TieFighter88

I am trying to remove the fenders, but the top cowl grille is covering the last bolts.

Yes i'm an Aussie, moved here in 2008 for university. You are in Brissy? My folks just moved there, dam the bloody maroons.

Thank you very much mate!

Trying to remove the upper wiper cowl / top grille, following the manual and still not successful. I skimmed over the web with searches couldn't find anything that differs from the service manual's instructions, which are not helping me. I removed the 4 screws as instructed, along with the inspection lids and Wipers. Now according to the manual I am supposed to just "lift the front and pull away from the windshield". However, there does not feel like there is any leeway to do so at all. Like there are more screws or bolts somewhere? I see bits along the rear end of the wiper cowl leading into under the windsheild, are these clips? Prying away from the windshield feels like it requires much more elbow grease than I am comforatble with...

Hundreds of views and not one post?! Wow... The little metal canister at the end of the yellow wire down the long arm of the fuel-sender is a: Thermistor: Used to detect low fuel level in the tank. Current flows through the wire, and the fuel keeps the thermistor unit cool... when the fuel is too low to immerse the unit, the wire heats up, and triggers the low-fuel light in your dash... My Thermistor was shorting my lighting system; the little wire in the unit (if broken) will short out when immersed in fuel, and blow fuses all day... I just cut mine off, pilots don't need a low level fuel light...

I am cleaning out my sender from my 78 280z also, and would like to know what that little metal canister is for also. My wire inside it was broken 2... I'm trying to identify why my sending unit is shorting out my system... blowing fuses when I plug her in...

Just installed 3 Electric Radiator fans, (2 small - 1 big) ; my radiator is an awkward size. Wired them in series, ground to chassis and 12v to battery terminal, through a switch I have in the center console. All working fine, but when I hit the switch while the engine is running, I can feel/hear/sense a noticeable drain on all the components in the car. Subtle labor on the engine, fuel pump working with less current it seems, leading to fuel pressure issues... I wired the fans separately to the battery and independent of the electrical system of the car to avoid this, but seems I still have the issue. How do I address this problem? I have a spare capacitor for an old subwoofer, would wiring this to the fans spare the load on the car?... The engine only acts up when I stress the fresh-charged battery it seems...

Just got a fresh new, virgin Front air Dam, very nice. No holes drilled out, no trimming or anything. What is the best way to mount the air dam? She is Fiberglass, and shouldn't have the flexing issue... Haven't found detailed posts about different mounting techniques for front air dams... Is there a way you wish you mounted your front air dam? I am asking this before I just drill holes and bolt her up...

This is pretty much exactly my setup... and the questions I had in my mind when I put the timing light down there...

Exactly that! I had to pull the distributor out before I found that tiny little bolt, this allowed me a full 90 degrees of freedom in the distributor, which is more than enough for anyone to find the sweetspot.

BuggA!!! I just rocked her back-and-forth down the driveway in gear with my finger over the number1 hole to feel for the compression stroke, then inched forward with a bright LED headlamp and my eyes on the piston... exactly TDC on the 0degree mark.

Thank you all for your advice. I removed the entire distributor and discovered an elusive/tiny extra nut to allow more rotation to set the timing. - Established TDC serval times consistently, and noted the distributor rotor position (at a very unnatural point on the cap, nothing close to the common number 1 notch) - Using the ignition timing gun with the number 1 sparkplug, the engine cannot *stand* anything near or within the range of 5 to 25 degrees advance, (I have the marked the correct timing notch also) - The sweet spot is much further from the timing degree marks, easily about 40 degrees (with respect to the timing marks Is this simply just a fault on the idiot rebuild job? (Since the timing notch is far from the traditional factory range TDC, and the distributor rotor position is off from the factory number-one notch on the cap at TDC...) Or do people just ignore the factory notches and build their dizzy's TDC firing order to their liking?

What is the correct/healthy range in oil pressure that my L28E should be within? I have never seen it exceed 75psi. Where should it be, say: during cold or hot idle, under load doing burnouts in the parking lot? I apologize if this has already been answered , or is common/basic knowledge... I did search and some reading prior to the forum... 1978 280z with 280zx L28E N/A

Looking online: set #1 to TDC on compressio nstroke, pull the distributor, set rotor to point to #1 post on cap,look at where the drive end of the distributor engages the oil pump drive shaft and where it lines up, take long screw driver and set oil pump drive shaft to same position and reinstall distributor???

Got my Ignition Timing Light gun setup to help tune my L28... Its drives/idles/very little power... Timing is def out... I twist my Distributor to get closer to the Ballpark of 20degrees (it was way out, not even close to the measuring lines) but cant twist the distributor to get closer than 30degrees out... I already physically established (by feeling for the compression stroke at TDC, then looking at the Distributor orientation) that the firing order does not start at the usual notch on cap... I tried rotating my entire firing order on the cap towards the direction that I rotated the distributor to get closer to within 20 degreess TDC... she didn't even start... Where should I start? If I cant twist the Distributor enough to adjust to the favorable timing... I should rip the whole thing out and put her in her place?

When it isn't a just a short drive away for a cash transaction., what is the common/safe way people are buying/sending parts through these forums? Paypal? It has the package delivery confirmation system in which it releases the funds for the seller when the buyer's package arrives... I want to buy something from a bloke up in SC... and I am not sure if he is that tech savy...

Finally found a 83 280zx to grab parts from for my 78 280z. I will be stripping it of all sorts of bits, but I am mainly focusing on the hardware for my rear-disc conversion in my 280z. Apart from the rear rotors, calipers and all associated bolts-nuts from the 280zx, is there anything else I could to salvage to help me out. The 280zx doesn't have a mounting bracket I can use? (or am I stuck with tracking down the Maxima brackets?) Will be taking the entire e-brake setup also...

Been searching through the forums and online, doesn't seem like a hugely discussed topic, even on the rear-disc conversion threads and in the Brakes FAQ. So I bought my 78 280z and the handbrake assembly was missing... "no problem I can just drop in a new one.." My goal: Hydraulic E-Brake for fun, Cable E-Brake for parking... I don't mind having a cluttered center console... Is this a common setup? Do people have a cable setup to accompany their cables? I am already committed to start converting to the disc setup, but what is the go with the E-brake setups with these? Most of the disc setup's I see online don't have the parking brake portion on the calipers that I am familiar with... I see people everywhere using the 280zx rotors/calipers, but they don't elaborate about the e-brake...

I'll take it! I will be back in Daytona late this weekend and can get out to you some time next week. Is that from your old 240 that was on the HRE's? Sad to hear she wrecked.

I totally understand, but it's not like I am asking for the chunks of the frame-suspension-or anything else that really turns the car into a brick. It's the roof-panel... Yes, it's more of a hopeful practicality to sell as a whole, but in reality why do I want to turn my driveway into a junkyard? For that reason I made it clear the whole time I was taking him up on his offer to cut panels, of which he is "more than willing"... so why pay *half-ah-monkey* for a roof section? <_< I tried selling my broken plasma for ages, nobody wanted it as a whole, until I started parting it out online...

More of a reality on the other side of the planet: back in Australia, my old man had to *pay* someone to take his old cancerous Fairlady from his driveway...

Do the roof sections vary much throughout the S30 generation? A 73 240/260z roof should slap right onto a 78 280z? Or I can at least just cut the section of the roof I need (To patch the moonroof void)

!!!DONE!!! Orlando!!! LEGEND!!! Will pm ya...

I'm only up here in SC for 2 weeks and accidently checked craigslsit for Datsun 280z's. He already explained in that he is more than willing and has the tools to cut panels for people / he is junking the car anyway. Doesn't mean he can charge 300 for a roof section... I have seen other's here have roof sections cut and delivered from old shells for way less.

G'day! I found a guy about an hour from me with a 77 280z he said he is junking, along with some other parts. I need some patch panels, in particular the roof cut out and I feel like he is asking way too much. He wants $300 for the shell or $400 to cut out the Roof and lower panels for me. The frame is comprised and rust is a big issue to his 280z shell would only serve to cut out the roof and other misc panels for me... I live in Daytona, so I would have to mail the panels back also... What is a fair price for him to cut out the panels? ie: Roof: 100? Lower panels: 50?