Leon

I assumed you had one already. In that case, you can use a ZX E12-80 distributor with ease or even a 240Z unit with some creativity.

Just buy mandrel bends and be done with it.

No, swap the engine over. It would be complete lunacy to swap harnesses. Nothing is all that different regarding engine electrics. Maybe a couple of minor issues will crop up, but wiring on the carbureted S30 is very simple. Think about it. When swapping the L24 in place of the L26, all that is really different in terms of required engine electronics is the distributor. The 260Z was the first one to get electronic ignition, so use the L26 distributor on the L24. You won't have EGR anymore, so its related connectors will not be used. Both have externally-regulated alternators, so there shouldn't be any differences there. If in doubt, put the L26 alternator on the L24. This is very easy and downright simple, at least compared to any other engine swap into this chassis.

Reference the wiring diagrams from the 240Z and 260Z diagrams. It shouldn't be difficult to do, so swap it over and see if you have any lingering questions. My 260Z currently has an L24 so I can help if you run into issues.

Yes, it's just simple geometry. Pie pieces? Do you mean the cuts used for the sectioned bends? Here comes that darn geometry once again. Take the angle of the needed bend and divide it by the number of sections you plan to use. If you angle both sides of the cut then divide that number by 2. It's that easy!

I think Jon means ARB? This is true, but considering that rear bars are smaller than fronts and the rear LCA has 2 rod ends (as opposed to 1 on the front LCA), I think it's OK.

I'm 99.9% sure that the arm is not threaded, since it's slotted and as Jon points out, there are jamb nuts on both ends.

The easiest route to take is the Pre-Bent Lines from Classic Tube. It's an expensive option, but that's what plug and play will cost. If you're bending/flaring them yourself, stainless lines are not recommended as SS is stiff and not as easily pliable as other brake line materials. I've read that people like to use Cunifer Lines since they're easy to form and flare. This option is considerably cheaper as well. Of course, there are other options in between the two, such as buying pre-flared lines and bending them to match the shell. Good luck!

I don't know much about small-blocks but a quartet of DCOEs plus THIS would be quite awesome!

Must. Resist. Urge to buy these and flare my fenders!

That's exactly what I was going to say, so I'll just second that statement. Acceleration will add bending loads but those threads are pretty beefy, and I wouldn't worry about it unless you were running a ton of power (even then you're probably ok). Braking loads should be much less significant since the front end takes up most of that. It's not a bad arm design, and although the rubber bushings do introduce some (possibly unwanted) ride compliance, I wouldn't consider that a deal-breaker.

Give Todd at Exhaust Works (in Belmont) a call. He knows what he's doing and is a one-man show so his overhead is low, thus his prices are the best I've seen. He did a twice pipe exhaust (L24) on my Z last summer for $300! His number is 650-591-7062.

You can download a free FSM at xenons30.com or xenons130.com if it's a ZX tranny.

Search around here for posts on internal combustion engine design, porting, flow, velocity, ad nauseum. If you are truly interested in the way things work, don't listen to the internet. Some articles may be true, and others false, but both sides will be convinced that they're correct. I highly recommend reading Heywood's "Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals". I can't go into a dissertation on engine flow, but I'll leave you with these points: Velocity IS Volumetric flow over a cross-sectional area, i.e. V = Q / A. Find Q (flow) by taking into account cylinder displacement and RPM and assuming a volumetric efficiency for your engine. The air/fuel mixture within the intake has mass, and therefore has kinetic energy when moving. Kinetic energy increases with the square of velocity and increasing mass. Frictional losses increase with the square of velocity and with decreasing diameter. Draw your own conclusions!

Nice job on the troubleshooting! Tony, both you and the OP are partially correct. I referenced page BE-9 of the '78 FSM: Battery -> Fusible Links -> Light Switch -> Fuses (one for each headlight) -> Headlights -> Dimmer (high-beam) Switch -> Ground The high-beam switch switches grounds between low- and high-beams.

Oh don't get me wrong, it's definitely a cool car! Just don't swoon over the car until you've thoroughly inspected every crevice. It's easy to blur out the things that may be wrong with the car in order to justify the purchase. If it's truly in very good shape, and you don't mind replacing a new-ish car with all of its conveniences for an almost 40-year-old tin can (not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing) then do it. Just know that there are "plenty of other fish in the sea". Personally, I wouldn't mind having something like a 914 (almost got a 944 myself before getting my first 240Z), although I think I'm a little big for them and the engine is definitely not overpowering to say the least. Not sure how I'd handle one as a daily, but I do have a long commute. I like the widebody on that red one, though.

Is it this 914? A couple of bits of advice for you, gathered from my experience: (1) Do not buy wheels at the start of your project. Your taste will change, and the direction of your build will evolve as you go. Don't spend a bunch of money on something that you can't use now or in the near future. (2) Be careful of getting another cool car that you will also work on (the 914). Your attention may divert elsewhere and the Z will be left to sit until you "have time to work on it" or "have some extra money to put in". At least that's what happened to me when I bought my 260Z mid-way through the 240Z project. If the 914 is completely refreshed and doesn't need attention right away then it may be okay. You'll have to resist thoughts of modifying it though! Maintenance can add up quickly, so make sure that every bit of that Porsche is up to snuff if you intend to trade your 30-year younger Mini for it. It seems like the guy took care of a lot of cosmetic details, but be sure to check the engine and suspension thoroughly for signs of heavy wear. Careful with new paint jobs as they can hide rust. Don't let the flash of a nice paint job or interior blind you as to the overall condition of the car. Good luck!

You'll find what you're looking for at your state's DMV.

I assume you haven't even checked valve lash yet, which is supposed to be done before any carb tuning. Set your valves first, or else you're just chasing your tail.

No new cam necessary, clean up the one you have. I bet it will come out shiny and unpitted.

Those are definitely some important components of overall rate and ride comfort (especially compression damping), but the spring rate itself is the biggest contributor. As John mentions, the first thing you (turbeau) need to do is drop the spring rates. Spring rate is tied to your suspensions natural frequency; as the rate increases, natural frequency (fn) increases. You've chosen an fn that is too high for the intended use of your car, thus the pitching, rattling and unsettling ride. Your dampers are also a big part of comfort, so if you were dead set on keeping those springs then you should match them with proper damping. However, as spring rate goes up, so does the cost of the accompanying shock! Therefore, it makes more sense to drop the rate and match it with good, but less cost-prohibitive dampers.

Wait, do you guys really think there will be a 2 psi pressure drop in 2 or 3 feet of 2.5 inch piping?

Thank you, I was going to say the same thing.

Did you find the ratio?

I really like the philosophy they took when designing this car. I'm very interested in seeing how these cars will actually turn out when they're released to the public. The pre-release stuff does sound promising. EDIT: In case my "philosophy" hyperlink isn't clear, here is what I was talking about: http://www.tune86.com/ft-86-news/16526-toyota-86-philosophy-interview-tetsuya-tada Here's a tid bit to whet your appetites :