Bringing a 1977 Z back life

[siteunseen]

That's what I did John.  As soon as I realized I had a good solid car I pulled the motor out and rebuilt or replaced all I could.  If you think the timing chain needs replacing, it's just about as easy to do the whole motor.  

It's easier to deal with that front sway bar with weight on the front tires so you need ramps or jack it up and let it back down on some pieces of wood or stone.  The two front tires make good jack stands too.

I've never done it but have read of people doing it but there's an oil pick-up that sticks down into the oil pan you'll have to get the gasket around.  I don't know how hard that is.  Google "replacing oil pan gasket motor in car classiczcars.com"  You may have to loosen the motor mounts and jack the front of the motor up to clear that pick up?

If you have the dizzy out already turn the cam bolt clockwise until all your TDC marks line up and take a look at the tang down in the distributor hole.  After seeing that rotor button pointing straight down and knowing how easy it is to spin half way around I think your oil pump will be okay.  There was a guy on here a year or so ago that tried like hell to get TDC and never could.  Somebody said to always keep the straight side of the timing chain tight, he got it on TDC then.

 

 

[Dave WM]

replacing my 280z pan was not hard, a little fiddly maybe. One thing is to get the front crankshaft counter weight up in the block, be prepared to get a wrench on the crankshaft and turn it if need be. once that is out of the way the only other thing is getting it off (the pan maybe seriously stuck if its been a long time on) then getting it to start back. taking off is not that hard. getting it on requires a bit more patience. You need to secure the gasket to the pan as it will want to be scraped off as you slide the pan back into position. I used some floss tied into a few of the holes to keep it all in place. I don't like using sealers or gasket glues, but maybe that would work. It may even work better if you put just a little up force on the engine, maybe at the pully, to lift the motor mount rubber a hair, but I don't think that is worth it. just deal with the shifting gasket, make sure its back in place, use a torque wrench to get all the pan bolts tightened to the correct (not over tight) tightness. check it again after running for a while. Main thing is if you have any doubt about the rear mains side seals being the source of the leak, do them at the same time. You can do with engine installed and pan off pretty easy.

Edited March 27, 2018 by Dave WM

[Av8ferg]

Thanks for all the good advice.  I’m coming up on a timeline to get this car on the road.  It’s  in Memphis at a temp location.  I have limited access to tools there.  The hope was to get it running an then bring it to NC where I could really begin a proper restoration.  My goal was to get the engine running to determine if it was a engine worth keeping or weather to rebuild it.  The great thing about this car is the body.  Spending a lifetime in CA and getting a full undercoat early in its life have saved it from the fate of many of these cars...rust.  It’s obvious to me the POs knew little about the mechanical and electrical workings of these cars and at some point abandoned the goal of putting back on the road.  I feel their frustration....some days I have considered just selling it and buying a running one.  What I’ve learned in life is the journey is better than the destination in my endouvers.  This is no exception.  I enjoy a challenge, love to work with mechanical things and seeing the fruits on my labor.  

I’ve been scouring the internet looking for replacement L28 engines.  It begs this questions.  Should I keep the current engine and just rebuild it, buy a fully rebuilt one or buy a used running engine?   Seems like a fully rebuild engine runs around $2,500 to $2,900.  I’ve found used engines from $150 to $750.  What is the cost to rebuild my engine?  Do matching engine s matter in the Z world? A salvage yard near me has an L28 in a car that they want $300 for engine, tranny and all misc engine parts.  It’s from a 1975 with an N42 Head.....engine status unknown.  There is also a guy selling a 1978 engine on Craigslist for $100 about 3 hrs from me. 

https://nashville.craigslist.org/pts/d/nissan-6cyl-engine/6529413934.html

what do you guys think? 

[Dave WM]

L28s are tough engines, that being said they can be abused. I would suggest you do a compression check at a min, decide from there. Its not hard to get them going, the EFI is simple and well documented, plus you will get a lot of help. Buying a used engine may be ok to practice on but no reason to assume its better than what you have unless you start testing stuff (like compression).

you can look at the camshaft and get an idea of its condition as well. buying rebuilt may be a good idea, but I don't know how to vet out a rebuilder, perhaps others that have had good luck and point you in that direction.

Get it setup so you can crank the engine over (oil change at least and if the camshaft is dry, pour some oil on it), do a comp test. next check the fuel pressure with a gauge (good chance the tank will need to be cleaned and fuel lines blown out at a min) with a clean tank and fresh gas ad a prefilter infront of the pump, put a new filter on under the hood, hookup the pressure gauge and activate the pump (FSM covers how). if you get good fuel pressure you are 1/2 way there. Biggest problem with EFI is corroded connectors and grounds this includes fuse links, battery connections, sensor connections and FI connections. If the car fails to start after supplying fuel, check for spark if there the go thru the EFI above connection detailed above. Pictures under the hood will tell a lot of the overall messed with factor...

Edited March 27, 2018 by Dave WM

[siteunseen]

These work great and will get you out of the timeline.

[EuroDat]

31 minutes ago, Av8ferg said:

I’ve been scouring the internet looking for replacement L28 engines.  It begs this questions.  Should I keep the current engine and just rebuild it, buy a fully rebuilt one or buy a used running engine?   Seems like a fully rebuild engine runs around $2,500 to $2,900.  I’ve found used engines from $150 to $750.  What is the cost to rebuild my engine?  Do matching engine s matter in the Z world? A salvage yard near me has an L28 in a car that they want $300 for engine, tranny and all misc engine parts.  It’s from a 1975 with an N42 Head.....engine status unknown.  There is also a guy selling a 1978 engine on Craigslist for $100 about 3 hrs from me

what do you guys think? 

The L28 in the salvage yard would be interesting. If they let you remove the valve cover and spark plugs for a quick inspection. If it didn't work out, the head and inlet manifold would be worth that alone. The inlet manifold should be a N42 like the head. It is open runners as apposed to webbed and no egr.

Most people refer to matching numbers when they talk about the 240Z. The engine number was punched into the vin plate. Nissan stopped doing this with the 280Z.

Most of us 280Z guys are just trying to find stuff like ECU, AFM etc that still works rather than period correct. Well, that is my struggle in life.

If you choose to go with a rebuilt engine, be carefull and reserch the company that did the work. You could spend a lot and eventually end up worse off then you ard now. Seriously.

[Dave WM]

that Nashville CL looks like a terrific buy.

[rcb280z]

If I was closer I would snatch that sucker up in a heartbeat, if compression was good.

Guess that's how hoarding begins 

Edited March 27, 2018 by rcb280z

[Av8ferg]

Which engine would you get?  The F54 for $100 or the N42 from salvage yard for $300.   It seems people like the N42 from my research.   The savage yard is only changing me $300 because of the labor to remove the engine.  I can call and ask the, if the engine is locked up or not.    

One more thing, should I just replace the oil pump while it’s out?  An new one is $31 with the gasket?  Seems reasonable and maybe worth changing while I’m doing the work anyway.  

[rcb280z]

F54. Flat top pistons.

[Av8ferg]

Cliff, towing home is my game plan.  I have a 2008 V6 4runner to haul it home.  Wife won’t be happy with a non-driving vehicle hanging around the garage.  Getting a car on a full car trailer isn’t easy when it’s not running.  I need to find 4 dudes to help me push it up.  Sad....

Edited March 27, 2018 by Av8ferg

[Zed Head]

I was going to suggest getting a used engine over a rebuilt one but assumed that they would be hard to find.  Finding two right away is kind of unicornish.  The CL engine looks very clean and original.  The one downside I see is that it looks like cylinder 6 is at 125 and the others at 150.  But testing pressure on a dry cold engine might be the cause for that.  It will have lots of swappable parts like the oil pump, water pump,  cam shaft and rocker arms (in case you find that yours are damaged), fuel rail (it's the one piece design, better than 75-77 three piece), injectors (they last a long time if they're fed good fuel), manifolds (although they are ZX parts and will take minor mods to work in a 280Z), etc.  For $100 it's a nice solid package of parts at the worst.  See if he has the flywheel, they're getting hard to find too.  The distributor is out but he might have that too.

For the costs and availability I'd consider getting them both.  Look over the 75 engine and car.  If the car is crashed but the engine maintained that's a clue.  As is if the car is nice but the engine is trashed.  You never know, I used to see both types around here but haven't seen a Z or ZX in the yards for about 2-3 years.  There used to be 1-3 around at all times right after I got my car, 9 years ago.  No more.  Actually I'd do the $100 engine right away, then take your time on the wrecking yard engine.

Edit - the transmission in the 75 car is probably a 4 speed.  Don't take it, let them have it and see if they'll drop $50 to 100.  It's not worth much and will just take up space.  Unless you anticipate problems with yours.  People can't give them away.  If it's an automatic, there's no way you want to take it.

Edited March 27, 2018 by Zed Head