EuroDat

Hi alanburton, Welcome to the club. Good to hear you fix your starting problem. This is a common problem on hot days or after a long run where the engine (exhaust) generates a lot of heat. Im not sure what temperature the fan cuts in. I know some 280Z guys use a timer on the fans to control how long they work. The fan wasn't available on the 280Z. It was an improvement added to the 280ZX. Btw: The system shouldn't suffer from vapour lock, unless the system is looses pressure. One theory is the injectors stick when they overheat. Cooling does help clear the problem, though. I had a similar problem and found the check vavle in the fuel pump was leaking. The system was loosing pressure and required long cranking to build up pressure and then start. On hot days it was worse. I tried a fanfor a while, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Replacing the check valve did. Now it holds pressure for a week or so.

That is doesn't look complete. The diagrams I have show 4 wires going to the passing relay. A red wire, red with white stripe, black, black with yellow stripe. ColorWiring240Z-1971Early.pdf

It looks terrible, but that sludge might have protected the system against corrosion and pitting. Fingers crossed. You can buy a simple seal kit for the early 240Z proportioning valve. It has a couple of parts that fit this one. Unfortunately I don't think anyone makes a kit for these. The brake switch is an easy fix, if the bore is not pitted. I cleaned mine by cutting a slot in a plastic tube and a strip of fine emery paper. Here is the thread. @Namerow posted some usefull info on the kit from msa.

Yep, The rear deck and your fuel pressue regulator valve FPR is early model. Both changed in july 1977. I started a thread on these differences over the years, but there is somethinv wrong with it and it opens all wierd and photo's all ovef the place. I will start a new one and post all I have on that one. Im on my tablet so don't have many photo's, but here are the two fpr's Early (before August) has two inlets and one outlet with 90 degree bend. Late (August 1977 onwards) has one inlet and one outlet with 90 degree bend The dates with these changes are not hard just like the 240Z changes. They seemed to change a lot of little things in the July / August period.

Looks like a great car you found. Very good condition, just a little dirty and dusty. Should be an easy resto for you time around. 77 model, its before august 77 anyway.

If it's casing your problem, I would just remove the internals and replace it with a hei unit. Easy on the 78 TIU. Dont't need to change coils to 12volt because it already is a 12v system. Make an aluminium plate (heat sink) to mount the hei in the TIU casing and solder the wires onto the metal strips on the back of the tiu terminal block. No ome will know its a hei unit.

Im with Charles. If the brakes aren't modified in any way, it should be a mechanical e-brake, parking brake. What ever the reason. If it's leaking brake fluid, you need to replace the wheel cylinder or a wheel cylinder kit if the cylinder is not pitted inside. They will often pit in the centre section where the rubber cups don't reach or if it has been sitting a long time.

Well done Jai. Redbird is looking fabulous again. But Im biased when it comes to red 280Z's?

This is a photo of the earlier Californian "6 terminal" E12-12A This is the 78 model E12-27 with the terminal block. Greg, if you have this one you don't need a ballast resistor. It should have a 12 volt coil.

They went to 12v coils in 7/77 or there abouts, Im going from memory here. The TIU would then be the E12-27. The E12-27 has a 6 pin plug with 5 wires. The earlier 77 models used the E12-12A with 6 screw terminals for the single pick-up distributor in the Californian models. The Fed models used the E12-13 with dual pick-up distributor. It has 7 screw terminals. Both the E12-12A and the E12-13 use a ballast resistor.

If you want to lower the car 1". You don't need to do any mods to the rear strut perches. You can simply change the insulator to the 240Z type which is the same height as the front. That will lower it 25mm. http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic20m01a/23-4370 The only real strut mod would be the front strut towers.

I have done this on a Ford Escort mk1 years back and it worked well. Never had any problems with it and I drove it 85k km.

Wow. I am considering doing the same thing since removing the bumpers. My plan was to lower it 3/4" to get back to its original height with the bumpers. I don't think it will be a problem witn bottoming out because I will be going back to "normal height". I don't like cutting the springs because that will make the ride hasher. Cutting springs reduces the spring length and its flexability. Aftermarket springs wil lower it, but how much? The procedure I wss thinking of using is this: 1. Make a jig. A ring that fits snug over the tube and three rods from the ring tack welded to the spring perch. 2. Measure ring distance from top of tower. 3. Carefully grind the spring perch weld away until perch is free. 4. Lower the perch X mm and check it doesn't retate on the tube. 5. Reweld perch. 6. Grind tack welds free from perch and remove jig. 7. Repeat.

I would be happy not rolling the panel lip. Makes it hard to clean and the dirt build up is a moisture trap for rust to start. Only takes a scratch in the coating..... Mine sits about the same height. It lifted half an inch when I removed the bumpers. Yours should drop a bit with the bumpers on. The height works good for me. We have some awful speed bumps in our area. The wifes mini cooper keeps bottoming out on them all the time.

Agree. Looks more like the one in front of the radiator.

Jim, It's a shame the quality control hasn't ironed out all the problems before they started marketing them. Fuotfab was/is a good alternative. The harringtons are very good, but pricy. I will watch your progress with the vietnam bumpers with much interest.

When you get this problem solved, replace the Champion plugs with NGK's. You will notice the difference.

Its all been mentioned, but from the photo it looks like your lower control arm is not horizontal and pointing downwards. That will effect the angle of the link bolt and point it towords the wheel and away from the swaybar eye. The swaybar is flexable to a certain degree to absorb all the in and outwards movements caused when the lower control arms go through their radius. You will find it easier to fit if you adjust your coilover until the lower control arms are horizontal. Make sure the link bolt is not too tight so you can manouver it through the swaybar eye. Btw. Your set up looks neat.?

I have heard the 1mm oversize is not a problem with the 35mm exhaust valve, but I would still do what Siteunseen mentioned and test it for myself. Notching is not hard to do and on a 1mm oversize it would be minimal. I would prefer the N42 head ovrr the L26 E88. The L26 E88 head has emmision chambers and is considered the lesser of the E88 heads. They made some improvements to the chambers on the N42 when they went over to efi.

Good find. And you had to go to Europe to find them. Lol.

Happy to help. If you need more details oor measurements on the left one. Let me know. Good luck with repairs.

These shocks came out of my 77 280Z. Comparing them with your units, they don't seem that bad.

I have two rear bumper shocks in pristine condition. Ill can take two photo's like yours, when I get home, so you can compare. The left one in photo does look a little deformed.

I measured mine by running a piece of electrical wire along the lines. The line going from the front mastre cylinder to rear underdside of brake switch is 300mm. The other line going from the rear of the master cylinder to the front underside of the switch is 310mm. These measurements are give or take a couple of mm and the bends are fairly tight going to the switch. I would look for a shop that can make two straight sections and when back home bend them to suit. If you gl with flexables, make surd they are not to close to the exhaust and limit their movement. After all it is your brakes.

Tha afm will fit too. The throttle body on the 280ZX has a smaller bore so if you use the 280Z throttle body the hose to the afm won fit. Yes the hoses are different. I wouldn't use the diff out of a 280Z in a 280ZX. Ratio 3.53:1 in the 280Z compared to 3.7:1 or 3.9:1 in the 280ZX depending on year and manual. You certainly wouldn't want that diff behind a close ratio 280ZX transmission.