=Enigma=

The boot comes with metal clamps that you wrap around the boot ends, and the crimp with a standard pair of end cutters available at any hardware store. As for where the grease goes, there are only 4 races for the bearing, as you shove the spacers and bearings down into the opening, some of the grease comes out the bottom by the boot. I insert a spacer, them some grease, then a bearing, then some grease, then a spacer and so on..... The excess grease can be left in the boot, or wiped out if you prefer, but you should have some extra in the boot anyway. Not an excessive amount but enough to keep that end of the shaft lubricated.

Here's an onteresting article on the aerodynamic characteristic of the early Z. Unfortunately it doesn't mention the benefits of the rear spoiler regarding the negative pressure which pulls exhaust fumes inside the cab. in any event, the first step to reducing the exhaust fume problem is checking/replacing the hatch and tail light seals, as well as any holes caused by rust rotted body panels. As for gas fumes, I believe that has been covered for the most part already. In a nutshell is comes down to checking/replacing all the hoses related to the gas tank, including the filler neck tube which is often the problem. As stated earlier, this has been covered ad nauseum in the forums here so do a search and see what you can find. http://zccw.org/Tech/Body/early_aero.asp

No problem. And don't forget to burp the boot prior to pinching the last clamp on. You'll want to put the outer(small) boot clamp on last. Burp it once you have the boot in a neutral position with both ends in the depressions/ridges on the axle shaft. And if your clamps are't the kind that seperate, be sure you put them on the axle before you re-assemble the whole thing or you'll be kicking yourself later.

Ok, here's the pics. Unfortunately I got so frustrated with the assembly process after getting the boot on that I forgot to take more pictures, save one. I may do a write up on this later unless someone beats me to it. I'm ok with that. First, you gotta take it all apart and clean it. To take it apart, all you need is a pair of reversible snap ring pilers that can handle both inner and outer snap rings. If you have or prefer to buy seperate pliers for inner and outer snap rings, you can. At the big end of the assembles shaft, there is a large end cap held on by a large snap ring. Remove the snap ring and them compress the shaft to pop the end cap free. Once the end cap is off, you will see a lot of grease, or maybe not. Clean it off. You will find another snap ring(small) that holds it all together. Remove this and the clover shaped bearing keeper, then seperate the two shafts, being careful to catch all the bearings(12) and plastic spacers(12). Here's the dissasembled shaft. Assuming you;re done cleaing it, it's time to put is all back together. To get the boot on you ahve to turn the boot inside out. If you got a decent pair, this won't hurt them. This is not easy, but it's a lot easier than trying to coax the boot on without doing it this way. Then you just slip the boot down over the top of the inner shaft, and pull it down gently from the bottom being careful not to cut it on the sharp edges of the bearing races/oil channels. Be sure to apply some lube to the shaft before attempting to slip it on. Did I really just say that? :tapemouth Once you have it all the way down, just turn it right side out. that's the easy part. Now comes putting it all back together with grease and all. Unfortunately this was so messy I only got a few pics. Basically, you just add grease, slide one shaft into another, and start adding spacers and bearings until they're all in. NOTE: There is a specific order in which the spacers and bearings must be inserted. Looking at the picture below for a reference, you'll note that the inner flange which faces the diff is on the top, and the outter flange which faces the wheel is at the bottom. Before asembling the two axle halfs, completely fill the bearing races and oil channels with grease. The are 4 bearing races on the outer axle half(bottom), and 8 races/channels on the inside of the inner axle half(top). The additional races are called oil channels. Be sure to align the outer flanges with each other. The should not be opposing. From this perspective, you start by adding a spacer first, then a bearing, spacer, bearing, spacer, bearing. Once complete, replace the inner bearing keeper(clover) and snap ring, fill the end with grease, and replace the end cap and it's snap ring. This is not all inclusive but an over all dissasembly and re-assembly. Enjoy.

I did it by turning the boot inside out and slipping them down over the inner shaft. You have to take them apart to replace the boot, unless you buy one of those cheap bolt together on-car repacements. I took a pic and will updat this post with a URL once I get the pics off the camera.

I once new a guy named Bob Neil, and an auto dealer named Harry Butts.

Ah, that explains it. I thought it was just a preview.

Glad you got it working. Let see some pics when you're done.

646 MB? Holy crap! Ever hear of compression?

I bet if you put some clear coat on it afterwards it would last a lot longer as well.

I just spent the last few hours, 4.5 to be exact, cleaning and rebuilding and replacing the boots on my half-shafts. I had to tear down and rebuild the first one twice and the second one 4 times before I got it right. I couldn't get the damn things to move freely after re-assembly and extend/compress their full length. And man what a greasy mess! I went through two rolls of paper towels doing the job. Is this process always this painful? Seems simple enough. :dead:

I though that was a bit extreme as well but I'm sure it was said with tongue-in-cheek. You could by a whole slew of Z's and several square miles of countryside for your "sunny drive" with the proceeds from the sale of that Ford GT, and certainly from an Enzo.

Too funny Mike. I had a good laugh at that comment.

There ya go. That coincides with the diagram I got the above info from. Only mine didn't fold out and was on a single page, nearly requiring me to get out the old magnifying glass to read the wire colors.

I'm not buyin' that one. It's too good to be true.

Ok, I'm looking at my Clymer Manual for 1970-78 240-280Z's, and the diagram for a 1978 280Z w/AT shows the following: 1978 280Z w A/T BR & B -> Downshift Solenoid G & G -> Inhibitor Switch(Reverse) WB & WB -> Inhibitor Switch(Neutral & Park) WB = White w/Black stripe Sorry but I don't have a manual for an 82 280ZX but you can download one at carfiche.com. It's 60MB. I could't find a decent diagram in it though. I hope this helps. Arne, you were right. I wrongly assumed the diagrams at Autozone were complete.

Yup, they move the most stuff along with Jegs so they can offer excellent prices. I got my Energy Suspension Bushing Kit through them.

If you use a quality random orbital unit with speed control, with the right pads and product, the machine method is just as safe and produces better results than doing it by hand. Plus, it leaves more time for doing the rest of the car or whatever else you want. I used to be a firm believer in a good hand job, but now I'd rather be getting one than giving one. So while you're bent over crying about your aching back, feet, hands and arms, I'll be working on my second six pack and shagging the old lady.

As long as you did a good job getting the compound off before you polished.....and you did a good job removing the polish......there is no need to wash it before waxing. Wash away and be happy. It's safe.

I can second what montoya_fan01 said regarding the bump stops, front strut bearings and rear strut spacers. I just ripped everything apart and the bumps stops had the consistency of a dried out brownie. The front strut bearings were fine, as were the rear strut spacers. Too bad I bought new bearings and spacers beforehand........

Get one of these, you'll live longer and have more time to enjoy the car. Machine Wax and Polishing Kit - $199

Sometimes the most obvious choice IS the right one. Remove "A".

^^^^^^^^^^ Link for Wiring Diagrams Above ^^^^^^^^^

Being a newb, I'd have to ask why a manual tranny even has any wires....Just move the lever thingy and go. Check here for wiring diagrams: http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1d/1d/80/0900823d801d1d80.jsp

I love the whine of that turbo. It comes through very clearly in the video. Probably more than IRL.