T-Bone028

Well, although I havent had to get a quote for a custom driveshaft...the beauty of not buying online means no shipping charges! If they do good work, and have a good set of references, I would buy locally.

Not my cup of tea, but as long as he likes it though right? My only thoughts on that car, is that it must be literally blinding when trying to drive. I can only imagine the type of glare he gets from his yellow dash reflecting on his windshield.

I've thought about the whole Z vs Mustang value for a while. For about the same price as a brand new 370Z, you can get a 2011 Mustang GT that has about 100 more horsepower. I personally would not be interested in a Mustang, but I still think its an awesome combination of power and affordability. I'm sure it lacks some of the refinement in a 370Z, but its hard to pass over as a serious contender when shopping in that price segment. I mean, the new GT even has a factory option for 3.73 gears and it barely cost anything! Regarding the V6 powered Mustang...I remember when V6 mustangs were just something to laugh at and pretty much useless as far as any sort of spirited driving. I think Ford has done a great job on changing a lot of peoples minds and really making people think about their engine choice when they're at the dealership. Value wise with regards to fun factor, I think the V6 Mustang is probably the best bang for the buck in the market right mow.

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/SBC1C02/30-7291 There is a repair panel available if you are willing to pony up $150. I'm assuming this is the area you are talking about.

I think the reason why most people dont have more detailed info on this is because we have so many other options available that have been tested over the years. Triple carb setups accomplish the same thing (for the most part) but have a larger knowledge base and off the shelf availability. But if you are still curious, try giving this a read. I dont recall if the slide carbs are from a motorcycle, but it is interesting nonetheless. http://www.viczcar.com/member-rides/eiji-hosomis-datsun-240z

I think you should do as your planning, flush and fill the diff, add some LSD additive, and hope for the best. If you have time, flush and fill the tranny. May or may not help, but I cant imagine it would hurt to try some basic maintenance stuff first.

So I was thinking about the purpose of the R/T mount, and its original inspiration. Its supposed to replace the weak stock rubber mount and improves upon the design, which I understand. Its also supposed to allow the differential to be slightly lower, which supposedly helps with V8 type applications and helps to straighten out driveline angles. In a L6 application, does the lowered position of the differential have any averse effects such as greater u-joint wear from the increased driveline angle? Opinions welcomed...sorry to hijack Jacob! And, I dont suspect I'll ever get rid of this clunk short of replacing or rebuilding my diff...not something I want to do since I already have a R200 LSD! My only hopes is that switching from a solid mount to a poly will help muffle the clunk and add some dampening effect over my current solid diff mount. I'm going to go ahead and cross my fingers in hopes that it will help extend the life of my diff in some magical way...or I'll find a way to get Mr. K to bless my car. He already signed my glovebox and it hasnt broke yet, maybe he can sign my diff.

I havent received the RT mount yet, its still in production for the group buy over on ClassicZcars. I might opt for the GM poly mount, or try the poly bump stop method paired with a stock rubber mount to "sandwich" the diff. Thanks for the heads up on the washers. I'm pretty sure the RT mount wont solve my thunk, but at least I will have less of a chance of cracking my cross-member as a result of my solid diff mount like others have experienced.

I guess the real question then becomes, how much money do you have in your wallet? I'm positive you can make +300 HP with a L24...its just going to cost you more money than a number of different options that have already been explored, discussed, and documented in depth on this website.

While I understand the inherent nature of a +35 year old car (it will groan, clunk, squeek, etc), I cant help but strive to get it to as close as possible to perfect (or at least my interpretation of perfect). Thats why we all do this right? Seeing as this is pretty documented as a common problem (Thank you FlatBlack for the link), I will do what I can to minimize or mask it. I have a R/T mount on the way and hopefully pairing it with a poly mount instead of my current solid mount will help quiet things down.

You and me both brother. I know some other members chimed in and said they've had similar issues, and its been "ok", but just like you I'm worried about the "what if" factor. These cars seem to have a double-edged sword. So much joy, but so much stress.

Thanks KillerBJT, thats something I DIDNT want to have to address HAHA. Ugh...I'm a shade-tree mechanic at best and this is something completely out of my league and out of budget right now. I mean the car is completely driveable, I just dont want to be driving down the road when all of the sudden my differential explodes while cruising at 60 mph. The only thing I've started noticing since I replaced all of my u-joints is some sublte gear whine on deceleration. Seems new to me...but then again maybe I never paid attention to it and couldnt hear it over my radio. (I replaced all of my u-joints because I broke 2 of them on an overly aggressive launch at the drag-strip). I'm going to drain my diff soon and see if there are any obvious signs of metal shavings or debris, but other than that, I'm out of ideas for my skill level. Any other Drivetrain doctors want to chime in on how to diagnose excessive play in the differential for the average weekend mechanic wanna-be with limited tools?

Jacob, did you ever get this resolved or did you ever track down the culprit to your clunk? I'm going through the same thing right now...I've replaced EVERYTHING. Only thing left is the actual differential.

I'm guessing you have a 260Z...like flatblack suggested, double check your driveshaft and halfshaft bolts...it cant hurt. Also, Just because a u-joint feels like it doesnt have any play, its pretty difficult to be sure of it unless you have your driveshaft or halfshaft out of the car. If you have grease fittings on your u-joints, try giving them another shot of grease. Check your lugnuts to make sure they're tight.

Best of Show!!! That's quite the honor! Congrats on the award and I'm sure it was all worth it.

Hoping to get some additional ideas on where else to look for the infamous Z "clunk". Little history: I snapped two u-joints about a month ago. Since then, I have replaced all 6 u-joints (both half-shafts and driveshaft), re-torqued every single thing underneath the rear, and still, upon initial acceleration and in between shifts, I get the clunk. Most people would say, "its your diff mount, search "R/T mount" and you will find your solution"...unfortunately, I dont think thats the case, which is why I'm posting. My stock rubber differential mount was replaced with a solid unit, so I doubt that its my diff lifting upon acceleration or shifting. I know most people will chime in and say that a solid mount is overkill for anything other than a track only car, but I would think that regardless of whether or not its necessary, the fact that I have a solid differential mount should eliminate it as the culprit, correct? Since all of my u-joints were replaced within the last month, and they have all been properly greased and inspected for binding before install, I should be able to eliminate the u-joints and driveshaft/half-shafts as the source, correct? I have re-torqued everything underneath the rear, so I dont think its something easy like loose bolts on the mustache bar. So where else to look? When I jacked up the rear of my car yesterday (again), I did a non-scientific test to see if I could replicate the clunk. When turning the wheel/tire by hand, I can replicate the clunk that I hear in-between shifts or during the initial acceleration. To me, it seems like a bit of slop that I just cant find. The only other thing I can think of is to drain and refill the differential and hope that helps smooth it out. The differential fluid was replaced just about a year and half ago, so I dont really suspect it as the source. Any other suggestions? Could it be that the solid diff mount is just amplifying what would normally be masked by a rubber style mount? I'm on the list for another production run of R/T mounts on classiczcars, but I'm not sure if swapping will actually help or resolve my issue. Any help would be appreciated. My rear-end setup: Refurbished driveshaft with new Neapco u-joints 3.7 LSD R200 New Neapco Brute Force u-joints on both halfshafts Energy Suspension bushings Solid differential mount Stock arrestor strap on top of the diff MSA rear sway bar All re-installed components were installed with lock-tite, everything else was re-torqued

Also, look into the parking light harness relay kit...its only like $60 and pretty easy to install and will save your combo switch and fuse box from unnecessary strain. Its a straight up plug and play install.

Try rebuilding your combo switch, there should be plenty of directions on this site and on classiczcars.com.

1 semester of living with a chick isnt bad...it's pretty short and it will be over before you know it. But speaking from experience...sometimes living witch chicks is great in theory, but one of the most annoying things in the world. If you werent sharing a bathroom, I would say you are golden...but thats not the case. What you need to focus on is: 1) How hot are her friends? Dont crap where you eat. It never ends well. 2) If her friends are hot, can you make sure you dont leave an impression of being "her creepy" or "slob" of a roommate? 3) Rule 57 of life, cute/hot chicks usually hang out with other cute/hot chicks and 1 fat ugly friend. Be nice (not super friendly, just nice/pleasant) to the fatty friend, and score karma points with your soon to be roommate by being an upstanding citizen and awesome roommate. Let her do all the PR for you amongst her friends. You will be swimming in uninhibited college chicks in no time. 4) Who is paying for her bills/rent? If its the bank of Mom and Dad, then you are good...if its her drug-dealing boyfriend, then make sure you establish ground rules for utility bills and have an iron-clad lease/rental agreement. 5) If you care about the items in 1, 2 and 3, dont bring chicks back to you appt. Chicks are always watching and judging. Always. This will ruin all of the PR buzz you generated from #3. 6) Dont buy drugs from her drug dealing boyfriend 7) Lysol Mold and Mildew with Bleach is the best cleaning product in the world for bathrooms. 8) Learn how to jazz up Ramen noodles. You will eat this for the next 4 years 9) 1 month before you are going to move out or the semester ends, crank up the charm. You WANT to be that guy that she regrets sleeping with. 10) Get drunk. A lot. It helps college life and living in squalor become more enjoyable.

Jas280Z, Just an idea, I've been thinking about buying some of this stuff and wrapping my fuel lines: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/THE-14035/ Basically a velcro style heat insulator that should be a cheap and easy install. Perhaps it will help with the problem you are describing.

Joey, I'm not a megasquirt expert, but I live in chantilly. I'm always down to talk about Z's and putz around in the garage. There is also a member of the Northern Virginia Z car club that lives in Chantilly. 1 way to introduce yourself to the local Z community would be to attend a "cruize-in" we have every 2nd Saturday of the month. I wont be able to attend this time due to other plans, but there should be a few other members. Go to http://www.zcarclubnova.org/ and look under events.

Honestly, the rear height doesnt look to bad to me. The front looks like it could be dropped a little bit but thats about it in my opinion from a ride-height aesthetics point of view.

I believe the recommendation is that the e-brake should be fully engaged after 3 clicks. I had my rears dragging at one point as well. I ended up having to adjust the star wheel to let them out a little bit. I think I had it to the point that I could spin the wheel one full revolution by hand before it stopped (with both wheels off the ground of course). I personally couldnt get to the star wheel through the adjustment/service hole easily, and ended up taking the drums off. It helps to have a ford wrench (Big effing hammer) nearby to break the drums loose. After a couple of pulls of the e-brake, and a couple of stops, the rears should re-adjust to the proper amount.

Dave's electrical upgrades are worth it for those who are looking for a complete plug-and-play upgrade. I have his PLH...it was a substantial improvement.

The header on that Z in the part 2 video was a piece of art...even with all the header wrapping! Thanks for sharing!