sclay115

i've been trying to figure something out here, and maybe this should be common Z knowledge, but are all the early style Z's, 240,260,280, dimensionally the same? i think that the weights changed, but did the wheelbase/track width, anything like that change? any help would be appreciated...thanks steve

so but it's safe to say that with the p79 pistons i should just get the standard bore rings? that's really what i'm trying to figure out. and were the p79 slugs something that came factory in any Z? steve

i'm going to be reringing my motor here shortly...and i need some help trying to figure out what rings i need to buy. they are p79 pistons in an l28 block...assuming they aren't overbored, but i haven't checked. but i'm assuming with the stock p79 pistons they should be a standard bore. i was looking in the VicBrit catalog and they list two different ring sets for the l28, should i opt for the earlier one or later? i'm trying to get all this right on the first shot, so i'm just trying to get all the info together, any help anyone could give me would be great. thanks steve

i had just not seen many people use this route when converting...that's all. but it would absolutely be able to handle a high fuel load right? that's my only concern, and does the surge tank need to be a certain size depending on what sort of fueling you need? this is all a new thing to me, and sounds like a good option, since i wouldn't have to modify where my fuel tank is and how it operates..... steve

after doing a bit of research on google, i've seen setups using the stock carb'ed tank with an aluminum surge tank that uses a low pressure pump to load the tank, then a high pressure pump to pump it to the rail, anyone ever seen this? it seems sort of like a band aid fix, but just wanted to see if anyone has any experience with it... here is a link http://www.sdsefi.com/techsurge.htm steve

what is the cheaper/better route? i have a 72, carb'ed, looking to go injected, should i send my tank out to get a pickup brazed to the bottom? or is that even how they do it? should i get a later tank, risk the rust and use that? or just go with a cell, make up some brackets, and go that way? i can't figure out which is cheaper only because i'm not sure how much it would be to modify a tank for FI...btw, i'm not really concerned about originality, the car is far from stock already... steve

suggestions?

no to crap on the thread here, but i worked as an asst. parts manager at a nissan dealer, we did a lot of nismo sales, and while i haven't been there for 2 months, i sincerely doubt that you could buy a nismo jacket for anything less than like a bazillion dollars. i know we had them, and i think they retailed for 55-65 bucks, but they didn't look like that, but either way, that looks like a nice jacket, and i'm sure no one would know the difference. steve

will this also check for worn guides? is there really any way to check for that? other than removing the head and checking the wear by checking the diameter? i was thinking i should just get a new cylinder head as well, but i dont want to spend the money on it if i just need rings...btw, thanks for the awesome help, and the great diagram i really appreciate it.

the valve stem seals are brand new, i just did those when i got the car(original idea of what would fix it..) but what about the guides themselves? maybe? steve

ok so i have a TWM manifold with webers...where am i 'supposed' to go with the pcv hose? as i mentioned, mine is attached to nothing, nor is the deal on the valve cover. the one on the valve cover has a breather on it, but that's it... steve edit: and there is no way that could be causing the heavy smoking could it? even if it was the problem?

that was one of my concerns, as i really dont have any experience changing valve guides, but i was reading up that the shiny cylinder walls are a sign of poor break in, could be wrong. but as per the PCV system, anybody have any pictures of that? because i have that pipe right there, but it's not connected to anything! :eek: where is it supposed to go? steve

if you recall i was having trouble with my Z burning crazy oil and smoking something fierce, and after putting new valve seals, and a new head gasket on it, it's back at it. i ran the compression test again, with the new HG, same results as before. the only thing i didn't do is check the head for level, i had no means to, and well, i needed the car back(silly i know). but when the motor was apart, i looked at the pistons/cylinder walls, the pistons showed no signs of problems, and by problems i mean that they were uniform in color and buildup. i heard once that bad rings can leave a clean ring around the outside of the piston, true? maybe, who knows, but either way, they were uniform in buildup. the cylinder walls still showed signs of the previous hone job, and were quite shiny i might add, which i've read up on is a sign of a poor break in job. so while doing the latest compression test, i added oil to the cylinders(car was at operating temp) and noticed no change in the readings from when i did it dry. so what gives? am i just the victim of a poor ring seat job from the previous owner? or should i look into something more? i was thinking i would just go ahead and put rings in the motor, but i dont want to waste my time trying to save something that isn't worth saving. the head/valves looked pretty good when i had the head off, some carbon buildup, but nothing out of the ordinary. my plan was to just run this motor until she gave up, while building another motor with my own devious plans, so i'm trying to avoid spending huge money on the motor that is in there. so should i just bite the bullet, throw rings in there, rehone the cylinder walls and give it a shot? or should i be concerned about more drastic problems that would end up costing me an arm in a leg? steve btw, yah i like to write novel sized posts.

just kidding! i found out how.

i am under the impression that my block is from a 280, i just dont know what year...is there a way to tell from a stamping on the side or anything? thanks steve

that would normally be my first thought, but the problem is that i'm out of space. i've got the Z next to my 510 in the garage, my dialy driver Q45 in the driveway, and those are just my cars, my roommate has his own S14. my solution? just buy a parts car, but for the above mentioned reasons, it's a little tough. another thing i was thinking is, what would be the approximate cost of a full rebuild? rings, bearings, decking/pressure checking the head, i've never priced things for the L series, and i'm trying to see which one is more economical, because you really never can tell with a 'yard engine... i was trying to avoid having downtime really, getting a substitute engine to throw in there, drive around for a while, while i built or rebuilt another engine to the way i wanted it, but i think that might take me a little longer than i suspect...start to finish, first time rebuilding an L series, what am i looking at as far as time goes, i've done other motors, but as i go, i learn new tricks to these motors....

i'm sourcing a temp motor for my Z and found one in a local yard in a injected 280. the car shows 210k on the clock and the motor is quite dirty, covered in dirt/oil, but it is all sealed, the oil cap was still on, and there was oil in the head when i removed the cap, and oil in the pan when i checked....i'll be replacing all the gaskets on it, but without really just buying it and trying it out, is there any tips to maybe spotting a decent motor in the yard? i was thinking maybing yanking the valve cover and checking it out...i'm sure someone has done this before, any suggestions? steve

perfect! thats just what i was looking for, since i didn't really want to modify my pedal...but one question, is that a bought bracket on the carb side? or did you make it one off...and correct me if i'm wrong but is that the 24" lokar cable? steve

sorry i apologize, i posted that in haste, i want to convert my 72 to a throttle cable as apposed to the linkage setup, i have a l28 with triple webers, and yah i'm trying to go from the pedal to the actual arms on the linkage of the carbs...i'm thinking i'll probably have to swap out to a different gas pedal but i'm not sure, just looking to see if anyone has any info from past experiences.... steve

throttle cable...hence the title...

anybody running this? i'm really not all for this linkage setup thing, and i'd like to go with a cable...anyone have pictures of their setup? steve

i know someone has to have done this, i searched the web but couldn't find the specific info...but i have the factory 72 240z tach, with an MSD 6A ignition with the pickup in the dizzy, is all i need the tach adaptor? the MSD PN# 8910? from my understand that's all i need...right..? steve

still available through nissan? i didn't think something like this was....

but it wasn't making noise at all before i did the HG...maybe the new headgasket brought the oil pressure up to spec and blew out the brazing even more, so on a side note...anyone have one for sale? and are they only on the 240's? because i know of several 280's in the junkyard.... steve

yah the clearances were perfect before, see i did the valve seals before i did the HG, and while doing so, did the clearances...but i'll check them to make sure, good way to tell, didn't think of it. but as far as the oiler tube, yah the brazing is all broken up, but i'm thinking, wouldn't that be a progressive problem? and not something that just happens all of a sudden? steve