Tony D

The Earlier 240Zs didn't have the thermostatic control,. and recirculated all the time. One important aspect to shutting off this flow is the shunting of hot water to the inlet of the water pump. You only want it open while the thermostat is closed for cavitation prevention and quicker warmup. After that point the thermostat closes, and you have exactly the same thing as if you didn't have water connected at all! The later 240's had that functionality, and a separate circuit for anti-icing. The people living where they never experienced icing will always pooh-pooh steps to insure it never happens. But the fist time you let go of the throttle and your engine doesn't slow down....you start realizing anti-icing measures may be a good thing! The key point to note is WITH this thermostat, the only time the circuit is active is when the car is warming up. Afterwards because it shuts off, it is transparent to engine operation. As for the 'choke' comments.... If the SU's had a choke, that may be applicable. The starter system uses far more fuel than necessary for a lot longer than one would think when the temperature is in even the MID 60's. Those that 'don't have any problem' are running with AFR's in the 10's just before puffing black smoke out the tailpipe. If your car is adjusted correctly for proper fuel mix at idle, you will have an issue till it's suitably warmed and have excessive lever action on the starter! Because you have it, the car warms up quicker, using less fuel if you drive it with the starter system partially engaged.

Oh yeah, I found myself three times this past week having left the keys in the Z after being gone 5 months! I think all the bird feces covering the car dissuaded anybody with thoughts of 'glorious' theivery... If they are going to steal something, it's gonna be shiny!

1, 1, 1 Trichlorethelyene.... I still have an empty 1 gallon can. I keep it around to freak out people. I used to fill a five gallon bucket, and start on one bank of the engine with an air eductor and start blasting away. 15 gallons per engine.... By the time I was finished cleaning all three engines at my plant I was a stumbling stuporous idiot with a smile that made the Cheshire Cat look like he was smirking. I would then hit the control room and trip for quite a while. i'm sure my liver will get me later on. Same as my mom and my uncle ralph.

It's starter time if you have an LD, but the gas engines should 'kick over' and Ether makes it much easier! Spray, roll roll roll roll roll spray again.... get it up to compression stroke TDC power on the ignition system with the starter system engaged and the float bowls full and make like you're starting a HOG, firm grip on the ring gear and "FWHAPPA!" You, too, and freak people out!

Many of the English Magazines were obsessed with 5th gear pulling power. Their test was to put the car into 5th and make a WOT Pull from 1,000 rpms. The L-6 would do it. It's still a valid test for power curve testing and setup for both carbs and EFI. I just got some time bought since there are no utilities to the site I was supposed to be flying to tomorrow (er, today...) and I can see if I can snap those curves and upload them. I BELIEVE there is at least ONE set already up on this site: the LD28, from the JESCO LD28 Flyer.

KTM that is a good point, I've seen some overseas in Australia and the UK which appear quite a bit more detailed than current US offerings. I remember the old MOTOR manuals, with all the grilles to identify what you were working on...and being shocked when I got the Chevy FSM and compared them to realize they were just compilations of factory instructions! FSM's, even on a 66 Corvair kick arse on ANY aftermarket manual! What would be awesome if we could get them is the assembly-floor manuals. You can get these for Chevy's, I know (I have them!) When you read those Assembly Line Procedures and Instructions, it makes restoration pretty detailed. "Grommet to be placed into hole after application of 0.04oz weatherstripping adhesive P/N 938475584 and rotated 1/4 turn to orient cut at 6 o'clock position allowing for proper drainage." Kinda makes anal car show judges happy to see that grommet out of place! -1...

I probably should have clarified about the 22RE and 18R series of Toyota Engines, their head design is really detonation tolerant. They really like being lugged. Then again, I took out all the bearings in my 18R as well, so maybe that colors my memory a bit!

Seriously, the reason I said "motive force" and not "starter" is that is exactly what you need: Motive Force. With a can of Ether, and a roll to compression stroke it IS possible to place a boot on the flywheel ring gear and kick-start an L-Engine... Freaks the sh*t out of people when you do it. Remember the old A-Series had crank-handles to start it... Get one hole to fire, and the rest follow. You don't "need" a starter, just a good boot!

A 22RE is NOT an L20A! The 22RE is / was designed as an industrial refrigeration plant, and optimized at exactly that power range (22-2400, as most petrol power plants are when run 24/7...) You will find that running the engine there instead of at 1800 will not cause a considerable change in consumption at all. It comes down to oil flow and pressure in the bearings for me. Lugging an engine like that puts loads that aren't nice on the bearings, detonate and with low oil pressure you jump the wedge and scuff the bearing, or catch it... The engine operated at 2200 would not stand NEARLY as high a probability of this happening. That being said, the owners manuals in Japan contained this information. If I can get the time, I will shoot the one from the L20A FSM I have, or the 77 Fairlady Z Owner's manual. The VW manuals also had these same fuel consumption/gearing curves in them. Water cooled engines are tolerant of this far more than air cooled. The Japanese Taxi Drivers made driving on detonating engines an artform. How quickly after into the next gear could you get audible ping. It seemed it was continuous. 30KPH and already in 5th in an LPG Powered L20A... For the acceleration needed, just gas it, knock like crazy and accelerate leisurely... Nissan made durable stuff.

"Spark, Fuel, Motive Force to Initiate Induction" Provide that, and you're set!

There was a time they weren't liability-constrained to such phrases... Go pick up a Motor Manual from the mid 60's. All SORTS of cool things you could fix on a car. Rebuild the Voltage Regulator, Adjust the Contact Points and Regulated Voltage.... Arc Diameter Specifications for your Shoes... The less professional manuals had information like how to rustproof using such nice things as Red Lead Paint! My training presentations are throwbacks. I see how many people even KNOW what "Carbon Tetrachloride" is...

Yeah that's routine Randy. Same thing in Lancaster a few years ago. Thing is joyrides can end like that as well, easiest way to dump the car is put it in a body of water that is moving where the slick from any oil being released won't be noticed. You DO NOT want to put it in a boggy pond or lake. The slick just comes to the top and stays there. Soon enough people start asking questions and they find the car and body far too quickly. Not that I know anything at all about this. It's entertainment hypothesizing only!

Stock bore is 78, L24 bore is 83. That's about max on the early bores with the thick walls. Sonic testing is in order. The RB20 is a different animal altogether. A Crank groove is not the end of the world, put a Speedy-Sleeve on it and you're set. Don't even have to pull the engine to do that repair! The L20A is a revbeast. Bigger bores only increase that tendency!

Then again, later if there is a question....what will you have to do to make sure it's right?

Love that HONDA banner on the wall!

I went to my insurance agent for a 'high value items rider' for my homeowners policy for shop equipment, tools, stereo, that kind of crap. This was 1990, and it was all presented in itemized format on a Dot-Matrix Printed Spreadsheet, purchase dates, serial numbers, purchase prices... really comprehensive. He takes a look at it, says "GREAT! Perfect, this is easy we can write this now. Uh... Just one thing. If your house burns down in the next year, don't expect us to pay on this!" He continued "Only two people have this kind of list, and at two times. If I get this BEFORE a claim, they're fraudsters. If I get this list AFTER a claim, they're fraudsters. But I've never seen this comprehensive of a list before...So if anything happens, just happening to have this policy rider in place before an incident looks more than a little suspicious." I assured him I wasn't planning on any claims. In fact, nothing on that list has been claimed against yet. The roof from water damage, the floor for water damage, windows from an exploding oxygen cylinder in a burning van on the street, yeah... But stuff on that list: "Not yet!" Now my bud, Tim... when we worked for the Bunghole Boss and his truck got ripped off in his driveway. Oh he WISHED he had listened to me and put a policy rider on them while in a company vehicle! He got hosed for well over $10,000 in losses. And "writing them off against your taxes" really is little compensation when all your hand tools are gone.

Kay Sings the refrain: "I know you don't owe me, but I wish you would let me, ask this favor from you: Gimme three steps, give me three steps mister, give me three steps towards the door... Gimme three steps, give me three steps mister, and you'll never see me no more!"

Why reverse engineer it, when you can get the stuff from the engineers who did it orignally?

Burn down the neighbors barn. How typically Dutch!

Where did "Big Blue" your drive-on lift go?And all the tires?

Like the Yellow Z's rims. And the real G-Nose with $1,000 covers...

Norm the 12 Second SU Dude. Blew right into the footwell. Not the flywheel, the clutch disc and pressure plate. 1/4" strap steel 4" wide, bent accordingly using angle iron over the bench edge and a torch/hammer will make a nice shield. If you plan on dumping the clutch, hole shots, clutch-kicking, it's only a matter of time until something breaks. My paranoia is shearing the rivets when the elastomer discs or spring centers over compress. Have blown out elastomer elements, thrown out springs, and found those pins half sheared. The ONLY clutch disc manufacturer I know that takes setps to prevent this is McLeod... Uses shear-rated fasteners in the moving hub section, and plenty of them!

Jaa, eh?

MODERATORS: This post must be forcibly be retitled to: "FIRING UP A DUTCHIE!"

He meant Corvette C5, I'm sure!