Miles

I experimented with both the double hacksaw blade and rotory cutting wheel after wraping the steal braid with duct tape. Both methods worked well. Has anyone tried bolt cutters? we are reinstalling the fuel tank in my son's 72 Z and I'll be replacing the line from the tank to the electric fuel pump with a stainless braided line. I am confident now that I can install the stainless line neatly cut using either a cutting wheel or hacksaw. Thanks again for your input. Miles

Overfill of gear lube makes sense. The problem seems to have gone away. The gear lube got onto the exhaust pipe and left some burnt oil stains. I'll be more careful next time I change the gearlube. Also, the plastic pipe that goes into the vent hole broke off so I may try to work some tubing into the hole and route it so it drains to the ground. Thanks Miles

thanks for the info. Miles

There is a vent hole on top of the R200 differential. What would cause gear lube to be blown out of the vent hole? Thanks Miles

what tool works best for cutting stainless steel braided fuel line? I tried an abrasive cutting wheel and a hack saw but both tools made a mess out of the stainless braid. Thanks Miles

What works best to clean a fuel tank? I am sure my 30 year old 240Z tank has some rust etc. Thanks Miles

Steve I am sealing all of the unneeded lines. For ventilation I drilled a small hole in the gas cap (cap removed from car). With just the lines plugged there have been no problems. I just want to get rid if all of the stock fuel lines that leak fumes and fuel when the tank is filled all the way. I still don't see an easy way to disconnect and reconnect the filler hose to the tank. So I may have to figure a way to cap the lines with the tank in the car. Thanks Miles

Jeromio Did you ever get the filler hose reconnected? I wonder if the whole filler hose could come out of the fender as an assembly. Miles

I am going to remove the fuel tank from a 72 240Z to close off tubes that are no longer needed. Are there any problems with removing and reconnecting the filler hose? It looks like it may be hard to get to. I am going to install a new fuel gauge sending unit while I have the tank out. I noted on the new sending unit that the electrical parts of the sending unit are all open and exposed inside the gas tank. Seems like they should be in a sealed unit. Thanks Miles

Dan My 72 240Z brakes act just like yours. So I checked the brake power booster with a Mityvac vacume gauge. I pumped up a good vacume and it held with no leak down. I still suspect that there is air getting into the lines somewhere in my brake system. The only parts I have not replaced is the switch (distribution block) under the MC and the power brake booster. I still can not get a firm pedal. Let us know how you get this resolved. Also, is your check valve between the carb and the power booster in place and working? Mine is missing and I wonder if that could contribute to brake pedal problem. Good Luck Miles

Thank you Grumpyvette: You saved me about $50.00 and several hours under the car. I thought I had a blown timing cover seal or front pan seal due to an pool of oil collecting under the fuel pump blockplate and on the cross member on the passenger side. We really noticed it while driving on the freeway with no hood. Oil was spraying back onto the windshield. I checked for the bolts on the front of the engine block near the the fuel pump and sure enough there were no bolts and the holes go all the way through the block. At high RPM oil would blow out of the empty bolt holes. I installed two bolts in the offending holes and there are no more oil leaks!!! Miles

I agree with the valve seals after doing a vacume gauge check. I am debating taking the heads to a shop for rebuild or buying a set of performance heads. It's always something. Gas take started leaking at the vent line so it will take priority for now. Anyone out there have any problems with the removing/attaching the filler hose when the tank is removed? Thanks Miles

Tim I'll pull the plugs and check for water. I only see the smoke when it first fires up. Thanks Miles

Recently my 350 sbc belches white smoke on start up. Is this caused by a rich carb or oil getting into the cylinders? It doesn't smoke once the car is moving or pulling away from a stop. Thanks Miles

Mike I actually did find that the previous owner had installed a 280 rear strut on the driver's side. To compensate for the difference in strut length he installed spring lifters on the side with the shorter 240 strut. I caught it when I rebuilt the rear brakes last Feb. So I went the bone yard and bought a 240Z rear strut for $75.00. No problems so far. I will measure the front struts to make sure they didn't get mixed up too. I have had to undo just about everything the previous owner did to the car. I was much more careful on the second 240Z I bought for future V8 conversion. Everything on the car still works. thanks Miles

chelle I had a clunk in my stock 72 Z that I finally traced down to the nut on the right stub axle. I took the car to a garage where some serious torque could be applied to the stub axle nut. No more clunk. Good Luck Miles

Just finished installing Arizona Z springs 180 lb/in front and 225 lb/in rear with Tokico performance shocks. Made a major improvement in both ride and handling. However, the car has always had a slight lean to the right. The new springs and shocks improved the lean, but watching the car go down the road from the rear I still see the car leaning to the right. The car also pulls slightly to the right if you let go of the steering wheel. Is it time to visit the frame shop? Thanks Miles

Dan I am running OEM Nissan shoes now with KVR pads up front. The left rear started locking up so I pulled the drums and discovered a small amount of grease from the backing plate got onto the right set of shoes. I sanded both left and right shoes and there is no sign of grease. I readjusted the rears and got even braking for awhile, but now the left rear is starting to lock before the right side again. I am thinking that I may just replace the shoes, but wanted to know if there is a better performing shoe for street use available. Most people have suggested just staying with the OEM shoes. Also, how important is bench bleeding the master cylinder? After installing a new MC the pedal travels a bit far before it firms up. Does bench bleeding the MC make much difference in pedal firmness? Thanks Miles

Perry I'll check out Napa. Thanks Miles

After many frustrating hours spent on my stock 72 240Z brakes I am going to the Toyota 4x4 conversion with the big ventilated rotors. I think SCCA sells the kit I want. Which year 280 Z or ZX 15/16 master cylinder bolts in with minimum modification to the brake pipes? Thanks Miles

Jaime I am having the exact same problem with my 72 Z driver's side door. I traced the problem to a spring shaped like a safety pin located in the lock plunger mechanism. The choices I have looked at are removing the door mechanism and finding a spring that will work like the original spring or buy a whole new door mechanism. The spring provides tension to keep the plunger in the up or down position. With the spring missing there is nothing to keep the plunger up and when you slam the door the plunger will (usually) drop into the locked position. Take the door panel off the side that still works and examine the plunger mechanism with a flashlight. Move the plunger up and down and you will see the spring moving. If anybody knows of a replacement spring let us know. It has to be cheeper than a new door mechanism. Miles

I am still running drums on my 72 240Z. Who makes the best shoes for street use? MSA sells Ferodo green stuff shoes. Are they an improvement over stock shoes for street Zs? Thanks Miles

Does anyone know what the tubing and fitting sizes are for the brake pipes that connect to the stock 72 240Z proportioning valve? My PV is located behind the storage compartment behind the passenger seat. Thanks Miles

Scottie Do you have photos of how you made the connections to the stock lines attached to the stock PV? Also, what tubing size and fittings were required to tie into the brake lines and the PV? Thanks Miles

72 240Z with sbc 350: After fitting all new front and rear brake parts and putting about 300 miles on the pads (KVR) and shoes (OEM) I am having a problem with rear wheel lock up on heavy braking. Either the left or right wheel will lock up. The fronts will not lock up at all. Originally I adjusted the rears to where the drums just dragged on the shoes, but either the left or right wheel would lockup on hard braking. So I then backed off both sides, but either the left or right wheel will still lock up under hard braking. Slackening the adjustment further compounds the problem by increasing pedal travel. I am considering that I may need to install an adjustable proportioning valve to balance the front and rear braking in an effort to prevent the rear wheel lock up problem. What is the best approach for adding an adjustable PV? How do you get the rear brakes adjusted evenly? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Miles