StrokinIT

Hey everyone, I have a 1976 280Z with a few problems right now that I'm trying to sort out before I start upgrading. I bought the car a few years ago and just finally got it on the road last year, sort of. We bought the car from CT and trailered it back to NH. We hadn't registered it or anything due to it being late fall, winter was coming, and we were going to begin the restoration on it that winter. So the only driving we did with it was in the neighborhood in mostly first gear. At the time I knew very little about cars, and we had a "reputable" shop look over the engine and they gave it a clean bill of health. Fast forward to last spring, and the car was finally ready to get on the road. It went back to the same shop to diagnose why it was idling poorly and sputtering under throttle. $350 later and the invoice says "check fuel, make adjustments" and it is still running as crappy as before. So I finally took it to a Z specialist who fixed a few vacuum leaks, replaced some of the fuel lines with actual fuel hoses, and then told me that he thinks the cam timing is off. Since I didn't have the money to shell out for him to do any more investigative work, we were unsure of whether or not it was the timing chain needing replacing or that the head was shaved and the cam towers weren't shimmed properly. Also, my headgasket leaks a small spurt of oil out of the front passenger corner whenever the car is shut off, but my compression seemed fine. Well, relatively low across the board (which could be due to the cam timing being off?) but it is consistent. Sorry for the long backstory, I just wanted you guys to have enough information to help without guessing and wasting your time. Anyhow, my goal for the car is to replace the factory dished pistons with flat tops, but keep the 2.8L displacement. I have an N42, with unknown amounts of headwork, I'd have to sort through some old paperwork from the previous owner. I believe he had a 3 angle valve job, aftermarket cam, new valves and valve seats, possibly rockers and springs. I will check on that tonight or tomorrow and post up that information. Of course, doing any sort of head/cam work on the stock ECU is somewhat pointless, so I was going to go with megasquirt. My question is this: I've heard that you want to get your car in proper running order BEFORE you set up megasquirt or other ECU systems, reason being that you already know your engine can run properly so you know when your tune is good. Does it make sense to get a stock N42 head to try and get my car running properly, then get megasquirt? Or should I go ahead and do the timing chain, new pistons and headgasket, then install megasquirt? Thank you all in advance, I've been stressing out about which way to go with this for quite some time now.

Tennesseejed, I believe you are talking about the auxiliary air regulator, but please correct me if I am wrong. I'm also almost positive we did that test and that there was no change.

Hopefully someone can confirm or deny my suspicions here. I have a 1976 280z, and I dropped my car off at a local shop, they've usually taken pretty good care of me, my dad, and my brother. However, they mostly do older muscle cars, not so many older imports pass through there. Any way, my symptoms are high idle that can't be lowered via the idle speed screw; hesitations and stumbles during acceleration under 3500 rpms; occasional backfires after these stumbles; I have no way of telling if fuel mileage is abnormally poor or if its because I just tend to keep the car at higher rpms so that it won't stumble. The car runs well above 3500 rpms though. We already replaced the spark plugs and the auxiliary air regulator, they helped a little bit but it still has most of the symptoms. I have read through the EFI Bible and come up with a few suspicions that I wanted the shop to look into for me. I asked them to check: -valve clearance -throttle plate closing -AFM has proper movement -check for intake manifold leaks -check fuel pressure With the combination of issues that I have, my hunch is that there is an intake leak somewhere, or the throttle plate doesn't close all the when the throttle is released, however I could be mistaken and there could be more than 1 reason for these symptoms. I spoke with them today and asked how the tests went and they said they were trying to get it to idle properly before they would do the tests. This doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me seeing that one of the main reasons I brought it in is because it doesn't idle properly. My thoughts were that if they performed those tests, it would guide them to the problem so they could fix it. I know more about cars in theory than I do in practice, so maybe I'm missing something here, but do any of those tests require that the car is running optimally before they be performed? I do have an aftermarket cam in there from the previous owner, and just sent them a scan of the cam information. I know aftermarket cams don't really get along well with the factory EFI but I would have thought that the cam would cause the idle to be lower by having less vacuum at idle and low rpms. I will attach the JPG of the cam information card for reference. In case its hard to read, the lobe separation is 110 and the intake opens at 7* BTDC. Thanks in advance, Josh

Thanks guys for the answers, I think I should be able to run the fuel map based on speed-density using the MAP sensor. However the main problem I'm running into right now is how to control spark with MS. I can't go check right now since my car is at my dad's house, but I think the 76 distributor has a VR sensor in it, correct? If so, I can set it up so that MS reads the VR sensor and subsequently will be able to control the spark. I would like to eventually convert to EDIS but I don't feel that I could properly install that setup myself while the engine is still in the car, and have it running for this summer. I have literally spent about 5 hours reading up on the spark aspect of MS yesterday and today, and am so confused. So if someone could clarify the best way to go about it with my current setup (stock 76 distributor), I would be eternally grateful. Thanks in advance.

Yikes, I'm not sure if I can afford that right now. Perhaps I should be looking for an open 3.9 for now, you wouldn't happen to have one of those as well would you?

I hadn't really placed a price limit on it yet, was just looking for something reasonable. How much are you looking to get for yours?

Hey guys I currently have a 76 280z with headers and exhaust, intake, and an unknown cam. I believe the ignition system is stock, and so is the ECU. I’d like to upgrade to megasquirt to take full advantage of my mods, and have a few questions. I went through the thread on “MS useful thread links†and found this thread <http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?showtopic=48292> thinking it would have some answers. It was very informative but is a few steps ahead of me right now. Can MS control spark based off the 76 distributor? Or am I limited to controlling fuel only until I upgrade to a different ignition system? Based off of what I read in Braaps thread “BRAAPs L6 EFI-induction advice and tips,†the tuning I need to do to take advantage of my cams and exhaust work is tuning the fuel maps with MS, and then I can mechanically tune the distributor to get the proper ignition timing. One thing I’m worried about is, do I need to get a throttle position sensor? Or is MS able to read off the stock throttle position switch that I currently have? I believe the stock ECU is closed-loop until ¾ throttle and then is open loop above that, so I feel that I could run the stock throttle position switch and then when that switch tells MS to go from closed loop to open loop, have the open-loop tables based off of MAP instead of TPS? (I have never tuned before, so I’m not sure if that idea even makes sense. What would the closed-loop tables be based off?) As for the MS system I am looking to get, I was thinking of getting this unit (http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/megasquirtii-ems-system-smd-pcb357-black-case-p-171.html). I was thinking this unit because I would eventually like to be able to control spark as well, and have been considering the idea of a turbo build in the future, so I think this system would allow me to go in any direction without having to upgrade my ECU system in the future. I would also be ordering a wiring harness for it, an IAT sensor, wideband O2 sensor, and a MAP sensor. What is the difference between an open and closed element IAT sensor? As for the wideband 02 sensor, it seems most people use the Innovate one, but I heard that they burn out relatively quickly, and was thinking of going with the AEM kit (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/AVM-30-5130/?rtype=10). Does anyone know if MS will play nice with this gauge? I think this might cover most of my questions, although some of them are probably very basic. I appreciate any and all feedback you can give me.

I would like to buy a 3.9 LSD, as well as the correct speedometer cog. Will need it shipped to 03249, or can pick up local in New England area. Thank you. edit: must be an R200 by the way.

Thanks so much, I will try this later on in the week and hopefully I can track down the problem.

Thank you for that information, however I'm still slightly confused. The rheostat, is that the dimmer knob down and to the left of the steering wheel? The one that dims the dash lights? When we were checking these connections, it was generally my brother and I outside checking for the running lights to come so I do not know whether or not the dash lights even came on at all, but before when the running lights came on with the brake pedal, the dash lights never came on. Could it be that there is some interference at the rheostat? And if so, would I need to get behind the dash (or take it out) to get to it? Also, what do you mean by jumping the wires? Sorry for the extremely simple questions, my car is currently 75 miles away and my dad isn't home so I can't have him check for me. Thank you

Ok, so I was finally back up at my dad's house this past weekend and we fixed the issue where the running lights only came on with the brakes. We think it was caused by using double filament bulbs where single filament bulbs should have gone. We put the proper bulbs in and not only are the brake lights and turn signals much brighter, but the running lights no longer come on when the brakes come on. Except now, we can't get the running lights to turn on. We were messing with the wires in the combination switch on the steering column, and from time to time we would be able to get the lights on but pretty much anything would cause them to turn off, e.g getting out of the car, coughing, pretty much anything that would send any sort of vibration through the car to move any of the wires just the tiniest bit. We have the FSM for my 76 280z and I spent a couple hours looking through the wiring diagrams, and I thought I had figured out which wire was the one to control the running lights (Green with white stripe), but that didn't work. Does anyone know which wire from the combination switch actually controls the running lights? I am back home now and will be back up to my dad's on Thursday night for a long weekend. I am planning on registering my Z this week and this running light issue is the only thing keeping it from passing inspection right now. I would gladly appreciate any and all help. Thanks again.

Thanks Oddjob, I will look into it. I had a hunch if it wasn't a direct wiring issue it had something to do with a ground issue.

The brake lights only come on with the brake pedal pressed. The side marker lights and running lights only come on when the brake pedal is pressed, regardless of the position on the headlight switch on the column.

Hey everyone, I couldn't find any information on the exact issue I'm having, the only thread that seemed somewhat similar was the one started by Josh817, Help! Running lights are dead on my '72 240z, any clues? however our running lights aren't blowing fuses; although we haven't been able to keep the running lights on long enough for a fuse to really have the chance to blow. So here is what I am experiencing. My running lights do not come on when the lights come on, they only come on when the brake pedal is pressed (whether the headlights are on or not). My dad and I think that we might have wired something wrong in the steering column, does that sound right to anyone else? Has anyone else encountered this issue themselves? Thanks, Josh

PMs have been sent.

As stated, I'm looking for a turbo engine. I'd like a running engine in good condition if possible. I'm located in NH but am not afraid to travel to get what I want. Let me know what you have. Thanks, Josh

Oh yes I know, that body shop bill was bullshit, and I wanted to get a lawyer involved but my dad said "this is just how things go" so I naively went along with it. This was about 3 years ago now, when I was a freshman in college. I've obviously learned a lot since then but it's sorta too late now. Anyways money isn't a big deal really, I'd rather call this an expensive lesson than get into a big argument with my dad, I've talked to him about all this and neither of us really have the money or willpower right now to do anything about it, but I'll be graduating soon with a very well paying job and I'll either just take the car as is (without paying him off) and finish it at a later date, or just leave it for him. If I can't just take it without paying him off, I'll just take all of my performance parts I have laying around and start my own project car later on down the line, and do it properly this time.

As stated before, when we were looking to buy the Z in the first place it was between 1 on ebay and 1 on craigslist. My dad didn't want to put too much into it so he drove down to Conn. one day and just bought the Z off craigslist without really looking at it too in depth or anything. So yeah there was a lot of rust, it wasn't really THAT much, but more than we could handle so my dad decided to have a body shop do it, and repaint it also. Well, the quote was for $3k and 6 weeks, 17 months later we got the bill, a whopping $11k. At the time I didn't just have that kind of cash to dish out so I sold my only operating car, a Jeep, to pay for the body work. So up to this point I've put in about $6.5k, including other odds and ends like the body kit my dad wanted for it and replacement struts and bushings. After we got the car back we didn't spend a lot of money on it because 1. we didn't have much to spend, and 2. we were busy replacing bushings, and obviously some bushings are a pain in the ass to remove and frustration arose and thus breaking misc. parts trying to get stuff apart. Another couple hundred bucks later those pieces are replaced, and then my dad hands me an invoice for full interior vinyl replacement, another couple hundred bucks. So here we are about a year ago, car is starting up and engine revs happily, suspension almost completely done, but the brakes are messed up so my dad tells me he found a "deal" for stock replacement brakes, all 4 corners for like $975 or something, and I said if we're going to spend that much money, we're going to get better brakes. So we bought the gt500 big brake kit (~$1400 i think) from a member on here. So there's $8k right there, then obviously needed bigger wheels and tires to fit the brakes, now we're up to $9k+ on my end since my dad refused to pay for any "performance parts" so yeah closer to 10k on my end so far, and the car still isn't drivable, nor able to pass inspection. I don't know how to multiquote replies, but @garvice: I'm thinking of just trying to recuperate the last couple grand I spent on it, (wheels, tires, brakes, and some mechanical work) and then I'm going for a sweet e30. If not, I'll keep the Z and eventually get it on the road, but I definitely need a break from this project. The main thing that I've learned is if you are going to do a project of this magnitude, drive it around stock to get a feel for it, then upgrade minor things as you go (struts, bushings, exhaust, etc.) and see how it affects the ride and whether or not you like the change. This way you can actually enjoy the car and the fruits of your labor as you go. Anyways, attached is a picture from about 2 years ago? I don't remember anymore, it's at the body shop after getting painted. It looks even better now with the new wheels and the monster brake kit on it. Damn it guys you're making it so hard to want to leave this car behind.

1. I don't have very much track experience at all, and I also think I would have alot of fun driving my car on the track, if I could actually do that. Point being, since this is a "father-son" project, we are both "equally" invested (we split the cost of body work/paint but he refuses to pitch in for anything that has to do with performance, e.g. suspension parts, transmission or engine work, etc.) and he has stated on multiple occasions that he won't let the car be taken to the track until he is fully paid off on the project. So before I can even think of taking it the track, it needs to be running properly, and because it doesn't run well at all, I would be the one to pay for mechanical repairs on it. As for being a picky driver, yes I'm very picky. I've owned enough fwd cars to know that I will never own one again. I've also driven quite a few rwd and awd cars to know that I prefer rwd. And owning a 400+ whp STI has helped me realize I don't need that much power to have fun. The deciding factor between whether I want to keep the Z or to get a BMW is all down to the chassis. I've heard wonderful things about the E30 chassis and I've also heard good things about the S30 chassis. There is a much larger aftermarket for E30s than there is for the Z's which is always a plus, and the fact that if I want a really nice suspension for the Z, I would need to pretty much fabricate my own parts and I don't have the capabilities to do so, whereas with the BMW I could just enter some credit card information and open a box 4-7 days later and install it on my car. 2. The reason I'm starting to grow apart from the Datsun is that every time I try and start it up or drive it for that matter, some new problem arises and renders it inoperable. I've lost count at how many times my dad has brought it in to have something fixed and then something else pops up. I don't know of any shops around here that have any idea of what they are doing on a Datsun, but I know plenty of quality shops that actually specialize in BMWs, and their labor prices are actually quite reasonable. 3. As for the waiting until I graduate to get into playing with cars again, I totally agree with you, which is why I'm not spending more then 20 minutes on my 280 until I graduate. The reason I say 20 minutes is because I'm going to bring it back to the shop 1 last time to see if they can fix it, and I am allotting 20 minutes for me to sit in the car after, trying to get it started up, and if it refuses to start/run after 18 minutes, I'll pull out my laptop and post a craigslist ad. I'm sorry if I come across as a mean curmudgeon but this project has not been a pleasant experience, aside from the obvious let downs and complications of any car project, the extra stress of doing the project with my dad has totally ruined the experience for me. It has actually been one of the worst car experiences I've had (worse than having my brother blow up the engine in my brand new STI which led to a $17k rebuild). I still love the Z car, but this project has been too much of an emotional and financial drain to want to continue.

Hey everyone, I have a 76 280z that I've been working on with my dad since I think 2005. It was supposed to be a relatively short project but here we are almost 6 years later and we haven't put more than 4 miles on the car. I was sort of talked into this idea without any previous knowledge. At the time that we were buying the car we had 2 different cars we were looking at at the time. 1 was on ebay, a silver 73 240 with a 3.2 rebello stroker and ITB's, it ended up selling for $3800 but my dad thought that was too much for a "project car" since he was funding the initial cost (as a high school graduation present) and we would split the rest of the costs. Well we ended up going with the other car we were looking at, a light blue 76 280 that was running but needed "minor" rust repair. So we picked up the 76 project for about $1500 and I personally have sunk almost $8k into it so far, most of which on body work and paint. The only performance parts I've bought were a big brake kit and bigger wheels/tires to fit over the big brakes, and a rebuilt 5 speed to replace the 4 speed. From what I've learned, most projects go in the way of performance first, and then body work/ paint, well my Dad wanted a show car and I wanted a race car, so we ended up with a great looking car but less than stock performance. I think most of you will understand why this is an upsetting project. I'm 8 months away from graduating college with a degree in civil engineering and have a job lined up for me if I choose to go in that direction. To be honest I didn't really want a Datsun when we first started this project, I had never heard of them, I didn't know a damn thing about them, and I've always been a BMW guy because my uncle used to be an amazing BMW club driver. So here I am today, in a love/hate relationship with this gorgeous money pit I call my Datsun, and I'm considering buying an e30 325i and going with a totally different approach. I've put so much money into this Z with literally 0 return on investment, and this project is pretty close to being done, but I have lost almost all the will to continue with this project. The dilemma is that since I've never driven a Z before, nor have I driven an e30 before (I've driven e36s before and liked them, and the e30 is supposed to actually be more fun to drive), I don't know which direction to go right now. On one hand, yes I already have the car and already have work done to it, but for the same amount of money it would cost me to finish this Z, I could actually have an e30 with minor mods and be enjoying it. My question to you folks is, which car would be more fun as a track car? 280z or e30 325i? Thanks, Josh

Living in NH, I only drive the car in the summer. I plan on starting to do autocross, trackdays, and driving schools this summer. Even when I'm not on the track I tend to stick to windy back roads with little to no traffic, so you could say my driving is spirited for the most part. You say the Dunlops will last longer, which is good, but will there be a noticeable difference in grip between the 2? All else equal, buying longer lasting tires wouldn't be a bad choice.

So I just ordered new rims and they should be arriving sometime between this weekend and next. I ended up getting the Konig Imagine 17x7 rims from MSA, and am planning on going with 225/45-17 tires. Anyways, I've been looking into different tires for the past hour or so and have narrowed down my decision from 4 to 2. The original 4 I chose were the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11, Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08, Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, and the Hankook Ventus R-S3. The 2 I have my eyes set on are the Dunlops and Hankooks. They all have gotten good reviews and the semi-deciding factor was the price, an extra $50 per tire is an extra $200 total. Here are the tirerack.com links to the tires I'm interested in: Bridgestone Potenza Yokohama Hankook Dunlop Direzza My question to you all is do you have any experience with these tires? Anything good/bad/indifferent to report? I'm more swayed towards the Dunlops though, but would appreciate input before I make my final selection. Thanks in advance, Josh

Did you ever get your car back on the dyno? I'm excited to see what numbers you got with 18psi.

I usually check the site once or twice an hour while I'm at work, and then a few times at night. This usually ends up being maybe 10 hours a week, ish. Thanks to Kiwi tho, I just learned about the new posts tab, so that will definately lead to more time on the site.

HAHA, I found this on jalopnik the other day and figured you all might get a good laugh out of it. http://jalopnik.com/5466903/the-funniest-lap-of-the-nurburgring-ever