Mike

That's one of the ugliest cars I've seen.

What about buying a good plastic model kit? The car is already in pieces and you can assemble it on the computer AND in real life.

Okay, done. I increased your size limit.

Ya, no doubt. Even with a rebuilt engine, I'm looking at around $3,000. But, that's also a lot of labor on my behalf. So, I'll have to see how much time it's really worth. On that note, I'm not sure if anyone will want to buy a 280z 2+2 from me knowing that it will need an engine. It *WILL* need new wheels/tires unless I sell it with my Boyds (which I don't really want to do). Hell, this will be a great little car after I'm done getting it on the road. Not a bad car for under $5k, eh? If I look at the comparable market, we really can't do much better. At least I know how to work on a Z. We were counting today and I've probably pulled and worked on L-series engines at least 6-8 times already. I've got my own cherry picker and a nice garage.

I pulled the valve cover and everything seems to be fine. That's why I don't get it. I'm thinking maybe the valves are sticking in the open position. When the cylinder comes up, it smacks the valve and it closes. Nothing prevents the engine from cranking over. The chain is rotating fine as well. I dunno... I'll dig into it tonight.

Bad news Keith... cylinders 6 and 2 have ZERO compression. The engine is toast. I'm soo pissed. Oh well, at least the price was right on the car (donated to me). I'm looking at rebuilt engines right now. I don't think I want to rebuild this one myself. I don't have the tools or the knowledge to do it.

Steve, I don't think that will work. I looked at the cold start injector and it has a side-inlet. The injector is totally different. They might have changed it for later model cars. (shrug)

Here's a picture of the car as of today....

Here's an update from the ride I managed to pick up earlier this year. The original announcement is HERE Some EFI discussions HERE Today's update: Well, I managed to get new fuel injectors into my '75 280z. I also replaced the fuel pump and all of the flexible fuel lines. Boy, let me tell you, FI hose is expensive! Try $5 per foot! Anyway, after sitting since 1985, she started beautifully. The engine was a little rough at first but warmed up and accelerated nicely. I did notice that the oil pressure was on the low side, but, it moved up and down as I played with the pedal. I couldn't remember what normal oil pressure was like, so, it seemed ok. We put the 15" Boyd rims and 50 series tires on her, gave her a bath, and put her in the garage. Wonderful. So, I walk out to the garage on Monday afternoon. I wanted to hear that Z engine purr again. I turned the key and the engine made loud banging noises!!! Wrrr, bang bang bang.... Oh $^!#, this can't be good. Tried it again.... same thing. Bang bang..... bang bang.... I walked into the house with a frown on my face. Father in law comes by today and we take a look at it. We check the compression to find that cylinder 2 & 6 have absolutely ZERO compression. Damn. Engine is gone. I think the banging noise is coming from pistons hitting the valves (which are stuck open). Anyone have good luck with the MSA rebuilt engines? [m]

I tell ya... I'm gonna be just like that Sangun Midnight game.... I'll put Demon Z on my license plate.

Hmmm... good idea. Maybe, since I had to crank the hell out of the starter, it decided to break up. I'll pull it out tomorrow night. Thanks for the idea. Now, I'm off to play Jedi Knight II. See ya!!

I must say that 2mZ's has been a valuable resource on this site. Not only does he have over 800 posts... most of those posts contain useful information for many people. 2mZ's has been great, don't give it up just for your '71 Keith! I should also say that I'm getting the bug again and ready to spend more time in the garage. With a 280z and 240z in restoration mode, I'm certainly going to stay out of trouble.

Yep, Abbie. She's great!

Would you be interested in posting the pictures in our gallery if I made you a special category?

Well, damnit.... the engine is dead. I came home tonight with a grin on my face because I wanted to jump in the 280z and crank her over. Much to my surprise.... the first crank resulted in some pretty bad metal smashing sounds. $^!# I cranked a few more times... still metal smashing/grinding sounds emitting from the engine compartment. I immediately removed the valve cover and looked to make sure everything was ok. Yep. Nothing seems out of place. Pulled the plugs and looked inside the cylinders. I can't see much in there, but, everything appears normal. Cranked it again... more metal smashing/grinding. When it cranks... the noise is a loud bang every few turns of the starter.... hmmmm I wonder if the valves are sticking open and maybe the piston is hitting them. Dunno for sure. I'm pissed. I had such a good day yesterday and got a lot done. Why did it all come crashing down today? (sigh)

The cold start injector looks totally different than the others. It's shorter and smaller. Will one of the other injectors fit in there? Ya, this car still has the original coil and plug wires!! That's my next replacement (aside from the braking system). [m]

Are you saying that you won't be able to race the Z in the game? Or, did I get that wrong? Hopefully it will be there, but, damn hard to get to ... or you have to steal the Demon Z. Damn, I sorta like that name... Demon Z. Will that fit on a license plate?

You know, I don't think this is far off in the future. I can already see a strong relationship between the PS2 and the PC. The PS2 is actually a pretty damn powerful PC in itself. It supports USB and I think firewire? Not sure about firewire. Anyway, I agree that it would be cool if you could buy a module for your PC that allows transfer of data to/from your gaming memory card. You could then upload new cars and even race tracks. I have a feeling this will become part of the standard thing in the next few years. In fact, it might be available now... just not through the 'mainstream'...

Thanks for the reply guys... No, I didn't replace the cold start injector because I didn't have any idea about it at the time of my order. I better get down to Napa today while they are holding the 25% off sale over the Memorial Day weekend and purchase one. I am completely happy with the new injectors that they sold me. I suspect that they are OEM (at least OEM from '75). And, Steve, I'll check that electrical connection, thanks. I was also running the 'pull each plug wire to see if the engine gets rough' test and noticed that electrical current escapes from the plug wires (owch!!). That's my little test to make sure each plug is firing as they should. Anyway, I got shocked a few times. The plug wires definitely need to be replaced. The hammer is rubber. Bill Gates, eh? I don't think Bill would work on his own car. In fact, I don't think Bill even did ANY of his own work during his entire career. Go figure. The richest man in the world doesn't do his own work. Maybe we should all take a look at that and ponder. Hell no, I *LOVE* working on Z's. Between the MSA show, this site, all of my new Z friends, and working on this car for the past few weeks.... my Z bug is back. Except, maybe now I like EFI even better than carbs. Oops.. nobody heard me say that. [m]

Congrats on the car!! I also acquired a '75 280z earlier this year. Unfortunately mine wasn't running, so, I have to spend some cash on it. But, I agree that the older cars are sure a lot more fun. Have a good time with it and be careful not to wrap yourself around a tree.

Ya, looks like the game is called Wangun Midnight for the PS2. It looks like it won't be available until the end of this year.

And, the mad scientist at work. (bro shot this pict w/out me knowing)

Here's a shot with part of the fuel rail installed. And, I must say, thank GOD I have a copy of the Zcar Microfiche CD!!! It came in handy for this project. After a few months waiting to get a fuel pump and fuel injectors, I forgot how to put it all back together. I simply printed out the assembly diagram from the CD, carried the paper out to my garage, and went to work. Shamless plug, but, it's a tool I'll use for all my Z projects.

Here's a pict of the injectors from Napa. Frankly, they look almost identical to OEM. I mean, this is soo close.

Well, I got the 280z started today! The injectors were the main culprit. Not to mention the fact that all of the hoses were TOTALLY screwed beyond belief. It looks like the previous owner might have replaced an injector (or two) and used regular fuel hose. BAD BAD. You must use high pressure EFI hose. Damn stuff is expensive. It cost me $5.10 per foot at Napa. :eek: Anyway, I installed all brand new fuel injectors, hoses, and a new fuel filter. I also replaced all the bolts, o-rings, and gaskets. The fuel rail was plugged and had little bits of black rubber in it. No wonder the injectors were plugged!! This car was sitting since 1985 and I'm sure the hoses eroded and became brittle in that time. When I attempted to start it by putting new fuel in the system... I'm sure many of those bits got stuck in the injectors. She's online now and purrs like a kitten. She can sometimes idle rough, so, I'm looking into that. Other projects on this car include new brakes and flush out the braking system. I *HOPE* I don't have to install all new master/slave cylinders. But, considering the price I paid for it.... it won't be a big deal to buy these new items. I'll probably have about $2,000 into it before I'm done. Not to mention that I also took my 15" Boyd rims with 50 series Falken tires and used them on this car. UGH! Looks like I'll be purchasing new rims/tires for my 240z resto project whenever that gets done.