JohnnyP

Problem resolved. My old man and I took a look at the distributor, the old bolt clamping the adjustment part (not sure the technical name) had corroded, broke, and was not doing its job. We replaced that bolt, played with the distributor alignment/timing, and got her going. Sounds great, I completely overlooked the distributor (beyond the cap and rotor) as the possible problem! Well, now I know what process to go through next time. Thanks again everyone! John

Seems like the only issue for a lot of us is heat. How effective are those radiant heaters? And, are you (vercingetorix) referring to one of those "portable" ones? Or the full System? John

We got our first taste of winter in Southern New Hampshire this morning! Its been snowing since around 6:00 am. Enough of that. I was curious to hear what everyone who has to put up with cold snowy winters, does with their car(s) this time of year. I will continue to work on mine, of course, but what is the best way to do this? My garage is older, no heat. For the most part I'll be going back and forth from the garage to the basement to work on parts. What do you all do? John

I am actually guilty of not properly connecting the battery at an earlier date, the excitment of owning my first car got the best of me.... :stupid: But this time I took my time, check and re-checked everything. The battery and its connections are all good, battery cable plugs, and the grounds. I also pulled a plug and made sure I was getting gas to the engine, and I am. I know its something electrical I just can't figure this one out! John

Thank you d240zx2. I asked the people at NAPA the same thing, they gave me the same answer. Now this.... Put in the new battery, got all jazzed up to hear this Z all fired up!.. Its not starting. It turns over and it sounds like it wants to start, it just can't quite get there :mad: I spent about 15 minutes trying to get it going, checked all my fittings, hoses, seals, fluids everything. Im not sure what the problem is, if anyone could lend me some advice I would love that. Thanks again to everyone who has responded and lent me the necessary information. I am grateful. John

I brought the battery down to the store where I bought it, to have it load tested, per suggestion. Sure enough it was reading very low, replaced it for free under warranty. Now my question is what caused this problem? Bad starter? Thanks for all the help thus far guys/gals. It is appreciated! John

How do I get my battery load tested, and is this something I could do myself? And all the terminal connections are secured. Thanks for the quick response DeesZ John

Im having trouble getting my 76 280z started. I did some thorough searching through these forums, found everything related to my symptoms/problems, and tried them all; heres what i did: Checked the fuseable links and cleaned all the contacts Cleaned the contacts to the starter, checked all the wires, ground, etc Made sure the ground from the battery cable was connected Scoped out the ignition, no fried wires, nothing. I can only get her started when i jump it, but when I get it started, it sounds totally fine. Its not the battery, I put a new one in a few months ago (and haven't been driving it). Tested the battery with a 50v meter, its fully charged. Also tested the alternator and thats fine as well. I apologize if this seems like a repetitive post, your help, advice, and patience are very much appreciated. Thank you all, John

GreenZZZ, thank you for the link, I found what I needed! Gnosez, I'll have to call up Team Nissan in Manchester and see what they have. Thank you everyone, your help and responses are appreciated! John

I have been unsuccessful in searching for a Nissan parts depot near me. Does anyone here no where I can find a switch-water temp piece? Or have an extra they're willing to sell? Any and all help is appreciated! Thanks again everyone, John

Carl, thank you for the response. John

Hello all, I had to replace the thermostat housing on my 76' 280. While doing so I realized that the connection on the ground wire on this fitting was weak so i soldered it to add some strength. However, now the other wire (seems to be a plug) is loose....as well as the one I had previously soldered. Does anybody know what this piece is called, or where I could find a replacement? It is the fitting on the thermostat housing next to the water temperature sensor. Thanks once again, John

Yeah I was thinking about scraping the undercoating thats on there now and putting something else on. I know some people do rhino lining, is that worth it? What is the best thing to coat the bottom with, to prevent rust issues? Thanks again, John

I managed to clean around both areas; drivers side floor pan is rust free. It doesn't seem to be a rust issue, but more of an accident. I looks like that part of the floor pan was somehow pushed up, creating the hole. And then covered up by whatever was layered on the bottom of the car. I'll investigate some more and se what I can find. Thank you for the response as well as the advice. John

So I was looking around the underbody of my Z and was pulling back some of the gunk on the body to see what was underneath (I was hoping to rule out heavy rust damage, or any damage). Underneath one particularly hard to remove piece of rubbery stuff, I found this...(picture)...I don't know what this part is called, it is right underneath the passenger floor pan. I apologize for the poor picture quality, but The picture is showing a whole going right to the inside of the car. The black part you see in the whole, is my carpet! Im not really sure what to do with this or how bad it is. I thought putting it up here might be a wise choice. Any suggestions would very appreciated! Thank you all, John

I drained the tank yesterday, and, to my surprise out came about 5 gallons of (surprisingly) very clean gasoline! From the looks of the gas, the tank is free of rust, sediment, and anything else. Strained the gas, nothing came out. What should be done with the gas? right now its in a 5 gallon can in the garage. Is that reusable? Thanks you for all the help so far! John

I am 19 years young! Bought my first Z (and my first car) just four shorts months ago. Found my 1976 280z on craigslist, it was love at first sight! I live in southern NH, drove up to Campton NH with a trailer and my younger brother (17) to get the old Fairlady. I look forward to working on this car, and being its owner, for years to come!

I feel like a fool!! I forgot to mention that the PO last put gas in it about a year before I bought it.. That was the last time he tried to get it running. I have managed to get it started since then, and, since I am new to all of this restoring business, I didn't exactly know that I should be looking for anything. Exhaust seemed clean, sounded good (from what I know). But tomorrow I will crack into the tank and see what I can see. Thank you for the responses. This forum, and everyone here, has been more than helpful. Thanks again guys/gals, John

I bought my 1976 280z in october of this year. I have been reading a lot about people draining all their cars fluids, coolant, oil, etc. According to the PO, this car had been sitting undriven in a garage for the last five years or so. I guess my question is, should I pull the plug under the gas tank and drain it out and inspect what little gas is in there? Or am I better off not touching it? Any responses are greatly appreciated, Thanks, John

Sounds like a good deal. I will always spring for the bolt/stub kit when possible. Broken bolts are a nightmare! Motor Sport Auto is a good place, they always have high quality parts. I will look into it. Thanks again everyone for the help! John

Thank your for your response! The coolant does not flow through the intake manifold in a '76. I have replaced all leaky and faulty hoses that I found. As for the water pump, the one on there is the one it rolled out of the factory with. Its working fine at the moment... Should I budget for a replacement?? And no leaks from the radiator! Thanks again, your help and advice is appreciated. John

I am about to install a new thermostat housing in my '76 280z. I thought it would be a good idea to check here and see if there is anything else I should be doing while I'm at it. I am going to replace the current thermostat with a 180 degree thermostat from thezstore.com. So I guess Im just curious to know if there is any thing to be done in addition with this small project? Thanks everyone! John

haha thanks guys:stupid:

Hey Dave thanks a lot for the response! Those KYB struts were the ones I was looking at but I wanted another opinion first. I'll be getting a set of front and rear ones shortly. I'll have to pick up some new bumb stops as suggested. Thanks again! John

I'm in need of a new set of struts for the front end of my 1976 280z. I am new to the magical world of restoration and am just looking for some advice on what type of struts I should be looking for, brand and that sort.... am I asking the right questions?? Thought I'd check in with the experts. Since I've been on this site its been nothing but helpful! Thanks in advance for any help! -John