ajmcforester

How clean is this engine, is it grimey?

How long has it smoked while running?

I think you would be better off fabricating it or finding one out of a salvage yard. I'm not planning to put the original back on so I can help with pictures, and measurements if needed. I also not going to sell it in-case I want the original exhaust later. 1971.5 mean you have a 71 series II? It is easier for us if you just use the production date like mine's 4/71

Smoke problem sounds like a exhaust leak

I don't know if that would be enough if it is a 8" with 0 offset you migh need a 195/45-16. The other option is a wheel spacer. A 1/4" might do the trick. To mount Honda rims on a 240z you needed a 1/4" spacer that might fix it. Please post the specs on the rims it will help we are just putting guesses out

Ware is the tire rubbing how wide is the rim and what off set? Your tire size is about the same dimensions as the original tires so rim with, and offset might not match original. Knowing this you can figure out what size tire you need, it just might need to be a little shorter or narrower to fit. Also this might helphttp://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

I took up skateboarding after I picked up mountainboarding (giant skateboard with 10"-12" wheels) to let some of the injuries from mountainboarding heal. I'm what I think they call vintage classic style skater, more like the early Dogtown days.

The last pump I bought was from MSA, at least 4 years a go 2 things were different from original, the screws are silver colored and the top cap of the pump had different text. So I switched in the old screws and top cap. I wish they would make the rebuild kit again, but what are you going to do, they probably make more money this way and at least we can still get them.

They have non-lead metal fillers that they now use and leading has come back. All fillers will eventually crack, but the lead and lead substitutes will last longer, and the paint does not fade differently than the car. If you want to try it they have kits at Eastwood Co.

You have a lot of good restoration shop in OC. Have one of them do it they might not be as cheap as a body shop, but they will do it right think of it as you get what you pay for. Trust me a restoration shop has done a roof replacement if they are any good.

Do you have the address he lived at when you bought the car or his phone number back then. You can get his name from that stuff. DMV's are hard to get that information from does Washington have some type of open public records act? That would make it really easy to get the info.

All you really need to make a good replication of the finish is to get them to dip in yellow chromate after the zinc planing. Well it isn't that easy it takes a little while for the yellow chromate to harden on. Also Yellow chromate is considered harmful to the environment so regulations will also take effect.

That's easy now days if you have his full name, depending how common that name is you can get it down quite a bit. Current info is best but old phone numbers and addresses will get you right to him. First place to start is www.whitepages.com since it's free. If you can't find him their you can use one of the paid search sights to find him. Someone I knew tried to skip town, because he owed a lot of money and a little money to me, but what got me chasing him was when he took my chainsaw & equipment (my setup would cost about 3,500 to replace). I found him in Texas two weeks after he left I was at his door with the local sheriff getting my stuff, I had court papers sent to his house about the money, two days after that I had the cash he owed me and $500 extra for my time.

OK all states have a insurance department of some type contact them and ask questions. Get a lawyer they are pushing you around ya your going to pay money, but they are at ultimatums and you need to use the laws to their fullest extent. They are not negotiating now with you the law might change that or make some type of mediation happen, even court. I've gone through this be prepared to pay 2-3,000 in costs but you should make that back. Don't RIP your car yet you might be able to save it if you can get a good deal out of the insurance company. Did you receive firewall damage?

I had a HS driver ask me why the engine was in backwards? Did you louse your engine cover? Who put smuggling compartments in?

Ya I've looked at what they had. I've thought of finding good connectors with bad wires drill out the old wirer.

Has anyone found a connector that looks like the original? If not what is the closest one we can find? I haven't found much that even looks close so your ideas will help.

Be carefull some of the hoses are NLA and hard to find

I looked at your profile so I know what car model we are dealing with a 78 280Z. Please check the front filter for rust if your filter is red, that is not good. Let me give you some good news fuel injectors will allow very little rust into the engine, you can now guess the bad news. If the filter is red you will more than likely need to do a serious cleaning of the ejectors. Drop the tank and flush the steel fuel lines with some rust cleaner, and don't forget the return lines. Some radiator shops can boil the tank last time I did this it cost me $40 and no tank for 4 days, about 7 years a go. Well worth it. MY first Z came with a rusty take. After you get the rust out of the tank you have several options to keep it from happening again. The best advise only store or let the car sit with a full tank of gas, you need oxygen to oxidize. You can seal the tank but I've seen and heard of the sealers pealing flaking, even disintegrating and plugging things up. The best treatment I like is the use of 1qrt of non-detergent oil (or marvels mistory oil, actualy any oil with no cleaners will do, I even think the lucas fuel injector cleaner works, its oily) every oil change in a half full gas tank, take a drive (only need 3-4 miles) and make some hard turns to slosh it around, then fill the tank, it works. The car I have now the last two owners have done that its whole life 40 years and no rust in the tank. The only downfall is you get a little blue smoke for one tank of gas.

I thought this looked good. I was thinking if you need a new battery and your not looking for original cables, go to a front mount system so the connections would be on the front of the battery away from the body. Chevy used this on many cars so it would be easy to get the parts. What I like is the area for an arc is smallest I've seen, making potential safer. I just wish I can find originals or terminals like the originals, since I have been going for the original looks

I think you need to switch them around it looks like your launching the car at the drag strip while sitting

I can see these snapping I just replated mine, none were broken in the proses. I used penetrating oil 2-3 times over a month's time be fore loosening them. These replicated bolts from the same manufacture? They look very acurate just missing the yellow-chromate coating.

Ya it sounds like something hanging in the drum. I'd take it off and take a look it could be several things even brake dust catching the drum. The worse things you might find is a warped drum or a bad slave which by how you described it is very unlikely. Also check the e-brake cables and make sure they are full releasing. If you find a broken spring or something else get a brake drum hardware kit they are not that bad in price and good insurance for years of service. By the way the wheel rolled smoothly when you turned it? I was thinking about the wheel bearing when typing this, but you would have problems at higher speeds, not like you described.

I love the little roadsters class the Datsun isn't my favorite, but it rates high on my roadster list. I liked the early versions better. Topping that list would be the Honda S600 or S800 then the TR-6, Mazda Cosmo (I know not a roadster but it wants to be honestly), Sprite, then Datsun, I won't list what modern car ties it.

OK someone is asking to much 31,000 and still below reserve. It's a nice car and I would love it if I fit, never been in one and over 6'4". The car is worth about 35,000 at most from what I see maybe sine their is a lot of bidding it might go for more.