73str86

I appreciate your attention to detail and you're making amazing progress! I too am going through my 240Z in the same fashion. The only difference is I started with my engine. It'd been depressing how long it's been since I've driven her. I will be sure to follow this thread.

I have a house and a mortgage here, so I'll be here for a little while. The current plan is to find a job, stay here through the rest of the year, then move to Austin, Texas to finish my Bachelor's Degree at UT.

After reading posts on this website, and consulting my How to Modify Your Nissan/Datsun SOHC Engine book, I got my hands on two Clifford Research 6-2 headers. The first set is NOS, with absolutely beautiful welds, a nice true thick mounting flange, and is ceramic coated inside and out. The second is used, sandblasted, and coated (not ceramic). There's one small hole I'll have to fix up. The welds aren't as nice, and look to be of the quality of the set I have now. I guess it's safe to say I'm a header nut. I plan to use the ceramic coated one, and got 2nd one just to have around.

I've been busy with job applications and interviews during my transition out of the Army. Haven't had much time lately (odd given that I'm on terminal leave) but the weather has been nicer the past couple days and I'm getting antsy. I haven't driven the Z in a YEAR! I reinstalled all the fuel and brake line brackets. I finished up the battery tray area with roll-on bedliner to toughen it up. I painted it silver. Most of this will be invisible to the eye with battery tray, battery, etc. Instead of welding in the battery tray I'm just going to use self-tapping screws. I still need to touch-up the brake booster. Sanding, cleaning, polishing, painting nuts and bolts is a long, tedious process. I'm hoping the finished results will pay off. I installed the fuel pump (after cleaning it up with a wire brush) with new gaskets and original spacer. Installed the timing chain cover. Installed the water pump. Installed a section of the coolant/heater hose T-bar and line. Next is finishing the coolant/heater hoses, install the NISMO high flow oil pump, factory distributor (still haven't decided which one to use; I have the factory '73 dizzy and '83 dizzy on hand). Need to install alternator, starter, and motor mounts. I got pretty frustrated yesterday--it looks like my gasket set didn't include a thermostat gasket? WTH? I also picked up a NOS Clifford Research header. The plan is to get a competent local exhaust shop to build a full twice pipes system. Here is the original header I had, sandblasted, primed, painted, and cleared with 2000 degree header paint: I may use this original one first to break in the motor and have my original exhaust ready to bolt up.

How long ago did you purchase the heat shield? I've been checking on the ZCC website for a while now and the L6 heat shield has always been unavailable.

I have investigated the plating process for nuts and bolts. So far I have been using a large wire brush mounted to a bench grinding machine. Laborious holding a bolt for a while at all angles; but it does make them shiny! The cheapest fake self plating kit I saw was about $54 for a three stage zinc/cadmium kit from Eastwood with less than stellar reviews on Amazon. It's looking like many of my nuts and bolts will either be clear coated or painted Datsun engine blue to contrast the polished aluminum parts. I recently purchased the double barrel rock tumbler from Harbor Freight Tools. Looking back, I could have gone with the single barrel. I bought some rust removal product from the same store, as well as a 40/70 glass mixture. I filled the barrel about 2/3 of the way with the rust removal product (small glass feeling pyramids with a funky smell), put water up to that level, then threw my bolts, nuts, and washers in. I wrote down which ones they were. They were pretty greasy, and the ones that weren't greasy had some rust in the threads and on their heads. [ATTACH=CONFIG]60756[/ATTACH] After 24 hours of it running in my garage, I checked out the bolts and they looked pretty clean and most of the rust-removal product had turned to a dirty sludge. I decided to stop the machine and rinse all the parts off and to restart them in the 40/70 grit mixture. It says it won't harm soft materials, and I'm hoping it'll polish them a little bit. I'll check on them in another 12 hours or so. [ATTACH=CONFIG]60757[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]60758[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]60759[/ATTACH] Overall I'm happy with the results so far and it lets me do other stuff while the machine is running. It's not too loud.

I too have investigated the plating process. So far I have been using a large wire brush mounted to a bench grinding machine. Laborious holding a bolt for a while at all angles; but it does make them shiny! The cheapest fake self plating kit I saw was about $54 for a three stage zinc/cadmium kit from Eastwood with less than stellar reviews on Amazon. It's looking like many of my nuts and bolts will either be clear coated or painted Datsun engine blue to contrast the polished aluminum parts. I recently purchased the double barrel rock tumbler from Harbor Freight Tools. Looking back, I could have gone with the single barrel. I bought some rust removal product from the same store, as well as a 40/70 glass mixture. I filled the barrel about 2/3 of the way with the rust removal product (small glass feeling pyramids with a funky smell), put water up to that level, then threw my bolts, nuts, and washers in. I wrote down which ones they were. They were pretty greasy, and the ones that weren't greasy had some rust in the threads and on their heads. After 24 hours of it running in my garage, I checked out the bolts and they looked pretty clean and most of the rust-removal product had turned to a dirty sludge. I decided to stop the machine and rinse all the parts off and to restart them in the 40/70 grit mixture. It says it won't harm soft materials, and I'm hoping it'll polish them a little bit. I'll check on them in another 12 hours or so. Overall I'm happy with the results so far and it lets me do other stuff while the machine is running. It's not too loud.

Any reviews of this one: OBX SS Exhaust Manifold Header Nissan Datsun 240Z 260z 280z 280ZX Fairlady Z New | eBay I researched the company; looks like they make a lot of parts for modern imports. It says it's stainless steel. Not sure about performance gain or fitment.

I too thought about buying that NISMO header on nissanparts.cc. I just bought the high flow oil pump. Too bad it's NLA. I've decided to stick with the headers that came with my car, unknown brand, rusty 6-2. Does anyone know who made this or what decade it may be from? http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/exhaust-s30/47169-can-you-identify-header.html I'm gonna get it sandblasted, paint it aluminum with header paint, wrap it, and call it good.

As the title states, I've noticed quite a few non-factory appearing stamps on my '73 E88 head. I'm assuming they're not factory, but could be? Funny, the one on the back (JW 207) are my initials and the area code of my childhood hometown.

Zedyone_kenobi, Do you ever regret going to the L28? I don't think I will performance wise, but I'm tempted to keep my numbers matching block and ebay found 90,000 mile E31 head for the forseeable future. Also, are you running triples? I already have a regulator, need to source a good pressure gauge as well. What pump did you end up choosing?

One last note: the engine builder said the compression ratio is right around 9.9:1.

I did this shortly after my last post waaay back in September: I'll post a picture later of the finished product. Again, that was a whopping four months ago. What have I done since then? Let me think. Waited FOREVER for my engine to be finished. There were some hiccups along the way. Sourcing ARP rod bolts. Choosing a cast piston. Re-ordering a few different sized lash pads for the proper cam/lobe wipe. I'm on my way out of the Army, so that means the funds won't be flowing quite so well but I still have a little nest egg to work with. Good news--more time for Layla! I picked up this bad boy last Friday: Here are some details: F54/E88 with a very intensive port job Oversize 280zx stainless steel valves ARP main, head, rod bolts L28 polished/balanced crank, connecting rods cast flat top pistons .020 overbore full timing chain kit Schneider Stage III cam kit (including rockers, springs, etc.) polished water pump/timing cover (to be installed) new NISMO high flow oil pump (any reviews for this--part number 15010-S800A) new 280zx gear reduction starter new 60 amp alternator w/ plug adapter I will be painting an area of the passenger's side frame rail today and welding in the battery tray. Then bolting on the engine accessories! Question: the local pull-a-parts have no Mazda RX7s for the fuel pump swap (I have triple SKs). What PSI does the factory mechanical pump put out? Will it at least let me run the engine for 15-20 minutes at 2000 RPM as my engine builder suggested? Has anyone over tried to run triples with only the mechanical pump? I figure it'll just die out at the upper RPM range? Otherwise I think (for now) I'll put my rebuilt SUs back on for a simpler, quicker way to break in the engine ... and take it for a ride! :beer:

We can post and re-post pretty pictures of work he has done in the past. The bottom line is that he has not refunded at least the previous poster's and my money. Sure, he PMed me and asked for an address. Did I receive a refund for my $425.00? NO.

Alright, I'm bringing this back from the dead, but I have a bunch of updates. I'm having an F54/E88 combo built by Dunnaway Race Engines in Washington, GA. The block is from a 1983 280ZX with 140,000 original miles. I also acquired the 5 speed for a total of $300. Not a bad deal I believe. The shop is building the motor exactly how I want it. I'm hoping for 220 plus crank hp. The shop did extensive work on porting the head, 280z stainless steel valves, new hardened valve seals and guides, the whole nine yards. Everything is going to be new except crank and connecting rods. I purchased a stage III Schneider Cam Kit that includes new springs and rocker arms. It wasn't cheap--I hope it's worth it. I'm going to go with 0.5 mm overbore cast flat top pistons. The head was CCed and the shop owner said I should be at 9.5:1 compression ratio given my stroke and bore combo. Everything I've read says F54/E88 will be at 10.4:1 as a baseline. If I'm between those numbers I'll be happy. And if I have to buy a few gallons of 100 octane every tank to save myself from retarding the timing, I won't be bothered either. I purchased a set of rebuilt JDM Triple SK Carbs with TWM intake to run on the engine. Not cheap and again, I hope it was worth the money. I also have the original set of SUs on rebuilt by me on the shelf if I change my mind. The motor will be done in about a week and a half so I'm hurrying to prep the engine bay. Yesterday was spent marking wires and removing the block. I decided to keep the 4 speed transmission in for now and save the trans swap for another project down the road. All in all it only took about 15 minutes to pull the engine. I intend to keep it forever if I want to go back to 100% original (maybe Rebello rebuilt) some day. All in all it was a good day! Today I'm welding in a 2x2" patch panel for the battery tray. The frame is in impeccable condition. I can still read the sticker on the steering rack even! Making progress with Layla really brightens up my day and makes me appreciate life.

Can anyone tell me who makes this header ? It came off a 2 owner '73 Datsun 240Z that I'm getting a 2.8L motor built for. The 6-2 connector is a little beat up due to ground clearance but I'm thinking about getting it bead blasted, painting and wrapping it to save a little bit of money. I'm also toying around with looking for a used Stahl 6-2.

They look nice, but I still don't have a refund for a part that was never delivered. He said he'd send me a money order.

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WINGZR0 DECIDED TO OPEN AN EBAY ACCOUNT UNDER THE NAME iheartracing CLAIMING HE COULD SELL/MAKE UP TO FIVE SETS OF ANSA TWIN STACK MUFFLER TIPS...THEN CLOSE HIS ACCOUNT AFTER HE GATHERED THE $2000? I called him about 25 days after purchase ($430 including shipping) to discuss size of pipes, etc. He told me he'd be mailing it out in 5-7 days after that. After being busy with work and family since my purchase on 23 May, now it's up and too late to file an ebay complaint. WHAT KIND OF SELLER OPENS AN ACCOUNT, GATHERS OVER $2000, THEN CLOSES IT? Looks like an OIF vet has been royally shafted.

Derek, I'm interested in a pair as well. Please PM ordering instructions. PayPal works for me. Thanks.

Wow...ok. And you knew it had the cam? There's a guy here in Augusta with a L28 and 5 speed that was pulled from a wrecked car two years ago and "stored outdoors" w/ 145,000 miles and he wants $500. Sounds like a crap shoot. I'd like to see a video of your car running...I think we all would!

I'm liking this discussion. Trying to figure out what route I'm going to take with my mostly original '73. I didn't think about the fact that boring the L24 is a one-time deal. I'm thinking I'll buy an L28, do a bit of a "refresh," throw in a stage II cam, and a 90,000 mile E31 head I picked up recently on eBay. Also working on a deal for Triple SKs. The ignition notes seem extremely essential. Thanks. Can someone throw a ball park figure for the full Mallory set-up? For those of you buying the Rebello engines, do you get a build sheet? I understand some of their methods are close-hold, but I would not buy an engine without knowing the exact parts that were used. Similarly, do any of you keep your L24s after changing the engine? I'm torn; I know resale value tends to be higher for the more period correct versus chopped up coil-over cars, etc.

These tire and rim discussions are always so lively and...confusing to say the least. :ogre: I'm glad someone tried to restate the bottom line facts for the OP. It helped me too. Thanks. I have BF Goodrich T/As on my '56 Bel Air, and I love them. 245/60-15s in rear and 225s in front. I was tempted to pick up the T/As for my Datsun 240z as well. The market for 14" tires right now is horrible. After calling about 8 big box and local tire dealers, their stock was unimpressive. Only 70mm sidewalls, 175-195 width...and all no name brands. After scouring about 20 websites, I now have the latest Falken Ziex ZE-912 28921452 - 195/60R14s headed to my house in 4 days for $292 with tax and shipping. They are an all season performance tire rated to 65,000 miles. I'm curious what the OP will choose. I went with the 195s because I like the idea of a little less weight to drive with. My car doesn't currently have much power over stock besides a header, balance tube and emissions gutted, and N36/3 screw set-up. I will be putting an air dam on as well. My next set will be a summer performance tire, with 215/50-15s in the front and 225/50-15s in the rear, along with nice superlite DOT rims.

This is a motivating post! I find there are times when tinkering with / working on my '73 240z (Layla) it can be a morale / mood booster, or a frustration inducing mess. I like to stick to the first one. Wiring is a facet of autos I haven't gotten skilled at. I might pick up a book on Amazon. I know my bracket in the rear for the speaker was removed; I have speakers in the back panel now. And a 1980s antenna booster box mounted to the antenna. Thanks for the tip.

Looks like you had a nice weekend! Let us know of any updates. Two questions: Any plans for the original engine? I'm looking at a 280z engine/trans setup locally for $500, but with no guarantees other than it's not seized and was running two years ago. Can you share or PM what you paid for the motor and any details about it to get an idea of the local market?

The error in self-stamping the block by some Datsun/Nissan mechanic is plausible I suppose. If one noticed the mistake, they likely would not have told anyone or...told their supervisor and figured the owner would never know the difference. How many people know the block number on their new(er) daily driver nowadays? Not I. Lastly, I suppose if this was your conclusion, so be it. It just seems like an odd thing to mention to someone. But I also see it likely that your father (or anyone else's) may have forgotten about a surprisingly large repair bill 20+ years ago. I'm also trying to delve into the history of my '73 Z. The PO I bought mine from owned it for 36 years, bought it with around 40,000 miles from a Datsun dealership in VA. I keep trying to jog his memory of anything he has done to it. I have all the documentation, titles, warranty book, etc. My block matches my plate number. But is also has '72 four screw carbs, a header, four point roll bar, chrome rims, and a rear sway bar. Besides normal repairs and maintenance, PO swears the only thing he ever did was have the "crap-shot flat-tops" replaced with earlier versions and install aftermarket mirrors. Either way, it's fun to learn about the history of our cars. It's nice to hear yours is staying in the family.