Zetsaz

You may have to take the interior door panel off with the door shut it's really that jammed or broken.

Got the correct ignition all wired up. For those curious, the extra wires are just for the door open buzzer, I was able to swap them out... mostly, if only to have them wired to make my mild ocd subside. Was able to drive around quite a bit and even take the car up to about 50 on some nearby backroads! Super fun even with the old suspension and questionable body panel fastening haha. I very quickly found out.... my alternator isn't working! Good news is, my voltmeter is definitely accurate. I'm currently debating between a 70amp ZX Turbo alternator, to get rid of the external regulator. Atlantic Z has a great write-up on the very easy process: http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/alternatorswap/index.html OR going with a GM CS alternator. Haven't really decided, or even looked into whether or not one is overkill. Down the road I'll want higher output lights and a nicer audio system without such a steep drop in voltage. I have plenty of time to mull over it fortunately http://czot.org/forum/showthread.php?2040-Datsun-Z-Alternator-Upgrade-to-GM-CS130-Alternator

Same thing still happening to me for summit racing

Good to know for me too. I've been reading more about the 1UZ and considering it as a swap down the road. Not as much aftermarket or power as the LS engines, but definitely more unique and cheaper considering everyone and their mother is swapping the LS engines.

Any updates on this build?

Been putting in some work just to fit the new passenger fender now that I'm home. Required a bit of pushing and bending and some grinding on some non visible spots to get it to sit right. Still need to take a Dremel to the lower fender openings to be able to fit into the now not-quite-aligned openings in the new rocker panels. I got a K&N filter and aluminum tubing so I wouldn't be pushing dust through the engine every time I tested something. It's satisfying! Got patch plates for the rusted frame rail spots in the wheel wells as well as delete plates for the holes from the old bumpers. Also got the ignition switch but it's not QUITE the same and I'm wondering if I should return for a different one, or if this is just how they come now. Was looking through the FSM and I'm not sure what the two wires on mine lead to. I'll add more pics once I'm back home with an actual computer and after I've done just a little bit more welding.

Sounds like you spun a connecting rod bearing? Possible oil starvation during the laps? Did you ever hear any light clicking noise or tapping noise prior to this? If it's not a knock, that's what's most likely, especially if it's matching engine acceleration, unless I'm missing something. If I'm right, the tapping is coming from the connecting rods (any 1 or more that spun a bearing) tapping back and forth on the crank. I would drop your oil pan and check for any metal, either in chunks or shavings, that would have come off the bearings.

Hmmm, yeah. I've been reading more and more on the NA-T forums and there's a lot of debate about it. After some more reading last night I'm leaning towards saying the GE isn't as much of a savings as some people assume. Part of people's biggest assumptions in the calculations is the wiring harness, which doesn't need as much work if they go NA-T since a lot of them are just in SC300's or IS300's... We don't really have the option. Regardless, I'm pretty close in Mount Vernon and should head down there sometime and check out your work! PM me anytime you'd like an extra hand, I usually have loads of free time on weekends and wouldn't mind learning a bit more from someone more experienced either way. Would at least keep me entertained since I don't have much to work on with my own project being stored in Utah until it's moving comfortably.

Nice progress! I've been leaning towards a 2JZ myself. Wouldn't be for another year or two, but your thread always gives me ideas and signs of what to be careful for. User on the forums, Bean, had a huge post on GE vs GTE and it made me lean towards doing the NA, or NA-T like you're going. Huge cut in price compared to the GTE for people like us with more modest power goals.

Maybe not immediately, but I've been interested in buying some Grid Classics

True if you happen to have the rubber piece. I chose to fab my own that fed straight into the camaro neck.

That'd be awesome. Yeah, I'm definitely sticking closer to stock stuff at least for now. would rather invest my money in finishing rust stuff/brakes/suspension. I really just want to focus on something that would be a fun, reliable, street car.

The master cylinder and some pads/shoes I'll probably just buy new, but I'd definitely be interested in the toyota calipers, the air dam, and the grille. I think there are some small mods needed to fit the 240 grill onto the 280, which I don't mind but sadly there's no grill on the series 1 I bought... Also I'm still at least curious about the engine setup in your car. I know I should be worried about that until later, but I've been fascinated by the high revving 2.6. Being a technology fan I've been leaning towards megasquirt instead of carbs though.

I got my F-body tank on ebay complete with charcoal canister, filler neck, and racetronix fuel pump. I will say that I spent a lot of time hoping I could find a stock tank and metal for the wheel well without spending all the money I had at the time as a college student. I ended up going with the camaro tank because the previous owner had already cut the spare wheel well out, and I figured the tank and pump would future proof me for any swap I might go with down the road. There are definitely benefits to the tank, but unless you're prepared to modify your sending unit/buy a new programmable fuel gauge and deal with that, as well as fabricating custom mounts for the tank AND (this is the one most people don't think about) fabricating a filler neck, I'd say go with a stock tank repair and some kind of modern in tank sump like Richard suggested. Granted there are probably easier was to make a filler neck than what I did, I really wanted it going to the stock location and wanted it to look as original and subtle as possible.

Current shopping list should be ready for me around Thanksgiving or at least when I'm home for a couple weeks around Christmas: updated stock brake stuff new brake master cylinder Wheel well frame rail patch plates Xenon front air dam to fit the 240z turn signals And still debating on a Skillard front air dam with turn signal deletes, or using a 240z grill. If anyone has an experience with the Skillard grill I'd be happy to hear it before I go for the purchase.

Somehow I missed the "have it professionally done" and limited on knowledge and experience and tools and space..... You'll be paying condo price for your car, this is ridiculous.

LS will get you 300 stock, with fairly linear power curve, or at least it'll feel that way with the low end torque if you're driving around in the city. People will always hate and see it's overdone, or stick to the nissan family or whatever, but the reality is it's only swapped so often because it's cost effective, powerful, and reliable. Especially since you're leaning towards NA. A stroker could achieve all your goals for a price.... L28ET if you're willing to go turbo, but they seem to be getting harder to find. My personal favorite if you don't mind being just over 200hp instead of your 300 would be an NA 2jz. Cheap parts, fulfills your NA requirement, will be plenty peppy, and reliability... well, it's a Toyota. I treated my first car, a 91 celica, like trash and it's what I learned to do automotive work with, and even with all my mistakes and poor maintenance (mainly irregular oil changes) thanks to limited funds, that engine made it to 287k miles before I spun a bearing. And that was a 4AFE,

I caved and bought a new passenger fender from Black Dragon. Would have bought both if the driver side was still available. With the cost of shipping plus sanding and cleanup required on the ones I just picked up on the 240 I figured I was out about as much just to get the one I need back home, plus this way I have backup in the future if any minor accidents happen. Hard to turn down a brand new fender for $100...

This has been talked about like a billion times already even before the thread Tony and I hijacked from a griefer who wouldn't take advice. This thread goes into some tangents on turbos but good info nonetheless http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/123369-na-l28-performance-questions-efi-non-stroker/ BRAAP's guide is standard and what most people go to http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/95316-braaps-l6-efi-induction-advice-and-tips/ Of course the best advice is to get your suspension and brakes properly sorted, and tune up your engine to proper oem specs

Exciting! Where you're at now I'm hoping to get to next summer haha.

I need to double check the one back home, both that I have are in decent shape. If I can get this one home with me I could sell you one cheap. If you're impatient there's an early and a late model 280z in a not so easy to find junkyard up in Preston if you're ever up that far. I took the passenger bucket off the 76 so there are still 2 usable driver ones to be had. I'm heavily doubting the cars are gone considering the guy that owns the yard works a full time job now. You'd have to find him on the weekend.

Ordered some parts from Black Dragon. Unfortunately most of what I actually wanted had already sold out now that they're close. Bought the inner and outer rubber gearshift boots that are torn on my car, a couple door handles since they were so cheap, misc door stuff that I was missing to clean things up and the cheapest car cover they had (because the nice ones that would otherwise be well over $100 were sold out... of course) Talked to my dad about getting a relative to finish up some of the more urgent metal work so I can hopefully drive the car back here and make more progress on it, but in the meantime I've just been taking some parts I'll be using off the series 1 and cleaning them up. Really happy I found the original wood knob in the middle of the junk in the back to match the steering. restoring those two is probably my first mini-project so I'm not twiddling my thumbs being away from the car.

I only trimmed what was necessary to get it aligned where it need to be (same with the dogleg). Only after the welds were done and everything was pretty much set and unmovable was when I trimmed.

I can answer your first question: Yes. They will definitely need trimming on top. Most tabco panels are like... 90% of the way there. The always require a bit of coercing and trimming. The rear lower quarter is the worst of them. My rockers were a good fit by comparison. Unless the floor and inner rocker repairs you made warped something or you haven't set the rocker in the right spot, you shouldn't have too severe of a gap issue. Adjusting the door hinges and mounting will only give you so much adjustment to that before the door isn't aligned properly to shut like it should.

Yeah, still in Washington. Car is back home. Although I did pick up a series 1 up here for parts recently. I really just need to pay someone to finish up the metal work on mine so I can move on to other things that I actually enjoy haha.