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Couple comments... As Granny suggested above, that tensioner is sticking out too far. I would not start the engine like that. About the three holes on the upper timing gear... those holes do not adjust the tension on the chain. They affect the cam timing with the respect to the crank location, but don't have any effect at all on chain tension. Moving from one hole to another won't do anything to fix this problem.

Don't start that engine, that tensioner piston is extended way too much, when the timing cover is installed the rubber block on the tensioner piston should be up against receiving block just like in the photo that heyitsrama posted. If that piston pops all the way out, the chain will bunch up and there will be many bent valves. You need a new chain and tensioner.

I felt addressed there hahaha.. my nickname could be Overfastener Mart haha.. 🙊 (I used to overfasten.. not anymore.. use torquewrenches!) Mart (short for Martin)

The new timing set will certainly help, but depending on how much the machinist took off your head, even with all new timing parts, you might still find the tensioner sticks out further than it should. I've got typical head gasket thickness measurements around here someplace (not handy right now), but I'm thinking your 1mm head gasket is about .020 thinner than stock? So if the machinist took even .010 off the head, you're at a total of .030 from stock. Even with a new timing set, I'm worried your tensioner will still be out more than it should be. Maybe enough to limp you home, but still something you would need to address. All of this is very fresh in my mind because I'm sitting here looking at my custom chain guide that I'm working on in order to bring my tensioner stickout back to acceptable range with my just completed .040 shaved head. The .015 shims will help a whole lot, but then you run the risk of having your contact patch on the lash pads or rockers in the wrong spots. That said... I'm no engine builder, but I would be more comfortable with running with an incorrect contact patch for 60 miles than I would for that tensioner sticking out that far for 60 miles. And as for the head gasket... Again, I'm no engine builder, but if you haven't run the engine at all, I'd be comfortable with leaving the head gasket in place if you were to pop cam tower shims in there. Follow the correct loosen and re-tighten sequence and procedure on the head bolts and I'd expect things to be OK. Which route to take kinda depends on how quickly you need to get that thing out of your buddy's way.

And I'm not comfortable with this. I don't think you should start the engine like that, let alone try to make it 60 miles. It's just too risky.

Coincidentally, I've been messing around with the timing chain and tensioner stuff recently and with that in mind, I'm really wondering why your chain has so much slack in it. I've compared a brand new timing set with all new gears, chain, and guides to a used set that has run 150K miles. Of course there was a some difference, but even the 150K used set has way less slack than what you have in yours. Now, of course, yours could be worn and stretched more than the used set I have here, but I'm thinking there could be something else going on. As part of your rebuild process on the engine, did you have the head cut? Having material removed from the head can have a large impact on chain tension. Also, you said you did not replace the chain or the tensioner. So what did you replace? Did you replace the guides with new, or are the guides used as well? I'm thinking if you got the head cut and reused all the old parts, that's what is causing the issue.

Belmetric.com also has JIS bolts and nuts.

Well, I'm a month late getting her into the garage but will still have lots of time to get the work done and have her out on the road by the spring. Now that I have some proper light I can get a better idea of what it's going to need. Only 2 small dents and one 3" crease to deal with, looks like rear wheel arches have been replaced and the filler has eliminated the main body line, have to dig in there and repair that. Here is what can happen when you a get a quicky paint job. Shrinkage. Took lots of pics of the original black paint that was used at the front grill and around the doors, I've never noticed that the black paint extended up into the quarter windows before. Firewall insulation in near perfect cond. A Blaupunkt BFX9DV Seattle Cassette deck, that is definitely going back in.

You can also use the chain guides to eliminate slack. They are slotted for that reason. I might consider enlarging the slots to avoid messing with cams towers and valve geometry. Atleast temporarily

On the 280Z EFI engines Nissan stopped using the dropping resistors in 1982, for both EFI and ECCS engines, according to the FSM's. The FSM mentions current and voltage protection, but the injector solenoid coil is essentially the same as any relay coil. Seems like protection would be more for the ECU. Of course, current and voltage are related. A resistor won't lower voltage unless there is current. So, in terms of "breakdown" voltage, it seems to be a wash. Must be a current issue. But the injectors are cooled by gasoline. Just some random ramblings... 1981 Turbo Supplement 1978 EFI. Current and ECU -

With a new chain and gear set installed you could loosen the cam towers and raise them to find what thickness shim you need. That's what I'd do (if I was starting from scratch). p.s. a thicker head gasket will lower your compression ratio. Not good. p.s. 2 - although, raising the towers and cam shaft will also require new lash pads, I think. You're kind of in a bind, math and calculations are required. . .

In my opinion, that pop out in the drawing is for the profile of the drip rail not the clips. I have a bundle of loose drip rails, and don't recall seeing any clips. I have some 280Z's that are still attached to the cars. I'll look at those.

Seems I may have a few. Six are available. They are diabolically tough to extract from a drip rail. Unless you cut the end off and slide them out. In would easy, Just push straight in Quite amazed at how many of the drip rails I have contain none. Some contain a couple. One contained six. Many I have removed have none and were staying on just fine without them. The Fiche shows them across all years. I once thought they were added later when drip rails were falling off. Given the fun they are to remove, I find this hard to believe. Perhaps it’s their propensity for rusting away under the gutter that made them vanish.

Oh, interesting! I believe I have many that have a 7 on the head and are only 25mm long. Thanks for the offer! I will take a look again at what I have on hand today, and let you know.

I got 4 of these. Threads don't look great but may be able to chase them. There yours if you want them

Well let's start with the car is 50 years old. If you treated it as a cheap car and drove it in all sorts of weather, your repair aught to last another 50. If you properly prime your repairs and avoid salted roads I expect your repairs will last 100 or so years. I suspect at that point there will be other challenges to operating your 150+ year old ICE car on public roads. Provided you're still here. 😉

Me, too.

Beautiful restoration job, sounds like the guy does this regularly. "Dear Bidders. A few precision about the carburetors i’m selling. They were completely rebuilt by yours truly using only genuine mikuni parts. All gaskets, seals were replaced along with the pump diaphragm. All the hardware is original mikuni which can be seen by the JIS stamp on the screws. The zinc was professionally redone by a specialist company. The stacks are 50mm genuine vintage mikuni. The JDM Tomei intake was imported from Japan in NOS form. I still refreshed the zinc on it and vapor blasted. It is, as far as I hear, very close in shape to the original Datsun competition manifold and in demand in Japan. The carbs are sold with OA jet blocks and 160 starting jet installed. The inner venturis are there but they are only snugged allowing you to insert the size of outer venturi’s you want. Otherwise they are sold without jetting, as the size of jet inventory needed to statisfy every possible build is just too large. "

Blue , we are learning every day! About the not pointy hood , I remember Mr. Tamura and Mr. Yoshida told me that they were trying to shape the hood front edge not pointy . Mr. Tamura did free hand drawings for me at the dinner table , he explained how they wanted to be the headlight case . You see “ r 5 “ next to the head light case . To match the case , Mr. Tamura and Mr. Yoshida were making the head light cover trim ring as “ not pointy “ . Personally , I am a big fan of its sharp edge of the case . Early original is the sharpest due to aging I think , later metal case is never be that sharp on top of the edge . Here is the reference thread which contains the report of a dinner with Mr . Tamura and Mr . Yoshida . Kats

Here is a Mr.Tamura's hand drawing. This is one of his design work. kats