Grog

I just swapped in a steering wheel from a ZX and pitched the old one. It was a strict bolt-on with no modifications. There is a picture on my website that shows it in my '75 Z. Another steering wheel option if you choose to use it. www.freewebs.com/grogsv8z

CheeZer240, Could you send me a cad drawing of your mounts as well? They look great and thanks for the post. Grog

Rickey, Way cool. Nice to see another Z-freak take the Pontiac challenge. Grog

Z'ers, I wish to upgrade the brakes on my 75 Z. As a minimum, I would like to utilize the Toyota 4X4 calipers, but I am uncertain if they will interfere with my rims (see link). If anyone has performed this conversion and using this style of Datsun rim, please let me know about your experience and pass on any advice you have. I have absolutely no intentions of getting rid of these rims so I have to make the upgrades work. Thanks. Grog

grog you were right there is water in the cylinders. thing is the water is kind of muddy. what do i need to do to get the silt out? i just pulled the plugs and saw water pouring out the back cylinder. i guess i will turn it over by hand several times and take the compressor and dry out each cylinder. then dry out the distributer. thanks. chris Chris, The only way to properly clean any particulates out of a cylinder is to pull the heads. I hate to pass on the following advice in light of that, but you do assume a degree of risk (scoring the cylinder walls and/or damaging the valves and seats) by not pulling the heads for a proper cleaning. You can follow your own plan that you previously mentioned. Do not attempt to re-introduce any liquid into the engine in a effort to dilute or flush the cylinders of any residue. Clean the plugs, distributor, etc..., and change the oil as I recommended. Keep a keen eye and ear open for any strange behavior or noises that may emanate from the engine when you start it. Good luck. Grog

You probably got water into the cylinders. Pull ALL of the spark plugs and rotated the engine several revolutions by hand. Do not do this using the starter as an easy method. Look for water pouring out of the spark plug holes. If ANY water is pushed out, rotate the engine a few more times by hand, and then clean and re-install the spark plugs. Pull the distributor and wires to check for water or condensation. If there is any, spray WD-40 into the boot ends and rotor cap and dry it out well. If you have an air compressor, use a blow gun attachment and dry EVERYTHING out. Also pop the air cleaner box and change the filter and check for water. Change the oil before you even attempt to re-start it. Once that is done, start the motor normally and it should fire. Let it run for a good half hour at idle. The exhaust overpressure will help to push any extra water that may reside in the exhaust. If it still does not fire up after all of this, then the water may have shorted out some fusable links or fuses. Check all the electrical connections for condensation or burn marks that could possibly result from a short. That's all I know. Grog

The website has been updated with new pics, including the shaker hood mount I fabbed up. Cheers. Grog

I am in desparate need for a steering knuckle u-joint. The u-joint that attaches the pinch clamp trunnion to the steering shaft and slides onto the rack and pinion output shaft failed on me. If anyone knows where to obtain aftermarket replacements please help me out. I don't want to go to a junk yard and pull another shaft because that won't make things better by using another 25+ year old shaft. I can't drive my Z until I replace it. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I haven't considered it, but I do have a 1978 (May) issue of Popular Hot Rodding with a cover story of a 240Z with a BB Chevy that runs the exhaust out the fenderwells. It has good pics. I could scan a few and email them to you so you can have a look see. Also in this issue is a story of Evil Knievel's V-8Z using a Nordskog conversion kit (are they still in business?). I can't post the pics due to copyright restrictions, but it can be copied for private or educational purposes. Let me know. Grog

I haven't added any any new items to the website since the end of July. I had a self-imposed deadline to get the car in primer and a few other goodies in order before the end of August. I met my goals, so now I have time to throttle back (pardon the pun) and dedicate some time to the site. I will post some pics of the car in primer with a few details. Additionally, I am working on a build sheet on how to swap in the electric window motors out of an 85 Nissan Stanza into early model Z's with minimal effort. Essentially, it is practically bolt in modification and someone could do it in half a day with the doors removed. I should have this done within a week or so. Grog

Put a pre-1979 Pontiac V-8 in it a drive like mad. More expensive to build than a Chevy, but guaranteed to scare the S%^T out of you. Sorry, the personal preference slipped out. Seriously, the couice is up to you and how much your wallet will bear. The fine folks that navigate this BBS are more than happy to help you out in whatever swap you choose. Grog

I changed my head gaskets in my 327 recently and it seemed to run fine afterwards. Then my starter died and the car was sitting for 2-3 weeks. I just changed the starter and now it's blowing white smoke. Is there anything other than water that would cause this. What is the correct torque spec for small block chevys? I probably should go back and re-torque the heads. Could there still be water in the oil from when I took the heads off? I changed the oil afterwards, but it was after I ran the engine for a while. Any ideas? Dale, It appears that when you changed your head gaskets, there might have been some particulates on the mating surfaces of the block and heads around the water jackets that prevented a good seal. Also, a faulty or torn gasket could contribute to this problem. Either way, after sitting for several weeks, this allowed some water to seep into certain areas of the engine such as the oil pan or cylinders. White smoke is the tell-tale sign of burning water. Check the oil dipstick for a gummy, tan-like residue. That is oil and water aglomerating, and serves as a confirmatory check for a gasket leak. Also, there could be a sealing problem at the intake manifold that is allowing water to infiltrate into the intake runners (similar problem. I would check the intake gaskets first. Changing the oil before you find the leak won't help at all. Additionally, do not re-torque the head bolts. This will not help an already existing sealing problem. The head torque specifications for your engine depend on the heads, bolt/studs used, any the type of lubricant applied to the head bolts/studs (per the manufacturer, if any). If it is a bone stock 327, consult a Chilton's or Hayes manual for the year and displacement of the engine you are using since they differ based on what Chevy did to it from the factory. Grog

I would call the manufacturer of the intake and tell them your problem. It could be a simple (yet frustrating ) error in their database that told them to ship you the wrong intake. They will probably take the old one back and swap it out for the correct one at no charge. Also, keep in mind that when you remove the heads off of an engine, it is a good policy to replace the bolts/studs with new ones. When you torque the heads down, the bolts/studs stretch under load as designed. When you loosen them up to remove the heads, they stress and are not as strong as beforehand. If you reuse them, they are subjected to another round of abuse and are weakened further. May not be a real problem for a daily driver that is pampered. But for us V-8Z folks, we have a habit of standing on it from time to time and having weak head bolts/studs can be disasterous. Grog

Anyone know where to purchase the rubber boot inserts for the rear decklid hinges for a 280Z? Mine have had it and I need to replace them. Thanks Grog

JT, My initial assessment based on your inputs is that it is a timing problem (to start). Timing is crucial in any engine, but combine bad timing with an engine under boost -- you have problems. Is the popping sound noticable at any engine RPM, or at a certain point? Bad timing issues can present this type of problem and can be corrected. Also, if you are not seeing any boost, it could be a bad gauge or turbo. If the engine ran fine beforhand, but suddenly took a nosedive, timing and turbo problems can quickly manifest and creat a plethora of headaches. I am not a turbo guru, but in my experience there is a simple yet effective fix that is typically the solution to common problems. I would bounce this question onto the Turbocharged post. I am certain someone has experienced this problem before and can help you out of this bind. Grog

I have a 90 Bronco, and may share some of the gremilins that are plaguing your Bronco. If you notice hard shifts at speeds above 70 MPH, and don't readily observe leaks around the transmission -- check the cooler lines running from the tranny to the radiator. Keep in mind that transmissions build up fluid pressure commensurate to load (speed). They are prone to leaks around these areas. Also, at highway speeds, areodynamics and fluid dynamics play a function as well; leaks at key areas could be caught in the negative pressure slipstream underneath the vehicle and carry away any particulates that may accumulate on the undercarriage. If you do not observe any leaks around the coolant lines, look around the tail shaft housing, front transmission seal, tranny pan, and other areas that are not intergral to the tranny caseing. If you still do not observe leaking, then follow Lone's guidance concerning the burning problem. I place my 2-bits on a leak. BTW -- did you get my pics Iemailed you on the T/A shaker scoop adapter? Grog

TCI makes a kit as well. Grog

Steve, Do not to fret: sounds like your coil went bad. You can get a new aftermarket coil such as a Blaster 2 from your local autoparts store and it should work just fine. Plus, they are cheaper than the stock Datsun coil and have more power. Also, I would replace the sparkplugs as well since they could have fouled and may have contributed to the overall problem. Grog

I am not for certain if all ZX's for that year came with cruise. If it was a factory equiped option (like yours) then the speedomoters would be different. When you ordered your new speedo, did you specify that the car had cruise? If not, then there lie your problem. I would recommend sending back the speedo you acquired and replace it with the correct one. On the other hand, if all ZX's of that year came with cruise, then there should have been a product insert that came with it containing instructions for vehicles with cruise. If not, then call the supplier. Either way, the business you ordered it from should have been knowledgable enough to catch any oversight on your behalf and get you the right part. All of this aside, I would be reluctant to splice wires to get your cruise control working; it could be more trouble than its worth. My advice is to call the supplier, tell them your problem, and get the correct part. This should solve your woes. Grog

RacerX Jim Cook Racing makes Roots-type supercharger kits for the L-series engine. They are a direct bolt on to the Datsun 6 (sans time and tools). Plus they look real cool. They sell for roughly the same price as a Paxton kit for Mustangs 5-ohs. I thinks the horsepower gain is 35-45%, but I am being conservative in my estimate. Grog

It depends on the year and displacement of the engine. For pre-1980 Chevy and Buick/Olds/Pontiac (BOP) V-8 engines, the bolt patterns are different. You can purchase an adapter that will mate a Chevy 700R4 to a BOP engine and vice versa. Or you can look for a 700R4 with a BOP-C designation, which will bolt to any of these blocks. A 200R4 will bolt right up to a pre-80 BOP V-8 engine as well. 1979 was the twilight year of the Pontiac V-8, and Chevy and Oldsmobile stepped in as the engines to power the Pontiacs (a true travesty). Grog

Cruez, The best Pontiac engine to use is the 77-78 400's. The blocks from those specific years were cast with more meat between the cylinder walls and (I think) a higher nickel content. Probably the strongest of all the factory Pontiac blocks. Salvage yards are littered with them and you can pick one up for a song. Plus, it is not unusual to build one with the capability of turning out 450+ HP and run it on 92 octane. The 428's are rare, and the 455's are more expensive and were cast with weaker crankshafts. The 350 is a great motor as well, but for the money and benefits realized, the 400 is the way to go. I am sure a World class T-5 out of a 93+ Camaro/Firebird will work with the right bellhousing. Lakewood should have one that will match. A T-56 will bolt up with the right parts. As with any engine/tranny combo, durability is a function of horsepower and driving habits. If you plan on standing on a Pontiac powered Z excessively, things will start to break. Prudence and your pocketbook should dictate what repairs you can regularly afford. With that in mind, you should be able to estimate how many Mustangs/Camaros/Firebirds your wallet will allow you to bury at the drag strip. Happy hunting. Grog

It is an interesting, albeit, unusual swap. I think one thing I will change later is the configuration of the motor mounts when I decide to swap in a Mustang P/S unit. For now, its functional. I must apologize for the laps in replies to everyone who has sent me a message regarding the swap. Lately, between work/family, it has been difficult to stay on top of my messages. I have a self-imposed deadline to get the car in primer befor next Monday, and so far I have all of the body parts that can be removed in primer. Now it is just the shell and I have been dedicating alot of free time getting the final bodywork touches just right. I will post pics on the website when it is done. Grog

There has to be a supplier for steering shaft u-joints. I don't follow your reference to heim ends in regards to the steering shaft unless you are conferring to a drag link type set-up. I would like to think that I am not the only one that questions the reliability of a 25+ year old u-joint. Anyway, thanks scca for the feedback. I do appreciate it. If anyone else has information, please chime in. I am a safety freak when it comes to my vehicles and the ability to safely steer a V-8Z is paramount.

If anyone has information pertaining to replacing the steering shaft u-joints on 72-78 Z cars I would appreciate it. If someone has u-joint part numbers as well, I would be grateful if they are passed on. Thanks. Grog