lammbn

FWIW. the EZ wiring harness uses higher quality wire than painless does. painess uses TXL grade wire and EZ uses GXL which is the next grade up from TXL. here is a site explaining the difference between the two. http://www.kayjayco.com/wiretables.htm as far as wanting circuit breakers instead of fuses you might want to try these. they are a little spendy at ~$2.50 each, depending on manual or auto reset, but the point is that you don't have to replace them right? they plug right into any normal blade type fuse slot. http://www.delcity.net/delcity/servlet/catalog?parentid=151&childid=751807&page=1&tabset=1

I also think I replaced 10 when I did all mine. But I got them here. half the price of those e-bay auction's, and I’m almost positive this is where he got them too, same exact picture as the web site. This site is awesome for some really well priced, high quality electrical stuff! There is a $25 min order, but there always seems to be something i need/want on there to fill my order. check out their wire prices for GLX wire then see if you can beat that somewhere else! GLX is a step above in quality/insulation thinkness compared to what modern manufactures are putting in cars today. http://www.delcity.net/delcity/servlet/catalog?parentid=55011&page=1

might try this stuff. permatex #29132 I've used it several times for similar issues on carburators. its awsome because its the only stuff i've found that resists gas and solvents unlike other silicone gasket makers. it might be the same as the nissan stuff. its also grey.

thanks, that is helpful. i guess it really won't matter in the end. i am doing the transmission mounts now and i will position the engine mounts accordingly as i install it. but it's nice to know what to expect. so it does still use the same type of transmission crossmember i take it? yeah, i will be cutting out a small portion of the firewall above the transmission tunnel, no more heater so that will be easier. i know you can move 4" back without cutting so i will have to cut 4" out of the firewall at most. just a pocket for the head and bellhousing to fit into and still get a allen wrench into the valve cover bolts.

Ok, didn't want to bring up an old thread but it seemed the best way to get the correct answer from people who have done this swap. will the completed KA transmission assembly line up with the stock rear tranny mounts for the crossmember on a 78' 280Z using a 78' 4 speed bellhousing? i am working on all the little things under the car right now before i sandblast it and coat it with por-15. the reason i ask is because i plan on setting my engine back 4-8 inches and i need to know if i need to move the tranny mounts accordingly or if i need to offset them a little in either direction? any help is appreciated. thanks, Brady

did you ever find a place to work on your engine? if not i can recommend a really good place in the area that has good prices and is very good. and i can also reccomend a few places to avoid at all costs, particularly the previously mentioned contact.

well i hope you get something close to that, i really do. i hate to see a Z lover without a Z. But if i may be a voice of sanity... your right, it is a low production number Z car, which for classic restorations is a big plus. for those wanting to just have a nice Z for a DD or even a hot street car it's not that important at all. the work that it will take is the main concern, so they are not going to shell out more money for more work. now the only problem you have going against you is that neither crowd is going to be interested. the classic stock restorers don't want it because it the fenders have been replaced, it's not the origional motor, and you mentioned a few of the other stock items are either gone or badly damaged. and i already mentioned why others might not want it. I am not trying to be mean, i just don't want you to get mad or be suprised when everybody come at you with offers under 600-700. especially when there are a few out here for sale. i know of 3 or 4 in the area that are out there right now. I know how frustrating this can be, the first of the 3 Z's i've owned turned out to be a lemon. i paid good money for what i thought was a good car but it turned out to be 90% rust and bondo. i had to sacrifce a lot of money just to get it out of my driveway. i hope i'm not making you mad, trust me that is not what i am trying to do at all. i just wanted to share my experiences i've had dealing with Z's in the boise area. for some reason there just happens to be quite a few around here. its a good thing sometimes and a pain in the !!@#@!#! others. good luck with everything. we will have to get together sometime and talk Z's.

I talked to my freind but we agree that is quite high for the work it will require. he is going to pass. my other friend just picked a 77' 280 that doesn't need as much work as that one for $400. i know thats a great deal but still, they can be had for a good price around here. i held out when looking for mine. after looking at 10 or 12 Z's in about a 4 week period (yeah there are that many around here) i ended up with a great running, rust free 78' 280Z in awsome shape for $1,200 and that was after i couldn't even talk the guy down a single penny. not that i really needed to.

Thanks guys! that really makes me feel a lot better about the whole thing. good to know i won't break anything! G.I. jonas: sorry, but that doesn't sound like much fun with a sandblaster under there!

how much and what modifications/upgrades does it have? other than the fiberglass panels of course. i might know someone localy interested.

I'm in the boise area (kuna actually) and i do quite a bit of my own body work, but by no means an expert. I would have to take a close look at it but i would have to agree. it looks like your going to need new rear panels. those look to be pulling away from the metal frame pretty bad. unless you have your heart set on keeping the fiberglass i would just weld in new panels off a donor car (plenty to be had around here). then you could take care of any rust issues hiding in there at the same time. as for the door it looks like it might just be an alignment issue or a bad hinge. it looks like the whole back end of the door is a little low. but again it would take a closer look to be able to tell for sure. it might be shoddy workmanship done on the fiberglass panels. which you would obviously work on fixing when/if you replace the panels. just don't expect a magic quick fix. either way it looks like that is going to take some elbow grease.

I have been searching for a couple hours now and can't seem to find what I want. Is it safe to tip the car up on one side? Either with no suspension (just the shell) or with just the necessary suspension to keep the wheels on the car (the wheels taken off the side being lifted of course.) I am thinking that about 3’ up would be more than enough room. I could swear I’ve seen it done before, but I could be wrong because I cant find any evidence of it. A friend and I are both prepping our Z’s so that we can sandblast them in a couple of weeks. We will be doing these ourselves since we have access to the equipment and a place outdoors to do it. We just can't justify building a rotisserie just to blast them. I am more than content with painting the underside and running all the piping and wiring with it just sitting on jack stands if we can avoid the hassle and cost of building a rotisserie. We only need open access to the underside long enough to blast them really well. The only worries I have of lifting one side up, with the wheels on the bottom side, is any side loading tweaking the suspension parts. And with no suspension having it ding up the rocker panels and the bottom of the rear fenders. But if either of these concerns can be safely disregarded (hopefully with some personal experience or proof that it is ok to do) it will be a big load off my mind. Thanks in advance for any help.