Jeff G 78

Obviously, the head and/or manifold has been replaced as a '76 should have an N42 with square exhaust ports. Be sure to verify that the head is an N47. It's possible that a PO replaced only the manifold and used the wrong one. Assuming they were replaced together, you should be able to find a used replacement manifold. I've probably scrapped several of them over the years. I'm not sure if I have any in storage. The problem with rust belt cars is that the outlet studs tend to twist off.

Hey Chuck, It looks like your Z will be coming to Michigan. Chris, who bought, it is a friend of mine and I'm sure he'll take good care it it.

Yes, that amount of radial runout could cause the issue depending on the reason for the runout. When you try Chas' wheels, I'll bet the vibration goes away.

See, now you are an expert and you can give others advice. Good job guys.

Looking good. Your hoist boom will be nice and long. No need to remove the bumper with that hoist.

Like siteunseen said, you need to mark the hinges because the hood has lots of adjustment room at those bolts. I have removed my hood so many times that I have the system down pat to remove it alone without damaging the paint. I pull the two bolts on one side and slide a small phillips screwdriver through one of the holes with the handle on the radiator side of the hole. I then go around the other side and pull the other two bolts most of the way out while holding the hood still. I still have a strong hold on the hood while I stand directly in front of the car and finish removing the two bolts. At that point, I can slide the hood sideways off the screwdriver blade and remove the hood from the car. Be sure to have a safe place ready to stand it with towels or foam rubber padding to keep the paint safe. Installation is the opposite of removal.

It should be pretty easy to find through a search. The mod involves moving the front lower control arm pivot points up and sometimes out. Up will help the geometry for bump steer and out will add some camber. Most people move up 3/4". I also moved mine out 1/4" which is about the limit due to tie rod thread engagement. You will also need to grind the corner off the LCA's so they don't catch the crossmember after they are raised. Once you have the crossmember out, the mods take about an hour with the right tools. You have to knock the doubler washers off and then reattach them after you drill the new holes. I used an air chisel to remove the washers and the three spot welds popped right off. Once the new holes are drilled, the washers need to be tack welded back on. Otherwise, it just requires some measuring and a drill. I didn't have a welder at the time, so I took it to a coworker with a welder to have the washers tacked on. Here is a pic of my mods. This is the only one I could find quickly, but at least it gives you an idea of the new hole location.

Depending on the hoist you are using, the reach might be too short. Before you pull the engine, roll the hoist into position and make sure that the lifting eye is at least rearward as far as the #5 cylinder. If it's close, you can pull the front bumper to gain a few inches. If it's more than a few inches short, you will struggle to get the engine back in and lined up on the mounts. For this reason, I avoid fold-up hoists and bought a fixed leg model. They have much longer booms. As for the pull itself, pull the engine and trans as a unit. Be sure to tape a plastic bag over the trans output so the oil doesn't drip on your floor. Also, tape a WD40 lid over your hood prop clip. If you don't, you will likely drag the oil pan over the clip and break it off. The lid will help protect it and give you a warning if you do catch it with the pan. Pulling the engine is a breeze as long as you disconnect everything and get the car in the proper position. It helps to put the front tires on 2x10's and put the rear up on jack stands. It makes the angle less severe. Here is mine going in.

I dropped my '78 exactly 1" and the bump steer is pretty bad. When I built my '74 race car, I lowered it a bit over 1" and I moved the inner pivots on the crossmember to correct the bumpsteer. The '74 is great, while the '78 street car sucks. I plan to do the crossmember mod to my '78 as well. I haven't used the spacers.

Pull the diaphragm and metal rod off the stethoscope and use just the hose to listen to the sounds. Many times, leaks can be detected better that way. Any airflow around the open hose will be magnified and the location can be pinpointed.

Sounds like a great deal. The '81 is a goldmine for donor parts with flat top pistons, P79 head, 5 speed, and a 3.90 FDR. The '72 is good for the SU's, pedal box, front crossmember, and other good parts even if the car is a POS.

I'm with Mike. The conical lugnuts are the red flag for me. I don't know if you have any other Z cars local to you that you could borrow from, but if so, that's where I would start. If the wheels were drilled even slightly off, you will have vibration issues.

I tend to agree on the manifold leak theory. It doesn't sound like engine. If you don't have a stethoscope, place the blade end of a large screwdriver or pry bar against the valve cover and put your ear against the handle end. Move from cylinder to cylinder and see if the noise changes from position to position. You should hear a constant whirring/scraping sound, but you shouldn't hear any thumping or rattling. If you do, you have a problem at that cylinder. Nice looking car BTW.

Hey Chuck, what lap times do you run at Nelson in an endurance race? BTW, good luck. I hope you get what you need out of it.

225/50R16 on a 7" rim with +6mm offset should fit pretty well depending on the actual tire brand/model. From everything I have seen and read, there is car to car variability that will determine if you clear or rub. If you can get them for a decent price, go for it. Panasports are in high demand and you can always resell them if they rub more than you are willing to live with. I run the same, but with zero offset and they rubbed heavily until I trimmed the rear fender pinch flanges. If I had +6mm rims, they would have likely still rubbed, but a simple rolling would have fixed the issue rather than the need for trimming. The fronts will likely rub until you trim the valence and adjust it away from the tire path. Like new Panasports in that size are worth $800+. Depending on what the tires are, they could be worth another $200 - $400.

It's going to be -2°F here tonight and we haven't seen bare ground since December 31st. I'm pretty sure spring will never reach us. The roads are in the worst shape I've ever seen in the 32 years I've been driving. Yesterday, on my way to work there were seven disabled cars in a row on the side of the highway from one pothole. Today, I saw three more in the same spot. The road is being completely ripped up and replaced starting next month, so the state decided not to waste any money patching it all winter. The local news did a story a few weeks ago about it and the MDOT spokeswoman told the viewers that the state doesn't have any money for patching and that they are not responsible for vehicle damage.

Arizona State weather is nice in the winter. Just keep him away from Michigan Tech in the UP. They average around 300 inches of snow per season.

Depending on how long it continues to snow this afternoon, we will either be just under or just over the all-time season snow fall record here. At this point, I hope it keeps snowing so we can break the record. There is no point in getting almost 8 feet of this white crap and failing to break the record by a few tenths of an inch.

What's with the outrageous prices people are asking for S30's these days? Take a look at the 20 or so ads on this site. There is an average condition, non-detailed '78 2+2 auto for $10k and well restored, but resto-modded '78 coupe for a whopping $69k. Most of the asking prices are in the teens and they are not as nice as most of our cars. I know these are just asking prices, but they are crazy high. Guy's cars would each be worth a bazillion, kajillion dollars compared to those cars. 1969 to 1978 Datsun For Sale on ClassicCars.com - 23 Available

Just when I thought it was getting slightly warmer and drier, we are due for -12°F Friday morning and heavy snow on Sunday. It will be May before the snow all melts. :sick:

That I'm not sure of. I've never tried to swap them. I *think* they should both work.

Yes, the early has the turn signal holes like a 240 and the late doesn't have the holes like a 280.

Great news! We're getting another 5" of snow tomorrow night. :tapemouth

I must be acclimating to the cold. Today was way up to 22°F and I was outside for a bit in a T shirt without freezing my arse off.

Thanks for the 123ignitionsusa link. Not cheap, but not terrible either. I run the ZX dizzy and so far, it works well.