Z_Dust

Thanks for the info David K. I have an F54 block with an P79 head. I will try to get an N47 head to improve compression. I choose to use the N47 with round ports cause it matches the headers that I just bought a few months ago. According to the info that D Carrow (Hibridz member) pointed to, I can increase compression ratio considerably just by using the N47 head instead of the P90. So guess what? I will

About a year ago I purchased a rebuilt 77z from the local Nissan dealer that they had at their show room. Paint job is exellent, no rust, not even around the battery tray. The interior was redone, carpets, seats, air vents, knobs, door pannels etc... Great car for a serious restoration project. Since I got it I have done suspension upgrades, installed disk brakes on the back, 5 spd tranny, centerforce II clutch, headers, exhaust, big throttle body and off course...music. OK lets get to the point. The engine was rebuilt by nissan and it is in very good condition. I noticed that the head is a P79 and the engine block is an L28 with a six digit serial number which means it is a 75 or later. Apparently they used the engine from an earlier 280z. How can I tell (without tearing it apart) what kind of block I have. If it is a F54 with flat pistons I would like to mate it to a N47 head to get more compression. Compression is at 175 accross all six and there are absolutely no leaks.

I have seen the top of the mountain... and it is good. Great stuff guys. Thanks for the photos. Didn't even know there was such an animal out there.

Tomahawk z Can you provide me with a bit more info on the trannys from 620 pickup and cars. What year will fit on my 77z. I wouldn't know what a 620 is if it runs me over. Thanks

Exactly what I was thinking. I was given a quote to get it rebuilt (new gears and all) for about $900.00. I think it's crazy

Well I'll give this a shot. I'm not even going to pretend I know much about idle and timing issues but hopefully this is enough to get you out of the dark. First thing I would do is get the shop manual for your car and at least the Chilton repair manual from your local auto parts. You can adjust the idle by turning the idle speed screw. It is located close to the throtle position switch and it looks kind of like a "T" connected with clamps to other hoses and tubing. You should see the screw from top view. Turn it counter clockwise to increase RPM. Adjust it to about 550 - 750 RPM. With a timing light adjust the ignition timing to 6 - 10 deegres BTDC and then adjust idle again to 600 - 800 RPM. This should be done with the engine warm and the AC off. I believe the adjustment should also be done with the gray harnes to the distributor disconected. These are fairly simple adjustments that should be done correctly. What I mean is, don't just go adjusting the idle screw and then leave it like that. It may sound and look right but the timing might be off, robbing you off HP and/ro gas mileage. Good luck

My manual transmision is making some high hissing sound. It does it on first gear and not as loud on second gear. I drained and replaced the fluid and still no good. I've been told it's the sichros and maybe even the gears. Any opinion on this. how much should I pay to have this fix. I would just take the transmision to the shop and then mount it myself. Hopefully this might save me some $$$ The trans is a 79 mounted on a 77z

All very good ideas. I used the home made stethoscope. I could even hear the vacum but was unable to pin-point it because of all the other engine noise, and it was kind-of in an odd place(well odd to me anyways), right under the TB. Just dont cut the garden hose. Wives don't seem to like it when we do that.

I agree with JasonRB260ZX. Most likely it is a vacum hose that needs to be connected back to the manifold, or some other intake leak. It happened to me when I replaced mine. I had to replace my intake manifold on my 77z due to problems with my EGR valve. It was corroded all the way out right under the EGR. Luckily my mechanic sold me one for $25.00. I removed the EGR valve on the "new" one. Good as new now. Good luck. Hopefully is that simple.

Kind of a late reply but here it goes. I replaced springs and shocks all around my 77z and I like it very much. I used MSA springs along with Tokico high performance shoks and struts. With the old parts my z was riding low on the back and it bounced forever. Maybe it is because the old parts were so worn out that the new ones seem to me like the best of the best. In any case, for weekend driving it was what I needed

Per MSA catalog, they install between the ball joints and the bottom of the strut assemblies. Thank you so much for the replies. Great info. It's good to know there is a place where I can go to get all the answers (z related) instead of the confused empty stare from the local alignment shop. For now I guess I'll accept the bump steer and tune the suspension as best I can to my preference. The car rides really well and besides I don't race it. This is just my weekend hobbie/driver.

I hear a lot about bump-steer on this forum and about ways to deal with it but I am still not sure what is causing it. I have felt the bump-steer effect and it aggravates the heck out of me. I replaced the shocks on my 77z with Tokikos and installed new MSA springs. The car handles much better and it lowered about an inch. For street driving it's more than perfect. Now, how do I get rid of the bump steer. there are bump steer spacers on the MSA catalog that go for $59.95 for wheels 15" or larger. Is this a good investment. Does it really gets rid of it or does it just helps. Also how hard is it to get this installed. I do most of the labor at home, unless it involves pulling the engine or major body work. I just dont have that much hands-on with suspension. One more question. How about sway bars. Any comments/recomendations, does and dont's. MSA sells them for $234.95. Thanks in advance

My 77z has a L28 engine. Every now and then when I go to use the car the battery is dead. The volt meter gauge reads low and the needle moves slightly as if having a pulse. There are no accesories on, the battery and cables are new as wel as the alternator. The car is not a dayly driver but I use it once or twice a week enough to ride around 80 miles every month.

Hey breeze77z this might sound wierd but I had a header leak at the port closest to the firewall, right behind the stud/nut... for the second time!!! I was not about to take it out and re-seated so in a desperate attempt to quiet that anoying pst, pst, pst.... I put JB weld and covered the hairline gap and presto problem solved. The JB weld turned black but it's still strong and it's been there for about six months now.

Let me know if replacing the valve works for you. Thanks for the info. I think that took care of my problem.

I have made some changes and it seems to be getting better. I checked compresion and it is at 173 across all six. Adjusted the throtle valve switch and it turned out it needed adjustment. Also I disconnected the cold start valve and ran the car until warm. The fuel smell is gone completely and no more black soot on my driveway . Stil have a hint of exhaust smell every now and then but I can live with that. It seems like the cold start valve was always on and I have no idea why so I'll just run without it for now Running good and hard now on stock engine w/header and Performance exhaust, 5spd ZX tranny W/centerforce II, new MSA springs, Tokiko struts and polyurethane bushings, rear disk brakes, new paint job, all new interior. Ready for some HP now, maybe a ZX-T engine or v-8 swap not decided yet. Thanks for the help guys

My 77 280 z exhaust puts out a lot of black carbon like residue. If I let it idle in the driveway it will leave a black trail right behind the exhaust. My friend put his hand about a foot away from the exhaust while I reved the engine for a second and his hand was covered in black soot. Is my fuel mixture messed up. If so how do I adjust it. My car has MSA header without CO2 sensor. Here in this state (Sout Carolina) there are no emmision control check to worry about. Also when the car is cold it puts out some fine white smoke after a good stump on the gas. If I gass it really hard and then get off the gas quick you can see and smell smoke, not too heavy but enough to notice it. It smell gas heavy and then it gets all up in my car it just agravates the hell out of me. After it warms up it seems to be less smoky. The engine was rebuilt by the local nissan dealeran it has close to 25K miles on it.

I have been doing some research about V8 conversions and have decided to go with a 350 (420HP) crate engine with a T56 the JTR way. I have installed rear disk brakes and the chasis will be re-inforced (per my mechanics suggestion). Also new shocks and springs have been installed along with all new polyurethane bushings, sway bars and rear strut bar. Still I have some questions. Does the T56 fits my 77 Z or do I have to make any mods at the center console for the shifter? Do I need any adapter to fit The T56 to the engine Is there a driveshaft for this setup or do I have to measure and have one custom made? How about clutch and flywheel??? Thanks in advance...

Jimm, Sag Z is correct. You can see the engine I'm talking about at www.enginefactory.com. Seems like a good deal... Thanks for all the replies

I own a 77 280z that is ready for some good HP, so I will go with the V-8 conversion. My mechanic says that with enough money he can drop just about anything in my Z and smoke just about every car on the street. I believe him but I have decided to go with a 350 Chevy just because it seems to be the most common V-8 swap and therefore, more convinient. I have not heard much about using a turn-key crate engine. I did some researech and found a couple of manufacturers that will sell a 350 Chevy, turn-key ready crate engine rated at 420HP, 415lbs of torque for about $4,875.00. It seems like a decent deal, taking in consideration that all the engine setup work has already been done. This alone will shave many hours off the project. Has anyone used a turn-key ready crate engine before? Comments/suggestions are more than welcome

I have to agree with Bob 100%. Make sure first that items such as suspension, brakes and interior are taken care of before you start thinking about big HP. After all whats the point in having all that HP if the car is all over the road and then you can't stop. Also it's not all about going fast it's also about your cool looking ride. Begin your project, take no short cuts and stick to your plan. It's just your toy, so don't sweat it. Good luck and keep us posted.