krizza

Gav, from what I understand the pertronix will not be an issue in this type of setup as it is only being used as a CAS. The Megasquirt will be controlling timing and dwell etc. I did think about going with an MSD CDI setup and using the Pertronix as the trigger, but in the end I decided I didn't need the CDI for my relatively stock setup (stock motor with 40DCOEs) and wanting to keep my stock tacho working I went with the XR700 instead.

The issue I had with using the pertronix unit was that the dwell was too low and caused misfire issues higher in the rev range. I contacted pertronix who told me the 20 degrees dwell I was seeing was normal, but this is nowhere near enough to saturate the coil at higher rpms. When I swapped the points back in the problem went away. I modified it and ended up with around 28 degrees dwell before the pickup was losing signal from the magnet, which improved the problem but didn't completely solve the ignition breakdown at higher revs.I know other people seem to use them but I dont know how they work with such low dwell settings and no adjustment unless yo drill out the rivets and move the pickup away from the magnet to increase the dwell. I ended up tossing the pertronix and went with the Crane XR700 optically triggered setup and havent had an issue since.

I replaced my rusty original with a brass 90 degree fitting from Supercheap. It was in one of those small packs that they sell nuts, bolts, etc in. Figured that it was a good idea to replace it with something that won't rust like the factory part does.

Greg, I bought one of the leather boots from Supercheap to replace my cracked original when I bought a new console, and had to modify it to fit as it doesn't work as is. The vinyl boots look to be the same design, so something to consider. I had to unpick the stitching on the bottom that holds the spring wire to get enough length to fit the hole in the Z console, and it was still a tight strech to get it to work..

I dont think point gap or dwell angle will have any effect on the tach. The 280z tach is a much better option imo, because you can get it to work with electronic ignition systems and cdi boxes. Sounds like that is the way to go.

Sorry Greg, you are right I was responding to twoforty z. Twoforty z, all of the wires you described are factory fitted and need to be wired as per the diagram Greg posted above. Both b/w wires connected to the coil will not provide the correct signal through the tach for it to work. Of course the other potential issue once the wiring is put back in the correct order is that the tach may be bad. These induction loop tachs seem to be pretty flakey. The original in my car was intermittently faulty when I bought it, and a replacement I bought off the forum was DOA too. I had my original rebuilt with a new Smiths board to get it working reliably.

Hi Greg, The way you currently have the wiring on your car is incorrect. The only wire that should be on the coil +ve is the b/w that goes to the tach. The g/w goes on the coil side of the ballast to give it full 12v on startup and will only show 12v during cranking. Once the key is in the run position the other b/w wire will be supplying 12v and should be on the opposite side of the ballast resistor to the coil so the coil only sees 9v during running. Hope this helps you get your tach going

Hi Peter, the diagram you have posted looks fine to me and seems to reflect the basic wiring diagram supplied with the unit. I am running an internally ballasted coil (Bosch GT40) and have deleted the ballast resistor, but mine is wired the same way.

Cozza, my personal experience with the Pertronix was disapointing. I initially replaced my points with a Pertronix kit (the original not the adaptive dwell version) but found that the spark would break down over ~4k rpm. I tested the dwell and found that it was 24 degrees, and I suspected that this wasn't enough to charge the coil at high rpm. After replacing the coil it was still an issue, and after contacting Pertronix who told me that the dwell figure was correct, I modified the Pertronix unit to get as much dwell as I could which ended up being 28 degrees by drilling out the two rivets and moving the pickup as far away from the magnet as I could while still getting a signal. This was better but still not perfect and I still had ignition breakdown at higher revs. When I would swap back to points and set the timing and dwell to factory specs the car ran perfectly. I eventually gave up and swapped to a Crane XR700 a few months ago. I could not be happier with the Crane unit, it works perfectly.

Hi Mike, I just bought a new console off ebay from the states for my 2+2 and was very happy with it. It has the padded storage lid and was ~$300 AUD delivered with the current exchange rate and a 10% discount voucher from ebay. Was delivered inside a week of purchase. It did have the cutout for the ashtray though, and no blanking plate came with it which wasn't a big deal for me as I used the ashtray from my old console. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/OEM-260Z-280Z-Center-Console-With-Slot-for-Choke-Lever/263035426782?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Hi Gav, here are a couple of pics

I didn't manage to get any pics of the nutserts in the valance before I bolted on the lip, but next time I have it off I will. I was surprised at how neat they came up, and with the low position they are fitted to the valance you can't really see them when looking from front on. I left them in their natural zinc plated finish, but if they were colour coded to the valance they would be virtually invisible.

I just fitted a fiberglass one in the last couple of weeks. I used nutserts in the valance, and with the spoiler removed the finish is still very neat

I bought one off this guy to balance my SUs and now use it with my Webers. Works great. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Carburetor-Syncroniser-Weber-SU-twin-carb-throttle-body-motorbike-sync-balancer-/161057523703?hash=item257fc6c7f7:g:YLcAAOSwNiNZqbGw

I'm on the diff backlash bandwagon. I have the same issue, and have new bushes throughout, new uni joints in the driveshafts and tailshaft, and the RT diff mount. Noise became a fair bit worse with the increased NVH from the poly bushes, and I can see/feel play when I perform the same test described by dat2kman. If you move the wheel back and forth and watch what play you have before the input pinion moves it gives you a fair idea of what play there is in the diff.

Hi Brad, I had 215/65R14 on my 14x6.5 jellybean mags previously and I thought they were a good size / fit. Seeing as the 280zx can take even bigger rubber than the 260z I would go for that size. Only downside is it is becoming harder to find decent rubber in 14", this was the main reason I moved up to 16x7 rims recently.

Great thanks Lurch, that was exactly the information I was after. I have used a company called Head Torque for cylinder heads previously who do great work (I think I saw Whittie's L28 head was welded by them recently as well), so that is probably the way I will go. Guess I will pull the head off and get it inspected before I start collecting any other parts. Seeing as the car doesn't see any use during the wet months at least time is on my side.

G'day fellas, Looking over the bus today I noticed that I was low on coolant. After some investigation I have found two hairline cracks in the cylinder head below the number 2 and 5 exhaust ports. Definitely cracks about 5mm or so above the base of the head, not the head gasket. This is the original matching numbers L26 that came with the car. I am looking for some advice from those in the know whether the head is likely to be salvageable with welding or if I am up for a new head, and if so am I better off trying to find an L28 to replace the whole lot? Also if I go with the head off option, besides replacing the water pump is there anything else I should be looking at while it is apart? I know that without seeing / testing the head it is hard to judge, but thought those that deal with these engines regularly might be able to tell me if I am wasting my time before I get stuck into the existing engine. Cheers, Kris

Anyone know if Dave is still around and supplying this gear? Looks like he hasn't been active in a while.

G'day Linc, it is good to see another bus getting some love. Is that twin DGV webers in the second pic?

Finally got some new wheels and tyres for the bus and fitted them last week. Konig rewind in 16x7

I'll take the volts/fuel gauge. Have PMed you

I'm pretty sure it is law in Australia that they have to list who the dealer is, they just don't make it easy to find. If you scroll to the bottom of the listing it is there in very small font.

Hi Sandy, with regards to the charcoal canister this is what I did recently. I have just fitted triple webers to my 260z and deleted the charcoal canister. The only vacuum connections i kept were the brake booster and A/C / heater vent controls, both of which come off the brake booster fitting in the back of the manifold. Like you have already suggested I just ran the vacuum hose from the fuel tank vent across the front of the engine and into the air cleaner of the first carby, as each air cleaner already came with a hole that could be used for PCV etc or blocked up with a grommet. So far I haven't had any issues with fuel smell in the engine bay, so it looks like that setup is fine and I didn't need to tap another fitting into the manifold for it. Regards, Kris

Good info Retro Z. I cut mine to size last night and thankfully it is the solid type, so shouldn't be an issue to weld it back together.