MidnightRider

I'm thinking it may be a loose fan belt. Late 60's mustangs will make that grinding noise if the fan belt isn't tight, and mine definitely is not. It squeaks frequently.

Another stock part broke on my 60,000 mile 78' Z. The AC compressor has failed, I'm almost positive it's just the bearings because when you switch the AC on the compressor makes a horrible grinding racket but still blows cold. I checked MSA for a replacement and called Classic Auto Air but they said the later 280z compressors aren't made anymore and they didn't want to touch the one I have. Has anyone had theirs rebuilt and if so, where? Any place to get a new one? Any aftermarket or swap options? I've seen a couple on here while searching for info, but they seemed to all be for motor swaps. I'm running an L28.

Never mind, I'm going to upgrade to megasquirt in the near future.

I wouldn't. That would defeat the purpose of delivering more fuel.

Is this mod possible to do with the stock 280z L28E ECU and fuel injection system? Or do I need to run an aftermarket ECU to change the air/fuel ratio?

I drive my 78' 280z daily, it takes me about about 30 minutes to get to school and from there another 20 to get to my girlfriend's house. I live in Memphis so it really only snows once or twice a year. The car only had 50,000 miles when I bought it but sat for 20 years. Something goes wrong about every two weeks to a month. Engine blew, starter went out, multiple problems with the AC and heater , clutch hydraulics, radiator, transmission syncros, just to name a few off the top of my head. If you want to daily drive an S30 my best advice is don't go cheap and buy a Z that has been moderately restored and is already either daily or regularly driven. You can get a very nice Z for a price that is way less than the average new car. If and when you have problems these cars are very easy to get parts for and very simple to fix.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-ROUND-PROJECTOR-HEADLIGHTS-HEADLAMPS-W-34-WHITE-LED-/110818322348?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item19cd4967ac#ht_2233wt_1168

Any 7" headlamp will fit in an S30, you may need to do slight mods to get it to fit flush in the bucket. You may want to try to look for headlamps meant for motorcycles as there may be more options. Let me know what you find.

Oh yes... much, much brighter

He's right, I searched for these and could not locate a real set. So I bought some LED 7" faux projector headlights... they aren't as bright as real HIDs but the LED's rock.

I might flip a coin on this one considering the amount of time required may not be practical, as it seems there is no easy alternative. I found Carbon Fiber Flares for a price that's hard to refuse though. As you can see the combination of CF flares, Coilovers, and the wheels I have would look good: Only gloss black, and without an RB26DETT as pictured.

That looks really damn good. Those are very close to being my exact wheels. Minus the off camber rear wheel. I would prefer the bolt on look with the flares however. The molding with the airdam looks really good. Do you have more pics of this car?

Convertible.

Making my own sounds pretty good. I have spring break coming up and that would give me a lot of time.

^bump

Now that's how you do it. I'll be looking for your build thread. I'm hopefully going to have my car relatively completed in the next 5 months because I'll be going to college soon. I've already started setting up the triple pods. If anyone has any broken clock gauges I'll send you a couple bucks for them. It's a lot easier to mount a 52mm gauge to a clock bezel because it doesn't have that bar that splits the gauge in half... gotta figure out how to remove that.

Can't argue with that, was my original plan. Can't wait to see the build. Mine won't go in till this spring because I'm planning a major tear down of the interior over spring break.

I am not a noob, day dreamer, nor "shakatokan" boy. You seem pretty jealous because you keep trying to discredit my ingenuity based on my age by comparing me to some day dreaming ricers. I don't think anyone appreciates your input.

edit*: As for a budget gauge, you can get ones from glow shift and autometer comp. for about $100, they will work with electrical/mechanical senders depending on what you get. However, you loose your turn signal and highbeam indicators. The advantage of the speedhut is you get to keep those features and custom design your own gauge AND an impressive lifetime warranty.

I'm no expert on gauges, but I don't think an electrical sender would work with a mechanical gauge. As for a budget gauge, you can get ones from glow shift and autometer comp. for about $100, they will work with electrical/mechanical senders depending on what you get. However, you loose your turn signal and highbeam indicators. The advantage of the speedhut is you get to keep those features and custom design your own gauge AND an impressive lifetime warranty.

The ones from speedhut operate with a GPS signal with an included sender. You don't need a cable or sensor. It's the best way to go for street use. If you're building a race car, then you probably want to run something such as a mechanical competition series gauge. *If you want to run an aftermarket gauge that works off an electronic signal (not a mechanical gauge) you can also buy a GPS sender from intellitronix for $100.

Can't wait to buy a speedhut speedometer + fuel level and tachometer gauge. Going to be working some long hours because they're pricey but worth the extra coin in my opinion. They have a very professional look with a lifetime warranty. You keep your turn signal and highbeam light as well as both trip odometers. I had been looking at Autometer ES and was very impressed when I found speedhut, especially since you get to customize them. What sort of sender did you need for the tach?

Do the 4inch gauges really fit that nice in the speed and tach pods? No trimming of the bezel required? As for the triple gauge pods, you can make a 52mm gauge fit by mounting it to the bezel of the factory gauges. I saw I guy do it on this forum with dakota digital gauges. That's my plan. I bought a set of prosport evos:

Looking for something different like those kyoto's, but I might still just go with ZG flares.

I don't need too much width. I'm running 9 in front & 9.5 in the rear.