1 tuff z

vin, there are actually 2 lines. there is the line that goes thru the throttle body-this is what dave [quick240] was speaking of-ok to eliminate. the other, which is a small steel tube that comes off the cyl head on the driver side head, is to relieve the steam pockets that can form [which can create hot spots and ultimately ruin your cylinder heads] and goes into a 'tee' in the upper radiator hose. mike [jtr] has these 'tee's in stock.

dale, thanks for the compliment. on the clutch line i tried to 'gut' the factory quick disconnect so i could tig weld a -3 fitting to it. no luck, so we cut off the factory quick disc and tig'd a -3 fitting there. i'll then connect the -3 line prior to install of the trans, connecting to the clutch master after eng/trans goes back in. for the brakes, i actually used a 37 degree [i think that's the number] single flare on a 3/16 stainless steel line. it was very tough to deburr. the 37 single [vs. the 45 double-factory] was a bit easier to do but allowed me to connect directly to my mml front flex lines [there was an adaptor to go from 45 to 37 there] but the adaptors are now at the master. the real test will be once she's on the road again...

just finished bleeding the master cylinder and brakes [my wife has done this so many times for me over the years, today she said "i could charge people for this service now that i'm so experienced!"] to which i replied "yes, of course dear". anyway, i'm thrilled to say i didn't have any leaks! did an initial set of the front/rear bias, will fine tune once she's back on the road again. now awaiting arrival of the stainless "-6 an" line and fittings so i can plumb the fuel lines. pics of my brake lines are in the gallery now. i'm especially proud of how they turned out, with the caveat that it was the first time i ever did any brake line work.

finished plumbing the brake lines last evening [we've had 40 degrees for the past couple days]. i ran a flex line from the master to the prop valve then flex adaptor from prop to stock rear line. for front i made a short 's' line that goes from master to a bulkhead fitting then on the other side of the fender to a 'tee' mounted to the stock tab. caliper flex line attaches to the 'tee'. from there the hardline [i used 3/16" stainless] thru the front crossmember [yes thru] to the pass side. i was really nervous about cutting, bending & flaring as this was my first time doing any brake line work. wasn't as hard as i anticipated and worked out pretty decent, for an ameteur. holding my breath now as the next step is bleeding the system and hoping my work doesn't leak! once that's complete it's onto the fuel lines then put the engine & tranny back in [hopefully for the last time]. pics in my gallery.

jr, it sounds like the speedo cable. i'd disconnect it at the trans, pull the flex cable from the sheath and check it. if it looks decent, give it a good cleaning then lube it with some high temp grease and reinstall. i had the same thing happen to mine except i ignored it. eventually it snapped and needed to be replaced. i think some moisture got inside and began the deadly rust process.

definitely NOT until the snow is gone and the salt is washed clean from the roadways. most likely late april to early may time. i anticipate being able to turn the key and fire her up toward the end of february. much still to do!

i've uploaded some more photos; prop valve and harness as it comes thru the firewall. check it out! http://album.hybridz.org/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=8104

my 280 tank [actually got it from quick 240] is the 75-76 'shoe' model and generally fits the 240's. it seems a bit taller but has the same general shape as what i removed. the 77-78 280's had the different rear cargo deck and had also changed the tank to fit the new floor, that' probably the 'twinkie' shape you speak of.

gas tank installed [funny, i thought the 76 280 tank would bolt 'right in'] although when i test fitted it i didn't realize that i'd have to extend the filler neck or tank straps. anyway, that's done and in. i had been looking for an oem z wire harness firewall gromet that would seal the speartech harness in the same manner. called the dealer, they aren't available separately. called a friend who does alot of honda eng swaps and he had a few old honda wire harness lying around. i removed one of those seals, modified it and wrestled with it for about 30 minutes and it works like a champ. mounted it adjacent and down slightly from the factory z main harness where it pokes thru the firewall in the passenger footwell. i'll see if i can post a pic tomorrow in my gallery or in this thread. brake bias adjuster mounted as is the pcm [pic in gallery now]. to do; modify front brake lines, run fuel lines, reinstall engine, double check EVERYTHING, pick up headers from swain tech [thermal barrier coatings], wire gauges &-hold breath & fire in the hole! it's tough to get motivated to go out in the cold [curr temp is 34 farenheit]. no insulation in garage

of all the sketches you've penned this is my favorite' date=' i absolutely love this rendering-the flares, hood, wheel combo, etc. what a great vision for an updated and very sporty look for our beloved z car. i was going to suggest a 'duck bill' attachment to the bottom of the front spoiler and then you pen that! i'd like to do that with my z. i'm also looking to do an addition to my current rear spoiler that will create a horizontal extention. how about you pen a low profile rear spoiler that has some rearward horizontal extention to it, possibly that extends rearward near the [imaginary vertical point of the rearmost part of the rear bumper'] rear bumper. i have a xenon low profile rear spoiler that extends over the rear quarters a bit and want to add to it. how about a rear quarter view of your sketch?!

thanks for the heads up. i had thought about that and is the reason i have the flex line. i can let it 'hang' or pull it up while bleeding.

john, lemme know when the v8z rails are done, then i can get them and add to the jack plates that are scheduled to be welded on this spring, once the z is running again. thanks

gas tank and trans crossmember back from powdercoater and nearly ready to install. i took a different approach to my clutch slave/master setup. i removed the bleeder and installed a 12" long flex line with a removeable plug at the end-essentially hangs down along the side of the trans for easier access and bleeding. for the clutch slave, i cut the hard line at the slave just below the factory quick disconnect fitting and tig welded [i can't weld, but had it done] a '-3 an' fitting in place. i'll then connect a '-3 ss braided' line to run from the slave to tilton master. once the tank is mounted [hopefully this weekend] i'll take the measurements for the fuel lines and fittings. i'm also in the process of rerouting the front brake lines so they're away from the headers. actually using a bulkhead fitting and running the line from the master thru the fender to a 'tee' then to left front directly and right front via the rear of the engine crossmember. after fuel & brake lines are done the engine goes back in [hopefully for the last time]. mounting the pcm behind the glovebox sharing heater fan mounts. i also figured a way to adapt a plastic 280z glovebox liner to my 240 box. i should be able to get some pics to put in the gallery this weekend. my speartech harness arrived yesterday, nice piece, patiently awaiting install.

this is a pic of the trans crossmember i have for my ls1 swap. it bolts to the floor pans and uses a plate with 2 bolts tacked on that slide thru holes in the floor.

bimmertech, do you have a 240 or 280? originally jci sent me a 280 trans mount which will NOT work on the 240's. had to send it back so they could send the correct one. i get it back from the powdercoater today [along with some other stuff] and will try to post a pic tomorrow. the 240 mount bolts to the floorpan vs. the inboard vertical portion of the floor pan support rails like on the 280.

bill, i'm using the 280zxt cv joints with the adaptors ross has at modern m'sports. when one of the rubber boots split while i was at watkins glen [just a few weeks prior to the convention] i discovered that no one makes parts for them anymore. too bad i found this out after i converted. luckily i was able to get them rebooted. they also inspected the cv joints [great shape] and relubed them prior to the reboot. i'd go with the 300zx cv conversion. the place that did the [above] work said the parts for the 300's are plentiful and more common and they don't anticipate they'll go away anytime soon...fwiw. of course, there's always the questionable clutch footwork / driver input that caused the failure...lol david

i think i'm on the short end of this one. just measured but my lips only stand up to a whopping 3.5". total width is 8.5' but...they do fit under the stock wheel wells with 235.40.17 tires.

bill, whadya drive in the navy? flew kc130's myself for the corps...used to do testing of my car at cabiness field when stationed at corpus christi. i'd flash my id to the guard and he'd just wave me in. had a great time blasting around the runways on the inactive flying days.

vihn, a friend of mine is using one in his firebird. had to drill a hole i the t-stat so the coolant could circulate when the car was off. he had it wired on a relay so that when he shut it off it would continue to run the pump & rad fan to cool the car down. similar to a turbo timer. he seems to like how it works. david