1977 280z Light Restoration Project

[Muzez]

2 hours ago, siteunseen said:

Great how to book. He makes you want to do it unlike Haynes and Chilton manuals. They suck in my opinion.

Bought and shipped! Thanks for the recommendation. I don't have to be worried about my dad being Whizzed. He's an engineer and understands the theory of engine design, but chose to focus his mechanical knowledge elsewhere. Whenever I talk about my car, he always asks "Have you sold it yet?"

My biggest complaint with the Haynes stuff is its not always well organized and misses important stuff. I mostly use it to fill in when the service manual doesn't cover a topic. 

2 hours ago, Reptoid Overlords said:

There's a good chance that the water pump bolts have either already been broken by a previous owner, or will break as you are removing them.  It's not that big of a deal if you break one, they aren't terribly hard to remove, especially with the engine on a stand and not in the car. 

I would go ahead and replace the head gasket and timing chain while the engine is out.  The book that Siteunseen mentioned is the way to go for sure.  I had never done it before and used that book.  Made perfect sense and I'm no real veteran at this stuff.  If setting the cam timing is your biggest worry, that book makes it plain and clear.  Plus there's lots of threads on here about it, and if you get stumped, folks are happy to help. 

I am sure I will have a thousand questions but you guys are always good at answering and being there. Saved by bacon when I yolo lifted my engine a few weeks ago. 😛 

[Muzez]

So I was putting my parts in storage to make space for breaking down the engine and I found some previously repaired damage to the radiator that I didn't see before. There wasnt any visible igns of leaking or rust when I pulled it or in the coolant, but it looks pretty rough. 

Three questions:

1. This thing is junk right? 

2. Assuming it is junk, anyone have a recommendation for a drop in replacement? Saw there are a few 3 rows from champion and mishimoto that don't look too crazy assuming they don't require fab to mount. 

3. In the very unlikely chance that it is not junk, should I fill it with something for storage? 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Muzez
I can't spell to save my life

[Dave WM]

are you going to use a radiator shroud? There are brass and copper radiators out there new. things to watch out for is the drain hole location if you still have the splash pan, and the filler neck overflow direction depending on how you want to deal with then over flow. I like the copper brass types over aluminum.

[Muzez]

5 minutes ago, Dave WM said:

are you going to use a radiator shroud? There are brass and copper radiators out there new. things to watch out for is the drain hole location if you still have the splash pan, and the filler neck overflow direction depending on how you want to deal with then over flow. I like the copper brass types over aluminum.

I still have the original fan and fan shroud which I was planning to put back on, but now that I need to replace the radiator, I am open to other options. Would the alternative be to switch to electrical fans? Or is a shroud not necessary with the copper/brass setup?

[Zed Head]

1 hour ago, Muzez said:

1. This thing is junk right? 

The vertical metal is tubes that the coolant flows through.  The horizontal zig-zaggys are just the fins that dissipate the heat from the tubes.  It's not necessarily junk if it doesn't leak.  But, besides leaking, the tubes need to be clear so that there is good flow and good heat transfer.

Just drain it well and store it away.  You might also consider taking to a radiator shop and seeing how much it would cost to refurbish it.  It used to be common practice to boil them out but it's not so common anymore.  Caustic chemicals and longer-lasting coolants make it not so profitable.

I had good luck with a parts store Murray radiator.  Many of the aftermarket radiators out there are meant for underhood flash, like cold air intakes and chrome hose fittings.  Make sure you know what you're getting.  And electric fans don't really add much, they're kind of for show also.  A shroud, a good fan clutch, and a good radiator works really well.  The cooling problems you read about are from 40+ year old parts, not the design of the system.

[Muzez]

@Zed Head yeah, I haven't yet run into any overheating issues (knock on wood). Was going to take my gas tank to a rad shop and get a quote on the recoat so I can take the radiator at the same time. 

For cleaning it out, I think I remember someone mentioning to rinse it with isopropyl alcohol to dry up any remaining water and then cap it. Does that sound right? 

[Patcon]

It's probably a brass radiator. Just drain it good and let it air dry. Then cap the open ports once it's dry

[Zed Head]

You could stick a heat gun/blow dryer at one end and just let it run for a while.  Isopropyl alcohol (AKA rubbing alcohol) will take water with it but it's kind of a spendy way to do it.  Take it inside and prop it in front of the fireplace.  Stick it over a forced iar heating vent.  Take it to bed with you.  

 

[Muzez]

8 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Take it to bed with you.  

I do like a good snuggle. But I imagine my wife might be a little frustrated sharing the bed with something else and its been a while since I slept on the floor. 😛 

Its pretty clean now but I will probably deploy the hair dryer method. Worse case the shop I occasionally work out of has a few barrels of barrels of Iso for parts washing, so maybe I can grab a gallon when I'm there next. 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Muzez

[Muzez]

Hey Guys,

Got most of the wiring undone in the engine bay and am almost ready to send this thing off to paint. Two questions:

1. What is the best way to get this harness through the firewall? Or is it easier to pull the connectors in the cabin through the other way?
 

Haven’t started trying to take the old rubber seals off yet because I am sure they are going to disintegrate the moment I do. Also, do they make replacements for these or is there a good substitute?

2. Any idea what this vacuum line goes to? And can I remove it and reinstall it from here? Or will it require removing the dash to reinstall?

 

[jfa.series1]

My car is certainly not as complex as yours but my experience was to pull the interior connectors thru the firewall into the engine bay. I pushed them thru one connector at a time. It helps to get the grommet pushed out first.

[Muzez]

Quick update and a question

Good News! Car has finally gone out for paint after 2 years of delays from the first shop I was trying to work with. Feels great to have some progress and to have the garage clear to work on the engine. While I have the engine out, I wanted to do a little clean up on it so I started disassembly this week. Need to fix a snapped exhaust stud (damn #6) and 2 other broken bolts. While I have it out, I was thinking about having the head gasket replaced because I have a little oil leakage from the front of the head. Compression is still good, but more of some preventative medicine.

Advice question: I reached out to a local Z mechanic for machinist recommendations of a me. He mentioned that since the engine is out, it should get a rebuild or at least at minimum complete disassembly for inspection, proactive bearings replacement, a few other things. I was kind of surprised given the car ran well and has only ~40k miles. Does that make sense for you guys? I trust this guy, but I am new to all this and don't know what is considered normal maintenance on an almost 50 year old car. Hes prepping a quote but I am worried it is going to be big$
@Zed Head @siteunseen @EuroDat @wheee!