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Hi Zed Head, you were correct! I temporarily placed the dash close enough to connect the three cables under the glove compartment. My noid light was nice and bright as she cranked with spark plugs removed. I need to replace the water pump or I would've fired her up. The seal is leaking quite a bit and I have the pump so it's off to the next item. Thanks again...much appreciated! ZT

We have a winner! The OER F390 is a perfect fit. It has a full length black metal backbone that slides nicely into the claws on the frame and the retaining clip locks it. Thanks to @SteveJ and @w3wilkes for the referrals.

I discovered this exact problem on a completely stock 1978 parts car. It would not actuate the injectors if the tachometer was disconnected. Apparently, some 280Z's will and some won't. I confirmed it a few different times on the 78 and my 1976 car. You'll find people that say theirs starts just fine without the tach and others like me who say it won't. After I switched to a different ignition system it didn't matter if the tach was connected or not it always started. So it seems like the ECU is very sensitive to what's happening on Pin 1. Short answer - you're probably right and it will probably start right up if you connect the tachometer. It's probably not the ECU. You did all of the right testing too. Good luck. . . .

Yep, I figure it only takes about a minute to document those before I bolt a part on and it can be a reference for others! I have continued with assembly in various areas on the car. I received the NOS brakes shoes, so I went about putting those on today. I found that I installed the levers for the handbrake functionality incorrectly, and had to take the wheel cylinders back off to swap the levers to the opposite sides. Would have been nice if instead of both having "R" on them, one had an "L" instead. I would not have mixed them up if that had been the case. Re-plated brake hardware, and new brake hoses: I find that putting silicone rubber around the circumference of the hub where the drum indexes is effective at keeping any water from finding its way into the rear brakes. Doing this is effective at stopping rust from seizing the drum to the hub "ring" and hub surface. I could use some help with a couple of questions I have about my alternator. First, I am nearly certain that these bolts are not the original alternator hardware. Does anyone have info on the original bolts and washers? Secondly, this was one of the first parts I think I acquired after getting the car. It was only $39, and I thought, "what a deal!" I went to mount it on the engine today and I noticed that, although the bolts are the right size for the alternator bracket, the lower holes in the alternator case are much bigger in diameter than the bolts. I believe there are some sleeves which are typically pressed into place and they are perhaps missing? Also, I kind of doubt this rebuild is high quality, but I couldn't find a "grapefruit" alternator... and don't know if my VIN should have one for sure either. So, this one will have to do for now. For the cooling fan, I was successful in obtaining an early metal type with original clutch assembly in good condition. However, I will be installing a plastic fan instead. I purchased an Aisin clutch and installed that and the pulley today. I also installed the first of the cloth braided hoses today. I think it was almost $900 for 11 hoses. I sent off many original hose clamps to be re-plated. Hopefully, I have all the ones that I need for the whole car. Oh, I wanted to mention... if any of you see that I have assembled something incorrectly, or am using the incorrect part for a 6/71 240z, or anything is "off" from what you believe to be original, please say something. I'd rather know about it than not. G

I have this alternator that I believe is original from a 2/71 my note says bad diodes. It has a little sleeve that I zip tied to it. If you are interested in the sleeve or the whole alternator let me know. I dont see me ever needing it.

I did!! ;) VHT = Very Hight Temp (paint). I’ve done this for decades on callipers and it seems to be pretty good - however, if you let lots of brake dust sit on it for a long time, then you need to touch it up. I’ve found Simonize VHT with a light spray over of Matt clear coat does the trick for years. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Incredible work friend

Ditto. It would be awesome to have access to that little sand blaster, the lathes, sheet metal brake, Beverly shear, etc.

He made those rivets on a lathe. You're not going to find them off the shelf anywhere. Someone would have to custom make them. And the machine he uses to peen the rivets is more than a simple straight down press. It's more like an impact hammer and press combined together to swage the rivets. If you listen, you can hear the buzzing sound of the impact. This guy has access to lots of machines. And your comment about the tolerance stackup is spot on. Each connection needs a tiny bit of clearance in order spin and the stackup causes that play. I've got machine shop envy.

I thought that those calipers were dark grey? (Maybe unpainted..?) I hear nobody talk about temp resistant paint? I would use some paint on it that can handle well over 150 Celcius.. (How much fahenrats that is i don't know 😉 )

Aw, it'd be a great trip - it's 75 degrees here right now... Kidding aside, I kinda doubt it would be the same as a 240Z - we have those stupid pistons and in stock form (who has factory rears anymore??) the rear bumper is still slim for the early 260, but mounted on the pistons and pushed away from the body. And then the lates have the park bench bumpers (most likely removed also!). edit: Just sent them an e-mail - we'll see what they come back with about waitlist time...

Also have Mikuni set up. Had to trim the manifold some to clear the thermostat housing. Pretty common on these. I am not a fan of your choice of head studs. Some of those are too short for my liking. Same with the Mikuni studs. Just too short IMO.

Nice clean work! Compressor looks really good

Did some stuff… Chopped up and rebuilt my compressor bracket to move it up and toward the block… I rehabilitated my transmission gussets and made them work on this 720 transmission. The gussets needed relief to accommodate the rear left corner of aluminum oil pan and the bolts. You can see where I carved that out in the process shot below where they are hanging on wires. I tapped the bell housing for m8-1.25 manifold studs and finished it off with flange nuts.

Trans is definitely whiny - but it does have 250K on it. I only have to deal with it for a year or so, after that I'm doing a 350Z drivetrain conversion with the 6 speed. Should be all good after that.