bobc

I would be very interested. How do you want to proceed. Bob

The best one I heard were two early 20 somethings talking about the line up of Z's at a car show. One said to another, wow, those are cool! What are they? Reply, I don't know the name, but they were early Toyotas!

Sully, It may have overheated because the head gasket blew first. Or it may have been something else that caused the overheating and blew the head gasket. Either way, you'll need to replace it. And since you've got to pull the head, it's probably likely it was warped, you'll want to take it to a machine/auto shop to have it checked out. No sense in going through all the work to remove it, just replace the gasket to find out that the head was warped and you have to do it all over again. Depending on the miles on the motor, this may also be a good time to have the valves done. As to can you remove the manifold without taking all the other items off. Probably not. I don't think you're going to be able to get to all the bolts to loosen the exhaust manifold, but I've got a 240z, so a 280 with f/i may be different. Also, it's going to make lifting and positioning the redone manifold a lot harder. Sorry, but you're in good company. A lot of us have done this one! Best, Bob

Hey Bo! Hope to see you there. If you want to enter it's not too late. ZCCIV.com for an application. $35. Bob

Ron, That insulation is what came in the "V3" kit that Datsun put out for the "fix" for the 1973 vapor lock problem. Also came with electric fuel pump, 8-blade fan, relays for fuel pump, etc. I may be incorrect, but I'm pretty sure that insulation is asbestos, so be careful handling it. Bob

Attention all planning to attend the ZCCIV car show on the 17th of May. The location has changed to: Quality Nissan 41895 Motor Car Parkway Temecula, CA See you there! Bob

Try http://www.zcarsource.com/ Good people and advertisers on this site! Best, Bob

Rich, The people that have told you no stickers are correct. The early ones didn't come with them. I'm not sure exactly when they changed, but I would guess it was when Datsun added the door for summer/winter operation and the vent tube that goes back to the exhaust. The early air cleaners don't have this feature. See you at the ZCCIV show! Bob

Sorry about that. I didn't know you could see the original while I was using the edit feature. Hope the rest of the sentence(s) help out... Bob

Before I address your question, are you absolutely sure it's the half shafts? After my car was up on stands to put in a clutch, it started making some knocking sounds in the rear when it was back on the road. I couldn't figure out what putting it up on stands would do that would cause it, but the passenger side half shaft had a little play (already did the driver side a while back), so I took it out and had the joints replaced, although the sound to me was more suspension than half shaft. Anyway, after putting it back in, the sound was still there, so I climbed in the back and had my wife drive me around while I tried to localize the sound. I'm 54 now, so getting thrown around in the back of a Z is not like it used to be when I was 20! I quickly found the sound in the right shock tower. Took off the shock tower cap and noticed the top of the shock moving up and down. The bolt had come loose. All it took was a few turns of the wrench and no more knocking! Half shaft sounds are usually cyclical. That is, the thunk happens in a certain rhythm. If you speed up the knock gets faster, slow down slower. If that's not happening it's probably not your half shafts. So, sorry for not immediately answering your question, but didn't want you to be disappointed if that's not the problem. As to replacing the joints, it's not that hard. You need to remove the half shafts. (8 nuts/bolts each). Jack up the rear of the car and put the car on jack stands in the rear. Remove the inner bolts first and then the outer. You can have a helper apply the parking brake to hold the shaft while you remove the nuts/bolts. Seems like they were 14mm. Oddly enough, I had an old 9/16ths wrench that had very thin walls, and it worked perfectly. The tricky part is finding the right place to turn the shaft to be able to get to the nuts. A box end with the thinest walls will work best. In my case, I could get to the inner bolts when they were between 3 and 5 o'clock (facing the differential). The outer nuts were best reached at 3-5 o'clock facing the outer arm assembly. You may even have to take a file to the box end to thin down the walls to fit. Don't give up, you'll eventually find the best angle of attack to get to the bolts. Take the half shafts to a competent machine shop or someone who specializes in drive shaft repair/balancing if possible. I paid $40.00 to have both inner/outer joints pressed out and new ones pressed in. You can try popping out the c clips yourself and hammering out the old joints, but I'm not much on hammering on parts to save money! Seems to always cost me more in the end if you know what I mean. Anyway, good luck, Best, Bob

Shane, Hard question to answer because of all the variables: 1. Condition of the car probably being of foremost importance. That's why you can see cars go from $1000US to $20-$30KUS. 2. Rarity - low VIN, Vintage Car, etc. 3. Degree of Restoration, original parts, original motor, etc. I wouldn't let mine go for less than $25KUS, but then again I don't want to sell it! What most of us know is it's really hard to restore a Z right and make any money on it, so I tell most people don't plan on it. Plan on enjoying the car. So what's a Z worth. IMHO, depends on the Z. Best, Bob

STRIPES!!! Of course, I may not be objective on this one! Best Bob

Joel, I looked at your car too when Randy was selling it. I've always wanted a lime green car. I know I'll get one someday. Yes Carl, I know I should have bought Randy's VZ! Anyway Joel, I believe your car was owned by the President of Nissan North America at one time. He was going to have it restored in the VZ program. Prior to that, I recall it was owned by an Admiral that shipped it out of the country and then shipped it back when he returned. Or at least it made a good story at the time! As far as the modified VZ on ebay goes...OUCH! As a former VZ owner, it breaks my heart that someone would do that to a VZ. Also, I can confirm that most of the VZ's have some defects. For the most part, they were not perfect cars, although I've seen a couple that were really close! Bob

Simple Green is great. Use a sponge and then clear water to wash it off. Can be done with a bucket of water or hose with no spray attachment. Biodegradable Orange cleaner for stubborn grease Wax with a cleaning component after simple green Suggest you sand down rust and corrosion on the battery tray. Paint with POR-15 and then color match to engine compartment versus covering it with undercoating. If you just put undercoating over untreated metal it will trap moisture and accelerate future rust formation. Undercoating doesn't stop rust once it's started.

If the car has been sitting for 8 months and you didn't add a gas stabalizer, you've probably got some bad (varnish) gas in your lines. Did you add gas before you tried to start it or did you have the same gas over the 8 month period?

No, the chokes sticking down would not restrict fuel flow through the carbs. You've got something stuck in a fuel line somewhere. You could (carefully) use compressed air to try to blow air back down the line. Just a guess, but it's real common for all the grud (including rust) accumulated over the years in the gas tank to finally block a filter in the tank, line or fuel filter under the hood. I'd like others opinion on this, but if it was me, I'd change the fuel filter first to a stock part and see what happens. Then, if no change, I'd drain and drop the gas tank. Have it cleaned out. Change the filters, blow out the lines, reassemble and give it another try. Bob

Just signed up last night. Guess I'll be there again this year! Best, Bob

I agree. Just trying to start it with the two plug wires disconnected should not have caused any major damage. The way you've described it, I would guess one of two possible problems: 1. Fuel isn't getting to the carbs. - pull off the return line from the fuel rail, put it in a jar and turn the engine over a few times. If no fuel or just a few drips, you've found your problem 2. ignition problem - if you've still got your points, replace the petronix and see if it will run. This is a long shot, but if one of your plug wires shorted out against the block, maybe it damaged the unit. Again, a very remote possibility. Good luck and please keep us informed how it's going. Don't feel too badly, we've all put into too many hours and left off a detail. In your case, minor and shouldn't have caused the problem you've outlined Bob

Tarmac, not trying to take sides, but I have seen both cars and Ron is absolutely correct about the comparison between the two cars. This car doesn't come close to comparing with his in any way. 1. It's a refresh, not a restoration like Ron said. 2. The only thing that is like the original BRE is the paint job. Basically, it's a stock Z with a BRE paint scheme. Ron's is an accurate reproduction of the race car with many, many, many hard to find if not impossible parts. 3. What's it worth. I guess on that account I agree with you, it's between the seller and the buyer, but I don't see anything with people expressing their opinions. Yeah, there's some ego and pride expressed from time to time, but it's in good fun. I seriously doubt Ron was jealous of this car for a millisecond. Not his style and even if it was, he wouldn't be jealous of this car. As noted, his car is sitting in the DHM now. That's a pretty big honor and also kudos to Ron for sharing his car with the public when he could be enjoying it in his garage! Just my two cents. Best, Bob

Adam, Looks like this site may have it. Thanks! Bob

Does anybody know where to find fittings to plug the holes in the balance tube after you remove the pollution gear? It appears that two plugs are M10 and the other is M14. I can't find metric plugs anywhere and nothing Imperial seems to coincide close enough to use. I'm sure some of you have done this, what did you use? Thanks, Best to all Bob

Use a plastic wedge to move the emblems out a little and then just start wiggling up and down, while pulling them out toward you. They'll come out Sometimes the holders come out with them, but it's really no big deal.

Sorry to report, but I think it is. If you remove the valve cover and you can tell if any of the valves were in the down position under the portion of the cam that was no longer turning, then the valves that were down are probably bent. Hope I'm wrong...good luck!

Elliott, If it doesn't have metal around the flanges, then it sounds like a header gasket, but I haven't heard anything about using two before. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half to pull the intake and exhaust manifolds off, it might be worth it compared to snapping off a stud in the head! You haven't mentioned that you're using a torque wrench. Again, highly suggested and work in a pattern versus cranking each one down fully to start with. Either way, good luck! Bob

Why two gaskets? That could be your problem. I'd go with one, although I know it would be a PITA to take the intake/header off again. If yo do, get some Hi Temp Copper RTV and coat both sides of the gasket. I would think you've already got a good smooth surface on your head and same for a new set of headers, so one gasket should be enough. Just another thought, you said you went to NAPA to get your header gasket. Did you specifically tell them the gasket was for use with a header? There is a difference between the stock gasket and a header gasket. Bob