the_tool_man

Finally, a little good luck to offset the bad. I was talking to one of the guys at work about having to helicoil the hole in the intake. He lent me a nice kit to do it. That saved me from having to order a kit of my own, which I would (hopefully) only use once. And I grabbed a block of aluminum out of the scrap metal bin to practice with. Stay tuned. Yeah. The Pallnet rail options are super clean. I've gotten a lot of inspiration from wheee! and others. Lest I forget to say it often enough, you guys rock!

Hi all: If this is in the wrong forum, please move. I searched for this, but didn't see anyone else asking. When I got my '77, I thought I'd have it running in a matter of weeks. But it is taking much longer. I use my shop for woodworking as a second income, and can't put off paying work any longer. Obviously, this will create a dust issue for my car. I've never used a car cover before. So I'm not sure what to look for. I don't plan to use the cover outside. And I don't plan to use it for more than a few months (I hope!). My shop is insulated, but only climate controlled when I'm using it (window heat and AC). I don't want to spend a bunch, as this is a temporary situation. I've found this one for $52 with free shipping: http://www.budgecovers.com/detail.aspx?p=D&v=D-3&make=NISSAN&model=280Z&year=1977&source=search But I don't know if that's a good deal or not. They have a cheaper one, but it doesn't "breathe". The car came from a damp building and had mildew issues when I got it. I cleaned that up. But I don't want it to come back. The paint on this car is 9.5/10. So I want to protect it. Conversely, I don't want to damage it with a cover, either. Any advice would be appreciated.

I've used Keenserts, which are a solid insert with threads inside and out. Once installed, they have small keys that are driven in to lock them in place. I've used them in plastic parts before. But they require quite a bit more material removal than a helicoil. I would consider them a last resort...well maybe second-to-last. Last resort would be to weld the hole and start over. As far as drilling it straight, I'm doing the best I can. But the EGR junk on the intake is partially in the way. I tried removing it, but I can't get the pipe connection to the intake manifold to break loose. Given the way things are going, the EGR stuff looks like another layer to the onion. So I'm working around it. I think long term, I'm going to look for an early FI manifold without the EGR stuff, and assemble it with an aftermarket rail and no emissions junk. At some point, I'll install a header and exhaust. When that day comes, I'll swap intakes.

I don't think there's room for a larger screw in the injector base and retaining plate. And if I drill them out, I don't think there's room for a larger screw head. Before I went bigger, I'd at least try a helicoil. If the group thinks that isn't good enough, I'd next consider redrilling and tapping both holes, rotating the injector. I need to pull this injector and see what happened, I guess. But that probably won't happen today. I've got an Easter egg hunt to run.

I don't think I could push a non-running car onto ramps. And while I am fortunate to have built a work pit into the floor of my shop, I failed to consider the use of jack stands, and made the pit too wide. I have plans to fabricate some sort of frame to span the pit for putting Jack stands on. But I haven't done that yet. So for now, I have to stoop. I'm using fender covers. But good reminder not to lean on the car. Any recommendations on a car cover? I use my shop for woodworking as a second income. And I can't afford to keep postponing work to keep the car clean. I hadn't planned on this taking so long.

My family is celebrating Easter a week early today, due to family schedules. But I had a few minutes this morning and thought I'd sneak down to the shop and do some more assembly. While hooking up the fuel injection connectors, I noticed one of the retaining screws for the #6 injector didn't look tight (the one I'd redrilled and tapped). I tried tightening it some more. And, pop. The threaded hole is stripped. So, trying to be optimistic, at least it was #6, one of the easier ones to access. And at least I hadn't pressurized the fuel system yet, sparing me from getting fuel all over the place when I disassemble the fuel rail again. Recommendations? J B Weld? Helicoil? New intake manifold? SUs? Webers? Mikunis? How much is a manifold, anyway? I've found a Japanese car specialist about thirty miles away. I'm about ready to punt, I think.

Long day. My friend didn't show. So I cut what was left of the screws off and drilled them out. I got the holes as straight as I could, and retapped threads into them. I installed the new injectors with new o-rings, screws and lock washers. I got the new FPR in, and got the fuel rail back together. What a pain. If I ever have to take that apart again, I'm switching to a Pallnet rail, or will pay someone else to do it. Anyway, all that's left is wiring and a few vacuum lines. But my back is killing me from stooping over the car all day. So I stopped for today.

I tried double nuttting, heat, vice grips, tapping with a hammer, etc. Broke off two of the three and gave up. I clearly am not gifted with the finesse required for this. I called my friend who went with me to get the car, and asked him if he was serious when he offered to buy it from me. Instead of answering, he offered to come over tomorrow and help me drill the screws out. Stay tuned.

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True. But it's easer to type O-ring than "square-sectioned circular rubber gasket", lol.

Yeah. I should've looked at one before posting. O-rings are included.

Do the injectors not come with O-rings? I thought those were included. But I haven't looked. Thanks for the heads up, siteunseen.

If I mod this thing, I may try the Pallnet rail, as well. I really like how that cleans things up. Then again, I might just go with an aftermarket system altogether. But that's later.

I order everything from McMaster Carr when I can. Their online catalog is one of the most comprehensive on the planet. Their prices are a bit higher. But you have to remember that it includes overnight shipping. I considered using hex socket head screws. And I may switch later. Right now, I'm unsure whether to keep this car original or mod it. My normal inclination is to mod it, as I've done my other cars. But this thing is such a time capsule, I'm hesitant. So for now, I'm replacing with identical. I'm probably overthinking this. But that's what I do. BTW, I don't think hex head screws would allow room for a socket, because the heads are pretty close to the injector body. Again, I'd recommend against stainless for these. The primary reason is that they are somewhat weaker than steel, and more likely to wring off or strip the head. A second reason is that they screw into aluminum. There exists a likelihood that there will be galvanic action between the parts. If you look at the galvanic series, zinc is very close to aluminum, minimizing the electrical potential for corrosion. Stainless steel is much farther away from aluminum, and more cathodic as well. This means the aluminum will corrode, albeit very slowly due to the mass ratio.

I got the rest of the fuel rail and injectors out last night. What a pain. Injector retaining screws are JIS B1111 Phillips recess pan head screws, M5x0.8, 30mm long. I hadn't seen that documented anywhere. McMaster Carr has them in zinc plated steel (94387A338). They have them in stainless, too. But I'll stick with OEM finish, as I'd rather the screws corrode than the intake manifold. Thankfully, the two screws stuck badly enough to wring off their heads are on #5 and #6, where access is better and heat is safer. The one I drilled is on #1. Hopefully, it'll come out easier than the others, since it's still partially buried under FI harness. We'll find out tonight.

I pulled the O-rings and plugged the holes. Life has taught me that 1-in-100 odds of dropping something into a hole means it's almost certain to happen, unless I want to do it, in which case it won't happen in 500 attempts.

Updating you, just in case you though I'd dropped off the planet... Between spending a week sick with a stomach virus, work travel and other stuff going on, I've not had a bunch of time to work on the car. But I have managed to get half of the fuel rail assembly out of the car. Of the 12 screws holding the injectors in, I wrung two heads off and stripped the Phillips recess in one, and had to drill it. See pic. So now I get to attempt removal, hopefully without breaking them off in the intake manifold. I swear this car is like an onion. Working on each successive layer inevitably damages the layer beneath, creating more work to expose that layer, etc. It's hard not to worry that I'll have to remove the intake to repair it, and break an intake bolt off in the block, and then... So anyway, I'm soaking the screw remnants in penetrating oil in preparation for removal. For reference, the injector connector clips are the "U" style referenced in EuroDat's photo above (left side, center). Once I figured it out, the connectors weren't too hard to do. The contacts look good. No visible corrosion. But the boots are all torn. I will replace them, but probably not immediately. I desperately want to get the engine running. Once I deal with the screws, I think I have everything I need to reassemble and resume fuel system diagnosis. I went ahead and ordered a set of new injectors. I have a new FPR, hose, etc. Stay tuned.

Good choice for wheel availability. 5x114.3 is stock late model Ford Mustang, too. But you probably already knew that.

Newbie question...Why? Wheel availability? And what BCD will you choose?

Just paint the car and engine bay black. Best of both worlds.

Yeah. Upon closer inspection, I have the early style on most of mine. The CTS and CSV have newer ones. I think they were replaced by the PO. I've bought a kit to replace all of the connectors with new ones. I need to replace the one on the AFM, because it's broken. But unless I find a problem with other ones on the car, I don't plan to do them until sometime down the road. I may just make a new harness someday.

Yeah. I use that from time to time. I also have an impact driver, if necessary. I just don't want to strip one if I can help it. Holy crap! I just discovered that new injectors are $32 each. That's so cheap! I'm used to seeing them for $200 each on late model cars. I'm almost tempted to skip testing them, and just buy a set....almost.

I learned (the hard way - getting carb hose home and reading the "Not for Fuel Injection" printed on it) about the difference between carb hose and EFI hose. I'm using EFI hose, even for testing. On the injector connectors, mine must be different from everyone else's. They don't have a wire at all. See pic. Again, my CSV has the wire, and will come off with the wire removed. But these won't budge. Sorry for being paranoid about breaking one. But mine look like the two opposing sided need to be pried outward to clear the green tabs before sliding off. Good point about testing the injectors in place. I'll try that. Soaking the retaining screws now, as they're frozen in place. Siteunseen, I love that fuel rail. It really cleans things up. Hmm... this could be dangerous. Must get running first. Must get running first. Must get running first.

I agree on not saving the hose. But rather than risk nicking a hard line, I typically use a right-angle pick to get under the hose. I work it around the circumference, twisting on the hose a bit, until it releases from the line. Much less risky that way. From what I can tell, the only way to get the FPR out is to remove half the fuel rail. I can't figure out how the short hoses to the injectors are connected. There are no clamps on the injectors ends of them. So rather than cut those hoses, I'm probably just going to remove the injectors. And since I'm doing that, I might as well pull the whole thing apart, and bench test all of the injectors <sigh>. So, now I have questions: What size fuel hose do I need for all these little pieces? I'm guessing 1/4 inch. It's definitely smaller than the 5/16 inch used elsewhere. I'd rather have it in hand before I start pulling things apart. So taking a piece to match up isn't my first choice. Where can I get replacement OEM style hose clamps? They seem a little flimsy. I suspect I'll break one or two in this endeavor. I'm considering switching to modern spring clamps, because they are easier if you have the special tool (which I have), and they maintain clamping even if the rubber hose shrinks. But part of me wants to keep it original, so I'm investigating my options. Does anyone have a photo showing how to detach the old-style injector electrical connectors? The CSV connector had the wire, which was easy. But the other six are like the AFM, with no wire. I have replacement connectors, in case I break one. But I'd really rather not have to replace them right now, if the contacts are clean. Euro, you referred to this as "early 280z". Is there a later OEM version of this fuel rail that is easier? Is there an aftermarket fuel rail option that is more like later model cars, where the injectors fit into a solid rail with O-rings? This would be a long-range solution I'd look into. EDIT - I found the posts about the Pallnet rail. So never mind. Lastly, it occurs to me that with all this pressure testing without running the engine, if my injectors are leaking, I've been dripping fuel into the cylinders. How likely is it that I need to pull the plugs and hand turn the engine to make sure I won't hydro-lock it when I go to crank it? I'm starting to worry that I'm going to make things much, much worse if I'm not careful. Thank you for all the help.

Started pressure testing. Fuel pump builds pressure to 60psi and holds with fuel line clamped downstream of pressure gauge. Pump and check valve should be good. With no clamp, it builds to 40psi while the pump runs, but drops to zero within a few seconds of the pump stopping. Because of the rapid pressure drop, I can't pressure test the FPR without a helper. I did pull the vacuum line to check the diaphram. No leaks there. So I'll just replace it with a new one. Is there a shortcut to getting the fuel lines off it without disassembling half the fuel rail? What a pain.