Zetsaz

I have rot on the same spot in my passenger fender that I didn't get a chance to fix before leaving home. Driver side was perfect strangely. I tried fabing my own patch panel, but with the way the bottom side requires extra work to get it to bolt to the rocker I think I'm just gonna give up and send a tabco panel back home and have my dad swap it.It'd be much easier too. One cut and a straight line weld. Definitely easier than any of the work I already did on the rockers, rocker ends, and rear lower quarters. tl;dr: buy a tabco panel for the fender, unless you're really good, or plan on just covering it up (rust always comes back)

I'm trying so hard to be helpful but....

... Are the parts free or are you trying to get out of donating like everyone else in the B/S/T forum?

seattlejester, you mentioned that people like to run tokico springs and some KYB struts as a stage I option for suspension. Tokico springs aren't really made anymore, and it seems like people are moving to the Vogtland Springs. Stagg struts are the cheaper option, but they come packaged with the KYB too, so I'm thinking of going that route. I don't know if Vogtland springs on Tokico struts would be a better option, but it might be a little too pricey while I'm trying to piece together other things right now.

That sounds awesome! For now I think I'll keep my eye out on either. Converting my own to turbo is way too much of a hassle, especially since I want to bring it up to Washington after next summer and still drive it around. Working on the swap over time and making sure everything is ready then swapping it in all at once is the only reasonable option for me. Good info on the '81/82 vs '83, I appreciate it. I have have the Datsun Z Garage bookmarked and I've been reading as much as I can from there these days. Can't really work on my car right now, so I figure learning as much as possible is the best thing I can do while I start buying essential parts. I'm hoping to buy these books soon too. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931128022?gwSec=1&redirect=true&ref_=s9_simh_gw_p14_d3_i1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931128049?gwSec=1&redirect=true&ref_=s9_simh_gw_p14_d3_i3 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931128030?gwSec=1&redirect=true&ref_=s9_simh_gw_p14_d3_i4

Interesting washer bottle/motor. I know Black Dragon Auto sells universal ones (they specialize in Z parts), but I don't know how the fit compares. The ones at Black Dragon are $20

Looking so good!

I will add that you should read as much as you can. I spent YEARS just thinking about what kind of project I wanted to do because i was obsessed with Z's from the time I was about 12 or 13. Back then I really really wanted an RB swap (still kinda do...), but now that I'm older and smarter I understand better just how much work and money is really involved in even the "easier" swaps. I learned to do my own car work in high school and have always had an older brother who studied auto mechanics mentor me when I couldn't figure something out, and I still seriously debate even the most common (read: heavily documented) engine swaps. Trust me when I say this most likely is NOT a project you want to get involved in at this point in your life. Dreams are dreams of course, and if you still really want to do it, make sure you go into it with a clear head, READ as much as you can, learn about how repair/maintenance as a whole before you even get started, and then decide whether or not it's worth it for you.

I didn't know the whole car was selling cheaper than some engine/trans combos, good to know! Is the last tip still related to just getting a whole car or do you mean if I find an incomplete swap?

Took a nap... started thinking about what it would take to get the engine that's already in the car to around 200whp. I've tried reading up on it, but there doesn't seem to be much info on it other than stroker engines. So far all I've REALLY seen is get a better cam, upgrade to MS, header and exhaust, bigger throttle body... and I think that's about it. EDIT: It's purely out of curiosity. I know throwing in a stock L28ET would get me that faster, easier, and probably cheaper.

The differences between a '70 or '78 are pretty huge. Also read through this for forum etiquette and rules: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/111201-hybridz-forum-rules-read-now-before-posting/

I'm running a Racetronix fuel pump in my L28E (Also 255LPH, just like your walbro). The pump was really made for an 99-03 LS1 setting, but it's in my my F-body tank feeding my stock L28E engine and I have no issues at all. My engine's probably the best part about my car right now actually.

Consistently lurking around multiple forums and craigslist. I took months before I found any L28ET's near me on Craigslist. Only thing I had seen for like half a year before this week was on the HybridZ forums and it was around $2000 because it was a built engine, which is why I was asking.

I LOOOVE the interior work. Keep it up. Will be subbing to see where the build goes!

I've been thinking of actually working out

For those who keep up with my very mediocre build so far, this is sort of the styling I'm going for (but probably not quite as low or with so much negative camber in the rear) The L28ET will probably fit my needs I think, it's just a matter of finding them and making sure it'll last a while. I've been doing a lot of reading and browsing the last couple nights and I think I might end up going L28ET. Save the RB25 for when things totally blow up and finding parts for the L28et is just not convenient anymore http://www.yogapantsandstance.com/originality-is-dead-tonys-datsun/

Yeah, that's the big problem I'm seeing, is most of the posts I find with pricing are from several years ago. Wasn't even really considering buying a trans/engine so soon, but considering they're becoming harder and harder to find and they're not terribly expensive I might just spring for it and let it sit around while I finish other things. Besides... my birthday is coming up. Maybe I can pull some strings and go 50/50 on it with my dad since he's gonna get some fun out of the car too haha. Thanks for the response!

RB25 will be much newer and have more aftermarket support, I believe. That's the main advantage. Plus twin cam vs single cam and other more modern bits.

I'm seeing very few around for sale these days. What to are they going for. Found a combo near me that was going for $800. Custom fuel rail, Might need a new cam, but aside from that it looks pretty complete and stock. Is this about right these says?

http://bellingham.craigslist.org/pts/5227204071.html Found this nearby. Is that actually what they're going for? It's the only one I've found for 1000 miles around me....

Some of my favorites.

You don't mean orthodontist do you? Dr. Guymon was mine and he has a green 260z.

I'd be happy to show it to you sometime! Will probably be in town for a couple weeks around Christmas. You'd have to head to my place, but I could PM you when I'm around and show you the setup. You could probably even give me a couple ideas on cleaning up things I don't need, like the stock charcoal canister and other stuff. Jester, I think if I went with the RB25 I'd definitely be collecting parts for a while before doing the full install. For now my focus is more on body restoration and suspension/brakes/wheels. After I've painted it and feel at least semi-satisfied with the suspension and breaks is the first time I'll seriously look at buying engine upgrades. For now the stock L28 is actually running quite nicely. My biggest beef with it in its stock form is cleaning up things I don't need like the charcoal canister, since the camaro tank has that already, plus what I can do to reroute a few few lines just so everything doesn't look like a scrambles mess in there.

Neat show! I didn't know we had any like that in Utah. And another member in Logan! Never thought I'd see the day. Most of my car shenanigans will be happening in Logan, but I'm in Washington for my teaching job right now. I'm not sure I'll bother updating until I actually get the car up here. Anything I buy I'm still gonna be shipping to Logan.

I didn't know that was a thing! Is it around summer time? I'm off after mid june - late august for the summer since I work as a teacher here in Washington now, so that's around the time I'll be back home to really get working on the car again