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Pillar

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Pillar last won the day on October 12 2016

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    Near: Hampton, Virginia, United States

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  1. Pillar

    misc

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  2. Since you said that air is blowing through the center and side vents no matter what setting you have it on, then it is clear that your vent controls are not operating properly. The vent controls are operated using engine vacuum, so if you have a leak somewhere in the system then your vents will not open/close properly. This is a common issue. Run through the HVAC vacuum diagram in the FSM and see if you can find the leak. The system has a lot of vacuum lines that can become brittle with age and crack. If you check all your vacuum lines for the HVAC system and they all seem fine, then there could be something jamming the flaps that divert the air through the heater core. Stick your head in there while you operate the levers and see if the flaps are moving.
  3. Nearly everyone I have ever talked too that used to own a Z and then sold it regrets getting rid of it. Old cars definitely come with their own drawbacks, but the pros almost always outweigh the cons. I feel that if you have been toying with the idea for over a year but have been unable to pull the trigger, then you will likely regret it if you sell it. If you didnt enjoy the car to some degree you would have gotten rid of it at the first notion of doing so. That being said, everyone has their breaking point or needs. If you really need the money or are just fed up with the car/not really into it, then maybe selling it is the best choice. I do not know your situation there, so that is something you will have to decide. One other thing to consider is the type/condition of your Z. If it is an early series 1 in great shape/all original, then I would personally do anything in my power to hang onto it. If it is a later model 260-280Z with a lot of rust or something, then it isnt a prize collector and you could likely pick up another one down the road in the same/better condition if you decide you made a mistake getting rid of it. Be prepared to have to spend more than you get for your current Z in order to require one down the road though. Prices of all classic Z's are on the rise. As the 240Zs go through the roof, the prices of the much more affordable variations (260/280Zs) will also rise because of folks who want to get into the S-30 chassis, but dont have the $ for the most desirable 240Zs.
  4. Oh, and be careful when doing your porting. If you go to far, you run the risk of cutting into one of the coolant passages. Shouldnt be an issue if you are only doing a little smoothing and mild porting, but again I dont know how big you are going with it.
  5. if the notches are left as is, they will create turbulence by way of a low pressure area which could cause unwanted "tumbling" of the air flowing over that area. However, depending on how much you are porting, you may not have much of the original notches left (the more you port it out, the less of the original notches will be left over) so the turbulence generated by them may not be that noticeable. If you are worried about it and would rather get rid of the notches all together just to be sure, you could have them filled in and then do your port matching.
  6. Sounds normal to me. The valve-train on these motors is inherently noisy. This is mostly due to the solid lifters, but the injectors are also quite loud and you can usually hear them clicking. Check your hot valve adjustment just to be sure, but your motor sounds fine to me in the video you posted.
  7. No problem. I think they only added them to their lineup within the past couple of months, so not many folks know about them yet.
  8. You can grab a set of the new short ones like JSM said, and then add a set of spacers from Zcardepot to get you to the height of the taller ones. https://zcardepot.com/suspension/rear-suspension/upper-strut-mount-spacer-240z-260z-280z.html
  9. A solid group of supporters definitely helps. I'm sure nobody here was or is trying to scare you away from your project, we just want to make sure you are fully aware of the challenges that a project of this size will bring. This forum has a constant stream of people (usually teenagers) who join up having just bought their first Z and who know nothing about cars, but still want to do some crazy swap or something. Some of these folks really do end up getting into it and finishing their project, but many end up loosing steam and giving up. And no car enthusiasts like to see others fail and give up on their projects. Not to say that teenagers can not be knowledgeable about cars. I myself and a lot of my friends were doing engine swaps and rebuilds in high-school, so I wasnt trying to take a crack at your age or anything. I sincerely wish you the best on your project. Good to see that folks are still willing to go big right from the start.
  10. Worth a shot if you can get R12. Worst case you are only out $52 for the parts from the yard. I am on the East coast so if you are lucky enough to find an old car in a yard, it is normally roached and parts like AC compressors are likely to be seized. I'm sure you are much more likely to get a good system out of a yard in your area. Hope you are successful! I plan to do an AC conversion myself this winter using the Vintage Air system. My 76 actually has all the factory AC parts, but R12 is not really available here and I'd rather start fresh. Anyways, let us know how it goes! Take lots of photos!
  11. I havnt entered my car in any shows that actually give out awards yet, but I do enjoy going to the "Cruise Ins" and being usually the only import there. The paint on my car is pretty rough, but mechanically it is solid and I usually get a lot of positive interest in it. Living on the East Coast, I have never been to a car meet with another Datsun, but just like you almost everyone I talk to has owned/ridden in/wanted/or known someone who owned one.
  12. It has been done, but like Derek said it will be a crazy amount of work. In the end the one I saw was pretty much a tube chassis with an S-30 body on top. I have definitely dreamed of an AWD S-30 as well, but I would have to hit the lottery in order to realize it (because of time and money both). If you dont have the fab skills and tools yourself, then it will be insanely expensive to have someone do it for you. Learning those skills and then taking the time to do the project yourself would take years likely, unless you have absolutely nothing else to do. It can be done, but I would not recommend it for a beginner or even a fairly skilled hobbyist. Like texis30O said, a lot of projects (even including basic RWD swaps) end up fizzling out and never make it to the end. My suggestion would be to start with something a bit more tried and true for your first swap. It really helps to build your skills and confidence when you go to do something bigger down the road. I feel that most car projects that people give up on are a result of going to big to fast with their very first car. It is easy to get overwhelmed and forget what you are trying to obtain, loose interest, or just get in way too deep financially, especially if you have never done something like this before. The folks who have been successful in doing big swaps/conversions normally have done many other more basic swaps and conversions before. Whatever you do, I hope you can stick with it and that you enjoy yourself. Post pictures as you go! We all love a good build/project thread! Cheers
  13. A 280ZX system will not drop straight in and will require quite a bit of work to get it to fit properly. Pretty much the only benefit will be that the compressor will mount up without any mods (you may need the 280ZX crank pulley though if yours is not a 2-row). After that, it is likely that pretty much the entire system will need to be modded or rerouted to fit the S-30 chassis. Some items may fit well enough, but from the firewall back is all different (dash, controls, blower, etc.). You will also need to upgrade it to use R134 (unless you happen to know a guy with some R12 laying around) which can have varying levels of effectiveness. The old system used to run on R12, which was "discontinued" due to its harmful effects on the environment, and is therefore quite expensive to acquire. As a result, you will have to convert the system to run R134, which will cost a little more money and some folks claim that it just doesnt work all that well in the R12 components. One of the big things to consider is how long the system on the 280ZX has been sitting, and what condition is it in. Many of the components are likely to need replacement or reconditioning at a minimum, which will cost you a lot more. Dont expect to be able to get working AC in your car for $52 plus a bit of elbow-grease, it is just not possible. Since you are starting from a clean slate, I'd say the best option is to buy a new aftermarket AC system like the Vintage Air system that Derek mentioned. It is tried and true and will give you a much better end result for the effort involved. There will still be fab work involved, but people have done writeups on it and you know it will work once installed because all of the components are brand new.
  14. Personally, when running an aftermarket seat, I prefer to make a bracket that will adapt the aftermarket seat to the factory mounting points. This way I can avoid cutting or welding on the car, and can always return to stock if I want to. Takes a little work, but I think it is well worth it. I am running RX-8 seats in my Z right now, but I can swap back to stock seats any time I wish with just 4 bolts each.
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