Zed Head

You have to follow the power path and count all of the gear teeth, including the main shaft to counter shaft connection. Then do the math. The other way is to turn the input shaft and count the number of revolutions of the output shaft, while 5th gear is engaged. Probably easier. The '80 transmission will turn the output shaft a little more than three quarter (.75) revolution for one input. .773. 81-83 will be almost right at 3/4 at .745.

How bad is it? You might just be in the typical rust-removal and seal-coating regime. The typical POR-15 or Eastwood treatment. http://www.eastwood.com/paints/rust-solutions.html?SRCCODE=GA200110&device=c&matchtype=b&network=g&creative=56087209260&gclid=CLGNyOuXqMICFUeEfgod9hcA6A

Tried to stop you.... The GC site says 0 to 2.5 inch range of change. Something seems off unless the Eibach springs alone start at a lower point. Since you have the adjustable part, maybe a different set of springs, taller, will get you where you want to be. I don't see the big aluminum UFO looking things at the tops of the springs in your pictures of the kit, above, Post #41 . Are they replaced with the camber pieces? That looks like ~ 1.5" right there. http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=62/CA=27 The ad copy seems to imply that the camber plates are for stock springs. Maybe just a big oversight on GC's part, two independently designed products. They don't even show the coilover kit as a related item on the web page, or vice versa. Just a T-shirt. http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=151/CA=191

Neither hole enters the cover. One is blind and one is through to outside. And there's not much in the distributor shaft hole to worry about, since you'll just be running a tap. They can't be that buggered up that they need re-drilling, tapping and inserting. A greased tap should catch all of any fine aluminum shavings. But I would first do what Blue says, on the bolts. You might have a fine thread in a coarse hole or vice-versa. If you're super-worried though you could turn the engine upside down so the chips fall away from the engine.

Full disclosure - I have one of the flat K&N filters on my Pathfinder. There is a certain freeway hill nearby that I take on a regular basis and I wanted to see if I could get an extra HP or two to help haul the SUV's mass up the hill without having to shift down in to fourth. It seemed to help so I left it in there. The engine is high mileage anyway so the extra dirt probably just slides by the rings in to the crankcase for the oil filter to clear out.

I don't want to be a Zeddy Downer but if the car and engine were running great, and the LED installation or the other things caused the VR failure, it seems like there would have been some smoke and/or sparks during the process. Just saying, the smoking gun/wire is missing. And, the cause of the VR failure may still be in place in the wiring. You might install and immediately burn up a new regulator. Might check those VR wires for shorts to ground. Also not clear what alternator output normal means. If that's the case, that means the VR is working. Sometimes the "obvious" causes aren't.

I think that many of the vacuum advance canisters that come with rebuilt distributors don't have as much advance as the factory units. They seem to have settled on a mid-range advance so that they can use one part for many applications. If you get on to a parts store site you'll see that they use the same distributor and canister for the whole range of 280ZX years. Probably worthwhile to check first. The vacuum advance canister may not match the distributor part number. If the distributor is on the engine and you have a timing light, you can check the full vacuum advance by setting initial timing to a low number (so that the mark will still be on the scale), like 0 or 5, then attaching the vacuum advance hose directly to the intake manifold (not ported vacuum). Timing will jump to the maximum vacuum advance. Do the math and you'll know what you have. If you have a dial-back light, you don't need to reset initial/static timing. Or if you want to know even more, you can connect a gauged vacuum source to determine when the advance starts and when it is full. You might need to adjust the idle speed down if you try this to make sure you're not getting some mechanical also, when the idle speed increases. I've also found that several of my 280Z distributors have more mechanical advance than they are supposed to. It's common to see 10.5 and 11 degree weights in a 280Z distributor. 21 and 22 degrees. Just something to be aware of.

Whatever it is, it looks like it's been broken for quite a while. The other half of the fuse holder and its plastic base are gone. I notice many mentions of "heat glass" in the various wiring schematics. Is that Datsun-speak for fuse? Maybe one of the heat glass parts offers a clue. Since it's been broken, even with a wire attached, it may not have had any function. Probably a red herring.

Came across an interesting thing on youtube and couldn't find a better place to post it. Let me know if I'm causing problems. Comment #8 says 100% money back even after two years - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgnW-7w6pgmMS_avX_5t-YA

Could be that you have a weak battery and an alternator that is not charging. I would check voltage at the battery with the engine off, then with it on. The simplest test to see if the alternator is charging. It may be that he accidentally disconnected the L wire to your voltage regulator. No L, no charge. Whatever the reason, if you determine the alternator is not charging, make sure the VR has what it needs to work right before you replace either the VR or the alt. What does your ammeter show before and after the engine is running? Another tool to use, if you don't have a handheld voltmeter, although not as accurate.

Somebody took the cover off of a the shunt used on cars with ammeters a while ago and I remember being surprised to see that there was a fuse inside. Maybe it's an early model shunt? I would guess that it's just coincidence, and that one or more of the "couple other things" that your friend worked on might be the problem. The obvious question is - if he puts it back in, does the car behave normally? You didn't really indicate if everything was okay until he removed the mystery part. Also - what did he do with the wire that was attached? Maybe it wasn't a "ground" but it's powered and killing your battery via short circuit. In general, and your friend should know this, you should not remove parts until you understand what they do. Especially if there are wires connected. Also, in general, do one thing at a time. Confirm that no problems have been created, then move on to the next project. Now you have the classic " I did five things at once and one of them created a problem" problem.

The K&N phenomenon is pretty interesting. K&N started in the world of dirt bikes, I believe, where it's not uncommon to dump your bike in a stream, completely wetting the air filter. They developed an oil-soaked gauze, or copied it from the old automotive technology. Bikes also used oil-soaked foam but they didn't flow well. Paper would just get ruined. They've done a fantastic marketing job to grow in to other areas. I remember reading dirt bike magazine articles about how the collection of dirt on the outside of the filter element actually increased the filtering effectiveness. Most tests show that the K&N filters flow a tiny bit more air but filter out a lot less dirt. It's really old technology with a lot of marketing behind it.

The EFI harness is essentially separate from the main harness. It can be unplugged and disconnected without cutting any wires. The three main connection points are at the intake manifold, at the ECU (along with the EFI relay), and at the battery. Just start disconnecting and peeling it off until it's free. Then you can sell the whole collection of parts to someone who's switching to EFI from carbs.

The switches are ID'ed in the FSM. Second the heat suggestion on the cog housing, It will soften the o-ring rubber and open the clearance. You can also tap it in a hair with a soft mallet or block of wood to break it loose, before twisting it out, or levering it out via the notch with a screwdriver.

-N3600 looks like the 280Z fan. Not sure which sits furthest back. There's a 280ZX fan blade also. Looks like they're about $72 everywhere. Might as well go to your local Nissan dealer if you want a new blade. http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsuns30/DatsunZIndex/Engine280Z/WaterPumpFan/tabid/1625/Default.aspx http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsuns30/DatsunZIndex/Engine240Z260Z/WaterPumpFan/tabid/1591/Default.aspx http://www.courtesyparts.com/blade-fan-p-272967.html

Kind of looks like the guy who wrote the eBay copy didn't actually build the car, or oversee the build. It has a blowthrough turbo with a Holley carb, which he doesn't really describe at all, and he says it had a "frame off restoration". It was only driven to break the engine in. The usual exaggerations also. 500 miles on a brand new engine, with a turbo and nitrous, and he's already claiming that it's "just an awesome reliable ride to cruise around in". Cars like these really need quarter mile times, track times, or dynamometer numbers to show performance, or they might as well just have an empty block with the external shiny parts bolted on. Who knows who put that engine together. The first fill of the nitrous bottle might be hilarious.

I am fairly certain that I tried to turn those adjustment screws and they wouldn't budge. I've also tried to turn the adjustment screws in my oil pressure gauge and they wouldn't move either. The only adjustment I've been able to make on any gauge is on my voltmeter. I wonder if Nissan didn't use some kind of threadlocker on them, since they should only need adjusting one time. Maybe a drop of acetone or MEK on the screw would break them free, or some heat from a soldering iron. A future project maybe, for a spare meter.

My 76 tach shows a steady 200 RPM too high, when compared to my meter. It's a Fluke 115, I use DC hertz to measure, then do some math. I've had my tach dash jump around and misbehave with a new ignition module,even though the engine ran fine. An extra condenser on the negative wire brought it back to life. The tachs seem sensitive to noise. They don't need much "signal" to work, there's actually a 2,300 ohm resistor inline with the coil, on the 76. Your 240Z tach uses the positive side though but may still be sensitive. Maybe a new condenser or an extra on the circuit would help damp some noise.

At least you got to drive it for a little while. I get the impression that the guy is kind of a BS'er. This quote just goes against all that I've ever seen about the L series heads - " built hundreds of heads without worrying about matching rockers to the cam and centering the wipe pattern with no problems to date". On the valve seals, if he didn't use the little straws to protect the seals during installation, he could have cut them. Maybe another internet myth. Also noticed that he talked to you like he rebuilds the heads himself, but the eBay site says thet they're rebuilt by a professional machine shop. Same company, but different stories. He even told you hundreds, but says dozens below. The Datsun Parts LLC disclosure is at the bottom of the eBay ad. "*THESE ARE REBUILT AT A PROFESSIONAL MACHINE SHOP THAT HAS SEVERAL YEARS REBUILT DATSUN HEADS. I HAVE SOLD DOZENS OF THESE WITH PERFECT EBAY FEEDBACK. **" http://www.ebay.com/itm/Datsun-Z-240Z-260Z-280Z-ZX-Rebuilt-N47-Cylinder-Engine-Motor-Head-1976-1980-/151491312445?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item234595fb3d&vxp=mtr Sorry, hope I don't kill your interaction. Send a PM if you want to keep things quiet for a while and I'll edit this down.

Same comments we're making over here. Validation! I guess if you don't need the cash right away, it's an investment of time to wait for the "right" buyer. Like lurking out in the weeds for the right trophy animal to wander by. Bagged him...$80,000!

Details on the L24 "enhancements" would be interesting. You could probably sell the engines and the car separately more easily. There are a few members in your area that might have some ideas for a local sale. Put ATL GA in the title.

I'm not saying that those rocker arms are bad. Just that they appear to be pulled from a collection of odd rockers. I'm pretty sure also, that I can see the typical shiny line in the middle of the contact pad that used rockers get. DPLLC probably just shipped a batch of collected rocker arms off to Delta for refinishing and pulls from the collection when a head is "rebuilt". He just messed up on lash pad selection.

Look at the pictures and you'll see that design isn't the same. Not small differences. Even someone carving their own arms from a chunk of wood to be used for forming the sand mold would get them closer than that.

I just noticed that the rocker arms appear to be from different sources. One would assume that the rough casting shape would be the same for a common manufacturer but you can see that the portion of the casting on the inside of the wear/rubbing/contact pad is different on several of the arms. Less material. The shape of the "foot" that sits on the lash pad is different also for the ones that have the different contact pad seat. Kind of fits the impression I've had of DPLLC that he collects parts, used and new, from various places, then assembles engines and heads from his collection. Not trying to pile on, just noting. Maybe a little ammo for you to use when talking to Al (the owner, apparently). Interesting also that the cam actually wore some of the casting after it fell off of the pad. The wear pad is supposed to be harder than the casting, apparently, so probably no extra cam damage. Good luck.

Actually, I was almost remembering the wrapped rail. That's what it was. Wrong "not stock" memory. Maybe your FPR got stuck and overpressurized the rail for a moment. Although, having taken an FPR apart, I'm not sure how that could happen. Good luck. I hate the smell of raw gas.