sblake01

My thoughts were that if the water pump bearing had failed and caused the water pump to 'walk' there would have been damage to the radiator itself rather than just having the fan wedge against the bottom tank. Looking at the pictures, I agree with frank13, wrong clutch fan. Also, there was a chance that the car didn't run overheated long enough to cause further damage. That is why I didn't talk about blown head gaskets, warped heads/blocks etc. Glad to hear there was no other damage. A new and correct fan and fan clutch and you should be good to go!

I guess I should have said if you can move the fan back and forth towards the radiator and towards the engine then the fan clucth in defective.

Sounds like you fan clutch died. I don't know if you ran it long enough like that to cause damage to the head gasket or water pump but that would explain the fan wedging against the bottom of the radiator. As far as the slow cranking, I don't think the car had cooled enough or maybe the fan moved again as you were cranking it over. Your co-worker said it wasn't moving. Hopefully, if the fan clutch went out, all you have to do is replace it, refill the cooling system and you should be okay. Did the fan damage your radiator? Grab the fan and see if you can move it back and forth, if so the fan clutch is toast.

I believe that things like that are listed on ebay just for the shock value. This is a different carrier than the last one, Carl. And niether one sold. The only other item this guy has sold on ebay in the last 12 months was a digital camera!

Pepman, I'm quoting myself here but these conclusions were for the Infiniti VH45DE. I don't know for sure about the Lexus V8. Looking at the picture posted by Marty Rogan and looking under the hood of my neighbors Lexus, I can see that the Lexus engine is not nearly as wide as the Infiniti and wouldn't requrie modifying the strut towers and all the other things we concluded when I was considering using the Infiniti motor.

I have test driven a 350Z. The performance was good, the fit and finish was okay, and generally, for the price, it's a good car. But just good, not great, or any other superlative you can come up with. It begs comparisons with other contemporary cars. The RX7, Chrysler Crossfire (yuck!), etc. But, in no way, does it beg comparison with a 1st gen Z. Different cars, different purpose. It would be like comparing a present day Maxima to a 1977 810. The 1st generation Z was unique. What other car of its time really looked like it or performed like it? The 350Z resembles many other cars. Does anyone really think that in 30 years or so there will be Classic 350Z Clubs?

I had once considered putting a VH45 (Infiniti) V8 in a Z. I don't know how similar the Lexus engine is. The main problem with the swap is the engine's physical size. It's just too wide. I had talked to a couple of people who are familiar with the Z and engine swaps and the consensus was it couldn't be done. Even if you could get the engine into the car, there were other challenges. There would be engine management problems, size limitations not only for the engine but also for the transmission. The conlusion was that it could only be done with extensive, and I mean extensive (!) modification not to mention cost. You would basically have to tear down and refabricate virtually the entire car! As far as i Know, there are no 3.00-1 gearsets for any of the Z differentials but that would probably be the least of your worries. And when finished, what would you have? A car that you'd never get 1/4 of your investment back when it came time to sell it.

It bolts right in. Everything hooks right up. About the only thing you'll have to change is the speedo gear.

Funny, I get a similar feeling when viewing this car to when we discussed the 'Special Racing Edition' on ebay a few months back.

I had just visited that site before posting the link. For some reason, it won't let me in now either. Maybe try again at another time. There is a link on that site that leads to Alan Bent's cd entitled 'The Early Datsun in Australia'. I have one and it covers the models of Datsun you asked about. Alan lives in Australia. I have corresponded with him in the past and he is a good guy with and amazing amount of knowledge on the Datsun marque.

I think that's a late 74 260Z.

Try 'The Early Datsun Homepage'. The address is http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Pit/3823/.

I only have the one (rim in my prior post on this thread) but if I ever come across the other three, I'm putting them on my 280.

I have always heard that 300ZX rims don't fit the 1st gen Z without spacers. Besides, they are not period correct. I think this is the 260Z factory alloy.

When my Z was found after being stolen in 2002, Allstate reimbursed me for the towing and impound charges. That was in my comprehinsive but you have to look for it and make sure that that is in that part of the policy. My Mustang was stolen many years ago and the towing and impound wasn't covered by the company I had back then. All that being said, I was just happy to have her back! I would have paid if I had to. Just something to look for when you up you coverage.

What is the origin of these valve covers? I just saw one at one of the local self service yards on a 80 ZX. There is also a diesel crankshaft that I could get for about 40 bucks if I wanted to go through the hassle of tearing down the engine in the Maxima to get it.

But, that's my point. It is a 280!

I think that the main reason they don't find the Datsun vehicles to be collectable is misinformation. Just look at the fact that they say 240 and 260. I can understand a 260 not being as collectable but 240s especially the 70 models meet all the criteria. They were produced in low numbers, they were popular (and still are), and they do generate a strong interest. The general gearhead, muscle car, British, German, Italian, etc, car type collector has a low opinion and even lower knowledge of Japaneese cars. After all, he also said the he thought the old Celica Hatchbacks would become collectable. He called them 'Mini Mustangs!' I have been to these weekend burger stand car shows and they don't even know what my car is! "Nice 240," or "What year is it?", or "Is it a 240, 260, or 280?" You name it, I've heard it. Some even think its something other that a Datsun. So, to these Barrett-Jackson types, we Datsun nuts, or nuts of any other Japaneese car, will never get our due.

How did you arrive at that? Everything I have ever read seems to say that the ratios differ 1-4 between the early 4 spd and any 5 spd.

In the words of John McEnroe, "You can't be serious!"

For a street car, I like the 280zx/810-910 Maxima 5spd. It has a higher 5th gear for highway crusing than the 280z 5spd. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are slightly lower in the 4 spd than in any of the 5spds.

I too have a 78. It doesn't have factory air but it has the dealer installed ARA system. I had a similar problem. There are many parts under there that can cause a leak. After replacing hoses and clamps and still finding leaks, I took it to my friends shop in Upland. I figured that everything under there was 25 years old and it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace it all. I had the heater core and all the attending valves, hoses, clamps, connectors, and blower motor replaced. I cost me about $450. No more leaks, heater and AC work better, peace of mind. Well worth it!

I can post some pictures of the 14" 6 spoke, 14" iron cross, and 15" swastika which were all used here in the US on the 280ZX but they may not be the same as what was used in Australia.

This site opens with "Welcome to the biggest club dedicated to the CLASSIC Datsun Zcars (240Z, 260Z, & 280Z)." We do, however, spend a lot of time discusssing 'Z cousins' as Bambikiller240 puts it. Most notably, the 280ZX. That's okay. My interest in Datsuns covers more that Zcars as you'd probably guess noting my avatar. I don't mind reading about the Skyline, etc. as it helps to broaden my general Datsun knowledge. I don't personally post anything here about my 810 or my 320 because I do see this as a Z site. If something comes through about those vehicles I might offer my $.02. We once had a thread on the 810 Sports Coupe last summer when Victor Laury showed interest in buying one. I responded to it. This is my Z site. I like it fine the way it is. When I'm looking for information on the aforementioned 'other Datsuns' I look elsewhere.

I own a Z (78 280) and a Z cousin (79 810). I like this site just the way it is because not only is it helpful for my Z but for my 810 as well. The mechanical advice I have found here has been useful for both cars. The roadster site is kind of slow and I think a separate site for the 240K would be also. I only wish there were more 810 owners involved with this site. You think some Z parts are hard to find? Try finding anything other than mechanical parts for an 810.