cgsheen1

We've gotten Datsun 918 from our Sherwin Williams supplier.

My advice is: remove the foam, deal with the rust underneath, and DON'T replace it... I seriously doubt you'll notice a difference (except the lack of a place for moisture to collect). We've seen numerous cowls from clean - > cancerous rust from the underside up through the top. IMO that was a lame stop-gap idea that served no real purpose other than ruining a lot of perfectly good cowls. If you feel the need to dampen that particular part of the cowl I think you'd be better off using a truck bed "liner" type material that you can brush or roller apply.

Again, go to the POR-15 website and read about the product. It's... different. And it is made to encapsulate rust and stop further oxidation when it's used as directed. Read up and decide if it's a product you need or want to use. We always convert oxidation if it's not just surface rust that can be sanded, wire wheeled, or ground away to clean metal. Then we may POR-15 the area if necessary. You don't want to expose bare metal anywhere you don't have to. Follow the advice above. If you expose a large area of bare metal, you'll probably need direct-to-metal primer over that area. Small exposed areas can be covered with the good 2K primer that you'll use over everything (even the direct-to-metal primer) - after you've sanded, filled (if necessary), blocked (if necessary), and CLEANED... Your paint supplier can answer your questions about these materials. You'll prime over everything you do before you paint. You may want to seal the primer (ya, they sell "sealer" - and some primers can also act as sealer when they're mixed slightly differently). You may think that the "final" paint that you apply is opaque (solidly covering whats underneath), but it's not... The color of your primer or sealer will have some effect on the paint you put over it. That's why most new car replacement panels come sealed in straight black - it's a way to help after market paint look as close as possible to factory.

I measured from the rear of the door since it's a relatively straight (right angle) surface (and the front of the door is all sloped and difficult to find a reference point that we could all be clear on...) From the rear: 28 1/16" (more like 28 3/32") to the center of the aft (rearward) hole. The aft mirror hole is slightly larger than 1/2" (a 1/2" drill bit is slightly loose in this original hole) 29 1/4" (more like 29 9/32") to the center of the forward hole. A 5/16" drill bit fits nicely in this original hole. I'll try to post a picture. * edited to correct "5/26" drill bit - should be: 5/16" drill bit as the proper size for the forward hole

Ouch... The 304 Gold Metallic on my 260Z is from Sherwin. We have a supplier a few blocks from the shop and they've never had a problem with the old Datsun codes. All the paint we've gotten has been very true to original colors. We've shot probably a dozen Z's with Sherwin base or single stage paint (we don't use Sherwin's clearcoat though - PPG DCU-2021 is our preference). So, you have a very lazy Sherwin Dealer - their codes are country-wide. We found the PPG lower end paints to be kinda sub-par. Their Deltron paints are phenomenal, but you'll pay a premium... The engine bay is the worst to clean and sand. Make sure you get everything super clean. Make sure the existing paint is well adhered if you're going to leave it on. I like to get to the original paint. Chips and cracks down to the metal leave small spots where rust can develop and spread under the paint. Paint doesn't stick to rust (oxide) and you don't want underlying paint to come loose under your fresh paint. Do your rust repairs and use POR-15 if necessary. (POR-15 is a weird product, read all the information on their website before you use it and follow all their directions carefully. I goes VERY far - a little covers a LOT - so, start off with a quart. Brush it on - it "self-levels" very well. You're going to throw away everything you use to apply it, so disposable applicators are best (we've tried using foam "brushes" but find inexpensive natural bristle brushes to be best) There's a lot of stuff in the engine bay and I suggest you take out everything you possibly can. It's difficult to shoot around the wiring, hard lines, brake parts, master cylnders, hood pull, speedo cable, choke cables, windshield washer lines, wiper motor wiring - you get the picture... We pull everything except the hard lines that go back to the rear of the car. Those, we loosen up as much as possible to get them away from the frame rail and wrap them with tin foil.

Dude... You don't need to "cut up the passenger side harness for gages" (sic). - You can use the stock coolant temp sender wiring (coolant temperature gauge) - the L28ET has the same temperature sender in the t-stat housing - The Tach signal wire will connect to the turbo coil just like it did to the stock coil. - The oil pressure sender: IF the oil pressure sender is different on the L28ET, unscrew it! Install your old oil pressure sender on the tee of the L28ET and plug it into the stock wiring! You WILL have a bit of other wiring to connect into the stock harness, but it's minimal really and can be made reversible - if you're smart...

That's an aftermarket A/C unit so there isn't going to be any wiring diagram in any Datsun Manuals. If you don't understand how that thing works or how it was wired originally, you're probably going to need to take it to someone who does...

Derek over on HybridZ was correct... That's a micro-switch for the A/C. The capillary tube goes to the evap core - it just "senses" the temperature of the core. It has a connection to switched power (the inline fuse is a giveaway...) and then this is the first in what could be a series of switches on the way to the compressor clutch. So, power in -> micro-switch -> out to (eventually) the compressor clutch. (There may be other switches in the path such as high-pressure switch, low-pressure switch (prob not), fan switch may need to be engaged, etc....)

The L28ET has an oil temperature sensor in the back side of the oil pan. The 280ZX Turbo also had a corresponding gauge. While I'm sure someone has done it, I've never seen a turbo swapped early Z car with an oil temperature gauge... My oil temperature sensor is there, just not connected to anything.

Oh my... You have a few different options when working on the hatch lock/latch mechanism. You don't have to close the hatch to test if it works or not. You don't have to leave the lock cylinder OR the latch OR the "hoop" on the body that the latch grabs when the hatch is closed. (Just saying that you don't have to crawl back into the back again when you don't actually fix the problem.) With the lock cylinder removed and the hatch closed, you can put your finger through the hole and press down the latch mechanism to open the hatch - as long as the latch mechanism works. You can unbolt the latch mechanism from the bottom of the hatch and test it. Get a phillips screwdriver, push it sideways into the "jaws" of the latch. Does it grab the screwdriver? Does it let go when you press down on the latch lever? Clean and lube it while you have it out. Make sure the lock cylinder is complete, has the "arm" and adjustment screw. When it's in place, make sure it contacts the latch lever AND pushes it far enough to open the latch. You can close (activate) the latch and use the button to open it while the hatch is open. Just use something to move the jaws up and closed while the hatch is in the air. Lastly, make sure that the "hoop" below is adjusted properly so the latch doesn't bind. It has adjustment up and down and even a little side-to-side. The latch itself can be adjusted so it (the jaws) can be properly "centered" on the hoop below.

Yup. Then figure out why the button isn't pushing down the latch like it's supposed to. There's an adjustment screw on the arm - if there's an arm... The lock cylinder simply moves that arm into a position where it either CAN or CAN'T contact the latch.

I'm with you. In the second picture, it doesn't look like the coil is properly located in the bottom perch. The coil needs to be rotated so the spring end fits into the perch correctly. The top is correct, bottom doesn't seem to be from that picture.

And it is indeed missing something on the end - the lever that connects to and actuates the rod.

I kinda forgot about Red Tek 12a. We charged Patrick's 280ZX using 12a and it worked very well. He didn't want to convert and found the 12a online. It comes in 6 oz cans (rather than the 12 oz. that you buy 134a in) so it is more expensive than 134a here in the US, but it works well for systems already using R-12. On an essentially new system with a Sanden compressor I'd still clean the mineral oil out and convert to 134a...

Ya, sorry - in the back of my head I knew this was an aftermarket on an early and here I am comparing it to stock and creating confusion... I actually love that you mounted the Sanden on a stock A/C bracket. I'm gonna do that!

My 260 was converted to 134a nine years ago when I got it back on the road. Stock condenser, Phoenix Arizona - I think you'll be fine in Idaho (I was raised in Idaho Falls BTW...). My A/C is completely stock except the 134a and Kia blower motor.

Ya.

The wraps that we've seen here in Phoenix just don't last. I don't quite get why not (i mean other than the harsh climate...). There's obviously a difference in material - my wife bought a G35 Sedan in 2007 and had a "clear-bra" product applied by the dealership (or contracted by the dealership) to the front end and other common "chip" points. It's held up remarkably well to our desert southwest conditions. But, we had an RX-7 in the shop last year. The owner had it wrapped a few years prior to avoid repainting. It scratched easily and our Arizona sun was really hard on it. It stuck well - some of the underlying paint was pulled off the car when they removed it... All of the wrapped cars I've seen here have very obvious surface scratches. We see a lot of kids here going to ASU driving wrapped GTR's. A few corvette's. The only really nice wrap I've seen was on a McClaren that pulled into the Pavillion's one Saturday night. I'm sure there was a LOT of money in that wrap - it was clear, and it was perfect. I guess I'd want to protect the paint on the McClaren too, it was awesome... Which brings me back to scratching my head about my wifes 11 year old "clear-bra" that still looks very good... It's probably just like paint - you get what you pay for.

There's a "flash-to-pass" circuit in that diagram. The Swiss 260Z we had in the shop had that feature and I've heard that the Fairlady's did too. Check that circuitry and it's associated relay. The USA models only have the HI/LOW beam selector (switch) associated with the turn signal lever. Maybe something is mis-wired so the turn signal switch is setting the flash-to-pass relay.

NO! Stop giving these kinds of ideas - someone might actually try that... Rolling with a bat IS a thing. And there are certain cars you could probably get away with doing it that way. Not on a two sheet, spot welded Z rear wheel arch. And not on a flimsy Z front fender unless you are the miracle man. Pie slicing... Dude, never do that... At first glance, it doesn't seem like taking a body hammer to those flanges would be the way to "roll" a Z Car's fenders but I've been doing that in the shop for almost eight years now. That's how Goldie's fenders are rolled and her arches are still perfect (Of course it's a little easier to do that BEFORE paint...) Patience is the key to joy.

OMG... Please don't do that...

You're swapping in a slightly newer version of the engine that that was already in the car. You'll be able to reconnect or reuse everything that has to do with your gauges.

Best of luck with the fender roller. The rears of an s30 are stiff and the curve above the arch gets in your way. Be patient. We end up pounding them...

Oh, I'm sorry. I made it sound easy? I guess that comes with over-simplification. You'll find out.

You really just need the engine harness itself. I usually keep the EFI Relay and Fuel Pump Relay intact (simpler than the 280Z circuitry) and sometimes use the 280ZX fusable links (that have to do with the ECCS and injector power). There is a small harness on the 280ZX that comes from under the dash, up the driver fender, to the coil and ignitor that I find useful but it's not completely necessary. There are several other wires in that harness that have nothing to do with the coil/ignitor so I strip them out if I use it. (No point really - most of the wiring you need for the turbo coil/ignitor - and your Tach - is already there on the stock 280Z. You just need to add one wire from the ECU to the Ignitor to make the whole thing work.) If you're going to use the stock harness: Get yourself some DeOxIt (made by Caig) and AFTER you clean each electrical connector on the harness, engine, ECU, AFM, sensors, (well, you get the idea - EVERYTHING!) use DeOxIt on the connections before you put them together! There are specialty tools made to clean the oxide and corrosion off the brass connectors. I would say that over 90% of the problems people generally have with these early EFI / ECCS engines are electrical - most having to do with wiring and connectors. These old harnesses were never weatherproofed (and never meant to last this long). EFI/ECCS is dependant on reliable signals from sensors to function properly. Oxidation of the wire and connectors creates increased resistance which skews the signal from the sensors. Eliminate as much of that as you can. In reality, most of us have had to abandon the stock harness. After months of troubleshooting, my stock harness worked pretty well and I drove my turbo-swapped 260Z for years with it. When I went to a different ECU and built a new harness, I came to the conclusion that I should have done that in the first place. Live and learn as they say...