zbane

Driving along the other day, I noticed a familiar shape off the side of the road in the lot area of a shop. There were several other vehicles by it, and I felt the need to turn around and drive down to ask some questions. What I found is now just the remnants of a shell, the roof is great (headliner too), the hood is very good (but not perfect), the rear quarters seem workable (surface rust), but most everything else is gone. It still has all four hubcaps (only one Z centercap is missing), and the owner is willing to sell it for whatever anyone may offer (that's the impression I got, anyway). The engine and tranny have been pulled and installed in a 240 racer (sorry, no photos-but from what I saw, WOW!-it looked great) Makes me sad, though, seeing such an early 280 being eaten away by rust, but at least some of it is being reused. I'm not trying to sell this carcass, but I would like to see the last of the good parts (like the caps) put to good use, rather than rot to oblivion... edit: I just got my real digital camera back in action, so if anyone wants better (non-phone) pictures of any areas, let me know.

I wish there were a way to take off the red respray the the PO deemed necessary to apply. He must have taken it to one cheap shop, because every day it seems that a little more of the red just flakes off, revealing the beautiful root beer brown beneath. It's almost as if the painters painted over the brown without removing the wax, that's how nice the original color is underneath. At this point the paint is only coming off around the mirrors, and the inner door jamb area, but the brown areas are growing.

Turns out that the cause of the gas leak was not from the Cold Start Valve. I kept smelling raw gas after turning off the car, though it wasn't a constant occurance, even though the CSV was disconnected. After some poking around, I found that one of lines connected to the Fuel Pressure Regulator was loose, possibly causing the gas smell. I decided to go ahead and replace the lines connecting the FPR to the rail, and when I disconnected the Vacuum Line (to remove the FPR), gas shot out from the top. Aha-the gas leak is found! As I thought about it, a couple clues were there that should have brought this possibility to mind: the car was taking more time to start up (building pressure in the rail), and was starting to act odd while driving (abyssmal MPG, hesitation/stalling when clutch is depressed) So, I had to get ahold of a new regulator-Napa told me "wow, that's an outdated part. It'll take about a week to get one," but Advance said "we'll have one in the morning for you." From now on, Advance will be getting my business... So, if anyone is smelling gas in the engine bay (FI models), and can't find a leak, check your Fuel Pressure regulator.

Do a quick fix, paint it maroon, and sell it to DaddzLOL No, seriously, You've got your hands full with possible projects. Perhaps it would be best to give it some time, and work on a different car next.

Agreed-you might as well change all those brake hoses, just be sure to use flared wrenches, and hit the connections with some PB Blaster before you start the job. I found the job to be easy and straightforward, as long as you have everything you need beforehand, though I only had to deal with one caliper.

Anthony, is there a link to what you want our opinion on?

Welcome to the club, looks like you've got a good starting point to work from. search the site for the best steps to take before starting the engine (if it hasn't run for some time), dizzy problems, anything really, and you're bound to find something useful.

You've come to the right place for information and support! You are going to want to get that rust taken care of, and here is a good place to get panels Tabco http://www.tabcobodyparts.com/ You will find that the Z car will become a bit of an addiction (not that there is anything wrong with that), and that they are fairly easy to work on, given patience. Of course, working at a car dealership, you've got mechanics that might be willing to help out (even though it's not a ford:stupid: )

I have a hatch mount bike rack that works fairly well on the zx. Mine is an allen rack that I bought at a bike shop, though they can be found elsewhere http://www.allenracks.com/products/trunk/103d.html If you choose this option, be sure to get a rack that has individual "holders" for each bike. Due to the angle of the rack, and the pedals on your bike(s), you will find these holders invaluable-that is if you don't want a scratched hatch. There is an issue with this type of rack, however. The metal hooks used to secure the nylon straps to the car do not work with the hatch-the angles are off. What I did to counter this was to feed the hook to the interior of the car, then snug it up to the interior seal as much as possible, to prevent slipping (and seal damage). The other issue deals with the lower strap connection-in my case I didn't care for how the hooks connect to the lower edge of the bumper (I couldn't get it tight enough), so I had to hook them through the tow hooks. Since you have a different bumper on your Z, this may not be an issue for you. If you can, take your Z to the shop so you can do a fitting before you buy, and try to use an actual bike shop-they would be more likely to have (or order) something designed specifically for a hatch.

Hi Matt, you've found the right place for all sorts of Z (and Datsun, in general) information! The search feature will be your friend, even if it is sometimes confounding. There are several members in your area that may offer to get you of your laurels and back into your Z!

Welcome to the site, you have an incredible amount of information at your fingertips. I'm sure others will want to know more about your car, hopefully you have some photos to post... If your Z hasn't been run for some time, I would suggest reading this post, at least read over #8, written by Carl Beck-doing so may well save you some major headache. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22619&highlight=waking+sleeping+beast Once again, welcome!

I wish I could give you a definitive answer that would make this issue just go away, but I can't. However, our neighbors to the North have assembled a great resource: http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/EFI&fuel.htm www.atlanticz.ca Be sure to download the EFI Bible, it's in .pdf, and should be considered required reading. Good luck, and be sure to post how things go for those that come after.

Thought this was interesting. If anyone wanted to get into racing, this one seems complete. The BIN price seems a bit high, considering the use and subsequent neglect, but who knows... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DATSUN-280-Z-1981-GTU-GT2-CP_W0QQitemZ140088278739QQihZ004QQcategoryZ80766QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I was just trying to combine the marques in the poll, but yes MB is rumored to be tiring of the Dodge/Chrysler/jeep situation. There are rumors about a GM-MB merger, but as far as I know, those are unsubstantiated.

Hugo gets my vote, since the only Hugo I know is incredibly inept with all things mechanical. Lucky for us, he's a fisherman south of Vera Cruz; not a car designer or builder. Ah, Hugo... I could tell you a long story about taking his pickup truck through US Customs, but I won't. As to the actual poll: Datsun is Nissan Mazda is owned by Ford Dodge is Chrysler (K cars and all), and Dodge has interest in Daiwoo (Daewoo) Kia is owned by Hyundai Studebaker left the automaking industry in 1966, athough it has recently resurfaced in Georgia and makes @150 Hummer clones/year Triumph cars were incredible, unless the Lucas electronics were acting up (and they always were), and their motorcycles are still among the best around Fiat OWNS Ferrari-'nuff said Chevy? GM should have been the option there, IMHO and I believe that you meant to include Yugo, the short lived Yugoslavian import. And regarding the car in the photo-at least the owner didn't do anything to attempt to hide the problems with the car. They could have attempted to mask the bondo, maybe hit the car with some rattle cans...at least you know about where you stand with one

YES PLEASE! There's no telling what is in those crates, but there certainly is potential there...

That's a sad story, but hopefully with luck, you'll be able to find another Z car when you are able to take care of it. Older cars can be problematic; but can be so rewarding. Regarding the toyota, I think that particular model of Supra was the best of the bunch, and wouldn't mind finding a nice one myself for daily driver duty. Anyway, welcome to the site, by the way, have you checked out our Classified section for a new Z?

Then you can get this Arne, 'cause it sure isn't new!:stupid:

First of all, Welcome to the club! A question-did you happen to check the condition of the inside of your gas tank? Odds are that you've got some crud in there that is getting sucked into the system. To get to your tank, here is what you do- 1. lift up the padding in the hatch area. You will see a circle with two screws. open it up. 2. now you will see the top of the tank, with three tubes and hoses, surrounded by 8 screws. 3. Carefully unscrew them (they are small and easy to drop). Unfasten the hoses, and disconnect the plastic wire connection thing. 4. Carefully pull the sending unit from the tank. Do this slowly, there are tubes and things going everywhere, it can be a pain. 5. Look inside, see all the rust. If your tank is gunked up, odds are that that is the problem. do a search on the site, and you will find lot's of information.

Upgrade your struts and springs. When I purchased my 79, she would sit back on her haunches when I hit the gas. This, while entertaining, was not acceptable, so I chose the Tokico Blue struts as my replacements (I kept the factory springs). Now keep in mind that I don't race-but I do drive on very curvy roads everyday, and have been very pleased with the control my setup gives me-very communicative and predictable. You may want to look into upgrading your springs as well- for this sort of stuff, you will find much more information over at www.Hybridz.org

Welcome to the forums, Gene- Let's see some photos of your babies! I checked your profile, and see that you've got 2 ZX's-just so you know, there aren't too many of us here (most find their way over to hybridz.org ), and this site is generally aimed at the pre-zx model. But do not fear! There is quite a lot of information that applies equally to our model, you just have to "search" for it; and quite a lot of people who are willing to help out.

First of all, congratulations on spreading Z word! Now, down to business- If I were in the garage with you, I would start by looking at the fuel line connnections (always start with the easiest thing). How old are the fuel lines? perhaps one has cracked (or ruptured). I know nothing of carbs, so I'll not even hazard a guess, but I do remember a thread about a raw gas smell coming from the mechanical fuel pump w/faulty linkage, or some such.

I was looking around for some photo editing programs and found this one http://graphicssoft.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=graphicssoft&cdn=compute&tm=22&gps=360_573_1020_609&f=11&su=p284.5.420.ip_&tt=3&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/ It was developed at Washington State University, and has many cool features. It's got "outline," "redeye reduction" (fun for red cars), and many others. Just thought I'd share. The trippy colored one was accomplished with "adjustment"-"hue/saturation" If you are curious about how your car would look in a different color, this is the one you want to fiddle with.

That's not a stupid suggestion at all-I've almost had the same thing happen to me-the guy at NAPA was more concerned about the conversation he was having on his phone than in the customer (me), and tried selling me carb only fuel line. It happens.

I bet it sounds SWEET!