Bob-omb

You can use right or left interchangeably. I had an ear-piercing brake squeal and used 4 right side shims on my brakes. Just make sure the arrows are all pointing forward. Like you can see in the pictures on MSA, the only difference is which way the two tabs on top are bent. They're meant to wrap over the brake pad backing plate, but you can bend them over the other way, cut them off, or leave them as is. The tabs don't rub or interfere with anything, nor do they help locate the shim on the pad.

ritrebor hooked me up. Thanks guys! Mods please delete thread.

Hey gang, Looking for a driver's side chrome tail light bezel for a 280Z. Would take both bezels if you've got 'em. Chrome condition is not important, as I will be painting them - just looking for no cracks and good mounting holes. Cheers, Bob

There's a 1/2" step around the edge of the shroud, plus the side mounting rails are slightly wider than the core. I'd say the fans sit about 3/4" off of the core.

Yeah, I have a Powermaster alt and bigger fans on my '56 Buick. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go that route, which is why I avoided the ever-popular amp-hungry Taurus fan. The shroud completely covers the core. Here's a pic from their website:

Thanks for the feedback guys. Exactly the info I was looking for. Spal 30101522 12" (x2) were what I was leaning towards, but wasn't sure if they'd fit. One of Tony D's posts about fans on Zcar mentions something around 2200-2500 CFM being the magic number. The Spal 12" (x2) would be 2656 CFM total. The 12" fans that came with the Champion kit are supposedly 1000 CFM each. 160* thermostat in the summer. 30/70 glycol/water with 1 bottle of Water Wetter. Air flow is the issue, given that the stock mechanical fan is adequate but not great at cooling.

Can anyone recommend a good set of electric fans for desert temps? I've got the Champion Radiator 3-row with shroud and dual 12" electric fans ("550hp rating" says Champion) on my mostly stock '77 280Z. I gotta say, this combo is hot garbage on 100° days here in Las Vegas. http://www.championradiators.com/Datsun-240z-radiator-shroud-1970-1973 With the stock brass 3-row rad and clutch fan, my temp gauge would very slowly creep higher while idling in stop and go traffic -- manageable with no danger of overheating. Same goes for the Champion aluminum 3-row rad with stock clutch fan and no shroud. However, when equipped with the electric fan/shroud combo (yes, they're spinning in the right direction), the needle climbs up to 3/4 of the gauge sweep within 15 minutes of stop and go traffic and steadily keeps climbing. It only cools at highway speeds when the fans aren't doing any of the cooling. Any suggestions? Cheers, Bob

The correct part for the 280Z nut is: 73.25.00.025.1 (M52 x 1.5p) I don't think the number changed. Looks like 73.25.00.007.1 (M51 x 1.5p) was never the right part.

That's the plan. The Monroe spacer and nut are a perfect fit and don't interfere with the shaft. I'll inquire if these parts are available individually from Monroe. Might be a cheaper alternative to the $20 a pop Koni nuts. I should be able to return the Koni parts, no problem. I'll post what I find out about the Monroe parts.

Calm down...is joke... Anywho, the point is, 73.25.01.007.1 (what you listed in the FAQ) is the correct number for the M51 x 1.5p nut, which is the WRONG PART. Per your sage advice, and from my own experience, I ordered it via the part number rather than "hey, I need a gland nut for a 280z". The M52 x 1.5p nut is the correct part. Please edit the FAQ.

Johnc, I think you may have the wrong part number listed for the 280Z Koni gland nut. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/120671-koni-gland-nut-loose/

Thanks for the info, Kevin. 73.25.01.007.1 (M51 x 1.5p) is part number/specs listed in the "Strut Sectioning FAQ". Admins can you please confirm and edit the FAQ? JohnC can I send you the bill for these little pieces of gold?

Hey guys, I'm doing a coilover conversion and switching to Koni shocks. I noticed the Koni gland nuts are rather loose in my 280Z struts. They are the correct 73.25.01.007.1 nuts (M51 x 1.5p), but they are about 0.5mm smaller than Monroe (or stock?) gland nuts I pulled out, and there's noticeable slop when threading them on. The Monroe inserts I pulled out have a spacer that, surprisingly, fits the top of the Koni insert perfectly. I'm considering just reusing those, rather than risk stripping the threads out when I torque down the Koni nut. Just curious if anyone else has noticed this, or had any issues with the Koni nuts in their 280Z struts. Koni Nut: Monroe Nut: Monroe spacer on Koni damper: Monroe spacer and nut on Koni damper:

Very nice indeed, but RB swaps in Z31's might be slightly more common than you think... Google "Nissan 200ZR" to find out why. From what's visible in the 3rd picture, it looks like the stock location with the shroud removed and an electric fan added.

I was just about to ask if anyone has tried a commercial descaler like Sulfamic Acid or ScaleKleen (aluminum salts). I've had great success using those to descale espresso machine boilers. They'll strip a solid 1/4" thick coating of calcium build-up in 30 min. and make a copper boiler look like a brand new penny. But, like you said, the head would suffer. Neither are friendly to aluminum.

If you've already got a turbo dizzy, there's this... http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/54-mm-optical-trigger-wheel-for-nissan-l28et-or-vg30e-p-497.html If not, the ends might not justify the means given that the RB/VG CAS is cheap and readily available.

It's pretty easy if you're handy. I did mine in half a day using these two resources as guides: http://www.motortopia.com/cars/1973-datsun-240z-11118/car-pictures/240sx-transmission-swap-14041 http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/240sxtransmissioninstall/index.html There's basically three steps: Modify the Datsun bell housing/case to accept the 240SX trans Drill out top shift rod hole to 16mm (or hog it out with a 5/8") Grind/mill down inner countershaft bearing boss Swap front countershaft bearing from Datsun trans to 240SX trans, OR bore Datsun case to accept larger 240SX countershaft bearing Modify trans crossmember Cut the center out, move it back 1.5", weld it back together (it's a little different for the earlier 240Z, but your '73 has the same crossmember as my 280Z) If you're weary of welding, I believe the McKinney RB or KA swap tubular crossmembers would bolt up. And, if you have deep pockets, Kameari makes a square tube crossmember specifically for this swap. Shorten driveshaft Have a driveline shop take 1.5" out of the total length OR, if you can find one, the earlier '70-'71 240Z driveshaft is short enough to bolt right up

The rb20det flywheel will fit and mate with the starter. The L-series, KA, and RB20/25/30 flywheels all have the same dimensions and crank/clutch mounting holes. The only difference is the friction surface diameter (L24-28 N/A and KA are 225mm; L28ET, 260/280Z 2+2, and RB20/25/30 are 240mm). If memory serves from when I did the KA24 trans swap on my 280Z, I believe the T/O bearing collar needs to match the clutch used. Given that, I'd imagine that you'd need to use the 350Z collar with a 350Z clutch, but I'm not certain. If you have all of the parts available, the easiest way to check would be to measure the thickness of the 350Z pressure plate, compare that against your 280ZX pressure plate, and use the appropriate collar to make up the difference (if any). I think there are at least 3 different collar lengths among these clutch/trans combos. This is a popular flywheel/clutch combo in the KA/240SX realm. Someone on those forums may be able to tell you definitively which collar you need.

Pete, given your experience, what is your opinion of gear-vs.-guide timing chain tensioners? I always thought gears seemed like a better engineering practice, but guides are still used in modern high performance engines that utilize chain-driven timing. What's your verdict regarding the L-engine? Improvement overall? Only worth getting 1000/1000ths out of a high-powered race engine? Not worth it regardless?

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/98934-rare-trustgreddy-l6-twin-turbo-manifold-for-l-series-engine/page__p__928017__hl__%2Btrust+%2Bmanifold__fromsearch__1#entry928017

I'm opting for the fiberglass inner frame. I did my homework. Gonna order from Beta tomorrow.

Can anyone recommend or offer any feedback on fiberglass S30 hood manufacturers? I'm looking for plain, smooth hood with provisions for factory hinges. I'm somewhat wary of the how prices vary from $240-500, hence my asking. I'm eyeballin' Beta and classicdatsun.com; both of which are at the top of that range.

Got a strange one for ya, gang. Just replaced the plugs and wires on my '77 and now there's a weird oscillating whistling noise coming from the engine bay, but ONLY when the headlights or A/C are turned on. Alternator?

Hm, way to ruin an S30. The ebay pics look scary. Looks like he did just sink the windshield (like the OP suggested) and didn't add any length to the roof. I.E. just hacked off the bottom 5" and welded it where it sat, which is why the windshield sits further back from the cowl. It's a shame that metalworking talent wasn't focused towards fixing the rust.

On the cheap side, I'd go older Maxima or S12 200SX. If you wanna make a project out of it, go fer a Datsun powered "original American sportscar". I.E. find a farm with this: ...And turn it into this(w/ an L28):