datsunlover

Well, I would have hAD to throw another $1000 at it if I wanted the FI to work.. (maybe more$!) but I decided to go with the cheeper/easy to tune and set up su carbs. I was amazed man.. just threw them on, tosed in the dizzy and it's all good! BTW.. why doesnt yours run right now?

Ok... First off, I wasnt trying to say "your car is a rice bucket". And yes, I have 14"s on my Z (old school slotted alluminums) AND I have driven or been a passenger in many vehicles with 16, 17 18" rims. That is where my opinion comes from. I have seen LOTS of ppl destroy their 17, 18" spoke style rims hiting a small pothole at 40Km because the 40 series tires have what.. and inch of sidewall? And as it has been stated, big rims = more rotating mass. Not to mention the added strain on stearing componants. Hmm... oh yes the 'Little tiny looking brakes inside the huge rim" gets me too... And its NOT that I am lableing something I dont like as rice, but face it: Most rice always starts with the 'stuff you can bolt on' and one of the FIRST things on that list is rims. Really, I think a street driven Z rides harsh enough on 15" 60 series tires (my old Z a few years ago) without adding MORE by running 18's and 40 or 45 series tires. I agree totaly with doing something diffrent to your car, but really I'm kinda bored with the big multi spoke rim thing... It does in the end however, come down to personal taste I supose.. and if my tastes are diffrent that yours, so be it.. I wasnt trying to be a donkey or anything, just making a coment.

Well, I just did a quick list of evrything (that I could think of till this point) that I have spent cash on for the Z. Not including tool's (110V welder, torque wrench, new jack/stands, ect) I've only got about $1600 into it!! I was starting to get woried because it seams I've been dumping $$$ into this thing for quite some time now, and it still needs a body/paint job. BUT: At this point, it is once again a RUNING car! (280zx dizzy and 72' SU carbs on a 75 that's suposed to be FI.. yup, she's a mut!) I have to install the rear flex lines, and hook the coolant line up to the intake, but the parts are there waiting for me to have the time to do it. (going to trade school, only home on weekends. ) So I'll start the body work next weekend and am shooting for the end of May to get it painted. I figure doing all the work myself, with the help of a few friends (one owns a spray gun and compresor ) I think I can be driving this summer for $2500 or so. BTW: when I say body work, I mean puting on the fiberglass/bondo and sand/prime/paint. All the metal is welded back into the car, so I just have to blend in the seams/roll pan/ect. I know that Z's (or ANY car for that matter...) can be huge money pits, but I don;t feel so bad now.. heck.. you cant buy anything that looks like a Z and handles/feels like a Z nowadays for $2500!

That is hilarious!

I have a 75 280 and There are two pieces in the middle. One is a black piece of metal (with a square hole in the middle of it) that the plate bolts to, and then the other piece (plastic I think..) that has the licence plate lights in it. hope this helps.

JMHO: 18 = POINTLESS on a Z. Ok.. might look cool.. but a 15 or 16 is all I'd run on mine. I dono... maybe it's just the whole "Bling bling, gota have big rims" rice thing that bugs me about it..

Um.. yah.. but I think even a 'small' fuel leak would drop the pressure in the line significantly.. and may be causing the no-start problem.. As for the injectors, if they are gumed up/varnished from old gas you can try what me and my friend did: Take the injectors out, drop them all in a small container, fill with varsol, close container and place on top of/near very loud sub-woofer for a while. (I just drove around with my stsreo cranked for about 20 mints, with the container on top of the sub box) Sort of the poor mans ultrasonic bath.. Hey, it worked for my buddys Geo storm's injectors!

OMFG!!!! That is so funny I fell of my chair!! "Collectors value has to be in the 100's if not 1000's of turkish liras.." HAHAHAHAHAH

Yah, I hope I didn't offend you Glen.. but it's that "Datsun" smell. No getting away from it! The day I went to look at mine, I said the same thing to my friend. "Hey.. it smels just like every other Datsun I've owned! And I've got into other cars of similar age, but it's NOT the same smell.. Maybe evry brand of car just has it's own distink'd smell to it after 30 years or so?

Hmm... my buddys Geo Storm did that... turns out the throttle body gasket was shot, causing a huge leak... And I guess the rest of the engine control system trys to adjust, but cant. Anyway, maybe that is your surging issue? EI: Once it warms up, evrything expands a bit and seals good... but when cold, there may be a slight air leak.. ?? Figured Id say it anyway..

see... it just gets me down... evrything I try to do, something always crops up making it more difficult. Or something breaks. And all these little set backs take more time and money to get through and fix. I just wanted to make sure the rest of the electrical sys. worked, but then I find out the wiper arm is seized. So the intermitant switch keeps trying to go, and was gona burn out the motor. So anyway, I had to teke two days and about $100 to fix THAT problem, befor I could move on with what I was TRYING to do... It just get's too much sometimes..

Well, it's vodoo... the damn thing runs!! Threw the dizzy in.. sort of lined it up.. "yah.. that looks good.. whatever.." Turned on my fuel pump, cranked the engine over for about 20 seconds, and VROOM!!! Runs a little rich and shakey, but WOW! Better that it EVER was with the old FI! Now to finish the body... ugh...

Gona rant here... Well, it's been a bad night... starting with the bad afternoon. Trying to pull FI intake and exhast manifold so I can put on my carbs = broken exhast stud. The one between the thermostat housing and dizzy. Ok, got that out with vice grips and 2 hours of swearing at it.. Then try to instal carbs and manifold. Discover that none of the top bolt holes line up. Ie; six holes on carb manifold, onlt FOUR on my head. *^%&$(#&. Yah, so I get into my boses shop, build 3 pieces of flat bar (1/4" thick) to use to hold manifold on. (using my bolts, which go inbetween the carb manifold tops/ports) This bothers me for two reasons. 1- it's not right, and will probly leak/suck air and 2, At least 5 ppl HERE told me I could use this manifold on my 75 280Z that had FI. Including the person who sold it to me. ALSO; trying to install the 81 dizzy was a PITA for several reasons; the plastic collar got smashed in shipping and it seams the shaft got a bit bent to. I put my collar on it (metal one from my 75) but the pin doesnt line up properly. AND the vac advance is shot. Bent to heck, and diafram is shot. My original vac worked, but I managed to destroy it trying to take it off. (coroded/rusted solid. Broke off where it attaches to dizzy) So now I have a jimmy rigged intake manifold, a dizzy with no vac advance and a bent shaft (that I paid $150 for..), all attached to a crusty heap of a car that needs a complete body and paint, as well as brakes and tires. Great. I give up. I'm gona throw the rest of it together, slap it full of mud, make it run (somehow) and get rid of it. Im tired of old JUNK that is rusted/siezed solid and no mater what I try, nothing works right. I'll go buy a stinkin' geo or something. And to top it all off, Im gona have to sign in again when I try to post this I bet... I cant win..

I remember a few years ago I had a MINT 280zx. T roof, front air dam, loud exhast, ect. I had just got it back from the body shop (beautifull black.. shiny.. ) and hadn't got plates on it yet. (Here in Canada, you can get a "ten day permit" that you stick on the inside of the front windshild, so you can drive around to get it home, a safety inspection, ect) This cop gets behind me and follows me for about 15 mins. I was just crusing through town, you know.. roll in the nice sports car on a friday night. Anyway, I turn down a side street because I'm a little woried about the cop behind me.. sure enough, on come the lights. I pull over, cop walks up and says "I see the ten day there (Im lookin for my licence, insurance, ect) but I just wanted to know.. What is this thing man?!?" He was cool. Just checked my info, and said "have a nice day".

I'v got 88 honda CRX Si seats in my Z. I cut the factory drivers side seat brackets down about 1" (as the crx seats are about 1" taller than stock Z) and then used some flat bar to adapt the CRX seats to the Z rails. I drilled holes in each end of the flat bar to bolt to the seat (where the honda rail/slider used to bolt) and attached the Z rails/sliders to another set of drilled holes in the flat bar (closer together) I cant remember for sure, but I think the honda's sliders were 16" apart, and the Z's are 13".. Anyway, I'm about 6'2" and I have about 1.5" of head room. Not alot, but I'm ok with it. It would be perfect for your hight I think..

All that stuf... and check the AFM. The flap might be sticking. Just pull off the hose and see if you can move the flap with your fingers.

I'll have to check mine (75 280z) but I think there's a one way valve of some sort in the vac. line from the intake to the booster.. maybe it got reversed or something? Or maybe I'm thinking of something else and I'm just talking out my butt...

OMG!!! ROFLMAO!! And Im also a bit bothered.. thats awful!!! wow...

Funny.. I just had a huge problem with my wipers this past weekend; Puled all the wiring out for the FI (switching to carbs), and was checking that the rest of the electrical system was still working. I almost burned out the motor because the right side wiper/shaft assy was rusted solid! Stupid metal shaft through a piece of alluminum!!!!!! Anyway, I destroyed that one trying to free it, (hammer and vice grivs... bad idea) found another one from a parts car 2 hours away, and now I'm gona have to mod a drivers side assy. to work (pass side was seized on the parts car too) AND I was not impressed with the speed EVER, so I will attempt to find a workable solution to this as well... Maybe something from a Nissan 240sx..

Dude... Over all I like it, but the 'rice' style wing/huge exhast tip looks awfull.. IMO.. Cool rims though, and I have to give you this; Your car is complete and drivable... which is pretty far from where mine is right now!

Ironhorse, riding with; Popes of Hell MC YEAH!!! EDIT; funny.. Did my girlfriends name; B!tch, riding with Hungry Horses MC

Sure sure, NOW you decide to sell pieces of it! Oh well, good luck to you man.

Ok I have to clarify this: I am talking about the fuel feed line that wraps around the front of the valve cover. (it's actually a feed and return line running together on a couple brackets) About half way down the other side of the valve cover, it becomes the stock FI line, and does all those crazy u-turns and twists (to get to the injectors, presure thingy, and then out to a return) BUT just as it splits all up, there is a piece that is like a "T" fitting, and it basicaly splits the fuel line into 3. (one goes towards the rear, one towards the front, and one outwards) It is all the SAME fuel line. I just figured I could use it to feed both carbs, and go through a presure guage before going to a return. Does this make more sence now? I just don't know if it's a 'safe' way to do things... Oh, I'm still wondering about that fuel 'damper'.. it's above the stock fuel pump, in line.. do I need it? Or can I take it out of the system?

Aww... linky no work anymore..

Bringing thos post back, because I have another question about these carbs; Here is what I am planing to do. Use the stock (75 280z) fuel line from the pump to the engine bay. (do I need that 'fuel damper' with carbs?) At the engine, this feed line splits into 3; one towards the firewall, one towards the rad, one out towards the intake. I was thinking of feeding the carbs with the first two, and using the last one (pointing towards the intake) unto a fuel presure guage, then to the stock return line back to the tank. I think this will work.. but what do you ppl think? Is this dangerous or not a good plan?