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Thanks for all the comments. I'll continue with the inspection of the motor, cam wipe pattern, verify valve timing setup etc. I currently don't have headers installed but do have Sean Dezart's Z Story system. I'll report back with the progress...

I suspect it's because MSA wants you to spend more money on an expensive clutch. I run a 10lb Fidanza with an OEM 225mm clutch behind an L28 that makes about 200whp/185lb-ft. It's been in for nearly 8 years now with no issues. Engagement is buttery and the lighter flywheel really just requires quicker shift timing. The gearing and low-end torque of the L28 make taking off no problem, unless you have a numb left foot. I also run an 8lb flywheel + OEM clutch on my street/track S2000 with great results. It did make for a slight increase in NVH (gear rattle) and requires a bit more revs to get moving but its 4 cylinder engine generally has less inertia than the L6 and less torque so is more sensitive to flywheel mass. With that said, it's nothing but a joy to drive.

I started at CO's post and worked my way backward and I really thought you were going to describe how to make a bong out of a giant socket.

Jeff, Please don't tell us any more details about what went in the dumpster. I (and probably lots of others here) really just don't want to even think about it.

For the last couple of years, I have been planning to rebuild my 77 280z motor. It is getting tired, running well but oil consumption is a issue. I suspect rings & valve guides. Last year I acquired a interesting 2.8 motor and am now getting around to looking more closely at it. It is interesting in that it was claimed to have been rebuilt and never installed. (kind of like ran when parked, lol) It is a F54 block with a N42 head. Turbo oil pan but NA intake & exhaust manifolds. I had it sitting on a nice cradle & dolly, so easy to move around. I pulled the plugs, which are new NGK's and never fired. Got my laptop and borescope camera, inspected the cylinders and found it has dished pistons and what looks like a fresh hone. All looked very clean. Next, I removed the valve cover and lubed the valve train with some high zinc oil, added about 2 or 3 quarts more and turned it over by hand. All appeared to be well. Then bolted on a bell housing so I could add a starter and do a compression test. The compression results were pretty consistent around 150psi. 151 152 151 150 150 150 cylinders 1 thru 6. With the dished pistons, and Atlantic Z's calculator, looks like about 8.25 to 1 CR. Going to flat top pistons, approximately 9.7 to 1 CR. I am trying to decide if it is worth the trouble to source and install the flat top pistons. From my quick research, it looks like this heads design is not the best choice with flat tops. Since the head looks like it was totally redone - valve job etc. it would be nice to keep it on there as that is most of the money saved. What do you guys think my options are.. From what I see so far with this motor, it does indeed appear to show all the signs of a rebuild. The head / cam area are very clean, manifold gasket is new, scraped some purple paint from a few frost plugs to reveal new looking brass ones. Just transferred it to a engine stand and have not pulled the pan off yet to take a look at the bottom end. My goals are not huge performance with this motor, a little bump up would be nice, just looking to mainly maximize my time & dollars if I put this in my 280z. Already have a new Exedy clutch kit for it , and ordered a new Fidenza flywheel to keep up with Cliff & his Tilton.

You have a real mishmash of two systems going on there, it looks like at one time there was a fuel injected engine in that car being run by a MS but from your pics it looks like the MS has been disconnected and the stock ignition coil has been reconnected. You can probably assume that the car was running on the original harness before the car was parked/ abandoned but if the stock wiring harness is in the same condition as the rest of the engine bay you should probably put your effort into cleaning all the connectors and terminals first and making sure you have continuity. Does the engine turn over by hand, make sure it is not seized. Before you even turn the key you will also have to go through the fuel system top to bottom and clean out any rust and muck that has accumulated. That's a big project, as SteveJ suggests, download the FSM and get your multimeter out.

It looks like you will need to do a lot of work before trying to start that up. From here it is impossible to tell the condition of the wiring, fuel system, cooling system, etc. As for removing the Megasquirt harness and circuit board, I wouldn’t start chopping and ripping. A more deliberate approach is needed. Like a surgeon removing a tumor from a patient. Take the time to see where it is connected to the original harness, remove any unnecessary bits neatly, so you don’t compromise the integrity (well, what’s left of it anyway) of the original wiring.

I looked at the other thread. It's not stock. It's a MegaSquirt relay board for fuel injection. https://www.diyautotune.com/product/megasquirt-relay-board-assembled-unit/

If it passes Muster, I vote for putting it in as is (with a color change of course). Once it nestles in, you can go to town with your old engine and do anything you want with no time pressure.

All good advice. Yup, if I raised the compression, it would be premium fuel only time and I need to drive to Zcon this year. At a minimum, I will do a block color change...

No you don't have to but if you have no information on how the engine was taken care of then it's always a safe bet to start clean, years of tap water and antifreeze can add up to a lot of crud. Removing the plugs are easy, just whack one side of it with a punch or old screw driver so the plug pivots and grab the side sticking out with a pair of vise grips.

New 36 and a fraction old 49

Found another good one that shows proper zero. He has a degreed wheel but the pointer is right. Also shows some nifty damper damage.

I'm going to guess that he assumed that the timing plate mounted at 3 o 'clock. 3 o' clock is wrong from front or back. Get the timing plate in the right place, at 10 o' clock, and all that's left is an aftermarket sprocket with no notch. If the builder used the 42 links then it's right too. Then, we're back where it should have been with "have you confirmed spark?".

Is it an automatic or manual? You can check if the engine is locked up by putting it in gear and moving the car. I'd pull the plugs first just to see how they look. Squirt some oil in the plug holes. Like SteveJ said you have a lot to do before trying to start it or drive it. Are you in Vancouver B.C. or Vancouver, WA? Looks like the car sat by saltwater, maybe even under water.

Turn by hand first. If you try with the starter, you could tear up the flywheel and/or starter. Why break more if you can avoid it? There is a gas tank drain. I suggest you look under the tank. With the state of corrosion in the engine bay, I shiver at the thought of what the car may look like underneath. Don't worry about a source for gas now. You need to do plenty before you get to that point. For instance, those carburetors need to be taken apart a cleaned thoroughly. Lord knows what condition the float bowls are in. Keep in mind that there is a return on the fuel rail, so you want to catch that gas. You may want to get a Haynes manual as a secondary source to the FSM. I found there are some photos in that manual that capture some things the factory manual doesn't. How much experience do you have with working on cars?

How did you get two threads posted with the same title? How did you get two threads posted with the same title? How did you get two threads posted with the same title? How did you get two threads posted with the same title? How did you get two threads posted with the same title? How did you get two threads posted with the same title?

I will add that the relay board certainly has seen better days. It should have been mounted inside the passenger compartment. The person who installed it chose a very poor location for mounting.

I have a hazy recollection of some party in the late 70's where someone had rolled a joint using that rolling paper from Big Bambu, I know I had a hit off of it at some point. 😜

If the issues with the old engine are it's tired and using oil. I'd use the rebuilt engine, as is. Would the flat top pistons demand higher octane fuel? Fuel prices could enter into the scenario if you drive it a lot.

That stove top stuffing is probably remnants of someone using one of those products that is supposed to stop leaks. I didn't have a pressure washer, so I made a little garden hose blaster instead. Of course, a real pressure washer would have been more powerful and presumably more effective, but it's what I had access to at the time. With "standard" household garden hose pressure, my contraption will shoot about thirty feet, so it's not bad. Cobbled together from stuff I had laying around. Looks like this: Here's the business end. I just crimped down the sides in a bench vice. Very scientific like: Soldered a piece on the end to adapt to a hose: And put on an in-line hose valve: It's small enough that (with the freeze plugs removed) I could reach up inside the block and around the piston jackets into the dark recesses.

22611-P8600 does show up on my parts manual as a euro part. 79-81 280ZX (I think the P8601 was a superseded update) If you google 22611-P8601it comes back with a bunch of .dk and .uk websites.

I've never had anything but K mount cameras and lenses. After going digital my collection of manual lenses exploded. Lots of M and A series, Russian M42 stuff, Sigma (mostly) film era, and I lean towards f2.8 and faster. I recently picked up a Zuiko 35mm f2.8 Shift, and converted it to K mount for use on my K-1 (digital). I need to give it a go with Z pictures. My main lens for shooting cars is a Sigma 28mm f2.8 Mini Wide, or a Pentax A 28mm f2.8, as I can get in close to compose out the people walking around without getting too much distortion, so the Zuiko shouldn't be too much different.

Carl, I too got my 240Z while in the service and still have it. I had been lusting after one as soon as I read the 1970 Road and Track article, but finishing my degree, my draft notice from President Nixon (Greetings!...), and Navy service (and pay) got in the way until I returned in December 1972 from 11 months on Yankee Station (off N. Vietnam) with enough cash to buy one. It still took 4 months on the dealers wait list until April '73 before I could buy it. After the 240Z came out, no one, at least in my squadron, bought any other sports car. Here is a photo I took in December 1972 as our ship departed Japan returning to the US. I've annotated it with the model of Z each of us bought (eventually).

When I bought my first Datsun 240Z, I had just been at the local Porsche Dealer trying to trade my 67 911s in on a new 911E. The Webers on the "S" were always loading up and fouling plugs in stop & go traffic. It was very hard starting in the Winter and the shift linkage was worse than the Corvairs I'd owned before. I couldn't get together with the Porsche Dealer - they wanted too much for their new car and offered way to little for mine. On the way back to the Base, I passed the Datsun Dealer and saw the 240Z. Stopped and long story made short - I bought the Z. Three months with the Z - and I sold the Porsche. Never wanted one again. Over the years that followed I did add Corvettes, Jag's, and a Ferrari to the garage - and over the following years I sold them all except the 240Z. Nothing since 1970 has ever been better than the 240Z.

The ZX 5 speed does have the ratios closer together, 1st to 4th. So, should allow a person to stay in a narrower RPM range, for sporty driving. I wanted a 5 speed because highway speeds were buzzy and noisy when I first got my car back up and running. I thought that 5th gear would drop the RPM and make things smoother. But after I got the 5 speed in I also put a better engine in with properly balanced injectors and other parts that was super smooth all the way up to the high end. I ended up using 5th gear not much after that, the old engine had been just a noisy buzzy beast. But out on the 70 mph freeways the new 5th gear was nice even with the new smooth engine. I think the choice depends on how and where you drive. 4 speed 240Z's are collector cars, for shows and investment.

I may as well have left the 4 speed in mine. I never use #5. 😇

In my opinion, there are 2 reasons to convert to a 5 speed. 1) low gear diff 2) you drive long distances on higher speed highways. I don’t do either, so all 5 of my Z’s are 4 speeds and I’m happy with that. Most of my runs are short spirited runs through low traffic areas.....4 gears are plenty......also as Jim mentions, it’s how the Z’s came from the factory. Another plus as they are a lot cheaper and a lot more available. IMHO

There's still a lot of folks that place a value on originality.

That pic of the tree growing in the engine compartment is crazy! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk