Putting in a replacement L-28

[Jeff G 78]

I use a floor jack under the trans with the handle pointing towards the rear of the car so it rolls easily.  Once the engine mounts are off and the weight is on the hoist, lower the trans jack all the way down.  As you lift the engine and start to roll the hoist, the trans will pull the jack forward a bit.

[Reptoid Overlords]

The S30 might have different clearances at the back of the engine compartment compared to my ZX, but if I let the trans and engine hang unsupported(engine mounts in place, trans mount removed), then the valve cover comes to rest on the firewall and one of the heater hoses going back into the firewall.

Again, this might not happen on the S30.

[Racer X]

15 hours ago, Av8ferg said:

Okay, so remove the four bolts of the rear of the driveshaft. Is it okay to let the transmission hang down or do I need to support it before unbolting the motor mounts. It seems odd it would hang so low so just want to make sure that’s normal.

 

 

You should leave the trans crossmember in place to support the transmission/engine assembly until it is supported by the crane. That is a lot of leverage on the motor mounts and the crossmember.

Have all the bolts loose, ready to go, then when it is all supported by the crane, take them out and proceed with the extraction.

 

[Av8ferg]

Took about 1hr with two helpers. She’s out and now I have a bunch of work to do to get the bay squared away.
Thanks for all the help. You all provided invaluable advice and support!



Discovered the transmission was not the original. It had markings from a junk yard...she was toast anyway.


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[Jeff G 78]

So, did you have to remove the front bumper to get the hoist centered over the engine or did you just remove it in case it wouldn't reach?

[Av8ferg]

So, did you have to remove the front bumper to get the hoist centered over the engine or did you just remove it in case it wouldn't reach?

Jeff, I did have to remove the bumper as well as upper and lower grills to get enough reach. With 3 people we were able to go slow and have eyes on any tight spots. I didn’t remove the driveshaft but she slid out and your jack idea facing back worked perfect. The bolts to the driveshaft are unreachable and I was biting my buddies time. You said you need to remove to install engine but I’m not sure why I can’t slide it back in like it came out.
I haven’t had time to make an assessment of the rest of the engine bay misc items. Need to start with a good cleaning. I did discover the transmission mount crossmember needs new bushings. They’re in bad shape. Hope this isn’t hard to do. I don’t have a press just a basic table vice.


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[Jeff G 78]

Getting the engine to sit on the mounts during install can be very tricky.  Adding the DS install will make it MUCH harder to line everything up.  My 260Z with a 1" rear bar makes the DS removal very difficult, but far from impossible.  You just have to get the right combination of wrenches and angles to reach them.

[Av8ferg]

Yep, I know it possible but didn’t have time today to screw with it. I looked at it this AM and was like...nope not gonna happen

So if I have to remove the DS then is that the right time to go ahead and put the spear ZX diff in too and get the rear end done. I had contemplated doing that over the winter but once the DS is off maybe I keep loving forward on the new diff too. I don’t want to get distracted too much and get overloaded. Too many people are great at taking apart but somehow it take forever to get it all back in. I’d like to have the engine in an running by next month. I have a big work trip (9 days) coming up so I’ll hit a work stoppage soon. Goal now is engine bay prep!!


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[Zed Head]

6 hours ago, Av8ferg said:

biting my buddies time

Ouch.
 

5 hours ago, Av8ferg said:

remove the DS

The key to getting the drive (propeller) shaft nuts off is to have a nice little wrench (12 point  is good) that will fit a nut and butt up against the body while you use a long lever (screw driver) in the u-joint to turn the shaft.  Fit the wrench on the nut, with the wrench wedged against the body, then turn the shaft itself to break the nut loose.  Once it's free you can usually turn it by hand.

[Av8ferg]

Thanks Zed Head I’ll give that a shot!

I started taking lots of photos of the engine bay and play to work my way slowly around cleaning up and refinishing item that are rust and replace worn items. I’m starting with the front left corner where the coil is.
So the distributor on my new motor came out of a 280ZX (you may remember my distributor rebuild thread about a year ago). I’m pretty confident my coil and ballast resistor (1977) is not designed to work with that distributor. I’ll need a replacement and I guess I’ll have to remove the ballast resistor??? I’m not sure? This is what my setup looks like now.


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[siteunseen]

 You should follow this word for word. Same car as mine and yours. I did it. Very simple.

All we can say is "wow".

Thank you Phillip @240260280

https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/distributor/index.html

 

 

[Av8ferg]

Thanks Cliff you always seems to have the answers.