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Hey Kat's. very interesting finding. I have to find out more. But it seems my documentation is a bit limited. my latest R-Drive only goes up to 1976 and all other documents which i have, you have already shown pictures up there. I wonder how you assigned the part numbers written in red here to the different Z-versions? Or is it just an Idea? It could be very possible, though Soo, on friday i got a call from my bodyshop that they want to start work ASAP, because they have already an epxensive Pre-WW Bentley scheduled for fall and want to complete mine until then. So how am i to turn them down? I prepared all my bodypanels in stock, and also made an inventory to make sure nothing gets lost. it seems that not much of the original metal will be left at the end. but honestly, i give them many items just as reference or for "in case" I packed everything into my In-law's transport bus And spent quite some time at the bodyshop to discuss some details. Out of excitement, i forgot to take pictures, so the below one is the only one you'll see today. We also discussed a few portions of the bodywork done by the previous bodyshop and saw that some of the self-made bodypanels look nice at first glance but don't align to my quality standards, so i just placed another order for the RH rocker panels and floor pans, which are now available in better quality than the stuff i got 6 years ago. and he will re-do the work. Yeah it's a bit of a pain-in-the-back but at the end i want the result to be as close to perfect as possible, so i decided that little extra-work won't hurt while they're at it anyway. If everything goes well you'll see regulare updates here soon in this space. stay tuned.

Thank you so much Alan, I have been looking for the picture of wiring of the bolts for our engines, just fantastic! I think oil pan bolts can’t accept much torque so wiring is a good backup for securing. And thanks for educating me about engineering back ground. Now I am interested in how did mechanics do for their military airplanes and ships WW2 etc. Please stand by for further details, I will be so happy if all the gears are intact and have correct number of teeth as Option 2 gears. If not, I will still be happy because it is FS5C71A anyway! And I can dream about Kubo san’s relationship with this one. Kats

Hi, in March 1971 Nissan Race & Rally manual introduced Option 3 gears, please see the attached picture. It says “Option 3 is for a short distance race, Option 2 is for a long distance race. Option 1 is for a small course” By the way GTR’s first race ( May 3rd 1969 at Fuji Speed Way) was something unusual. Toyota 1600 GT finished first GTR second. Everyone expected GTR would have won firmly even Toyota team thought the same. After the race, a few days passed, the GTR became a winner because the Toyota 1600GT had obstruction. The GTR had a Option 2 transmission. A general manager of the team Mr. Aoji said “the transmission gearing was wrong for freshman. We thought start is only once in the whole race. But we should have taken it more seriously” As we see the data Option 2 gears looks like omitting 1st gear. It requires certain techniques especially with S20 engine. You can go faster if you can maintain higher RPM. The race officials announced specific rules two months before the race, “ drivers who won Nippon Grand Prix etc can not enter this race” So Nissan team had to train freshman immediately. Kats

Does the PCV distribute to both manifolds? Check the block hose for oil.

Its a tough situation. The builder has been a family friend for many years. He has rebuilt numerous motors (BMW, toyota, Ford, Z's) for me over the years. I had a problem with a 351 (marine motor) he built and he gladly tore it back down and we discovered the problem was me. I installed a different flex plate from the original and it took up all the crank end play. He is laser focused on the fuel and assures me the bottom end is fine. He admits he doesnt know SU carbs and says that everyone he knew that messed with them are dead. It is hard for me to question someone with way more experience than me, especially someone that has bailed me out more than a few times. I think when I get him back over and he sees it run, he may change his tune. At the time I ordered the parts for the rebuild, it was hard to get stuff due to the supply chain issues. I wont mention where I got some stuff as they are not the most popular vendor on here! Who knows, its all speculation until we look inside. It will work out, just not sure exactly how right now!

I had the same question. Looks like he checked. Kind of sounding like the wrong rings were used or somebody made a mistake somewhere. If you're going to swap engines you might just take it out and beat on it for a while. What harm can it do? Maybe you'll get lucky and the rings will seat and start sealing properly.

@Patcon, yesterday I adjusted the valves as they were set a little loose for the initial start. Several were very loose. Fired it up and of course it still smoked. I raised the idle and turned the mixture knobs all the way lean until it wouldn't run, and there was zero change in smoke. If I start the carbs at 2.5 turns, I can go to 3 turns and get the highest, smoothest idle. Sounds great. Carbs seem to be doing what they are supposed to do. It has to be in the rings and there is only one way to find out. I can have the motor out and on a stand in an afternoon. I am thinking of tearing it down myself to see if I can see anything amiss.

Did you order new Carpet? I ordered mine (75 280Z) from NewarkAuto. The quality of the carpet is very good. Properly backed as well. They have a kit listed for the '77, which is definitely not the same layout as my 75. Can't tell from the image if they cut & seam the strap openings you would require. I would call them to check .

I was thinking I may have to squat inside & have my wife spray the roof (trying to simulate rain, so not a jet aimed directly into the hatch channel). I'll drop the interior trim for a better look see.

Oops! I must have it. Ha ha! Kats

It'll be hard to get them to make it right if they dont believe there is a problem... Is it possible to get a good video of the smoke and post it up? It's not an absolute that a good compression motor wont smoke. It could be oil rings or the ring gaps might be too closely aligned. Another option would be to keep moving forward. Get it painted and put some road miles on it and see if you can get the rings to seal better. You could also get a wide band and check the exhaust. Get the mixture dialed in. If it still smokes it's not fuel at that point

I think they make a special set of pliers to do it... I couldn't paste in an image... Google "safety wire pliers aviation"

The hinge seals are sandwiched between the hinges and the chassis with a small metal frame as a washer. They are custom made now and can be pricey. I don't think you will be able to see anything from the interior side. Might help to have the panel out though and try to pinpoint the leak with a garden hose

Thank you so much Patcon, The one in the picture all wired in series is super! I have never seen like that before. I want to do it beautifully, use a drill to twist wires? Kats

Yes, .100 nozzles are stock. And about the suitability of the SM needles, some people seem to have good results with them and others can't get idle to work right. I think there's a problem with the rings seating, or as Yarb suggested, an issue with the oil control rings. Why would you take it to a different shop? Wouldn't it be the responsibility of the first shop to make things right?

Cool. Looks like you had a good time. And neat pics. Clear that you know what you're doing behind a camera. About the only thing I take pics of is cars or car parts. And I like the pic of that sculpture too. Looks like a nice Daydream.

I chose them over some of the other rear brake conversions because they use a newer (more readily available for servicing) rear caliper & pads. They have been super responsive to email questions. I haven't fitted the brake conversion yet so I can't speak to the quality of fit. I'll post pics of course when I get there.

Can't tell what is directly above the leak areas, gravity-wise. Were you parked nose down? Be the water. I found that water could get in to the window seal in one spot and travel through the gap between rubber and glass to exit somewhere else. Happened on both the front and rear windows. The hatch hinge area is leak prone, apparently. Somebody just posted recently, asking how to install new rubber there. There are seals, left and right. 30 and 31. http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/body-260z-280z/2-seater/tail-gate-bumper/sep-74-to-jul-76

I would suspect the hatch seal first. Then move to the hatch glass weatherstrip.

That's a nice purchase, Kats. I am jealous! Quite possible it did indeed come from SS KUBO. Kubo san acquired many parts from Tomei, Scuderia Nissan and the Works team over the years he was involved in racing and afterwards. He picked up a lot of rare parts. There's a small mention of lockwiring in the first Nissan Sports 'Yellow Book' from 1970. This was for the oil pan bolts, but - as Patcon mentions - this was common in aviation and specialist machinery preparation since the beginning of the industrial revolution (I've seen it used on steam pumps from the early 1800s...). Typically the bolts are locked against each other to stop loosening from vibration. Here's an example from a Works rally L24:

Looks like a nice purchase. What A-box ratios are option 3? My rally car has option 1 (Mid-Close), and I'm aware of option 2 (Ultra-Close) from my reading materials. Sounds like there are more ratio options? Patcon's picture is a good illustration as to how they'd be wired together. I don't know that the bolts were drilled that way from the factory, but one can probably purchase them that way from a vendor.

Yes, typically they are wired to each other Sometimes they are all wired in series. I don't know if the bolts are available already drilled. I know many times racers will drill them themselves to make safety wiring possible. I don't know historically but many modern racing classes require some level of safety wiring

Or, just clamp the fuzzy visors tighter to the support bars with heavy duty clips like these: It would be like tightening the screw on original visors. Quick, easy, and low cost temporary fix until you decide what you want to do abput replacing them.

Front end plumbing is just about complete. Intercooler installed, piping from turbo to intake laid out, and giving a go at making stainless hardlines for the AC system that will package around the 3" intercooler piping.

I wish I would have gone with the Newark Auto kit honestly. I got convinced to do the molded kit from MSA and I am so far unimpressed. The big convincing factor to me was that it had the slits cut out for the cargo strap reinforcements. However, I thought it would include the vinly inserts like my original carpet, but it did not, just some sloppily cut slits. Also, the carpets showed up extremely dirty and full of fuzz. My final complaint is that even in the box the sewn edges are already falling apart. I'll provide photos of the whole kit as it arrived, and what i had an upholstery shop do to it. Here is how it arrived. Here is the edges coming apart Here are the inserts I had an upholstery shop do over the poorly made cuts.