terrycoxusa

Has anyone ever put a 1991-1996 Ford tbird differential in a 280z? These were independent rear suspension, with limited slip. I'm just wondering.

I have the Holley/Arizona Z manifold setup. I'm very happy with it, the only problem I have is a bog if I floor it, especially when cold. Other than that, it starts great hot or cold and runs well. If you do the Holley conversion, buy a brand new one and don't mess around with a used or rebuilt, it will save you time and money. I haven't checked the mileage, but I've put about 2500 miles on it with no problems at all. I agree that a properlly set up injection system would get closer to the perfect fuel/air mixture at all throttle settings, but I had a 280z with injection and the Holley seems quite a bit peppier, probably because the factory efi is tuned to run as lean as possible.

I paid $500 for a 74 260z with a 81 l28 engine. It was a basket case, no transmission, but the body was in nearly perfect condition. I figure I've got about $3000 in the completed car. I don't think I'd pay more than $2000 for a car that needed paint, interior, and mechanical work. I think the 70-78 z's are one of the last affordable sports cars.

Why not put in a small block v8? It seems like it would be cheaper, and more power.

Anybody Have A Diesel Z Car?

The metal can in the passenger side hatch area is a fuel-air separator. One line drains back into the gas tank, one is a vent line from the filler, and one goes up to the charcoal can in the engine compartment. If you plug all the lines, your gas tank will build pressure when it warms up, because the vent in the filler cap is one-way, only breathes in. You could drill some small holes in the filler cap if you want to get rid of the separator tank, but it would probably slosh out gas. I left my whole system in place except for the charcoal cannister and I let the system vent through that hose (in the engine comp.) You could put a spiffy little filter on that line.

Use the 280z master cylinder. They are probably the same, though.

Has anyone ever mounted a 90-97 Ford Tbird rear end in an S30. They are IRS and positraction models are common. Thanks for your sage advice.

Use an electric pump mounted back by the tank, you will have less problems with vapor locking. you will want about 3-6 psi. I'm running a holley 390 on an Arizona Z car manifold, and I'm very happy with it. Starts right up hot or cold, runs clean.

Pressure wash and a paint job,,,,,,, that's what they used to call an oklahoma rebuild. I'd be more interested in seeing what the ring and pinion gears look like. It's true though, that people will pay more for a clean part.

The stock size of 195/70 X 14 is a good match to the motor and size of the wheel wells. The original 240z came with 175 width tires! If you go any wider on the front, it will be a harder to steer, and bigger tires on the rear will hit the wheel wells. I know, because I had a 240z with 225 width tires on it. If I resized, I would buy a 195/60 X15, same overall tire diameter, but a shorter sidewall should sharpen up the handling. My brother did that on his 280zx, and he was happy with the change. I wonder if anyone has tried mounting different width tires and done any real testing to determine the effect on cornering ability, either by checking lap times or using a g-meter. I don't think I would chop up my wheel wells to add flares just because I thought wide tires looked cool. The stock aluminum rims are pretty common, I have two extra sets in my shop, and paid $50 for a set of four. As far as tire width, most wheel manufacturers say to stay within 1" of the rim width. For a 7" rim the tread width should be between 6 to 8 inches.

I have been driving my '74 260z almost daily, unless I need to haul more than two people. I've put on 1000 miles in two months, since I rebuilt it, and absolutely no problems except a clogged fuel filter. Sure it rides a little rough and smells like gasoline, but when I drive it somewhere, I have the pleasure of knowing that I built it myself. Handling, acceleration, and braking are all better than my wife's '05 Mazda van. Not bad for a 34 year old car.

I bought a buffer from harbor freight and buffed the car out. I think it looks pretty good. I attached a photo of it (cant figure out how to post it in the message) Thanks to all

Thanks for the advice, I have a reason to buy a new tool!

I need to buff out my paint after wet sanding. I have a 6" random orbit sander/polisher but I think maybe a plain buffer without the random orbit motion would work better, as I am having a tough time getting a shine. I am using 3M buffing compound, bought from NAPA. What do you think?

I have HID on my Infiniti G35. I wouldn't pay an extra nickel for them, when the high beams come on, they are no brighter than good old halogen headlights. I like those headlights that convert to a halogen cartidge type bulb with the clear lens, the style used on all the new car. My two cents.

I bought the Black Dragon door trim and the door handles. The handles are fine, the door trim fits like the other posts say, but I think they're OK. The price is right.

In california, the '74 doesn't need a smog certificate. There are a lot of people that have made modifications or swapped engines that can't get their car registered because they are no longer smog legal. I would go with the 260, and, they look a lot nicer and are lighter.

I followed this griding advice on my z, it made it worse. Luckily, I had a spare latch to put on. I haven't seen the nylon insert, does anyone have a photo of the latch with the insert?

crutchfield.com has an excellent website to determine compatability. If you buy a stereo from them, they will include the cable adapter to plug it right into the factory wiring.

If it's not running, I would offer $1000 max, assuming he has clear title to it. Take a good look under the car, see if the floorboards and frame rails are intact. Open the hood and look along the sides of the engine compartment and along the front to see if there's any old crash damage. Pull up the carpet and look at the floorpans, check the spare tire well. If you see any heavy rust that is 'flaking', you have some severe rust damage. Also check the bottom of the doors, and the panels (doglegs) just behind the door. Plan on doing a complete rebuild of the engine. Good luck.

After 2 years of intermittent labor, I took my z for it's inaugural drive today. I bought it as a basket case for $500. Rebuilt engine, l28 flattop pistons, n42 head, crane cam, all new valves and springs, new rocker arms, 5 speed trans, new cluch, new bushings, motor, and transmission mounts, armor coated header, monza exhaust, new radiator. Arizona Z car intake manifold with Holley 390 carburetor. Tokico Ilumina struts. The body was stripped to the shell, all glass removed, I painted it Metallic Blue with clearcoat. MSA air dam and skirt, all new rubber seals and windshield. rebuilt seats with new foam. Dash Cap To Do: Carpet and wheel well cover kit, reinstall windows and door handles (tomorrow) install heater/ac. How does it run? Great!!!!!!!! Motor starts with touch of the key, carburetor runs clean at all throttle positions, shifts great, good clutch, and it makes plenty of power. I have an Infinity G35 as my primary ride, but this Z really has the soul of a true sports car.

I just bought 2 from blackdragonauto.com $29 each. anyone with a 70-78 should get a catalog from this company, their prices are good.

I just finished painting my 74 260z. The hood sits about 1/2" high in the front. I dropped the hinges as low as they would go, no help. Nothing is bent, fenders and door line up fine. What's the trick to get the front of the hood to go lower?

I checked the cam clearances this AM, they were fine, noticed the 3 and 4 spark plugs were sooty and the others were a nice tan. I double checked the plug wire order, and sure enough, 3 and 4 were reversed. So I put it right and now it runs GREAT!!! Way better than my (tired) 280z with fuel injection. I can really feel that 4 barrel open up. Thanks all for your suggestions, check the simple stuff first.