rcb280z

I don't understand the "without California emissions" statement. I thought they were interchangeable..?

I bet Lenny could tell us. If he still visits this site.

Hmm.....I like that Mike. Guess what I'm doing after I fix my leaky head gasket?.....

Autozone Duralast gold 700 CCA. Works well.

Im thinking it was a felpro back then but not 100% sure. That brings me to another question, what would be the best gasket if I were only to replace the head gasket? Haven't decided which way to go yet. Just head gasket or whole overhaul. After 97,000 miles Im thinking overhaul. But I need to do compression test first before I decide.

Yeah, made me ill as well. But like said above, most damage done is reversible.

Leon, I am tossing that around as well. If I have to remove the head I should go on and do an "overhaul" of the complete engine. I want to do a compression test as well to determine whether or not to overhaul it. Zed, no on the overheating. The current head has 197,000 miles but had a valve job 97,000 miles ago. I do recall retorquing the head after so many miles when I had the head rebuilt. It was resurfaced but the block was not because the machine shop said it was "good", IIRC.

So after several months of running the alumaseal through the cooling system of my 77 280 I still have a coolant leak between the block and head. I have contemplated re torquing the head bolts but am a little nervous. The last time I had the head off was in 1997 or there abouts. So its been awhile. Has anyone attempted this and what were the results? I was thinking of just breaking them loose (just barely) and then re torquing, in proper sequence of course. Im nervous because I believe I could take a chance of cracking the head if my leak is caused from a warped head. Ideas, experiences, and suggestions are appreciated.

Did you use coilovers to lower it?

The dash looks fantastic! Wish I took pics of mine before I covered it with the full face dash cover. I don't think mine is repairable, that's how bad it looked!

very cool, I forgot about the competition oil pan gasket from MSA.

rossiz, you were able to "wiggle" the oil pan free but was there a struggle re-installing? What did you use for gasket and sealant?

The 77 didn't come with a passenger side mirror. Good luck with your search. I have been trying to find a stock 77 hood around here for the past 2 years with no luck. Some of the stuff your looking for can be found on ebay if you want to go that route. Keep checking the classifieds with this site and other Z enthusiast sites.

That is true about the smog. 1975 and earlier are smog exempt, not 1976.

One too many zero's in that price.

Wow, how did I miss these updates?! Hey Len, I figured I was close but not close enough. Its good to know you see the same thing. Any closer at getting it right? I was thinking, if you have it ready I could put it in my Z and loan you the one that I passed smog with so you would have the "calibrated" readings. Let me know if that would help.

SEM Products | Automotive Repair and Refinishing Products follow the link. Its where I go.

Let me know when you are ready to do another one....hint, hint. The one in my avatar needs a resto.

Gotta hand it to you HaZmatt, you are doing a fantastic job!

Cliff, what did you use for buffer and pads? I need to do something with my wife's Altima. The paint is fading.

What happened to the "I spy a Z" thread. I can't find it. Anyway, the wife and I were cruising down I-15 near Barstow California, on our way back home from Vegas, and we passed this beautiful lime green 240Z cruising along. Looked like a 72. We gave them a thumbs up and they waved back. Good looking Z! You could tell it is well taken care of. Hope it was someone from this club.

Im not very happy with the way mine fit on my 77. I had to heat and reshape it. Got it to fit for the most part but had to cut the holes larger for the dimmer and odometer knobs. Then it got too hot in the odometer and dimmer area that it warped! Pissed me off. Will have to redo it sometime. Not an enjoyable task by any means.

Yeah, take pics of the plugs condition a post them. Start with that so you will know if you are getting spark or not and if you are rich or lean.

The plum color one was in one of the first Z car magazines if I remember correctly. Had different wheels then.

I bought a brush on electrical tape from Harbor Freight and it works well. Used it in the engine compartment a couple years ago and it still looks good.