madkaw

Wade, Are you serious? "Here at ClassicZ , we don't have magic bullets" - --ummm, I hope you aren't speaking on my behalf with such a pompous statement. So I guess your car never sees redline for fear of floating valves?

But WHY? Is this for you or a customer? Why this platform?

I had a bad HG and my numbers looked better then that, so not sure that tells all. The tester kit I suggested from Autozone(freebie borrowed tool) plugs into the radiator instead of the cap. You run the engine and see if the pressure rises above cap pressure. If it does, start pulling plug wires one at a time to try and diffuse the pressure. When the pressure stops rising, you found where your problem is. My symptoms were very subtle, never overheated, but I wasn't racing either. It just didn't run right, like a miss. That was a felpro gasket I believe, and it was giving out around #3. I'm running a Nismo gasket now. I also haven't read where you checked valve lash.

Soooo, what ya order mate?

Charlie, It could be several things-and one of the most important is float adjustment. Yes, the wheel is an adjustment and clockwise is lean. Make sure your needle and seat assembly is tightly screwed down and the float moves freely.

Sounds like a good time-I'm jealous

You swapped out ignitions-did this change any of your timing parameters? Have you done a radiator pressure check to insure no HG defect? Do you run with a thermostat? If so, what kind?

I would do what is the most cost effective. Have you looked at the cylinders on the 280 motor yet? These bottom ends are pretty bullet proof and most of the time it's just the head that needs the real work. Yes that head will work on that l28 block. You need to do some research ! Considering this is a school project I would think that would be part of your homework:) Things to consider CR - small chamber head on bigger bore= high CR

Go BIG!

Yes, I meant to ask about induction system. This conversation should be based on how your fueling this.

If you go thru the MANY threads where owners comment on camshaft selection- MANY regret not going bigger as it doesn't effect drivability that much to have a big cam. I'm running stage 2 and it is as civilized as stock. If you read articles by Racer Brown , he comments how these engines like big cams. I can't wait to go bigger, but I'm not disappointed with milder cam . Being you already have the L28, you have some displacement and torque, now give it some HP. Remember , the power is in the head, make use of it.

Does it matter!?!?!? YES- more importantly , I would not drive without it. You need to put a wrench on every bolt under your car. Get a bolt the correct diameter so there's no slop in there. Pretty good chance you found your rattle

When you say rear seals, your talking weather stripping right? If they are gone, then the hatch could have play in it. The hatch should be a spring fit on the seal. I would adjust it down tight on the latch so it takes some force to latch and see if that changes anything. Nothing has to be too loose to make noise, so you don't always feel anything when you yank on it. It's hard to duplicate driving conditions. All the strut has to move is a 1/32" and it would make noise.

Do it right- do it big!! Like said, get a regrind done from someone that works with these L motors

Welcome to the home of Z lovers! One drop of fuel can stink up a whole garage. Check all your lines. If its a fuel venting issue, you might try the trick I did with LIGHTLY pressurizing the vent system and then look for leaks. I have a thread on here somewhere. Good luck and congrats

Noises are always a pain because the noise can travel around the car and mislead you. Sounds like a loose strut , but you said the gland nut was tight. Not sure if a bad shock would produce a rattle sound. When you installed the struts you were SURE the and nuts bottomed out on the shock and not the threads on the nut. Not sure why you would just now start hearing the noise, but that's what it sounds like. I've noticed that it takes very little movement on any part to produce noises on these cars. A diff mount bolt on the moustache bar will cause a clunk if its a half a turn loose. Anyway it could be your hatch adjustment is loose and the hatch is rattling.

It's not about keeping the pistons flush- it's about setting up proper head to piston clearance based on the head gasket used. Thru research I have read that the best set up is .022-.027 clearance , but that might be too tight for some comfort levels. It's all about ideal parameters to fight detonation. I'm running about .027 Most stock Nissan L motors have a pistons above the block from .014- .019

Leon, are the training wheels off(old ignition system), or you still have it on standby?

I would be doing just the opposite and tackling the spark first. The beauty of doing spark is that you have both old and new systems on the car until you are ready to change over. Let's say you want to use a distributorless Ford EDIS ignition. You could actually mount it all up and experimemt with it while still having the old system on there.

Welcome to Classic Z. Glad you found a Z car, prepare to get addicted! Not trying to be the grammar police but we ask you use proper punctuation so it will be easier to read your posts. Example being the right wheel- which wheel, front or back ? Finding noises is process of elimination. Help us figure out what you have done already on the car . Tell us more about the car and yourself since this is your post.

What's cool about the Z is that the design is timeless and appealing to even our kids generation. I'm even impressed how much attention my car gets from all ages. So hopefully your son will stay engaged in the project since it sounds like he will be doing the posting I think one of things you will appreciate about the Z is that they are easy to work on- just by the standpoint of room to wrench! When's the last time you leaned over the fender to pull the starter?

You could even go crazy and redrill the posts for the float lower if there was enough there to do that. You would be lowering the Fulcrum point to gain height on the float

Make sure you don't have 2 washers in there- been there done that!

Do the needle assemblies on the SUs have a packing washer that can be removed to gain height?

Wow- Tony D didn't have an answer after an hour. Best get another set