Jeff G 78

I'd need to see pics, but the body is probably not as good as you think (no offense, but they never are). If there is one visible rust hole, then there are others hiding. It is likely a $2500 car. It will probably need floors, doglegs, bushings, bearings, re-chroming and certainly paint work. A very nice Z can be purchased for ~$8000. A paintjob with bodywork alone will run you $3000+. Add all the nickel and dime stuff and you will have another several thousand in it. As you can see, you are at or above the price of a completed car in very nice shape. A friend of mine sold his beautiful '72 with no rust and a very nice paintjob along with triple Webers, 17" wheels/tires, new suspension, perfect interior, etc, etc. He got just over $8000 for it. Good luck!

I going to try to make it as well. I am from Akron, and now live in Michigan, so the trip to Berea will be easy.

Yes, stock dished pistons are 86mm. Of course you should measure just to be sure the engine wasn't bored out prior to buying anything.

He also has to remove and block off the trans cooler lines to the radiator. I remember doing the neutral switch, but can't remember if it was just connecting the two harness wires together. The last time I did an A to M swap it was 22 years ago, so the details are a bit fuzzy.

Purdy, purdy, purdy. It is going to be a real beauty! It looks fantastic so far.

Yes, the flat top piston/N47(or N42) combo works great and should be kept. This is a very common and simple way to increase your power output. SU's can be used, but I don't have a lot of experience with them. I have had triple Webers on a Z, SU's on another that I never messed with, and FI on many others. FI works great if it is all in working order. If yours has issues or known bad parts, then swapping isn't a bad idea. Another option is to go with Megasquirt FI. Swapping from FI to unknown condition SU's could cause problems as well. Others here can tell you what you need for the swap to carbs. I know the fuel pump will have to be swapped out for a low pressure unit, but beyond that, I'm not sure. I would take your N47 to a competent engine shop and have it measured for thickness and flatness before you go any farther. Since the engine has been worked on with suspect knowledge and assembly procedures, it's hard to say what condition the head is in. The original thickness from the top surface to the bottom surface is 108mm, I believe (do a search to verify). If it has been milled, it's possible that it's either too thin for flat tops (CR too high) or was warped and is now only flat on the bottom. Make sure they check both surfaces for flatness. I had one head that was apparently milled flat by a PO, but the head itself was badly warped causing the cam to be in a bind. My machine shop didn't catch the problem and I had major issues as soon as I installed it. I had to throw the head away and start over. I was young and dumb and didn't clay the pistons to check clearances prior to final assembly. The results were two damaged pistons, four bent valves, and a freshly machined lump of aluminum that was completely useless. :mad::mad: That was when I decided to go with flat top pistons. With the stock FI, stock exhaust pipe diameter, a header and flat top pintons, I get 23-25mpg on 93 octane gas. After I go with a 2-1/4" or 2-1/2" exhaust system and install my performance cam, I expect the mileage to go up a bit. I wanted to break my motor in with the stock cam to eliminate a tuning variable. I now have about 2500 miles on my motor and will install the cam and associated parts this summer.

Looks great. No reason to go nuts on a DD.

You will also need the inner boot and outer boot as well as the pleather boot. While you are at it, replace the shifter bushings. They are shot in most old Z cars.

On more thing, if only one piston was bad, you need to check the fuel injectors to make sure they are all firing and have a good spray pattern. There is a chance that you have one partially firing giving you a dangerously lean condition in that cylinder.

Classic detonation failure. If it wasn't boosted or on the spray, then the CR was too high for the fuel grade. An F54 block and N47 head combo will give you about 10:1 CR but only if the head has not been shaved. Either the head has been milled and/or the PO ran too much spark and not the right fuel. I have the flat top/N47 combo and have zero problems with detonation. My head has not been milled and I run a Nissan head gasket which gives me just under 10:1 CR. I use only 93 octane gas and made sure I had enough fuel based on spark plug readings. I ran the car at various engine speeds and shut it down, coasted to a stop and pulled each plug to check the color. I fine tuned it with a potentiometer in the water temp circuit (see Blue's site). Someday I will put it on the dyno and tune it right, but for now it looks pretty close. As far as flat top pistons go, buy them for an '81 ZX non turbo. The F54/N47 is a good choice and should be kept. No reason to go back to 8.3:1

Looks Fantastic Arne!

I'd be dying to get it back together, yet afraid of starting too early before the paint is cured. I can't wait to see the end results Arne!

That's about what I would have guessed. It's just too bad that *most* of these cars aren't really worth painting. I have around $7500 in my '78 and it still looks like a junker. If I ever buy another Z, it will be one that has a great body and perfect paint. The mechanicals can be done over time, but the $5000 hit all at once for paint hurts. I see so many beautiful Z cars list for $8000-$12000 and read as forum members complain about the outrageous asking prices. Most of those owners are losing their shirts at those prices. I applaud you for bringing one more Z back to its original glory. The sunroof HAD to go. Personally, I would never even consider a Z with a sunroof no matter how nice the rest of the car is.

Looks awesome Arne! From what I can see, your car is receiving great care. I can't wait to see the finished product. I know prices vary a great deal, but what is he charging you for the job? Someday I will get around to painting mine. All I need to do is find a huge oil deposit in my back yard and I will be able to afford it.

I don't think the interior panel will come off with the door shut. If it won't, roll the window down and pop off the stainless trim at the top of the door panel (bottom of the window opening). This will give you a much better view of the release rods. I don't remember off-hand which way they need to be moved, but it should be easy to figure out.

It's been a while, but I'm thinking that there will be a gap between the two halves once you install them in position.

Very nice!

Yep, that's the only way mine would come out. It took every bit of force the 50 ton press at work could muster. When it finally did move, it sounded like a gunshot. It was very scary! I thought about doing the zerk fitting install, but at the time I was doing my suspension I was in a rush and didn't want to take the extra time. I might pull it all back apart and do it right. :stupid:

I ordered every bushing from MSA and got ONE small tube. How many did they give you? The rear appears to be the main culprit, but I can't say which bushing are making all the noise.

Lots of good parts on the 280. I wouldn't try to save it, but there are lots of parts worth saving. The hood, headlight buckets, hatch, emblems, etc all look to be in very nice shape. The hood is even the right color for mine. I am currently sporting a green and primer hood on my Z. The bumpers both look pretty good as well.

I used the supplied grease as well and have lots of squeeks, but at the time it didn't seem like they gave me enough to really coat them well. What should I use to recoat everything? Can I buy the stuff they supply with the bushings, or is there something else that works that I can buy easily? Do they tend to squeek between the bushing and sleeve, or bushing and outer ring?

Looks great Arne. No offense to those that have and like them, but I really hate sunroofed Z cars. I love sunroofs in other cars, but I have passed up many Zs due to the ugly hole in the head. Has anyone sold aluminum wheels for scrap? With the price of AL, they should be worth quite a bit. You might consider that rather than letting them go with the shell. I have a few sets that aren't good enough to bother selling. I haven't tried to sell them for scrap yet.

That might work, but at the time, I didn't yet have the CD. When they showed no interest, I took my business elsewhere. Their loss...

That's awesome Arne. My local dealers will not even sell me Z parts. They say it's not worth having a microfische machine or slides. At least we have Courtesy.

For Nissan parts, call/click Courtesy Nissan in TX. They are great to work with! http://www.courtesyparts.com/secondtier_s30.html