JimmyZ

I have a 240 but I believe that on a 280Z there is risk of damaging the ECU if you try unplugging spark plugs while running. One 280Z owner told me this and I think I may have read it in the manual. I'm sure SBlake would know.

Have you had a mechanic with a trained ear listen to it? I could tell you in a few seconds if it was a spun con-rod or main bearing... I'm in Florida though. The sound they make is more on the "thud" end of the spectrum rather than "tick". Con rods are a lttle more "tickey" and tick at twice engine speed. Pulling up to an engine rebuild shop and having one of them listen would be the ticket. If the leak is an exhaust issue then you should be able to place your hands near the exhaust and feel the air pulsations. Just rev it a bit and do it when the engine is cold so you don't burn your hand(s). Exhaust leak sounds are more like an anoying popping/whiffing sound rather than a "tick". You have verified that the coolant is filled to the proper level right? Z's temp guages can be deceiving when you have low coolant. Ask me how I know these things. The engine noise increases when coolant is low. Jim

I've waved at 300ZX owners and gotten the same puzzled look. You would THINK that they would at least get it! Kids from teens to early twenties think they are seeing some rare Ferrari or Porshe instead of the humble S30. I did have two nice acknowlegements from new Z owners. A 350Z was trailing me once and I looked up in the rearview to see BOTH passengers wave enthusiastically. (Cool) I waved back of course. We then proceeded to drive the twisty road the way Z's like to be driven. Fun The other time was a new 370Z owner. He was my age (40) and as I passed him I gave a thumbs up and a smile. He caught up and returned the gesture. He understood. It was nice to see some genuine generational Z comraderie. Once upon a time almost all motorcyclists did some kind of wave or acknowlegement to one another. Now they have their little cliques and it's more like 65% wave. Some people never get it.

The more the merrier! Try teeling THAT to your wife! My wifey has never "gotten" my attraction to the Z. Her loss.

The previous owner of my HLS30-23651 felt the same way. He was regretful about selling it. 85% of the people I talk to about Z's regret having sold thiers. Hope yours is in good hands. Sad to see any of us lose what a Z brings to thier lives. I'm sure you had your reasons. Jim

I don't think you can run a cat on an early Z. There is too much raw fuel for the cat to deal with. I imagine that the cat was clogged. If you have an exhaust leak it's possible to have flames come out of the tail pipe when downshifting. (air mixes with unburnt fuel on decel and exits as flame) It's pretty neat actually. The driver just hears a muffled pop but others can see fireballs coming from the tailpipe. "Sparks" like little embers could mean that the cat is/has broken up a bit or you have a vandal or mice making a nest. ?? Have you guys looked into the smog pump system and had the carbs tuned? I hope the odd smell is not the cat burning the underside/inside parts adjacent to it. Cats tend to get pretty hot. I'm sure if you search the threads for emissions you will find some helpful ways to pass. 2c Jim

I recently helped someone with an LS2 install. It is an AWESOME engine but there were surprises. For instance the heads have steam lines which need to be routed back to the overflow or radiator. Your'e not crazy The thought of an L series in it's finest configuration (to me) has greater appeal... Almost more apeal than the boobs thread! Serious! I have to fight from sprouting wood when I hear the sound of an L-series doing 9K+ rpm. It's a shame that someone hasn't developed a package for the L-series in this modern day. True, I've read that the costs aren't justified but the sound and modest gains are enough for me.

Thanks lonetree. The regulations must be stiffer in Florida. I'll be shipping some things to CO.

I feel your pain! I've had trouble in the past with the Z's starwheel. Have you used a flashlight to try and find it? The starwheel isn't at 6'oclock. It's at 4:45-5:15 or so. The access is from the front after removing the rubber plug. Remember you want to turn it against the direction that the sawtooth design grabs best. On another vehicle I got pissed because the starwheel was seized. I unbolted/disconnected the wheel cylinder then ground the backs off the retaining pins. The drum came right off but I had to get a hardware kit. It's either a lip worn on the drum ID (as Rxsleeper said) or the hub post had rusted/expanded which is making it difficult to remove. If it's the hub post then a few whacks with a hammer on the outside edges of the drum will ususally free it. PB blaster helps too. Good luck Jim

Why are they so cheap?? Do they use a sputter process? (Instead of cyanide baths etc)It's my understanding that having parts replated the old fashioned way was very expensive because the chemicals and the EPA regs were a problem. $225 for a front bumper is what I was charged twenty years ago in Florida. Today that same bumper in FL costs $800-$1000 to be rechromed. Just curious. Jim

It's not the full length frame rail... Just the rear section which is aft of the T/C rod. From what I read off Bad dogs site they slip over your existing rear rail and are then welded on. It's a very nice band aid to get you through for a while. They should be pretty cheap to have installed at a body shop. In my last post the first picture shows a full rail (black). Notice the front section from where the T/C rod and engine/suspension crossmember mount. You don't want to have the front of the rail crumble. Mine was so thin it was actually tearing. It's quite possible that the rear section of the rail is all you need. I haven't seen any pictures of your rail. If the rail is bad then how are your pans doing? That's a concern. Heres a picture of the front section of a frame rail... It's a BIG undertaking for someone at home to replace a full rail. It can be done but takes time. The partial could be done in a short afternoon at home if you have the tools.

Just be sure. Bad dog rails are partial. I've no problem with them if that's all U need. They look nice. When I took my rail off I found rust along the entire length. The stuff up front wasn't too bad but I felt better that I was replacing the whole thing. The thing I'm concerned with is the area where your T/C rod mounts. All you need is... MIG welder w/.023 wire and Ar/Co2 shielding gas Cut off wheel either air or 4.5" grinder 4.5" grinder with grinding wheel Spot weld drill bit or just drill thru and fill hloes with weld (easy 'nuf) Weldable primer for use in areas prepped for plug weld w/ MIG Sandblast equipment.. A small siphon style gun should do for this small job. Paint and undercoat for finish. You might find that some of your metal has rusted/thinned so much that you need to replace it. The third picture shows that the battery tray and firewall needed patching. I ground the welds flush using the cut off wheel since it had fine control. Use eye protction!

Sorry to hear about your discovery. I had to replace one frame rail and got the part from MSA. It took a while to get it but it was nice to have an original part. Might as well have the engine bay sandblasted and painted while you have everything out. You may also discover the need to replace your floor pans once the rails are off. Replacing them is really basic but time consuming. After I did mine I was able to do another members pan replacement (both sides) in a single weekend. (Three of us working) The bad dog part is only a partial from what I can see. Are you SURE that you don't need the whole thing? My entire rail was toast due to a battery incident years earlier. 2c

I wanna hear this thing! Should be sweet!

How did it work out for him? I suppose he had O-ringed his block?? Did he tell you any details? Very curious... Looks NEAT!

Are you sure that the throttle linkage isn't doing it? A bad engine mount could cause the engine to rock a bit which would twist the engine in such a way as to act like you were playing with the throttle. If it won't do it under a firm decel (completely letting off gas) or if it's diminished under a firm decel then I'd definitely look into the rocking engine theory. (Mounts) 2c Jim

Nice Z! Mine was originally that color. I miss it. Unfortunately the wife wanted red and I thought it was worth a try. Not necessarily linear. Your needle can determine your fuel curve. It's possible to have the mixture right at a point in operation such as idle but be way off at a different manifold pressure. Most of us with stock engines assume that once we set things up as the manual says that all is well. (not always so) SU's are really neat to me because of their simplicity but it would be nice to have a more modern way of tuning them. True, an O2 sensor on each bank would be a good start but having the ability to isolate each side of the intake system and data log manifold pressure on each bank would be nice as well. By doing this you might catch a snagging carb piston or other anomally. One could probably spend a week tweaking things to perfection.... But what a fun week! Jim BTW.. Cool NGK clip Geezer! (Sp plugs)

you could also have residial vaccum from the 280z's larger master vac. Try hitting the brakes several times while coasting engine off. Or better yet remove and cap off he line and drive around the block. You'll notice a diff. (assuming it was working before you did your experiment)

Disassemble and clean your carbs. Get a synchronizing tool and sync them. Pop open any manual for early Z's (haynes fsm clymer etc) and set the mixture properly. I got a colortune (google it) and think its great for setting idle mixture. Do a search on leaking throttle shafts for SU's. Its also possible that your carbs are worn out or have damaged parts. You'll find that fuel level in the float bowl also affects mixture. If you REALLY want to get anal about achieving the best mixture look into something like an LM-2 http://www.innovatemotorsports.com/products/lm2.php The LM2 is AWESOME!!! I'm currently using one to tune an LS-2 crate engine. It has great reviews and many tuners stand by it. Jim

Sorry to hear about your wiring nightmare. When I took my Z completely apart I found that the harness had begun to rub the firewall. Check the rubber grommet and condition of the wires in places where the harness has to go through a hole. (Check radiator support holes for your light issues) Let's hope that the wires havent gotten so hot that the isulation is compromised inside your loom. (Wires fused inside loom) Such a thing might cause the wire to burn/get hot before the fuse blew. Now for questions... Have you rewired/reattached any of the steering column wires? Is your ignition sytem wired right? Has the car run prior to this fuse blowing incident? 2c Jim

Here's a page I made for just this kind of question. http://warbuddies.homestead.com/RestoHelp.html

Thank GOD Inf!!! Your Z has a will to survive which other cars lack. Your car has a purpose which has yet to be fulfilled. I find myself coninually using the right pedal to manuver away from these idiots. Age has taught me to recognize which lane will be a winner at the end of the race. Long gone are the days of working hard and breaking many laws to get ahead. I completely agree with the slower traffic keep right common courtesy. Problem is that there are sooo many careless/uncourteous people out there. It never ceases to amaze me how many people violate my "space" when I'm in the Z. My favorite is when waiting in a line such as a drive thru or light. These AO's have no forsight as to what may happen if they slip off the brake or get gently rear ended. My driving habits have changed over the years as parts become more scarce/expensive and the Z becomes more dear to me. I actually got out and said something to one idiot who has six inches off my rear bumper once. Is it just me or do people seem to ignore Z's in the same fashion as one might ignore or misjudge a motorcylce? If someone is going to tailgate and I have no choice I usually ride to one side of the lane so they can see the car in front. Since the Z's brake lights are fairly dim and low it makes sense to present a tailgater with a better idea of the severity of deceleration required. In some parts of the country people function this way and it's not uncommon to have twenty cars in a tight synchronized formation. For a few years in Orlando there was some discipline such as this. It's mostly gone now... Probably a result of economic pressures shining through driving behavior. 2c Jim You did good Inf... I think you already know that:)

Huh? Nissan doesn't sell calipers for s30's anymore??! Currently I have some reman calipers on my Z and they SUCK. The pistons have no plating which is why I get 2-3 years out of a set. I was hoping to buy some real calipers from nissan. Jim

While visiting Denver I went out of town to the Coors brewery. You could REALLY taste a difference. Think I could have just parked myself under the tap. Thats the only way I could consume mass quantities of Coors. It does change with age and shipping despite their attempts to keep it cold. My worst beer experience was a "green" budweiser in a can. Not "green" as in St Patties day greeen but green as in rolled under the counter for a year then got put back in the cooler. When I drank it my taste buds were numbed by the few I had prior. I was sick and couldn't eat for days! 2c