Stanley

Bad-arse aircleaner. Would look good on the wall: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-1973-1974-1975-1977-datsun-240z-260z-280z-air-cleaner-assembly-and-exhaust/222656482281?hash=item33d75c4be9:g:IgoAAOSwqd1ZySzs&vxp=mtr

Getting new mill with the 280zx alternator. Bought Dave's conversion adapter. For 73's the fuel pump relay needs to be disconnected. In this link Dave asks for photos of the relay and wiring mod for '73 but nobody posts them. Any link to instructions for '73? Which one is the fuel pump relay? The fuel pump is removed. Also, what about the ammeter. Will it be OK as is or is a mod required for that?

The head is from a 1980 C211 as far as I know. Supposedly low-mileage and perfect-looking when I got it in about 2011. One of our members ran a modified version on a built L30 with good results. Build thread on HybridZ. I've read that it is or was popular in NZ for circle track racers. Not much top end but enough torque that the dyno techs at the MSA show a few years ago commented on it. Good at the drag strip or freeway on ramps. Improved 0-60 and quarter mile E.T. in my otherwise stock '73 AT. Almost a flat torque line from 2500 to 4500 rpm. Complete head assembly with stock JDM skyline cam. It has some compression on a 240 engine, so it needs premium gas only. I think the block might have a broken ring. No bearing noises. About 145 K miles on it. Last August it suddenly started smoking badly. Non-smoker previously. Found oil in the cylinders. So it probably needs at least new rings. Selling the block and head only. Keeping carbs, ignition etc. $400 for engine, $100 OBO for block only. $350 minimum offer for head only. Local pick up in Torrance.

No beer - no work

I got mine looking nice using rubbing compound followed by aluminum polish, by hand and with a polisher on the drill, while it was on the car. Hours of hard work (no paying job at the time) and the luster was gone in a few months. Maybe if I'd done that and then the matte clear coat. My favorite cam cover, seen at JCCS, was a gritty looking metallic grey with maybe a little gold mixed in. Powder-coat the owner said. Probably too hard to keep clean for a daily driver.

That guy's good, but worlds greatest - give me a break. For flamenco: Nino Sabicas. For rock: Clapton, Hendrix. Jazz: Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Django. World Beat: Franco Luambo Makiadi. Classical: Segovia, John Williams. Modern Blues/Rock: Gary Clark Jr. And many other giants in each category. Listen to Les Paul & Chet Atkins duet. Not guitar but if you like classical violin check this shred dude:

For what it's worth, I called Embee. They said they get the headers from MSA and don't know about the manufacturer. I guess if you want MSA headers but want a different look for the coating you could talk to Embee and set it up with MSA and order it like that. Maybe. I'm staying with the stock '73 manifold and 2 1/4" exhaust I have for now. The shop that's doing the R&R will send the manifold out for a blast and ceramic so it will look better. I'll have enough power anyway. IMO speed is more about the driver than the car. Might have to ease up on the leadfoot a bit with the 280 mill.

Can't use the 6-1 since it won't fit with the automatic. Otherwise I'd snap it up.

Anybody know who makes the MSA headers? They don't have the one I want, 4 week wait.

Sory ubowt thuh speling. koughdn't fined miy dickshunery.

Sorry to post a question without searching the site. I know this is an old question. Engine's about done and I've got a lot to do, need to order the parts now. Car is '73 240Z. Maybe it's time to ditch the points.

New engine coming, getting some MSA headers. Want to keep the engine bay cool for the desert trip. Jet hot takes a while, shipping reqd, etc. MSA coating looks good but I doubt if it will keep heat in the header where it belongs as well as jet hot. Ceracote would be convenient since there's a local shop that can do it but I don't know if it's as good as jet hot.

I'm using synthetic. Dropping the pan and cleaning or replacing the screen is not a big deal. I put my car's front wheels on the ramps to do it. You need to get the fluid out of the torque converter first. Disconnect the trans cooler hoses and direct the out hose into a container. Run the engine about 30 seconds in park until the fluid stops coming out. Then pull the pan being careful about the oil bath. Do the screen and clean the pan. You can adjust the bands per Chilton manual or Datsun auto trans manual, it's easy. Refill per FSM. The car will need to idle for about 30 seconds to refill the torque converter before you can drive. Then recheck the fluid level and add fluid as required.

That link was for wrong header, fits 280zx body etc. Engine builder says get 77-78 280z header so I'll do that.

There was a kit for sale I think. I want one. Maybe not in fire season

... with the old engine ? No place to store it. Can't put it behind the barn with the rest of the engines since there are no barns around here. No spare time to shop it around.The Y-70 head (favored in NZ for dirt track cars, or so I've read) may be worth some bucks so I'll save it, but the stock block with 145 K miles and maybe a broken oil ring might not be of great value, so I guess it's adios and sayonara, unless someone has a better idea. Also, the R&R shop can install headers. Saw this at MSA: http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic19c/15-6017 Says it's for 81-83 280zx. New motor has P79 head so should be OK? Will be re-using the SU's. Mix and match ? That header sure has an ugly merge pipe though, unless turbulence is good.

Right, the oil can only come from the top or the bottom. The cylinder head was new looking 6 or 7 years ago when I got. It's from 1980 so I figured it had been rebuilt or at least had a valve job. After it was installed the engine quit using oil. I'd like to know the story of it but only have what I was told. Anyway I doubt if all the valve seals (or oil rings) would go out at once. As far as I know, the only thing that connects all the intakes is the balance tube. Suppose one cylinder got oil in it from whatever source, and there was a backfire or overrun, maybe the balance tube would then distribute oil to all cylinders. I read that the engine can run backwards when it overruns. IIRC there was an overrun when I stopped before the first time it blew the cloud of smoke in July. No backfire or overrun yesterday though. The amount of smoke while driving is irregular, not steady, like a bus that doesn't smoke until you get right behind it.

Not water, oil. Inspection of plugs shows fresh engine oil on each plug. Smoke smells like oil. Changed the oil yesterday; no water in the oil.

This is bugging me. Maybe the engine need to be warmed up before it smokes. Didn't see it on the way to the store yesterday. The engine was running smoothly. No roughnes or miss that would indicate a misfire. I'd forgotten but in my first post I mentioned smoke coming out of the air cleaners (K&N's). Don't remember if it was while driving or after I shut off the engine. I didn't see that yesterday. It seems like if an intake and exhaust were both partially open and the engine is off, so no vacuum, then smoke from oil in a hot cylinder would come out the air cleaner. So maybe that's not relevant. I'm pretty sure nothing could happen to a head gasket that would cause oil to get into every cylinder but not let any coolant get into the crankcase. The crankcase vent is not connected to the air cleaners, and the hose from the vent to the PCV is now disconnected. No oil came out of the hose while driving. The cam cover vent is not connected to the air cleaners or balance tube. It has a hose that dead-ends in front of an air cleaner. No sign that oil came out of it. The rattling sound that happened once yesterday sounds like the rattle when the engine overruns when it's shut off, but it only happened when driving and the engine seemed to be be running normally before, during, and after. I want to take another test drive watching the vacuum gauge for anything odd, scared of getting an expensive "gross polluter" ticket though.

Finally got to take time off work today (being your own boss doesn't make it any easier) and work on the car. Hadn't driven it for over a month. Pulled the hose off the PCV valve and clamped a silicon cap over the valve just in case. The plugs all still had oil on them so cleaned them off with a shot of carb cleaner. Car started OK, a little smoke at first but then OK. Drove it up on the ramps and changed the oil and filter. No water in the oil. Took a drive to the grocery store, about two miles, didn't notice any smoke (side mirror is dirty though) and the car seemed fine. Driving back there was a good bit of smoke. Could smell the oil. At one point, at low rpm, heard the rattling sound that lasted about two seconds. Otherwise the engine sounded OK. So, happy for a few minutes, then sad. Not too sad though. New engine getting built, should be ready in a few weeks.

Those glass filters are very good for diagnosing rust or debris in the gas tank. Otherwise junk in my opinion. Besides being breakable, they suck in air bubbles unless they are on the pressure side of the fuel pump, in which case they would leak gas. I had one in the engine bay before the fuel pump that always had air bubbles in it. I tested by replacing the filter with a piece of fuel-rated clear tygon tubing, no more air bubbles. Because of the way they're made, they have 8 places that can leak or suck in air vs. 2 places (the hose connections) for a regular fuel filter.

If you can get to Long Beach for the JCCS you'll see a number of Datsuns with RB swaps. Might get some good ideas.

Gave it a try today. Pulled the plugs again, cranked the engine with the plugs out. No noises and no oil came out. Cleaned the oil off the plugs and replaced them. Started it up, no engine noise but a little smoke. Pulled the hose off the PCV valve, it was OK, plenty of suction. No oil in the inline strainer on the PCV hose. Listened to each cylinder near the plug with the D.I.Y. stethoscope. No bad noise but #4 sounded slightly rougher. Took a drive around the parking lot, some smoke but not a lot. No engine noises. Took it on the street, drove about a mile to a gas station. I was watching for smoke, there was a lot from time to time. When I was on the way back there was a "death rattle" like the sound it makes when the engine overruns as it's shut down. Lots of smoke. Got back with no issues other than smoke and parked, it overran again when I shut it down. The idle is a bit high which might cause the overrun. Guess I'll just be driving the truck for a while.

Interesting, C.O. It had been running rich for some time, about 6 months or more, and the oil hadn't been changed for about a year. It had also been hard starting that time due to worn out points and points cam, so it was pulling extra gas each start. I had considered gas in the oil before this happened and was planning to change the oil. I bought oil and filter a couple weeks ago but didn't get around to it. I've got a pair of ramps I use to change the oil, but the car has to be running to get on the ramps. There's also the intermittent rattling sound, not very loud, that I heard coming back from the store. I thought it might be a piece of broken ring in the pan getting knocked around by the crank counterweights. Possibly it was a coincidence. I was listening carefully for engine sounds on that smoky short drive. The alternator has a bad bearing that has been getting worse. Bought an alternator but swamped with work so didn't get to that either.

If it came through the PCV hose, the inline strainer should be filled to the brim. I'll check it tomorrow. The crankcase vent tube is well above the oil level in the pan, though, so where would it be getting all that oil ?