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Any tips on garage organization? Tips on project organization? How to save money? Best plans and practices? Fire them at me I'm a big boy. What do you lovely people think about keeping the factory color wheel I repaint my 260?

Let me start this thread by saying that I was not looking to solve a mystery or bust a myth when I started this procedure. I just wanted to rebuild my tired old 76 280Z half-shafts! I think there was a very common myth that the S30 half-shafts were different sizes. The driver side being shorter than the passenger side. Even though the distance from the wheel hub to the differential differs (more-so with the R200) from side to side, the half-shafts are IDENTICAL! The amazing amount of lateral play in the shaft allows it to expand or contract almost three inches. ...on to the pics! First a shot of the shafts after I ran one through the media cabinet next to the other. The removal of the u-joints is straight forward, several well documented methods on line if you need help there. Now the science! Here you can see that the axles are identical in each dimension. Also note the layout of the snap rings, retaining rings and the balls and spacers. And for those that were still disbelieving, a shot of a 240 half-shaft next to the 280 half-shaft. 240 shaft with the u-joint still attached. Then on to refurbishing! You will need 4 new u-joints. SKF UJ393, MOOG 393, or Precision 393 will all work or any variation thereof. I media blasted the shafts and protected the bearing surfaces while doing so. I then painted the exposed parts in Cast Iron engine paint from Duplicolor. Love the look! I re-used the old boots as they were in great shape. After blasting the shafts and painting them, I turned the boots inside out and fed the wide side over the bearing shaft. I used the cut-off top of a funnel to aid the narrow end going over the shaft and up into position. Worked excellent. Leave the boot inside out for now. Slide the upper retaining ring and snap ring on to hold the shafts together, tuck them up by the boot. Refer to the above pic for proper order. Attach the lower retaining ring and snap ring. Put the cleaned spacers and bearings into a zip lock bag full of a good quality bearing grease and ensure they are coated nicely all around. Place them in the channels in the correct order, ball bearing at the bottom, spacer at the top. The grease will keep them in place. Add about 10g of grease to the top of each channel. Carefully slide the shaft back into the axle while ensuring the ball bearing and spacers are supported by the retaining tabs. Make sure the shaft is orientated correctly, the same direction as the axle end! Try and keep the bearings at the bottom of the assembly as it goes together. Holding it vertical helps. When the shaft is in the axle, add another 30g of grease to the top of the shaft, concentrating on the open groves of the axle that did not receive the bearings. Use the retaining ring to push it all together and seat the bearings. I used a screwdriver and hammer to tap the retaining ring flat. Worked great, didn't need much pressure. Reattach the snap ring to the axle at the top. Wipe up the grease you got everywhere... and pull the boot back down outside-in , ensuring the top fully inverts and seats in the groove, same as the bottom. Attach your favourite brand of cv boot clamp over the boot ends and securely tightly. Mine had not arrived in time for the pictures. Proceed on to installing the u-joints, being careful not to damage the pretty paint! Grease the u-joints and you are done! Another 40 years of glorious torque! Thanks to Jim @zKars for his guidance and wisdom.

Looking for these parts: Throttle lever and Knob 240z door springs -(springs only) Functional Volt Gauge Let me know if you have it and if so how much to buy it - shipping included- to San Jose California USA If you need parts, also let me know.. I have some misc. available.

I look at watches and cars as instruments. They respectively tell the time and get us from place to place. Today I was to meet Leon a neighbor of mine with an example of Nissan’s first generation Zcar. The air in my bedroom was still and the sun was just beginning to peak through the curtains as I scanned my dresser for an appropriate watch to wear; an odd yet rewarding ritual I do upon waking up every day. I was meeting someone new and we were to go on an adventure so I strapped the old Japanese dive watch to my wrist. It is Seiko’s first dive watch and the concept was for it to go to the ocean’s darkest depths. While there the wearer could explore knowing how much time had elapsed beneath the water’s surface. This was crucial for the early scuba divers to calculate how much time they had before their oxygen tank went dry. In the watch world a diver is known as a ‘tool’ watch. I literally just met Leon a neighbor of mine yesterday and we would be going out for a short drive in his dark green 260Z. The bond between car people forms quickly as if we are migrants from the same foreign country and we are some of the only ones around that speak the same language. He is a new father with a two week old son. My children are 2.5 years old and 7 months, but it has been such a blur. I never wanted the time to go so fast, but like the saying goes ‘time flies when you’re having fun.’ Raising a family is both the best thing in the world as well as being an exercise in torture. Its a good thing babies are cute. With all kidding aside I am a better person than I was before. I have learned tolerance and my ‘me’ time is no longer taken for granted. This time with Leon and the Z would be a bit of ‘me’ time for the both of us young dad’s. The suburban roads were quiet as the town was still asleep and before I could see the beautiful sheet metal of the 260Z I heard it. It was the sweet sound of an L28 with a set of 45mm Weber DCOE carburetors. In no time at all the car was around the corner and before me. I had told myself that I was going to get some photos of it in motion, but there was no point. I was mesmerized by the car and I was not about to experience this Z for the first time through a viewfinder. I had to see the car through the lens of my own eyes. The car was gorgeous and I stood in the road like a deer staring at its killer. Before Leon could cutoff the engine, I had opened the passenger door and hopped in. The comforts inside a Z are so welcoming and something I was so familiar with. Outside of the thick gripped steering wheel the interior was perfectly original. I had figured all of this out after a few seconds as Leon and I had already said hello and were onto deciding where we were headed. It was a Sunday morning and with my wife being a pharmacist she would be at work soon. I couldn’t find a sitter in time so we had exactly 45 minutes. “Crystal Springs” I recommended. This is a short network of canyon roads close to where we live that would be fun to traverse. We cruised on the big boulevard that is El Camino Real heading towards the hills. The car was compliant and surprisingly quiet; civilized if you will. I knew only a bit about Leon’s background and that was that he is familiar with wrenching in a garage as well as being a world class driver on the track. I came to find out that his 260Z reflected his skills as the car was dialed. It was relatively original in appearance, but at its core it was a ‘tool’ being functional. We got to the canyon and Leon ‘opened the car up’ so to speak. I imagined the butterflies of the venturis’ flapping, but oddly butterflies were not growing inside of me. He was pushing the car and it handled so neutrally that I was at complete ease. I trusted him and the car. The vision of my car under construction at the Z Car Garage came into view and I only hope that it shares a bit of this racing spirit. We arrived at a parking lot at the top of Skyline and I had planned that I would turn down the opportunity to drive, but my soul wasn’t about to say no. I slid into the driver’s seat and pushed the shifter up and forward releasing the clutch and gently easing into the gas pedal. The engine made noise, but there was no movement. I must have been in third. “The car has a 10lb flywheel and it engages when the clutch is pulled up super high.” Leon said. I pulled away not making a smooth transition from stopped to rolling, but this car didn’t like to be stopped. It was a mover. We made our way down the canyon and the throttle was on. There was definitely a learning curve to the setup of the car, but I liked that because the few (emphasize few) times that I was smooth it was very rewarding. With time I would become attune to the clutch. This bit of challenge made the car alluring in a adventurous way. It had the appearance of an original, but the heart of a thoroughbred. Leon’s influence from the track gave it a dash of magic while still being civilized enough to still be comfortable. It was the perfect balance of performance and everyday usability. I had forgot about anything that wasn’t keeping me on the road. Z’s do this as they are consuming cars to drive. They are so analog and they require focus and the right inputs from the driver. It is this simplicity and balance that brings people to the early Zcar’s and keeps them there. There are no electronic aides, but there’s no need as they are predictable. Our time was just about up so I drove us to his place so we could walk around the car and examine it from the outside. Leon’s 260Z is painted in a beautiful British Racing Green. It has such a nice sheen that it still looks wet. Much of the excellent handling characteristics are in due part to the wheel and the tire selection as it sits nicely on 16” Panasports. The car even has European taillights with contrasting amber turn signals only the obsessive notice. The emblems are NOS and the car really was well built preserving so much of an original Zcar while being uniquely Leon’s car. We could have talked for hours, but my time was up. We said our goodbyes and we both went to care for our family’s. This morning I started out trying to decide on a wristwatch to wear and the one I chose could not have been more fitting. The car was a ‘tool’ and it was not the track scalpel that some might think, but rather a grin machine. It did all the right things and made all the right noises without being tame or being a hair-raising racer. Thank you so much Leon for the ride.

Parting out 1982 Nissan 280ZX, it is a complete. Let me know what your interested in, the only things not for sale are rear diff, transmission and axle shafts. Shipping will be from Idaho, 83347 Items available include: -Engine/accessories -Wiring Harness -New Air Flow Meter -interior gauges -Fuel tank -Rims -Rear disc Brakes -Drive Shaft -Trim pieces -Glass Let me know what you want and I'll take a better picture of it and send you a price email me at dayleywwc@gmail.com Thanks

Long time listener, first time caller I figured I should start a thread for the restoration of my 260Z. I knew the previous owner of this car, the father of Captain Obvious. I hope he likes what I do with it. Maybe I should start with pics of the usual rust? Typical frame and rocker issues, front strut towers, nothing left of the floor.

Hey y'all. Sorry, I don't know much about forum ettiquette as this is the first one I've joined.The guy said that everything under the hood was perfect, but after driving it for a week, I'm seeing that the carb intakes are leaking gas and the gaskets leading into the engine are wet with gas as well. I'm kind of a novice (at the Forum thing as well as owning a datsun/working on my car) so any pointers would be appreciated! I really want to do the car justice! - Josh Info: Original Engine - 90k miles Idle - 1500, sometimes dips down to lower 1000s Anything else that's relevant?

Good Morning, My Dad has a stock 260Z and he's been talking about getting some webber carbs to replace his su's. Can anyone recommend good aftermarket carbs? Makes, models etc? Thanks, D~

I have a 74 260 z. She has had some troble with starting. I rebuilt her but the wireing is so back wards I literaly can't get it straight. It died on me on my way back from a dent. app. luckily i had a timing light in the car so i could tell the coil stoped getting power. So I ran a wire straight from the battery to the coil for about 45 miles until I found the EGR valve wire was running 6/8 volts and hooked it to the ignition coil. Having long ago removing the EGR entirely. Then a month later the starter just stops working, New starter btw, and rechecked. Tried to wire the seat belt safty togther and all I got was the relay by the fusible link next to the battery moaning like a virgin at jounior prom. I'm at the piont where i'm going to have to wing it to rewire the whole car compleatly I guess. Don't know what to do. starts up just fine when I "Bump" the starter with a screw-driver, but only with a compleat and full charge on the battery. Please any advice would help. Thank you!

As I was 6 months into my waiting list for my '73 Z, I drove by another local dealer and saw the most beautiful Z I'd ever seen. Sterling Silver early 260Z and still on the car carrier. I made a barely legal u-turn and inquired about its status. Extra shipment, all mine 2 hours later. Well as far as love at first site, we were still in the afterglow 13 years later when I had to sell it for parts. Dang midwest winters ate up the body as was so common to a daily driver. 97.000 miles and the engine was super strong and tight still. That's why it hurt so much to part with it. With the proceeds of the sale, bought an '87 200SX and kept it for 18 years. It too was mechanically sound, and the body showed no rust. Victim of a crack-head rear ending it outside my home one night in 2005. Of course he was driving a 75 Buick Riviera, a tank. So much for my sports car stage. Went out and bought a 2005 Dodge Ram 3500 to surround myself in metal. With my old Z a distant memory, in Dec of 2005 my son saw an add on Carsoup.com for a late '74. Back in the saddle again! Had it in the shop for it's first six months getting a 5 speed put in to replace the automatic. Replaced the flat tops with Webers and new brakes all around. The body was in great shape with small areas of pop-corn rust. After the mechanical work, we had the body work done, a new dogleg for the passenger side and repainted the original 305 Blue. Replaced the dented hood with and original Nissan from Japan. Since it's been out of the shop, my son and I have taken it back to as original as possible, many small replacements. The original AM-FM radio was found and reinstalled with the electronic antennae. My next project was reconditioning for old 5 slot Shelby Cal 500 mags for it. New bumpers and rubber trim all around. It is a beauty, even with the BigBumpers which still detract from the lines, but wanted to go as original as possible. Might consider putting round tops back on it in the future. Although it runs like a top, one problem developed. It has a hairline crack in the block which leaks a small amount of coolant. I know that it won't get better on own. I've tried all the block sealants, ceramic and such, but looks like I'll have to replace it someday. Thanks for looking! Mike