Zed Head

The FSM's are here - http://www.classiczcars.com/files/ A little difficult to figure out at first. The links are on the right and sometimes you'll get a "no file here" message. Plus if you click on "Resources" it takes you to the "Community" page for some reason. You can only get there by hovering over Resources. At least on my system. Windows 7 with Chrome. You'll want to download some of these even if you get a ZX engine. Assuming you meant 280ZX and not 300ZX. That would be the VG30 engine, a whole different game.

Actually it is "too" soon if you're comparing to the cam card. I just look at the B or the A in BTDC (before top dead center) and ABDC (after bottom dead center), and the like. If the B number is bigger than the cam card, then it's sooner, more advanced, more early, more "before". But if the A number is bigger then it's later, more after. The numbers are in relation to the "dead center" point chosen. You can recalculate them in other terms if you want. The ATDC number is the one that's not early. It's a bigger "after" number. I missed it. Two bigger B's, one smaller A, and the bigger A (the later than the card timing event). Edited (again) - don't know my A's from a hole in the ground. Original version in madkaw's quote. Delta cam must have large tolerances in their specs, or sloppy equipment. Most people wouldn't check the quality of the job like german240 did. Disappointing that they couldn't give a good answer to the question.

Since you had the problem before you replaced the distributor, a problem with the ignition switch seems possible, as mentioned. Since you removed the ballast resistor. The R terminal at the switch. People who have had that problem have worked around it by turning the key very slowly to the Start position. But you should check for power to the coil during Start also, it's easier. Don't forget to check the distributor body's ground to the engine also. That's where the ignition module ground is. Check for power at the coil at Start, and the ground from the distributor body.

The L26 has a longer stroke. The L24 crank and pistons, etc. in the L26 block will make an L24. Specs are in the Engine Mechanical chapter is you want to be sure.

It ran great for while but now it doesn't and it spits and pops. Spitting and popping is often a sign of a lean mixture. Could be a vacuum leak or it could be the carbs need tuning to add more fuel. You could do some tuning, but make sure you know where you started so you can go back. You can get pretty close with ignition timing by eye. Put the damper pulley mark on 10 degrees and rotate the distributor until the points are just about to open. Make sure that you're aware of the rotation direction. Maybe the distributor vacuum advance got stuck in an advanced position.

Looks like all of your numbers are early, which could be due to your new chain and sprocket. I can't really wrap my head around the duration calculation but that would be determined by the cam profile. Maybe you could calculate that to see what it comes out to. Total lift would be a specific number that should match also. You'd have to know what the shop's tolerances were to know if it's "fine" by their standards. +/- how many degrees is "okay". Maybe they have wide specs.

Funny that even MSA can't really figure out what to call them, and both attempts are kind of wrong. Nissan called it a "yoke", probably because it spans a distance to clamp two separate parts together. But it's really a clamp. It's a specifically designed piece of metal. It's cone shaped to clamp the two manifolds to the head, via just the edges of one side, and to allow the nut to ride on a curved surface on the other side. Probably to allow for differences in thickness between the two manifolds. A flat piece of metal, like a thick washer, would be caulked, and put a side load on the stud or bolt if the two manifolds were not exactly the same thickness. Anyway, that's the way I see it. For as crude as it looks, the yoke is actually a subtle piece of engineering. Post a picture of the flat washer/spacers if you can. Let's see if they have any shape to them. http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/engine-280z/manifold-egr/from-aug-76/28

One good thing that came out this thread is that I went out and located my stamped VIN in the firewall. It matches the documents and the tags! Yay. So, someday, when 1976 280Z's are collectible, I'll be ready. I've realized that much of tzag's energy might come from the fact that he has done many many body, chassis, parts, etc. swaps over the years, as he states in previous posts. He's basically defending his past. Really, he could have just said "gee whiz, I've done a ton of these types of swaps over the years, maybe I should see what these guys think about that". No need to wizz a bunch of people off just because they're arguing the other side. As Namerow implies, this stuff goes on around the world. There's legal and there's opinion. You buy based on opinion. The legal part is a formality.

I think that the plastic piece is an alignment bushing. Keeps the tang centered in the slot, keeping the two shafts on the same center. I'd use it. They're steel on the 280Z distributors. Even if you find a chart that says what the advance numbers should be, I'd still verify with a timing light. Who knows what goes on in those reman shops over in Asia. The numbers stamped on the weights are a good clue but the springs and slots come in to play also. The advances are probably set on the conservative side so that people don't blow up their engines with their new reman distributors. But, they could also be set sloppily by just throwing parts together (sorry if you got one, you can always modify!). Which might be why the range is so wide in the numbers that were quoted from Cardone. They don't really know.

My copy of the Factory SM only shows one. Are you sure you're not looking at a Haynes or Chilton manual, or a generic all years 280Z manual? And Nissan puts stickers on almost everything. Since the internals can be different I don't think that they'd use a cast-in mark. 1977 should be an external regulator, last year before the internally regulated alternators.

Maybe we should start from the beginning. Do-over.

I used the apostrophes to show that I was not using the word in its normal fashion. Sorry that it did not come through that way. Often, apostrophes are used to add ironic effect, I think. Followed by my comment about "appearance" (this time the apostrophes are for emphasis). We've already some people accuse him of "moral turpitude" (this time I'm just being funny). I'm just trying to close the loop and find out what he's going to do with the car, while pointing out that he still has possession of a car that might be stolen. Which, is pretty much the whole point of his thread. He asked what he should do about his shell with two VINs. My post is back to the original question. He should try to determine true ownership, and clear up any past nefarious activity.

You need to know if those numbers at the distributor or at the crankshaft. And if those are a range of possible maximum advances or some other type of number. Overall, the information is not really worth much. It's undefined. It's easy to determine those two things, on the engine, though, with a timing light. Best just install and check.

Here, I'll make it easier for you. How many people would like to know more about how 87mj ended up with a car with two VINs? And how many people think that retaining ownership of a shell with two VINs is "shady"? There you go. It's not about me now, wow, it's about the perception of owning illegal things, even if got them honestly. Like I said, appearances.

When I was having my caliper bleeding problem I thought the same thing. The brake performance had to be terrible before the light came on. The pedal dropped a couple of inches with no brake action. Pedal action told the story well before the light came on.

You really should go dig up all of the backstory that you can. Otherwise, you'll always seem a little shady. No offense, but you have a car in your possession that might be stolen or part of a years-ago scam. If you don't try to find out how the two VIN shell came to have two VINs, you're accepting it's shadiness. You already talked about "hiding" it for ten years. Appearances and all that. I don't know you all I know is what you've written on the old internet.

Here's a good thread with lots of information. You might need to grind a small notch in the base of the shift lever. Beside that, it should work fine. Install new bushings.

Are you sure? There is a ton on the site about using the 280Z shifters on the ZX 5 speeds with no problems. And a lot about how the ZX shifter doesn't work well in the Z's. Can't remember what car you're putting the trans in though.

You can see the attempts to spin the topic in to a battle (post above this one), with personal attacks disguised in well-versed dissemblement. Talking around the main topic, but close enough to appear on-topic. This thread should really be titled "Shell with two VINs", not "no VIN". 87mj made an attempt to get things straight but even local law enforcement seems to give bad advice. Which could be what happened to the person he bought it from. Sometimes people at the DMV are just too helpful, and will skirt the rules thinking that they're doing a favor. Or maybe just don't have the training or documents to know about the firewall VIN. In 87mj's case, the firewall VIN wasn't covered, it, apparently, just wasn't considered.

There's some neat stuff on that site. Gives you ideas. Magnets, maybe, but for rail reinforcers. http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/LiftLytes

Here's a reference, #15. Funny though, I don't know how to get to gnosez's business web site. Edit - found it - http://baddogparts.com/

Somebody out there, maybe gnosez, used to sell a weld-on plate for that purpose. @gnosez I've thought about making a sort-of clip-on rail protector for use in the garage. Of course, it would be just a simple load distributor, but I'll bet you could work one up that might even fit in the tool boxes behind the seats. Pop them out whenever needed. 3/16" steel or aluminum would probably be sufficient. You could also just hand the guy at the shop four pieces of wood and ask him to put them on the lift pad.

Two things - please quote or copy the statement from any individual that has expressed "condoning" falsifying a VIN. HS30 implied that that was happening but I don't think that there are any actual words written in this thread that show that. You seem to be following HS30's lead. The bulk of this thread is about how it could happen and what to do about it. Nobody is suggesting that it's right or legal. Second - if you do find a kernel of support in this thread for falsifying a VIN, please call out the individual. Not this "place". Don't use a broad brush to paint everyone on the site as a potential thief. It's lazy. If you start at the beginning of the thread and work through it you'll probably find the single post that started everything spinning madly, with unfounded insinuations of thievery, dishonesty and/or immorality. There's a lot of good discussion in here but the basic message is the one that's been taught to all of us as soon as we got some money to spend - caveat emptor. Mistakes happen, thievery does happen, ignorance happens. It's okay, and good, to talk about it, without condoning it. 87mj didn't do his due diligence and now has a problem on his hands. Who knows what it will do to his soul. He hasn't committed any crimes, yet.

Did you check inside the booster? The Master-Vac? That's where fluid often goes when it leaves the MC. Probably means you need a new MC, or to rebuild it, and want to check the booster well and clean it up. The brake fluid will damage it.

Back on topic - there are basically two basic sides to this discussion. One is what you "feel" defines a car, and the other is what legally defines a car. They're not the same thing, and several of the posts in this thread are really just railing against the law that allows people to remove the provenance of the original VIN. Maybe invalidating that original stamping or etching in the firewall of the unibody Z car. Depending on which state you're in.