[Hatch hinge seals]

Can confirm that without them water will collect inside the roof support and eventually rust through and drip into the rear. That roof support is not easy to repair either.

[New 280Z owner. Looking into alternative Nissan Drivetrains.]

You haven't mentioned your power goals. Another RB to consider is the RB20DET. It's still not cheap but it's generally about a grand or more cheaper than the RB25, plus it doesn't require a custom oil pan like the RB25 does, saving even more on the swap cost. It doesn't have the power potential of the VQ but if you're not looking to make 400+ hp it's an option to stay with an inline 6.

[What are these firewall holes used for?]

The two in the first picture are both wiring harnesses. The big one is the engine harness from the ecu and the smaller one is the body harness for the wipers, engine bay light etc. 

 

I don't know about the one in the middle of the cowl, it's plugged in my 76 as well.

[Head build for F54]

The built in search for hybridz is old and leaves much to be desired. I have better luck with using Google and appending site:hybridz.org to the search terms.

 

You may also want to check out Atlantic z's engine tech tips for a lot of useful information:

https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/engine.htm

[Help. Rusted cabin air intake, no "cover" to remove?]

On 77-78s the cowl cover is one piece and you cannot remove the top easily. I agree with Aydin, your best bet is to go from beneath and weld a new panel into the bottom. I have a '76 and I was able to remove the top, but I ended up welding from the bottom anyways because it's very tight coming from the top.

[Turbo parts]

PM sent

[WTB: S130 body parts in or around MD]

I have a 1982 2+2 that I need to get rid of. I live in Glen Burnie, unfortunately the car is in Brookneal VA (about 5 hours). As I recall the fenders are in decent shape, probably a bit of rust but not much. The hood is no good and I doubt the doors will work since it's a 2+2. If you are interested I can send you some pictures when I go down and we can try to figure out a way to get them up here, not sure if they will fit in my car on this trip.

 

Let me know if you need anything else. If it's small I can bring it back after the holiday. I'm getting ready to junk the car so as long as I can remove and transport it easily it will be cheap. (The engine is already gone)

[New weatherstrip alternative]

I paid $6 a piece at my local pick and pull. Prices will obviously vary with location and junk yard, but I've yet to see a weatherstrip go for more than $10 at a diy yard.

[New weatherstrip alternative]

Real life has delayed the progress on my Z, so I still haven't reinstalled the doors. Once I do I'll update the thread, but it may be a while.

[How To: Paint With Tremclad The Right Way]

Doing it all legit with candy coat : 350+1000 = $1350 Min! vs $165

 

Point taken.

 

So how happy are you with the results? The pictures look good, but it's not easy to tell the real quality of a paint job from just a relatively lo-res picture online. Is it just "good enough", or is it something that only you would ever know only cost $165?

[How To: Paint With Tremclad The Right Way]

I'm really curious as to why you would use tremclad (or rustoleum) if you have access to a sprayer? I thought the entire point of the "$50 paint job" was a decent job without needing a spray gun setup?

 

I understand that rustoleum is a lot cheaper than a decent automotive paint, but aren't there still cheap paints available that are made for cars, don't require intense amounts of wetsanding, and don't require the car to be completely stripped before repainting?

[New weatherstrip alternative]

So in the never ending quest to find cheaper and cheaper methods of improving my Z, I ran across a weatherstrip which can be easily found in the junk yard in good condition which matches the inner door seal on Z coupes almost perfectly. I pulled it from a first generation (1993-2002) Kia Sportage (didn't check the exact year).

 

It has the correct cross-section and is almost exactly the same size as the stock weatherstrip. It is also much softer and more pliable than the precision kit's version, which I expect will alleviate the difficulties getting the door to close. I was able to pull it from the Kia easily without tearing simply using a flat blade screwdriver to guide it.

 

The only trimming needed is to cut about 6" off since the Kia doors are bigger. The new strip has a molded corner which I lined up with the 90 degree curve at the front of the door.

 

I've yet to reinstall my doors, but once I do I'll post the results here. I don't anticipate any problems.

[XM radio for my Z]

As far as head units with built in XM tuners, AFAIK there are none currently in production... Alpine used to make one, but it's out of production.

 

If you buy a head unit with built in XM controls, however, you only need the tuner itself (as opposed to the entire control unit). Look at the XMD-1000 tuner; it can be placed anywhere since it uses the controls on the head unit. I don't know specifically what head units can control the XMD-1000, but they shouldn't be too hard to find.

[1979 datsun 810 2 dr. L24E]

I hit up the local pick and pull on sunday and was surprised to see a relatively unmolested 1984 Maxima w/ l24e there. If you need anything off of the engine or any other small parts, let me know and I will see if I can get them for you. I can't guarantee I'll be fast about it, I'm working strange shifts now and am rarely up during the day, but I'll do what I can.

 

I notice there's no afm in the underhood picture, I know there is one in the yard. I'm in GA btw.