ProblemZ

today and yesterday I bought two 2000Lbs. engine stands (to make a rotisserie) pulled off the entire front end, rear end, front and rear bumpers, all panels, interior, and a whole lotta other little stuff, all thats left on car is engine with everything disconnected which is ready and going to be pulled tomorrow along with transmission, then differential then the car will be attached to the custom rotisserie stand by friday, should I pull all the suspension components while its on the ground ?

car I pulled the dash from after I got most of the interior dash area parts. I give this car 2 months before its crushed (yah i know thats not a heater core by the way) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQYaAUvSDO4

So.... I went to the junkyard yesterday and today I found a 12/75 280 and pulled the dash, (along with a ton of other stuff) so I am good. was going to post some pics but can't figure out how... anyway I paid 35$ U.S. for the dash, every gauge attached. Even for one in as crap shape as this I can't complain about the price. Going to try and find the Z vin registry later and add the vin# to the deceased list:disappoin

I have wanted to try this since i picked up my Z and took off the dash cap, I'm in the same boat as sdelage if anyone has a 76 shell and sees this post with one in the md area

oh and FYI take a little time and do some research before posting over there otherwise the guys and gals at hybridz love to tear apart the unsuspecting/uninformed noob because they have great write ups on a lot of the aforementioned mods already and sometimes they aren't so nice about telling you that

To the OP ... if you do decide to go with the zed with the upgraded turbo and all that jazz a better website for you to check out might be hybridz.com or whatever it is. The guys on this site are fantastic everyone here has already asked just about every question you eventually will and most of them have answers!! But in all seriousness this site is more for the restoration of stock and improvement of mainly stock components, and all around bringing our 30+ year cars back in tip top shape whereas the guys over at hybrids are all about making racers and beefier engines, i just saw that you joined about a week ago but i think if you are going to be running a turbo application from a non-Z or even from a 280zx then hybridz is a great reference tool. Those guys are crazy they have done some of the most off the wall and interesting mods I've seen to these cars. But around here and i think most ppl will agree is that most of us want our cars back in tip top STOCK running condition, and i really feel like that this is the main focus of this site

Personally... I don't think he will receive a single realistic bid either, My dad works for fedex so for me when i can annoy him enough, seeing as how he spends months out of the year in japan he picks me up random odd and ends over there for my 76 280z. Skyline engine can be found all day long over there it helps that my old man has 5 Z,s as well... anyway i just don't think thats a very realistic number for a car with that much aftermarket/modified/converted parts to it I feel like if you are one of the lucky people who owns one of these beautiful cars then you are in the minority by now you if haven't learned how todo a lot of the work yourself. Deep down i think a small part of all of us want to turn these into fire breathing dragons throw in a skyline engine some of these sweet control arms disc brakes all around upgraded electrical connect to power all that cool new stuff. But...that being said that car looks like one of the biggest headaches I've seen in a while just imagine the trouble shooting... dist timing, vacuum advance, lord knows if he was a competent electrician, space clearances, part numbers to look up correlating systems made by different manufacturers that you would have to look up for all that not so fun technical info and who knows whats been done to clutch, drive train, Is the engine stock internally? The List goes on and on and on . No thank you. Personally i think that unless the builder came with the car sort of like your under the dash gnome that showed up whenever you have problems, cars like this are retarded to try and get that much from and to try and get every nickel and dime back will never happen. A brand new jaguar lets just say 120K right off showroom floor loses 30k in value the moment the first owner takes it outta the showroom ,every one knows the next guy never pays as much for what you think is a great aftermarket job . And for that price tag I guarantee I could put together a car just as "Bad arse". For that type of money for a Z in america that should be a perfect 10 restored should be 30-50k, in japan the cars that look like this (JDM SPEC) but with the mighty stroker 3.2l six with a twin turbo with every nut and bolt restored to top quality can run about 100k U.S. dollars last time I looked And sadly for the money this car is nowhere close to that level of badaZZness

Do you have a caps on the battery neg/Pos terminals I had the same problem ended up checking every major electrical component in ignition circuit and it was the battery shorting out the car when the hood would make contact with the battery

Well Guys I've got kinda a luck o the draw thing that happened last night. I have been on the search for weeks now for this dang thing and forgot to mention that i had been checking craigslist as well just about every other day everything that ever came up was vented 77-78 models all day long or trashed 70-76ers and as I wanted to stay pd original I wanted the non vented hood as I have 2 sets of the hood louvers one with vents one W/O vented ones link to MSA <http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/7BSA03/50-1451> I just think that with the vented louvers that just a little to much water that'll be going into the engine bay if I had ended up getting the 77-78 hood (It's rainy on the east coast) Anyway i figured what the hell I hadn't seen anything decent on the internet through craigslist that was worth it but one more try couldn't hurt before the drive to PA today. I am glad I did late the night before march 20th a local 9 miles away from my house posted an ad for a, you guessed it series 1 hood in great shape. I was a little disappointed because the guy made it sound like it was in perfect shape, but i went over at 8pm to check it out and the hood had surface rust and a slight ding in the front lip of the hood. Ended Up buying it and blasting all the edges and the rust spots lost night that seemed like they could be bad but all edges valve cover hump and front lip all in great shape ecxept the ding on center of front lip but any body shop would be able to fix this I figured I could drive around for about 6oo miles round trip all through Pennsylvania today or I could buy this one and get the lip fixed by the body shop guys for prolly less than what gas and my time would be. So all in all I am very happy i didnt have to go to PEN and I found a B+ hood for 125 dollars in my own backyard. Oh and on a side note I called three nissan dealers in the area gave em the model hood no. and they informed me that Nissan stopped production of these less than a year ago and if there were in the inventory of some places they were not listed as being able to be shipped out, I guess somebody got to them first but thanks again for all the help guys.

Oh and by the way diseazd Ive drooled over yourflicker photos countless times I think all z's deserve owners like your family

My local Nissan dealer sucks they couldn't even get me a water pump or thermostat for the car the last time I was over and the sales reps are all bunch of jerks kinda. But I'll be honest I didn't even check there cause the guy said he pretty much can't ever get most of the parts from the car there even though they have a 240z wall sized poster in the service dept. And yah I did check zbarn and the fella over there said he's got nothing I'd be interested in as all the ones he has leftare so crappy. Bit black gold man that link you sent me was awesome I jus talked to a guy in PA and he's checking the yard right now as he said he has one that's in near perfect condition he's gonna give me a call in a few minutes to make sure about the quality so hopefully that'll pan out if so road trip to PA mañana. And as far as anything outside like a 2-3hundred mile radius is kinda outta the question cause the freight charge will kill me on pricing (student budget) but I appreciate all the quick responses everyone keep em comin I would ideally like to try and stay in the MD area but at this point Ill drive just about anywhere within a 250 mile radius to go pick one up. Thanks again for the awesome link

Hey guys and gals I really need some help. I got into a light acciden the other day and my hood is kaput. I've searched just about every site posted on here and can't find A series 1 hood (1970-1976)anywhere. All new ones are NLA right now from all the major suppliers (MSA blackdragon zbarn etc... And nobody a has them in stock even though they are still listed in some of their catalogs/inventories. MSA has the fiberglas ones but that's an 8 week back order) and the other modified ones are either too expensive or too far from stock visually. I'm at my wits end here I have even been junkyard diving for the past few weeks and nothing in my area has one. If anybody has an extra one in suitable condition I am really in need of it. I only have a loaner car for the next week and my body shop guys are kinda starting to get pissed cause I'm supposed to be supplying my own parts though I don't think they will have any better luck than I have been. So if anyone can help I'd be really grateful My car is a 76 280z and I live in Annapolis MD

Today I pulled the 3.9 geared diff from a 84zx with 166,xxx miles and earlier I pulled the 1981-83 close ratio transmission from the same car I got the diff. from also pulled new throttle linkage, hood access vent hinge things hat go buy the hood(gonna blast em and send em to MSA to get the cool vented ones they sell) and about 1000 other miscellaneous parts from a 76 280z thats only got about a week to go at the Junkyard, HELL YAH got my close ratio an optimal geared diff just gotta get a rebuild switch out a few parts and get that sucka installed. Also thinking about looking up the hybridz forum about how to turn the diffy into a LSD the guys at my transmission shop here in MD said that they just did that for another guy in the area on his 82zx. I have a 1976 4spd with the 5.45 or whatever gearing. Can't wait to get that 5spd in the car

:paranoid:Basically is it safe or hazardous to connnect stainless steel style tubing with regular E.F.I hose clamps (pics of each below). I am not running any type of upgraded engine mods at this time except for high flow 3-2-1 headers and performance straight pipes (forgot diameter). So I don't think the Fuel psi pressure in the lines will be to extreme, but I am getting rid of the stock fuel pressure regulator and getting a manually adjustable one (with gauge attached fuel pressure regulator) This is all for my after market fuel rail mod that you could look up in the E.F.I. section on the forum and basically is it safe to clamp all my hose ends (stainless) with regular clamps? Or Will I run into problems using hes connectors . Advice and input greatly appreciated

Ok.. Just bought the after market rail, new steel fuel tubing, tubing bender, and 10 ft. of high performance E.F.I rubber tubing. I might end up buying some nice L and T brackets or i might just fab my own . I made up up a sketch as to what my engine bay will look without the stock rail(also include photos of stock rail and part). The only complicated part is fabricating a steel tube to connect to the dual inlets on the pressure regulator ( I figured making a new T line myself is alot cheaper and easier then getting aftermarket fuel regulators) and doing a good job will be easy cause ill get my lil bro to weld it all together for me(still on the drawing board for how i will set this up exactly but Ive got it down fundamentally. The other "hard part is bending the new steel fuel return line, and attaching it using the bolts that holds the brake line cushions across the firewall. Where the fuel return line enters the engine bay by trans tunnel I will re-bend that with a 90degree (to sky) leave about an inch or two and cut. next i will fab new tube following stock brake tube pattern connect it to firewall with insulated clamps using same screws that holds steel brake tube cushions again with insulated clamps and put another 90degree (which way not sure) on it depending upon the final fabrication of my custom regulator tubing . So by following the stock brake lines' pattern across the firewall with the updated fuel steel return line, keeping the stock regulator, and cleaning up the fuel rail I think this will be an awesome way to give your L-Series (Fuel Injected) engine a nice personal touch with a really clean look that leaves car unmolested. The only thin that would have to be OE or similar would be to get a new steel return brake line as Im going to re-bend and cut that a few inches past firewall. well anyway the pics should post below and I will post pics on here after everything arrives and is installed P.S now that I think about it should I go ahead and install a fuel pressure gauge after the filter and the outlet line. If so dry type gauge is right kind to get i.e. wont fluctuate with engine temp right??

---------

Zed Head I thank you ( and all the others) for all the fast and speedy responses. As today I am researching and purchasing all the necessary, ie longer fuel supply lines, c-clamps, and fitting for my build (new fuel rail already) on way to help me complete my new engine bay . And seeing as how every body is being great withthe link any body know any good sites for where I can buy various size fuel pressure rated L and T or other cool types of tube connectors and what size and pressure rated fuel supply lines I should buy ( hopefully in foot increments as I'm sure I'll be doing quite a bit of custemlength fitting ? As always thanks again

well Zed Head I'm sure it will be, I'll attribute the problem above to some type of dropping resistor (I think) which is malfunctioning I think its basically telling the relay, fitting, whatever, hey you got power so connect this ground so that we can prime the fuel pump and get fuel flowing so the car will start when this guy turns the key (at least that's what I think the car thinks) next warm day or when I Do my aftermarket fuel rail install which should arrive soon I'll get out the old multimeter and FSM and check all the efi components connected to the harness in question. On average I usually only get time to work on my car at night and it gets down to about 20-30 degrees on avg all winter. Soo back to the above I am going to try and scan a pic of what my new full rail system is going to look like except for the pressure regulator that connects to Intake manifold. I am still up in the air to how I will actually be attaching it to the fuel rail. If anybody who knows bosch has seen a single channel manifold vacuum/fuel psi activated fuel pressure reglator that would work on Z's let me know PLEASE the part I am referring to is labeled 2 in my drawing that doesn't necessarily mean that is has to be for a z but i hear some bosch parts are all interchangeable on the earlier models .Ok here is a word for word description of the pressure regulator from my 76 FSM: on fuel rail pressure regulator "When the intake manifold vacuum becomes large enough to overcome the diaphragm spring force as combined with the fuel pressure at the pressure line, the diaphragm becomes empty on the intake side. This opens the return side port to allow fuel to flow to the tank for reducing pressure. If fuel pressure is higher than the intake manifold vacuum by .55 kg/cm^2 (36.3) psi) the diaphrag returns to its original posiion by means of spring force, and it closes its return port. In this manner the fuel pressure regulator maintains the fuel pressure in hte fuel line 2.55kg/cm^2 (36.3psi) higher than the pressure in the intake manifold. basically i need a part that meets or exceeds stock quality to do this function but the ringer is that on the stock unit there are two fuel inlet lines and to get the super clean engine look I am going for I want a pressue regulator with only one inlet line, May be silly ( heck may even be necessary for the way engine is engineered but I doubt it) but I think it will look cool and is what I want . If anybody has any suggestions or knows of any parts that meet these specifications or idea s in general about how to mount this thing up I AM ALL EARS any way i'm gonna go scan these images and have em posted in a few hours i realize right know it prolly doesn't make much sense but one you see the pics you will know exactly what I am talking about

Funny thing, The way I prime my fuel is shaking the harness above my ecu till I hear the fuel pump star running. It's a pain though cause you always have to get down and listen if its running before you leave. Shaking works now hope it keeps working later

Soooo. Do you guys know of any type of fittings i could attach to the fuel supply lines that are engineered to purge the air or some other similar product and if so any suggestions possibly one good for Z's (reputable/tested) i'd hate to have an engine with a vapor lock problem on cold start up. (when that type of stuff happens i feel like the coolest guy in the parking lot) on the pics it looks like a pretty good fit but if i get it and dry fab to check the seating and I think I need them luckily i've got a welder for a brother and my step dad has some sort of metal shaping/cutting machine, im no metal man but they are. Over all I was just a little worried about a pretty much no name aftermarket part that I would end up having to upgrade cause of some fundamental design wierdness or something , but thanks everyone for the advice

Thanks for the quick response after looking at the compatibility list for the fuel rail I saw that the ZX turbo's were on there, so safely according to seller it stock psi at idle is 32 psi at injectors (what turbo 280ZX's have) As I'm just starting to research my stroker build (engine being last thing to be worked on I am trying to upgrade all the other misc. parts first, I don't want a car i cant stop in time ) it will be a long journey to the mighty 3.2l, But I figure it would be a good thing to think about stuff like this right now so i don't end up spend useless money. And in regards to the line from the add: "Large .500" internal diameter for increased hp" as mentioned earlier, I agree with Zed Head I feel like that as long as it could handle ZX turbo stock psi I really don't see having a bigger fuel rail chamber being a problem or a perk(better flow maybe, but again I'm going for aesthetics) as long as it pressurizes the system equally up to required psi, heck it could probably be fine under much heavier load but according to the add 280zx all trims safe for mod the turbo being 32psiI don't see it giving a 3.2l stroker motor problems,unless of course someone answers my second question (at bottom) but again this is my first time ever doing anything like this but I'm going to be planning for the next few months and I will be doing a lot of research about what I'll be putting under my hood before I purchase any of the real performance parts right now I just wanna get all the parts I need to restore/slightly modify my car. Goin for that cleeeeeen look OH SECOND QUESTION and kind of a new question altogether but if you are reading this and know the correct level of fuel psi that a non turbo, or turbo (single/twin) l-28 big bore 3.1l or 3.2l puts out at the injectors at idle/under load so i can compare to z and zx turbo's I'd really appreciate it if u spread the knowledge. and THANKS AGAIN Thanks Everyone

So I was pretty much just wondering if any body has tried one of these yet they come up from time to time on ebay and I gotta say i really like the way they clean up the manifold area ( they are custom fuel rails that fit the L-28, And if you have one was it relatively simple/ easy install(I don't really mind if its a pain in the arse either as long as i dont have to go and buy two hundred more dollars worth of parts just to hook it up, you know what I Mean? I think looks pretty srtraight forward but who knows these days. And are you happy with the performance of the part and if so how much power does your engine have. I'm thinking of stroking out my motor so it needs to be able to handle the increase in fuel volume do you guys and gals think something like this is economical and functional or is it crap i should not be wasting my time with? If its a POS does anybody have another good part link they could send me one that could support a HP increase as well as being a nice aftermarket conversion to give my 3/76 L28 that cool streamlined and suer clean look? oh and pics would be nice if You have one installed. Thanks in advance my fellow z-addicts As of now car is matching numbers all around just like when it came off factory minus some small extraneous parts so everything a 3/76 280Z' had its all there, 63,000 org. miles anyway nuff' said heres the ebay link >link< ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-L28-CNC-Billet-Barbed-Fuel-Rail-280z-280zx-240z-/280615560946?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3ANissan|Model%3A280Z&hash=item4155fda6f2