You can get the tail light gaskets through Nissan. Even vendors like Motorsports Auto (MSA) send you Nissan parts. Courtesy Nissan in Richardson TX is one of the best known places to get parts and they are one of the dealerships I have ever seen that allow you to buy parts online. Check out Courtesyparts.com

Other great vendors include Classic Datsun, Banzai Motorworks, and Black Dragon Auto to name a few. There are also vendors on Ebay and you can even get some parts on Amazon. There are also part specific vendors like Z Therapy for carb work and parts.

In regards to the vent lines, check out the sites below. No one as far as I know sells them as a kit but MSA carries the individual lines when they have them in stock. Be prepared for some sticker shock as the one line that is almost impossible to replicate is over $100. One item to note on the site, the 1/2" 4ft hose, buy 6ft of it. I bought 5ft of it online thinking I would have more than enough and I needed an extra foot.

http://www.jrdemers.com/280ZX/tankvents/tankvents.html

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/engine-drivetrain-s30/46611-fyi-fuel-tank-vent-hose-info.html

When I did mine I was able to get most of the hoses through my local auto parts store but had to order the larger diameter stuff on Ebay. Some people have said marine/boat shops carry the larger diameter fuel safe hose so that may be an option too. Unless you are going for a 100% factory correct look I would skip the factory style lines. It will save you 60+% on what all the lines cost.

Edited July 12, 201311 yr by Hardway

Thanks! That's a big help. Banzai Motorworks is actually only an hour from where I live. I may have to give them a visit sometime.

Congratulations on your Z.

The most difficult hose I found to get at a reasonable price was the fuel filler hose. The one from the filler neck to the tank. Mine had a hole in it and was dripping gas at fill-ups.

I think the 240 Z hoses are easier to get than the 76 280 Z.

If you have to replace one of the hoses you may want to do them all as well as rust proofing the gas tank with POR-15 or an equivalent. As much as I dreaded doing the entire gas tank/hose refurbishment, I turned out to be a fun project.

Dave Ruiz

Datsun L-series ZCAR engine modifications

XenonS30

240Z, 260Z & 280Z Parts (S30) 1970-1978 :: Nissan Parts, NISMO and Nissan Accessories - Courtesyparts.com

Datsun Z & ZX Parts, Datsun 240Z 260Z 280Z 280ZX Nissan 300ZX Parts

Z Car Parts.com -- Motorsport Auto -- Home

Tech Tips

Datsun 240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 280ZX and Mazda RX7 Auto Parts & Accessories

Lots more too. google.com

Datsun L-series ZCAR engine modifications

XenonS30

240Z, 260Z & 280Z Parts (S30) 1970-1978 :: Nissan Parts, NISMO and Nissan Accessories - Courtesyparts.com

Datsun Z & ZX Parts, Datsun 240Z 260Z 280Z 280ZX Nissan 300ZX Parts

Z Car Parts.com -- Motorsport Auto -- Home

Tech Tips

Datsun 240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 280ZX and Mazda RX7 Auto Parts & Accessories

Lots more too. google.com

Welcome to the home of Z lovers!

One drop of fuel can stink up a whole garage. Check all your lines.

If its a fuel venting issue, you might try the trick I did with LIGHTLY pressurizing the vent system and then look for leaks. I have a thread on here somewhere.

Good luck and congrats

So it's not a fuel smell, I'm an idiot. Sorry about that, when I first got the car and had it in the garage I thought it smelled strongly like fuel but after getting it out on the road a bit I noticed it's just the exhaust and it was running a bit rich. I've adjusted the carbs some to fix that but when I have more time I'm going to balance them properly this weekend. The tail light gaskets are rough so that's where the smell is getting in I'll just replace those next. I checked all the fuel vent hoses in the back and they look pretty good and it looks like that expansion tank and gas tank have been treated to protect from rust.

I took it out for a drive to the state park on Sunday and took a lot of pretty pictures (attached one). On the way back I filled up with some 93 octane and the car started bogging down really badly and couldn't get any power in 3rd or 4th gear. I pulled over and checked the fuel filter and it was clogged up with a ton of junk. Maryland gas is pretty high in ethanol which I think frees up a lot of those particles.. I'm going to try and find an ethanol free station but those are pretty rare around where I am. Anyways I just popped the filter off and banged it a bit to unclog it and the car ran great all the way back home. Ordered a bunch of filters which I'll keep with the car until it starts clearing up.

Great weekend, I'm so glad I bought the car it's a lot of fun

Wow that seems like a really great price for that car! Especially being numbers matching, mechanically sound, low rust... I think you got a great deal. Enjoy it!

Quick thanks to Hardway for compiling the fuel vent info (post #13), really helpful to have that in one place.

I'd suspect the tank is loaded with rust if you're clogging filters. See how long it takes to foul another filter - that'll determine if it's a minor issue that you can get by with regular filter changes or if you'll need to drop and clean the tank.

Just the act of filling the tank creates movement that will knock sediment and rust off the bottom of the tank. I've been dealing with the same issue, which actually killed my electric fuel pump.

I was right the first time, I do have a fuel leak. I smelled it this morning when I went in the garage and sure enough there's a slow drip coming from the fuel filler hose where it connects to the fuel tank. I finally noticed it now that I have a full tank. Since my fuel filter is looking really nasty I think I'll just remove the gas tank completely this weekend and take it to a shop to get cleaned. So thanks again with the fuel hose info that will come in handy after all.

I have another question about my car actually... I'm not sure how I missed this earlier. I was inspecting around the air cleaner and realized that the hose that attaches to the bottom is gone, there's a hose coming from near the carb that is plugged with a screw(?!) and the hole towards the front of the car on the air cleaner has been plugged on the side towards the engine. I've attached a picture so you can see what I mean, the air cleaner cover has been removed. Red arrow points to the hose with the screw plugging it and the blue arrow points to the hole that has been capped off. I'm guessing the car has been de-smogged which is fine with me I just want to be sure there isn't something weird going on.

Sk,

If I understand your description, the red arrow hose goes to the front carb and connects to the diaphram on the distributor (the round thing sticking off the side of the distributor).

The blue arrow indicates the front carb choke wire. You should see the choke linkage and where it connects.

Do you have a Factory Service manual? (FSM). If not they can be downloaded. Just search for a member here who goes by "Blue".

Also check the ZTherapy website for illustrations and you may want to get their SU Carburetor DVD.

Good luck.

Dave

Nice Z. She's a beauty!