zKars

Sounds like you distorted the holes in the alternator. Start by removing the alternator to get it out of the way, and making sure the bolts still thread into the cast piece on the block. If not you'll need a tap to clean them up. You didn't break one off did ya? If the bolts still thread in nice, the use a drill bit to open up the holes in the alt to allow you to enough clearance to get the bolts back in Of course take a real close look at the alternator and make there is no damage.

There is a site that shows the unique case indicators that show if its a 77-78 5sp, or one of the two zx 5 speeds. dual or one-sided muffler hanger castings back at the tail, and long or short ears where the shifter pin goes through. Dual muffler bracket w/ short shifter ears is the 77-78 5sp I believe. Single sided muffler hangers are all zx, long ears make it the 82-83 5sp. (T5 not included in this discussion). This does not help you understand if your car came with a factory 5, just clarifies the origin of the trans you have in there now. Hope this helps

The console bolts (the three in the rear that go in vertically) are 5x0.8, the two glove box lock bolts are 4x0.7mm. You will need to run that tap through with some lube and clean them up, thats all. Hopefully they aren't beyond repair. Wood screws, ouch.....

There is at least one other Z owner on the islands, he's pretty helpful. Trying to remember his name....

Mostly experience. I also like the game of "show me a bolt and I'll tell you where it came from and what year Z its off of." but that's just me..... Another approach might be to take the dizzy with you to the bolt store and start trying this and that until you find bolts that fit. And SteveJ is dead right, a thread gauge is a wonderful thing. Just remember 12x1.25, 10x1.5 (engine block), 10x1.25 (suspension), 8x1.25, 6x1.0, 5x0.8, and 4x0.7 make up 98% of the bolts thread specs on a Z. What varies is length, presence of a shoulder, strength (grade), head,type, finish, and at least 10 other things.... Happy thread hunting!

Those do not appear to be the classic zg flares. Much too small and mounted quite low. My guess is custom molded in flares. It does look pretty nice, very subtle...

The larger one that holds the dist. adjustment plate to the base on the block is 6mm x 1.00 mm, about 15mm long. The smaller one that goes upward, into the body of the dist is 5mm x 0.8mm, about 10mm long. Nothing fancy, common sizes.

There are at least three z owners in your area that I know of. You are not alone!

ZDogg: Welcome back to the Z life! As you have found out, resistance is futile. No sense fighting it, just go with it. There are many like minded zealots in your area, come out to the next z club meeting, we' love to meet ya! Drop me a line and I'll hook ya up. Either Leave a private message here (PM) or z240@shaw.ca

Tip wise, about the only thing I can add is don't forget the two small 6mm bolts that go vertically into the front cover through the two tabs at the front of the head. The one by the fuel pump is pretty obvious but its friend by the dizzy is hiding pretty good, especially if its caked with gunk. And don't forget to put them back in.

No need to pull the valve cover. Open the oil cap and take a look for the spray bar. And for confirmation, get the cam lobe thats right there pointing up and look for a hole in tip of the lobe face.

The mechanical fuel pump is the fault. weak when cranking, takes forever to pull fuel from the tank. This is likely made made worse by a weak check valve in the pump that lets the fuel drain back. The pump works adequately when the rpms are up.

Most 3mm bolts are 0.5 mm pitch. I have a couple of old grills that I haved used for parts in the past, I'll look and see if I have any of those bolts. Do you need the ones in the center or at the ends? An alternative may be to get some 1/8" brass or soft steel rod from a hobby store or such and thread the ends for #2-54 nuts or something like that? Maybe someone like McMaster car has 3mm all-thread!!!! just checked. Sure as heck McMaster car does have 3mm all thread in steel, brass and SS none the less!!!. 1 meter long in brass is $12.69. That place is amazing.... Just search for all thread, then look at the low strength. They probably have it grade 10.9

Never seen them advertised. Only ever seen two pair on real cars, both 75-78 280Z here in Canada. Good luck.

A reliable source for these things at last supercedes any rule breaking! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Might want to put a For sale ad in the classified section, just because... We don't have a vendor forum like hybridz... Don't forget to tell them too...

the key code is also located stamped into the passenger door lock cylinder (assuming it hasn't been changed...). Not the easiest to get to, but good to remember!

I'll dig them out tomorrow and take a look.

They are totally different, no fitty. I have a couple of used ones in decent shape if you get desperate. Catch me at z240@shaw.ca

Take the other lower bolt out and take it with you to be sure, but all the spare engine alternator brackets I have are threaded with a 8mm x 1.25 thread. About 30-35 mm long should do it.

To clarify psdenno's statement, the drivers side (Left) rear is the farthest distance from the master due to the location of the T in the brake line back there (right side). It pretty doesn't matter which rear side you start with, I've never had trouble either way. Keg, go ahead and bleed the others, and keep your fingers crossed. Its Christmas after all!

Please tell us what distributor/coil system you're using (240 points, 280 reluctor, 280zx E12-80/92 or aftermarket) and if you have the stock 240 tach. If you have a stock 71 tach then the power to the coil runs through the tach, making it pretty tricky to just have the car run with the tach disconnected. So, as a first and easy test, disconnect EVERYTHING from the + side of the coil, and connect a temp jumper wire from that post to the + side of your battery thus eliminating the tach and regular power supply to the coil. Do this JUST before you start the car, and go for a drive. Note that turning your ignition off will NOT cause the car to quit, you'll have to remove that jumper to get it to stop. Let us know what happens.

Can't imagine anyone here recommending you drive your Z in the winter. Its a garanteed way to have it rust to nothing in record time destroying you dream machine. That said, they are quite capable handling winter cars when wearing good winter tires, so if this is your only choice of a car to drive, then get some good Michelin X-ice or similiar and have fun! Just remember the heat and defrost power of the HVAC system is not up to modern standards. Come to think of it, I somehow I made it through several Saskatchewan winters with my 510/610 back in the day, so I'm sure you can too.. Just be prepared to throw it away come spring. Something, none of us want to see happen.....

Due to extreme boredom last evening sitting in an airport waiting for a late flight I took the time to look at every FSM I had handy to understand the "facts" about this fill nonsense. -72 barely mentions more then "put the transmission back in when your done working on it" -73 at last mentions you should fill it after re-assembly. -by 74 it actually says "fill to the level of the fill plug". -This continues until 78 where they revert to saying little more than "don't forget to fill it." -The next FSM I have is 82, and it again has gone back to saying "fill to the level of the fill plug". - Most of the above statements are accompanied by a note about the capacity to use, some say to refer to the tables. The pages and sections where these points are made vary from FSM to FSM, though always in the "transmission" (be it TM, early, or MT, later) section. It did find it once on MT-5, but that varied as well. So guess what, each of you are all "right" in the scope of your personal experience, what you've read in your personal FSM study, heard on line here or elsewhere. I came from the "find the specs & capacity table and put in that much" school. How could following that logic ever be 'wrong' after all? (this is my "right" in my realm of how things work). Never noticed any mention of approximate, and I've never seen the statement in (some of) the FSM's about "fill to the plug level" until I read more carefully and widely. Every tranny I've ever filled NEVER overflowed or even dribbled when I put in the official" amount, so the concept of "fill to the plug level" was "wrong" to me. Being level is never simple to achieve or measure, so I'de never use the "fill until you begin to make an environmental disaster" approach. Again, all from my perspective of how things work. Seems even Nissan is not a perfect guide on the subject either. Frankly it is not possible to tell which approach is correct. If your transmission stays working, you have the correct method for you! So from now on, when someone makes a point that appears in-accurate from your perspective, please consider that there may be an opportunity for learning opening before you, rather than a chance to criticize. JMTC

Mechanically its a direct fit. Electrically, no. Just take the dash structure from your 260, take all gauges and wiring from your current dash. That said, the gauges themselves are all interchangable with the exception of the amp/volt miss match.

The wing nut mounting requires them both to be from a 240 dash.