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Whitley_280z_2+2

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Everything posted by Whitley_280z_2+2

  1. Yeah connectors are surprisingly expensive especially Milspec. I wanted to use Delphi stuff but couldn't find any kits with a lot of larger connectors at a reasonable price. I ordered these on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L9XNFGG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They're a brand I've never heard of but people in the reviews say they are actually Deutsch so I thought it was worth a try. I can update once they arrive if you're interested.
  2. Spent about 2.5 hours on the side of the interstate today because the engine died out of no where and wouldn't start again. Turned out to be a blown ECU fuse because the wire from the Datsun key that tells the computer to turn on had a bad short somewhere. Couldn't find the short so just ran a new temporary wire to get home. Time to spend 1-2 days redoing the engine harnesses, 1 GM harness for the engine and 1 harness with Datsun stuff. Going to take both harnesses out completely, wrap everything nicely, and use some new weather pack connectors instead of the old Datsun plugs. The original Z harness that runs in the engine bay and has the wire that shorted out was not restored well so this needed to be done anyway. The idea has been to drive the car around as much as possible near by so that we can find and fix these issues Edit: The short wasn’t from the Datsun key which now that I think about it wouldn’t make sense because that’s before the fuse. It was actually from the skip shift solenoid wires melting on the exhaust.
  3. Felt like I should finally post on this thread. 1977 280z 2+2 1. Junkyard 2004 LS1 from a GTO completely stock 2. T56 with stock clutch and new throw out bearing (from the junkyard GTO) 3. JCI motor and transmission mounts and headers. Really great kit! 4. Tanks inc fuel tank and in tank pump. DIY 7 circuit fuse block with stock GTO engine harness. 5. Started October 2018 finished April 2020 (this includes a full restoration but still got some little stuff to do) 6. Eibach lowering springs, Toyota truck front breaks, Maxima rear discs, stock diff and axles, Vintage Air AC/heat with JCI compressor kit. Thanks to everyone on Hybridz answering questions and posting stuff. This site is a great resource.
  4. Took the Z out for a drive this morning. The car was feeling great and fast! Took it on some windy back roads and started hearing a lot of clunking from the back. Pulled over and checked the axels because I’m paranoid they are gonna break and they were fine. Then checked the wheels and all the lugs on the driver rear were finger loose... kinda scary. I think we just forgot to tighten them at one point. Got all the lugs torqued to 65 lb/ft and no more clunking 😬 Lessons learned. took the opportunity to get some pics though!
  5. I agree that there is a big difference between just an engine swap and doing an entire restoration of sorts. However, I wouldn't let that stop you from going for it as long as the Z isn't a daily driver. My Dad and I took a 280z that didn't run, needed significant rust repair, and had almost no interior and LS/T56 swapped it with a complete restoration in about 2.5 years. Neither of us had done any big car projects before and I have been in engineering school for most of the time and just worked on it over breaks. We did the whole thing for well under 15k and it is a blast to drive and pretty reliable so far. It even has AC!. All that to say it is possible if you know how to learn and enjoy the process. Just my thoughts. . .
  6. Just went through the same kind of stuff on my 280z. Getting all new bulbs for all indicators and hazards helped a lot. Other than that I would try switching the turn signal and hazard flasher units and see if you can get the turn signals working. For the dash lights, only thing I can think of is make sure the sockets are fully pressed into the gauge housing. I’ve had the sockets come loose and then they don’t have a ground connection. Also checking wires for continuity is always helpful
  7. Sorry for the confusion/my ignorance, yes it is a volt gauge. I haven’t messed with the original wiring on that gauge or the indicators. I just went and tried it again with the engine running and it seems to move the same amount. I took another video to show the movement. The charging system works as far as I know in the car as you can see the gauge reads 13Ish when the engine is on. It is an LS swap with internally voltage regulated alternator. Everything functions as normal and we have driven the car for at least an hour at a time. So I thought maybe it does have something to do with the aftermarket 3 wire flasher unit I used but i plugged in an own one and same thing. The volt gauge acts normally for anything else like lights, radio, ac, etc. I guess my main question would be does this have potential to damage something or is it unsafe? Thanks very much for the help! IMG_3839.MOV
  8. Quick question...on a 280z when you hit the hazards or blinkers is it normal for the amp gauge to jump around? I attached a video for reference. I looked at the wiring diagram and the wire that powers the hazards also feeds the amp gauge so it kinda makes sense why the gauge would jump around when you turn on hazards but it happens when I hit blinkers also although slightly less drastically. I do have an aftermarket flasher unit for the hazards so I wanted to check if this is normal. Thank you! IMG_3834.MOV
  9. First real test drive went great! Filled the gas tank up for the first time and the gas gauge works (didn’t think it worked originally). Also quick trip to Oriley for wiper blades! The car drove great and seems plenty fast although haven’t really tested acceleration yet. Brakes feel awesome, oil pressure and temp are great, and the whole drivetrain seems to be working well!
  10. Yeah it is really difficult to get the bend around the sway bar area. It took us a few tries but eventually got it. Good stuff!
  11. Did some badge restoration using epoxy and red dye. The car will have red accents so hopefully these will look great!
  12. First off, finally got the wipers installed and working! Found some new arms on eBay and they work great! Also, installed the rear glass, antenna, and front bumper. The rope trick worked great for getting the glass in! Time for door cards (currently shipping) and seat (waiting on some brackets). Cockpit looks real good now! Side note... the aftermarket head unit requires constant positive voltage for memory and main power. Since the hazard switch is right there, I spliced into it for the constant +12. To get the radio to turn on I had to plug it in and unplug it many times and I thought this was just an anti-theft thing at first Today, I flipped on the hazards while the radio was on and it lost all power. I definitely forgot how hazards work with the flasher unit pulling the +12 to ground to make the lights flash So basically, don’t be stupid like me!
  13. I gotta know is it like this for everyone else? Got a bumper off of craigslist that took a lot of work to weld up rust and bondo old trim holes. Finally got it painted and went to mount it up and realized the brackets weren’t even close. A solid day of welding/ fabrication later And the paint and bondo is pretty much ruined. Hey it lines up now but gotta redo the paint and everything now. That was a lot of work. Also, pretty much finished making a custom 2+2 interior. Looking really good and even got a new sound system. The to do list is getting real small!
  14. I have their maxima calipers for the rear disks on my 280z and so far they have been great. But yeah the 5 lug rotor pic is weird.
  15. I actually just found a seat but thanks!
  16. I used the stock body harness for my LS swap. If your confident in wiring and understanding how circuits work, I would not recommend using the stock harness. It was really frustrating trying to find all the shorts and faulty wires that had developed over the past 40 years. Honestly, the hardest part of the wiring is the wipers because of the whole reverse polarity to park thing. If you can figure that out, lights and stuff are easy!
  17. I would also be willing to talk shipping! This is the last big piece I need to finish my 280z. Thanks!
  18. I'm looking for the rear seat, specifically the frame, from a 280z 2+2. If anyone has rear seat parts near North Carolina even if they are in rough shape I would be interested! Probably a long shot, but I wanted to see if anyone has a rear seat before I tried to fit one out of a 300zx into a 280z. Thanks for the help!
  19. After a cut and buff... really changed the look for the better. It looks much less like primer!I’m happy with it for our first time doing a paint job and body work.
  20. How did you get an output on an oscilloscope? Do you supply power and the voltage oscillates to pulse the axle breaks? Maybe that’s a stupid question but I’m an electrical engineering student and this stuff is interesting!
  21. Yeah I agree, it definitely needs something. Looks kinda like kia which I can't have Gonna go black hood vents, grille, bumpers, badges, mirrors, and maybe tint.
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