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Well, my '78 was loaded today and is headed for Phoenix. I got the race car done and ready to sell, so I finally took a few pics of my cars together for the first time. As for the fate of the race car, I *might* have a plan that allows me to keep it. A fellow Z racer in Atlanta might be willing to take the car back to his place and race prep it. When I want to race, I'll fly in and race it with him. That way, I don't lose the car, but I don't have to take it with me where I have no space for it.

Finally home after 2.5 years. I could not be more impressed with the work Freed Engineering did. I think my favorite part is the hidden PS reservoir. He made a cylinder that went in the bay (first two photos) but I didn't like it so he made a crazy custom one to fit inside a cutout in the body on the driver side where the radiatior cavity is using a swan neck for the filler.

Rod and I have been phone, FB and internet friends for years, but we've never met in person. We have always wanted to race together and it just never worked out. When I said I was selling the car, he offered to take it, prep it and store it so we can race it. We haven't worked out the details yet, but it might just work.

Why isn't the TPS set that way? My guess is that it's not objective enough. All the other methods have something you can measure. "Adjust the TPS so it makes contact at idle, but as soon as you touch the pedal, it opens" isn't something I would trust thousands of tech across the country to get the same. And to add some detail and to what Patcon alluded to (I think)... There's a big difference between 1400 RPM sitting still with no load and 1400 RPM while driving. Sitting still with no load, it really doesn't take a lot of pedal push to get the RPMs up to 1400. The idle enrichment from the ECU not only boosts the idle fuel, but also provides an additional short bump in the fuel delivery just like an accelerator pump would do when transitioning from idle to cruise. Not sure how effective it is, but the documentation says Dr. Bosch put that in there. For a data point, I've messed around with the setting of my TPS a bunch (surprised?) and honestly, I didn't notice any difference. I've had it set where there is some pedal travel before the idle contacts open, and I've also had it set where it's a "hair trigger" just barely making contact with your foot off the pedal and would open if you so much as breathed on the linkage. Didn't really notice any difference in how the car performed. I didn't have an A/F gauge on it though. Might have seen some results if I had that level of diagnostic tool.

hey siteunseen thanks for the info, but I am not computer smart like the kids are so I could not fine the fsm on this site for the 1977 n47 cylinder head . so I looked in my haynes and chilton manuals and there are 14 bolts . the 1st setting is 30 ft lbs and the second is 44 ft lbs and the 3rd is 54-61 ft lbs . you are showing 10 bolts with a max torque of 49 ft lbs? I also would like to thank ever body for the help !!

I'd check the valve cover closely. There's no oil passage on that side and the engine tilts the other way. Actually the illustration is poor but I think that only oil passage is on the filter side, for the cam towers or spray bar, and sometimes one up front. But none back there on that side.

no ,I just saw that also in the photo after you said that and I wiped it down with Windex and it is gone I almost crap in my pants going to the garage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

maybe its a valve cover gasket fail, oil dripping down to around the exhaust manifold. I don't see how oil could leak out of a exhaust bolt hole. Maybe some UV dye in the oil an then look with a UV light.

I am always curious and touching things I regret later. That copper line from the compressor to the holding tank was one of them. It was very hot. When I was 15 a friend's Dad bought one of those turbo Regals. He was showing us the turbo and I reached over and grabbed that stainless braided hose and sported that burned in pattern for months on my hand. Still do that kind of dumb stuff today.

This is a quick and inexpensive way to cool the air coming from the pump and drop the water out to be drain at the bottom of the tank. The A/C condenser is from some mid 90's Honda.

no worries , I getting old I thought I was having a moment!!

Sorry. I jumped the gun with a quick google search. My man Jim has the right info it looks like. I check in all out through the day with my phone. That's good and bad. I'm thankful these guys cover my arse.

From the 77 factory shop manual : You will need a 10mm long hex socket for your torque wrench.

The head Cliff posted isn’t an L series 6 cylinder head, looks like a 4 cylinder head. Still, the sequence is similar, starting in the middle and working out. The maximum torque is a range because the head bolts are torque to yield bolts. Since the head has been on the car for so long, you don’t need to go through the stepped sequence of torque values. Also, given that the bolts are tty, it is better to set your torque wrench to the lower end of the maximum range, at 54 ft lbs. Your looking for a loose bolt, not installing a fresh head on a new gasket. I have found broken head bolts this way. But Zed makes a good point. The oil passages are on the right side of the block and head, and the engine is leaned to the right, about 12 degrees or so. It would be a good idea to check the cam cover bolts for proper torque before taking it off. Also, don’t use a cork gasket. They leak before you even put them on. An OEM or equivalent gasket, with no sealer. Torque the bolts, and it should not leak.

Thank goodness! I even zoomed in on it and had myself convinced it was a crack.

That will give a little delay but if you bend it back too far, the contacts will never close.

Uh my crack is straight up and down. My hair is curly.

Not to change the subject but is that a crack in your block (bottom area) near where the tranny bolts to it. Doesn't have anything to do with the leak, just curious.

Holykawowwow!!!!! Love that Safari Gold.

Have you checked the tightness of the intake and exhaust manifold fasteners? Still, even if they were loose, engine oil wouldn’t be leaking from there. I would say the head gasket is leaking some. Take the cam cover off and check the torque on the cylinder head bolts.

Why not just bend it back delaying when the center pin touches it?

I think the gaps can be changed a bit but you really have to alter when the cam (molded in the nylon) pushes on the center vane.

The condenser is a radiator (or air-to-air intercooler). As the air compresses, it builds up heat. When the compressed air passes through the condenser, the fan is moving air past the coils and pulls the heat out of the compressed air. With the cooler temperature, the water vapor in the compressed air is more likely to condense. If you can trap the water as liquid in the tank, there is less water vapor later on to try to trap as you are using the compressed air.

Very sad day, She was an amazing driver and seemed like such a fun and lovely person. She will be missed.

While waiting to get the flywheel back from resurfacing, the heater core was next to reassemble. The core itself was sent off and rebuilt, the housing media blasted and painted, new seals, foam, OEM valve, and the blower motor updated to a Kia Sportage unit for improved air flow. I’ll follow up with the completed assembly.

Guessing... When starting off from idle, the car is not at idle, more like 1200-1400 rpms when releasing the clutch. Leaving the enrichment, makes the off idle engagement more stable. Also most people dont lug around in gear near 1400 rpms so it ends up being a narrow section of the power band that stays enriched but really is only used transitionally

Still has that front spoiler. Quick thinking is your strength Superman.

I took a quick look through some of the docs and there appears to be three methods for setting the switch. First method is the "measure the angle of the throttle valve at which the switch opens" method. Page EF-56 (of the 75 FSM) says the switch should open when the throttle valve reaches about 7 degrees. (Note that page EF-57 of the 77 FSM says 4 degrees). Second method is the "measure the gap between the throttle linkage and the throttle stop" on the throttle body method. This method is described on page EF-62 (75 FSM) and EF-63 (77 FSM). They say this is how you adjust the switch if you have the throttle body loose on a bench and are replacing the switch. I don't know why they didn't employ this method all the time? Maybe because it's difficult to do with the throttle body on the car? Third method is the "raise the RPM to a certain level and set it so that's where the switch opens" method. This method does not seem to appear in any of the FSM's, nor does it appear in the 76 version of the FI manual (the "FI Bible"), but it DOES appear in the later (1980) version of the FI manual. Pages 126-127 of the 1980 FI Bible say to raise the idle to 1400 RPM and set the switch there. Most notable is that the 1980 FI manual ALSO mentions the "measure the gap" method, but says you should only do that when you can't use the 1400 RPM method. They say the 1400 RPM method is the "preferred" method. Looks to me like the 1400 RPM method superseded the previous methods? I guess I would use that if I had to? That's the results from my book report. Then I went downtown. To look for a job.

Both are excellent ideas

I know Rodney well. He lives a few miles from me, and we have hung out together several times. I first met him at The Mitty at Road Atlanta around 8 years ago or so. He had the future ZMW on display in the Vendor Village.

For only occasional use what about a copper coil in a bucket of ice?

Hallo, the normal Diff for the 4speed in the us was the 3.364 , so with the Euro 5Speed you have the 3,9 and with the last gear ratio of 0,852 it is the same overall ratio 3,3228 and no noisereduktion on our Autobahn

Hi John. I run 205/55/16 Conti Extreme Contacts on 16x7 Panasports on my 280Z. I like them a lot.

Indeed! I have been calling it octopus like header all along and now that's exactly what I got.

First time working on the car again in 3 weeks. Got the passenger front side suspension and brakes installed and all 4 corners roughly dialed in at the final ride height and a very rough base alignment by eye. Steering is hooked up and got the driver side NOS door handle installed with all the linkage hooked up. Planning on getting the heater core and blower motor back in next weekend along with the dash and then it is ready to go up North for header, exhaust, radiator, catch can, power steering/coolant reservoirs and driveshaft. Then it will come back for rear brakes, wiring, fuel setup and final assembly before it goes for alignment and tuning. After all that, it will be fully wetsanded, buffed and then the entire car will be wrapped in Xpel clear film.

After all this cranking I think my starter also went out 😞 I get spinning of the starter but not the engine. Going to swap it out in the mean time.