NewZed

Actually, it might be voltage quality, not quantity, with the alternator clue. An alternator is an inherently noisy electrical source. Condensers and resistors can both suppress noise. Not an electronics expert.

76 has electronic ignition. Engine Electrical. You didn't say how the spark looked. The fact that the injectors sprayed while cranking indicates that the coil was discharging. That's what the ECU uses to know when to open the injectors. Go to the basics of what's supposed to happen. If the cylinders suck in some starting fluid and there's a spark you should at least get a pop. Something's missing. The details are important. You didn't describe the spark, and you haven't said how you sprayed the fluid, just "in the manifold". You might be spraying in to an electrical plug. Who knows. Thinking about replacing the coil without testing it is a bad sign. The beauty of these cars is how much testing information is on the internet, free to anyone that want's to use it. You could have had the whole system tested by now, with a meter and one of those books. Just saying...

How do you know the injectors were firing? That's the part you just worked on so the most suspect. If they were squirting and you have dry plugs, there's a logic issue. You can see the disconnect there. Is the spark strong and bluish or weak and orangish? Sometimes you can get spark in open air but none under cylinder pressure. The old 280Z ignition modules are failing at a pretty regular rate. If random actions fail you could start at the basic troubleshooting steps described in the FSM and the Fuel Injection Guide. The 980 Guide covers all years up to 1980. http://www.xenonzcar.com/s130/other.php

Well, that's a bummer. Fuel pressure should be 36 psi but you should still get a pop or two. It should start. Are the spark plugs wet or dry after a no-start attempt? Did you try the starting fluid directly in to the manifold? Pop the little hose that supplies the AC control bottle and squirt some in there. The hose next to the booster hose.

I'm going to predict that your next problem will be that it starts but idle speed is off. Either too high or too low. It might also start and idle cold but die when warmed up. Just a guess. Enjoy.

Unintended consequences. You can either put the system back together or block it completely. It actually keeps your oil cleaner, and your engine bay. Removing parts that aren't understood is a common problem source.

Don't get angry. Just having fun watching.

And don't get mad. What you're doing is just amusing to everyone out here that's worked on the EFI system.

Open that FSM chapter. It's not as hard as it looks, it really isn't. You're just hacking around until you do. Y'all people are every where. Hack, hack, hacking away - http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/125532-wont-start-after-fuel-rail-upgrade/?do=findComment&comment=1173508 http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/280z/

You thought half-right. http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/280z/

I just took a second look at your picture and see that the PCV hoses are gone. There's your problem. Put the PCV system back together. Google "280Z PCV vacuum leak". Read the Emissions chapter. It's all there.

Could be you shorted an injector ground and are flooding. Check the plugs for fuel. Are you spraying the starting fluid in to an intake port or somewhere else like at the end of the plastic snorkel? Best to remove a hose and squirt directly in to the manifold. If you're getting spark, the timing is right, and the cylinders are dry, it should start. Odds are high though that you left a big vacuum leak when you removed those "vacuum lines" whatever they are. Why would you do that, they serve a purpose?

Why guess when you don't have to? All you need is a meter. Maybe even just a test light.

Are you figuring things out on your own or did you use the testing procedure in the Factory Service Manual? Page EF-54. The AFM switch is a common problem that can confuse people not familiar with how the system works. Those relays are hard to find but they've been seen on eBay. There are also a few places that sell replacements that work. http://www.zcarsource.com/fuel-injection-relay-280z-280zx-300zx_8_56767.html https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bck-203-0053

I think we're just wondering why the AFR's didn't raise a question. Should have shown as way lean if they were clogged. Your "tuner" wasn't tuning. He was just running a dyno.

Later ZX's use an O2 sensor also. Not sure what the ECU does if there's no signal at all.

They changed the pins at the ECU in 1979. Somewhere out there is an explicit instruction to never connect a ZX ECU to a Z harness, or vice-versa. You can use the compete EFI system on an earlier engine. But the harness alone won't transplant. Maybe the ECU plus harness, plus some modifications to the fuel pump control. But not a direct harness swap. Use the 1980 EFI Guide if you want to study the differences. http://www.xenonzcar.com/s130/other.php

How are you checking for spark? Maybe you left the rotor off? It happens.

Sorry, but you're not understanding the principles of electricity. The coil has continuity from the positive post to the negative post. They're connected. Therefore, when the positive post has voltage so will the negative post. If the points are open, they'll be exactly the same because no current is flowing. One side of your points should also have the same voltage. Measure battery voltage with the key off, then measure at both coil terminals and the points with the key on. Measure resistance to ground on the other point, the one with no voltage, to make sure you have a good ground. You can also measure resistance to ground of the capacitor/condenser. It should not have continuity. With the key off, measure resistance of your coil also, from the neg post to the pos. If all of the parts measure right, and you get them connected right, you should get spark. There's stuff on youtube that shows all of this. Points ignition systems are common to all brands of cars.

I think that you meant zero current when the points are open, not voltage. He'll have battery voltage when the points are open, and a voltage drop when the points are closed. Points are the switch to ground.

Pints work by opening and closing, breaking and making the circuit to ground for the coil. You can test the ignition system with your finger by closing and opening the points with the key on. If you set the gap when the points are supposed to be closed, they'll stay open and you'll never get a spark. Find a source on the internet that explains Kettering ignition systems. Your statement below doesn't make any sense. " I have used a ohm meter to check that the plug on the distributor is grounded and it is when the point is closed. "

Post the diameter of the round exhaust ports and I can compare to my squares (rectangles). To see if it's just somebody's fancy porting job. Although that won't explain the casting stub (sprue).

That is odd looking. My 76 N42 has the same type of font, little 4, big 2, but it doesn't have the casting port remnant, the square stub, next to it like yours. Could be a head from Asia, from one of the JDM-type suppliers. They didn't go to the emissions heads, with liners, for quite a while after the USA did, apparently. Tony D has posted on the general topic, I believe. Maybe it's a linerless head designed to use the round exhaust manifolds that the liner heads used. The liners probably add cost and complexity.

Sorry I can't be of more help, but if you haven't been in to how the EFI system works, you're starting from scratch. There are several things that can affect idle behavior. Testing is fairly simple but you need to understand how the parts work individually, and how the system works as a whole. It can take some study.

Test the air regulator. A cold engine needs a richer mixture than a warm engine. A vacuum leak makes the mixture lean.