RebekahsZ

Fuel tank no longer leaks, but now I seem to have a clogged fuel filter. I'm betting it is the sealer that I tried so hard to research and select. Probably didn't even need it with the thicker o-ring. Feeling pretty lousy. Will play at trouble shooting, looking at fuel filters etc, but I'm probably dropping the tank AGAIN next weekend to clean it all out and try it again. Drifting brake seems to be fixed, so it wasn't a wasted weekend. Met a couple of 240sx hybrid guys-they were a big help, and it was great to have kindred spirits in the shop. Posting pictures of solution to drifting brake issue. The silver push-rod is the rod that was made for the Willwood master cyl. The gold one is the push rod that has the proper length and thread pitch for the e-brake handle clevis. As you can see, the contact "bump" on the end of the rod is totally different. I used a dremel tool and several different hand files to make them look essentially the same. Now my ebrake master cylinder works as it should.

1tuffz-you da man! I don't know why you are bothered by the collector alignment, it looks fine. It is your fuel line that is in the wrong place! I was a little worried that perhaps Blake wouldn't test fit the set with the v-band flange welded on. Honestly, the problems you are running into are the same kind of thing that I've been working on for the past year on my swap. It is not a deterrent. I really appreciate your posts to show us that this is not just an "afternoon job."

Cable is right. You are dreaming. The LS1 swap is way more challenging than I ever imagined. I can't imagine that an old school V8 swap is much easier (that is why there are lots of non-running, incomplete V8 conversions out there for sale or languishing in somebody's barn. Unfortunately, old z parts are just too common to be worth very much money. Perfect bodies are worth a couple thousand bucks, but most "perfect" bodies don't pan out as perfect and the deal most often goes south. You are either going to have to spend a lot of money, or do the conversion yourself.

With rare exception, we are almost all using JCI, which stands for Johns Cars Inc. You will find them on the internet, just do a google search for 280z + Johns Cars + LS1 or something like that. Cable, it is good to see you are still out there and that you are keeping the fine art of sarcasm alive and well! Next time you are visiting in Alabama, go for a ride in my car-you were a big help and encouragement in helping me get thru it; you also inspired the longtube header build that 1tuffz is bringing to fruition!

Thanks so very much! It looks like about 2 ft-lb. I'll put 24 inch-lb on my torque wrench and tighten her up! You've helped me get my LS2/240z back on the road!

There has to be enough slack in the system to allow the piston in the master cylinder to move all the way back to let fluid vent to the reservoir. You've got a linkage rod too long somewhere. Maybe the little rod between the M/C and the booster (it is adjustable)? In mine, I had changed the linkage rod to a different brand and the measurements were different.

I warped my fuel tank by tightening my fuel pump mounting bolts too tight. Anybody got a service manual for a Z31 who can look up the torque specification for the 8 bolts that bolt the fuel pump to the tank? Please email answer to me at pkeiththompson@yahoo.com.

No, I haven't received my coated headers yet. 1tuffz-send pictures!!!!! We may be delayed by the gasket issue. I've got my car running on JTR headers.

I would just use the stock filter in the stock location. Most of the new plastic filters are more opaque than the older plastic ones-they were almost clear. Just hold them up to the light and you'll see any crap in it, especially if the junk you are getting is black like the stuff your picture shows. The glass tubular filters you can buy at AutoZone and the like will let you down and leak. There were glass filters with paper elements used on 60s and 50s car that won't leak. If you want one of those, just go the the parts store and ask for a fuel filter and housing for a '56 Ford-I think my high school car had one, but you really don't need it. If that tank is from a 75 or 76 280z, I'll take it if you want to sell it for $100 shipped. I would put it in my car in a heartbeat.

All gas tanks have a little crap in them. And, you can't just wrinse it completely out due to the baffles trapping it. If that is all you are getting, you are probably cleaner than most of us. Throw a couple of extra fuel filters in your glove box and rock on. I cut my tank in half and sand blasted the inside to get it clean. Even after washing it several times with soap and water and a variety of solvents, using a vacuum and a tack rag, there is still some sand (scary) in the bottom of the tank. After all that work, my tank still isn't as clean as yours.

You are suffering from the Dominoe Effect that is often initiated by a brake "upgrade." With bumpsteer steering spacers, I would go to 16" wheels. My 15" wheels scrape on the outer tie rod end grease zerk. My 16s have plenty of clearance. Otherwise, you gotta ditch the bumpsteer spacers, which really doesn't hurt anything if your suspension is good and stiff. Measure what type of adjustment you need compared to your current wheels and order some new ones. It will make your life a lot easier. I have found that with stock hubs without spacers, the max wheel back spacing I can tolerate is 4.75 inches. Good luck. Get some jack stands - you seem like a nice person - I'd hate to see you in the obituaries.

After running with side-exhaust straight pipes for a few days, I more than ever want to have some sort of electric cut-out directed to the side of the car that I can switch on and off to intimidate the competition. I'll probably do some sort of ovalized pipe. With short JTR headers I would pass them under the frame rail by the TC rod mount, but if I run the Long tube headers, I'll have to find some room for them somewhere else farther back.....so crowded under there....

My 240z R180 always had paper diff cover gaskets, but when I got my Wrx R180 CLSD, it had a metal diff cover gasket with an o-ring type seal bonded to it-I like the new design. Does anybody know what year/make/model or part number R200 diff cover gasket I should order to get the very best seal for my new R200 CLSD-I hate messy oil leaks, and I love the ability that an o-ring type gasket gives for disassembly/reassembly with the same part?

Major setback with fuel leak at fuel tank access panel that I had welded in. The welding must have warped the panel because the o-ring doesn't seal and gas was pouring everywhere. Tank is out. Bought nitrile rubber gasket material today, will have all the paint blasted off access cover lid tomorrow and will try to re-seal tank and have car running by the end of next weekend. Took a break this weekend for grandmother's funeral in Ohio. Just emailed Burns stainless for estimate on 2-into one merge collector. Will call Rocklanddriveline.com for Z31 CV axle boot kits tomorrow. Waiting for JMortensen Z31 to 280z stub axle companion flanges to be finished. Minor setback with drifting handbrake. I think it is because I used a different master cylinder push rod with a larger "nubby" on the end that is keeping the piston from returning to the full off position, so fluid pressure never vents back to reservoir. Gotta dig around and find the proper pushrod in my pile of parts that I didn't think I need anymore.

Sunny-did you have to notch the driver side JCI motor mount brace? How bad does that appear to weaken the brace?

This site exists to help people, please stop beating up on posters who are having a hard time already! This is a car fixing site, not a phone useage site or an english grammar site. I have not found that the order of bleeding really matters. The front and rear have are totally isolated if the master cylinder is good, so don't worry so much about the order. I got a lot better at bleeding brakes after watching a lot of youtube. With as much trouble as you are having, start by making sure all your bleeders are tightly closed. Spend some time finding clear brake bleeding tubing that fits you bleeder screws well. Cut the tubing longer than you think will be needed and use a bigger bottle like an empty water bottle about half full of clean fluid before you start. Tape to the bottle a piece of coat hangar bent into a hook so you can hook the bottle onto something so it won't tip over. You gotta have someone help you who you are friends with and who is a good listener. Now to get started. Bleed the master cylinder really well by re-circulating the fluid from the bleeder screw back into the brake reservoir with your tubing, one reservoir at a time until no bubbles are present. Now to the wheel cylinders. If your brakes are stock and you have not messed with the caliper installation, this should be easy and shouldn't take a lot of fluid to get the job done (I used to use 2 big bottles, now I use less than a cup). I have not had luck bleeding brakes one-man style because of air leakage around the bleeder screw (greasing the threads doesn't help). Pump 5 times, and crack the screw while your brake man holds pedal down. Don't think that you can just put the rubber tube under the fluid in the bottle and pump away. Repeat as needed communicating with your brake helper to ensure that the bleeder is only opened when the pedal is down, and that the pedal doesn't come back up until the bleeder is re-tightened. If your reservoir goes dry you will have to stat over, so check it often and keep it topped up. The factory knows how to mount your calipers so that they will bleed properly, but if you or someone has messed around and installed aftermarket calipers, the angle could be all messed up. PM me if the calipers are not stock and I'll help you further. Gravity bleeding works, but is messy. Fill reservior, put oil changing pan under wheel cylinder. Crack bleeder screw to create slow drip. Go have a beer. Re-fill reservior before it runs dry. After 3 slow beers, the air should be out of that line. Repeat for each wheel, so budget for a half case of beer. Tighten all the bleeder screws and clean up the big mess you have made. Brakes should have no air. This works best if you have a dirt floor in your garage or if you work under a tree in the yard. Do not try this in California-they will send you straight to jail.

Don't modify anything else this year. Autocross as often as possible in Novice class (stay there as long as they will allow it). Put car in second gear and leave it there for the whole race. Learn to drive with both feet. Get some of the better guys/girls in the club to ride along with you. Slow down going into turns and accellerate out and you'll stop pushing and diving. Try to drive slower and you'll go faster. For most cars, stock brakes and pads are fine in autocross. True race spec tires (225/50/15) will help a lot, like Hoosier A6 or BFG R1. You might even be able to get some from somebody else used in your club. If you came to race in Alabama, I'd race in the morning session and let you borrow my tires for the afternoon-I bet you'd drop 2 seconds on the first try. If you learn to drive, you can go plenty fast with your stock setup. Get the fastest guy in your club to drive your car and then try to learn to drive as fast as he/she did. This year save up for stiffer springs (stiffer than all the cheap "lowering springs" that you see advertised) bigger swaybars and good shocks. Ask JohnC for a source and a recommended spring rate. Install the springs and shocks next winter. Year after that, put in camber plates.

Buy a whole, running car or truck and sell off the rest of the car after your swap. Go to the drag strip and ask around-you might even be able to get a car that has some go-fast parts on it.

Send me a cell phone photo of the top of the tank and I can tell you. It depends on whether the tank was made to accommodate a full-size spare tire or a mini. A 75/76 280z tank will fit, so a 260 tank should fit too. The rubber blocks that glue to the top of the tank are thicker on some cars, so that could be part of the problem too, but they can be cut down....Send photo to 256-366-4685 as a picture message.

You can run your fan (or fans) off of the low-speed wire only, if you want to. I have 2 fans, so for fun, I hooked up the low-speed wire to one fan and the high-speed wire to the other fan. So far, only the low-speed fan has come on, so it is like I have only a low-speed fan anyway. Lots of guys have used only the low-speed wire for one fan (like a Taurus fan) or both fans (F-body or aftermarket), so your harness builder may have been trying to think for you....saves you a relay... I LOVE my weatherpack connectors. I did crimp (and solder) the wires to the pins before inserting them. I'm taking a week off from my car. Suffering from a little burn-out.

I feel your pain. I've tried 2 different brands of weather stripping and have adjusted and modified my door strikers. Still slams like a mother. It slams easy with no weather stripping, but then it rattles like crazy. For now, I'm just slamming. Keith

My daughter wants to know if you still have the lazy eye and the limp? Hahahahahahahah! Bless your heart! Maybe you should look into a different job? You are like a rolling museum of classic performance parts, kind of like a warrior recounting years of combat. So far, you win. I'd be laughing if I didn't feel your pain. The feeling is coming back into my thumb and it hurts like a foot that has gone to sleep. I have a few hydrocodone left, I think I'm gonna use them. If I worked like you do, I'd have to go to celebrity rehab to get off all the pain meds.

Thanks. I was just thinking of using RTV.... It is a new o-ring from the dealer (looks just like the old one), I wonder if the paint is a problem, or if the o-ring could be the wrong size-it takes no torque on the bolts to tighten it down flush...

I thought I had a smart idea by using a Z31 fuel pump top as an access door into my 240z fuel tank. I cleaned and sandblasted the tank, painted the top of the fuel pump and used a new o-ring. Cut a sction of the Z31 tank and had it welded into my 240z. Put it together, filled the fuel tanks, and fuel leaked all over the place when I filled the tank! Any ideas why my fuel pump lid won't seal? I don't feel a lot of resistance when tightening the top of the lid. Maybe I need to remove the paint from the lid? Maybe I need to use gasket sealer? Any sugestions appreciated.

Now that the install is done, it is time to start a new thread to chronical all the bugs that I will work thru to get car on the road and on the track. Did I mention that this car is FREAKIN FAST? 1) Locking rear brakes. This was a "while I was at it." My hydraulic handbrake progressively locks over the first 5 miles that I drive the car. Bleed brakes, problem solved, does it again next day. I've gotten some suggestions from another thread I started. Will chronical my solving of this problem on this thread. I had exchanged the push-rod that connects the brake lever to the master cylinder. Perhaps the new rod is keeping fluid from returning to the reservoir. Will keep you posted. 2) MAJOR fuel leak at fuel tank. Before starting the car, I put 7.5 gallons of 93 octane $3.83 gas in the car. It started, no leaks. Drove car for a day and a half of test drives-no leaks. For 2 days, I forgot that I was in a Datsun without the famous fuel stink. Went to gas tank and bought $26 (about 6 gallons) of 93 octane and BINGO, started smelling raw gas on the trip home. Looked under car and fuel is GUSHING under the car. So big of a leak I couldn't wait to get car on jacks and try to find leak (car is really low). Gas is totally running down the curb. Panic syphoned gas into my father-in-law's car (he was unwilling to pay $3.83 a gallon-so he got it for free!) and only drank about half of it. With gas syphoned off, leak stopped. Now time to find the leak. I freaking hate gas tanks, vent lines, filler necks, etc, etc, etc. The last time I thought about selling this car was over the darn fuel tank, arghhhhhh! I'm praying that I forgot to tighten the fuel return line and that when the fuel level went up, it pressurized the line it instead of allowing it to vent to gravity. Please Mr. Takayama, let me just have to tighten a loose AN fitting! The MOST LIKELY location of the leak, and them most challenging, is the access hole that I put in the top of the lower half of the tank for future fuel sump clean-outs. Perhaps it is not water tight inspite of the o-ring. Car is now back in the garage, on jacks, and I am about to go gremlin hunting. My eyes are burning and I'm about to pass out from funes, very dizzy...did I mention that this car is FREAKIN' FAST??? Update: I sprayed talc all over the tank to help me identify the leak, then I dropped the tank. The home-built inspection lid is the culprit. I need some help fixing this. Any 90s 300zx experts out there? The o-ring didn't seal the lid. It leaked almost as if the o-ring wasn't there. Anybody got an experience with replacement and sealing of a 90s zx in-tank fuel pump?