Mike

You can do it, no problem if you take your time. I also used one of these to tilt the engine as it's installed.

Not sure if they are rusted/seized or not. So, you'll have to determine if that's the problem first. After you get them pumped out, replace with Speed Bleeders. But, don't install these until you are sure the lines are clear and the calipers aren't shot. See the following post:

Wow, these look great!!

Looking great! Nice shop..

Kyoto: (more to come)

Hakone: We then moved via train from Tokyo to Hakone. Hakone is a great little town located just outside Mt Fuji. This leg of our trip was definitely challenging because it took us on small trains into the mountain just to the SouthEast of the big mountain. We stayed at a resort where we were treated like royalty. The dining room was full of buffet-style Japanese foods and we were required to wear our own Kimonos to each meal. In order to get around Hakone, you typically take the cable cars. We visited a natural sulfur spring where they made 'black-eggs' in the hot mountain water. This water was also piped down to the hotels in the area for bathing. You can see the views of Mt Fuji were amazing that day. During this visit, we also took a ride on a rather cheesy pirate ship on Lake Ashi. A little chilly due to the elevation though. It ended up snowing the following day... Our travel day ... yikes!

Well it took me some time to get to it, but, here's a small write up from our visit to Japan this year. Schedule: Tokyo - 4 days Hakoke - 3 days Kyoto / Nara - 4 days Tokyo - 3 days Tokyo: We immediately went to the hotel after our long flight. We took a local train (not the express for some reason) from Narita to the Shinjuku district. It was a longer train ride because it stopped at many of the local stops. Next time I'll take the express airport train. Took a few photos outside the station and checked in. We stayed at a nice Japanese hotel (not a big chain) located just outside the main tourist areas. The walk was fun and we got to see a nice park along the way. The next few days we spent roaming around Tokyo, taking photos, visiting temples, and looking at all the cherry blossoms. We also visited a museum where they had the Thinker and Gates of Hell on display outside. It was interesting because I've also seen these in Paris. It was a great cultural experience for my 10yo son. Japan was definitely crowded this time of year, I think everyone wants to come and see the blossoms in full bloom. Many of the Japanese ladies liked to wear Kimono's as they walked around for the day. I loved it.. We also took a tourist boat down the river and visited a very well manicured park with old trees and gorgeous blooms! Later on we went shopping, ate a lot of food, and met up with other friends from Seattle. We were fortunate to run into two other families from our hometown during their visit at the same time we were in the area. We were able to traverse across multiple towns using the awesome train systems. Every train we rode on was ON TIME (a far cry from any train system I've used in the US).

Yes, the food in Japan far exceeds anything I've had during my travels for work. Even the 7-11 food was better than some of the custom shops in the US. I had a credit card without any international fees, so, I was lucky in that regard. Shinjuku is a busy tourist destination, but, my favorite was Kyoto. We were able to pair our visit with Kats to see his 432. His wife even took us on a tour of Nara. She's a tour guide, so we got to see all the best parts. If you do make a visit to Kyoto, try to see if you can fit in a visit to Nara (it's a short train ride to the South). Maybe she can take you on one of her famous tours. ? Next time I will visit the southern part of Japan and make another visit to Kyoto. Our trip was rush-rush-rush, so next time it will be a much slower and relaxing visit.

Great write-up of your vacation! I took my wife and son to Japan earlier this year and we had a blast. I would live in Japan, it's amazing and the rich culture is so fascinating! I just realized that I have not yet summarized my trip and will have to do that soon... here's a link to my post:

I received a donor 280z many years ago. I had very strange problems until finally replacing the fuel injectors and soft fuel supply hoses. The old hoses can deteriorate if left sitting dry for so many years and pieces can get stuck in the injectors. If you do buy new injectors, I recommend replacing all of the fuel supply hoses (from the fuel filter to the engine) before you make the investment. The fuel line from the tank to the engine isn't as important (until later) because the fuel filter should catch any debris that will clog the injectors. Here are a few pics of my install: Here are links to the files for your 77:

Hi all, There has been some recent discussion about HEI modules, distributors, and other related components lately... I decided to take a quick trip down to the garage and took some photos of my setup. I didn't do this conversion myself, so, I don't know much about it. However, from what I do know this is a 280z distributor conversion. My favorite part of this conversion is a huge reduction of clutter in the engine bay. It's also very simple and eliminates the problems associated with points under the cap. I have a 1971 Z, but, this is a newer generation distributor. If anyone is interested in further details, I can give Steve a call at Ztherapy to get the specs. Here are some photos. This is the internal rotor, notice that I no longer have points! Side of the distributor, showing the electronics mounted on the outside. And my favorite part! Clean and tidy!!!!

I used to read Playboy, for the articles of course...

Fuel injection is an option, but, some upgrades to the fuel delivery (pump and line) are going to be required. Depending on your Mikuni type, you can set them up for street driving no problem (40mm variant). However, if you have a larger set of Mikuni's (44mm) they are likely designed for a more aggressive engine setup. This is what I know about mine, anyway. I have the 40mm and they are nice carbs (cold starts are a little rough though). You can buy a set of rebuilt SU's that will last your lifetime. Ztherapy out of Salem, OR is the best resource for this option. If you have the Mikuni's, then you'll likely need to buy a new air filter setup for the SU's as well. Good luck! Mike

Nice! Hope the classifieds are working ok for you... let me know. Mike

Would you guys be interested in an auction-type capability with our classifieds? The current system has 'offers' but not auction capabilities (yet)... I would think that BAT would be the best place to sell a Z at auction these days, but, I haven't listed a car for sale there yet. I don't know what the experience is like. If we had it here, this could be another venue to sell Z's...

@JLPurcell, let us know if you bought it... ?

None of these wrinkles on mine... even back in 98 when I had the Z sandblasted. Although I do see some bodywork in that area. Maybe these were smoothed out with filler? Enjoy the before and after shots...

Does anyone still have a source for the OEM style or are they thousands of dollars by now? Mike

Yep, this is a right of passage for any Z owner.. I believe there was a loaner puller tool floating around for a few years. Anyone know what happened to it?

Added to the calendar! This time, let's plan ahead and get everyone together.

Wow!! Congratulations gentlemen.. Just think, you're giving new life to the once dreaded flat top carbs. Touche! m

Nice work! You may be interested in putting them in the classifieds so it's easier to find.

Amazing, another 6-figure sale..

I really like the looks of the green on brown Z in the middle of those pics. Anyone know the owner? Need more pics of it.. ?