Zed Head

Hate to bring it up but if this is the first time removing it you might find that the breaker plate is rusty and not moving well. If you're lucky you can clean it up before it breaks the plastic bearing cage. Time for a "while I'm here" project, maybe.

I don't know the details but I think that SteveJ probably does, about how the fuel pump relay is powered from the voltage regulator. I think the the N pin on the back of the alternator powers the relay so that the pump only runs when the engine is running. And that small fuse block you show might be the fuel pump fuse, or it might be the one that blew (can't tell which is which is your pictures). In short, you might have a shorted fuel pump wire or fuel pump relay wire. Just a guess. I looked through the FSM and found some things that fit. EF-7 and EE-16. Edit - here's a thread where SteveJ mentions it - http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/47739-73-alternator-upgrade-specifics-with-respect-to-fuel-pump-relay/ @SteveJ

I think that I've read about broken sleeves, or snouts/noses. Comments about aluminum over steel. I have one that has a shallow notch worn it, probably from a throwout bearing that was seized. Edit - found one example. http://forums.nicoclub.com/transmission-front-cover-shaft-broken-t553719.html Edit 2 - notice the comment at the end about the pilot bushing. Don't know if it's true, but worth a look. Might also explain the broken bearing. Not uncommon, I would imagine, to forget to install a pilot bushing when swapping from an automatic.

How wobbly is the main/input shaft? I don't know how loose it could get but if the input shaft bearing is the one that went bad it might have enough wiggle room to contact the throwout bearing support. And the misaligned shafts can cause shifting and pop-out problems. The front covers are all the same for the 71B transmissions, except that the early ones are made of steel. Get that free 4 speed that was recently advertised here and you'll have a replacement front cover.

Where's the broken front cover? The metal debris in your hand is the ball retainer from one of your bearings. Check all of the bearings, one or two will not be the same as the others. Check the nuts that hold the shafts also, one of them might be loose. Which could have caused the bearing failure. Doesn't look terrible. People have shown similar and reported good fixes.

Arne? @Arne

Certainly possible that the carbon is full. It is 40 years old and the material doesn't last forever. It's not a real concern, just an interesting to me observation. That's why I added I added "est" to faint. I have to get my nose right down by the filter to smell the fuel, which I do to check for leaks since there are several hose connections there. Otherwise I wouldn't even notice. Everything works except that my gas cap doesn't hold pressure. Might make the fuel smell more noticeable of course, but I can't follow-up until I find a good cap. The early 280Z caps are not cheap. On the other hand, the system is open and those gas molecules will exit the carbon canister eventually if the engine is not run at speeds off-idle. Another odd factoid - it's a designed vacuum leak.

Funny, I just realized why the area around my fuel filter always has the faintest smell of fuel. It's right next to the charcoal canister. I've checked for leaks several times. None found. Deeper thought on the canister function made it clear. Bonus.

The purge control valve just controls when the line to the intake manifold opens up. The line from your tank is supposed to be open to the charcoal all of the time. The charcoal absorbs the vapors until the engine is running and can suck fresh air through it, pulling the vapors in to the engine. I would imagine that there are a few areas that could get clogged. You can pull the vent line from the tank and blow in to the canister to see if it's clogged.

It's described in the Emissions chapter. Basically the tank is vented through a line with a check valve to the carbon canister. The check valve is lightly spring-loaded so there could be a slight pressure build under normal conditions. If the tank cools and a vacuum is created the cap has a vent to let air in. You can remove the line from the tank at the carbon canister and suck on it. Remove the gas cap to let air through easily. There could be a clog in the vent line anywhere from the back to the front.

Came across another Hemmings thing while looking for ZAP stuff. Maybe posted already... https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hmn/2015/05/1975--78-Datsun-280Z/3748571.html

Never mind. I checked out some Google images. Looks plenty. Why'd you install it on the AC bracketry instead of the original spot?

Maybe give the guy a call and see if he'll part it and ship? With enough interest he might tear it apart and make one big trip to UPS or FedEx or wherever.

The key to making the job easy is having the right tools to start. A good stable lift for dropping the transmission, a way to support the back of the engine, a mallet or two for beating on things, some good prying tools. a clutch alignment tool, a way to lock the flywheel so you can get the bolts off, maybe a torch because they probably have thread locker. And a good step-wise plan. There are some things that you want to plan for so that you get them right the first time.

If he's only dropping it to replace the seal he could work around it without sliding it out. But, these simple projects almost always turn in to bigger "while-I'm here" projects. I replaced my brake pads a short while ago and had to resist the urge to bleed the brakes and retighten the wheel bearings. While I was there. In and out, new pads, done.

The person could be just extending the line of the strut tower. Nissan did the same when they went from the flat circular disc cover of 1974-75 to the taller rounder cover in 1976. Of course they put the seat belt retractor in there also. Looks like a great spot for speakers though. Wasted space otherwise. Derek was building some enclosures for the front but didn't get much feedback. Maybe he'd have some thoughts on something here. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/38515-low-profile-kick-panel-speaker-pods-now-available/ @Derek

Water Wetter won't do much at all to lower the freezing point of the water. Only 1/10 gallon (one bottle, 12 oz.) per 3-5 gallons will have little affect. The glycols are typically run 50-50 so the effect is much larger.

Where'd you take the pictures? There's a lot of work that's been done there.

So it's basically just a list of Scarabs that two guys who own/owned Scarabs have. Who started calling it "The Scarab Registry"? And what is the web page that texasz (Allan?) is working on about? Does he know Trevor and Craig? The cars and their history look interesting but I hope it's not one of those cliquey clubs. I'd like to know more about them. Hopefully people will share some knowledge. Seems like combining and validating what's out there would be a good idea before people disappear with what they have. Internet information, contrary to early hopes, does not last forever.

The "splash board", as Nissan calls it, belly pan or splash pan to most of us, is kind of a mysterious part. It's not mentioned at all in the Cooling chapter, but the shroud is. I've never seen any actual temperature measurements, but beandip does say his car handled differently without it. Might be one of those assumptions that happen occasionally. Maybe it's just for splashes. Seems like Nissan would have called it a shroud and/or mentioned its importance if it was designed for cooling. Who knows. beandip, #3 here - http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/21260-splash-pans/ Found this old article about overheating. Actually has some interesting stuff that was covered here recently, on temperature switches and sensor resistance charts. http://www.jrdemers.com/280ZX/overheat/overheat.html

That's a good point. 1974 is the last of that set of ratios. It's 1975 and on that has the big 2-3 jump that people don't like. A 1974 4 speed is not the same as the typical 280Z 4 speed. Might be worth putting in the title also.

Don't forget that the fan is for very low speeds and idling. Doesn't have much effect once you're moving. A full shroud would be a good next step if you don't have one.

You put For Sale in your title. Maybe edit it to For Free? To add to Patcons' comment, many of us have our old 4 speeds in the garage, From our own 5 speed conversions. And don't throw it away. Somebody will give $50 just for the front case, so they can convert a late model 5 speed (the 71C) to fit the L6 engine.

Mine's been leaking and I had a clutch slipping episode in a parking lot a short while back. Tried to squirt ahead and all I got was noise, then a bad smell. I'd been expecting it but hoped I'd get lucky. My leak takes a while to manifest after parking in the garage, a day or two, I assume because the oil is sprayed around the cavity between plate and engine then leaks down and out. Was your leaking seal just the round one on the crankshaft or the side seals also? I think I left the rear seal alone in my current used engine because it looked okay when I had the flywheel off. But it was ten years + old, three yeara ago

If you're sticking your meter probes on the cable ends you'll see what the alternator puts out but it may not be reaching the battery. So that bad connection needs fixing. Your voltage numbers look fine, it doesn't seem like you have a charging problem. The sparks and relays clicking show that you have a wiring problem that is leaving things powered up when the key is off. That's why your battery dies while sitting. You need to find that wiring problem. But the alternator and regulator seem okay. Try to figure out which relay is clicking and it will give a clue about the wiring problem.