jonathanrussell

I am in Marietta and would be interested if still available. Does it have cam towers, cam, rockers, springs, valves, etc?

Thanks for posting. Like many of us, I had heard about, and read about John for years. I live in metro Atlanta during many months of the year. About 2 years ago John posted a Craigslist ad selling some of his extras. I drove over and met him and he spent a solid 2 hours with me showing me around and talking about zcars. I bought a set of 4 screw carbs and a P79 cylinder head. He was a really nice guy and very generous with his time. I regret not going back for another conversation.

The KD tool mentioned by the op is my favorite and what I use most often. Here is one on ebay- different company and comes from UK. http://www.ebay.com/itm/VS168-SEALEY-VALVE-SPRING-COMPRESSOR-LEVER-TYPE-OHV-OHC-BRAND-NEW-SEALEY-TOOL-/360967770738?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item540b5b1272

I just had a very similar coincidence resulting in my brake lights staying on all the time. The problem was the brake light switch at the brake pedal as suggested above. The switch can go bad of course. In my case....and I bet in yours....the object that causes the switch to depress (which turns off the brake lights) broke apart (plastic). I replaced the broken piece of plastic with a suitable nut and bolt. The hex bolt head is now what the button presses against. I had to also re-adjust the switch so that it engages and disengages as it should. Have someone watch your brake lights while you reach up under your brake pedal and depress the switch button. j

Hi...would you mind sharing the name of the shop in Weaverville? Thanks..

Great topic. Reading with interest. I am not sure how you would drill the cap without leaving destructive metal shavings.

Not sure this helps but I have found 918 orange to be a good match for my orange original paint 240. I haven't tried to blend or anything like what I think you are describing, however. I have used to clean up the engine bay panels and a few places on the undercarriage. If you try, you might want to test some inconspicuous spots first.

Unless I have missed it in this thread, I have not read whether you are having Eiji do any chamber and port work on the N42. Any chamber reshaping, etc? I met with Eiji about a year or so ago. He is a very interesting guy. My recollection of my conversations with Eiji is that he really likes the N42 head especially as a platform for chamber reshaping. If I ever have someone build an engine for me he would probably be at the top of my list. I look forward to reading your story as it all comes together.

It could be argued that the 37 Vintage Z cars have their own “originality” stamp. We might find, at least for the sake of value, that as time progresses it becomes important to leave the nuances of the Vintage Z cars as they were delivered. I for one think that it was a really great thing that Nissan sanctioned such an endeavor and executed it in such a high-quality way. While yes, there are differences from original, the cars were restored to a very high level. What a unique thing for a car company to do. Has any car company ever done anything similar? I assume so but can’t think of an example. BMW rebuilt one amazing 2002tii. Does anyone know of other similar examples?

My guess is that the auction never reaches the reserve and that the seller is using ebay as an advertising mechanism to gather potential buyers. From what I have read there are lots of detail differences between these restorations and what was original. Seems like I remember that they simply didn't have access to new luggage straps so left them off of these restorations (not sure whether that means some or all). I agree that the hose clamps originally had a yellow chromate finish. My recollection of buying clamps from nissan during the 90s is that they were white zinc, which may explain why the restored cars had white zinic clamps. Beautiful car. Will be a nice addition to someone's collection. I would rather have #13, however.

You don't see these for sale very often. It will be interesting to see where pricing goes. Good set of photos too. Datsun Z Series Sport Coupe | eBay

Excellent. Really helpful Chas. Thank you.

Gary, Chas, I have a related question. I am rebuilding the front suspension on one of my cars (78 280)- strut inserts, bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, motor mounts, etc. Like a lot of our cars, mine has very little paint left and a bit of surface rust on the suspension pieces, crossmember, etc. My plan, therefore, is to have the suspension pieces powder coated while I do the project. I would like to avoid removing the engine but would like to have the crossmember powder coated as well. After reading this thread, I am contemplating doing the following. 1) Have a spare crossmember powder coated. 2) Remove everything from the front suspension- control arms, struts, tie rod ends, t/c rods, roll bars, steering shaft, everything. 3) Follow Chas' process above for removing the motor mounts but also swap crossmembers. 4) Proceed with balance of suspension rebuild. Do you guys see any roadblocks in this plan? Jon

When I build my own hard lines, I buy from fedhill. The fitting I use is their M5-3 which is fully threaded, 10mm, 1.0 fine pitch. I buy their #18 pack of 12. Here is a link to the fitting. 10mm x 1.0 Fine thread, male, fully threaded, steel nut, SAE (double) flare, 16mm long.

Just a theory.... The old T/C bushings were compressing while driving, angling your a-arm backward a bit toward the rear of the car. The new T/C bushings don't compress and maintain the a-arm angled more toward the front of the car. Still, seems surprising that the difference would be so drastic.

Sorry for your troubles. What you are going through can be very frustrating. So, you previously had a Megasquirt setup managing ignition only, but changed to a 280zx electronic setup to eliminate as an issue? Any possibility that the zx setup has problems also? Have you done a leakdown test? Could it be fuel pump / fuel pressure related? I know that the different plug reading results you are getting between your two Mikuni halves seem to logically eliminate that as a problem but....

Couple of things to think about based on your coolant level post..... If your coolant level continues to drop then you either have a leak or you have a blown head gasket. Check your oil. Make sure it doesn't look milky. If yes, then you have another indication of a blown head gasket. Pay attention to the exhaust color and smell on startup after sitting and when you accelerate. Does the exhaust look white and steamy? Does it smell like anti-freeze? If yes, think head gasket.

I just want to be clear that what worked for me was to remove the radiator and use acid. Don't pour acid into your system (radiator installed, car running, etc) like you might with a radiator flush product. You don't want acid touching the rest of your system- just the radiator.

I was chasing a "running too hot" problem with my dad's 78 280z. Since we were getting it running again after sitting for several years, I was willing to replace multiple parts while chasing the problem. I replaced thermostat, water pump, fan clutch, and radiator cap. Still, the car ran hot, though not quite as hot as what you described. My dad's car is very original with low miles so I wanted to try and save the radiator. the fins were all straight and visual inspection when looking into the top tank showed nothing obvious. Here is what I did that solved his problem. I pulled the radiator. I plugged all hose holes except the cap. I filled the radiator with muriatic acid and let it sit full for 45 minutes. At 45 minutes, I emptied the acid into a bucket and rinsed the radiator for several minutes with water. I filtered the muriatic acid using a towel stretched over another bucket and re-used the acid to repeat the above process three more times. Next, I re-installed the radiator, filled with 50/50 anti-freeze and water. His car no longer runs hot, even on 95 degree days in traffic. Not saying this is your problem but if you have access to muriatic acid it is something you might consider trying. If you do try this, use gloves, wear sleeves, wear eye protection, don't pour water into a big bucket of acid (acid into water is fine), etc.

About 8 years ago I rebuilt my dad's brake system in his black pearl 280z. I replaced everything- calipers, master cyl, wheel cylinders, etc. I knew that his car would sit a lot and his car has original paint. So, I decided to use silicone brake fluid. About 3 weeks ago I got the car running for him after sitting for probably 4 years. The brakes had not been bled for 8 years. The brake fluid looks brand new. I did bleed the system just to clear out any bubbles but everything that came out was like new purple fluid. So, the upside of silicone is that it can sit a long time without corroding the system. In my personal one car experience I didn't have any rubber compatibility problems. Silicone doesn't damage paint. The downside is you would not want to track a car with silicone; my understanding is the temp ratings are not the same as dot 4. The pedal also, as you mention, is softer. So, I do think silicone fluid has its place but you have to decide whether it is a match for your particular needs.

I am working through a "won't start, no fuel pressure during start attempt, no sound from fuel pump during start attempt" situation also with my 78. I am in metro Atlanta too, fyi. Last weekend I tested the fuel pump control relay and the fuel pump relay per the fsm and found mine to be working correctly. Next I move to the fuel pump (mine is 36 years old so this could quite possibly be my problem). Did you ever find a fsm test procedure for the ignition relay? I cannot find it anywhere in the fsm. While the fuel pump control relay is powered from both the ignition relay and the startup position of the ignition switch directly, the fuel pump control relay won't send power to the fuel pump relay unless both power sources are present during startup (based on my analysis of the diagrams). The combination (both power sources) allows the control relay to send power to the fuel pump relay during startup when you have neither oil pressure nor alternator functionality (again, based on my read). Very interested to see how this turns out for you.

If I were anywhere in Japan, I would go to Rocky Auto. rockyauto.co.jp

Your car looks fantastic. Did you replace or refinish your brake/fuel/clutch hard lines? Would you mind elaborating on that? Thanks...

Is it possible that it is in a NOS box but is a rebuilt dash- Just Dashes.....? A Just Dashes rebuild could have different padding and finish dimensions. Does the dash surface look identical to your original?

I hear what you are saying about not pulling too much apart. You might consider this though if you haven't already... In addition to cleaning up / painting the engine bay while the engine is out, I like to take the opportunity to remove and powder coat the cross member and rebuild / powder coat the steering rack.