KevvinG

UPDATE: Okay so I've been able to swap the parking brake cables (basically I unbolted them from the rubber hangers and switched the sides) and now when I pull the e-brake even with very little adjustment on the bottom adjuster both sides grab tight! However I have ran into an issue, the e-brake cable that now goes from the passenger side to the drivers side caliper is too short. The cable itself is long enough but the sheathing that's meant to clip into the caliper is about an inch to short to connect properly. Anyone know how to remedy this? If I just disconnect from the hanger and properly connect it to the caliper then the cable run itself is too short and it doesn't engage properly.

Thanks for the info you guys! I'm hoping the solution is as simple as swapping the rear lines, if not then I'll have to go with the link Miles posted. I'll update once it's done!

I don't know of any database that correlates block number to model year. That being said, if you check the block code (on the drivers side towards the rear of the engine, just above the oil pan) you'll see either N42 or F54, N42 would be found in the '75-78 280Z and F54 would be '79-83 280ZX

Rooger, just wondering if anything ever came of this? I'd love to see some pics of the Histrix in your car!

Hey guys, I've searched around a bit but can't really find much info on this. I've recently converted to the MM Extreme rear disk kit and it's moved the parking brake lever a bit closer than factory. The result is even with the parking brake handle all the way up there is no engagement. I hopped under the car and found a long adjustment rod, I tightened that down all the way and now with the handle all the way up there is some engagement but I am still able to turn the rear wheels by hand. I've heard mention of adjusting the second rod (the one that connects to the equalizer) but I can't see any nut or bolt head on it to adjust like I did with the lower one. It's hard to see up there from under the car but I couldn't find anywhere to tighten up the slack. Does anyone know how to adjust that upper rod?

SO there have been more updates, I've picked up more parts! Since the last update I've gotten: - Crank Girdle - AZC Oil pan (opened but unused) and last but not least... an N42/N47 longblock! I'm in class right now but when I get the chance I'll post pictures of the engine in the trunk of my poor '06 Jetta.. I picked it up on my way to Ottawa for $200CAD and it spent the rest of my 4 day, 1000km round trip torturing the rear suspension of my car. I was really skeptical of being able to load the engine without a hoist but 3 of us rather easily managed to load and unload the engine! I haven't had much of a chance to dig into it at all, I turned it over with a breaker bar and a 27mm socket and it's a little tight but not seized, it's currently sitting at my buddy's place until I clear out some space in my garage

Steve, I had a sheet with all the pertinent info, I have to find it and corroborate with Dave at Rebello racing to make sure all my numbers are correct before I continue. Tim, I haven't read it yet but I sure will before I get to work, thanks! I'm glad to hear that it's not difficult, I don't mind tedious. I kind of find tedious projects relaxing and given that I won't be pulling my engine from my car until this engine is done I'm in no rush so I can do it right. Do you have any recommendations on sizes and brands for the micrometers? I see a whole range of them and don't know which one I might need.

The only input I've got is my Compomotive 17x8's fit just about perfectly in the front and in the rear they have room to spare. The first point of contact for my wheels would be the spring perch but since you've got coilovers you should have some more leeway there. I don't know anything about my offset but your widths should be fine.

I have both 240z and 280z seats at home. Off the top of my head I'd say they look just about identical, when I get off work I'll take some pics of the two seats side by side.

I was finally able to dive into the stroker kit! Gerry (30ounce) packaged everything very well and everything arrived in great shape and looks exactly as advertised. Next up is to clean up the carbon deposits off the pistons and remove the rod from the damaged piston. The crank looks fantastic, though I don't have anywhere to put it for now so I put the box back together and put it away for now. The pistons and rods The damaged piston Bearings and ARP Studs Threw it all in a container to keep the dust off of it until I have some time to work on it And last but not least, the crank!

I'd love to have Whitehead do the entire build for me but I'm also taking this as an opportunity to dive into engine building. It may go horribly wrong and backfire on me but part of why I'm doing this instead of say swapping in an RB engine is to be able to enjoy an engine I've built myself! That and I'm trying to keep costs as low as possible Isky cams look fantastic, I've been considering one for quite some time. I definitely want to rev it out but having some good power down low is still important to me as I'll be driving it around town alot. Ideally I'd like it to pull hardest from 3500-6500. I'll be setting my redline to 7000. Ultimately this will be the deciding factor. If I can use the cam I already have then I will, but if there's a more suitable cam that will give me a big gain with my head then I'll take the plunge

Dusty, I'm sorry to hear about your experience! That must have been a series of unfortunate events surrounding your order, I've heard mostly great things about Rebello. Hopefully everything ends up working out alright!

Good news!! The FedEx man brought me the good stuff. Unfortunately today is too busy for me to dig in so I'll have to open it all up tomorrow.

I believe your non cranking issues is stemming from some sort of neutral/park safety switch being that your car is an auto. Unfortunately I don't have any experience in that regard. However the fuel pump situation I can definitely help with. The wiring to the fuel pump goes as such: The fuel pump is ON if the key is in the START position (cranking), the fuel pump is ON if the key is in the ON position AND there is air being pulled through the AFM (Engine is running normally), the fuel pump is OFF if the key is in the ON position AND there is no air being pulled through the afm (Engine stall or accident). When I converted my '77 280Z to triple webers I found a wiring diagram (that's lost to me now but if I find it again I'll post it up) that showed that if you jumper the two rightmost pins on the afm then the pump will always run when the key is put into the ON position. This doesn't give you any safety in the event of a crash but will help get your car running for now. I've been thinking of using a vacuum switch to trigger that fuel pump connection using the brake booster vacuum but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Definitely makes sense from a business standpoint, they overengineered the L28E so why not save some money where they can on the L28ET if they're reworking the block anyways! Yup I've been hearing that the N42 from '75 and '76 has the highest nickel content, my Z is a '77 and I'd prefer to keep my L28 in it as I have a hunch this project won't be done by springtime and I wanna drive the damn thing! I'd love to get Rebello to do it but ultimately it comes down to cost, I'm in the Toronto area and shipping a block even if it's one way from Cali-Toronto is expensive plus import fees are never fun to deal with. There's a Z specialist 45 mins from me that's very well regarded (Whitehead Performance) and there are a few other great machine shops in the area that I'd trust to do the job right. Perfect! Always great to have a backup block in case things go sideways, that's why I'm really okay with either an F54 or N42, of course I'd prefer the N42 knowing what I know now but it's good to have options. As for the cam, I know what you mean, the overlap on a bigger cam bleeds off a bit of compression and allows for higher compression setups with pump gas. What I meant was; isn't the cam I listed pretty big already? I don't have alot of experience building engines but comparing them to MSA cam specs it slips in a little below their Stage IV which is already touted as a "track use" cam.

Okay so after doing some more googling and seeing lots of conflicting answers I think I've finally got some usable info! The N42 block has full siamesed cylinders and thicker cylinder walls, this goes against logic as the N42 was never required to hold up any boost. The reason for the thinner cylinder walls and technically non-siamesed cylinders in the F54 block is to increase the size of the cooling passages between cylinders. Nissan added webbing between the cylinders for the F54 to maintain rigidity but that webbing is less effective when you bore out the cylinder walls. Ultimately as far as I've read both block are fine for a 3mm overbore so long as you sonic test them to be sure, the N42 will just have more comfort room. I'll keep my eyes open for either block in this case! Rob, I'll keep the thread updated as work progresses and I'll be sure to take some pics once I make some headway!

Really? From what I've read I heard that the F54 is actually the one with webbing between the cylinders to increase it's ability to withstand boost pressures. I'll do some more research. I'm thinking of using the P90, it seems to be the agreed upon winner. My only issue is that right now it has the perfect CR for boosted applications, though I don't see myself switching away from my webers in the foreseeable future I am kind of hesitant to shave it down. Do you know what kind of differences I'd see between the E31 and P90? Add even more cam? I'm new to engine building and specs but I thought that my cam specs were pretty big! This is going to be mostly a road car, with the occasional track/autoX day so I'm a little hesitant to throw a cam thats too big and will make it less fun around town.

Hey guys! After much dreaming and planning I've finally bit the bullet and purchased a Rebello 3.0L Stroker kit. It's second hand off another user here on HybridZ, but it comes with the Rebello offset ground crank, eagle connecting rods and JE forged pistons. The specs on those are as follows: (I need to double check with rebello but to the best of my knowledge it's all correct) Crank stroke: 81mm Rod length: 137.7mm Piston size: 89mm, pin height: 28.9 (this I'm uncertain about) The kit is currently in shipping, so I'll update with photos once it arrives! I'll keep this thread posted as the build goes on as I figure documenting this process couldn't be a bad idea, it'll also be a great hub for all the questions I'm sure to have. At the moment I'm keeping my eyes open for an F54 block or whole engine to be a donor for the process. I'm also debating which one of my cylinder heads I should be using for the build, I've got two options and two more entire heads for spares, also whichever head I pick would get Schneider valve springs and retainers as well as my comp cams camshaft with the following specs: Dur @ .020 292 int/exh Dur @ .050 246 int/exh Lift .480 int/exh I've got a P90 that's unshaven, it's been cleaned and lightly ported and in overall great shape. Would just need rockers and a cam, though it would seem that my compression figures would be quite low on this setup due to the low pin height of the pistons The other head is an E31 that's down to the bare casting, it would need to be gone over by a pro. 5 of the cylinders have been ported pretty heavily and the 6th one needs to be done to match. It needs bigger valves and hardened seats, as well as the cam towers properly installed. More of a project but according the the Z engine calculator it would seem that with a 2mm HKS gasket I'd be looking at 9.29:1 compression which would be perfect for pump gas. Kevin

I'd love to follow his method with the dash, I think it looks perfect! I'm just not sure where to start, I wonder who does this kind of work because I'm sure I'd mess it up

ROVDriver hasn't logged on in almost a year but I was hoping someone may be able to answer my question. How did he do his dash like that? It looks stunning and it's exactly how I'd like mine to look!

Ryan, that second set of seats is actually a pair I'm looking at ordering come spring time! I'll keep the forum posted if I do go with them

PM'd about some parts!

Sorry I'm breaking up the happy family by adopting one

Happy to help!

If I recall correctly they changed the seat belts in '75 or '76 so yes the 280Z could have two different shoulder belts. I think my 1977 280Z has the same mounting as yours, my shoulder belt assembly (with the retracting wheel thing) bolts to the strut tower, in the second picture you can see three bolt holes, it bolts up there.