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I'm thinking you've got the wrong throw out bearing installed (height wise) The 240Z bearing is shorter as I recall because the PP is taller. If you've got that TO bearing mated to a shorter PP then you've already lost a lot of leverage accounting for the heavier pedal feel.

You've got the Middle Tennesse, East Tennessee and Smoky Mountain Z car clubs around you. Have you tried contacting any of them? There's great support found in these associations.

The problem I have with it is functionality. We already sit low in the car and tall drivers find headroom to be wanting. I'd feel like one of these crazy kids driving around with the damn seat leaned fully back trying to see over the dash. It's hard to improve on the classic S30 lines. Here's a link, http://outlaws.smugmug.com/Customer-Cars/GM/88-Chopped-Top-LS3-Fiero-Jim/15747734_V8izH#1215940263_NBuu9 to a 88 Fiero GT my friend's husband built. With the shorter hood, it's easier to see over to drive. I don't care for the pointless cowl-induction hood considering it's a rear-engined vehicle.

That makes a bunch more sense to me. Add the fact that those braces are diagonal on two planes should really stiffen the uprights.

Nope, not me. I wish I had another LD28 to build into a turbo platform though. My LD28 has been converted to SC'd petrol using a mix of parts like JE pistons, L20B rods and a P90a mechanical head. I hoped to fit it into my '71 240Z in the next few weeks but I found a spot of rust bubbling through on the PS door. That broke my heart so I'm probably going to leave it alone until after ZCON then start a serious restore (although the car is rated a +2 on the five scale with 1 being pristine).

I'm setting up my SC'd L6 with A/C and possible PS. My thoughts were to drive the PS directly off the WP with the second pulley. That allows me to operate without any PS belt until I get around to finishing the Suby rack. The two v's on the damper will drive the A/C and the WP/Alt in a stock. There's no room for a third v on the damper as the serpentine pulley is fixed there to drive the SC. I don't recall seeing a dual pulley when I broke my LD28 down but I may have looked right past it as that was about 3 years ago.

Cool, I'm interested. How much to drop it in a flat rate box at the USPS?

I'd like to find one on the cheap. It bolts to the left outside of the plenum just behind the TB with a single screw/bolt. This looks kinda like a cast aluminum T with two rubber hoses attached. There's a small recessed screw on the top to set air flow. PM me if you can help.

Zsonthebrain ( look over at www.classiczcars.com ) makes a headlight conversion. It uses relays under the hood to feed battery +12 directly to the head lamps. The column switch is used only the trigger the relays so the amperage is really low. Thats saves the switch, fuse block and associated wiring. Plus your head lamps will be much brighter. My question to you is why would you want to bypass the column switch just to add another switch?

These are basically strips of 1/8" thick steel with holes drilled to match the holes in the oil pan. 11123-N3300 has a bit of sheet metal that folds up to protect the gasket from the exhaust down tube. Someone here will certainly have these bits laying around. I may even have them but would have to dig deep in parts bins. I'll try to get photos of my engine on the stand with these installed. The bigger problem is the lip of the oil pan being distorted from over-torquing the retaining bolts. You need to use a small hammer and flat dolly to smooth and flatten the lip at the holes to match the surface between those holes. Some decent sealant and a stock gasket will seal it right up. I usually use Permatex Ultra Gray but have also used Permatex 'aviation' sealant (#33 I think) or 'Right Stuff' sealant with great success. The secret is not overtightening the hardware. It may just be me but I never use the blue, orange or red silicone as it always seems to do a poor job by comparison.

One quick note. Than tapered pin is only there to prevent the spindle pin from rotating when installing the nuts. That tapered pin doesn't need to be driven home with a 5 pound mall. I don't even have the small retaining nuts on mine. Be usre to use lots of anti-seize as others have mentioned.

A length of heater hose held to your ear is surprisingly effective for tuning. Just place the hose end to the side of the airhorn. You'll hear the flow differences distinctly with maladjusted carbs. Keep balancing until you can't discern that difference and you'll be good to go. I've done this and later checked with a unisync tool and it was really close to dead-on. That said, I would be surprised if that was your major problem. It sounds more like over pressurization of fuel (do you smell gas strongly under the hood with the engine off but in the run position?) or ignition timing way off like the distributor isn't advancing. Totally forgot that it could easily be the fuel enrichment circuit (e.g. sticking nozzles on the carbs). That would explain why it runs great at times and sucks at other times. Be careful checking that because the levers are relatively easy to bend.

I may still have a LD28 rod in the garage to check. I'm using L20B rods in my build.

I need a 2 groove wp pulley for my L6 project. Lots of searching has failed to turn up a definative answer. Does such a beast exist in the Datsun/Nissan inventory? Is there any pulley that could be easily swapped in? I'm hoping not having to machine one.

Without going into all the details I don't think you'll have a problem with any of those transmissions. The T5 is smallest allowing more room for the install. The TKO or T56 would be a bit more trouble to clear in the tunnel. The engine torque you're talking about compared to the transmissions torque levels are not a huge issue since you'll not be getting the tires to hook up to apply it anyway. That is assuming you're not going solid axle and/or using sticky wide drag slicks. I would try to stick with a clutch fork and slave cylinder if only for convenience. If that internal hydraulic throwout fails it means pulling the transmission to repair. I've built a WC T5 for my SC'd L28 project using the Nissan bellhousing, shifter cover assembly and tailhousing. I'll be using a stock mustang 9.5" clutch (closer to 240mm actually), the Nissan pressure plate/throwout assembly and a custom pilot bushing.

We're working on an 80's 300D Mercedes OM617 5 cylinder turbo conversion for Land Rovers. The biggest issue is the front sump oil pan. A ring has been cast and machined to accept a variety of oil pan patterns. A special pickup has been cast/machined to use in a rear sump profile. These engines are plentiful (millions) in the USA. We get them at the PNP for about $200 out the door. If you add the transmission then it's about $300. I haven't thought about a Z conversion. I'd need to measure the height overall and compare it to my SC'd LD28 petrol conversion going into my 240Z. That would be more viable than the LD28 Maxima engine (or those industrial L6's found in some forklifts, etc) as they are more readily available and cheaper too. With an hp/tq rating of about 125/140 stock and room for tuning (upwards of 180/200) it would make for a good DD. The only issue is overall weight (about 560 lbs compared to about 525 for a L6/5 speed). F/R balance would be comparable since it is shorter than the L6. I'm using the LD28 block and V07 crankshaft along with a P90a head. The diesel block is 19mm taller than a normal petrol L6. It will fit (height wise) in a S30 with a stock hood. I'm lowering mine a bit to clear the PDK Fab strut bracing. To use the stock LD28 you'll need to rifle drill the block oil passage to relocate the oil pump pickup, block off a couple holes and use a petrol oil pan. Some have claimed to just lengthened the pickup tube. I suppose that could be done too.

Why not follow Nissan's lead and put it under the fender? That's what I'll be doing with my SC'd L28 240Z. If more air flow is desired then a small fan could be added. It's better protected from road debri and doesn't hinder airflow through the radiator. A massive loss of oil through debri damages to that front mounted cooler could cause massive engine failure before you realized what was happening. I'll also be using a water/air aftercooler with a low/long/thin radiator which also minimizes air flow restrictions through the 'real' radiator (very similar to the Ford Cobra arrangement).

The front bearing can be purchased but it is hard to locate. Tidewater Z Auto Service in Poquoson Virgina (http://www.tidewaterz.com) can sell you one. He still has several on the shelf. I have no business affiliation. We just belong to the same club.

Stock speedo? What transmission? Assuming it is a stock speedo and transmission, have you pulled the speedo drive gear to see if the plastic gears are still in good condition? Has the speedo cable been lubricated since it came off the assembly line?

Follow MAG58's visual instructions. Pull the dipstick and smell it for raw gas from flooding. Do an oil change if it reeks of fuel. Pull a plug and look for a wet sticky mess possibly requiring a blast of brake cleaner or replacement of plugs. Do a rough static timing of the engine (assuming the distributor was removed or turned in the petronix install). If there is any question about the battery charge then add another vehicle using jumper cables. Pull the coil secondary lead off. Push AND hold the gas pedal to the floor. DO NOT LET IT UP. Turn the engine over to clear the flooding condition (assuming you didn't change the plugs). Turn the ignition key to 'OFF' BUT do not lift off the throttle pedal. Reconnect the coil secondary lead. Shoot a blast of ether into the filter housings. Turn the engine over again. Be ready to come off that go-fast pedal when the engine fires up and races for 10,000 rpms.

That first drill will cause hell trying to make a 1" hole in sheet metal. With only two flutes, as soon as it starts to cut through the bucket it will grab and pull you into it f'ing up the hole in the process. Such a drill is intended to cut through thicker material by it's very nature. I've used comparable drills on thin metal BUT only when I could sandwich that metal between two thicker pieces of metal or wood. The second one is a much better choice BUT should be used in a drill press with the bucket tightly clamped to ensure an accurate hole. A step drill or the smaller hole saw I mentioned are your best (I prefer to say only) options. You've been forewarned.

If you choose to use a hole saw then get a 7/8" unit. With thin metal the pilot bit will wobble causing a good bit of runout. Try to hold the bucket against a piece of wood below the needed hole to help guide the pilot bit. Extra hands will come in very handy for this too. Hole saws are not known for accuracy. Once you get the basic hole cut then use a round file, dremel or die grinder to complete the task. This is typically needed to eliminate the sharp thin edge left by the hole saw anyway.

Hilarious... Flaming (of sorts) is to be expected. What the original poster wanted was a simple answer which was place it where Nissan placed it on the 280ZX (just behind the transmission using a heat shield). What he didn't know was the can of worms he was opening up. As indicated by the extensive/exhaustive data shown there is a definative reason for using the cat. It isn't a band-aid to compensate for a multitude of other issues. While I agree that the language used is almost incenderary, at times, it is meant to open eyes to not blacken them. No one is trying to hurt anyone's feelings only enlighten and educate. The cool part is the sheer amount of information that came from the one 'simple' question. Thanks the all the wizards that chose to respond.

Yep, the zinc coated freeze plugs are the anode. A friend was just in my office showing the freeze plugs he'd pulled out of a sitting 350. The zinc on the backside was gone and they were eaten through. Brass kicks azz. I like to drill a small hole in the interior of the radiator cap and attach a small piece of solid zinc with stainless wire. It just hangs there inside the radiator. Over a period of time you'll see this new anode slowly start to be consumed.

I bought a wrecked 92 Z28 for $900 two weeks ago. It has 94200 miles on the clock and runs really good for having sat 4 months in the city impound lot. No smoke and no abnormal leaks. This weekend was spent stripping the car down and listing on Craigslist. I also have the JTR V8 kit ($220) and both of Mike's books. There is a lot of good info in the conversion book but too much generic or pointless info in the TPI/TBI swap book for my use. That money could have been invested in other material that Mike's book constantly references purchasing. That's just one man's opinion though. Take it with a grain of salt. Many balk at choosing a 305 over a 350. I'll only be into the motor and trans equal or less than $100 after I sell the parts off and scrap the chassis at the recycler. It's just made economical sense as sheer power is not my main interest these days. There's also the stroked 2.8 supercharged L6 going into my 240Z for that effect anyhow. The choice now is deciding if I'll put the 305 TPI or the LU6 Vortec V6 in my 75 280Z. I'm leaning towards the V6 since power is comparable and it weighs less than the V8. Set back using the JTR kit will keep the power to weight ratio up and a very balanced car too. The other engine will be fitted into my 84 Land Rover 110 Defender (lots of room for the V8 too).