jonathanrussell

In the link below, the guy in the video cleans gasket material with a perpendicularly positioned razor blade. I have tried it and it works well. You just need to be careful not to cut the aluminum.

Does anyone know whether there were differences in fuel tanks during the manufacture run of the 240z? Specifically, are the 72 and 73 tanks the same?

Thanks Guy. Do you find that the VHT paint holds up well on the exh manifold?

Would you mind sharing your coating method for the following.... Exhaust manifold timing cover valve cover If you are painting yourself, could you share the name of the products? Also, did you paint the original crank pulley or is it rebuilt / new? Looks fantastic. Can't wait to hear how you like this sort of unique combination of engine parts.

It looks to me like the Kameari flywheel....or very similar. Very nice.

Very nice. Ordered L24 and L28 kits. Thanks for the tip Guy.

I met Eiji today for the first time while traveling for business. Setting aside the fact that he seems like a great guy and is really a great asset for owners of these cars, he genuinely lives and breathes and loves these cars. He showed me your engine. You and I have similar engine build goals. Your engine looks even better in person, fyi.

Early 72? Vertical defrost. Does it have the 71 style seat belt receiver....no hard plastic surrounding to hold into place?

Beautiful car Guy. My orange 72 that we have discussed is very similar.

In your price range, I suggest that you look for cars like this one. Of course, like any car, this one needs to be looked over closely. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1978-Datsun-280z-/160730023223?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item256c418537

There is quite a lot of conversation about this combination on hybridz and the resulting detonation issues. If you must replace pistons, and you are looking for a fairly "stock" rebuild, I would find dished. I suppose I would first want to know whether the block needs to be bored or not.

I always enjoy reading about your projects Guy. This engine project has been particularly timely because I am starting to plan my own build. Would you mind sharing some of the other details and choices you made such as- main and rod bearing brand/model, piston brand, and if you used Nissan flat top pistons what brand rings did you choose, rocker arm choice, etc? Which head gasket did you decide on? Thanks for sharing your build.

Thanks for the explanation.

Hey Zed Head. I have been thinking of doing this exact thing to my 75. Care to share more details about the re-routing you did? When you say "just ran hose directly to vacuum diaphragm" do you mean from the vacuum advance diaphragm on the distributor to a manifold vacuum source? Thanks.

It feels a bit like you are running in circles. If it were me, I would buy and install an afm that is correct for your car and set to factory specs (new, rebuilt, etc). Then, see how the car runs. If it runs poorly, don't adjust the afm to mask the real problem. Instead begin diagnosing the real problem. Then, once you have everything working the way it should, adjust your old afm so that it works like the new one and can serve as your backup.

FYI, you can rebuild that pulley. Motorsports Auto sells the bearing.

Have you tried vice grips, oriented so that you can hammer the handle in the stud's counter clockwise direction to remove? You have to close up the vice grips so tight that you can barely lock the handles in place. Has worked for me on occasion. Of course, you also don't want to wring off the last 5/8 of your bolt....which may mean pulling the head. Also, be aware that the left (closest to the radiator) thermostat housing bolt threads into the cyl head timing cover area. Don't use a tap to clean up that thread or you will end up with aluminum shavings in your timing cover- not to mention a bent timing chain guide. Don't ask how I know. You seem to be suffering from rusty bolt hell.

I am making the same evaluation as the op. Why would you do it differently? Thanks.

When my intake manifold gasket was leaking, I finally figured out that I could hear it. Of course, a vacuum gauge showed low and sporadic vacuum readings also. Supposedly, you can spray starter fluid on an intake leak and your engine performance will immediately, temporarily improve because the fluid gets sucked in and corrects the lean mixture condition. I never tried this though because I could hear the leak and knew I had to r&r the intake/exhaust/gasket etc. I am sure you know but you can identify the thermatime harness by virtue of the fact that its harness wires will have continuity with the cold start valve harness wires. It will be interesting to read what solves it. j

I would start by.... - replace your water temp sensor since you know it is bad. - make sure you haven't crossed up your thermaltime and temp sensor harness. - the most fuel rich my 75 280 has ever run was when the AFM flap was stuck open. You might check that. - any chance your cold start valve is spewing? Other than that, I would say you need to start methodically testing your efi via fsm. As to why you are not seeing improvements when you introduce unmetered air via vacuum leak....not sure unless you just have not introduced enough unmetered air to overcome the over rich condition. Seems like I have followed other recent work you have done- ie: installing header. Are you sure you are rich? Are you sure you don't have a massive intake manifold gasket leak? Best of luck. j

Napa has a good variety of lengths, colors, and number of extra leads.

Larry, What a great car. Lots of fun following the rebuild photos. Thanks for the link. What ls1 engine mounts did you use? The rear panel is the best rear panel design I have seen. Have you ever made any and sold them? Would you? What coating did you use for the various silver looking hardware pieces under the hood such as the master cylinder body, hood latch, accessory light, etc?

What color is your car currently? It looks sort of blue gray at least on my screen. Very nice.

FYI, I have asked the owner a few questions. He is one of those guys where you ask questions and he answers questions you didn't ask and only half of the ones you asked. One question I asked him is one I always ask- is the title clear and most important have you had the title re-titled properly in your name. He has not had the title re-titled in his name...ie: it is still in the previous owner's name...though presumably signed. This situation has bitten me before because if the previous owner did something wrong in signing the title, it can be very difficult getting it fixed and properly transferred. I asked if he would email a copy of the title to demonstrate that the title had been properly signed by the po but he declined. As interesting as this car is to me, he is unfortunately not someone I am personally interested in dealing with.

I almost never post replies to the forum but read several times per week. I would post more photos and ask members to give you their thoughts on the body and rust situation on your car. Think carefully about whether this is the right car to start with. Based on the few photos you posted, the symptoms shown tell me that there are likely deeper and even more serious problems. You may spend way more on tools, time, parts, and mechanics/body shops than you would if you were to just find the right car to start with. One thing you could do is drive this one around while you find another 280z (yours looks like a 77 or 78 280z to me). Then, you could use this one as a parts car maybe. Either way, welcome and enjoy. These cars are loads of fun.