dmoralesbello

Changed the front turn signal lenses to a set of "light smoked" set and put in the LED "switchback" bulbs. These bulbs provide dual functions: a very bright white driving light AND amber turn signals/ hazard lights when activated. There is a momentary (0.25 seconds) pause in between functions which is normal for these bulbs. I really like the look of the white driving lights in the stock turn signal location. Together with the LED headlights it gives the front of the car an updated appearance, increased visibility and more lighting.

The reason is a search for a better performing part which may have been developed in the subsequent model years. As I mentioned before, my starter works fine as is but I thought there could be something better and still be a direct bolt on swap. "Lighter weight, more torque, heavy duty" sounded enticing.

Drained the coolant, flushed the radiator and changed my old hoses for silicone replacements. Also installed the trim plate around the heater hoses at the firewall. Still have a bunch of more fasteners and brackets to refinish but I'll do that a bit at a time so I can continue to drive and enjoy the car.

As far as I've been able to tell, the California Datsun starter is simply a stock 280ZX unit, painted and polished. In all fairness, I wrote California Datsun asking for details and I'm still waiting for a response. I will post as soon as I get an answer.

280Z as well, right? How about the "light weight" claim or the use of a relay?

I have searched for improved alternatives to the OEM starter on the forum and there seems to be no information on the subject. California Datsun advertises a starter: " LIGHT WEIGHT AND HELPS START YOUR ENGINE FASTER. NO MORE SLOW CRANK ON COLD DAYS WHERE IT ALMOST KILLS YOUR BATTERY, THIS IS YOUR ANSWER! NO CORE REQUIRED. NO MODIFICATIONS NEEDED THIS IS A DIRECT BOLT ON. PLEASE SEE OUR OTHER AUCTIONS FOR THE STARTER RELAY KIT THAT ADDS TRUE 12 VOLTS TO EXTEND YOUR STARTER LIFE! " It certainly looks much nicer than stock but is there any functional advantage over OEM? The starter relay they mention is an extra $15. Opinions from more experienced members would be greatly appreciated.

Engine is purring like a kitten. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oadiq7RXv6A

LOL! That puts a smile on my face! Thanks

Thanks 88dangerdan. Here are a couple of before and after pics: I hope the purists don't hate me

Got the engine running and tuned. The throttle linkage was a pain in the butt to get exactly right but it's nice and smooth now. finished assembling the last brackets, hoses, cable and hose straps, and orange Cusco strut bar. I think I'm in love

Finished painting the AFM and throttle body in preparation for installing this weekend.

Got the fuel rails, intake plenum, several brackets, vacuum and fuel hoses installed. Engine bay is slowly starting to look complete again.

Some more progress pics. Installed media blasted and powder coated brackets on new Nissan motor mounts; Put in a new polished billet water pump pulley from California Z Car: And got my Jet Hot MSA headers back on. Love that clean look soooo much better than when they were wrapped. Hopefully the thermal advantage in the engine bay will be a benefit as well. As you can all tell, the valve cover is back on as well. Intake plenum, throttle body and AFM should be back on tomorrow.

Welcome and congratulation on your "new" Z. If you post photographs of the car it would help us all understand the amount and type of work needed and we can all guide you more precisely. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Thanks for posting this. Common mistakes sometimes stump us all and reviewing them will help avoid them.

Silver ceramic coated MSA headers came in today from Jet Hot. Can't wait to get those on.

Very nice work. IMO now you need to paint those 2 screw heads black.

Thanks pal ! Glad you appreciate it.

Finished off the intake plenum by cleaning the different mating surfaces in prep for assembly. The valve cover got its final coat of metallic dark grey and the orange lettering and stripes. Should have the throttle body done in the next couple of days and then re-assembly starts!

Considering how bad the exterior looks, the interior is really good. How's the underside?

The valve cover was media blasted as well and orange pearl body paint was applied. I love that orange but don't want to make my engine bay look too "hot rod". The letters and stripes will be masked off and dark metallic grey applied so the valve cover will be dark grey with orange stripes and letters (same look as the air filter box). Intake plenum and AFM are dark grey. I'll post those next steps in a couple of days.

Got some progress on the engine bay parts. Intake plenum (with EGR removed) and AFM media blasted and painted dark metallic grey. I was able to remove and save the decal on the AFM and I'll be gluing that back on soon.

Looks great! Beautiful gauges. Details please.

I'm very happy to see your appreciative remarks. Thanks. There are a couple of very cool additions I'll be working on in the summer months: swapping my clock for a JDM calendar clock (thanks to hr369 on the Classic Z Forum), installing LED replacement bulbs in the map light, JDM tail lights (thanks hr369 again) with a "trick" connection, clear lenses for my front turn signals with a "switchback" LED bulb which looks like a clear driving light until the turn signal is activated at which time it'll flash amber, wiring my front fender parking lights to work as turn signals as well, and adding some tweeters to my sound system. Fun!!