SteveJ

I don't know the block and head combo for sure, but I believe it is a 280 block with a Maxima head. They said it produced about 180 or so with triples (probably Mikunis). It's not an outlandish build, but it will produce more than the poor, tired lump that's under the hood of my car now.

I don't see that one in Mike McGinnis' catalog (http://www.zzxdatsun.com/catDecals.php), but I suggest contacting him. He's great to deal with.

I drove my Z down to Sugar Hill Speed Shop (https://www.facebook.com/Sugar-Hill-Speed-Shop-1001732356563108/photos) today to pick up an engine, flywheel and clutch that a friend gave me. We loaded it up on another friend's truck and stored it in his garage. The engine is a fresh rebuild with less than 150 miles on it. I attached a photo of the car it came out of. The friend who is storing the engine for me is going to help me with the engine swap in about a month from now. I have been unbelievably blessed with making some incredible friendships over the last few years.

Ugh.

@bpilati - Are you interested?

Unless you have a high compression motor, regular gas should be just fine. At that point, higher octane just drains the money out of your wallet faster. OTOH, here are some of the advantages of ethanol free: 1. It is more compatible with the rubber parts, including gaskets, in your fuel system. 2. You don't have a hygroscopic chemical in your fuel, collecting water in your gas tank. 3. You don't have the octane rating of the fuel in your tank dropping during the summer. Ethanol is used to boost octane and "oxygenate" the gasoline. The 240Z and 260Z fuel systems aren't that vapor-tight. I think the 280Z is better. Still the ethanol will tend to vaporize sooner than many of the other components of gasoline. When I went to ZCON in 2015, the performance of my car seemed to decline after I burned through the ethanol free fuel I started out with. On the return trip, I stopped at an ethanol free pump, and performance in stop & go traffic improved.

I think it's running about that price for ethanol free regular here. Within about an 8 mile drive from my house, there are 6 ethanol free stations. My car really appreciates that.

Did you say before what type seats those are? I like them.

Blue's Tech Tips probably has better drawings of the wiring diagrams than you'll find the in FSM. Be aware that if you are using the 78 engine harness, you will need an internally regulated alternator. The 78 wiring harness doesn't accommodate an external voltage regulator.

I have those headers, too. They are quite popular.

Pics of the engine or it didn't happen.

http://www.cardomain.com

Um, I have to clean the garage first. That will take a LONG time.

@Pat Carr, I think Harbor Freight has C clips. Pick some up when you go to the Christmas parade. Also, I remember some threads here on the linkages that describe having some felt washers. You might see if you need those, too.

Okay, I worked on another valve cover this past week. My technique is improving.

I need to clean up the garage this week. I know I have a locking mechanism lying about somewhere. If I find it and remember this thread, I'll post some photos of how I repaired it.

Yes, there is a spring that broke in the lock mechanism. The spring provides the tension to keep the mechanism from falling down into the locking position. You have to remove the mechanism from the door to fix it.

http://datsunzgarage.com/trans/

You don't have to use a 280Z tank. A surge tank would work, too.

Eiji is someone to trust, too. Several of us can vouch for him.

Um, you might want to delete the cookies from previous searches. Not that I would know ANYTHING about that.

Motorsport Auto has their catalog on CD, and you can search their website. I'm not sure what you mean by "reasonable". There are some vendors who seem to price their parts high. Perhaps they are willing to wait for supply to dry up and demand to become high enough that people are willing to pay those prices. People like @esprist may look like they are charging a lot, but it isn't cheap to commission reproductions that look like the originals and will hold up. There used to be one or two other suppliers about 20 years ago. They dropped the Z and focused on more profitable lineups. I'm not sure what it is about the Z car, but not too many vendors can make a living off of supporting us. One thing I suggest is to support this site and buy a copy of the parts CD. @Mike can tell you how. With CD, you can look up factory part numbers. You can take those part numbers to your local Nissan dealer or try http://www.courtesyparts.com. Courtesy Nissan has been supporting the community for a long time. Their website frequently can tell you whether or not the part is still available.

Dang it. I didn't even think of using my Workmate to hold the valve cover still. That's what I get for hiding it in the shed out back...not that I have room in the garage to store it.

I agree. The quality of the wiring diagram is better than in my printed copies of the 72, 73, and 74 FSMs.