Dave WM

good point about having everything to make is run since you are starting with an empty engine bay. do you have any of the wire harness? there are two main ones the engine has a stand alone harness that is for the ECU/fuel injection. There is a separate harness IIRC for the rest of the under hood stuff, like alternator/starter/ignition, and it may be incorporated with the lights horn etc... If you have NO wire harness at all it could be a bit of a challenge to get everything wired up. If you are just missing the ECU harness it should be not too hard. I presume you have the needed fuel/ECU relays as well? not sure on your model but on my 75 there are under the dash driver side. The ECU harness plugs into the ECU/relays/ign switch.

I would try and do a good visual, look for obvious crack (water stains), milky oil etc, turn it over by hand, if at all possible a leak down test. I am a believer in test stands, with all the harness/ecu/spark module you should be able to make one up and get a base line reading. You can mount a starter to spin it with the trans off, just need the adapter plate to mount the starter, makes it much easier to test run.

the additives was a long shot, but its the only variable other than time to work with. Along the line of additives, after using them I have had what I think is a marked reduction in oil consumption. I am a 920 miles since last oil change (done about the same time as the fuel additive). I used 5qts of VR1 20-50, new oil filter Nissan, dip stick was about 1/8 above hatch marks after running it to fill the filter and letting the oil settle in the crankcase (over night). 920 miles later I would be pressed to tell if there is any notable drop in oil level. the oil looks and smells fine (no water or gas contamination). I have no explanation for the sudden improvement (it was about 1qt per 1200). I will continue to monitor and start a thread of this low rate of consumption continues. I did replace the valve stem seals but I check the oil consumption after that and found it to be about 1200 miles per quart, better than it was but not as good as it is now. From what I have researched the primary cause for loss of oil it the oil control rings on the bottom of the pistons. My understanding is they can become stuck or the holes in the piston ring grooves can become clogged. This leads to an inability for the rings to control oil which is subsequently burned in the combustion chamber. My use of the additive was an attempt to clean up the build of carbon I noticed on the tops of the pistons. Perhaps the additive has aided in cleaning up the oil control rings as well? I will report back when I get past 1200 miles.

I was thinking about this some more, and remembered I recently used this product https://www.autozone.com/fuel-and-engine-cleaners-additives/fuel-additive-and-cleaner/rislone-gas-fuel-treatment-16-9oz/429383_0_0?spps.s=4956&cmpid=LIA:US:EN:AD:NL:1000000:PER:71700000060528029&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6u2v9_jk6wIVIueGCh3-aA79EAQYAiABEgKjO_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds I typically don't buy into snake oils but figured it would hurt. I added the correct amount a few weeks ago, two times (two tank fulls). Then today I have a fuel leak. So IF you happen to use this product, please check for leaks after a few weeks have passed. I don't know if there is a cause/effect going on here, but its the only thing that was different over the past few years (other than just the passage of time). I use only ethanol free fuel as well.

Check those fuel lines. I am 100% sure everything was tight and leak free after installation. I started the engine up after a week long layoff and noticed a gassy smell, before leaving out on my drive I decided to check on it, pop the hood 6, that right 6 leaks, substantial leaks at the various fuel rail joints (1st gen fuel rail with lots of joints). In a couple minutes of idling prob dumped 3-4 oz of gas. tighten up the clamps (OE style not worm gear) and all good again. the only guess I have is the hoses compressed over time (new hoses all about 2-3 years old). Fuel Injection rated hose bought from auto zone. Made in China no doubt, wonder if I had cheap hose or if this in normal (although I never had an issue with modern day, but then again modern day may use completely different plumbing and connectors. Perhaps why Nissan changed the fuel rail to have one with fewer joints as well. that's my public service announcement for the day, oh and make sure you always carry a fire extinguisher.

wait till I do the Yukon ride, plan is central florida to Alaska..non stop but for sleep. I do my site seeing while driving. I have a park I drive to at least 2 times a week that is about 70 miles round trip. really racking up miles on it and loving it.

boy I would like to give folks I ride in my all OE z, just for a baseline to see how it rides. I took it on the trip to pikes peak, avg about 800-900 miles per day, was quite comfortable doing it. AC and good ride made for a very nice ride. I can't over state the importance of AC esp if you live anywhere in the south. Without it, pure misery.

Here is some advise, do as little as possible to get the car running before tearing into it. You may find the stock setup perfect for you with just some refreshing. I like to keep the car as OE as possible. The reason being I can use the FSM for all maint and repairs as long as it left original. These cars were very well made in a era before computers. the wire harness maybe in good condition. The main thing is to clean up terminations of wires. some contact cleaner and deoxit will go a long way. Once you start modifying things getting help will not be as easy. After you get the car running you can asses what changes are actual improvements. Do so research on the use of poly urethane in place of OE rubber as an example. If you have an FI car the FI section of the FSM covers it well. the OE FI is really very simple and works well once its sorted out. Lots of folks like to change up the suspension, again try it stock you may find it perfect as is. I like to respect the car for what it is and how I remember it (lots of older guys have fond memories of these when new as I do). Its your car so of course you have the right to do what every you want, imho trying it stock is a good starting place to know what changes are right for you. Good luck with what every way you go and remember we LOVE pictures, or better still video.

here it is on the test stand

ditto on the leak down test will tell you a lot about the engine. I built an engine test stand, just to run the engine. I like to base line things before tearing into them, that way I know at least what I have got.

I assume you unbolt from the shell leaving the hinge on the hatch?

I made a run to blue ridge area over the weekend, gosh it nice up there, noon it was 78 and dry, MUCH nicer that cen fla. I will be looking in Dawson area next. prob just by myself this time, will scout for boss and see If I think she will like it (trips are hard on her).

2 ohms per inch X 34 inch per line=68 ohms per line, 16 lines in P = 68/16= 4.25 ohms, 12v/4.25r=2.8 amps,2.8*12=34 watts. Think I did that right sound like enough power to warm the glass. can you check on this captO oh and the stencil lines are about 50% wider than the orig at least from what remains. the stencil is for 1/16. My plan is to remove the hatch for better access, then do one line and confirm the resistance. My biggest prob right now is trying to figure out how to remove the hatch by myself. maybe the boss can help, but sometimes that does not go well. maybe rig up a carrier that loops around the top and bottom and use the cherry picker to hold it while I remove the hinge bolts.

I am hoping that the remains of the old grid act as a good surface for applying the new paint. So far I have done test application on only smooth clean glass. The rough texture of the old grid may help with the stencil on new adhesion..

the trial wipe with glass cleaner and a paper towel worked well no effect. I get about 2 ohms per inch on the 1/16 stencil line.

I would think you want it clean to start just to avoid chaos looking lines.

well I tried the stencil works well to keep a thin straight line. I have to work on my technique for applying the paint. I purchased a pin stripe brush, but I am not very good at using it. I cant seem to load enough paint for more than a couple inches at a time, and the transitions are not that great. So now I am practicing stencil free just drawing lines on a round glass tube (old light) to try and get better at the application before testing with a stencil again. Clearly what ever the process is, it will be very tedious considering the amount of lines needed to be painted. This is prob what sidelined me last time when I 1st started this thread. I suspect the biggest issue with this will be even if I am able to apply and it looks good and works well the paint itself maybe too fragile for any kind of cleaning. Its water based and seem to have low adhesion just going on. I will let what I have done dry overnite and then try cleaning with some glass cleaner and paper towels (pretty rough but what is typically used) as a durability test.

I will see how this works but yes if there was a proper made to fit Z hatch glass replacement I would def try it, if I fail at this attempt. I too assume there are no functional defrost grids left on 40+ year old cars. I tend to try to keep things original as possible hence my reluctance towards going with a generic kit.

I have seen the frost fighters, I am not sure I like the idea of a stick on product, but perhaps it will work better than what I am trying. If this stencil product does not work out I may go that way.

the plan is to try the purpose made stencil tape, it has provision for a constant 1/16 line once applied then the center is removed. I was not happy with any of the various tape methods as getting the constant width was an issue, esp when considering I have to do the entire grid. The stencil was designed around the idea of quick pin stripe methods not requiring great skill to apply in the automotive industry.

I am hoping the stencil helps, what was the process you used to apply? so far I have tried masking tape and plastic electrical tape applied free hand (masking tape had too much bleed under, electrical tape was better but very hard to get a consistent width). this was on a plain sheet of glass as a test. I also purchased a pin stripe brush hoping it loads better.

one thing to make sure is the sending unit is installed in the tank so the float moves in a vertical plane. You need to make sure the sending unit is clocked correctly.

May also be a defect in the AAR. Bleed air to increase idle at start up. I should close down on its own as things heat up. You may want to confirm its operation per the FSM

the old glan nut was not designed to retain a cartdridge, but rather to seal a system. if it bottomed out it would not retain the cart. hang on to the old glan nut, those are hard to find if it good shape, can be used by those trying to stay OE

the issue is I have lost prob more than 50% of the grid, so its more of a restoration process than a repair. the grid literally appears to have faded away. I don't know about any coating, but I doubt it since that would make even a repair difficult. there are kits that have stick on grids, but I really did not like the idea of that. Maybe they work but seems like that would have its own set of issues. I rarely use the defogger mode, but sometimes with high humidity and my AC on high it does fog up from the outside.