inmocean

Great to hear from you Michael. We met at the Grand Prix last year. I'm definately parking on Japanese Hill this year, (the TC won't be rolling anytime soon...) I think it would be a lot of fun to meet up for a drive though, I'm thinking a few weekends from now...run it by your Z friends, the more the merrier. I'll drop you a PM with my contact info and we'll go from there.

Just wanted to throw out an open invite to Western Pennsylvania Z folks to go for a Saturday/Sunday Cruise this spring...I'm fairly new to the area and would like to discover some good driving roads, and its always fun looking at Z's and swapping stories. I'm located a little east of Pittsburgh, the town devoid of Datsun clubs. My Z by itself gets a lot of looks...might be fun to see what effect several has... No other details yet...pending how much interest there is... Jeremiah

When I swapped manifolds, to a non-webbed N42, from a webbed N47, my hot start issues went away. When I did the swap I also added a piece of Mighty Mat 1/2" insulation with a foil backing to the top of the manifold heat shield. (should be visible in my garage pics.) Before the swap, when the issue would arise, the fuel rail was hot to the touch. Now, the Fuel Rail is cooler than the surrounding metal, and only a little warmer than the air. I believe the webs on the original manifold acted like a heat-soak, and that heat transferred to the fuel rail. Just my observations. I also noticed a benefit to the 280zx cooling fan, although it was not a complete fix. I happen to have an unused one with a thermostat and complete wiring harness to fit a 78, if anyone wants to experiment. I set the thermostat so the fan would kick on when the car wasn't running.

Made some adjustments and calling this project done.

Started by polishing and porting an N42 Manifold to a 60mm throttlebody and spacer. Began to build a billet fuel rail, but my experiences with ethanol and aluminum have taught me they don't mix. I might have the steel rail chromed at some point. Anyway...Rerouted the FI harness from the firewall and from the coil area. Bought new injectors. Removed the CSI, AAV, and thermotine switch. Used an intake tube adapter with vacuum ports to install the valve cover breather and dist. vacuum lines. Also polished thermostat housing and AFM. Next project is assembling a spare head I'v torn down, has a new cam and valvetrain. Had to be sure my intake was done, the car has to start when I install that head... Then a lightened flywheel is staring at me... But today we drive...

Started it up to test my work.

I made that same observation a while back when I met Grant at a Nissan meet. I was curious when I noticed an N42 intake, looking very original and stock, along with a lot of other details on his car that aren't consistent with a 78. Who knows? These are old cars, that most likely have a history before we aquire them...hard to say what PO's have done...

robftw, I'm going to tear it all the way down and look everything over for obvious cracks/damage, before I think about passing it on. But I'll PM you if it looks OK.

My plan A on this venture was to aquire a spare head for futures along with anything else I might be able to use for my Z, then sell or pass on to Z fans in need everything else. Everything I'v been reading and these intital replies make me think that's the best plan. This engine's value, if any, will be in keeping others on the road, not as a complete engine. But I have one more evening of disassembly ahead of me, and then lots of checking and measurements before I find out if any of it's any good...Thanks for the interest so far.