Av8ferg

It’s a beautiful looking car, I love the color but I’m biased because it’s the same color as mine. Your’s is in way better shape than mine. I agree with many of the above comments. Definitely change out that tranny. I’d hold off on pulling the engine, unless you plan on making it a winter project. I think it will clean up nicely. My approach was to never do anything that can’t be reversed. So make the changes that make you happy but think twice about a change that is permanent. Example is the bumpers, many like the 240 style bumpers and you can always be put the railroad tie bumpers back. I don’t necessarily agree that these cars won’t increase in value and become collectibles in the coming years. Many cars that I’d never expect to be collectibles are demanding high prices. I just watched a 1984 Blazer sell for $38,000. Really!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

FedEx...our new 767’s are fantastic, keep up the great work. We’re buying a lot of them Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I work in the shipping and freight industry as many of you know. We have unprecedented volume right now that we cannot absorb overnight . Pre-Christmas we were at almost full capacity with 80,000 trucks and 621 airplanes. The combination of a steady decline in brick and mortar store sales vs online sales was thrown upside down when COVID hit and as of last week with vaccine shipping taking priority there is only so much freight that can be moved. We are working our tails off to meet demand. We are hiring hundreds pilots in the next year and 1000’s of employees to work ramps and hubs. It’s not easy to expand capacity as rapidly as demand can increase. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, he definitely put that 280 through its paces on that outing, Did you see that tach bounce off the stops during the u-turn. That’s driving like you stole it. I hope yours wasn’t like an a scene from Driving Miss Daisy, Was this more like it Bruce?

Okay, I stumbled on a video that can only be our beloved Captain Obvious taking his Z on the last dive of the season through the rolling hills of eastern PA.

Well on the flip side maybe this will keep people from being out and about spreading the virus for a few days. We never cancel for weather....never. The passenger carriers will be we don’t. People want their stuff on time! We just have to suck it up and face the weather demon. Took this pic yesterday before the storm came. Was a beautiful night. Enjoy the snow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was going to reach out and see if you were going to get the final drive in before the SHTF. I’m flying in this mess....total mess. Took off with 1/4 mile visibility in snow and fog this AM. Finally got out west tonight so I’m missing the rest of the big show. Your in lockdown so who needs a snow blower. Wait until the snow turns to ice and then head out to remove it. You’ll get you workout in. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My block had a similar looking funk in it also albeit not nearly as bad. I think it’s a slurry of rust and minerals. Someone may have used regular tap water for the cooling system. Mix minerals with rust and I bet it looks something like that. How hard is it? Hot tanking is cheap, so I agree go hot tank it and see what happens. I’ll see if I can find pics of mine and post them for comparison. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So, as I ponder a possible carb conversion I wanted to begin by educating myself. This guy on YouTube seems to really know about these SU carbs. It might help all interested parties get those carbs tuned right. This video is part 1 of his SU tuning series. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What an amazing find. 140k

The running out of oil prediction has a few flaws in its logic. Sure it’s a finite resource and peak oil was predicted to occur between 1965 and 1970. Since then we have found new reserves and the bell curve keeps sliding right. If we continue to use oil unabated like we are then sure one day it will be gone, 50 or 100 years nobody really know but this isn’t the whole story and how the law of supply and demand work. The last barrel of oil will be the most expensive barrel by far but that won’t happen for likely hundreds of years and may never happen. Oil is used in the manner it is because the cost per amount of stored energy is unsurpassed. The US for the first time since maybe the 50’s has become the worlds largest oil producer and no longer dependent of foreign oil. A national security blessing. As oil becomes harder to find the find prices will go up more and more. At some point it no longer becomes the best back for the buck and people will use an cheaper alternatives. When a gallon of gas is $75 you’ll stop driving your Z. That’s when I call Captain Obvious (have him on speed dial) and figure out how we retro fit my Z with an old Tesla motor. Nobody will want or need that last barrel of oil because it will be obsolete and outrageously expensive. I don’t think I’ll see this in my lifetime but who knows. For sure my kids will have make this transition. Until then enjoy your Z on the open roads of America or Europe. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interesting discussion. I don’t think there will be any overreaching regulations on classic cars in the coming years (in the US) and here’s why. Classic cars are a very tiny tiny slice of the cars on the road today. There will really be no measurable impact on placing major constraints on their use. They say “As California goes so does the rest of the nation”. The rules in CA regarding classics is they must not be modified from their original manufacture’s specs. This could happen. California would have banned these cars a long time ago but the litigation would been costly and they would have lost. To strip a citizen of a vehicle they legally purchased within the confines of the law at the time would not fly in court. They know every year less of these cars are on the road and one day most will be mostly garage queens. What is possible is a carbon or pollution tax you pay annually but I don’t foresee that anytime soon. There are bigger fish to fry in the climate change battle. My neighbor has a Tesla but I’m not sold yet. It will be the future, no question but I think the tech will boom soon and bring the cost and range up and that’s probably when to buy. Buying a Tesla today might be like buying the first smartphone (they sucked) compared to what they are today. Captain Obvious wouldn’t know. [emoji23] I try to be a responsible citizen and use resources wisely. This is all you can do as one person. We work really hard at work to squeeze every ounce of efficiency out of our flights. We’re narcotic about it. Today I’ll burn ~35,000 lbs of jet fuel flying from NJ to LA. If I can find a way to save 100 lbs I will, we always do that. Taxi on one engine etc. Government is going to go for the big polluters not classic cars in my opinion. I’ve traveled all over the world. The US and Europe are the cleanest (populated) places on earth. Africa, Asia are disasters. Gas is cheap in the US. $1.72 at home today. I think this will change under the new leadership. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Saw this on youtube today. There was a lot more people there than I expected.

Thanks for the pics. I have a feeling I would have drunk my face off if we didn’t have a pandemic. COVID saved me some money because I own so many folks on this forum beer that I would have come home broke. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You’re doing it right Dave....driving it. Who wants a hangar queen.. I’ll get mine there someday. Life has been extremely busy. Finally moved in the new place and we have stuff everywhere. I hear you with the AC, not sure how people drove without it back in the day. My car has stock AC but I’m 100% sure it doesn’t work. It’s on the list of items to tackle. Stock engines typically run better and are more reliable. You see these crazy mods people do and their engine sounds like crap. The only mods I’ll have are a slightly shaved head .020, headers and strongly consider SU carb conversion. Just bought a set of SUs with intakes and all the extras for $200 on CL Something about a carbureted engine. I know the FI is pretty good but wanted to maybe change my gameplan. Had planned on keep FI, but I love the sound and simplicity of carbs. HDAtom, the folks on this forum really know these cars and most have seen all types of mods and such. I like DaveWMs approach before you go crazy trying to do too much. The only reason I went for the full rebuild was that my car was in storage while my house was being built and it was something to do while I waited. You have to be careful of mission creep ( a term we used in the military to describe how you can be easily driven from your original goal). Like I said, I’d clean it up, do the compression check, if good maybe pull the head clean it up and have it rebuilt . Also consider knocking out some easy stuff, like replacing the water pump, and like ZedHead said check your timing chain markings to see where you are. It might be old and stretched and better to replace when it’s out of the car vs doing it installed. Then put it in the car and get it running. Make sure you get your tank cleaned up so your pushing fresh clean fuel too. Good Luck and keep us posted. You forgot pics of the car. It’s like porn to people on this forum. Everyone wants to see what you got so post some pics when you have a chance.

Welcome to the club. This forum is different than most out there. Don’t expect to run into guys on here giving you a hard time or being flat out jerks. It’s why this forum continues to thrive. So I have a 77 too and my engine looked much like yours. I opted to rebuild a later L28 block. (F54) you have a N42 block. Doesn’t matter both are fine, I’d work with what you got. Like mentioned above these engine are robust. Dave WM has good advice, it’s a toss up in my eyes if you go the minimalist approach. I’m for rebuilding an unknown quantity because ultimately you don’t want to repeat work, and you want a reliable engine too. Installing only to pull it later is repeating work. It would be good to at least get the top end redone. Rebuild the head, maybe a little resurface and clean up the pistons. I’d be willing to bet your bearings are fine so its probably going to need new one. I didn’t take my own advice and did a full rebuild. It was a lot of work and got a little more technical that I expected. A full top and bottom rebuild is going to cost you about $1,000 minimum. That is if you do most of the work. The good news is there is a team of people on this forum that will help you get through it. It wasn’t easy but it wasn’t super hard either. It was a pain in the butt tackling a few items. I saw you mentioned possibly going turbo. That a whole different can of worms. If you want a turbo, I’d find a L28ET motor as your starting point. Turbo engines have a lower compression ration than stock NA engine when unboosted. There are several unique parts like a cam sensor and many parts can be hard to find unless you start with a turbo motor. You can do well with an NA motor like AK260 mentioned. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cliff, you are truly the official librarian on this forum. Thanks for finding that. I want to convert to deck because my deck is in rough shape and it’s easier to build a flat one over getting that decking to curve properly. Low priority as I need get her on the road. I now move in the new pace on the 31st. And the Z arrives shorty after. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not to highjack this thread but I hate my sloped rear deck. Mine is 11/76 BTW. Is there an easy way to convert the rear to to the flat one? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think you have the first production month of the 1978 model year. 8/77 began the 1978 model. That being said I think Datsun still changed stuff in the middle of a production year. Example is the 77 production year (mine is 11/76 and it has a sloped rear deck. Some 77’s came with flat rear decks depending on the production month. See link below. https://jdm-car-parts.com/blogs/news/vin-verification-of-us-datsun-240z-260z-280z-280zx Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, sad to see everyone bailing out. I was really looking forward to some face to face with a lot of you guys. When you weight the pros and cons it makes complete sense. This has been an extraordinary year for sure. Hopefully we get a vaccine before next year. Sorry I’ve been absent on the chat. Extremely busy month or so for me and my family. Working my tail off, and in the middle of a house closing (sale) and moving into my new place all in the span of 3 weeks. Major issue with my contractor and a myriad of other life complications. I’m on my way right now to Amsterdam and then Helsinki, Finland on Monday. These is part of a 8 day European work trip. My Z expected to roll into my new place in a matter of weeks. Can’t wait!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks like an oil pan hoarder to me! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, I took a gamble and decided to leave them alone. I could see the o-ring when pulled the striking rod out as far as possible. It looked fine to me. I guess was I’ll find out later if this was the right call. I’m going to be gone for work for over a week and I wanted to get this back together before something got lost. I have three kids and a very small garage. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I finished putting the transmission together yesterday. Thanks for all the help. A special thanks to DaveWM and EuroDat. I still need to install the shifter but waiting on a few parts there. Question on the reverse lockout assy. I discovered is can be installed in two different orientations. The mounting plate/ bolt pattern work any orientation to put it in. There is a spring loaded mechanism cam type thing inside this component so I placed it toward what would be the bottom on the trans but not sure if this is correct. The other side just has a flat rectangle plate. The FSM diagram doesn’t help and I can’t recall how it came out. Here’s a couple pics of what I’m talking about. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Problem solved. Nice guys over at Pacesetter. I guess the headers come with these step washers but since I bought mine on CL I didn’t get them. They were $2 each and in their way. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk