Pharaohabq

I've replaced my rear halfshaft U joints on a 78 280Z before, not too hard. Question here though is are the Rockford 430-10 UJoints you speak of sealed or greasable? When I replace my bushings and take outt the suspension, I was going to go about greasing all the parts like those, and if these have zerk fittings, then I might just replace what I've got. Phar

Nice Idea on the speaker boxes. I wonder if enclosing a larger space would make for better sound in there. Might have to look into that.

Welcome Ian. I hope your insurance was able to cover the 280Z.. one really good way to cover our cars is with Classic Car insurance. you'll need a appraisal, but it will go a long ways to getting what your car is really worth in the case of a loss like that. Not to mention it's CHEAP for full coverage. look into Hagarty, or some of the other companies. Do you still have the Flooded 280z? There's a lot that can be done to revive a car like that, though it would be a lot of work, as in new wiring, interior, engine rebuild, and lots of cleaning. Depends on how long it was under water too. If you opened the Door, like the porsche in "Risky Business" and fish swam out, it might take a little more. Anyway, I hope your insurance covered it. That 240z looks pretty sweet. If it's running well, then you may not need to change anything. But I digress, there's tons of things you can do to it. Would you mind letting us know the VIN? The Early 240z's are something of a sought after group of cars known as the series ones'. I myself am looking for a november 70' 240Z. As always, use the search on here, since most topics have been covered, but Post anything you'd like about your Z. and include pictures, Pictures of an issue are easiest way to get something diagnosed online. Thanks and welcome again. Phar

Yeah I saw it up on Ebay again a week ago. It's got a lot of history. Too bad the original moulds are gone. You'd think they'd want to make more. But perhaps that time is passed. It is a chunk of history.

OKay, Little update. Haven't done much, recently, I've been working on the yard landscaping rather than the Z, but it's fun too. I found an other ECU/BCM/NATS w/Key for $50 bucks, couldn't pass that up, I'll sell the others on ebay or somewhere when I know I'm in good shape. I got a line on a Miata gas tank, If it fits well I should be able to convert to Dual Exhaust. The Miata tank is 2'x2.5'x10" comes with the pump and regulator. Though I might need to adjust the flow to a higher rate. We'll see when I get there. Tank is Approx 10 gal. that's about it for now. been quite a while I've been amassing parts.

Very nice and thorough write up. Keep it up and they might even sticky it. I'm very interrested in how well that Fuel Filter/FPR is going to work. Something like that might be ideal for my VQ swap, allowing me to use a "returnless" fuel line to my engine. (maybe use both the stock 280z fuel and return lines as parallel fuel line for higher volume, I wouldn't have to replumb that way. If my VG dies in my 92, I might consider this, you're making it look easy. Phar

Yeah could be that VTC sprocket, esp since it's just on the left side. Guess I need to bring it in. It's not going to be cheap I'm sure . AC needs work anyway... Phar

Yeah I knew they're usually pretty inaccurate. I wonder if there's a good stock replacement sender mine could be replaced with. My left side valves seem to be noisey lately aroung 1800 rpm. dunno if that's normal for 157K miles. Phar

Hey, I'm curious, what does your oil pressure look like in your Z32? Mine is a 92' 2+2 NA. My oil pressure reads ~30 ish most of the time driving. on the freeway at about 3K rpm It works up to about 50 or so, but almost never goes higher than that. It's been like this for years, so I figure it's about normal, but I've never compaired it to anyone else. my oil is Pens 10w-30. It's possible it could just be my 18 year old Oil Press sender is weak. From what I understand stock oil pumps almost never fail right? Not to mention if they did, I'd be lucky to have any pressure or a running car. So let me know your opinions and what your oil pressure averages. Phar

Oh! okay, I see now what you were talking about w/ the tunnel and the pipes. That should work great. Nice work as usual

Wow Eric, that thing looks Pretty awesome. I was pretty amazed when I saw it in person. Thanks for coming out to the AZCC(NMZCC)meeting. I just read this whole thread, and am even more impressed than I was when I saw it. It's very cool to get to see what went into the car. I really like that oilpan, but did you have to modify it to fit past the tension rods? The Fuel Rail issue has me worried, since I may be using aftermarket rails on my build, when I get there. I saw the pict of the new brackets, but don't you think you might have issue in the center with it bowing out for the same spray problem? You're really lucky it didn't burn worse. Almost make you want to install an underhood Extinguisher system huh? Also, Wow, I knew your intercooler was large, but dang, that's huge, I didn't realize how far down into the fascia it fit. Very nice. The whole thing is made up of just monsterous parts. Monsterous, Turbo, engine, intercooler, intake, waterpump, cage, axle, and tires. Just huge. I want to see it race so let me know when you're going to bring it out, I'll come watch. I would like to come see your shop sometime too. Phar (Eric)

Very cool, Those are going to look really nice on the Z. I hate to think how many hours each is going to take to mill. I almost wish they'd be making a mould for them so that more could be made relatively cheaply. Phar

Wow, Very cool Alan, Those old jap adverts rocked! it's cool to see what was availible JDM at that time.

YEah I've had the fusible links cause trouble so many times. It's a really good idea to replace them. though cleaning the connections usually help since 30+ years of weathering can really corrode the metal. At radio shack or Autozone or other local auto parts places they should have electrical connection cleaner. This along with some dielectric great will solve tons of issues. eg Injector plug connectors, fusible links, AFM plug. Thermotime plug. all should be cleaned. You can also buy replacement rubber boot connectors cheap on Ebay to help keep the bad water out of the plugs. Corroded connectors not only don't work right, but they generate resistance which makes heat, which if left alone can cause harness shorts or ever a fire, so keep that in mind when you're seeing corrosion on a plug. Phar

ooh that new green paint looks pretty nice. (my wife says, nice, Very retro) the engine pron is pretty sweet too, Only thing is we need more pictures! Are you planning on redoing all the bushings? I've been told many times it's night and day situation. Do you have plans for a roll cage? and have you mentioned the seating capacity to your kids? I know when I was driving my 78 2+2 in HS, I exceeded the capacity a few times, by factors, rather than just one or 2. I think 9 people was my record. Might mention that that wasn't particularly smart. Phar

Yeah so broke the from glass yourself eh? Pretty tough to pull out? I was thinking of trying to pull mine, but if I can get away without buying a new glass it might be worth it to have someone else do it. How about the new windshild gasket, does yours have the chrome surround still like stock? Really nice job on the paint. Can't wait to see the rewinds. I'm going with similar, and I think 215's all around, to make rotating easier. Phar

Good to know, I'll definitely consider a triagulated bar. Though That's all coming after the complete bushing replacement. Phar

oh I think someone must have mentioned this, Don't forget to get the gas pedal assy too. You'll need it and it's easy to put in. You might also grab the clutch cylinder and piping too. I know these are a lot of parts, but planning now saves a lot of headaches in the future. If you want to post those Emails on here for people's FYI it's fine with me. Phar

That's cool, thanks for the update, I can't wait to see the rims. For the tranny tunnel and firewall, you're accounting for Exhaust piping too, or are you going side discharge? I'm interrested in your dry sump ideas, since we know how tight the HR's fit will be. Phar

Hey Sucks about the engine. No oil will do that. the squeaking you heard was likely the bearings scaring the hell out of your crank. YEah there's supposed to be a thin gasket on the valve cover. look at it this way though, you'll have an upgrade opportunity. Meaning you can now put in the 5speed, and L28 engine for more power than the L24 your 71 came with. You can spend a lot of $ on early Z's too, so watch yourself. Get in mind where you want to be eventually, then everything you buy for the car, Ask yourself, is this going to get me to my goal? Yes, then go ahead, No, then look at it again and ask if you really need it. As for the RB swap. You might consider the SR20, A really good argument was made for favor of that engine over the older heavier RB See this thread: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?/topic/74214-full-on-resto-mod-of-a-240z/ Granted we're not going to spend that kind of $ on it, but Blakt out really makes a good point about the SR's advantages. In the meantime, You should be able to get running again relatively cheap. EFI conversion w/ the L28 could be setup towards getting the SR or RB. Get the bigger Fuel pump & regulator, mount them back by the tank, and run a 5/16 or 7/16 line to the front. hook up the L28 on the stock L28 electrics since you have the dash out, and you'll be ready. Later you can get the replacement and not have to worry about the fuel system, aside from perhaps turning up the pressure a little for the larger injectors. This is all up to you of course, but be positive about it. Phar

Yes the O2 sensors are required. They help the computer adjust the fuel mixture. There are upstream and downstream sensors. The Cats aren't required since your 240Z won't require emissions. if you need them you can get some fairly easily since a a lot of people pull them off for better flow. You should find the FSM for your year of engine and read up on some of the systems. you'll get a better idea of a lot of it that way. One thing about it is that the parts are getting modular almost to the point where it's plug and play. It's a system, and once you figure what comprises the system then you'll know what you can move over to make sure things work. That's why I'm sticking with the factory electronics, they support the VVT and are already tuned for the engine. You'll also be able to have a dealer plug in a ConsultIII to check things incase something goes wrong. Yeah, drop me a line any time you're wondering about something. I'll try to give you good advice. Oh you might want to buy one of Austin's Shifter adapters. oh and don't forget to get the shift knob & assy, it's pretty expensive to source separately. Phar

Pretty nice job on the painting. I would do that, but I'm not sure how hard it would be to actually do the spray. I like your paint booth. Quite tempting. That car should look pretty nice with the Rewinds on it. Did you pull the windshield and rear hatch glass out yourself? Phar

Yeah this was going to be my suggestion, but two40zJunky beat me to it. Phar

Well, okay, A couple of specifics. Welded gears eliminate the function of the differential, Any corner you go around you'll wear yout tires unevenly on the outside edges, and shorten the life of the tire. I've had welded gears for years on my 4x4. If you don't mind buying new tires every 10-15K miles, then go ahead. A limited slip R200 is availble out of most 86-89 Z31 Turbo models. This is much preferred to welding the gears, and is a lot less redneck. I said to search, because this is covered in a lot of threads. Sure Welded gears will work to put the power to the ground, but on a driver I wouldn't recommend it, especially with tires that are that stretched. (I would also prefer to see 215's or 225's on those rims) All that being said, Sticky280ZX, you should use the search field more often yourself. Might edumacate yerself...

Hey Mark, Any News? Specifically on your HR install? Have you chosen a radiator? What Dash are you planning on using? Phar