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Proof I made it! This is at the judged show. I wasn't ever able to register though because I think it was full. But the zcon organizers liked the car and told me to park it on the show field anyway. Im honored!!

Well I made it! Got in late and just laid low. Had a beer with my local Z buddy from home. We met along the way for the last leg near Nashville. Man was that a long trip. But we made it!!!!!! I'm not sure which surprised me more with the success... Me, or the car!!😃

Im in good company!!

Todays event... I put a160 degree thermostat in. Didn't expect it would help anything, and it didn't. But just for completeness, I had to. So cut some gaskets from sheet with the scissors that came from the first aid kit and the hole punch borrowed from the hotel lobby desk. Haha!

@Yarb Made a little progress today. I got the reverse lights fixed with the help of Yarb and my little helper was in town too. Yarb sent me a new switch he had. It's longer than the one I ordered Yarb, do you know the part number for that switch?

@Yarb has been trying to track down an electrical problem…

When you are walking back to your car at a rest stop and see a puddle under it. Then you get close and realize it's just a condensate puddle from the AC of the guy in that spot before you. Phew!!

Changed out fuel filters from 2015 when I did all the work on my 240. Anyone that may be on the fence about Red-Kote fuel tank liner, done the right way it's fantastic from what these filters show or don't show. Heres the G2 right out of the tank. It looked great besides being 10 years old. Fuel came out clear to as I drained out about a gallon before my dumbasss realized the hose on the tank had to be clamped off. Lawnmower gas.😊 I haven't fooled with mine since a knee surgery sidelined me but after @Captain Obvious's heroic adventure got me fired up enough to at least do something. If that beer guzzling rascal can do what he did, ain't nobody got an excuse.😂

Thanks for the continued support guys! The car has a total of 71000 miles. And looking at the condition, it's a true 71000. So it's typical sketchy details when buying something like this used, but it appears the odometer has not rolled over. And of those miles, I've put about 1400 of them on since I got the car on the road. 400 before departing for Nashville, and about 1000 to got here.

On the south side of Knoxville. Letting him cool off for a little bit. Anyone from the forum there who would like to have a beer with a weary traveler tonight?

I'm in Christiansburg, VA. About halfway to Nashville. Travel has been OK. Only problem with the OG is the temps keep creeping up. The radiator needs work. It's right at the borderline at about 65 mph. If I try to run above that, the radiator runs out of compliance and the temps creep up. So I'm finding that I have to keep the speed between 60 and 65. Not ideal, but considering this car hasn't seen the road in 45 years, it's doing great. More news as it develops.

First thing - the AFM does indeed have a wiring connector, it's of Bosch design (as is the entire EFI system in your Z) and it's, like most Bosch connectors of that era, a PITA to remove. If your AFM is in place it will be difficult to see as it's underneath all that. Second thing - you really need to make sure the injectors are opening. It's sort of easy if you have the right stuff, and can be done in place IF you know how to release and remove the BOSCH injector connectors... If for instance you HAD a spare Bosch injector connector with a pigtail, you could put it on each injector in sequence and use a 9-volt battery to quickly apply and remove voltage to the pigtail wires. Yes, a 9-volt battery will open an injector. If you hear the distinct CLICK of the injector opening you can immediately rule out the "crapolla, the injector is stuck closed". (here I have to say: one side of the battery needs to be permanently connected, the other (doesn't actually matter which) needs to be loose so you can just tap the exposed wire end to the bare pole quickly. You DO NOT want to hold voltage to the injector except for a very brief period of time - that's how they work, milliseconds... IF STUCK they in truth need to be pulled and cleaned (and flow balanced) by a professional shop OR replaced - BUT most of the time I can get a stuck injector opening again by rapidly tapping the wire for awhile (several seconds or more) until I hear it clicking. That may help you in your effort to get it running even if things are not all perfect. The injector is a coil (an electromagnet) so both of those spade connectors are actually tied together by the coil. You should see that when testing with an Ohm Meter - leads placed on the two should show a steady Ohm value. If that circuit is OPEN, the injector is bad and you can't fix it. Now, you can also test that the injectors are getting voltage - they should ALWAYS show battery voltage if the Ignition switch is in the ON (or Start) position. And, because it's a coil, you WILL see voltage on BOTH sides IF the harness wiring is connected to the injector. If the injector connector has been removed you will see battery voltage ON ONE SIDE of the connector an not the other. The ECU asserts a ground to the other side of the connector to open the injector and, like I said, this happens FAST. You will never see this activity with a meter (oscilloscope yes). Because they are basically a coil IT DOES NOT MATTER which side gets power and which gets a ground signal. Most people wire the "hot" side consistently to one side of the connectors, BUT they don't have to! There is NO "+" side or "-" side. If there was, the injector would tell you.

Of course I think of you every time I wear that shirt. Wish you could have made it to the show. Miss the opportunity to share a beer with you!

I got no words... This is right now. Couldn't be more appropriate.

I reckon that they saw the PA license plates and determined that if you were crazy enough to drive it down to Nashville, your car deserved to be seen with the rest of the cars.

That's a late one. Never heard it. I was listening to them on vinyl on a cheap record player with a penny taped on the stylus.

I have some OEM, two used and one NOS.

What do you think @Mark Maras , Raisin Bran or Chex?

They look better wet.😁 Mine has water allergies though. Now for some windshield time.

Sometimes the journey is more rewarding that the show, congrats on all your efforts to make it to the event! Let's see what it can do on the track.

I would. But it will take me 35+ hours to get there. If I leave immediately. And break the speed limit.

You can download the Factory Service Manual for every year of Z car at nicoclub.com ( https://www.nicoclub.com/datsun-service-manuals ) Coil specs: Engine Electrical EE-26. Electrical Schematic: Body Electrical BE-5 I described the wiring for the tach operation above but: The coil gets battery voltage at Ignition ON through a Black/White wire. Black/White is a Nissan standard throughout the Z cars of the 70's for "battery voltage (or whatever the alternator delivers) when the ignition switch is in the ON position. NEVER assume a Black/White wire in a Datsun has anything to do with GROUND - IT DOESN'T! BUT - the 240Z Tach works on amp draw. SO, the tach needs the B/W that powers the coil to run through it (the tach) FIRST (before it feeds the coil). A ballast resistor was common for ALL single coil distributor engines of that era. Nissan designed the circuit so that power to the coil when through the BALLAST before the tach and coil. That's why the wiring is a bit confusing. IN THE STOCK CONFIGURATION, There are three (3) wires that make this happen: TWO Black/White (B/W) wires and ONE Green/White (G/W) wire that are in the harness bundle that pass in front of the radiator core support and then through a hole in the left side and end up in the coil area. (The coil and the ballast resistor are side-by-side) IF all three of those wires are temporarily disconnected. ONLY ONE of those two B/W wires will have power at IGN ON. Stock config: The B/W with battery voltage would attach to one side of the BALLAST. The Green/White (G/W) would attach to the OTHER SIDE of the BALLAST. The G/W returns to the TACH. From the Tach, the SECOND Black/White (B/W) RETURNS to the COIL "+" terminal. (IF you were eliminating the ballast for some reason, the B/W with power should attach to the G/W so it feeds the tach before sending power to the coil through the second B/W...) THUS: B/W from IGN Switch -> BALLAST -> G/W back to TACH -> B/W to "+" side of COIL...

Sorry, that is positive earth smoke. It won't work on our negative earth cars.

Thanks for the reply and it does make sense. Maybe I'll see if I can find another tach or a replacement smoke kit. Hopefully Lucas parts would be compatible with our Z cars!

Update from the Good Captain: He called me from Bristol, VA. He's making good progress, and the car is holding together, though he is still concerned about the cooling capacity of his radiator. I told him to run the heat, too, but he declined. (Obscure reference: Watch Gumball Rally when the Camaro is running hot.) He expects to hit NashVegas this evening.

Texted you...does you phone do texts? 🤣

So I considered registering the OG for the judged show just for entertainment value*. But I could not figure out how. I could not see any option to attend. Is that show full and they aren't accepting any more entrants? Anybody have a phone number for someone on the org committee? My electronic footprint is low while I travel, but I can text. *Him - "Dude, your car looks like asss, why are you here?" Me - Yeah, your car is beautiful, but I can see 1000 things that aren't original. And I drove mine almost 1000 miles to get here.

Hi - I read this : "Whatever you're writing in your messages must be something he's avoiding." 1) assumption without proof that I'm avoiding him 2) Insinuation that there is a sinister reason I'm avoiding him "must be'' Any reason he would be avoiding you? 3) Insinuation that there is a sinister reason I'm avoiding him reinforced Not a good look for him if there's no good reason. 4) Negative prediction and quite frankly pointless statement - I don't ignore anybody, who would ? Help, where ? Tagging me here wouldn't if I was avoiding him here.....which I wasn't ! Why DM a guy who doesn't respond to a customer's messages? I implied DM the enquirer, in this case texasz, with your opinions w/out facts rather than imply publicly what you did - that's not helping my business nor the potentiel customers' confidence - please think. Have a great day now - it's past ! :-)

If you do get the engine running well, replace all of the old fuel lines on the rail and the injectors before too much driving. I smelled gasoline on mine one day while driving and when I opened the hood a tiny stream of gasoline shot by me on to the sidewalk. They dry out and crack lengthwise. The small stuff will eat up a lot of your time but it's worth it once you're done.

I’ve mentioned it some many times in the past about replacing each and every connector on the EFI harness and cleaning each connection in that arena. You will be amazed at the corrosion that you find on each connector and the wire itself. I had to shorten some wire by over an inch before I could find wiring that was suitable to crimp/solder.

The engine can run off puddled fuel in the intake manifold. If the injectors were opening the engine would continue to run. cgcheen's suggestion about testing with a 9 volt battery was a good one. You can run separate jumper wires if you don't have an EV1 connector. With a 9 volt alkaline battery you don't have to worry about melting wires if you accidentally short them. You'll hear a click when you connect the 9 volts, if they're opening. Also, with 9 volts you can leave the voltage connected while you tap them. You'll have the solenoid pulling them open if you can get them to break loose. Pin 1 at the ECU is the ignition signal that the ECU uses to monitor engine RPM. It's connected to the negative terminal of the coil. It should read battery voltage with the key on. But it also needs a certain type of voltage pulse. There are things that can screw it up. You're making great progress.

I understand that, AI is a smorgasbord of articles massaged into one. He mentioned he was searching AI. The reason why I asked the question.

How long since a new fuel filter up front on the passenger's side? Sounds awful familiar of a clogged up tank. You can run a hose before the pump to a gas can to bypass the tank as an easy test

I can still learn! Yay? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet_Duck Toilet Duck is an American brand name of toilet cleaner noted for the duck-shape of its bottle shaped to assist in dispensing the cleaner under the rim. The design was patented in 1980 by Düring AG from Dällikon, Switzerland.[2][3] It is now produced by S. C. Johnson & Son. The Toilet Duck brand can be found in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries around the world. In Germany, it is known as WC-Ente, previously produced by Henkel,[4] and now by S. C. Johnson (Germany).[5] In the Netherlands and Flanders it is called "Wc-eend", in France it is sold as "Canard-WC" and in Italy as "Anitra WC". In Hungary it used to have the name "Toalett Kacsa". Meanwhile, in Spain, it is sold as "Pato WC", in Portugal as "WC Pato", and in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Chile as "Pato Purific" or simply "Pato". In Indonesia, it is one of the "Bebek" (duck) line of products, such as Bebek Kloset, Bebek Semerbak, Bebek Semerbak Flush, Bebek In Tank, and Bebek Kamar Mandi.

Well you don't know me as a music snob, just a greasy guy from Alabama, but you need to listen to that album. I'm going out on limb without google.com but that's the last one? P.s When I was young you could flip the needle over for a new one.

its not near close enough to get into the intake. I did test the injectors and they are coming up with 12V now. When i tested them i was testing while cranking thinking both sides would be (+, -) but both sides are showing 12v. i can make it leak anywhere on the fuel rail and it seems to work. its really odd. i dont know how the fuel pressure regulator works but maybe i have too much pressure? Ill check the RPMs. EDIT: RPMs shows, i can keep revs around 800-1000+ and it runs for 10 seconds then stops every time. I engine has warmed up and I tighened the all the hope clamps so gas isnt leaking out and it still runs. Maybe whatever cobwebs were cleaned out since its been sitting for 10+ years. will continue to read and troublshoot.

Actually (I think) this only true if all of the injectors are disconnected. It's a parallel circuit for the 280Z EFI. Batch fire injectors. CO pointed that out way back when I mentioned getting voltage on both sides. Or it might be if the injectors on the same transistor are all disconnected (there's two, either 3 + 3 or 4 + 2). The later sequential systems wouldn't do this. Anyway, I have seen 12 on both sides, which was confusing. But can't remember the conditions under which I was measuring. There are other tricks to test the injectors and the injector circuits. Like tapping coil negative to ground three times. But, it's best to do the simple stuff first, probably.

This is probably my favorite Steely Dan from the only CD I have of theirs. They were a tight playing group on that disc.

Never mind! Coffee kicked in. 3 outer and only 2 inner shims. I read back through that and this doesn't make sense. Diseazed do you know how many valve spring washers Eiji uses? I don't know him like you do and kinda scared to call and ask a bunch of questions until I am actually ready to do mine. I know he's a busy man. Because .080" longer valves are now in the head the springs must be shimmed up to from the bottom to retain the same spring tension. The washers are hardened steel and are there to prevent galling of the aluminum head...don't get them from the hardware store. The stock head came with only one shim under each per spring is exactly .040" in thickness. So just add 2 more under each outer spring (total fo three) and you can achieve the desired increase of .080". Washers used to be available at MSA and were inexpensive. The single stock washer under the inner spring is also .040" thick. But you can only add a total of 2 washers under the valve seal instead of 3, as it won't let the valve seal lock-ring seat properly. The inner spring is more of a "helper" spring and won't be adversely affected, I've had no problems using only 2 washers here and I rev my engine to 7,300.

Have you read datsungarage p79 modification? You shave 80 off, shim cam towers 80 higher and use the valves from the N head. https://datsunzgarage.us/p79/

I do, I ordered another from Nissan to replace mine. When I get back in town from Boston, I’ll post the p/n. Can’t remember if it was superseded.

Provide some details about the car. Is it a California car with a converter or is it a Federal car without? There will be a sticker on the door jamb that says Catalyst or No Catalyst. I found the patent describing the concept. If the system follows the patent there will be some hardware attached to the air intake system after the AFM. Attached below. If it was mine I would disconnect it and get the wiring back to factory stock in order to simplify things until you get the engine started. There are numerous reasons that it might not be starting. Start with the basics - power to the coil, spark, tach signal, etc. Download the 1980 EFI book and do the electrical tests. Try starting fluid if you have spark. Make sure the fuel pump is working, etc... I'd also start a separate thread where everything you try is contained. Sometimes people start multiple threads and you can't tell what's been done. It can take a while to get things right after an EFI car has sat. https://patents.google.com/patent/US5163412A/en "Pollution control system for older vehiclesAbstractA pollution or emission control system for retrofitting on older vehicle engines includes a catalytic converter with an in-built oxygen sensor for mounting in the exhaust line, and a supplemental air input line containing a control valve for connection to the engine intake manifold to control the amount of air supplied to the engine. A computer monitors the oxygen sensor output and the engine speed, and controls opening and closing of the control valve according to the detected conditions. The computer also controls the speed at which the valve is opened or closed dependent on the engine speed and optionally the engine temperature, so that the valve can be closed faster at slower engine speeds and opened faster at higher engine speed. The computer is additionally capable of producing diagnostic telemetry, both digital and analog, to assist installation of the invention and test for proper operation once installed."

Couldn't help you with that, but I doubt either part would keep the tach from operating if it's wired properly (the tach and coil) . And if it's running - and running well - why would you think there might be an issue between the MSD coil and Pertronix module? The distributor module (Pertronix, points, 280ZX "matchbox", whatever) gathers info from the crankshaft and sends a "signal" for the coil to fire. It momentarily asserts a Ground on the coil "-" terminal. The rotor "distributes" the released coil energy to the various spark plugs at the appropriate time. If any of that isn't working properly there would be no well running engine.

Hey all, wanted to start a thread to track the restoration of a 1978 280Z I got in April. This is my first personal restoration/project car I've undertaken so much of this is learning as I go and just fumbling through it. Photos of the car/progress will be kept up-to-date within a Google Photos Album (will likely cull stuff periodically to save space). Current focus is getting it mechanically sound enough that I can just take it out and drive it. At that point I'll start on the rust repairs. April 4thAccording to the previous owner (Brian) and verified by documentation provided to me during purchase the car was originally an Arizona car. I'm unaware if that was the first owner but may track that down at some point. Story given to me was that the Brian had bought the car during High school in 2014 as a project but largely sat unused. At time of purchase the odometer read 44,286 miles. According to Brian this is the original miles and it had not rolled over. Previous title odometer reading indicated 40,000mi. As such I'm skeptical as to whether or not that's true. That being said one of the first things I did after getting the car home was to run a compression test on all 6 cylinders. Given they all tested in at 170-175 does give some minor credence to the possibility. Furthermore the car ran at time of purchase, albeit not well. I was additionally informed that the brakes were also largely non-functional. When running the car appears to be giving off a blueish smoke, indicative of it burning oil; upon revving producing black smoke, indicative of running rich. See video of exhaust TodayTo spare all of you a wall of text I'll condense what I've done thus far since the above. Many of the injector connectors were replaced with push-to-release connectors but not all, additionally the previous work involved a really shoddy soldering job. I've since replaced all injector connectors, as well as the AAR. I also chose to solder but this was done using a lasso method. Even if the others weren't problematic, knowing how bad they were I wouldn't be able to let it go. Only connector not yet replaced is the Cold Start Injector. Approximately 80% of the vacuum lines have been replaced in addition to all fuel hoes from the feed to the return hard lines with the exception of the injector hoses. I've lashed valves to ensure they're within spec according to the FSM, ensured all grounds (7 of them) in the engine bay are nice and clean, and replaced all 6 spark plugs. Once the above was done I took a vacuum reading while the motor was running and seem to be getting a fluctuating reading between 11-15 in Hg. From my research it should be closer to 18-20 in Hg I believe so this indicative of something still being off. Additionally checked plugs, all are fouled (unsurprising due to rich/oil conditions). Recently got a borescope so I've also scoped all cylinders. #5 is the one I've suspected the most thus far based on the plugs. Upon scoping there's a small puddle of oil within the dish of the piston. #6 also appears to have some level of oil on the piston, but not near as much. Otherwise all the cylinders per my eyes look to be in healthy shape. See scope results, and video of vacuum reading here. At this point I'm a little unsure where to focus my energy. Compression test was good but that doesn't paint a complete picture. Considering attempting to do a leak down test and potentially replace valve stem seals. Although that won't do much for helping to fix the richness issue which I believe to be the bigger priority. Will try to periodically update this.

Little update as I don’t have much time to work on the car. After connecting the AFM to a spare battery and testing the voltage on pin 7 I noticed very inconsistent voltage readings and a lot of gaps in the carbon track even though it doesn’t look damaged. And yes I know the AFM has a logarithmic scale with a range of 0 – 9 Volt, Its basically just a voltage divider and a potentiometer in one. Here is a picture I found together with the link and some other useful links (last one is for a Range Rover but it’s the same concept and same Bosch style AFM). https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/afm/sizeupgrade/index.html https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/afm/index.html https://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/AFMadjust.html After a bunch of searching I did fine more reference pictures of the Datsun 7 pin AFM’s and other Bosch AFM modules of the same type, that bend is 100% not supposed to be there. I did notice that if I press the copper part of the wiper hard against the carbon track I do get some sort of reading but so maybe somebody tried to “fix” the AFM by bending the wiper. Unfortunately the track has failed in its entirely and I can’t find anybody that can fix the circuit board. Enlarging the bolt slots and moving the wiper to a fresher part of the track also didn’t work. This lead me deep into the Bosch AFM rabbit hole that is the world of Datsun / BMW / Porsche forums. I found an Australian forum post that mentions a slightly larger 90’s Toyota AFM being plug and play for his L28E 280Z(X?) with the part number F201 13 210 (197100-3420). This is also a 7 pin style AFM With the same internal (and pin) layout as the Datsun 7 pin AFM’s. When looking if I could find this AFM in Europe I actually found one at a local junkyard from a 1988-1992 2.2i GT Turbo 12V Ford (USA) Probe for €25,- so I ordered it immediately to try and test this theory (same AFM was also used on the Mazda 626 and 929, also found a part number from Standerd "MF9107"). The original post did mention you need to loosen the tension on the flap by 3 teeth as the flap is bigger than the Datsun AFM’s. https://www.viczcar.com/forums/topic/6951-larger-afm-for-a-280zx If this doesn’t work I will continue to look for an replacement Datsun AFM that doesn’t break the bank (I know, that’s a tough one). I might also look into making a custom plug and play MAF swap. I found a US based company called Split Second that makes MAF to AFM conversion modules and MAF conversion kits for BMW’s. They also have a 0-9 Volt module (PSC1-009) that might work with the stock Datsun ECU in theory. https://splitsec.com/product/psc1-009-programmable-signal-calibrator-afm-to-maf-hv-output https://splitsec.com/wp-content/uploads/technotes/TN2_AFM_to_MAF_Conversion.pdf And yes I will post all my findings online as there isn’t much information to be found about AFM sensors and there alternatives. Also no I don’t want to carb swap my car, I want to stay EFI but don’t want to spend thousands yet to upgrade the entire EFI system. If anybody has a 0-5 Volt (or 5-0 Volt) AFM module that needs a rebuild / modernization I found an interesting company in Switzerland called SyncroSweets that swaps the wiper potentiometer for a modern programable potentiometer that’s plug and play. https://www.syncrosweets.ch/en/luftmengenmesser

It should be 36psi with the car not running! It should drop at idle based on manifold vacuum

The interior is where I check to see if the speedo has turned over. Seat, carpet, and especially pedal cover wear are good indicators.

Hi and Thanks Man, I greatly appreciate the detailed response. Fortunately I did not pay a dime for it :D! I pulled it from my Dad's barn in Iowa, hauled it back to the East Coast a year ago and put it into a garage. Your assessment is greatly appreciated, since I haven't done a unibody / monocoque car before, but I suspected this may be a larger undertaking than I had originally planned. I was planning to strip off the fenders doors, etc. this week to better assess the rest of what I can't see, but you have given me a solid starting point to evaluate it all. Although I can paint and weld, the cost for the sheet metal parts to cover your list above will probably run more than I had originally planned, which will require some adjustment to my timeline and expectations for sure. Your guidance/advice is definitely going to be considered as I take a closer look at the hidden structural elements such as the A pillars, etc. Very much appreciated and Thanks amigo!! Mike Baltimore, MD