KiwiCowboy

I'll email the pic's as soon as I find my dam cable for my camers....

I have an 83 N/A AFM. I'll get the numbers off of it tomorrow and post them and a pic if you still need it.

The bolts are 10-1.5 x 25mm Hex bolts

I'll just keep an eye on it, and report back if I see any signs of wear. I had the head off in November, and there were no signs of wear then. Pete If your cam was nitrated which increases the hardness of the lobes which also increases resistance to wear.

Sounds like you're doing it right and good luck.

Did you clean the main oil journal that runs along the side of the block? When I rebuilt my L28E that had thrown a rod bearing, there were fragments all through the engine. I pulled the journal plugs (front & rear) to clean out the main journal and spent 3 - 4 hours cleaning every oil weep hole on that engine. If you can't clean an engine before rebuilding it, it's a waste of time to rebuild it because it won't last long. Follow your mothers advise "Cleanliness is next to Godliness!"

The cam journals are aligned bored and in the FSM they say not to remove them. Many do and re-install them with no problems. When in doubt, follow the FSM recommendations.

I wish you had posted your interior needs 4 weeks ago because I had to get rid of those panels when I moved.

If you need any parts, especially electrical I have almost everything electrical/electronic from my 83 280ZX that I need to find a home for.

Still looking? I have the fan out of an 83 280ZX. Looks almost new.

I would paint the guards to look like tire tread so someone behind you will just think it's your tire.

Also put a socket on the harmonic balance and turn the engine over manually to make sure it's not locked up.

Depending on where you purchased the starter (I'll assume it's a reman starter), sometimes they are bad.

Are you still looking for a caliper(s)? I have a set that have been completely rebuilt with pads and painted. They are mounted on my rolling chassis (83 280zx) but never had the brake lines installed. I decided to go with the Toyota calipers. Let me know.

I would say that engine was more like Nuked! Did the guy you bought the engine from have any tools other then different size hammers? From the looks of it, he didn't. Too bad you didn't get a pic of him so it could be used as a poster supporting birth control and abortion! Another example that society is experiencing an increase of gene pool drought victims. Good luck on rebuild.

How many miles on your engine and how do you drive it (fast, normal or ab-normal), highway, in town, a lot of turning it off and starting it and do you like reving the engine? A compression test would give you a general idea of the condition of your rings. My money is your cylinder pressure is down and it's being burnt.

Suspension. Don't waste your money on rubber bushings and go with poly bushings now. I did my complete suspension for under $75 for all the bushings.

On my 280ZX, I had to replace part of the floor panels. If the rust out spot isn't very big, you can use the sheet metal from a realtor sign (Hose for Sale). It's the same thickness and locally available. Saves you time & money, unless you get caught. lol

All of the tapped holes in a Z engine are metric, both machine screw and BSP (British Standard Pipe). Like American pipe threads, there are taper (NPT) and straight (NPS) pipe taps and these "almost" the same as the BSP pipe taps. The difference between NPT and BSP is Threads/Inch. Here is a list of the them: Size TPI (NPT) TPI (BSP) 1/16 27 28 1/8 27 28 1/4 18 19 3/8 18 19 1/2 14 14 3/4 14 14 You can see, starting with the 1/2", the TPI are the same. Beaware, that a NPT fitting will screw into a BSP threaded hole a few turns when the TPI are not the same. This could damage the threads if not careful.

If the sway bar end links and T/C rod bushings look that bad, you should also replace your sway bar frame bushings too. I replaced all my front suspension bushings with Energy Suspension urethane for < $40.

I picked up an 83 280ZX from a teenager who spun a rod bearing in it for $500. All original and in the process of restoring it. I've overhauled the motor and only a few items left with that. I've gone through the entire drivetrain replacing all bearings & seals since she seemed to like to drive on the beach in Florida. Found sand in the transmission and r-200 rear end when I drained them but otherwise, it's cleaning up fine. Only had 1 rust through spot in the right side rocker panel between the door and wheel well. That's fixed and had all suspension parts powder coated. I'm too the paint part now and should have it completed by this summer. Unless my wife drags home another vehicle she has found. Doing a Jeep Cherokee (engine overhaul & front body work along with the Z now.)

I was thinking or relocating my battery too. My fuel tank has some deep scrapes and needs to be replacedin the near future, I am looking for a shorter tank so I can fabricate a battery storage below the rear cargo deck. I want to keep the battery as close to centerline as possible in my 83 280ZX 2+2 so the battery weight could be evenly distributed. If you don't care about uneven weight, there is room to fabricate the same box with the OEM fuel tank in place by the left rear behind the wheel on my 280ZX. Just a suggestion.

I also had some minor rust on the front fenders behind the wheel well where it bolts to the frame. Look for bubbled paint (early stages of rust under the paint) around the front & rear windows. Best to check every seam since they spot welded frame together. The sealer in the seams was not the best at keeping dirt and water out. Unfortunately, Nissan was not to concerned with rust prevention at that time but neither was Toyota, especially their trucks. Where in CHCH? I use to live in Bishopdale. Good luck

Trying to find non-detergent oil is almost impossible. Best place I found is a FBO at any airport. They stock detergent and non-detergent.

Trace the wire that started melting & smoking and it will take you to the short. The remaininf items that are non-functional, check the back of the fuse panel. I bet some of the came loose. One last thing, check the wire bundle for signs of insulation worn away. There are a lot of sharp edges fot them to wear into the wires.