Valmont

Yeah, it's sitting there, just as destoryed as before - why would the ZXT have them, but not the ZX next door to it? (the one i stole the motor from)

It looks like what I'm talking about are the pieces you have sitting next to the screws on the bottom of your pic - however, i believe mine are the larger 1 piece plastic ones, cause mine done have the raised cylinders for the screws that you have. Mine are just thick, and those holes go all the way through, flush with both sides. Val

So, I'll start by saying (and if you've read any of my other posts, you already know), that I'm fairly new to both Z's, and engines in general, so I'm sorry off the bat if I offend with my lack of knowledge. On to the issue - about two weeks ago, the hose connecting my #5 injector to my fuel rail blew out (I drove it like this for a whole day - gas everywhere, and scared for my life when i finally spotted it). I got it home, and parked it, switched to daily driving my Honda instead, and called some more mechanically inclined friends to help me out with it. She sat until today, and when we started to take it off, we broke what i can only describe as a spacer between the old piece of hose, and the injector. It's diamond in shape, with three holes, the center (and larger one) for the injector to fit through, and two others on either side for screws. So this thing cracked in half (old plastic i guess, and brittle too). So I went over to my spare motor (that was pulled from an 83 zx), and it has completely different ones on it. I'm guessing Datsun opted for longer pieces of hose, and smaller pieces of plastic. I could see how that could save money when you're making a hundred thousand of em. So since I couldn't use the one off of my building motor, we looked at putting it back together - we glued it using "liquid nail", heated it to (hopefully) help spread and cure, and started installing it. It's just a spacer, so all we need it to do is hold right? So everything is back together, fire up the engine, and no gas spewing everywhere. However, the car is idling pretty high, and it sounds like my exhaust leak, that i already had (from a bad gasket) is worse than it was two weeks ago, but whatever. Take it for a spin, and the car won't idle correctly, but is firing on all 6. A little more investigating, and now my number 5 has a massive vacuum leak, and the diamond piece is not staying together. My questions are these: Is this thing not just a spacer? Does it put pressure on the o-rings or something? WTF is this thing called? I don't know of any junks in town i could go pull one off of, because it looks like Datsun made them diff. from year to year. Any help would be appreciated (also with where to order one of these from - i haven't found it with black dragon yet). On a side note, i got a 5 spd tranny today from (i believe) a 240, for a hundred bucks - what can i look for on the tranny to figure out what year it's from and what it's compatible with? ( my build motor from the ZX is an auto). I know maybe it was dumb on my part to buy it w/out knowing, but I figured for $100 it was worth the risk. Thanks in advance Val P.s., i can take pictures if i didn't explain this well enough, but the part is (cracked) on the motor, so it'll be hard to differentiate w/out pulling it off - and I'm feeling lazy. - all this was after a failed motor swap on my neighbors 510 (donor from a 620), so I've been working/learning all day.

From the 280z Electronic Fuel Injection Theory/Troubleshooting book (page 3): "From the fuel pump, fuel flows to a fuel "damper", mounted right next to the pump. The damper acts like a shock absorber. It has a diaphragm which is under spring pressure. If the fuel pump puts out pressure surges, then these surges push against the diaphragm and are absorbed by the spring instead of making themselves felt all the way to the injectors, and thus possibly affecting engine performance." There's a lot of good info in this book pretty much anyone with a fuel injected L series. It can be viewed in PDF format here: www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/efisystem/280zfuelinjectionbook.pdf Val

That's a real shame, cause when I move to kindsland (southwest GA) i was thinking I'd go look there for parts Not a single 240 in th Actually, there's a place next to the airport in the Gorst/Belfair area that is supposed to have 2 or 3. You need to take 5, 16, and then 3 to get there. 'bout 1/2 an hour. Also, I went today to check on the first part I'm going to pull for someone. I'm so glad that even one person probably found something they can use, even if it is a 5 dollar part. So anyway, I took better pics of the engine bays in the ZX's. Super high res is available if you think you see something but you're not sure. Just PM, or I'll post if there's enough interest. Val

I'll check when I go back next. There's a whole other yard I plan to check this weekend too. Val

I spend so little time on that side of the water, i'd have to look at a map. Nice to know there's more than a couple people within a fews hours of me though. I know of one zx, and one other s30 that i see within 10 miles of me. and then the 200 350zs that don't know or care about their cars heritage. Is it tempered glass (don't really understand that term, but shouldn't auto glass shatter into thousands of little pellets?) ? It seems like there are two pieces that are sealed together with plastic in between...? Might explain the 'compression wave' thing. And may very well have save my face. Val

::applause:: <-- agrees whole heartedly

Tony, I appreaciate the offer, and trust me, I wish I was closer to TN too. It's cold today and Jon, I feel for you, cause your story is so similair to mine, but I wish the part pricing was too. Where in Seattle you from? <-- bremerton here Val

holy. crap. And not only did I put a hand up, I actually swerved. I caught a glimpse in it's last half second of flight, and went hard right. Lucky me, it would've been in the middle of my winshield, instead of right in front of my face. As for this 'motorcycle mod'..... tell me you didn't do this... Val

+ = more here...http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=138141

So we'll start with a picture of the final product: So let's get started. You going to need first a nice long stretch of road, something with two way traffic at a miniumum of 30 mph (about 50 km/h if you're trying this in Canada) This is an example of a great one, that I used for this mod: Note that road conditions are crucial. The well kept roads of the city will not serve as well as something in the more industrial areas. Recent rain is also a plus, but not a requirement. Required however will be one special tool pictured here: Note the black scuff mark after use. This does not render the special tool unusable afterwards, but most people (including myself) don't intend to do this mod more than once (I'll show you what I did with mine at the end of this writeup). Enlist the help of a friend, preferably driving a large white SUV, and have him drive towards you at a little over 30 mph. Place the special tool on the ground, directly in his path. If you're doing it right, it should look a little something like this. With persistance, and a little luck (i've tried to do this daily for months now) you can expect results like these: Note the lack of spiderweb effect, with the more matrix like compression wave. This will require impact at a minimum of 60 mph. Keep in mind the mod is semi permanent; you will have to purchase a 'stock' windshield, which I've priced at approx $300 (320.25 CA) with gasket and install. I don't know if 'gasket' includes chrome molding, maybe one of you does? Oh, and the special tool... Val (sorry if this should've been posted in the windtunnel/aerdynamics section) (P.S - if you have an extra windshield in NW washington you don't need, and a gasket... and you know how to install windshields.... hit me up) (P.P.S - all kidding aside, I peed two drops when this happened. I'm so pissed.)

http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=137689 sorry, keep posting single post view links Val

A month could be just long enough for that guy in Kingsland, GA to drive two hours and save $130 over black dragon on that... whatever... ? wonder why... my three local ones don't care. Val

Nice lighting. That second one will be great for photoshopping later. Don't tell me that's the same one from your sig..? Sick paintjob, with awesome undertones if so. Val

Seems like the northwest just has less interest.. I own one of 3 S30s I see regularly, and the shells i just posted have been there since '07. Any pics from your local one? Val

I didn't see a junkyard thread anywhere (with the age of some of our cars, I'd just assumed there'd be one), so I figured I'd start one up. I'm in Washington state right now, and will do as many of them as I can while I am here. I will soon be going to the other coast (GA hopefully) and will start doing them there and in FL. I might be able to get Ohio at some point also. Isn't the military fun? In a perfect world, this would be it's own subforum, with threads for every state, but for now, please add your local pick n' pull to the list with as much detail as you can. Thanks Junkyard Name: Eastside Auto Wrecking Address: 6068 Wa-303 Ne, Bremerton, WA, 98311 Phone: (360)377-7651 http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=6068+Wa-303+Ne,+Bremerton,+WA,+98311&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.736609,92.8125&ie=UTF8&ll=47.617298,-122.626954&spn=0.00239,0.005665&t=h&z=18&iwloc=addr 1983 280zx Vin: JN1HZ04S3DX560647 Description: I got the motor out of this one myself, tranny (auto) still there. Custom paint (blue), pretty new. No major body damage. 1977 280z Vin: HLS30372181 Description: Rusty (surface mostly). No engine or tranny. No major body damage. Many good int. parts. Has a half dash cap for anyone interested. 1982 280zxt Vin: JN1CZ04S0LX620800 Description: Less rust than the S30.... engine and tranny, no turbo. Block would need lots of work (if it's salvageable). Intake man. is there too And then... with my eagle like vision... from a mile away.... An S30...? 197? 280z Vin:? Description: This one will be crushed in a few weeks if no one swoops it up. No engine. No tranny (i think). Interior? I can see the passenger side seat and rear view mirror, but I'm not going climbing to find out. Body is straight looking (on this side at least). So I apologize for the S30 and S130 prediliction (that's a dirty sounding word). I'll get the Z3X's next time I go. Well, here's to hoping this thread takes off (and my fingers are crossed guys in western Washington will participate for my own benifit). If you see anything you're interested in, PM me if you want me to price it, pull it, ship it, whatever. We'll work out terms later. POST MORE JUNKYARDS! Thanks Val ___________ I'll make a sig as soon as I figure out how to make a cool one...

I have neither for you, but man are those hot. If you buy them, get night time pics up fast. Val

Very nice. I like how you dealt with the cloud reflection. Besides that, a nice aesthetic improvement too. Val

So, i got a couple PMs complaining that I didn't post where people could respond, so I have a "new member" post over here: http://forums.hybridz.org/showpost.php?p=923885&postcount=1 If you want to call me a big dummy publicly for something I write on my project page, that's the place. Or, you could PM me to call me a big dummy. Or tell me you need help turning wrenches, or meet up at the pick n' pull (i got my 280zx engine at one on 303... i just don't know what to do with it now..), or whatever. thanks Val

The Story.... The old ride was a 93 Honda Prelude VTEC si, that was great when i got in in '01. She took 7 years of hits, and started breaking down all the time, so last year, i started repairs, and stripped it. This is how she sits today, running well, about to get painted, and ready for me to get rid of since I fell in love with the Z. (that's my pontiac in the background too) She'll be for sale, real soon by the way, for anyone interested.... So, I just started getting fed up with having a project car that was undriveable half the time, and I could see sinking as much money as i was into a 93 honda. I needed something different, so I went looking... I was a signature away from buying a 91 BMW 8 series... ...but then found out that it was 100,000 grand when new, and they still treat it that way in terms of parts... also, my engine heavy friends told me that welding together two IL6's and calling it a V12 was a bad idea. Al I heard was that every time I did a 200 dollar oil change cause it used some crazy syncmeshtastic oil made in diamond mines in africa, that i bought not one, but two oil filters. Two distributors?? then I started looking into Z's and found my baby here on craigslist: (original ad) http://valmontstudios.com/forum_hosting/html/1977 DATSUN 280Z new pictures added.mht (slow to load, please be patient) If you don't want to look at the ad, i took this pic when I got home with it: (11/17/2007) the craigslist ad had interior pics I bought it in seattle, WA, from a guy that lives in belfair for $3500. My biggest criteria for the car was that it was running, and that the body was rust free, and passed a weak magnet test. I'm not saying she doesn't have rust... ..but she's doing okay. She looks like this today: I "daily drive" it about 5 minutes..umm.. daily... I live and work on a military base out here, and only take this thing out on the town about once a month. I haven't done anything to it other than flush the engine, and keep it maintained. The interior needs a lot of work, as you can see in the craigslist ad. The engine has (i think) 105k on it, and runs well... without an O2 sensor, and with a battery held in by a bungie cord. I've got an extra oil gauge in the car (none of the stock ones work) that just kind of hangs by the hood pop... (wtf) Also on the list of stuff that doesn't work it speedo, tach, turn signals... accessories of any kind really... umm.. Stuff that works: headlights windshield wipers heater in defrost mode. engine tranny (4 spd) i can't lock the doors or the hatch either... She needs work, so for right now, it's fix/paint/sell he old rice burner, then I can really get to the plan. thanks for reading. PM me if you live in the area. Valmont