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I wouldn’t wish this job on my worst enemy. It is very challenging to put this differential in alone. It weight upwards of 80lbs I’d guess and holding things in position while trying to get bolts in and tightened is no easy task. I really hope I like this 3.7 differential because it will take a lot to send me back in there.

Sorry Pat, just saw this. Thanks! Pretty much hammer forming. I did use the vice as brake in the beginning to make the wide U shape then flattened the one end back down in the vice and started beating. Ended up rounding the lower angles using a 3 way trailer ball hitch as dolly in the vice. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Our club hosted a fun all Nissan car show Saturday at Superior Nissan, our sponsor. A nice day, (a good barometer for that is when you see Zup in shorts) with complimentary burgers & dogs. Lots of people stopped by to chat and give the cars some love.

I guess I have taken a pretty long break. Looking back over the last couple of months, the progress has been little and the updates few. I have, however, been waiting on some hardware to be plated, and quite bit of it showed up on Saturday! I spent many hours on my living room floor hunting down fasteners using my spreadsheet and ruler, and putting them back into their respective zip lock bags with labels which identify where they go on the car. I have many hours to go! None of the larger parts have come back yet, but I was in desperate need of the fasteners for the hood, hood hinge plates, fenders, inner fender supports, cowl, inspection doors, and hatch hinges. Especially for the inner fender supports and the fenders, I am proceeding with my plan to do final assembly before paint, meaning these parts will not be coming off the car when it goes to the booth for paint - nor after. Final primer coats, sanding, etc. will be done with all fasteners torqued to spec. The inner fender supports and foam rubber seals push on the fenders when the fenders are bolted in place. The fender panels, therefore, "move" a little when bolted down. To get them as straight as possible, I need them fully secured when doing final sanding. So, here are a few pics. I am pleased with how most everything I have received looks. Part of what is special about this car is how little rust it had. That carries over to the fasteners as well. For me, there is substantial value here when it comes to the fasteners because they haven't suffered the rust pitting that many do. The olive drab doesn't match the factory color well, but it looks pretty nice as the only reasonable alternative I think. I didn't send anything else to get that color - I missed including a couple small brackets, but those look ok as original anyway. Only a small number of bolts do not look as shiny as I would prefer. And for some reason, hex nuts came out exceedingly shiny. I am hopeful that the large parts will come out nice.

I'm just glad that you weren't somewhere underneath when it happened.

Get out the racer’s tape!

I was on sway bar also. The mustache bar (aka transverse link) is installed oppositely for the R180 and R200. The FSM only shows the R200 for the 280Z. For some odd reason they ignore the R180 in the RA drawings for the 280Z, even though they include it in the Prop and Diff chapter. This is R200 from the 1978 280Z FSM. This is R180 from the 1973 FSM.

Thanks Dutch, ;) That’s interesting! I had not thought about drilling out the spot welds from the top Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have been driving the 240Z so much lately that I wanted to take the 260Z out. You can't have them feeling neglected, right? There was a car meet half an hour away. I had the only Z, but it wasn't the only Nissan. There were a couple of JDM Skylines, a Roadster, and a GTR. (Does a G35 count? 😉 )

Yes, he has the factory rear sway bar. The R180 is smaller and after the early cars moved, the diif was moved to correct the angularity of the half shafts. Maybe that has something to do with it.

I agree with you, but clearly the first drawing shows it the opposite direction. Maybe R180s use less space so it could go the other way??? I did have a lot of umbrella drinks on vacation so if this is the only bad outcome, I can live with that!!!

here's 205-60-15 which calculates to 24.67" tall

Here are some pictures before I removed the wiring harnesses from my 7/70.

That's a loaded question. Let me phrase it another way. What circuits can only be powered when the ignition switch is on? The fuses with red only are powered with the key in ON. The fuses in green use the combo switch (headlight/parking light switch). The common fuse is for the cigarette lighter. The clock is on the same fuse as the dome lamp and map light. (I think the wiper park function is on that fuse, too.) So what could drain the battery? Bad voltage regulator Bad alternator Clock (even if it's not running) Dome light, map light, and glove box light (door not closed all of the way - Note: This only applies to the 240Z. The parking lights have to be on for the 260Z or 280Z glove box light to come on.) Aftermarket stereo Aftermarket alarm Aftermarket accessory like remote locks (The previous owner had that on my 260Z. I removed the remote lock and fixed the door lock properly.) Unknown cross-connection Short in the starting motor (unlikely but here for completeness) To help you with the diagnosis When did it start? How long does it take to drain the battery? Do you know how to use a voltmeter and ammeter? Do you own a test light?

The worst it the medical experts that read a couple articles on WebMD of Fakebook and all a sudden they act like a board certified physician.

Ran up the odometer a little today, the weather here is perfect, but not before doing something really stupid. I was in a rush to change the oil this morning and forgot it was in neutral. Went to jack the center flat on the crossmember. Got it pretty high and CU-THUNK. The cup on the jack came off and up between the pan and the torsion bar. Put a little dent in the front of the pan but didn't puncture it so all is well except I'm pissed at myself. "Could've been worse" is my go to now.