deja

But even with that issue the engine was bullet proof for the street. I street raced my '70 AMX every Friday night for 5 years and never had a problem. Just kept the RPM limit at 5000, short shifted 1st and 2nd and rarely got beat. My biggest claim to fame was beating a 454/450HP Chevelle…twice. He was in total denial, especially when I lied and told him I was stock! But there was that '69 Z28 that was NOT a Z28 that embarrassed me. Tuned out to be a 350, not a 302 and the engine was built to the hilt. He took me for a ride after we raced and scared the crap out of me, thing as not a street car by any stretch. Ya gotta be careful who you pick on, ya never really know what they are running. Ahhhh, Glory Days!!!

LOL, junk it I will. I spent a long time making a bracket to mount that damn switch only to realize I probably can't use it, oh well.

Thanks. I got into it last night and figured out exactly what you said. That ignition switch was in the on position so that’s why I could still get out of park, certainly not going to work on the Z. I'm not even using the 280Z ignition switch, going with a dash mounted key and push button start. I will use option #2. There are 2 connectors on the brake switch, haven't traced them out yet but I think one is for option #2.

That is very true. Oil had a tendency to climb the sides of the pan, even with windage trays. Penski finally fixed that for TransAm racing by getting SCCA to change the rules and allow dry sump oiling, its good to be the king!

Don't know if they will have what you need but I've had pretty good luck with these guys. http://fittingsandmore.com/

I'm very new at playing with automatic transmissions. Anyone who has installed a 4L60E in a Z give me a clue what the cable coming off the front of the shifter actually does? It runs to the ignition switch that was bolted to the Camaro steering column and activates the switch when the button on the shifter is pushed in. That switch is also activated by a rod that was connected to the ignition key module on the Camaro column, no way to use that on the Z. But the neutral safety switch is on the side of the shifter, so I have no clue what that cable does, I am so confused! Do I really need this cable?

It would probably fit. I had a '70 AMX 390, same engine, way back in the day. Its a small block so size should not be an issue. Mine ran a Borg Warner 4 speed T10 transmission. Making a different tranny fit may be an issue but AMC tended to use a lot of off the shelf parts so perhaps some GM tranny could be made to work. BTW I beat the hell out of that 390 and never had an issue, engine was bullet proof. The drive line on the other hand sucked, weak rear end, axels designed by an idiot with key-ways that snapped all the time. I do wish I still had that AMX.

Bummer about the crank bolt, that was just weird. If ya gotta tear it dwn ya might as well put in sone goodies. Are you going to chnage the cam too?

Before you spend money on that EGR block-off plate its just two pieces of metal, some aluminum, some steel, nothing special. You can make them yourself for 1/10 the cost. And on a LT1 nobody will really be able to see them so they don't have to be all that purdy. I removed the EGR and its vacuum solenoid, the air pump and the canister. I just got the stuff to make my K&N cold air. Trial fitted it tonight. Still have to hard mount the MassAir and make a suport for the K&N.

I know the feeling. I pulled my LT1 fuel tank for about the 5th time to reconfigure the filler neck so it will actually be able to hook to the Datsun fuel door, didn't quite think that one through the first time. Then about all I have left is installing that nightmare of Z28 wiring harness, build my dash, figure out the exhaust, install sound deadener/heat insulation, reinstall the interior and I'm done. Wonder what I'll do next week, LOL.

If you're interested in some Edelbrock heads a friend of mine has a set of 70cc aluminum. He got them as payment for some work he did on a SBC powered Jag. He says they have about 15,000 miles and thinks they are straight plug, he will check that when he gets home. He planned to use them but when he discovered they were 70cc they wouldn't work for his engine and he didn't want to get new pistons since he had just built the engine. He would like $375 plus shipping. Send me a PM and I'll give you his email if you're interested.

Its not so much the wiring as it is the combo switch. That switch will NOT handle the current those new lights require and will die a horrible death very quickly.

The wiring in my 280Z V8 was pretty much like yours. The idiot that wired the car after the V8 conversion removed all the fusible links and replaced them with nothing! I had so many fuses blowing it was scary to even start the car assuming it would get connection to the starter relay. I tore into the harness many times and found very scary stuff like wires that went nowhere and not taped over and connections that were just twisted together and not soldered. I would fix those and things would work for a while then something else would quit, it got very frustrating. I couldn't run the heater fan with the headlights on and the clock and dash lights only ran occasionally. The final straw was when the 2 taillights quit working because the ground wire was not making connection…somewhere. I'm an electronics tech and after several attempts at fixing the wiring in this car I decided it had to go. So when I started my LT1 swap I tore all the wiring out of the Z and am replacing it with the donor Camaro harness. Not the easiest thing I've ever done but it has to be easier that fixing all that Datsun trash. If you need any Datsun connectors give me a shout, I saved almost all of them. I am still going to used the Datsun ignition switch and wiper switch but the lights will be controlled with the Camaro switch and relays. I also have another entire dash harness for a 280Z I will sell cheap.

LOL, I hear ya.

Thanks pretty much figured I was screwed. I hate it when I figure stuff out after I already bought stuff, didn't do enough research on this one. And of course I got it off Ebay so I can't take it back. I'll add it to all the other stuff I'll put up on Ebay, LOL. I looked at the Mallory one, but didn't want to mess with the dual inlet/outlet thing. During my seach here I think I saw you were using the Mallory. I just ordered a Aeromotive EFI filter from Summit. http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=AEI%2D12308&N=700+115&autoview=sku

"boxes of parts", LOL! I know the feeling. Seems like I get a box a day these days. Looks like you're putting in all the right stuff. Any concern about having the fuel lines exposed like that? Seems like they would take a major hit in a rear-ender.

Congrats, wish I could have made it.

Fram HPG-1 Fuel Filter has a 10 micron filter, will withstand up to 200 PSI, flows 90 GPH. But the specs also say it is NOT for EFI. Why not EFI if the pressure rating and flow rate are so high?

I just measued mine. Inside is 2 3/4". One thing you should be aware of is the new JTR radiator mount in made from aluminum and is pretty flimsy. Using the 2 Datsun mounting hole allows a lot of movement of the whole thing front to back. I was afraid vibration would eventualy cause stress cracks in the mount. I added these 2 brackets, now its rock solid.

Interesting. When I replaced the hose that goes to the valve cover the old one had some oil in it. I have about the same milage on my engine, the oil might be normal.

While I admire your willingness to take on a project like this at your age you must be aware its not a simple bolt in swap. I am quite a bit older than you and while not a mechanical or fabricating wizard I have tinkered with cars all my life, built and raced a few. I am now in my 4th month of my 280Z LT1 swap and have yet to attempt to start the engine. Someone once said about hot rod projects "Make budget and a time schedule. Then double that budget and triple that time schedule and you'll be close". It’s the little things that take the most time. Dropping the engine and transmission in is pretty easy, getting everything else right take an amazing about of time and money. My advice is pretty much what everyone else is saying. Get the JTR manuals, read and totally understand them before turning any wrenches. Buy a running donor car for your engine and transmission, that will save you major headaches down the road. I was able to pick up a wrecked but drivable '94 Z28 for $1500. You can sell off much of the donor car and end up with a free drive train. Get a good Z to start with, if you buy a rust bucket you will spend major money and time before you can even start the engine swap. Do it right, do it safe and don't get crazy on the "while I'm at it stuff" trust me on that one. Get the basic mechanical stuff done and sorted out, the bling can come later. Most of all have fun, this can get frustrating at times but it’s a blast and the results if done right will be awesome. We'll be here if you need help, this board is very helpful.

According to shbox.com this is where the pcv valve is.

Sounds like maybe you took out a fusible link.