We're bringin' back the Flat Tops!

[jayhawk]

If I recall correctly, that electric fuel pump by the gas tank was installed by the dealer as part of the V3 fuel system mod/kit that also added the fuel line insulation and maybe a 5 bladed fan. 

So there are two fuel pumps on this Z: the original mechanical fuel pump in the engine bay, and an electric pump at the fuel tank that was added as part of the factory V3 mod/kit (installed on this car by the dealer) to solve some of the vapor lock problems. My logbook entry shows it was installed on this car on 11 Jul 1974, mileage 11,022 miles.

I think that later '73s (and 74s?) may have had the V3 mod done before delivery, either at the dealer or maybe the factory.

 

 

[hls3073z]

Hi Jayhawk,  are you saying that you have access to Nissan records so if I give you a s/n for my 73  you can tell me  how/where it was installed?

I don't remember how mine was electrically connected, but it never worked.  I made it come on with the keyswitch but  then would go off if I lost oil pressure so if I had an accident and the  motor stopped  it would stop pumping gas.  Mine does not have any fuel line insulation.  Was the insulation applied inside the engine bay?

[jayhawk]

No, I only have access to the logbook I kept on my car (the subject of this thread) that I started the day I bought the Z. (I'm the guilty owner that let this Z deteriorate for so long...:-(  )

I recorded the date of every expense (including gas) from the day I bought it until I quit driving it in 1988.  Although the dealer installed V3 kit did not cost anything, apparently I thought it important enough to record it.

Yes, the insulation was on the fuel line after the mechanical fuel pump in the engine bay.  You can see that insulation in the first series of photos that motorman7 posted to start this thread.

 

 

 

 

[hls3073z]

thanks, I wasn't paying attention to who was posting, I should have figured that out.  The work that was done on my Z was done by Ed Kelly a local Austin Z car racer and guru but I was not disciplined enough to keep a logbook.  My wife says its because I was not in the military.  It will be interesting to find out if your  electric fuel pump actually comes on.  If the weather is not hot it would probably run fine without it like mine did.  I do have a receipt that shows when the AC was installed.  The brand on the knob says "Factory Air". lol

[motorman7]

I have the car completely stripped now and will ship this off to Miguel on Thursday.   The interior is actually pretty clean and the paint looks nice inside.   Once it's at Miguel's, we will remove the suspension and put the car on some custom roller stands that mount to the body so that the car can be moved around easy while it is at the shop. This will also allow me to bring the suspension parts back home and get them powder coated and the nuts and bolts replated while the body work and paint are being done.  That way, when the painted body comes back to my place, the suspension parts will be ready.  I plan on doing a lot of part prep while the body is at Miguel's.  

I did wipe the  engine bay down a bit, but it is still pretty dirty.  Miguel will eventually blast the engine compartment so no need to waste too much time cleaning it up.  Pics are below.

Pics are nice to have.  Just noticed I need to pull those black caps off of the shock towers before I ship this off.

Edited July 18, 2018 by motorman7

[motorman7]

OK, she's off to the paint shop!  Will meet with Miguel tomorrow to go over the details.

 

[hls3073z]

What brand and  color paint are you going to use?

[motorman7]

We will be going with the PPG brand of paint.  The paint will be two stage in the original factory color.  It will look like the other Z pictured above ? .  Will start posting more on that one shortly.

[hls3073z]

I see in your tagline the 918 Orange one, is that ppg as well?

[motorman7]

24 minutes ago, hls3073z said:

I see in your tagline the 918 Orange one, is that ppg as well?

My 918 orange Z is actually single stage 'Restoration Shop' brand paint.   It is good quality and and looks great.   The other 918 orange car that I just finished is PPG two stage.  Hard to say which one I like better.  A lot of it depends on the lighting.

[motorman7]

Finished the engine tear down this weekend.  Will bring the head and the block to the machine shop on Tuesday.

It's always interesting what you find when you break these down.  On the exhaust manifold, there was one broken stud and another location where the nut was not even installed.  Not to mention that it is the wrong exhaust manifold.  There should be a port on the back part of the exhaust manifold.  Fortunately, @Montezuma has a '73 manifold available, so I will use that one.   Will post pictures of that one a bit later.

I love the insulation on the fuel rail.  I will be very careful with that and keep it as clean as possible.  It may not be 'sporty', but I think it is way cool. 

Also, the cylinders look very clean with no scratches.  Hopefully we can just get by with a hone on these guys.  Pics are below.

[hls3073z]

That insulation on the fuel line looks impressive.  I would assume asbestos.  That's the kind of stuff you see when you go on tours of old navy ships etc.  I suspect that was an expensive recall for Nissan back then.  Sadly I doubt it helped much.  On mine I could hear the fuel percolating inside the fuel pump after I stopped.  I'm looking forward to tinkering with that problem when I finally get the motor back in.