zgeezer

Thanks to everyone. I think I'll go back to the dealer and walk the service manager around this car and ask him if he can count the misfires and it sits there on idle. g

Is there a safe way to weld the 240Z outer tie rod ends after I've cut and sectioned them? I've installed a Subaru rack and pinion in my 240Z. I drilled and tapped the Subaru rack ends to accept the Nissan EV162 inner tie rods. The two new 240Z outer tie rod ends thread nicely onto the EV162. The EV162 rod bottoms out in the outer tie rod just before the outer tie rod runs out of threads on the EV162. When fully adjusted to the maximum "short" position, the wheels are splayed out at about 30 degrees: both of them. There is no toe"in", but a whole lot of toe"out". I cut 1.125 inches [or so] out of the center of each outer tie rod. The cut corrects the toe out to a point that it falls within the range of adjustibility. I intended to weld the sectioned outer tie rods ends together, making a solid, but shorter outer tie rod. Can this piece be safely welded? If so, what are the precautions. If not, how did others that did this swap deal with toe in adjustment. My brother [the mining engineer Ford guy] has convinced me that to weld these two suspension parts is akin to throwing matches into empy gas tanks. It been done, but is dangerous. If I weld these two pieces together, will I be giving my life insurance reason to cancel my policy? I don't have a death wish, but there must be way to resolve this problem. Any help?

I have a stock '71 sans outer tie rod ends and a tight u-joint you can have for shipping and whatever UPS charges to pack it up. I replaced it with a subaru ps rack. If you're interested, send me a pm. g

How much are these for the early 240 Z? I may order a set myself. They are good looking. g

This site spoils you.

My wife's driver is a 2004 PTCruiser with the 2.4L High Output Turbo. We have 59,000 miles on it. Through 55,000 it got a steady 24+ mpg at our cruise control speeds to Nevada and Utah. Very clean exhaust pipe...No deposit on the interior of muffler tip. Does not consume any noticeable amount of oil. Less than 1/4 quart between oil changes at every 3,000. Two months ago, the car began to stumble at idle. At first, it would miss a beat every few days. Now every time we stop at a sign it drops a cylinder every few seconds. The tach just slowly swings between 500 and 760 rpm. The mileage on long trips with cruise control has dropped to 21+ and, sometimes down to 20mpg at steady speeds. The exhaust pipe now has a heavy deposit of black soot. A lot of it and it is not oily. Last month we dropped it off at our dealer for the 60,000 service and repair of problem. Vehicle returned to us with no change. The tech replaced plugs, did whatever else they do at 60,000 miles and assured me that the car "checks out good" and the a/f ratio is right on the money. No change. Still stumbles and consumes far more gas than it did 6 months ago. No CELs have been thrown. To me, the black dry soot in the tail pipe screams that it is running rich. The dealership tells me again that it "checks out" and that black soot deposits in the tail pipe are normal wear and tear and don't worry about it. Am I just being picky or should I start replacing sensors, beginning the the O2 sensor. Thanks for any comments. g

Rather than hack up the inner tie rod ends, I sectioned the outer tie rods. These are the bent pieces that run from the wheel to the inner tie rods. I cut out of each outer tie rod 1 1/16 inch from the middle. It seems to have solved the problem. Currently they are butt welded together, but once I am certain the length is right I will cut the weld and machine two flat matching surfaces on the mating end of each section. Each end will be drilled and tapped. The two pieces can then be threaded together using a small threaded rod, such as a 1/4 inch allen wrench that is threaded. Then, I'll tig weld the two together. Any one out there have a better idea or some thoughts on the process. g

I don't think you'll have any problem driving in the rain with that CAI. There could be a problem with carbs and cold air intakes without provision for carb heat. Under the right conditions your carb would ice up. My 510 with CAI under the bumper would ice up in about 20 minutes of driving through central valley fog in the early morning or at night. Well known phenomena to pilots. g

Actually, it would be a good choice. Check this for Turbo TBird, mostly stock time: http://www.dragtimes.com/Ford-Thunderbird-Timeslip-9233.html Somewhere, I think on this forum, I read about a 4 cyl Turbo Mustang into the 9s.

Mark, I've posted a number of photos of the cross-member with the Subaru rack mounted on my album. Look for zgeezer. Several show that the threaded portions of the inner tie rods extend out past the xmember's mounting pads. Are all Subaru racks created equal? g

I have a 93 or so Subaru Impreza rack mounted on my 240Z cross member. It is centered and the rack was machined and threaded to accept the inner tie rods from an 80 or so 280zx power steering rack. These inner tie rods are both right hand thread. I've purchased two passenger side 240z outer tie rods (the side with right hand threads) It looks good, but when I thread on the outer "female" tie rods, the inner tie rod "male" bottoms out in the outer tie rods. I don't have any adjustment travel left. Both tires have about 2 inches each of negative toe in. It appears that this rack is about 2 inches longer than the 240z: one inch on each side. Has anyone else had this problem? My Impreza rack does not look the same as some other subaru racks (Foresters) posted here. (I have photos in my hybridz album under zgeezer.) My rack tube steps down to a smaller diameter about midway: the passenger side in smaller and the driver's side is the larger. I think my cure is to cut off about 3/8 inch off the outside tie rod and to cut off a corresponding 3/8 inch off the inner tie rod's threaded rod end. Before I dismantle the rack, I'd like to hear from some of you who've made this swap. Did you have to cut the tie rods to fit the rack? Other than returning everything to a machinest, how would you go about cutting these rod ends, which I think are hardened steel. All ideas welcome. Please. g

Gollum is right. The rules relating to engine swaps in California are byzantine by any standards. The cop on the street standing in front of your car asking you if he has your permission to look in your trunk or under your hood has more pure discretion to piss on your foot and in your pocketbook than most people ever imagine. Yes, if you own a 1971 Vega today and want to replace that DOHC 4 with a 69 302 Z-28, you better dress it as a 350/350 and whistle "dixie" at the referee station. Likewise, with my brother's 62 Falcon with a stroked 69 351W. Today, the Scarab swap would be illegal for a number of reasons: first b/c it was an earlier 327 Chevrolet into a later body and second none of the good stuff in that 327 carry a BAR exemption number. The Gen III Chevy truck engine I'm installing in my 71Z is TOTALLY ILLEGAL because it is a truck engine. It doesn't make any difference how clean it is or that I've kept all the smog paraphenalia and installed a cat.. it is an illegal swap by definition. I'm still going to do it and I'll also install all the smog in working order. Why? Because the engine was cheap for one and because I'll be prepared to replace the truck engine with the same year LS1, when the cop comes to call. Finally, I don't expect to sell it soon. What is the risk? If you are young, asian, black, hispanic and drive a lowrider, euro, or heavily riced anything you will be pulled over sometime. That cop will decide if your music is too loud [$1,000 fine and forfeiture of your stereo for second offence, in my neighborhood], if your Apexi is too loud or, maybe your car has too many red/blue lights or aluminum fittings under the hood with "TURBO" prominantly displayed on every body panel. You will get a "fix it ticket" that could ultimately bring you face to face with a referee. If you are an old white geezer driving a clean quiet Z, you might walk away from the encounter with complements about the car, an 85mph speeding ticket, and a polite "have a nice day" for which the proper ritual response is "thank you, officer". My brother, in overalls, would simply answer the question with: "Officer that is a 1985 Mustang engine in my 1962 Falcon. I bought it that way 30 years ago." , which would be just about the perfect answer. The politically incorrect response would be: "Officer that's a 2005 Cobra DOHC out of a Mustang, I just put in." By the way, a few years ago Hot Rod Magazine ran a series, I think, of articles about smogging a Chevy big block swap into a 70'ish Chevelle. In their particular car, they could swap in a BB 454, but NOT a BB 427, although both were in production at the time. Why? Because a BB454 was offered as an option in the Chevelle for that year. Furthermore, I think they had to build a BB454 using an original 454 block for the appropiate year. They did the articles to highlight BAR exempt goodies. I recall their final advice was to run alcohol...not gas because only gasoline engines were subject to the new rules. A novel thought. Police officers selectively enforce the vehicle code in California.... maybe, even, everywhere. Build the car you want, but understand when you build it the risks involved if it does not or can not meet California regulations relating to engine swaps. g

I've seen 3 3.36 R200 differentials in the last 9 years. Two were in MT 2+2 ZX and one in a 260 2+2. Bought the last one. Rule of Life: If you want/need it you can't find it; otherwise its everywhere you look.

Did all 300 turbo LSDs come with the finned aluminum inspection cover? I've located a 300 turbo with manual transmission, w/o wheels, sitting on the ground in my local pick a part. Standard steel inspection cover, but the label on the door states this is a 1987 vehicle. Is there any VIN code that would tell me if this has the LSD. This car is right ON and IN the muck: there is no way I can turn a wheel without digging it out and having it lifted with a fork lift. Is it likely to worth the effort. g

Bartman, Thanks for the photos. I see that your differential cross member has been modified, allowing you to mount the "X" pipe high into the tunnel. I might be able to do something similar with my long nose R200 if I use a "Tyler" mount. Two questions: With this system, do you have a resonance/drone in the cabin? If so, at what rpm range? g