gwri8

Only in Alabama…….. and maybe Mississippi, or Georgia, or Louisiana.

Sorry, I never gave the original reason for the head gasket. The Z was losing radiator fluid and there were no puddles or leaking hoses. Upon closer inspection I noticed said fluid flowing out of the back of the head, but only when it was running. Obvious head gasket problem. I could have used Stop Leak or something similar and MAYBE….. it would have contained it. But my thinking was why put a band aid on a problem instead of what I would have to do eventually to fix it properly. Plus that stuff coats everything and I didn't want that. Of course, when I a snapped head bolt along all the tugging, pushing, prying, pulling and cussing the head, I was in too deep to go backwards. The Quest had begun. What gave me encouragement is that I've got a winter project L28 on a stand in my shop. I've started the tear down when I have the time. The head on it popped right off, no problems whatsoever. I call that one "the bait head". I can't write here what I call the one I dropped off at the machine shop today. I know in a recent thread there was discussion about head gasket brands. Just a shout out to Datsun Spirit, I ordered the gaskets, bolts and studs from them. They sent nice, pretty OEM Nissan gaskets and cad plated bolts/studs. The bonus part of the project was the manifold stud bolts. They were rusted of course, but weren't the same. There were a couple of 12mm, some 1/2", two 7/16" and a bolt in place of a stud that none of my sockets would fit. Good ole' Mr Cresent wrench to the rescue for that one. It was an omen that I had to remove the heat shield before I could get the manifold off…. You gotta love PO's.

We have Separation! I was fully expecting to find a ton of red sealant but there was nothing unusual. Maybe I need to go to the gym more often.

Thanks Cliff. Doing it that way has opened about a 1/8" gap so far. I'm a little hesitant about diggin' in with a putty knife just yet. I'll spray a little solvent in there and let it sit overnight. I'm really curious to find out what is holding it down like that.

Y'all mean the driver (exhaust) side for overhang, right? I don't see it on the passenger side.

I've got all kinds of hammers. Not too much room to swing though.

Bolts are out, including the 2 front 10mm.

They have held a couple of my orders like that because of one item not in stock. Like S30 Driver, I call now it there is any question. I just ordered a receiver/drier for my A/C. Turns out that it will take about 4 weeks and that particular part is not a stock item and not manufactured until it is ordered. It's nice to know that kid of stuff ahead of time.

Unfortunately there are no gaps so far. My current attempt is with the hoist. I've got it hooked to the front and back of the head at the lift eyes and under some tension, not enough to tear the motor mounts but enough to hopefully let the weight of the car, time and Mr. Gravity work a little bit. Plus a few taps now and again with a dead blow hammer for good measure.

That is one option, but I think it would involve too much beer and those famous words "Hey, watch me do this!"

Thanks that was a good suggestion, I had not thought of leverage yet. I did try it before I had to run out for a while, but alas it did not work……yet. It is a good powerful use of pressure instead of force and I might be able to improvise a little off of the approach. Zed, nothing rusty, however one short bolt snapped right where the threads begin. I'm guessing it's probably flush with the block. Lucky me . Chickenman, You are probably right about the sealant. This thing acts like nothing I've seen before. It's like it is still bolted down. I still alternate between the 2X4 and the breaker bar. I've also been using a Hard Rubber hammer. Maybe I have to use the engine hoist next with a lift eye on the rear also along with a hammer. I really don't have any desire for headers though, I've got 2.5" exhaust to magnaflow and that is enough for me right now. Typical of most of the projects with this car, I think I should rename it to Gilligan. My three hour tour is turning into long running tv series except no pretty women…….

I'm in the process of replacing the head gasket on my 77' 280. I've disconnected everything touching the head, pulled the exhaust an intake manifolds, got the wood shim on the timing chain placed, cam sprocket if off, removed the 14 head bolts in the proper order along with the two front 10mm bolts. The head won't budge. I've tried putting a breaker bar in the intake and no luck. I'm trying not to go neanderthal. Is there something I'm missing? Let me add that there is evidence of prior work done with the exhaust manifold judging by the amount of red sealant and mismatched bolts holding it on (that's another story). So I think it is safe to say the head has been off before.

My first. A used 71' that was silver when I got it. This is when it was just painted black by a friend of mine. Rebuilt the engine and Ported and polished the head. I had dreams about it for years…..

Captain O's most recent post on Brake Boosters. Also lots more info if you do a search.

What are you going to pull it with? I hope it's not the Camry…..

I just happen to have a spare tire well from a 77' . Should be the same for a 78'. It's in fair shape and already out of the car. Let me know if you are interested.

You're blowing this out of proportion IMO. I know you're not the handiest guy, and neither am I for that matter, but threatening to sue over aligning your doors is probably the reason they won't answer your phone calls. How about you just align the doors yourself. Problem solved. Plenty of info on here to do that. Edit to say a 5mm gap between panels is perfectly acceptable, I would even say desirable.

That Sucks about the reman booster. I also got a booster from RockAuto but mine was just fine. I still like them even though they have sent me wrong parts before. I've had no problem returning them. Makes me wonder though, if you got the core I sent in from my parts car? I was surprised they even accepted it as a viable core.

You can download the Fuel Injection Manual here . There is also A factory service manual there also. Both very much recommended for this and future adventures.

Sticky Throttle maybe? Pull your AFM Boot to the throttle and have a look at the throttle blade. It can get gummed up sometimes. Mine had a problem of idle hang last summer and I wound up cleaning the throttle blade with carb cleaner.

Most folks here know well that It's a long road to get where you are now. Now you just have to pick out the icing for you cake. Looks good!

I remember that post with the picture of Carrie as an example.

Impressive!