending units in so they could match them up. What's with that? You'd think that nobody with an import had ever tried to install an aftermarket oil pressure gauge! Ignorance, especially of your own job, annoys me.

I sat in Tim Schorn's car this weekend (wickedly fast car!) and it has Prelude seats in it. They gripped well, but seemed a bit narrow to my 6'0 230 lb frame. They might be adjustable for that, though. They seemed very comfortable and supportive. The only issue I might have with them would be the seat height. They seem to sit about 2" taller than stock. My car came to me with a sunroof, and parts of its frame protrudes about 3/4" into the cabin. My head *might* hit that on very uneven pavement. The proximity to the roof also made the cabin seem more cramped to me. I think when I look at putting new seats in my car (which will be soon) I'll still consider the Prelude seats, but if I go with them I'll channel the Z's seat supports to make up for the lost headroom.

Hey, guys. Sorry to have to ask such a basic question, but what size are the threads of the stock oil pressure sending unit? The Autometer unit has threads the correct pitch, but apparently the diameter is wrong to screw into the L26 block, and I'll need an adapter. Before they can supply the adapter, they need to know what size the hole is on my block. All 69-78 use the same size hole, I believe. Thanks for the assist,

Make no mistake about it - the cameras are there for revenue generation, and nothing more. I can't cite sources, but the articles I've read on this issue point to a better solution than cameras. In one study, increasing yellow light duration from 5 seconds to 7 seconds resulted in a 70% decrease in red light running. No cameras, no officers, no extra expenses at all. But do they do this? Nooooooo. And photographic evidence isn't illegal in Texas, as far as I know. There are several lights in Plano that have them. Spring Creek and the Tollway, for one.

quote: Originally posted by KAZU: I'm confusing. 1. altezza taillights on civic 2. skyline / euro amber taillights on early z Both are the same mind, IMO. Regards, Kazu The difference is subtle, but it exists. It's the difference between fashion and innovation. Fashion is the rush to conform before anyone else does. Innovation is doing something differently than has been done before, and doing it well. Thinking outside normal parameters is why we're all here in this forum. A ricer with silver taillights innovates nothing, s/he simply sees the look in a magazine, then emulates it to "look cool" like everyone else does, without being the slightest bit innovative. Get the drift? quote: Originally posted by Fairlady 327: i think its funny that you guyz dont like rice rockets but we all drive them. As has been pointed out by my cohorts, "Rice" is considerably different than customization, and doesn't merely refer to the country of origin. You can have riced-out Fords, too. An easy test for Rice-iness is to ask the question: "Is it functional, and does it perform as well or better than stock?" Yes = Custom. No = Rice. Glad to be of service.

I've never tried to retrofit one to the other, so I'm really speaking through my hat here, but I've owned both 240 and 260, and the rear trim APPEARS to be the same. I think the hard plastic pieces are different, to accomodate the dual hatch struts. If you already have the 260 vinyl, try it and see. You've got nothing to lose. Let us know what you find, and good luck!

quote: Originally posted by PetesPonies: the headlight bucket cannot be welded to the fender. They are not steel ( iron product ) as the fender is. Why do you say this? They sure rust like steel does!

quote: Originally posted by rickeybell: The only problem I have with them is that I have a low tacking Pontiac motor that redlines at half the tack. I get lost in all those numbers!! Yeah, isn't that silly? I wanted to find a 6000 rpm tach so I'd get greater resolution out of it. No sense in having a 10k tach when you're only using 1/2 of it. I was wondering if we could just set up the tach so it thinks it's attached to a 4 cylinder engine, then make custom gauge faces on a laserprinter? Am I crazy for thinking that this would work?

This is all VERY FWIW, but I'll throw in my two cents. Do NOT depend on the wiring harness being the same between the old car and the new one. Just because the plugs are the same doesn't mean that they didn't change positions of some of the terminals. Auto engineers are funny that way. The case of the radio should have a rudimentary wiring diagram on it. The last few Alpines I've installed have had this, and yours probably will, too. Make sure that constant voltage is present at the B+ (or "memory") wire, and that when the ignition is on, voltage is present at the wire that is labeled "ignition" or "switched". Double check that you have a good, solid ground. Double check EVERYTHING before you connect the harness again. Make sure all the wires in the harness supply the ground, voltage, or speaker wires like they should. Assume NOTHING. My experience with this sort of stuff is that you sometimes get a second chance if you hook something up wrong, but you rarely get a third. If the problem isn't apparent, and if the wires are all going where they should, take the radio to a reputable installer and pay them $30 to look at it. Cheaper to do that than to buy another radio by futzing it up. And if your radio IS dead, then maybe they'll put that $30 towards the purchase of a new one. Maybe. Good luck!

quote: Originally posted by scca: those look like Halibrand copies... like a old COBRA....... So THAT'S where I remember them from! Yeah, they're different, but similar enough to trigger the memory. I also agree, in part, with Jeromio. I'd either lose the knockoffs, or switch them for the the two-winged type, like the wire-wheel Jags had. The spinners that are on that wheel right now seem a bit too long, IMHO. Overall, it's a very nice looking wheel! Be sure to let us know how many body parts you'll have to sell to afford them.

quote: Originally posted by Nemeziz: I got a quote from Compomotive Wheels. "We would be pleased to Build a set of our PS wheels for your Z car. Ooooohhh, SEXY! An early Z with those rims would look MONDO sweet! And remember, you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's wheels.

quote: Originally posted by JOHN IN SALEM: adapters are evil!!! No, overcooked squash is evil. Spacers are merely dangerous when used improperly. If they were an inherently bad idea, Porsche wouldn't use them on any of its factory cars. IF you don't tighten them to spec and IF you insist on using substandard, cheap studs, I can see where they might be a problem. But the same can be said of using cheap studs on a standard wheel, can't it?

All it needs now is a Mr. Fusion and a Flux Capacitor! I've toyed with the idea of making an electric car, but something about carrying around two tons of lead acid batteries just doesn't sit well with me. Not to mention the fact that I'd probably leave the dome light on overnight and the darned thing would be completely dead. Then I'd have to go BACK to Wal Mart and exchange 30 Group 24 batteries. Scott (tongue firmly in cheek) Ferguson 1974 260-Z

Rat farts! One more thing to buy... *grumble* Scott Ferguson "the ORIGINAL cheap bastard"

Here's a quickie: Will the flexplate from a 1984 305 (out of a Camaro) work with my rebuilt 1996 (or so) 350? (Is this one of those things that everyone knows but me???)