sblake01

I bought that tip 8 years ago from Summit Racing. Never considered a dual tip. Seems like it would end up real close to the bumper end if you mean horizontally. I doubt if a vertically mounted dual tip would work either since the tip exits the lowest point of the muffler.

It all came apart and went back together fairly easily but I really took my time. I only worked on it off and on since I was working a real job then and I had another car. I bought it in June 1997 and it was roadworthy by October. But like I said, I took my time and did a few other things besides the suspension and steering.

Well, I can relate to what you're feeling. When I first bought mine it needed everthing you mention but I went out and drove it anyway once I got the engine running. The front end was so loose that I nearly lost it before I had a chance to start getting it to where it is today. Believe me, it's worth the wait! Once I finished the front end, as well as rear brakes and tires, it handled like a new car.

Believe me, Christopher, I'm not trying to fight with you. It's just that at 55 years old, a lot of this stuff is 'been there-done that' for me. I have run a 160 degree thermostat in California in the summer and have not encountered heating problems because of it. I don't run them now because in the winter they don't allow your heater to get as warm as a 180 degree 'stat does.

Okay but it sits awfully close to the gas tank. Were you able to get the muffler to fit inside the heatshield with it mounted horizontally? I have a Dynomax Super Turbo with basically the same configuration as your Flowmaster. It's mounted vertically and it fits fine, it's inside the heatshield and away from the gas tank. That's all I meant by 'fitting better'.

I have done my own testing. When I said 'engines don't run much below 175-185' I was referring to L series engines. I don't run 160 degree thermostats. I run 180s. But in my post (#5) you'll note what I said about it (or any thermostat) controlling the water flow. Warn is relative. 175-185 degrees is warm enough to diminish whatever problems that arise from low engine temperature. If you were not running a thermostat at all, then I could see a heat build up problem in the cooling system cause by too free a flow. Electramotive and team BRE built race cars. I'm basing what I say on experience I've had with street cars. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of my L motors over the years and have never had a cooling system related engine failure. I'm not knocking what you say, I'm just leaning on my own experience.

The picture came from the 1978 280Z owners manual. I think the flame arrester is just the name of that pipe that is on the valve cover. There is nothing in the end of it or the hose that connects to in on either of my cars.

The 2+2 has a back seat but it also had a larger clutch and flywheel (driven surface) than the standard. 243mm vs. 225mm. It's also 9 bolt instead of 6 bolt.

It is normal to get vacuum when you remove the oil cap. That is because the PCV system creates a sealed crancase. When you remove the cap, you break the seal. As far as idling faster and dying below 1000 rpm, sounds like you have some sort of vacuum leak. Are you sure that the PCV valve you installed is good? You say it 'sucks air strongly' but does it hold when you put air through it in the other direction?

I was never sold on the 280ZX 'injector cooler'. My 280 doesn't have one and neither does my 810 and that has never caused any problems. Just more of the superfluous gadgetry that seemed to show up on the ZX. (IMO)

Well, I don't really buy all of that because in your scenario, you're assuming that the thermostat is opening, closing, opening, etc. Engines don't run much below 175-185 degrees so once it's warmed up, especially in a warmer climate, it pretty much stays open. A 190-195 degree thermostat would be considered a cold climate thermostat especially in a 70s vintage vehicle which weren't designed to run as hot as today's vehicles.

Do a search. Nissan has them but I think you can get them for less. I seem to remember that being discussed some time ago.

Not completely true. A thermostat also controls the flow of coolant by restricting the flow to the size of of it's opening. Without it, the coolant actually flows to fast to properly cool the engine and can cause water pump cavitation. You DO need to have a thermostat.

First of all, use new head bolts. 75-83 Non turbo injectors are all the same. Also 79 and up exhaust manifolds will have oxygen sensors on them so you might want to stick to 75-78 for that.

There is a metal tube mounted in the engine block just below the front exhaust port. The PCV hose runs from there to the valve.

I'm not sure. My Z doesn't have the tank and my 810 is set up differently. I was hoping that First Gen Z would answer that one.

The body of the muffler on my car measures 14"x10"x2.5". The inlet and outlet are 2.25". It's a Dynomax Super Turbo as in the picture above and it replaced my stock muffler without modification. Since mine is a California car, I have a catalytic converter instead of a resonator. It's not loud at all until you get hard on the throttle.

You know, I knew that. My 810 has that system although the tank is different and I have actually replaced it. I was thinking of my Z which has dealer installed air and doesn't have that tank so I don't know where the vacuum lines go. Maybe First Gen Z can help out there. Oh well, a mind IS a terrible thing to waste! :cheeky:

I have taken many auto repair classes. I am a certified MVAC (Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning) tech, I had a welding license but haven't kept up with it, brakes, smog, tune up, etc. But I basically did it to further my own knowlege. I've had a couple of auto repair jobs but nothing is more enjoyable than working on my own cars. No deadlines, I can do it how I want to, at my own pace, and get enjoyment out of repairing them myself rather than paying someone else to do it. If you can get enjoyment from doing it for a living, that's great. I just remember some of the crap that people brought to me expecting miracles. No thanks.

The correct configuration for a 77-78 280Z muffler is center inlet/offset outlet. The one on your car, being round, is center inlet/center outlet which makes the tip sit too high up against the body. The muffler you have pictured next to the pictures of your car is offset inlet/offset outlet which would make it sit to low. What you need is something like this:

The first picture shows the vacuum tank that is part of the factory air conditioning system. It stores vaccum to maintain the higher idle speed necessary when the a/c is on. The second picture, well I would check your PCV valve. It's probably bad and allowing oil to be sucked into the intake. The PCV valve is located on the bottom of the intake manifold just about in the center.

Hard to say exactly. The speedo is mechanical and the tach is electrical. If the cable is okay then there is most likely a problem in the speedo itself. Did you check the make sure that the cable is connected to the back of the speedo? If so, remove it from the tranny end and spin it by hand and see if you see any movement on the speedo. If not the cable is probably broken. Trace the hookups on the tach and make sure it is connected correctly. The fact that they light up has nothing to do with their function.

Bill, only Xzibit and his boys would do that.

Very well said and that's pretty much how I feel about my life at 55. I can finally live at my own pace.

No ducts on a 77-78 but I think the 75-76 does have them. So I guess it is technically correct to list them for a 240-280 but they should also list only through 76.