Chickenman

Check all the connections at the Fuse box as well. Often these get corroded. Pickup a good spray electrical contact cleaner such as De-Oxit or Weicon Electrical Contact spray. ( If you already don't have some ). The stuff is invaluable on these old cars. Makes an amazing difference, especially on high corrosion connections such as Headlamp connections, wiper motors and even Fuse holders. http://www.weicon.ca/pages/ca/products/spray/cleaning-degreasing/electro-contact-cleaner.php

It's probable that the ignition switch ( electrical part ) is worn out. Contact's corroded inside the switch. Ignition switch is still available. Lordco may be able to get them. Rock Auto aslo carries them. Cheap: $16.77 USD for the Beck/Arnley ( good brand. Usually OEM ) https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=488797&cc=1209170&jnid=416&jpid=0 A good modification is to add an auxiliary ignition relay into the circuit. Typical Bosch 40/30 amp Universal relay kit will do. This takes the load off the small contacts in the ignition switch and allows a short run with larger gauge wire from the battery straight to the starter solenoid via the higher current Relay. You can pick them up at any Auto supplier such as Lordco. Pico is a major supplier: http://www.picocanada.com/en/product/926.php

Reminds me of a line from a favorite song of mine: " Lady... you crazy " .... but in a good way. Now for bonus points, name the Group and Title of that song...

Errrr.... forget I mentioned anything!!!

Prices seem to vary all over the place on E-Bay. A Standard Blue Streak ES-9 goes from $24 with Free shipping to $95 for the same part. Shop carefully. The $19.95 USD solenoid from Carb Junky's should work fine. You'll have to fabricate a mounting bracket. Browse these pages: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Idle-Stop-Solenoid-Rochester-Quadrajet-Carburetor-75-83-Buick-Chev-GMC-Pont-Olds-/331272717308?hash=item4d216483fc&vxp=mtr http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=idle+solenoid

Personally I would forget all the Datsun " Vacuum Mumbo Jumbo ". Use a 12V Electric solenoid. GM made idle Stop solenoid on most of their carburated cars through out the 1970's and 1980's. They are adjustable and ideal for using as an AC idler " kicker ". They extend when +12v is supplied and collapse when power is removed. Fabricate a bracket and just splice a wire from your Compressor clutch power wire ( Blue wire ) and you're good to go. Much easier and more reliable than the Vacuum nonsense. Plentiful at Auto wreckers and cheap from most Auto Supplier. Here's just one I found on E-Bay. $24.75 : http://www.ebay.com/itm/Federal-Mogul-Carburetor-Idle-Stop-Dashpot-Solenoid-213-267-Chevrolet-GMC-/291501541853?hash=item43ded889dd&vxp=mtr

So you got the L-475 grind Steve or a Custom grind? Is that the corrected Cam card? I wonder why the duration figures are off a bit... CTIE???

That's a pretty stout cam ( Isky L-490 ) . Might be a bit much for the street, but should be good for track days. The M445 Shadbolt is more of a Stage II... FWIW. Isky L480 specs are very close to Shadbolt M445. Lobe Center Angle isn't shown though which is important. But if I recall correctly, Isky likes to use around 106 -108 on the Stage II and III grinds and 103 - 105 on the Race grinds ( Z-196 and Z-273 ) for the L series.

Curious as to what the Isky cam specs will actually be. One of the Cam profiles that a lot of guys run up in the PNW is a Shadbolt M445 grind. This was developed way back in the 70's. Still a good cam to this day. 280 advertised duration. Timing was Intake opens 30 degrees BTDC, closes 70 degrees ABDC. Exhaust opens 70 degrees BBDC, closes 30 degrees ATDC. Pretty sure Lobe Centerline was 106 degrees. Lift was .480". Was a pretty darned good Slalom and Race cam. Good power to 7,500 RPM on an, L18 or L24. L16 ( 8,000 rpm ). Worked well on the street. Needed at least 3.90 gears though. L16's liked 4.11 or 4.36 gears. Bottom RPM range depended on displacement. L16 was pretty peaky. Worked really well on a L18 or an L20B with a 4 banger. Awesome cam on an L24 or bigger as well.

Hmm... how stiff is that mounting plate bolted to the front of the head? Some sort of Tin Plate? Looks a bit flimsy.... Edit: Looks like a backing plate for an electrical junction box. Any slightest movement there is going to be multiplied by the lever action of your Dial Indicator mounting arm. I prefer to make a metal rail out of flat 24" x 2" x .125" mild steel and bolt it down the side of the Valve cover rail. Drill holes in it to match Valve cover holes and bolt her down with 3 short 6mm bolts. That way you can attach the Dial Indicator Arm with the shortest length possible and a have a very stiff mounting plate. Stiff is always good !!! Just my .02c..

Here is a link to the FULL Racer Brown article on Datsun Camshafts. It is probably the best article ever written on the L-Series valve-train. Regarding degreeing of cams. Thoroughly read Chapter 12: " Checking Valve Timing and Valve to Piston Clearance" . http://www.datsport.com/racer-brown.html

^ The above described procedure cannot be used on OHC engines such as the Datsun. It is a method used for OHV engines using bucket TAPPETS and pushrods and where you can setup a Dial indicator that is directly in line with the tappet to measure lift. It is impossible to use that procedure on OHC engines because the Camshaft gets in the way and dial indicator can not be aligned correctly. Racer Brown has one method for degreeing Datsun cams in " How to Modify Datsun Engines and Chassis ". It involves reading setting up the Dial Indicator directly on the Valve retainer. This changes the check number lift and timing figures from a tappet measurement, so the correct checking lift and timing numbers at the VALVE must be obtained from the original Camshaft manufacturer. Steve: Isky may have an alternate method for degreeing their OHC grinds, but you must obtain the exact figures from Isky and use their exact checking method. I highly doubt that Isky has made an error in machining... but isht can happen. Edit: Did Isky not include a Timing card and Datsun specific directions on how to properly degree the Datsun cam?

We hit 98F here in Metro Vancouver BC. ( Coquitlam ) Abbotsford and Chilliwack hit 100F. A leetle warm for the PNW!!!

Are you using this on your 1978 280Z? All 280Z's had a self adjusting Clutch Slave cylinder. And it should NEVER have any slack in it. The later Slave cylinder, Slave rod and the Clutch fork are not the same as the earlier adjustable types. If you want to convert to the adjustable type, you have to have an early style ( before Prod Date 07/72 ) Clutch slave Cylinder, Clutch rod with ball/nut and Clutch Fork. And you have to add an external " Pull Back " spring to the Clutch Fork. The later style self adjusting Slave cylinder had an internal expanding coil spring in it to take up any slack. The early style adjustable Slave cylinders had no internal spring if memory serves me correct. Length may have been slightly different as well... but my memory is less sure on that. BTW... on self adjusting Slave cylinders, you do NOT install an external pull back spring on the Clutch fork. That will screw up the Clutch release travel. Clutch Master Cylinders are all the same and Nissan still supplies them, as well as does Aftermarket.

You may want to try this first before pulling the 5 speed: I think your shifting problem is more likely a bad Master cylinder. Water contamination in old fluid will pit the inside of the bore. The seal lips get damaged from the pitting. When this happens you will get a fluid bypass internally in the Master Cylinder. The Master Cylinder still works, but you will not get a full stroke of the Slave cylinder. You may not see any fluid leaking externally, but it's by-passing the seal lips Internally. This causes the clutch to drag on shifts and thus the hard shifting. The tell tale is that it shifts hard in ALL gears. With bad Synchros it's usually only one or two gears that are hard shifting. Typically second gear is the worst, followed by first gear. From experience at the Dealerships and racing these critters, it is common for the Master Cylinder to fail right after a new clutch is installed. The diaphragm springs in the old P/plate get weak with age and as soon as you put in a new P/Plate the old Clutch M/Cylinder seals couldn't quite handle the extra pressure. And you mentioned that you did install a Brand new clutch... correct? This scenario also used to happen all the time with upgraded clutches on 510's. Replacing the stock P/Plate with a " Roadster " P/Plate ( higher pressure ) required a new Clutch M/Cylinder 90% of the time. The Clutch Slave cylinder stands up better, because they were originally made of Cast Iron and the bores did not Pit as easily due to Water contamination. If the Clutch M/Cylinder had black fluid in it I would definitely replace it. Rock Auto has them at very reasonable prices, Beck/Arnley or Bendix are good products. $22.95 for the Beck/Arnley. That's Cheap!!: https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=485739&cc=1209260&jnid=435&jpid=1 BTW... Rock Auto has a very good selection of all Datsun parts, and some really good prices. I always check them out first. Edit: And Nissan still carries the Factory Master Cylinder assy: http://www.courtesyparts.com/clutch-master-cylinder-1970-1978-240z-260z-280z-p-569026.html?cPath=7724_7746&

Probably. He hit that dirt berm pretty hard. The main feature of the Inertia switch is that it will trigger in an event where the driver could be knocked unconscious or incapacitated. . Kill switches inside won't help you, if the driver can't physically actuate it. The Ford Inertia switch is designed for street cars and the Trigger point is reasonably low. There have been cases where it tripped while going over a BIG pot hole or Racing Kerb. Usually the problem is traced to the purchase of a used or Junkyard switch. The new switches seldom cause problems. It's hard to find specs on the OEM Ford switch as far as G-Force required to trigger. Pegasus sells one that apparently triggers at 10 to 12G's. That should be high enough to eliminate any false triggers from " Kerb Hopping ". I'd consult with your fellow racers to see what they use. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=87 Edit: The above is just a Standard Blue Streak part #FV7. Available just about anywhere. But at least there are some specs on it. http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/smp-fv7/overview/ Most Safety inspectors recommend putting both a Master Kill switch and an Inertia Fuel Pump Kill switch ( ...and Fire System switch) within easy reach of the driver. If you do make a huge F1 style leap over " Sausage Kerbs " at least the driver can quickly reset the Inertia switch if need be. And of course you need another Kill switch outside as per most regs. An outside Fire switch is a good idea as well.

^ Well I'm sure he knows his machinery better than I do. The guy I used had a pretty powerful setup.

Have a look a Brad Penn oil or Joe Gibbs Hot Rod oil ( higher ZDDP ). Both are very very good oils. I'd be looking at at least 10w-40 or a 15w-50 in Texas climate. The Joe Gibbs oil ( now marketed as " Driven " brand ) is available in a wide range of viscosities and is has special formulations for Vintage cars, Hot Rods and pure racing. Available in pure synthetics and semi-synthetics. Motul 8100 is also very good. I use Joe Gibbs 10w-40 full synthetic in my new Z engine. Break-in was done with Pennzoil 20w-50 Dino oil as per engine builders instructions. Engine builder was Jock Rhodes at Bill's Datsun Shoppe in Clackamas Oregon. He's been building Datsun engines for 38+ years. Good guy. Knows his stuff. Personally, I'd get away from the Castrol ASAP. It breaks down with high temperatures very rapidly. A lot of guys on Audi/VW 108T forums have lost camshafts due to the poor quality of Castrol oils. I've always found Castrol oils create a lot more " mechanical " noise in every engine I've ever used it in . That's not good as more " mechanical noise " means Metal to Metal contact. Usually at the Camshaft interface.

^ That would work too. But when you wind the adjuster pivot all the way down, you really don't need to compress the spring all that much to pop the rocker off. You can pop the rockers off without screwing the rocker adjuster down... then you would want the Cam Lobe sideways as you have to compress the spring a lot more.

1: Position Cam lobe so that Heel ( lowest point of cam ) is on rocker. 2: Pop off " Mouse Trap " spring with a screwdriver. 3: Loosen big lock nut. It's the second nut down. I think it's 17mm. 4: Wind adjusting nut ( 14 or 15mm ) all the way down. 5: Position a big screwdriver or medium pry bar between the Camshaft and Valve retainer. Handle to manifold side. Push the spring down and pop the rocker arm off. Don't pry on the Cam Lobe of course. Or you can rent a Valve spring compressor for OHC motors from most Automotive shops like Autozone or Napa. But the big screwdriver trick works just dandy.... on " Stock " Valve springs. Race springs get a bit tougher. Sealy brand OHC Valve spring compressor. About $50:

Thanks Sarah. Nice " How To " on the Vacuum selector switch re-furbish. One more thing to add to the list!!

Ha Ha ... I Luv the part about the Yoga pants. Many, many years ago I remember hanging upside down in the Footwell of my 240Z working on the heater box for what seemed like hours. Now I'm lucky if I can change the Spark Plugs on my 280Z with out my back killing me!!

To get to the Heater Temperature actuator, you will have to remove the Glove box, Heater Motor and then the heater box. Bit of a PITA, but that will give you access to the Heater " kock " if you need it. To get to the slider controls and the Vacuum selector switch you will have to remove the center console. At that point stop and get one of those mechanics mirrors ( I have one with built in LED ) to have a look under the slider control and make sure that all of the hoses are attached to the vacuum switch. Sometimes they fall off. The hoses and connections are numbered and order is important. S= Source ( from Vacuum Reservoir ), I = Intake Door actuator, then D1 and D2 for two other Vacuum actuators. Numbers are on tiny labels on original hoses and on the bottom side of the switch. They are a PITA to see... that is why you need the Mechanics Mirror. You can of course take the slider controls out.. but it starts to get quite involved. There are a couple of cables attached to the Slider controls for the Automatic Thermostat control and to the Heater Kock.

Pages AC-6 to AC-13 of the FSM show the Vacuum routing and actuator operations. That's a good place to start reading. Good luck. I'm still trying to get my 1976 Vent/Heater/Defrost door working correctly. Mode door seems to be stuck in Vent or Bi-Level position. Always blows air out of center vents... Which is OK because I only drive the car in Spring and Summer. And I've got the AC working 100%...so it doesn't matter too much about getting heat out of the Foot ducts or Defroster ducts. I don't drive it in the rain much.

Jonathan, you are indeed correct. Condition of vacuum lines, vacuum reservoir, check valve for vacuum reservoir are just some of the failure points. To OP. I would download the .pdf of the 77 FSM and study the vacuum routings for the Heater/AC controls carefully. You will find the pertinent section under AC: Link to Nico club with archives of Datsun Service manuals: http://www.nicoclub.com/datsun-service-manuals Direct link to 1977 S30 FSM: http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/280z/1977/