pete280z

Once you get past the parts catalog that is the first minute or so of the video, the car does sound really good with the ITBs. Not like a LS1 in the least, but still good.

I think that video is faked. It looks like they took a piece of this one and laid the v8 audio over it. http://videos.streetfire.net/search/s2000/3/B98A765B-AE6B-4C36-92B3-88AD7020C61A.htm

So I'm in the process of replacing my bushings with the Energy Suspension kit. Yesterday I made it to the moustache bar. The ES instructions say to "use heat" to separate the bushing from the shell. Being a faithful HybridZ reader I remember several threads about burning out the bushings with a torch. So a sudden lapse in common sense combines with the propane torch to create something Bad. Smoke, lots of it. In my garage, then in the driveway. My wife came running outside thinking I had set the lawn on fire. The headache from accidentally breathing some of it finally went away after about 5 hours. Bad. On the other side, I learned that it can be much easier. One end of the bushing shell sticks out of the bar about 1/2". Put the torch on the outside of the shell in that 1/2". Work around the shell and eventually the rubber inside will start to bubble and separate. If it starts to burn, blow it out and move on. Once it has separated all of the way around grab the center sleeve with pliers and pull the whole bushing out. This way was much faster, cleaner, and left very little inside the sleeve to clean out. I'm sure I'm not the first person to figure this out, but I thought maybe some of the other newb type guys might find this helpful.

Lately I've been tempted to paint a Z blue. No metallic or pearl, just bright blue. Something like Shock Blue from the XTerra, Arure Blue from the latest Mach1 Mustang, or Audi Nogaro Blue. A body painted one of those colors with flat/satin black hood and airdam and zg flares would be the business IMO. I've told a couple of friends about that idea and they're already threatening to call it "the bruise" if I do...

Welcome. The pinks stuff can be a sore subject around here. There is a pretty good number of Z people (hybrid and non) in Fort Worth. You'll have to come check things out when you get here.

Hey roger - I just found this link that helped me understand what you're saying: http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Metric-Bolt-Head-Size.aspx It looks like I kept finding DIN bolts. ISO bolts would be 16mm, and JIS would be 14mm. I am very accustomed to finding specially-manufactured fasteners on my mountain bikes (yes, confirmed with the manufacturer), so it didn't surprise me that I couldn't find what I was looking for quickly. [rant] Home Depot and Lowes have run many of the stores that stocked this kind of stuff out of business around here. The nearest fastener shop to me that stocks a full line of metric stuff is 30 minutes away and keeps regular business hours, meaning I miss work to buy $6 worth of fasteners. At the end of the day, it was worth it to me to pay Courtesy Nissan an extra $1 to sort it all out for me. [/rant]

That's a lot of questions. To clear something up from the start, I am looking for bolts of the correct (10mm) size. Anything else would be silly and probably dangerous as you note. Anyway, one question at a time: 1. It's an odd size because apparently z cars from 1970-1974 and 1976-1983 utilized 8mm fasteners for this function. 2. The 10mm fasteners that came off the car aren't exactly off-the-shelf parts. They were 14mm wrench size. Everything I find in 10.9 is 17mm wrench size, which may be tough to work with in this tight spot. 3. I want to replace them because I boogered one up removing it and smooth lost another. It's all kind of moot anyway. I was ordering some parts from Courtesy yesterday and asked them what's up. $6 or so for 4 of each (bolt, nut and lock washer).

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that these were. I meant to say that I'd buy new hardware from a fastener shop if I thought they would fit. I got a reply back from the seller which says only "10mm." Sounds like this guy can get me what I need. Thanks

Thanks - just sent the seller an email to verify the size. Maybe he has the 1975 stuff available. If I thought there was enough room to get a 17mm wrench on there I'd just buy new 10mm hardware.

I need to replace the hardware for the driveshaft to differential (1975 280z). The bolts & nuts I removed appear to be original factory parts. They are M10x1.25 with a "7" stamped into the head of the bolts and 14 mm heads. With such a weird size, I'd rather just order the new ones from Nissan. The guy at my parts counter struggles with this old stuff, so it's much easier if I can just bring in part numbers. The slides on carfiche.com say that the parts should be M8x1.25. A few searches lead me to believe that the head size is typically 12mm. This thread: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=97431 suggests that 1975 was a one-year oddball. Anyone happen to have the correct part numbers for the 1975 hardware?

Thanks

http://www.magnumresearch.com/Expand.asp?ProductCode=BFR45-70

I think this is the thread you guys are looking for. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=115076 I swapped a few emails with the guy after that thread. I really hope this works out. Some of those parts would be really nice to have available.

There was a yellow accord with a C5 rear running around Fort Worth a few years ago. Pictures wound up on hybridz. I think Phantom actually stumbled onto the owners house. Could this be that same car taken to new levels? I'll try to dig up that thread...

Looking good.

This thread is 5 months old and the original poster is no longer a member. You guys realize this, right?

Great swap! Congratulations on completing the job. The results are beautiful.

Wow! Awesome race. Very motivating.

Hang in there Larry. I quit a few years ago, though I had only smoked for about 5 years. After a few weeks of quitting my head started messing with me. Thoughts like "you know, I smoke because I like smoking." After that I'd grab the mountain bike and head for dirt each time a craving hit. It's really difficult to want a cigarette when you can't catch your breath.

I sent them an email to see what's going on. I'm guessing that the gallery isn't exactly production ready and they "borrowed" the photo. Excellent to see that someone is offering/planning to offer all of those fiberglass parts though.

Um, does the gallery photo labeled "Fiberglass hood" look familiar to anyone?

I think I'm going to talk to my machinist about making a bracket and welding it to the "side" of the existing bracket. The resulting bracket would be flat and should line up well on the mounting "ears" of the spots. The spot calipers would mount at about 5:00 on the right side and 7:00 on the left. I have no experience with technical drawings but I'll try draw what I've got in my head and post the results.

Sounds familiar. After several unsuccessful attempts with a breaker bar, I put the wheel/tire back on the hub, stood on the tire with the strut between my feet and used the air impact wrench. Off in no time. Although I did feel a bit goofy in the process.

That nut is 27mm and I don't believe it can be re-used. I ground the peened portions off of mine before I pulled them, so mine are spent for sure. You will need a pipe or a long breaker bar to pull them. A suitable replacement nut that won't require peening comes from a 280zx. You should be able to find the part number for that by searching. I think I have it written down at home.

The spot calipers certainly aren't perfect, but they'll appease the safety inspectors in my state. I figure that I'll be removing them before track days, etc. Heck, they might just go on once a year for inspection. I park the car in a garage on a flat surface, so I'm not worried about a parking brake for any reason but to satisfy the inspector. Hopefully the members that have taken this approach are still around. Does anyone have a drawing or photos of their setup?