Leon

Thanks Jim. I really appreciate the offer, I think you may have even sent me some used gaskets in the past for this same purpose! If I go with OEM, my compressed thickness should stay the same which would mean my piston-to-head and piston-to-valve clearances shouldn't change either. Just have to make sure to get an L28 gasket this time... I finished disassembling the head last night and will be dropping it off at Rebello tomorrow.

Looks like it's time for another round of, "damn, I f***ed up!" Pulled the head after work today: Turns out an L24 gasket doesn't work on an L28... Another example of why rushing is bad. I'm guessing the gasket is for an L24/L26 as it protrudes into the combustion chamber in certain parts of the bore after being crushed. I didn't see evidence of valves hitting the gasket but I haven't taken a close enough look yet as I just pulled it tonight. Planning to get an OEM L28 headgasket if they're still available. In related news, I spoke with Dave Rebello about the head and am planning to drop it off at the shop on Saturday for repairs and some minor port-work.

Make sure to stop at Rainbow Pools on your way to Yosemite. Bring your swimsuit! Two Guys Pizza in Groveland on the way to/from Yosemite is the best pizza I've ever had, we go every year. Highly recommend stopping there, it's just off Highway 120 in Groveland.

Don't start comparing vacation spending to how much money you could've spent on the car. It's not the path to happiness!

Nice! That's a pretty busy area but you're near GGP and if you want to see a nice panorama, you're right by Grand View Park. Make sure you check out Twin Peaks if it's clear out, day or night. Fog in the Sunset doesn't necessarily mean it's foggy elsewhere in the city! A common occurrence in the area...

Welcome Keith! Are you staying near Cole Valley?

Wow, busy schedule! What kind of food do you guys like? Some of my favorites in SLO are Thai (Thai Palace), Sushi (Yanagi or Sumo), Mediterranean (Jaffa Cafe), "New" American (Novo), and BBQ (Firestone).

Low float levels would shift your mixture lean across all RPMs in which your main circuit is active. The optimal setup is a high-flow pump fed through a bypass regulator, as zbloke mentions. This allows for extra capacity in the pump that can be quickly adjusted via the bypass regulator. That's the way mine is setup, I'll be logging pressure when the car goes on the dyno.

Not much. You can always donate to the site and then you'll be able to make a for-sale post.

Bought this guy off of z240 (thanks Jim!) just before I made the valve guide discovery. I'd been planning to grab a 123ignition unit for a while now and got lucky with the timing ( ) of Jim deciding to upgrade to the Bluetooth version. Had time to take off the manifolds after work today so progress is being made. I can't have this thing sit again, hoping to have it ready by mid-July. I'm considering doing a few things while it's apart, like refining the fuel system, re-doing my carb linkage, and replacing the radiator (which I dinged when I left a wrench on the crank pulley and started it...).

Agreed, looks like Appliance Mesh to me too. Lots of posts about them over at classiczcars.com.

Yup, looks like it.

Thanks Steve. Everything is a learning experience so I'm staying positive. Just as I was getting comfortable with the valvetrain, I get this kick in the rear! I wonder why it failed. I plan to pop the head off and inspect it as soon as I can. The contemplation comes from the fact that this was the first motor I've assembled and I did it pretty hastily! The transmission syncros have seen better days as well. I'm going to have to decide whether this will be a quick (ha!) head job or if I'm going to pull everything and reassess. I know that rabbit hole all too well so I may consider buying a head that's already done. Rebello is nearby so that may be a good option. I also have a nice, complete E31 in storage that I can throw on if I really want to. Decisions, decisions...

None of the photos show the engine serial number that's above the dipstick and near the top of the block. It should be engraved and starts with L28.

Well, had a bit of a setback today... I was hoping it wouldn't come down to this but the #1 valve guide was just flopping around underneath the valve spring. Not sure why it failed, maybe I was too ham-fisted when installing the stem seal? I did hammer them on with a socket, trying to be gentle as I could. I'm running the Ford seals which are good for 0.600"+ lift and my cam has 0.540". Anyway, looks like I'll be taking things apart again. Not that I mind much but time is hard to come by these days. I will be contemplating my options...

Sure! They are 16X7 Panasports with presumably a 0 offset. I got the wheels secondhand and didn't measure to double-check. Tires are Bridgestone RE-11A in 225/50-16. Rear fender lips and front valence were trimmed by the previous owner so there are no issues with rubbing at all. I'm thinking of going to 16X8 Watanabes at some point...

Thanks Jim, great to hear from you! My head is milled as well (0.080" shaved P90 with 0.020" over L28 flat-tops) but I'm also using a healthy cam which bleeds off some cylinder pressure at cranking speeds. What's going on with your one cylinder? Heading to the dark-side I see! Hope to see you guys this year.

Look at the serial number on block, factory reman engines had an "R" designation.

Got all my tools and parts in this week and finally had a chance to check compression today. Plug #1 was oily but the rest look OK. Compression #1-6: 192 / 180 / 170 / 192 / 167 / 180 I don't like the spread but the engine was cold, the hope is it's better warm. The numbers aren't terrible so things are pointing to the top end. I pulled the #1 rocker and lash pad out and that's where I'm at now. I plan to finish the job on Tuesday as I'll be gone camping until Monday. Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Remind him to send that email and post here.

Depends on the type of dyno. If you're going to a different one, make sure to change NOTHING until you get a baseline on that dyno. Dyno tuning can expose a lot of holes that you don't notice otherwise. Can you post the data (HP/TQ/AFR)?

This was done on the same dyno? What else is different between now and then? Timing, AFR?

Thanks for the info.

I see, I was assuming you bought ITM rockers. How much does Datsun Spirit charge for new OEM Nissan rockers?

Agreed, got the same one.