mom'sZ

Did Fabcon engineer these parts or simply fabricate them? Has there been any engineering done on them? I think this is a valid concern. I thought the same thing when I read that, breaking a lower control arm could be... well... very hairy. We've had this discussion before. It always goes the same way, folks comparing the stock piece's strength. (where's Mike Kelly?) The stock arms are damn strong, flexy maybe, but weak, even after thirty years... no. The last guy who made up some front lower control arms and posted on here, the discussion got so out of hand the thread got deleted. And don't get me wrong, I feel just like Jon, there are far to few folks making parts for our cars and we need to support them. And these things look TRICK! I want them to be good, I want to buy some. (I must use stock arms for my class though) I am just curious to know if an engineer looked at them. Dragonfly, BTW... the underside of your car, the unibody itself, it is very clean.... NICE.

I second what pop said.... check those battery cables, not just look at em and say yeah they look good, actually remove them and clean them (both ends) I cannot count the posts I've read with this issue, I was thinking the same thing as I read it. And load test the battery is another really good idea. Some times a battery can hold a charge but under a load, it goes down. Specific gravity test or load test are the only real ways to check a battery. Cheapy specific gravity tester at the discount auto store place is like 3 bucks.

Well, the oil pressure sending unit it was. Stuck the BSP pipe plug in it's place and the thing is as dry as a popcorn fart. I have two spares (on spare motors, not new) I wonder what the chances of either of them not leaking and also working would be. I hear they are notorious for not working.

Tony, just wanted to add some little stuff. you seem to think fuel lines can only suck shut inside on the suction side of the system. Not true, a worn line can collapse internally under pressure! I've seen it. Also, is there any way you can rig up to pump fuel through the system into a bucket or something on the injector end of the system? Maybe pump it back into the tank and let it run for awhile? Test the entire system up to the point it enters the rail? I bought a cheapy fuel pressure gauge at the auto parts store, one thats made for testing fuel injection systems, for 15 -20 bucks. Rigged it up with a tee fitting. Later I bought one of those little ones that goes on the rail from summit. Be nice to be able to watch as the problem occurs. Good luck man you'll get it, you've got some pretty big guns out on this one, you'll get it. Keep us informed.

I don't mean to point out the obvious, but the oxygen contain is less at high altitudes and pressure is less so cylinders don't get packed as full. Generally speaking the higher in the mountains you go the less power the engine makes. Does sound like you just let the tank get a little to empty for spirited cornering though, especialy if your car is fuel injected.

Could you provide contact info for either place? Send me a PM if you want. Especially the place that did the whole body or the guy in the club. True Alex, true.... for a street driven car you are probably right. But I'm trying to prepare a car for SCCA Improved Touring class road racing. There is a minimum wieght and only so many things you are legally allowed to do to get to that wieght. The zcar is one that finds it hard to get to it's min. Stripping undercoat, old paint, bondo ect. is one of them. The car would be stored inside. Also, this is door to door racing and SCCA is known for having a very high tolerance for contact. Long before it rotted out, it would probably get smashed, rolled or totaled out (cringe) I already have one spare shell. So for me it would save tons of time and get some undercoat that otherwise couldn't be reached.

Thanks for the tips on engine cleaning guys, but like I said, the engine was out last summer and I wouldn't go so far as to say it's spotless under the hood (it's driven almost daily) but it is pretty damn clean under there. I did take a leftover half can of gunk and blasted that side of the engine. Took the car for a ride and it seemed to definitly be coming from the oil pressure sending unit. Looks like it comes out the end where the wire plugs up. Anyhow, anybody ever seen this? I have some BSP plugs and the dog gone thing never worked to start with, so I removed it and put a plug in it's place. I have aftermarket gauges I'm going to install.

I have a mostly stock L-6 in a 77 280z. Last time the engine was out I replaced the valve cover gasket, it was leaking pretty bad. The car still has an oil leak. It's a fairly high mileage motor. I thought it might be the oil pan gasket or the rear main seal. I jacked the car up and crawled under to look and it appears to be more coming from the passenger side of the motor. It doesn't seem to be coming from the valve cover gasket anymore, it looks more like it's coming from the head gasket. ? This seems odd to me and I wondered if anybody else ever had this or is it common. The other possiblity is the oil pressure gauge sending unit. It is stock and original (30 years old) and doesn't work. The oil around the head gasket could be radiating up from the sending unit. It's only in that area. Anybody had any experience with that?

I think it was the ignition module. (good guess hizandherz) here's why. All the items suggested are virtually brand new. This car is maintained to the hillt. Plugs rotor cap, weeks old. Wires, magnacor maybe two months. Fuel filter, injectors new. But the ignition module is the original 30 year old part. I remember someone mentioning they start to cut out when they get hot. Then work fine once they cool off. That seemed to be how this worked. When I got home I checked under the hood for anything obyious, then drove it around. It continued to do it pretty bad. The more I drove around at low RPMs, the less it would do it. I let the car sit for an hour or so and it totally stopped happening. I plan on replacing it with an aftermarket unit. I will retest this one just to be sure that is the issue before I change it out and let you guys know what I find. Thanks for the help

I'm almost certain some zcars came with manual brakes (no booster) The wildwood ones are made to be manual. If your booster died though, you would want to swap a manual master cylinder in, not just delete the booster. The ratios are different. Pedal effort will be much higher.

Nice for the price. My only question is, does it have a bladder? Didn't say. I don't think it does. Said it had foam. What are you going to use the car for? The plastic ones are more for drag racing. They are cheaper and light. They improve weight and fuel delivery, and are made to operate in an envioronment where you are rarely crashed into by another vehicle. Most metal ones are an enclosure for a bladder. These are required for most door to door racing, like road racing, where the chance of somebody hitting you is much greater. That one looks like a cross between the two styles. Just an aluminum tank. Check the rule book if you intend to race. For the street it would work. Most sanction bodies require a metal bulkhead between the driver and cell. In a Zcar, that means a hinged cover over it in the hatch area.

the engine might have been raised slightly to clear the subi rack. Make sure it doesn't just have some type of spacer added. The steering shaft was probably cut/modified for the same reason. You will probably have to source a replacement shaft. Examine the crossmember closely to see if it has been cut or pieces added on. I'm sure I've seen pictures of them out of the car on this site to compare to (search) You may just need a new bracket that goes between the motor mount and crossmember. Post a picture of it. If the engine was raised to accomidate the subi rack you will want it back to stock once the stock rack is back in. Zgeezers question about the engine type is an important one. (something earlier in the thread made me think it was a V8 swap) The previous owner probably went through a lot of trouble to swap this rack into the car, Why did you swap it out?

measure the ride hieght from the bottom of the rockers to the ground, front and back, just for reference. When you're done you'll be trying to remember how high the car sat. And measure from the top of the wheel arches to the center of the wheel hubs with the car sitting on the ground at normal ride height. This will give you a reference later when you mock up the suspension to decide how much to cut and where to put the new spring perches. Good luck with those spindle pins!

Give Roger at the Z barn a call. He really really knows his 5 speeds. He's in Tenn so call during business hours EST (can't tell where you are located) 800-247-2793 If you get a machine, leave a number (he gets really busy but will call you back)

I have a 77 280z with the stock engine (L-28) and stock fuel injection. I pull out of a parking lot tonight, got rolling in first, shifted into second (normally, not hard) then pressed the pedal to the floor and wound the car all the way to 5500 or 6000 RPMs. I shifted into third, then forth and was cruising along about 50 mph when I noticed the engine seemed to be cutting in and out. I let off a bit then stepped down again and sure enough, it seemed to be cutting in and out, kind of jerking. It got worse and I worried I won't make it home. I made it, but it continued to do it the rest of the ride home. It seemed a lot like a time I got the throttle position sensor wet, but it did not get wet. When I got home, I checked for anything obvious but couldn't find anything. I took it for a ride and it seemed to still do it, but as I drove around it did it less. If I accelled real hard, I could get it to do it again. This is a well maintained car and has new wires, cap, rotor ect. Fuel filter is new and pressure gauge shows no drop. It seems like it cuts all cylinders, not just one or two. Like the engine cuts completely in and out, not dropping cylinders. Any ideas?

just wondering.... where did you get that done? How big a piece can they do? whole bodies?

Since you're in there anyhow, I'd give them a very close inspection. I'd be looking for deformation of the bushing material, I've heard that they sometime squish out of place. Also check for any scoring or grooving since they rotate instead of flex. Make sure they seem to maintain there hardness and give them a good greasing if you don't find any problems.

wow... old thread. well mine are 15" 15x7 to be exact and they are 45 degree lug holes.

The difference between factory stuff and parts store stuff has always been an important factor for me, price be damned. Thanks Mark for some real world comparison. Ball joints and tie rods are important parts! On the rack bellows... I've seen them from 15 bucks up to sixty. You really think your getting the same quality for that much of a price difference? I bought a rebuilt rack, I was adjusting toe and the twisty wire thing used to clamp the boot to the rack held just tight enough to cause the cheap boot to tear when I twisted the tie rod. You get what you pay for.

Pete: one more question... the cobra uses side mounts right? How did they attach to your shell? Did they bolt right up? Picture would be cool. (ok, that was more then one question)

sure... shouldn't be a problem. 25 years exp. in collision work. There is a good chance that while doing the original repair, they left the damage you see now as it didn't effect panel alignment or suspension alignment and they assumed no one would ever see it. Post a picture and we'll take a look if you want to know better whether it's important to fix

Pete: how big are you? (sorry for personal question) I bought a Momo start. They are cheap for an FIA approved seat (about $300) but that sucker is tight. I am 6' about 200 pounds and I can fit my but in it but it isn't real comfortable. And we are talking track comfort here (race car) My pants size is 32 inseam, 38 waist. I want a composite seat, and expensive is not that big a deal (ya gotta do what ya gotta do) I noticed your cobra is a GT, is that the larger size?I know they make sperco (sp?) in bigger sizes also. How much does your cobra wieght? (what is 7 kg in lbs.?) Anybody else with experience with composite race seats?

Pop, do you mean the bracket that is just to the left of the mount surface (where the bushing goes) that is held in place by what looks like a hefty muffler clamp? If so, it is not unique to the 240 because my 280 has it. It is a bolt on braket which has a rubber snubber on the other side that isn't showing in that picture, and is a stop to keep the rack from rotating in it's original soft mounts I believe. It doesn't come on replacement racks and must be swapped over from the old rack most the time, so I wouldn't be surprised to find a lot got left off. But they are on 280z originally.

I'm not sure if this is what you are talking about, but the sway bar bushing for the front bar (this is the bushing where the bar actually bolts to the frame, not the end links, your description wasn't 100% clear) doesn't come with the kit because there are three different size bars that came on our cars, so you have to measure your bar and order them sepparately

jkgts1: I'm a former paint and body guy with a lot of experience in collision work (over 25 years) It's hard to tell from the picture, but that appears to me to be frame damage from a collision. I think I'm looking into the wheel house at the frame rail between the cross member and the T/C bucket? If that is what I'm lookng at i'm not sure a jack could have done that and if it was a collision, it could have been a pretty good hit. It appears it would have been a hit from straight on in the nose. What concerns me is there are a couple other places that would bend first. Look for other possible signs of a repair job. The undercoat looks stock, but look for places that the undercoat is crack or has been resprayed. Look at the panels (hood fenders ect) in the jam area to see if they have been sprayed to match. The most important thing though is to make sure your frame is straight enough that the wheels are running true. When I did frame work we had a lot of fancy guages and equipment to measure frames. A lot of guys didn't even know how to use them correctly. But to be honest, the tool I used the most to measure frames was a common tape measure. (and my eyes) Simple checks can be performed at home by anyone. First thing to try is measure the wheel base on both sides and make sure both side are the same. Have a helper hold the end of the tape right in the center of the hub (eye ball it is close enough) and measure to the center of the hub at the other end. (center of rear wheel hub to center of front wheel hub) Do both sides and if they differ by more then about an 1/8" to 1/4", you have a problem. Next check is a little harder. With the tape measure, measure from the rear on one side to the front of the other, in an X pattern. Use a point that is on the suspension and is the same on both sides. For the front I usually used the ball joint grease fitting. In the back on a zcar, maybe use the center of the strut housing, I don't know, I'd have to crawl under mine to pick a good spot. This tells you where the wheels are sitting with out regard for the sheet metal. Sometimes the rail can still have kinks and such but the wheel is where it needs to be. A good body man would work the kink out just so someone doesn't see it, but a lot of guys let it go once the frame is true. If this measurement is almost exactly the same, the chassis fairly square. Both methods are crude but pretty effective. If both are close, you probably are alright. Third check is to have someone get in the car, stand directly behind it, and let them drive away from you straight with out turning. Squat down low and as they drive away watch to see if the car dog legs or tracks straight. Does it roll with front and rear wheels aligned or does one side stick out on one end. These are just crude checks to see if you have a really bad problem. If they turn up something bad, don't worry, frame damage isn't the end of the world. Shop around a little bit, make sure the shop has a unibody alignment machine. Most shops charge about 4 to 8 hours just for set up and tear down, so it will be a few hundred buck. You can save yourself a few bucks by removing the bolt on panels in that area if you want to DIY. Good luck!