Noah Scarpelli

Stanley. should I plug that outlet? I puled the valve cover off and talked to my step father about how the engine looked after the over heating when i was going to the hospital and he said that there was coolant boiling out of where the intake manifold mounts to the head. So, now I'm in the process of replacing the head gaskets and other relater gaskets. Zed Head, the water pump seemed to be ok, but i''ll replace it anyway. I hope I can find a head if need be!

Thank you Zed Head. So much. So basically, i should really invest in restoring the coolant route to the originally planned and executed route that existed before someone decided to reroute it in a stupid way? Update : coolant is super oily and i do believe my head gasket went.

The coolant line is just routed into the 90 degree bend t the rear of the head. The hose is kinked though which, along with a faulty radiator cap, is why I'm assuming the pressure built up after it had overheated. So i think both holes have been plugged up. I will just replace the heater core I think and re install the heater thing (Not sure what it's called. It looks like a horn.) on the firewall and put it back together like it is supposed to be. I wanna make sure everything actually works. But, since the coolant should have been circulating, could that mean the channels for coolant that run through the engine could have been blocked up? Thanks again.

Yes I definitely will. I've already broken a ton of bolts off. Well, two bolts, but still.

Hello all. I recently found a 280zx turbo rear end which included disk close to me for 50 dollars. Would this be a worthy investment for me? I believe it has the 3.565 r200 rear dif, but I'll double check. I just figured for 50 dollars, this could be a steal and I should jump right on it. Thoughts?

Thank you to everyone for your inputs. I plan on re-introducing the heater into the coolant circulation equation and replacing all coolant hoses before I go out or any sort of joy riding. I purchased a thermostat and a water pump for safe measure and will MOST ASSUREDLY replace the brake lines before too long. Other than the overheating, which doesn't surprise me out of a car that has been taking a break for 6 years, I haven't found a serious mechanical issue yet. Tomorrow the radiator comes out and the water pump goes in and I will get a new radiator cap. Again, thank you guys for the help. This is the first forum I've had to become a part of and it looks as though it won't disappoint.

Thanks very much, siteunseen! I can only home that my block doesn't house what that block had in it. So should i actually let water run through my engine while it runs? And let it flush out of the radiator? Also I'm wondering about my heater being MIA. I'll try to post up pics at a later date. The coolant line was kinked and I couldn't find the heater core. Thank you for your response!

Hello fellow Z owners! My name is Noah and I am a first (Sort of second.) time Z car owner. I recently, after swooning for years, purchased my first Z from a Gentleman in Erie, PA. I payed the measly price of 500 dollars for a running 1978 280z. Yes, it has cancer. Yes, it has an automatic transmission. Yes, it is old and tired. But, it is a Z car, and it was within my price range. I live 30 miles from where I purchased the car and I really needed to get it home to my garage so I could begin attempting to restore it, or at least bring it to working order. The journey home took its toll on my car, and on me. I was worried about the trip because the car hadn't really been worked in 6 years. I'll skip some of the not-important parts and go to the juicy spots. At about 6:00 pm, I rolled into my driveway and killed the engine. Steam hissed from the radiator and it smelled HOT. Call me what you will, but I did not have much of a choice other than to drive the beauty home. I popped the hood slightly to investigate the hissing and BAM, the main coolant line exploded giving me second degree burns to my chest and abdomen. After a horrible ride to the ER and a few pain killers, I was discharged and could finally get a look at the damage. Mind you all, other than extensive bondo and fiberglass work, some suspension and basic engine component knowledge, all I have to offer a car is passion. This is why I bought the z in the first place. It's a BEAUTIFUL car and I intend to fully restore it to its former glory. That being said, when i opened the thermostat housing, i found no thermostat in the vehicle. The heater had been removed and the coolant line re-routed directly into the head. I think this might be the source of my over-heating. And, since the main coolant line blew up, I can only assume that coolant was not circulating properly and caused pressure to build in the cooling system. Any information regarding this realm of thinking would be greatly appreciated. Like I said, I'm new at this and I'm prone to rookie mistakes. Attached is a photo of "Brutus," the killer Datsun, sporting 15x10 Wheel Vintiques smoothies on the rear.