mom'sZ
-
Posts
686 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Events
Gallery
Downloads
Store
Posts posted by mom'sZ
-
-
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.
-
I used auto zone type parts of the first few times for ball joints and tierods. Each rebuild was after a season of open track days and was necessary because of excess play in a ball joint or tie rod. The last rebiuild, I used nissan parts from courtesy. I'm on the second year now and all parts are fine.
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!
-
I have a 1977 280z. It is being prepared for SCCA improved touring road racing. Currently in improved touring, there is a move afoot to change the current ECU rule as it pertains to fuel injected cars. A little history, currently, you are allowed to put any ECU in that fits within the stock ECU housing. You must retain all stock sensors and the stock harness, you may not add any sensors or wiring. The rule was made, most feel, because some guys were reflashing the stock epprom chip and there was no way to police it. It was felt that opening the rule up would at least give everyone the same advantage as the cheaters. Most in the class have felt the rule change sucked and want it changed. Some want to go back to stock ECUs only, but that would be impossible to police. Others want the ECU to be completly open, allowing any ECU, sensors and harness. The problem is that many models have a very tiny ECU housing. Some big dollar teams have figured out how to stuff a MOTEC in there box and have fully programable injection but it's expensive to do. A third camp wants to allow only reflashing the original chip or replacing the original chip but retaining the stock board. Most modern ECUs have a epprom chip that can be unsoldered and replaced.
So... here is my delemma and my question, the stock 280z does not appear to have an epprom. I had originally planned to put a megasquirt inside my original box, it's pretty big and fitting it would be no problem. I had figured out how to run it using only the stock sensors. If the rule change is made only allowing reflash or rechip, how to proceed? I have search, and read what information I have. The factory service manual contains a block drawing of the circuit, and an explanation of how the components work. Has anyone tried to work on one? Does anyone have any information about it or modifying it? I know JWT supposably has cracked it and can change it. Does anyone who knows more about electronic know how to at least get started? ANYONE having ANYTHING that might help me?
Sorry for long post... thanks everyone.
-
Pete: you are a giant among men, I can not believe you posted such pictures, I have learned more, feel so much more educated as to what the big boys would do, just.. holy $h*t man.... how did you get those pictures???!!!!??!?!?!?! THANKS thank you... 2 fing cool!
I am going to try to calm down now.... thanks
-
I know there are services that blueprint injectors. I guess you guys are wanting to DIY?
-
hey rdsk8ter: here's a link to a thread I started a few weeks back. In fact the subject line was so close I thought it might have been my thread (was wondering how it ended up in the fabrication forum) Anyhow, lots of good links to harness manfacturers and discussion on install ect. good luck
http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=116804&highlight=racing+harness
-
It's kind of funny that this thread sat for two or three hours before anyone piped up. Good luck my freind, like John said, you are about to become a Zcar man or move on to another hobby. Spindle pin removal can be as easy as a few taps though usually not unless someone has removed them recently and can be a nightmare resulting in a destroyed strut housing. By the way, the pins are available new from your freindly local Nissan dealership in case you destroy yours. They are about 35$ bucks for both including new nuts and washers. Coat them with neverseize so they'll come out easier next time. I beleive this process has actually been credited with the invention of a few new cuss words. Oh yeah John, you forgot one important ceremonial tool... the RED WRENCH... (acetelyne torch) Good luck Luke... and may the force be with you!
-
Jason:
You can lay fiberglass over anything. You can make a 'plug' out of any material you can get to hold the shape you desire. A plug is fiberglass speak for the object you make a mold from. I've hear of folks here using floral foam (found in a craft store) covered in duct tape. I've personally used beer cans, pvc pipe, sheet metal, masking tape all smoothed over with bondo, you name it. It helps if what you create can be painted, then later waxed, so the mold will release from it. I've heard of people using PAM cooking spray as a release agent. The fiberglass store (look around boat marina) even has some green slimmy stuff called release agent you can spray or roll on, it cuts with water so it's easy to clean up.
-
I have been looking at some wheels and noticed a lot of wheel maker use a notation in there sizing charts of JJ. For instance Volk lists, for 15" wheels, 5 1/2JJ, 6.0JJ, 6 1/2JJ,ect. ect up to 8.0JJ. Does anybody know what the JJ means? I noticed different bolt patterns and offsets were available depending on the JJ notation. Also price seemed to go up as JJ went up. Can anybody help?
-
The connectors will fit through the hole. You have to juggle it a little, passing one connector at a time through, but it will go. Like mentioned earlier in this thread, the fuel injection harness is a whole sepperate harness and if the fuel injection is no longer being used, it (the FI harness) can be removed with out effecting anything else. The other connectors under the dash are for various other inputs the ECU uses to compute the correct fuel mixture. One is for the signal for the RPMs from the ignition module. There is also a switch on the gas pedal although this may be only on automatic models. Once it's out PM me if you feel like selling it. I'll buy the AFM, ECU and the harness.
engine cutting out
in Trouble Shooting / General Engine
Posted
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