jhm

bleakdragon- I built my CAI mostly from Spectre Performance parts. I used their low-profile air intake plenum (PN 98499), their 4" ducting (PN 9751), and one of their large cone filters (PN 9738). They offer a big variety of modular cold air intake parts so you can build your system to meet your specific needs. Check out their website....it's pretty comprehensive, with dimensions and suggested retail for each of their products. Since I'm such a tight-wad, I used a 4" 90 deg elbow from the plumbing section at Lowes ($4!) to connect my filter and ducting through the radiator core support. Amazing what you can find for your Z at the hardware store. Good luck and be sure to keep us updated on your progress! jhm

7MGFORCE- Not sure what kind of vehicle you've got, or what your engine type/mounting configuration is, but this thread might help: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=144958 Good luck and happy motoring! jhm

Wow, this thread has been going strong for a while now! Here's mine. 260Z built in Sep 1974. Don't have any 'before' pix, but here's a couple as she sits now. In the year I've had her, I've done some minor body work, a complete interior redo, and redone most of the engine compartment. The list of things to do just seems to go on and on... Thx for looking. jhm

Max- Ever get your problem solved? If not, check if there's moisture inside your distributor. Very possible after a heavy rainfall, and can easily cause the motor to stumble and run poorly. Fortunately, very easy to solve -- best technique I've found is to pop the distributor cap and thoroughly blow out the internals with compressed air. Good luck and happy motoring! jhm

I took Pete Paraska's words to heart, and came up with this setup. Bottom and side pieces fabbed from aluminum sheeting and top piece from thin-gauge galvanized steel sheet. Theoretically, it should be directing nearly all airflow through the radiator, and blocking all other air passage into the engine compartment. May even give a tiny "pressurization" effect to the cold air intake, if it results in a higher static pressure in the vicinity of the filter.

Here's my setup (recently completed). Bottom and side pieces fabbed from aluminum sheeting, and top piece from thin-gauge galvanized steel sheet. Directs nearly all airflow through the radiator and blocks all other air passage into the engine compartment. May even give a tiny "pressurization" effect to the cold air intake, if it results in a higher static pressure in the vicinity of the air filter.

The switch is located underneath the dash, either directly behind or directly in front of, the pivot point on which the brake pedal is mounted. As Rolling Parts indicated, it's a simple spring-loaded on-off switch. It can be adjusted by moving it closer or further from the brake pedal.

My understanding is that this is intentional. Mounting the engine just slightly to the passenger side is an attempt to "equalize" the weight distribution between driver and passenger sides. (The theory being that the car will be driven without a passenger the majority of the time.) If I recall correctly, Datsun did similar thing when engineering the mounting location of the factory motor as well. And yes, this mounting position gives more clearance with the steering shaft....a win-win situation!

Yes, a poor ground will def affect your overall voltage potential and starter performance. You can check the quality of your connections with a voltmeter/ammmeter. Check to make sure all your connections are clean and tight -- amazing what an impact dirty or corroded terminals can have. You might want to conduct a simple test by removing the disconnect switch -- maybe it's causing part of your problem. A battery grounding strap like these can also help ensure a good ground: http://www.summitracing.com/search/?keyword=battery%20grounding%20strap&dds=1 What are you using for the hot lead? Usually, 2-gauge wire should suffice, especially for a short run (between hatch and engine compartment) like we've got with the Z. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Jasper- Agree completely with your recommendations. But still have one nagging question....how's your car going to run if you disconnect the battery ground?? jhm

No, the battery is an integral part of your electrical system. Remove it and the system fails.

Like jt1 suggested, quickest route to solving problem is to narrow down location of noise source. If you don't have access to a stethoscope, any long steel bar will work as an alternative (e.g. long screwdrive, extension drive for ratchet wrench, etc) -- place one end of the bar on the engine and your ear on the other end. It's amazing how well it works! Move the bar around until you've located the source of your noise. Just as a crazy thought, have you recently hit anything that might have dented your oil pan? If it's dinged sufficiently hard, it will impinge inward and interfere with the normal rotation of the crank/rods, causing a very disturbing (but easily fixed) knocking noise. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

For anyone that's interested, here's an update.... Rather than attempting to bend/reshape the header, I decided to shorten the collector and move the collector flange a little higher up (away from the steering shaft). With that done, it was a simple matter to route the downtube between the block and the steering shaft. Final result works and fits pretty well -- two 2.5" tubes into a single 3" tube. Thx to all that provided info and advice. jhm

Is the choke opening fully upon warm-up? If not, that could be the cause of your problem. If you've got an electric choke, a loose connection in your hot lead or ground could prevent proper operation of the choke (and thereby cause stumbling on acceleration once the engine is warmed up). Good luck with the trouble-shooting, and be sure to let us know what the problem and solution were once solved!

I have always been a sucker for a g-nose and fat flares -- love the look of your car! Good luck with the resto and keep the updates coming. jhm

suzook86- For what it's worth, I installed 280Z door panels on my 260Z. I'm guessing that you would have similar experience as I did. Mine is a late '74 model, so I was hoping that the panels would pop right on. No such luck -- I had to relocate the door locks (further forward on the panel) and cut new window crank holes in the panels. I also had to drill a couple new holes in the door to match up with the plastic attachment rivets on the new door panels. Fortunately, it was no big deal.....a little cutting and grinding on the door's sheetmetal to move the door lock post forward and a little matching material to patch the old window crank holes was all it took. It was an afternoon's work, and the final result looks and works great! Good luck and happy motoring! jhm

SysAdmin & Mods- Not sure if this is a stupid question, but here goes... Do we need a new sub-forum in "Engine Components" titled 'Cooling' (or 'Cooling/Heating')? Seems like these types of questions get spread about in other, more general forums (e.g. "V8 Z Forums", "Misc Tech", and "Troubleshooting/General Engine"). Y'all may have already considered previously, but I'm just a dumb newcomer to HybridZ so I thought I'd ask the question. Thx! jhm

turbojohnny- Prelude seats work great in the S30. In fact, I think you'll find that Honda seats in general are well made, nicely designed, readily available at affordable prices, and have kind of a racey look (especially 90's era Hondas). I've got seats from a mid-90's Prelude in my '74 260 -- I paid $60 for them (including extra rails and brackets) and I love 'em. You can check out the pix in my post in the "Seat Swap" thread. The late-80's/early-90's Prelude seats look alot like Recaros, but they're hard to find in decent condition. Del Sol seats are really nice -- they look like Corbeau knock-offs, and are really narrow (a plus when installing in 260's or 280's with the catalytic converter hump in the trans tunnel). And believe it or not, but alot of Civics were equipped with comfortable and stylish seats. Good luck. HB280ZT- If you haven't already, check out tec280ZX's Celica seats in the "Seat Swap" thread. They were my second choice when putting in new seats, but couldn't find any in decent condition. They should work well with 5/6 point harness. r/jhm

JSM- You're absolutely correct. My bad...senior moment on my part. I've got a late '74 260Z, but I'm guessing that all Z's 1970-1978 may share the same (or similar) dust boot for the parking brake cable ends? I've checked all the usual suspects for parts (Z Car Source, MSA, Z Specialties, Datsun Restore, etc), and none carry said dust boots. I'll take new, used, or reman....mine have long since crumbled into dust. Thx again for catching the error in my WTB! r/John

Need the dust boots that cover the parking brake cable ends, where the cable links to the drum brakes at the rear wheels. Need two....one for each side. Thx! jhm "john.meyer12@us.army.mil"

CONGRATS on SNCOA! Make sure to take time out for the fun stuff, like weekends at P-cola.

Stony- Down at SOS, huh? Enjoy the free time and the opportunity to improve your golf handicap. Remember....it's only alot of reading if you do it! r/jhm

Soundmasterg- You may have solved your horn issue by now, but if not, you can easily bend the horn contact tab enough to provide good contact with the copper ring on the the Grant adapter hub. Use some dilithium grease (or any good lube compatible with electrical contacts) to ensure smooth movement between the two contact surfaces. Good luck and happy motoring. jhm

That's what I figured -- thx, Ryan. On a completely different subject, what kind of air dam are you using? Looks nice!

nullbound- Were those Hooker headers you were running with the Scarab setup, and if so, what model? They're obviously not standard block huggers....appear to be more of a shorty J-header. (Perhaps you did some custom fab work on a set of Hooker block huggers?) Thx for the reply! jhm