tibZ

Thanks for the reply Stephen. I was surfing thru the parts at a place called Autohaus Arizona. They have alot of Z parts and specify some as OEM. Reasonably priced too. Free shipping over $50.00. Maybe after Christmas I'll look into them a little closer.

Anyone have any opinions and or experience with these brands? Was checking online parts for an alternator and starter and came across some Bosch brands and a Kyosan fuel pump. Are these any good? Anyone know what the OEM brands are? Thanks, Mike

I found it easy to create an account on photobucket and paste a link there. Just my 2 cents.......

You might want to give the drill another chance first. If both manifolds are off,take a file and smooth out the top of the broken stud so you have a flat surface to start with. Then center punch the center of the stud with a punch. Then drill into the stud with a 5/32 drill.Take your time and let the drill do the work, don't force it or you could break the drill in the stud. Buy or borrow a set of "easy-outs" and use one that goes 1/2 way to 3/4 into the hole. Tap it with a ball peen hammer to seat it. Put a wrench on it and turn counterclockwise. If you do pull the head you don't need to remove any of the components, but it will be heavy, make sure you set it at top dead center first.

While I am waiting to hear back from the folks I bought my engine gasket set from I thought I would ask a question here. I took apart my oil pump to clean/inspect it and all seems fine. However I dont have the gasket that goes between the two halfs. The old one was thinner than your average gasket, (.005 in thick) Should this have been in my gasket set or is it a seperate item? Also, the body is steel, is this stock or should it be aluminum? It's on a 73. If I make my own will it have an effect in the rotor clearance?

I took you guys' advice and bought the engine bolt kit from Eiji at Datsun Spirit. All individually packaged and labeled. I happened to contact him 2 days before he was leaving for Japan and he still took the time to process my order and ship it out for $10.00. I have seen other vendors charge that for 6 bolts. Now I have a new vendor. I still have some things to get and he will be the first man I go to.

Thanks for the reply's. I have bagged all the valve components in baggies for cleaning later. I didn't use a compression tool, I am fortunate to have a bridgeport milling machine in my basement. I cut some slots in a small length of pipe and used the quill to hold down the spring while I removed everything. I found no damage at all, just a black sticky mess that I need to clean off everything. I would rather not remove the towers if I don't need to. I do have a compressor that I will blow through the oil passages after cleaning. Thanks. ps let this be a reminder....change your oil!

I am in the process of removing all my valves to clean up the mess of very old dirty sticky gooey slime and carbon covering the head. One of the books suggest I don't even think about taking off the cam support towers as they are bored in place. I want to de-grease and hose off the head and I was wondering if I should slide the cam out to prevent water from entering the bearings in the towers. Visually looking at the cam though, it looks to me that the lobes have a larger OD then the bearings and I would not be able to slide it out? Anyone with experience with this situation? If it's as easy as removing the retaining plate and sliding it out I may try it, if not, will hosing it down cause any issues later on? Thanks, Mike

Well, I found my problem. Very dark gooey sticky substance covering everything. I would guess the oil hasn't been changed since the 70's. I have pulled the springs off two of the valves and had to use carb cleaner and wd-40 to free the valves to come thru the guides. No scoring or any damage so far, hoping all I need is a good cleaning after teardown. So far ,so good.....

yeah, the PO says it ran excellent 5 years ago. before that it was last run in 1984. 108000 original miles. Inspection after teardown will determine the level of rebuild.

Moved the engine to the basement this weekend to start the refresh and find out why I have a sticky valve in cyl. #3. I have all winter to play with it so I'm in no hurry. Not very pretty now but hope to have a brand new looking/running engine by next spring when I can work on the bodywork when it warms up. Winters suck.I]

Mine are 1.5MM. Measure the length of the "barrel" on the stand that the bolt goes thru and add about1/2" to 3/4" for the bolt length. Bring one of your existing bolts to the store to double check your pitch.

I think carrott is right, at the very least you have a sticky valve. This post may help you. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?p=258354&highlight=stuck+valve I haven't pulled my head yet so i don't know what causes my issue. Like yours, it sat for years.

Whoops, sorry Steve, you were posting while I was typing....same subject though.

Does the withdrawer lever coming out of the transmission move when you depress the pedal? I'm wondering if it is still connected to the throughout bearing?? Can you move it back and forth when you have the slave cylinder off? I think if you put it neutral you should be able to move it by hand but if it moves up and down it may not be attached to the bearing. Good luck, With all the experts on this site you will fix it eventually, all part of the fun..........time and money.

"WOW" is right, going to be one of the nicest Z's in the country.......

My 73 has a 72 carb setup on it. It has a fitting similar to yours coming off the manifold except it is longer and has a hose connected to it.The other end has a short hose connected to a bent pipe that comes around the back and connects to the front hose, so you need to have something there. My smog pump is gone. If you look in my photobucket pics under "engine before pulling" you can see the pass. side of the setup

Randy, In my case I have a hole under my tray I can stick my fist through, but my tray seems OK too. I was more concerned with what it will cost to fabricate the multiple radii on the replacement panel in that area so I figured I could salvage that section on this new part and if I don't need the new tray I could drop it back on EBay and see what I can get later. (It looks in perfect shape)I don't see my car going to the body repair guy for another year or so but I'll have the part on-hand now when it's time.

I have the same problem, I'm hoping this ebay win will solve my problem..... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Parts-Accessories_Car-Truck-Parts-Accessories__DATSUN-NISSAN-240Z-260Z-280Z-METAL-BATTERY-TRAY-70-78_W0QQitemZ200255258639QQddnZPartsQ20Q26Q20AccessoriesQQadnZCarQ20Q26Q20TruckQ20PartsQ20Q26Q20AccessoriesQQddiZ2811QQadiZ2865QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200255258639&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A1%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

The first thing i bought was the Haynes manual, How to restore your Z, and Datsun Engines from Amazon.com. $50.00 for all 3. I also ordered the CD from this site but I haven't got it yet. Carfiche.com and Xenons have the FSM. Enjoy.....

Hey DeesZ, Do you have a "professional" model blaster or a home "do it yourself" job? Since my restoration has just started I was looking into some soda blasters that can also use beads to help with the messy task of cleaning up my car. I have seen some for under $500.(Eastwood), but haven't researched in detail yet. Is it worth it to buy or save all my stuff and rent one and spend a weekend doing it all? Mike

woo-hoo!, another Z saved! Enjoy the restoration, it's a blast. Don't forget to bag and tag everything.

Thanks Jim, Exactly what I was looking for. I can even get the Tabco number off your pics! Mike

I pulled the fenders off the 73 and found a hole where the bottom bolt was supposed to hold the fender to the body.(see 2nd pic in photoshop) I expected this as I knew there was a problem in this area when I looked at the car. Is there a replacement panel I can weld in here? Same on both sides. I did a search in several locations that cover the rocker panel but I think this is the area in front of the rocker. Anyone with any experience in this situation? Thanks, Mike

Welcome to the club. Eastwood has a soda blaster for under $300 that they say works wonders on removing paint from panels, I am searching locally for someone with first hand experience to be sure. I guess you can switch it over for more aggresive blasting to remove rust and grime too.