Zed Head

Edited - Never mind. Made no sense at all. Just throwing out some ideas. I see some rust on a few of the head bolts. I think that dowels are close to the water passages. Rust grows when it forms, making things tight. And the head bolt that broke might have bent in to the head a bit when it twisted, causing a side load.

zKars' block of wood and a sledge is a good idea. Won't hurt, the wood is soft. I can't remember but I think it might have been part of my "work it off" procedure. My engine was out, on the floor though, so easy to maneuver around. Take a picture of all 14 bolts. We'll count them for you, just to be sure.

Mine wouldn't budge either, one of the center bolts broke off and rust had packed the cavity. Once I got a small gap though I worked it off. Took time. That's why I asked if there were any gaps. If there's a gap between head and block then it's probably not the gasket sticking, it's the locating dowels or a broken bolt. If there's no gap at all between head and block then it might be glued on. If there is even a hint of a gap you can squirt carb cleaner or rusted thread breaker in the gap and let it work. Actually you can do it anyway because there should still be some small passages that will wick in some solvents. Even if they don't dissolve the sealant they might swell it and loosen it it up. If you keep with the lever in the ports, you might want to loosely install some head botls like sb suggested. So if it breaks free from sealant it doesn't cause any damage, or you don't get damaged yourself.

Put it back together without the head bolts and start it up. That should pop it loose.

Where's the link? Is it for sale? Looks like it still has some good parts.

Were any of them rusty? Rust can lock things up. And there are some dowels around a couple of the bolts that can be tight. If you get any tiny gap at all you might try a lever on each end and slowly working/rocking it off. And you can get small plastic wedges from harbor freight to hold any gaps open. Don't stick anything metal n the gap.

Not trying to start an argument, but really, the whole experience of selling the car should be considered. The big auctions are kind of like parties or events that people attend. Having a car for sale and seeing all of the other cars might be worth the fees, and expense of getting the car to the show. Selling the car to an overseas buyer might be fun just for the challenge of getting it done. https://www.carbuyingtips.com/articles/blog/guide-to-the-barrett-jackson-auctions.htm On the other hand you could go like a certain family member of mine who likes a transaction as hassle-free as possible. A sign with a very low price in the windshield of the car, at the end of the driveway. No phone calls, no traveling, the sale is final, no negotiating and no complaints because the price is so low. People just stop in, pay the price and it's gone.

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.