2ManyZs

Hmm.... pics of the it in the Nismo parts book (replacement part which is NLA) show it black... Mine was black.... Maybe we need more help on this one, as it's quite possible different markets got different things as is usually the case.

You didn't forget to install the oil pump drive spindle did you?:cross-eye Just kidding... Did you pull the distributor cap just to be sure it's turning? That would be one way to tell if the maybe the drive gear isn't engaged on the spiral gear.. but doubt it would have bolted up OK if it wasn't engaged... Did you do anything to the oil pump? Some people will put a little vasaline(sp?) over the screen on the pickup so that the pump will draw a vacuum and pull the oil up quicker.... If you aren't getting any oil up top it almost has to be the pump or the spray bar. But it could be something like the pressure relief valve in the oil filter mount... Did you do anything with the soft plug in the front face of the block on the oil gallery to the left of the cam chain tensioner? Or the one in the back of the block? Last but not least.. and this may sound silly.. are you sure you put 5 quarts of oil in the pan? If it's a quart low it might take a while before it picks up...

All depends on when Mike logs on and OK's them.... Don't tell him, but we've been volunteering to help him with moderating duties, but he hasn't gotten around to giving any one their "crown" yet... Or, you could send him a PM and ask him to approve your pics and let him know how long you waited...:devious:

C'mon.. you really watch that show? I usually use the mute button so I don't have to listen to "Mutt and Jeff" and you can watch every episode for a month and only see one or two decent cars...every once in a while you'll see a little segment showing Sentra's or S14's or Z32's.... but i have yet to see a real Z on there. Caught part of a replay episode of Nopi-Tuner vision or whatever it's called... now that hostess is.. well.... let's just say the episode was at a car show in Maryland and she interviewed a guy in the parking lot from Virginia who had a really sweet looking Skyline....

It's the same color inside and out.

Looks like a pretty fair price if you ask me.. doubt you'll find one much cheaper than that. I looked them up in my shooting catalog and they are about 62 in there.. so about the same as Eastwoods....

Regular, or the finer thread... can't remember the exact pitch... Oh, and it's an inch long

I remember one of my Z's having one on it many years ago and I'm fairly certain it was black. I'm not sure if it was a semi-gloss or matt finish on it though as it was on a street car that had a lot of miles on it and the finish wasn't in very good condition.

If he has done a good job marking out all the parts and nuts and bolts, it shouldn't be too hard to finish it off. Of course, you're gonna need a good set of basic hand tools to do the job. One good thing about it, you won't find any hidden rust issues with the car since it's in already torn apart and everything can be seen. And since it's already dismantled, painting it will be a breeze... One caution however, if it looks as if he hasn't done a good job keeping track of all the little stuff you ight want to think about it. Missing pieces that have to be replaced can add up to big bucks when you are trying to do the final assembly. If you do decide to tackle this project, you will know the car inside and out and all it's peculiarities. By the time you finish you will also have a fair bit of mechanical experience under your belt as well. It's an intimidating job to undertake when you aren't sure what you are doing, especially difficult if you aren't sure if all the pieces are there. You might want to ask someone who knows these cars to take a look at it with you just to see if everything seems to be there. Not as many Z enthusiasts in your area, but we do have a few members here that might be willing to lend a helping hand looking it over. And, this site and its members can answer nearly any question or come up with a solution to any problem you might have.... So, if you've got plenty of time and are in no hurry to drive it since it might take anywhere from a few months to a year or more, go for it.

I'd do it dry, if you use WD-40 or anything like that, the sand will just cake around the bolts and you'll lose the effectiveness of the sand. I've never tried it, but it sounds like a good idea, if you have a rock tumbler that is.... Could probably also use the tumblers used by shooter to clean used shell casings... they are fairly cheap in most shooting catalogs....take a while, but it should do the job.

Since it sat for so long, I would start with the radiator. Take it out and have it cleaned and pressure tested, it might not even be salvageable, but a good radiator shop sould be able to re-core it if necessary. Sediment, rust, corrosion are usually the first thing to worry about if the car has sat for that lenght of time. You can get new replacement radiators for as little as 150 or so for a stock 2 row core radiator up to a 4 row core for a little over 300, ust to give an idea of how much to spend on the old one before you give up and buy a new one. Personally, I usually go with either a 3 or 4 row since the Z's have a tendancy to run a bit hot anyways, costs a bit, but it's better and cheaper than warping a head. You say you checked the thermostat, but since they are so cheap, I'd just go a head and replace it and have a little extra piece of mind. After you repair/replace the radiator I would suggest a good flush of the entire cooling system as an added precaution, some of the same corrosion and sediment that ruin a radiator can alco block water passages in the block.

Not exactly sure which panel you are talking about.. but the only panel that is available is the floor pan itself... no other parts of the underside of the chassis are available as far as I know aft of the floor pans...:disappoin The outer rear quarters are rotted through, but what about the inner panel? It's available, but would be another tough job.... but if you had to take off the rockers and outer quarters anyways.... If you got it for 350, you wouldn't do bad as far as a parts car... depends on whether or not the mechanicals are in decent shape... Seems there should be something better in that area.. at least that isn't all rusted out.... salt air on the coast probably would have been kinda tough on the cars.. maybe you should start looking a little further inland? Oh, you'll either have to find a gas tank out of a parts car, or have that one repaired.. maybe Gas-Tank Renu?

Keep looking at it Nate... be sure the rust isn't in a place that repair panels are not available for... Outer rockers are one thing to replace, the inner rockers would have to be fabricated.... What's the firewall and under the battery tray look like? How about the radiator support and inner fenders? If you can, maybe take a look-see under the cowl and see if there is a lot of rust inside that could be a major PITA to fix. Oh,BTW, you spelled squirrel wrong...ya nut......

I've done business with MSA for almost as long as they have been in business. I've never had any trouble with them. Although, I will say, the service used to be a lot more personal before they got as large as they have. I used to be able to give them my name and all they would ask is which car I was buying parts for this time..... Seems since it was their computer error they should make good.... computer is only as accurate as the "person" operating it and if they did admit that it was their mistake, even if it was a computer mistake, they should have been the ones to re-route the shipment.

The worst part.... sanding, sanding and more sanding.. and then paint....:cross-eye Got to get the engine compartment painted so I can put the fuel and brake lines back on, then the suspension which is already done can be put back on. Then it's just getting rid of all the door dings and get the body ready to paint....:tapemouth

Yeah, that's the one that's taking me so long to put back on the road... Don't ya like how a PO had it painted? Didn't bother to take off the bumpers when they changed the color......:stupid:

Here's what the rear hooks on the early cars looks like. They are the same on both sides, unlike the front which has a hook on one side and a closed loop on the other. They are a mirror image of one another, so there is a right and a left. The later cars, used a closed loop similar to the one found on the front, it was an "L" shaped piece of flat stock with a closed loop. I think they changed to this type when they went to the larger bumpers... probably beginning with the 74 1/2 260 in the US. I use mine to pick up the chassis shell with an engine hoist so I could get the shell up high enough to work under... no problem as long as you don't have the running gear in the car....

Can't tell the original color by the VIN number, if you don't have the Paint Code sticker on the radiator support with the code number, you'll have to look under the dash, or under the carpeting to find out if the color has been changed. Anyplace that most people overlook painting when changing the color... most people don't do a complete chassis re-paint. Clunk could be u-joints, bad diff mounts, or bushings... you'll have to look everything over and eliminate the possibilities one by one. Shifter is loose probably due to bad bushings, you'll have to remover the center console, the shift boots, and the pin with the "C" clip on the shifter fulcrum to remove the shifter. There is a bushing on the ball end of the shifter where it goes into the shift rail and a two piece bushing where you removed the pin. Motorsport Auto has them as well as other suppliers, probably best to check with Midwest Z first so you can get a discount for being a member here....

neckcar????:devious: Careful now..... All that and no vented rotors?:devious:

I hope this is going to be an auto-X car and not do any road racing....or much street driving either...looks like it would be a kidney buster on the street.... Not trying to rain on your parade Steve, but a buddy of mine road raced his car with springs nearly as short and ended up riding around on the bumpstops most of the time..... only had about 2 inches of total suspsension travel.... I was always surprised that his springs never jumped off the perches.. of course, if he'd had an "off track excursion" it might have been different...

All I can say is geeez those springs are short... I see 280 hubs... you got something special in store?:devious:

At least you'll have more room to move things around in the EP car without the battery in the way...

But I guess if he could afford to buy one, he could afford to lose it....

You should only need a 14mm and a 17mm to do the valve if I remember right... sounds like someone along the way has overtightened the lock nut and it's started to round off. I'd replace it, but first you'll have to get it off. I wouldn't use an adjustable, better to use a good set of Vice-Grips or you run the risk of rounding it off even more with an adjustable. Or perhaps, it's your wrench that you are using that is spreading... a lot of the less expensive brands of wrenches have very weak open end jaws and will flex enough to cause a lot of rounded off nuts and bolts.

MSA also sells Zedd Findings floor pans, they are the best. Get the premium ones if you get them from MSA and they will be the same as if you got them from ZF... At least you aren't looking at hulks in Boofalo... hopefully the rust isn't that bad... What they would charge would all depend on how much of the prep work you do.. if you stripped th einterior and floor pans for them and had it all ready to just cut out, fit and then weld back in, you'd probably get it done for half what they would charge if they did all the work...I've heard people say anywhere up to 1K for a shop to replace them.. so it isn't cheap....