Pomorza

Water pump Hello all. This Wednesday my new water pump came in along with new bolts. Posted are pictures of the parts. I'm a bit new to Z's but do the water pump bolts look right. They're a bit...huge to me so please let me know. Jan

Do have a question for you all. I ordered the pump and bolts and its on its way. Upon installation is an RTV required on the pump. I haven't yet looked at the FSM or other books about the car but I'm wondering what you guys have done. From what it looks like my pump has a crap ton of red RTV holding it on the block. Not sure if there is even a gasket there. Advise is appreciated. Jan

Update This past weekend I replaced my radiator. This afternoon I come to find there is a whining sound coming from the engine area. Upon further inspection I come to find there is coolant leaking from the water pump. Not very much at a time but dripping quite a bit. I turned off the car, depressurized the coolant system. I ordered a water pump from MSA and hope to have it in by this weekend. I will post some pictures of the removal and reinstall of the pump. Jan

Thanks guys. I ordered a pump and the studs (the bolts that hold it on) from MSA. Cost me roughly $45 with the rebate I have to my door. It comes with the pump, gasket, and the fan studs. If anyone has used the pumps MSA sells please let me know how it worked out. Thanks Jan

I leaning on ordering the pump from MSA as they also sell the studs that hold it on. I'm pretty sure mine is pour out of the weep hole as it pours on the engine block. I haven't really taken a look at it but I'm positive its from the pump. Thanks for the help Jan

Hello all So this past weekend I pulled the old radiator and hoses. I took the car for a ride today only to hear a loud whining noise coming when accelerating. I come to my house to find radiator fluid dripping from the front of the engine...from the water pump. So I'm guessing a new water pump is in order....:mad: Two questions. One. Does everything on Z's happen in the cascading manner in which things break in bunches that are related (i.e thermostat, then radiator and now the blasted water pump.) Secondly. What are you guys recommendation on water pumps. Is autozone ok or should I use MSA? Any advise would be welcome. Jan

Well I drove it today with no white smoke at all. I'm inclined to believe it was just condensation in the tailpipe as there is no sign of it now. As for the oil. It is fairly bitter. I only had a finger tip of it so its not like I'm chugging Castrol or anything. Thanks for the advise Jan

Hello guys So Friday afternoon I replaced my old broken radiator with a brand new one. Saturday morning I finished up the job by replacing the radiator cap with a new one, replacing the hoses and filling the car up with some fluid. I started the car up to let the fluid circulate and get the air out and I find that I have a very faint amount of white smoke coming out of the exhaust. When I rev it gets worse and when I rev and release the throttle it puffs it out. So being mechanically I turn the car off after it heats up and check the oil. Its oil, nice oil color and tastes like oil (yes I tasted it to verify there was no coolant). Checked under that cap, nothing just oil. You can clearly see the cam lobe, covered in a thin film of oil. So I restart the car and head towards the rear and smell the smoke...nothing. Smells like regular exhaust with a hint of gasoline. Later on that night I decided to take the car for a ride with a friend of mine. Started the car, had some smoke. (this was right after I finished with the radiator). Drove to my friends house (roughly 2.5 miles) and checked everything there. Revved the car to 2k, no smoke. Revved to 3k no smoke let it sit and idle no smoke. Drove later that night, car drives fine, no problems. For reference my car sat for a week and a half in the parking space outside my house. The temperature during this time varied from 50-95 degrees. Does anyone have any ideas? Jan

Update So this afternoon I put in the new radiator. I also took the time to clean the fan shroud and paint it flat black. I think it looks really nice. All I have to do is put on the hoses, the new cap and fill it up with some fluid and I'll be done. Here are some pictures enjoy.

Oh that makes perfect sense now. I thought that the transmission had an internal cooler and that the coolant would flow through the radiator to the cooler and than back to the radiator. (works this way in my old jeep). So as far as I am concerned the two little connections on the bottom of the radiator don't do anything at all for me? Jan

Really? I would think fluid would come out of there if I drive with a manual and there's nothing hooked up. Can you explain why?

Hello guys About a week ago my radiator developed a leak. So I ended up calling up a radiator shop and ordering a radiator. They told me it was an exact replica of what I had. It came in today and I find two things different. 1. The radiator has the drain plug in the center not on the driver's side like advertised. 2. It has two outlets for the automatic transmission that came with other Z. (mine is a manual). To my amazement the radiator I bought is roughly ten pounds lighter than the one I have. It is the same size and everything. I'm wondering a number of things. Is it possible to just plug the transmission lines and stick the car in there or should I take it to a radiator shop and have it trimmed off? Secondly will the drain plug in the center affect the skid plate. What I mean is can I put the radiator in and then the skid plate with no problem? Thanks for the help Jan

That looks very nice. I'm wondering one thing here. Is it necessary to remove the diffy cover when you remove the bar. I have literally no bushing(s) really left there and I was planning on doing that same job. I rather not have to drain the brand new Red Line gear oil I poured in there. If I have to then by all means sure but I rather not have to. Thanks Jan

Update Ordered a new radiator that should get here by Thursday. Its an OE radiator as I couldn't fork over the 400 for the aluminum ones I found. Hopefully it is the proper one..supposedly it is from a dealership. I did remove the condenser from the car so now there is nothing blocking the radiator at all once I get it in. Will post pictures of the reinstall this weekend, should be interesting now. I am wondering something though. Are all water outlets on Z motors the same? MSA sells a new one for a 240z but non for a 280z? DeesZ I may take you up on that offer. Mine isn't bad but as you can see from the picture its not in great condition. Jan

Update Hey guys. This weekend I pulled my radiator as I had a nasty leak from someplace. Took it to a shop and found the an entire tube (or whatever those are called that run up and down) is cracked. The radiator itself looks like it has been repaired numerous times as there are many areas where lead is present. So I've decided to opt for a new one. Not sure if I'm going to get a new OE on or an aluminum one. Anyhow in the process I come to find that the lower radiator is also leaking. I'm not sure if its from the hose or the area where the hose is attached to. Can someone please tell me what that is called and if the gasket for it is easily found. (picture is included.). Its located above the alternator.

Part I. Skid Plate Restoration Pulled the plate off earlier today. First thing was to give it a nice bath in some Grease Lightning to remove the nearly 34 years of crud on it. After that I used some steel wool to get any other stubborn stains and rust spots out. Took it into my little shop I have where I live and started to sand it using 50 grit sand paper. Did it for about an hour before it became too hot to work. Will update more as I make progress. Hope to have it done before the month is up.

Hello all So I have finally decided to begin the slow restoration of my Z. The car is roughly 80% restored when I bought her back in August. As stated above this is a "slow" restoration. I'm doing everything I can myself and anything I can't do I'll at least attempt. Its going to take a while is the whole point really. I'm starting with the skid plate on my Z. Taking it off, sanding it down to bare metal, straightening and painting a nice gray color. Before I do that here's a few pics of my 1976 280z.

I am actually going to be there over from Dec 21. through the 11th of Jan so I will try to come by and take a look. I'll talk to you when the time grows closer. Thanks Jan

This is the deal. I bought the car in August. As regular service I took off the windshield wiper arms took off the metal piece over the motors and cleaned the connection there. While the arms were on the ground my brother drove over one of them with his jeep and thus ruined it as it bent. When I tried to fix it I ended up just breaking it. What I need is the actual arm. The part that attaches to the motor and hold the wiper in place on the window. (I can't make this any more specific as I don't know what esle to put.) I am wondering on thing. A friend of mine has a 280zx (1980) that he is paring out. (in Florida) Will an arm from that car work or is it to long? Thanks Jan

Jim I would love to see those in person some time. They are by far one of the most beautiful set of cars I've ever seen. My parents live in Tampa...so maybe someday I'll actually come down there...

Thanks for the response Andy. I emailed my mechanic some information maybe he'll have a better shot at figuring this out. Do have one more question. Are u-joints on 76 280's replaceable. According to MSA they are not but according to NAPA they are. Anyone know?

Hey guys So found out this past weekend that my rear drivers' side brake is leaking fluid. My mechanic suspects it to be the wheel cylinder. I have a question for you all. Is there a difference between the 76 wheel cylinder say one from a 77-78 280z? Thanks Jan

Thanks guys for the advise about the discount. I'll keep that in mind when I order things from there. Now I took a long look at the radiator last night and in all reality I would rather get it replaced the repaired. Simple reason is that there is rust along the sides and there are a couple of areas where it looks that leaks will occur. So any advise on where to get a new one? Secondly. What I mean buy the transmission not having any value is I'm worried it won't fit and I'll end up just wasting my weekend trying to replace something that doesn't fit. I know that sounds kind of selfish but I rather do it once and have it done then spend weeks doing it. Thanks Jan

Hello all This past week my car was at the mechanic being worked on and checked. Well got it back today with a long list of things that are bad. To begin with the radiator has a leak. Not bad but enough to worry me. So where do you all get your radiators from? My local checkers here sells them but the drain plug is in the middle and not on the side like mine is. Secondly my transmission mount is...well not really doing anything at all. When I drive I can actually feel the transmission moving back as I accelerate. Again local store has them but I'm wondering if they are worth anything. Thirdly...the air regulator on my car is dead, literally not working at all. I saw that MSA sells them but they run at about 125 or so. Are there any places that sell them cheaper. I was unable to locate them anywhere really. Thanks all Jan

I had the same problem with fender rub. If its rubbing on the bumper only there is a very simple fix for this. I'm pretty positive that your bumper is made out of fiber glass. Go to your local hardware store and grab a small hand saw. Turn the wheels until they start rubbing the bumper and mark a line where that is. The rest is basically cut and sand. Two words of advise. One be very careful when cutting as fiberglass likes to break, and don't use power tools. Two, make sure you sand it nicely and don't leave any sharp edges. I had this same problem on my 280z. The previous owner place a after market bumper but didn't cut it to fit. I did the above mentioned repair and it worked great, haven't had any more rubbing. If you want I can send you some pictures and such. Hope that helps Jan