beandip

Just go to the local parts store . They should have a spot weld cutter. Eastmans has them as well. Kragen , Shucks , Nappa. Just takes a electric drill . Gary

Good luck on this one. It could be a decent Z . The picture shows a little damage on the front of the hood. But you know the places to look for the rust devils . Let us know what you find. Gary:rambo:

Nissanman and I both told you how to chck the gague . Did you try that?? If the gague didnt read full , then you either have a bad gague , loose or broken wire or a bad connection. Nuff said :disappoin

I have a '73 so I already have the retractable lap belt. What I did was , I took the shoulder belt and retractor from a '75 280 z . I removed the clip on the end of the donor belt and used the one from my '73 z belt and took the belts to a good shoe repair shop and they stitch right over the old stitch marks. So now both retract. I have been using them now for a few years and like the outcome. I have heard that the front seat retractor on a 260 2+2 can be used as well for a early 240 that doesn't have the pockets in the floor like the '73 Z has. The 280 retractor bolts right where the original belt did . Plug in and play. Gary:laugh:

Contact Charley Osborne at Zedd and ask him. He may be able to come up with what you need. Since you cannot weld your self , I recommend that you don't cut away the bad stuff until you have the replacement pieces in hand. This way you can fit accordingly. Take the Z to a good shop and have it welded in place. Measure how much you think that you will need to remove and see what Charley , or any member can supply. Any one with a parts car out hear in the west should be able to supply what you need, I have front fenders but no inner panels. Gary

t_andrews, If you can find a donor car in your area this would be much easier to replace. Every early Z that I have checked the drain was plugged with a bead of sealer from he factory. You might have some luck with Zedd Findings. Those parts wouldn't be too costly to ship if he has them. Any thing can be rebuilt or repaired especially if you are living in an area where you have no alternative. Since you are here in the US this might be the best alternative. Since so much hangs onto this part of the car for support this is a must repair to do right. I would be surprised if someone here in the club didn't have a donor . Gary

I know that you are concerned about the new paint. I wouldn't cover the car for a week , just to be safe . Let the paint cure a little. Kids and handle bars, will be difficult to shield the car from that. I have my Z in the garage covered with a inexpensive cover . I never put the cover on the car unless it is absolutely clean , and fold the cover so the inside never contacts the out side surface of the cover. I waited for about 3 weeks before I covered my Z after paint. I think is was longer but at least 3. I think I paid about $40.00 for my cover. I don't have small children around my Z though. I have heard of guys sewing the insulation foam used for pipes on the inside of the cover along the exposed side of the car. The foam tube for a 3/4'' pipe is about 2 1/2'' thick . They are soft and shouldn't damage the paint plus they don't cost vary much. Sewn in place with fishing line should be easy. Gary

for one thing do NOT buy any rings or bearings until the engine is pulled and disassembled. You may need to turn the crank this would cause you to buy a different size bearing . The same for the rings. The timing chain and related parts would be good to buy , might think about a turbo oil pump. Freeze plugs set is another item you can pick up. A new set of head bolts and rod and crank bolts as well. Gasket set for the whole engine. This will be a good start. When you have head serviced the shop can install a set of valve seals . You could have a bad head that caused the failure in the first place. My 2 cts. Gary

to save you a bunch of money. Decide what and where you plan on racing. ITS what? Different associations have different rules and what is allowed.

I went from orange to yellow . It was a toss up which color. Sense it was a total repaint now now orange can be found anywhere . I had contemplated a dark blue, that looked black it was so dark. Beautiful color but decided that I wanted more visibility . Kind of ''why blend in when you can stand out'' sort of thing. Also like was mentioned dark colors show EVERY little blemish. When I was looking for a color, I went to PPG's web site and looked at the color chart for he different countries and what was popular at the time. Blue was #1 in the US and Silver in Europe . Australia # 1 was yellow . In the US yellow was way down the list. Since I did like the color I started looking around for yellow cars. This was '04 and Ford had just introduced the '05 Cobra in ''Screaming Yellow'' and this is what I picked. Now yellow is everywhere. I think Z cars and body shapes similar look best with bright colors. My 2 cts. Gary

Read KTM's post again. These locks are designed NOT to lock when the door is open. To test your locks , open the door and trip the latch as if the door is closed and try the key. If the key will not lock it, then check on how the lock is connected to the linkage. Don't forget to reset the latch before closing the door. You cannot lock these doors from the out side with out a key. Gary

Bart here are a couple of places to check. Charley Osborne at Zedd Findings datsunzparts.com is vary helpful and has the parts . Another is baddogparts.com They also have the sheet metal parts that I think you need or at least Charley Osborne will have the measurements you are looking for. I have use his floor pans and found them to be first rate. Gary

Disconnect the wires and touch the two together. the gauge should register full. And yes the sending unit is on the side of the tank toward the passenger side of the car . The fuel supply line and return are right by there also. If you remove the sender you can test it with a multimeter. I don't remember the resistance values right of the top of my head , but I am sure some one will have them. I have them written down and will look for them . Gary

cebu, I want to welcome you to the web site. Sorry for the rough start. I think your first post came across with some unrealistic expectations for what performance you can get from a 30+ year old engine. As was pointed out it is possible to do but not practical. At least for a car driven on the street. These cars cannot tolerate that sort of HP , unless you do some work to strengthen the body , since there is no frame. Any and all of this is vary expensive , including the engine work. Especially if you have to have any of it done. For your present set up. If you have flat top carbs , replace them with round top SUs. This will increase performance and drive ability. Find a '79-'80 280ZX Dist and this will improve the performance as well. If this car is a manual trans Z , you have a rear end gear ratio 336 to 1, find a z with a automatic they have a 354 to 1 ratio. The lower gears will give you more off the line and not so low that it is uncomfortable on the freeway. From there the cost curve goes up at a steep rate. I hope this is of help and food for thought. Gary

Tow ropes are not legal in all states. Much depends on how far you need to travel and over what sort of roads. I used my truck and a flat bed trailer. with no problem. I wouldn't tow my Z under any circumstances. Unless it was going to be destroyed by flood or fire. Gary

The excess pressure will over come the shut off valves on the floats of the carbs . the fuel level then will be too high and the engine will run rich with raw fuel running into the engine . the fuel will also spill out of the over flows and either run into the air cleaner box or onto a hot exhaust manifold. You can buy a pressure reducer to control the excess pressure. Running the excess pressure is a dangerous thing to do. Gary

Actually I like the looks of the car. Regardless what the original donor was. It looks like a old classic from the '20s and the ones pictured look well done. I suppose if I had the sort of money needed to build one, and had a chassis of some sort , Z or other wise it would be a fun project. Would I cut up a good car to build one? No. But one like the pictures would be fun to drive . My 2cts Gary

If your avatar is of your Z she looks great. welcome to the club. I agree about replacing the flat tops with SUs, either 4 screw or 3 screws. Keep your intake manifold. In fact keep the flat tops as well. In the future anyone with a completely stock '73 Z that wishes to show the car in that category will need flat top carbs to be period correct. Since most people just throw them away , they will be difficult to find in the future. One thing you can check on your present set up is the fuel rail return line. Where the return line of the fuel rail attaches to the rubber hose , then to the metal return line. The end of the rail line has only a vary small hole . About the size of a paper clip wire. If this becomes blocked , flake of rust or something, it will not allow the fuel to flow back to the tank. With the gas setting in the fuel rail over the manifolds the gas will start to boil causing ''vapor lock''. With the excess fuel flowing back to the tank , this helps to keep everything cool. This is the reason Nissan started using electric pumps, because the mechanical pump gets hot as well as all the metal fuel rail and by pushing cool gas through it was an attempt to cool things down and prevent the problem. I have round tops on my '73 and have for 8 years this Feb. . These are so much better carbs , you won't be sorry if you make the change. You will need the linkage that fits between the two carbs because your linkage is too short , the rest is a direct fit. the Air cleaner from the flat tops will not fit so find a early one. They are tuned and make more low end power than the aftermarket units. Gary:rambo:

Bkelly, I second Palmer on this one. I did my Z in my own home garage. The paint job turned out good. Not perfect but good. The paint , which I bought the best PPG paint, cost right around $700.00. This includes the primer and clear. and related supplies. If you want a 20 footer Mako will do. Until the rust blisters though. Otherwise find a shop that does Show/Hot Rods. there out there . I pulled my engine and all the glass and interior, dash included as well as all the wiring. It took me about 2 weeks to prep for paint . Not including the body work. These were 8 hrs + days. Lots of wet sanding. To get a vary nice paint job takes time and talent. EScanlon shot my car and he did a great job. If we had a real booth the car would have come out a 10+ . I think she is a 8 3/4 now. So depending on your expectations, and be clear to the shop doing the job, the cost will vary. The more you do to get the car ready the more you will save. Don't do any primer because the painters will just have to sand it off , if they are going to guarantee the job. Personally I like the engine bay to be the same finish as the body. This calls for the engine to come out. And all the stuff to be removed that is bolted and clipped in there. The glass should also come out , you most likely need new rubber any way. I think my job including body and paint complete would have cost at least $8,000.00. Most likely more. I just don't have that kind of money, so I did it my self. took almost 3 years. So choose wisely. Gary:rambo:

Arne , send Scanlon a email. He recently bought some for his Roadster. Gary

Welcome to the group . You will find if you do a search for things you are wondering about , you will find good info for almost everything . If you have further questions and or problems not covered there just ask. You will find that there are several hear that know what is what and are willing to help. Again Welcome. Gary

Great looking Z, Congratulations . Did you do all the work yourself or was it done by a local shop? I also think the color is right on. Not many lime green Z. I painted my Z yellow before it was popular , and now yellow cars are all over the place. Not too many Zs though. Like your car . I think it is better to stand out than blend in. She is a stand out! Gary:laugh:

I am running a '79zx Dist on my engine. I bought a second one at the bone yard for $25.00 from a '80 ZX . It was in great shape, Arne has it now on his Z. I am going to pick another when I come by one. All the ZX dist are the same accept for the turbo ones. It's the little black box , module, on the side that is different. So If you do find a dist on a '81-'83 pick it up and then find the 12-80 module and you are good to go. Be sure to get the mount the dist connects to that bolts to the engine block. your old part looks the same but it is not. Gary

Brown, I think you have the idea on the choke adjustments. you just need to adjust the length of the ''cable'' with the hex nuts so the lever all the way froward the nozzles are all the way up. for the vacuum pistons, with the engine not running lift the piston with your finger and let it drop. It should fall and bottom with a klunk. By the way are these 3 screw or 4 screw SUs? If the pistons do not fall freely there either dirty or the needles are misaligned to the nozzle. If the pistons fall freely. Start then adjusting the fuel mixture. Turn the mixture up, counter clockwise, all the way to the stop, on both carbs. Then turn them out, clock wise, 2 1/2 turns. This should let the engine run. Providing the timing and ignition is OK. After the engine is fully warmed you can set the idle at about 700 or 800 rpm. When adjusting these carbs , you disable one carb and adjust the other one. You disable the carb by lifting the vacuum piston. Now with the engine at idle, use your finger and lift the vacuum piston on one carb. If the engine dies it means the carb that is NOT disabled is too lean. Now if the engine runs smoothly the carb is too rich. Adjust accordingly in 1/4 turns. Then you need to adjust the air balance . For this you need a uni-sen or similar tool to balance the air of the carbs so that they are drawing equally. After this recheck the mixture , lifting the piston. and so on. When the mixture is right , the engine should stumble but continue to run when the piston is lifted. When this is accomplished I then ''blip'' the throttle to wide open and close , quickly. If there is a backfire out of a carb then this is a lean pop. Richin the mixture of that carb 1/8 turn. When this is done, set the idle where you like it . 600 rpm or so. This should do it . And No the '73s all came with flat top carbs. The Zs didn't' run all that well and if the new owner bitched long and hard enough they installed round tops at the dealer, to cure the problem. Keep us in the loop on how you are doing with this. hope this helps. Gary

I think Curtis nailed it. He described the position of the cam vs. the timing marks on the dampener right on. I have a question though. Has this engine been all apart? I am asking because if the head has been off you could have the valve timing out of whack. If it is too far off the valves will hit the pistons. Have you heard any clunking when you are turning the engine over? If this engine was just from another Z and had been running in the past . I bet you have the timing 180* off. A common mistake. When the #1 piston is at top dead center, and the lobes on the cam are pointing up like a V , the timing mark on the pulley should be opposite the pointer . The rotor in the dist then should be pointing to the #1 plug wire on the cap. Position the rest of the plug wires according to the firing order. the engine should start. As long as the valve timing is right. If your cam timing is off , I suggest you take the car to a mechanic . Keep us informed on how this turns out. All the best, Gary