Zed Head

Just noticed the part about the bellhousing. I think that's an L series versus V6 issue. 2nd edit - Rockauto does not show a V6 for a Nissan pickup in those years. So they should both be L series bolt pattern. Edit - picked the wrong year before. Corrected. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/nissan,1983,720+pickup https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/nissan,1985 Carry on...

Brake light on? Bleed screw on top?

This "long-tail" sounds great. I've not read of any of these 71B's being longer than a ZX 5 speed but I have read of the shorter truck 5 speeds. If you're unsure about length ask the guy to measure it end to end. You should have enough remains around to compare and be sure. I'll bet it's ZX length. Get some Redline MT90 in it and it will probably make you cry after all you've been through.

Nothing wrong with using it. Just be aware of the new risks. Contaminated electrodes and over-torquing. https://www.antiseize.com/PDFs/torque_specifications.pdf

Somebody is selling a pretty good replica. Might be the simplest route. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/nissan,1973,240z,2.4l+l6,1209170,electrical,voltage+regulator,4884 https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=45627&cc=1209170&pt=4884&jsn=378&jsn=378

I think the key is where the exit hole is inside the cylinder. Sometimes they drill at an angle and the position of the external threaded hole is misleading. Anybody have a spare cylinder they can take apart and examine?

I wonder what the story is behind ThreePedalCollective? The buyer back in 2019. Has not commented since last October. Bought quite a few cars in just a couple of years on BAT. Why sell the Z that was recently bought, with no reserve price set? Maybe ThreePedal decided this one was a poor investment and wanted to cash out. There would probably be some nervous Z owners out there if it had sold at less than $68,000. Investments are "supposed" to continuously increase in value. https://bringatrailer.com/member/threepedalcollective/

I don't think that one person makes a market. He went up $20,750 in one step and nobody even tried to add $100 to his perceived value. He picked up a number that felt "right" to him. But, if he has the money that's his prerogative.

The smoke could have just been vapors coming back from an open valve. You'll want to measure cylinder pressure before assuming you have a bad head gasket. The thrown rocker arm could happen because of a sticking valve, maybe a tight guide or valve seal. I'd just keep doing the small things to get it to run correctly and let the parts wear in and see where you end up. No need for panic.

What do you think about the replacement guts? Here's a better option. A Ford product with pins. And A, S, and L labels on them. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=45730&cc=1414673&pt=4884&jsn=587

The thought has crossed my mind about installing an electronic regulator inside the mechanical reg's box. Kind of like using a GM HEI module inside the box of an older ignition module. But if you want to keep what you have why not just drill the rivets or whatever is holding the parts and then replicate them after replating? Here's an example of an internal regular that might work inside the metal box. You'd need to find the pin diagram but I think that it should work. I picked a Nissan one but they're all the same general principle. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=45661&cc=1209350&pt=4884&jsn=384

There's something fishy about that sale. Somebody artificially supporting the "value" I think. It sold for the same number back in 2019. Looks like a collector maybe inflating asset values. Might even be illegal, I don't know. Just talking, no offense intended. There's no logical reason to bump a bid by $20,750 when a typical bump is in the single digit thousands. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1970-datsun-240z-36/

This might be tempting but probably better done with a 280Z. https://forums.hybridz.org/topic/46198-a-mopared-datsun/?do=findComment&comment=392601

There's a rubber boot around the rod that passes in to the booster. And there's a valve in the booster that releases the vacuum when you move the pedal. Not sure that the noise is a sign of a bad booster. Might just be air moving through the valve and/or other orifices. There are simple ways to check booster function beyond listening for engine speed changes, although the engine idle speed change is a good one. If your idle speed doesn't change when you use the brakes your booster is probably fine. Here's one of many booster check procedures out there. https://www.knowyourparts.com/technical-resources/brakes-and-brake-components/vacuum-booster-diagnostics/

The last bid was a $20,750 raise. $47,250 to $68,000. The guy looks like he's establishing a collector price, not trying to get a deal. Wonder if he needs to hit a number for a tax break. Kind of an odd bid.

A different kind of Datsun. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-datsun-510-station-wagon-6/

This one is up today. Sitting at $68,000 with three plus hours left.

Avocado green 72. Lots of originalness. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-datsun-240z-191/

Two more might be blown FPR diaphragm and bad/disconnected/high resistance coolant temperature sensor. This book is good. You really really really need a multimeter to work on EFI. Hope you have one. There's an Electrical Test section.

It's pretty well described around the internet that master cylinders can fail while bleeding them. The ends of the bores never get used during normal fully-bled operation so they tend to corrode. If you push the pedal through a full stroke you push the seal down to the corroded area. If the pedal sinks with your foot pressure on it that's a sign of leaking seals. The other possibility for never getting a high hard pedal is that you accidentally switched the calipers when you had them off and you put the bleed screws on the bottom. Not uncommon.

Seems like these types of conversations always get simplified down to things that are easy to remember. Don't use power tools, don't remove plugs from a hot engine, use anti-seize. But if you look closer you find that the basis for the simple guidelines don't have much support or are pretty well undefined. Pneumatic impact or non-impact, electric?, slow speed or high speed. etc. Which of the many different types of anti-seize; copper, aluminum, etc. How hot is hot? Heating up or cooling down? Does all of this apply to nickel-coated plugs designed not to gall? Should the manufacturers' instructions be ignored? Does what people did in the 60's apply today? This guy has a pretty popular channel. One video on "normal" plugs shows the common advice, the other shows an extreme case for a bad plug design. But it worked somehow. Power tools, hot, all the bad stuff. He uses the aluminum anti-seize.

Another low mile 280Z. Seems a shame that it spent so much time in the garage, not enjoyed. 1978. Already at $45,000. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1978-datsun-280z-108/

I would check for power at the regulator plug from the main harness, and test for continuity from the regulator down to F. The circuit could be broken before, inside, or after the regulator. Looks like the switch powers the F wire and the L wire separately, in a parallel circuit. I never really looked at the circuits in detail, for the internally regulated system they just use one L wire straight to the alternator. I tried to post the FSM drawing but it failed. It's on page EE-13.

I've never had a spark plug get stuck or stripped a head thread. Seems like a solution with no problem. Anyway, many plugmakers and automakers recommend keeping the threads clean. https://ngksparkplugs.com/en/resources/5-things-you-should-know-about-spark-plugs Don't forget to adjust your torque settings down. You can strip the threads trying to avoid stripping the threads. https://www.tirereview.com/video-should-you-use-anti-seize-spark-plugs/ And make sure you pick the right one. There's a bunch. https://www.permatex.com/?s=Anti-Seize