datsunlover

Well, I have the oportunity to get a FREE 82 280zx 2+2... and have a line on a verry cheep 89 240sx. The free datsun is an auto (yech) doesnt run, has no ownership, key, and a rough underbody. (like that last one is a suprise..) The cheep 240sx is in great shape, but needs some minor body work and has crappy steel rims on it. (isnt it the same bolt patern as the z's? cause the 2+2 has the 6 spoke mags on it.. heh heh..) Well.. I happen to have time on my hands, and a basic undrstanding of photoshop.. Here's what I'm thinking.. http://hybridz.org/nuke/modules.php?op=modload&name=coppermine&file=displayimage&album=178&cat=0&pos=0 Its just a quick one (took 15 mins of choping/pasting and some 'smudgeing') but you can see the idea.. I think it would work ok.. and heck.. a nice reliable car, good on fuel, but it'd be cool to cruise around in for sure! I always thought the 2+2 looked akward/odd in the rear end.. but if it was 'raked' up a bit more.. sort of like the 944, or older euro/british cars.. it starts to look kind of mean.. Plus it'd probly add some headroom to the 240sx. Im pretty sure this hasnt been dne yet... and yes, Im aware it would have to be welded/thought out very well to be strong and safe... What do you guys think? Am I off my rocker here?

I decided to put a rear sway bar in my 75 280z. From a 72 240z. So I figure out a way to get the thing in there, and say "well, I'll just deal with the scraping sound (from the bar rubbing between the spare tire well and mustash bar as it flexed) and though it would be ok. I though that was to be the only problem...No no no... So I went for a cruise last night, and in an attempt to show off to a couple of kids in a parking lot (as I was leaving this guy yells out 'comon man! lets see a burnout!) and I drop the clutch at 4500. BANG screeeeee... and away I go in a cloud of smoke. Me and my buddy look at eachother.. Hmm... what was that 'bang'? That was new.. Oh well, whatever.. so as I drive home, I take a REALLY hard right hander as fast as I can (felt great, car pulled good, stuck to the road, felt like driving a race car, ect) and as I come out of the corner, we smell this really funky smell.. couldnt decribe it.. but the oil p. was up, temp was good, so I just kept driving....and the smell vanished... Today, I go out there to pull off the rear sway bar (selling it to someone who can use it PROPERLY on their 240Z) and oh crap.... I find this... http://hybridz.org/nuke/modules.php?op=modload&name=coppermine&file=displayimage&album=178&pos=4 yup.. ripped the boot apart (actually, its GONE.. nothing left but the ends) and sprayed all the grease all over the exhast pipe. Well, at least I figured out what the smell was from last night! I guess that I spun/rubbed the drive shaft ON the sway bar ALL the way through that corner (started at 3000 in second, came out of the corner at 4000 in 3d.. yah, long corner) I dont know if it can be saved.. I'll look at it tomorrow and see.. Im just too right now to think about it. The passenger side looks ok, just a light scoring and the boot is ripped, but not gone. Man I am pissed off... and feel like a moron too.

Yah, I would say try changing the O2 sensor... or maybe the cat is toast.. IIRC the cat on that is a honeycomb style.. if you can get it off to have a look, that would tell you; if you can look right through it, there's no catalyst left and that would probly be causing a loss of backpresure too.. (possibly causeing some problems with the idle?) My buddy had a 92 Paseo and had to change both (O2 and cat) to pass e-testing. Something else I heard to do before the test, is to change your coolant, and thermostat to one that will make the car run hotter. The hotter it runs, the more efficient it shoud run, and in turn burn less fuel/burn fuel more compleatly. Hope this helps. This e-testing thing sucks eh? Good luck.

Yah, I was thinking aboutdoing that actually.. I'll have to ask the guy to be sure, but I bet its just cheap enamel. (like I said, meh.. only $200, what do ya want! ) There are already a few chips and little marks in it.. and Im sure I'll put a few more in before the summers up.. oh well. I bought it to drive it, so thats the way it goes. Maybe I'll redo the whole body next year (to fix a few oops's I made, and the ugly rocker panels..) and get a more expensive paint job done.. I'll have to see...

Whaaaa?!?!?!??! that is insane!

Yah man, I'm for Peavy all the way. I have a stereo chorus 400 and I love it... a friend of mine is a Fender guy, so we're always arguing back and forth.. bet hey.. to each his own right?

Guess I should claify that one.. lol.. Well, I did all the metal/panel/fiberglass/bondo/sanding (oh god the sanding!) primer and prep work over the course of 2 months or so.. I figured out roughly $300 for all the materials I used.. but I wasted a lot (hey, Im learning! And I still have some sandpaper/glass/bondo left for whatever I do next..) And some of that is tools I bought to do the work.. tools are always tools so.. you know... cant really add that to the total.. Anyway, after that I towed the car down to a local paint shop, masked it off in the parking lot, and left it there over night. (I had made a deal with the guy a few days before) Came back the next morning, gave him $200 cash and towed the car home to put back together.. heh heh.. 14 months of tearing apart and fixing, TWO days to put it back together and finaly drive it! It actually looks better in pictures... up close you can see some waves, sanding marks, and dust that got in the paint (the guy obviously didnt blow it off very good..) but hey, for $200? Heck.. I'll just repaint it again next summer if I want!

I figure I'll trow in my $.02 here.. My 280z has all stock braking, and when I got it I figured.. well, its old solid disk, little calipers, no wonder it sucks so much.. Then I got around to bleading out the old fluid and changing the rear flex lines (which looked ready to blow up!) and man... this old thing stops pretty good now! I get a bit of fade every once in a while but it's managable, and seeing as I just drive on the street, it's not a big deal. If I was racing, I can see how it would be quite awefull to deal with after a few laps.. I'm still planing to do a vented disk/caliper upgrade in the front, but thats only because I plan to add some more power to the drivetrain and I want to make sure the brakes will keep up their end of the deal (stoping my dumb arse from stupid high speeds now and then ) .. but for now, the stock system (in proper tune) is working well enough for me.

great.. thankls man Yah, I decided Im gona put the stock (ech...) bar back on for now, as the car will be coming off the road in a month or two anyway for some major work over the winter. Looks like I'll have to break down eventually and buy a 280 rear bar.

Have you checked the tps? could be out of adjustment or have a short in it at/close to the full throttle position... or maybe a leak/hole in one of the rubber hoses/piping in or out if the AFM?

I've got a 93 King cab V6.. should be the same. (95 was the last year for the 'square' hardbody right?) I'll look for my service manual and see what I can do for ya.. If I find anything, I'll try to scan it and post it/email it to you.

Uh.. that 'big hose' under the intake manifold.. could be the PVC hose.. it should go down, over (left if looking at the engine from the drivers side) and towards the front of the engine.. there is a tube there into the side of the engine block, right under the thermostat housing. I accidentaly pulled mine off the other day (at the intake) while trying to tune the car, and it stalled right out.. that might be causing the no start problem. As for the whirring sound, thats what mine does too. Its just the starter kicking in and 'spinning down' You ussually just dont hear it cause the engine has started and is loud enough to drown it out.

ahem.. I have a 75 FI non egr intake w/injectors lying around.. shoot me a PM if interested. And I looked into the MS as well.. doesnt look to dificult to me.. I just went the cheep rout though and slapped carbs on to fix my 'not running well' problem (sensor/computer related) I was having..

CRAP!! MOTHERF&(*^# SONOFA^#*) GRRRR...... The car is gone. I finally got a hold of the dude, but the reaon he wasnt aswering his phone is that he was out; selling the car!!! Anyway, I have a line on another zx I could get.. for free... I have to go break in to it, unlock the steering and tow it from 2 hours away (guy lost the keys, ownership, and just wants it GONE) BUT it's an N/A Auto (eeewww.. slush box..) 2+2 model... I dono.. if for nothing else, a good 2.8 to build up for my s30.. maybe a diff in better shape than mine.. if the chasis is half decent, maybe a good candidate for a V8 swap.. have to see if I can get an ownership for it though.. *sigh*...

Ahh.. well, I could probly use the M/C anyway right? I was thinkin of the toyota 4x4/300zx upgrade anyway. Really, it's a good deal no mater how I look at it.. heck, I could just use the 5 speed and STILL say I got a deal! As for the c/v's, I could probly build my own adaptors (I work in a machine shop ) and proby get the maxima brackets from a local J/Y.

eh.. interesting, but I like the Z best.. all the lines flow nicely... I do like the rear end treatment better though on the 2000gt...

Yah, thats what I'm thnking.. Take out all the bad/old/crap from my 280, and replace it with better/faster/stronger stuff from the ZX. It looked like the front brakes were brand new too, so I'll probly get those on to replace my (ugh..) SOLID disks.. Oh yes..I forgot to mention that this 280zx is ROTTEN to the core.. shame really.. bad for it.. good for me! I'm trying to get a hold of the owner tonite, and just keeping my fingers crossed.. I really hope he's still got it! I have been toying with the idea for some time now.. I want a turbo to play with.. hee hee.. boost is fun.. My only turbo car (in a LONG list of cars I've owned) was an 85 Audi 5000CD and WOW MOFO!! that tank of a 4 door would GO! I'll have to do some more strengtining to my 280 to handel the turbo.. but it'll be worth it!

Yup, thats what I though. The 240 I pulled them off, had the rear bar mounted on the 'uprights' behind the diff. It apears to me that ther are shorter (or the mustash bar is diffrent) on ym 280. And my stock rear bar did mound to the body in FRONT of the diff/rear suspension.. I just covered the mounting points up when I put in my frame rails (2X2 tube steel) and hadn't got around to welding new mount points on my new frame rail yet. Then I saw this 240, and figured I could just put the 240 bar on my 280 from behind... looks like another 'oops' to add to my list If your bar mounts in front, I'd assume it would work on mine... I'll have to find out though.. I'll sent you a PM jm.

Well, I got my car 'done' and driving for this summer... and I was thinkng about this coming winter, and what I would do to the Z now. So I came up with this; Haul the tired oil burning 2.8 out and rebuild it, pop in a nice cam, get some bored out/refurbished SUs from ZTherapy, find a 5 speed (I miss a 5th gear!) redo ALL the suspension, including bushings, ball joints, ect.. pull the rear end and try to find an LSD, upgrade the front brakes and M/C and put a proper exhast on it. WHEW! HOWEVER; yesterday, I hear that a car is for sale that I looked at. (I thought it was sold weeks ago, when I didnt have the money for it. ) I heard it run, looked it over but had to pass. Turns out, the guy still has it and I can probly get it for a song. Here's the kicker; its an 82-83 (not sure) 280zx TURBO! And, its standard!. well well well... aside from the new suspension I need, there are ALL the upgrades I need and then some! Mmmmm.. turbooooo...... sooo fast.. heh heh.. I'd get the better brakes and M/C, 5 speed, LSD, and can probly pick this car up for less than what a CAM is gona cost me for my N/A motor! So uh.. I might need some help in the next little while, as I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to turbo Z's!

Well, I got some sway bars (aftermarket.. dono what manufacturer) from a 72' parts car last week. The front bar is HUGE and went on pretty good (wow what a diference.. FLAT lane changes at 50MPH!) but I have an issue with the rear bar. My car is a 75 280, and I had to.. uh, improvise in regards to mounting the rear sway bar. I got all the hardware from the parts car (it attaches with these little 'T" shaped brakets to the vertical bars behind the diff mount) but I can't mount it the same in my 280; It seams the 'mustash' bar is different, the fuel pump 'box' is in the way (well, it was.. I moved it with brute force and ignorance) and all I could do was mount it to the mustashe bar itself, between it and the tire well. (just where it starts to bend, up to the mounts) It runs over top of the driveshafts, and I had to use LONG arsed bolts for the end-links to the lower arms. Thing is.. it's so tight in there, it rubs the spare tire well....as the bar flexes/twists, I can hear groaning and creaking.. I though maybe I could hammer in the sheet metal a bit to gain clerance.. has anyone had a problem like this? Or have I done someting totally stupid and unsafe?

Isn't it fun? Measure 3 times.. cut twice.. crap.. still too short!

Anything is possible.. I hear you can even put a V8 in!

So thats what those pops are coming from.. Kind of annoying.. but the screw that holds the vac advance to the dizzy is well.. stuck/rusted in place so it's gona be a chore to change out.. plus I'll have to buy a canister.. stupid old car parts wearing out over time.. Oh yes, and thanks jmotensen for the info. Matt G

Hey man, just give it some time here.. and maybe use the search function (the one in small writing between "FAQ" and "MEMBERLIST" up top there... I'd advise against multiple posts on the same subject as well.. dont worry, someone will reply! And yes, this is a place full of knowlege. Hang tight man, and welcome to HybridZ. Matt G

I was messing with my carbs and timing this past weekend, but I dont know where the timing is set right now as I don't have a light. I just kept turning it till it told me "AGGHHHH!!! NO MORE!!!" and backed it off slightly. I'm thinking it's probly a bit too far advanced right now, as it idles just above 1000 rpm, and I'm full out on all idle stop screws/adjusment at the carbs. But WOW does she go like stink! Like a kick in the pants after 3500! BTW Im running an 81' zx dizzy with the 'black box' on it, and no vacume advance (the vac. pot doesnt work anymore) so I just set more initial advance.. just curious though.. how much mechanical advance (if any) is my dizzy going to have? I plan on puting a light on it this week (if I get my dang air filter) and tuning the thing properly..