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after reading a few posts on this (most recently the great write-up by hardway) i decided to go for it. my fan has been making some pretty horrible noises - whining, screeching etc. and the output was weak. picked up a honda fan assembly for $30 on fleabay, gave it a quick clean and got myself geared up for the job. i won't go into all the details, as this has been posted before, but i will whole-heartedly validate the improvement. the new fan is quiet and blows like crazy. couldn't believe how much more efficient it is at moving air. the design is basically the same, but the honda fan has a lot more vanes, which are smaller and it's a slightly larger diameter - about 1/4". this meant i had to open up the hole 1/8" all around, but that was pretty easy: just scribed the circle around the new fan, put the housing gently in the vice and went at it with an angle grinder, then cleaned it up w/a file. done in 15 min. the new fan fit perfectly - had it's own nice rubber gasket and the holes lined right up. i made some additional rubber isolator washers for the mounting bolts and used the large washers from the z. the honda fan comes with a little vent tube, which i believe cools the motor by pulling in a little air through the windings. i used a paddle bit to drill an 11/16" hole in the z housing and the hose plugged right in. the plug on my honda motor happened to be the same 2 wire T plug as the z, but i made a little jumper/extension to give me a little more room for the wires. the honda motor can run either way, so i tested the polarity, then clicked it all together. the biggest pita of the whole thing was getting the assembly out from under the dash, then putting it back in. holy crackers - what a miserable job. it would have been easier with the glove box or dash out, but i'm stubborn and was determined to win. and i did. while i was in there, i replaced the foam gaskets between the plenum and the fan and put a hose clamp on the vent hose that runs horizontally in front of the fan - this hose was continually falling off, not anymore. anyway, it was a successful adventure and now i hope to be able to keep my windshield from fogging up every time it rains!

...part 2 cont. Inside the top of the casting. Notice that the 240Z casting has a little "SD" icon cast into it where as the F-10 pump lacks this detail. Identical casting otherwise. Here is how you swap the lower oil seal. Just fit a thin flat blade screw driver under the lip and pry up. TIP: Make sure to place a rag over the top when you do this as the pressure fit retainer clip will shoot out a few feet from where you are working. You can see that the retainer is already removed from the pump on the right. Oil seal comparison. Our old one on the left was torn and becoming brittle. Swap out the oil seals and replace the retainer by taking a socket about the same size a the inside of the retainer and tap it back in with a hammer. It might take a few times as the retainer wants to slip around. I had a helper when I did this operation. Line up the peen marks if possible. Install the diaphragm opposite how you took the old one out. You install the end of the rod diagonally so it can fit under the actuator arm. You may need to move the actuator arm down to allow the rod end to clear. It should pop into place. Install the pump back onto the engine block at this point. It's way easier this way trust me. Reassemble the upper casting using the bright new screws, top cover plate, and gasket from the new pump. Then screw the rebuilt fuel transfer housing onto the diaphragm base using the rest of the bright new screws. Reattach hoses and such. TIP: I did swap out the fuel inlet tube as the original one was much shorter and had a thinner OD tube diameter than the one from the F-10 pump. You may need to temporarily bolt the fuel transfer housing to the engine block to get enough torque to unscrew the inlet tube. These have tapered threads so they will seal against fuel leakage. No need to use plumbers tape or any sealer. The more you screw on the threads the tighter it will get. Crank up the engine and look for any leaks. All in all this took us about an hour to do and only cost me about $30.00. How awesome it that!!

the oem bumper doesn't do much different - it's attached with similar clips in similar locations and i don't believe the actual bumper was any thicker than these repro ones. again, mainly ornamental. i don't treat it as a truck - i have a 4runner for that... and yes, i drive it every day - at least every day that it's running! i hope i never get "tapped", but i bought the car to enjoy and would rather drive it than have it parked. like the man said: ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances!

Okay, took the left panel off, masked, removed paint from trim ring and steel wooled. Looks better, but needs more buffing later. I guess it is stainless. Tail light renewal on the to-do list, after I fix a few other items.

I use acetone and ATF 50/50 mix in a spray bottle, it works great for me and is inexpensive so you can really soak whatever you're working on. If you'll spray it down real well the night before it almost always works. A quart of each has lasted me 3 years and still counting. Sometimes a good wrap with a hammer will loosen things up so the penetration can work sooner. I've even tightened stuck nuts a little then backed off of them, I think that's nutty sounding but I swear it helps. Oh yeah, don't forget about using a wire brush on the exposed threads too. Also an impact wrench or a drill dialed down will move stuff a little and that's all the acetone & ATF mixture needs to get in there and work. Put a box of band aids close by. I keep 4 in my wallet. I use acetone after the baking soda and water rinse. It dissipates moisture and gives you an extra few minutes before flash rust appears inside the tank before you pour the liner in. Read over this if you're thinking of doing it. It'll help understand the steps you have to do. They are very simple you just need to be prepared, it's kinda time sensitive. That acid will etch it down to bare steel which will lightly rust QUICK. http://www.damonq.com/techsheets/red-kote.pdf

That fargin bastage!

The years hadn't softened Moroni. He continued to murder the English Language... And anyone who got in his way.