Dave240Z

Wooohooo, another n/a triple carb'd L6. Those are some decent numbers you have there and with a little more tuning (and a new ignition system) you'll be in good shape. 255rwhp with a bad ignition and wacky fuel ratios out of a stroked and carb'd L6 is very respectable.

Yeah, it's my favorite too. DavyZ, Unfortunately, I don't eat the omelette everyday. This is what I have on the occasional lazy Sunday morning. My weight loss is really due to a caloric reduction in my everyday diet, combined with more frequent but smaller meals and exercise. My morning breakfast of yogurt and granola, a cup of soup for lunch, fruit for midday snack and finally a simple dinner. I'm not a small guy, but I'm not huge either. At 5'11 and 205lbs, I was feeling a bit overweight and lethargic and decided to try and shed a few pounds. As of today, (8 weeks to my wedding and counting and another incentive for the weight loss) I'm down to 195 and should hit 190 by the wedding. Ideal for me would be ~180-185. On top of all this, even though it seems like I'm eating like a pigeon I feel great and have much more energy than before. On top of all that, eating like this is actually cheaper since soup is only $2 while a sandwhich is almost $5. Go figure.

It has this sort of purposeful look about it, as if the car is not meant to look nice, but rather mean and more attention was spent on the performance of it rather than it's looks. Sort of a Saturday night special or something like that. Of course, this is now my 2nd black car so the color is growing on me. My daily driver has a much better finish to it though. Here's an obligatory pic.

Couldn't agree with you me johnc.

I hate to break it to you, but unfortunately, there is no real cheap and dirty paintjob you can do to protect your car. Even this backyard rattlecan process I used took quite a bit of time and effort on my part, much more than I estimated. I certainly saved a lot of $$$ compared to having it professionally done with professional products but it still took more than a few bucks. To give you some perspective, my whole reason for undertaking this project is two-fold. First, I wanted to take care of some minor rust spots that were starting to appear. I wanted to "nip these in the bud" so to speak to prevent them from becoming major problems a year or two from now when I will have the car professionally sprayed. Second, I was tired of driving around in a car that had faded paint, chips, rust spots and mismatching panels. I used the following in my project: - (6) cans of primer - (12) cans of "Satin Black" paint (non-lacquer) - (3) packs of tack cloth - Naval Jelly to convert the hidden rust I couldn't grind out. - pack of 80 grit sand paper - pack of 200 grit sand paper - pack of 1000 grit sand paper - pack of 2000 grit sand paper - cup and round wire wheels - various power tools (sander, drill, etc...) - lots of elbow grease and patience. As you can see from the pics, I didn't strip the car down to bare metal, there was no reason to. This saved me a huge amount of time and effort. If you plan on stripping down to metal, you are going to be undertaking a much bigger project. Stripping the entire car down to bare metal also dictates that you take much more time in protecting the now exposed metal. If you don't do this properly, you can cause more problems than you will solve. If I was you, I'd do the following: - Only strip to the bare metal where there is a rust problem. Simply surface sand all the other areas. This will save you gobs of time and will allow you to take care of your immediate rust problems without adding new ones by grinding all the panels down to metal. - Apply a surface primer to the car to fill in any rust areas and to provide a good even base for which to apply your desired color. Primer also has the ability to help prevent rust a lot better than just paint over bare metal. - Apply at least 2-3 coats of color on top. Most rattlecan paints are rather light and don't leave a very deep coat. - Wet sand the entire car when done to get a more even finish.

It's just plastikote satin black. Not the greatest paint in the world, but I had no intention of putting tons of $$$ or hours into this since it is meant as a temporary stopgap until I get the funds and permission to get the car painted professionally. The best part is, if any portion begins to fade or gets chipped, a fix is just a rattle can away. What sold me on this color was a 911 Le Mans car which I saw painted in satin black at Sears Point. It just looked so menacing and above all, low maintenance that I thought what the heck, that'll be a great temporary paintjob. I agree though, it does have a midnight racer type feel to it. Sort of like a secret weapon that you only take out on weekends, whoop some street arse and then put away until the next Saturday. Not that I do this BTW, it's just a metaphor. I have to upload some more pics, with everything bolted back in place. I'll do that in another day or so.

You guys are making me hungry. I had no idea there were so many omelette officianado's on here. I wish I had time for a nice omelette on the weekday, although if I did I'd probably have one everyday and that wouldn't be ideal for controlling cholesterol. I do have them on the weekends though and they usually consist of the following: 3 eggs, dash of milk, salt & pepper satueed mushrooms, cubed ham, onions and garlic topped with bacon, avocado and swiss cheese with a little salsa and "tampico hot sauce" on the side. Geez that sounds good, I just might have to make that for dinner tonight. My weekday daily morning routine isn't nearly as elaborate and consists of a swiss style yogurt with granola on top and a banana, usually supplemented with a small glass of OJ. When I get to work, I have my one and only cup of coffee which I make myself with those gloriously oily beans from Peets. Oddly enough, since adopting this weekday routine I have lost weight (10lbs in 3 months), even though I wasn't even eating any breakfast when I was heavier. It must have something to do with metabolism and the fact that by eating more often, but in lesser quantity allows your body to burn fuel more efficiently or something like that. I do know for sure that I feel much more healthy, have a lot more energy and can't eat nearly as much in one sitting as I used to. All good things I think.

Anyone have a good method of removing paint from vinyl/rubber? The reason I ask is that I've just finished my backyard paintjob for the Z and the old color was orange, while the new color is satin black. The problem is that the car had a cheapy orange respray at some point which resulted in some overspray on the window rubber and some misc plastic parts. I tried using paint thinner already since I had it handy but it didn't work. I need something that will remove the paint without harming the rubber too much. I will replace the rubber once I get the car professionally resprayed in my dream color but until then I want it to look at least presentable. Any ideas? Here's a pic of the car as it looks today....

That's a pretty intelligent 3yr old you have there. I'm impressed.

The weather has finally agreed with me and I was able to get a couple coats of paint on the car. It's not going to win any concours events anytime soon, but at least it's all one color and looks half-way decent if I do say so myself. Best of all, I was able to take care of the rust, make the car all one color and it cost me less than $100 in materials to do it. Anyway, here are the pics....the color is "Satin Black" although my friends like to call it "Radar absorbing black" Front 1/4 View Front View Rear View I still have a bit more wetsanding to do and then cleanup and re-install the chrome and badges, then I should be done. If all goes well, I should be on the road in another week or so, I can hardly wait.

It's really difficult to acertain over the internet whether or not your clutch is bad but here's my advice. It may be your clutch, but it might also be your clutch hydraulics. Depending on when these items were last replaced, it might not be a bad idea to replace the master cylinder, slave cylinder and clutch line. You can always try bleeding the system first to see if that helps, and then start replacing the hydraulics. $575 for a complete clutch job including parts isn't a complete ripoff but it is on the high-side. But, you have to remember that you're living in one of the most expensive states in the Union and most shops charge at least $75/hr if not more. Figure about 1.5-2.0 hours of labor + parts when comparing rates.

I've finally had some time to start giving my 240Z the attention it's needed for so long. It's been somewhat neglected for the past 2 years, although never forgotten. I just didn't have the time for it between falling for the girl of my dreams, buying a house, graduating college (finally!) and wedding plans. The wedding isn't until August, so that is technically ongoing but that's the only major thing other than work nowadays so I finally have some time to get back on the Z. Anyway, enough of my life story...on to the show. My Z basically had two coats of paint it's entire life. Problem is that the second coat was a cheapie re-spray. Once rocks and such hit it, large chunks would fall out which left little craters all over the place. On top of that, there was a little rust here and there that needed some attention. So, since I was tired of a faded orange paintjob that was flaking and oxidizing along with some minor rust blemishes I decided to take the old rattlecan to the car. This is a temporary paintjob just to make the car presentable to the public and at the same time allow me to take care of any minor rust problems before they become serious. The final rattlecan color will be a satin black, as shown on the recently installed airdam. Here's a pic where I sanded the paint enough to remove any rust and/or scuff up the surface enough to let the primer adhere. Hard to tell what's rust and what's paint with that color. A few days later, most of the car is now primered. Another angle Just for reference, here's what the car looked like when the paint was in better condition, but still not great. It looked good from 5' away, but when you got close you could see all kinds of blemishes. More pics to come once the black satin is put on. If all goes well, I'll be attending the blackhawk show as well, so if you're going to be there, drop by and say hello. http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=21583

With triples, air-horns are certainly not an option, but rather a requirement. The air horns help straighten the air as it enters the carb, which in the end results in a more accurate fuel delivery. Since the K&N setup requires air-horn removal to allow any sort of appreciable gap between the carb and the top of the filter housing, they are not very desirable for triple setups. A much more preferred solution is to use ITG filters (I prefer the individual filters rather than one large one) and proper air-horns between 40m and 50mm tall. You can buy the ITG filters from Motorsports Auto and air-horns can be bought from a myriad of places and range from fairly cheap steel units to very nice anodized aluminum pieces. Either way, the ITG filter and air-horn setup will offer much better performance. This was my triple setup, with ITG filters in place before I converted to a cold airbox.

This is exactly my concern with all this. I believe we all should be held responsible for our actions, but it is incidents like these that get sensationalized in the media and then the general population gets on the bandwagon without realizing that for every "bad enthusiast", there are a superior number of those who are not; wherein lies the problem. This sensationalizm will result in laws that are enacted in haste and normal law abiding citizens who do treat cars as a hobby and do drive responsibly will suffer for it. This is equivalent to me paying for these guys lack of judgement, even though I'm not responsible for the accident in any way. I don't know about you, but I'm not too keen on paying for other people's mistakes. However, with the way CA is these days I wouldn't be surprised if car hobbyists were soon lumped in with gun owners and treated accordingly. That, I believe, is a real concern. They'll have to pry the keys for my Datsun from [Heston Voice]my cold dead hands[/Heston Voice]

Unless the engine was also installed in an identically prepared car, your results will vary as well. For instance, did both cars have the same transmission, rear diff and tire sizes? These can affect how one engine might compare against another. That said, a 0.2L bump in displacement is not much and I wouldn't doubt if it was hard to tell any difference with a "butt dyno". But due to the added displacement, the 3.0L does have more potential to make power. Whether or not that extra potential is realized is an entirely different story. I can honestly say that the 3.0L Rebello in my car makes gobs more power than my previous 2.8L. But, in all honesty, it's not exactly an apples to apples comparison as there are more differences between the two engines besides a 0.2L displacement increase.

From what I remember, it's a "cocaine scoop". Goes sort of like this...dip it in a bag and scoop out a litle blow, bring to nose, sniff, repeat. Of course this works with other snortable substances as well, but no need to go in any further detail than that. People use their pinky since it's the least intrusive fingernail to have grow long. Now before anyone thinks I *have* a long pinky nail, I can most certainly assure you that I don't, nor any other nail for that matter. I've just learned and seen a few things in life. Back on topic.... Since the guy was bouncing off the rev limiter for a while and since rev limiters usually operate on the principle of cutting fuel, wouldn't that lead to an overly lean mixture and raise cylinder temps? It's not a problem if it happens occasionally, but to sit there bouncing off the limiter for what must be at least 10-15sec he's bound to have overheated some things.

I actually prefer to use a switch for the fuel pump rather than the ignition. This allows the car to be started and driven slightly at which point it will die, hopefully leaving the would be criminal in a very visible situation forcing them to abandon the car. Of course this only works if you have an electric fuel pump, but it's quite effective. This is mod is quite easy to do as well, since Datsun had the wisdom to include a connector in the wiring harness to allow for an electric fuel pump hookup. All you need to do is put a switch in some hidden location and run the wires to this connector. I'd tell you how I did mine, but then I'd have to kill you.

The differences are rather minor really, mostly a matter of personal preference. The differences mainly involve how they deliver fuel in that they use different fuel "circuits". So the amount of jets are different, the jet types are also different which makes swapping jets between Weber and Mikuni impractical. I don't have my historical reference with me, but I also believe that Mikuni's were loosely based on the Weber design. Some would argue that the Weber fuel circuit is a bit more elaborate and as such can deliver fuel a bit more precisely. Mikuni fans would likely counter that Mikuni's are more simple to work on and require fewer adjustments. Either way, they both work great on a Z car, so you can't really go wrong. The only real negative about Mikuni's at this point that I can think of is new part availability. Weber parts are still readily available. There is no such thing as an intake built just for Webers or Mikuni, they use the same mounting arrangment. So, you can bolt both Mikuni's and Weber's on a Cannon or a TWM manifold.

I'd suggest you do nothing more to that engine at this point since you're already planning on an alternative engine later on. Save your $$$ and use it on the future engine which will definitely get you into the 14s, rather than trying to squeeze all kinds of N/A hp out of 2.8L to get a rather heavy Z car down the track in the 14s.

The answer you are looking for is here: http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/280Alt.html With all the added electronics of the ZX engine, it would be best to run the later and higher output ZX alternator with your setup. The stock 240Z alternator only puts out 37.5Amps, whereas the 280ZX unit puts out 60Amps.

Your heating up problem was probably due to the fact that the pertronix was basically in the "ON' position the whole time you had the key in the ignition. As you noticed, there was a buildup of heat in the ballast resistor, meaning there is current running through it. The reason I say the pertronix is "ON" is because the pertronix is activated by a magnet. Even though your engine was off, the magnet on the distributor shaft was probably in a position which allowed the pertronix to let current flow through the coil as if it was trying to send a spark to a cylinder. This is OK during normal operation, but to leave it just sitting there, basically dumping current the whole timeleads to a massive heat buildup in the circuit. In the future, disconnect the pertronix anytime you are going to be playing with any of the car circuits to prevent it from getting burnt out. The hot ballast resistor is not a problem but the potential for a fried pertronix is quite real.

Undoubtedly, installing triples on an otherwise stock setup is not going to gain much, if anything. For triples to be of their maximum value, aggressive cam and ignition timing are essential in conjunction with a decent compression ratio. I agree that comparing a modified engine with triples to a stock engine with factory EFI is a not a fair comparison. However, comparing a triple setup on a modified engine to a similarly modified engine with aftermarket EFI would be. John C. has a very good aftermarket EFI setup on his 3.0L and puts out over 300hp. I've also seen a highly modified Rebello 3.0L with triple 45s hit close to 290hp. That same engine put out 270hp on modified SUs, so it's safe to say the triples do flow quite a bit. Granted, their engine specs are probably slightly different, but nonetheless the triples are quite capable of producing decent hp. I'd bet that John C's EFI setup gives him a bit more area under the curve, but that doesn't make triples total junk. Regarding their use on a daily basis, I can attest with my own personal experience that they are perfectly fine for daily use once you have them setup properly. Contrary to popular misconception, they do not require constant tweaking to stay consistent either. Of course, if you're driving from sea level to 10,000ft and then back down into a desert, you may have to make some adjustments but for driving around in the same basic environment, they don't require much if anything regarding adjustments. A good linkage is essential to this though. As I somewhat eluded to previously, I believe that many of the people who seem to think triples are overly complicated and tempermental have never actually ridden or driven in a car that had them setup properly. My car is undergoing a custom rattle can paintjob at the moment, and needs new rear tires, but I will gladly volunteer to give anyone who wants to ride in a triple carb'd Z a ride once it's done. I helped a good friend of mine recently tune their triples. The carbs were used previously on a Triumph TR6 and the guy just bolted them on the Z and then complained that they didn't run right and we're essentially "crap". Well Duh! After some discussion, he decided to give me a shot at getting them setup correctly. A few jets and screwdriver turns later, his car ran much better. So much better in fact, that this guy is now a triple "advocate" rather than a triple "hater". I'm no carb expert by any means, but I have been around weber carbs for quite some time from my early air-cooled VW and Porsche days to my Datsun, so I can at least get them to run decent. Tuning for max hp and fuel ratios, however is a bit out of my league and requires more special equipment. Yes, triples can be expensive, but they are much less expensive than a custom EFI setup, or even some modified stock EFI systems. What's a big-bore throttle body or AFM go for these days? Couple hundred $$ each? Yeah, you can buy those used for much cheaper, but you can buy triples used for cheap too. When compared to a complete aftermarket EFI system including ITBs and all the other necesssary EFI bits, triples can be magnitudes cheaper. As always, cost is a bit relative.

I've started entertaining the idea of getting a set of historical vehicle plates for the Z. I did some preliminary searches on the CA DMV site but came up a bit empty handed. Basically, I want to know what kind of qualifications are required and what types of restrictions are imposed through the issuance of a historical vehicle license plate. I found this, so it seems the Z does qualify. Vehicles of Historic Value 5004. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, any owner of a vehicle described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) which is operated or moved over the highway primarily for the purpose of historical exhibition or other similar purpose shall, upon application in the manner and at the time prescribed by the department, be issued special identification plates for the vehicle: (1) A motor vehicle with an engine of 16 or more cylinders manufactured prior to 1965. (2) A motor vehicle manufactured in the year 1922 or prior thereto. (3) A vehicle which was manufactured after 1922, is at least 25 years old, and is of historic interest. ( The special identification plates assigned to motor vehicles with an engine of 16 or more cylinders manufactured prior to 1965 and to any motor vehicle manufactured in the year 1922 and prior thereto shall run in a separate numerical series, commencing with "Horseless Carriage No. 1". The special identification plates assigned to vehicles specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) shall run in a separate numerical series, commencing with "Historical Vehicle No. 1". Each series of plates shall have different and distinguishing colors. © A fee of twenty-five dollars ($25) shall be charged for the initial issuance of the special identification plates. Such plates shall be permanent and shall not be required to be replaced. If such special identification plates become damaged or unserviceable in any manner, replacement for the plates may be obtained from the department upon proper application and upon payment of such fee as is provided for in Section 9265. (d) All funds received by the department in payment for such identification plates or the replacement thereof shall be deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund. (e) These vehicles shall not be exempt from the equipment provisions of Sections 26709, 27150, and 27600. (f) As used in this section, a vehicle is of historic interest if it is collected, restored, maintained, and operated by a collector or hobbyist principally for purposes of exhibition and historic vehicle club activities. Amended Ch. 918, Stats. 1984. Effective January 1, 1985.

Guess I'll chime in here for whatever I'm worth. For some reason, the triple sidedraft carb setups seem to be getting a bad rap, more now than before. I believe this is largely due to four main reasons. 1) A large percentage of people buy them because of the "bling" factor, and because they were used by race cars. However, most of these people seem have little understanding of basic carburetor technology, and as such struggle to properly tune the carbs. This problem is compounded on Weber/Mikuni/Dellorto sidedrafts because of the multitude of adjustments an individual can make. 2) Aftermarket EFI and laptop computers have made it entirely possible for someone to tune their car using nothing but a computer. Furthermore, EFI components are more common these days and as such, there is a lot of aftermarket support for EFI. So this makes carbs sort of like a DoDo awaiting extinction. 3) The younger generations (I'm not that old BTW) who are now getting into cars have rarely seen a car with a carburetor, let alone one with a performance carburetor setup which leads to even more "anti carb" sentiments. 4) Many modern hi-po cars are resorting to forced induction. Although capable, carbs are not well suited for such applications thus making them even less desirable. Although I would never trade my triples for EFI on the Z, I will concede that EFI in most circumstances will offer better drivability (EFI easily adaptabs to changing conditions), superior fuel economy and a possibly even a bit more power. However, this does not mean that carbs are simply "a metered fuel leak" as some like to call it. Weber sidedrafts in particular can be quite precise at metering fuel, especially at cruise. On one long trip, I was able to average almost 24mpg with my triple setup, and that's while feeding a 3.0L Rebello with a nasty cam. Not too shabby. Of course, around town, I usually get 16mpg or less depending on driving style. Due to their independent runner design, they are also capable of some pretty good flow rates, outflowing some EFI setups even. Let alone the sound they make at WOT, which is quite intoxicating. At Laguna a few years back, there was a 240Z with a setup similar to mine running at the track. He exceeded the maximum sound levels allowed at the track so they tried taking a few disks out of the supertrapp. Next pass, he failed again. Turns out it was the sound from the carbs at WOT that was making all the noise. The sound was so amazing, just a deep throaty roar, but a bit too loud for the track. That fact certainly dropped a few jaws to say the least. Regarding whether or not they are suitable for an otherwise stock 280ZX, I'd have to say stick with the EFI. You'd have to change the fuel pump for a lower pressure unit and re-route all kinds of vacuum plumbing just for starters. I won't even get into all the potential legal/smog issues. Just too much headache and $$$ for too little gain IMO. An obligatory pic...although over 3 years old at this point.

Something to consider about debt consolidation and bankruptcy. In the eyes of credit agencies, they are just about the same thing. They stay on your credit report for 7 years and can severely hamper your ability to buy a house or refinance, let alone get good interest rates on car loans, credit cards, etc.... If you have a lot of credit debt, the first thing I would do is stop using the cards. The second thing I'd do is discuss payments with each credit card, to see if they can lower the interest or whatnot, making it easier to pay off some of your debt. Since you have a house though, the pickle jar gets a bit more crowded. Foreclosure on a house is a very bad thing in the eyes of creditors and can hurt your future prospects of getting back into another house, severely. I recommend you do everything possible to keep the house, including a second job and/or selling the Z. I know it sounds harsh, but you have to do what you have to do. Having a house and paying off debts is far more important than a project car. Besides, once you straighten out your finances, you can always get back into another Z. Have you looked into refinancing? It may be worth checking into. Of course your property taxes will be reassessed among other things so it's not a simple decision. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck. We're all in rough financial times, but if you can keep bailing the water out and stay afloat, you'll be poised to take advantage of things once the economy turns around.