V8_DatZun

no im not sure on how to check and set the levels... i tried to get on holleys website but their PDF froze up my computer... it ran fine a week ago.. well ran fine for like 30 secs at a time.. i had to dump the oil from it flooding from the Fuel pump being wired strait to the ign on switch. changed plugs.. put in an omni oil press switch.. it DID flood a little cuz i had to spin it over a while.. THEN it acted like it wanted to fire up.. then connected the fuel pump back up.. it started up but spit and sputtered.. it ran for a while like that... and i plugged the back intake hole like you suggested.. do i need to unhook the vacuum from the distributor till i get everything set? also i guess i need to unhook the vacuum from my fuel pressure regulator.. hell.. guess ill unhook the brake booster too.. plug the carb holes up.. start it... and hook one thing up at a time... thanks for the help though man... ill let you know what i find out tomorrow. and datsunlover.. ill check the wires again tomorrow... i DID have to unhook them the other day.. maybe i got 2 swapped.. thanks again for the help.. ill post info tomorrow.

thanks mike.. but i think somehow the question of my original post was misunderstood. i was wanting to know if anyone had welded a piece to LOOK like it was just a wide seperation between front and back window instead of a pillar "COVER"

i've read there are NO aftermarket rims for our cars.... atleast none these days... dont know how true it is BUT... im going to get adapters made for mine to fit Lincoln LS 17x7 rims i got from my sis for 100 bucks lol.. they look GOOD offset is +55 mm though... thats alot compared to our +10 or so.

well i recently broke one of the plastic ones i had.. i've got both.. i mean they look ok... but i had it off.. and put a piece of cardboard up just wide enough to cover the ugly sh!t and it looked pretty good... if you could imagine welding it in it would look like part of the car.. and not a bolt on part..

wow.... that looks REALLY good.. im wanting to get a better compressor and do my own.. so i may just paint it like you did until i save up to get the compressor i want.. lol when i was in school. we made fun of ppl that spray painted their cars.. i did my 84 ford f-150 4wd like that.. BUT... that was a reg spray job.... no way could you tell... or laugh at the job you did.. thanks for posting.

well... i got everything together to finally break in my 383 stroker. my dad and i tried to fire it up a couple of times nothing... then it finally fired... spit and sputtered pretty bad.. believe it got flooded the Fuel pressure reg. wasnt set right... so i spun it over and dried it out till it sounded like it wanted to fire again.. got it to fire up and run.. it has a popping noise like and blowing dark black smoke out... smells like gas so we cut it off.. tried to fire it up again and it spun freely... was getting fire to the HEI but nothing... changed the ign. module and then it fired up again.. the spark is a dull red color though... when we arc the spark plug wire to the frame.. is it possible the coil pack is going bad instead of the ignition module... or maybe both were bad? it runs but it sounds pretty bad... maybe timing is off too.. cant leave it running long enough to set it. any suggestions??

my air breather came with a piece to run the pcv to the air filter guess so it sucks clean air? lol its weird to me how you can have oil pressure with all this stuff sucking air into the engine. seems like it would be blowing pressure out of the holes instead of sucking in vacuum

anyone tried removing the cover between the door window and hatch glass and welding a piece of metal just skinny enough to cover up the parts you dont want seen? to make it look like its a part of the car instead of that ugly plastic piece? there was a post awhile back asking about ways to make it look better... but it didnt mention this. also does anyone sell new ones?

ok THANKS! that really makes me mad tho... lol i went through ALOT to find a piece to put in that back hole on the intake where i broke the vacuum port lol. i could have just put a plug in it... i have to run vac to my fuel pressure regulator so that will work good w/the front vacuum port on the carb.. thanks for explaining that. makes sense to me now! lol i need to go on the kind of dates you go on! sounds kinky hah.

so... i get no intake to carb vac??

i have a holley 750 DP on my 383. when i ordered the carb it was rebuilt and came with no instructions. there are 3 vacuum ports. 1 on the back. 1 on the passanger side and one in the front. what connects to these 3? the one on the passanger side has a red vac. cap and so does my distributor so i assume those two get connected to each other? if so do i come off the intake to the one on the front.. then the brake booster to the back of the carb? am i correct or no?

i have the jtr manual but somehow overlooked that part... ill have to search for that part of it... thanks. *Ok i see now how it works... i knew there had to be a way w/o manually doing it thanks for the info...

thanks... so you suggest a switch that i manually flip when i want to start the car? say i have power to the switch when the ign is to the on position... then i flip the manual switch it powers off.. that way if i forget to hit the manual switch atleast the ign kills the fuel pump... i can add a "Fuel Pump On" red light on a gauge with an LED also... if this is what you meant by a switch. thanks for the help.

ah... sorry.. holley 750 DP and im pretty sure that it was the fact that i left the fuel pump on for like a minute w/o firing it... so do i need new plugs if they are fouled?

thats what i had envisioned too OTM.. stock bulge only taller for a cowl induction look... my dad is more of a DIY guy lol.. he doesnt buy stuff unless he has to.. he'd rather make it if he can.. thats why i was asking if anyone had a pic of this type hood.. Thanks for the replies and pics!

one other thing i thought of... i didnt have the pulleys on and my engine builder had torqued the balancer bolt on.. when i tried to loosen it the engine rotated backwards about a half a turn.. the distributor was still in but could this cause the problem? when it DID fire up today gas shot out of the top of the carb in a mist.. kinda heavy though. thats why i believe it is flooded... if it is that flooded then my plugs are probably fouled. it would fire right up no problem.. now it just sputters and tries to start sometimes.. mostly just turns over though.

i just installed a sbc 383 into my 280zx a week or so ago.. the past 3 days i've fired it up a few times for a few seconds just to hear it etc. now i have the radiator and im ready to break it in (it is a newly built engine) i didnt have the vacuum distribution fitting on the back of my intake (so it idled very high) so i got that and installed it (had to take off my carb to do it... also had the carb upside down as i put permatex on the gasket to be sure it sealed yeah i know i know.. wont do it again) i got everything connected back and now the engine doesnt want to fire back up.. it spits and sputters blows smoke out the headers and i got it to start up 1 time for a few seconds.. then it cut back off soon as i left off the throttle.. i was going to break it in but i cant get it to fire up now... could it be flooded, a float stuck or something from turning it upside down? also i have the Fuel pump wired to turn on when the ign is on the on position not the cranking posititon... this probably also led to the flooding... maybe i need to get new plugs and try it? any suggestions?

that looks kind of like what im talking about... only i think he may keep the original curved shape instead of the pointed shape to the hood scoop. that hood is nice looking though... ill show it to him he may do that instead.. thanks guys.

looking at my dads 77 Z the hood kind of already looks like it has a small scoop on it already the way it is shaped.. cowl like scoop... i told him he should try and lay foam over that.. and shape it to keep the original shape just make it raise 3 inches or so then fiberglass it up... has anyone does this? and does it look right being so skinny? (keeping original width staying between the hood vents)

you have a 280z which is not as picky about headers. i have a 280ZX with power rack and pinion steering.. has to be custom headers to work. my dad has a Z with a 350 and he randomly bought a set of headers off ebay that worked great... so that just shows you the Z is easier to buy headers for than the ZX

cant turn them down... they wont fit. i have them upside down while im waiting on the headers to come in... i've been waiting for JTR to send the headers since December 13th so its been over a month now... i got tired of waiting on them and had to pay 50 bucks for some manifolds off an 89 gmc truck... LoL... the engine sounds good... cuz my neighbor across the street got his Boggin' truck with the built 350 and was spinnin the road up infront of my house showing off... and trying to see my car.. lol some people are just kinda funny...

thanks grumpy great idea, as usual! that can definatly work in my situation. guess i have new plans for tomorrow

ah the weight of the dash wont make that much of a difference if its got everything on it that he needs. put some lighter seats in and you easily make up for the weight as the factory seats weigh a TON. by the way the dash is starting to look good man. good job. hope to start on mine soon but i just got the engine fired up so i gotta tune it and get everything straight.. then maybe start on the dash. its lookin nice though man.

a friend said you are suppose to let it heat through a whole cooling cycle for the rings to seat right or else they glaze over and do not seat... is this true? and yeah i get what you mean about the rad and car just sitting with no air flow...

After buying parts for 2 years (yep 2 years.. kid, moving etc slowed me way down) i FINALLY get to hear my 383 fire up. After several times of spinning over.. decided to run a hot wire straight to my distributor thinking maybe i had it wired wrong.. turned it over and it fired right up.. scared the living hell out of me. lol i've got manifolds turned upside down while im waiting on my headers to come in... it was PRETTY dang loud and i wasnt expecting it. now i just have to get a radiator to break the engine in. anyone know if the stock Z rad will do just for the break in time for the engine? i know it wont keep it cool in everyday use... i just need it to break the engine in until i can get one ordered. if it'll work for that much then ill use it. i want to hear the engine run for a while and get the cam broken in w/o worrying about it overheating though. that 383 sure put a BIG smile on my face though