bfg Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 True. I'm gonna take it off anyway to put the new turn signals on so we'll see if I end up putting anything back on after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted April 25, 2013 Author Share Posted April 25, 2013 (edited) Good news everyone! School is finished for a couple weeks so me and my roommate went up to work on our motor vehicles. I must say it was a very productive day and a half. To start off I Got a new cowl to replace my rusty one and a 280z front air dam from Bad Dog Parts. I started out by removing the stock front bumper and valence and I can't believe how heavy it was! After the bumper was off I tipped it on its side and at least a liter sized pile of rust poured out. Needless to say it's never going back on the car. A few weeks ago I realized my passenger door wouldn't lock at all so after I got the front end all nice and pretty I tackled that. Found what I'm hoping will be the last mouse nest (however I suspect there's at least on more inside where the rear suspension is.) I wiggled all the mechanisms around for a bit and the lock magically started working again. After that I finally found a couple nuts that fit the rear bumper and I was able to mount that up. Lastly a few holes in the doors and rear quarter were patched up. Here are the Before and not-quite-finished After: List of things to do to get her on the road: Finish the body work and paint Get the ebrake to work patch the exhaust fix the front turn signal Get some legal tires I'm so excited! Edited April 25, 2013 by bfg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse OBrien Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Keep up the good work, man! You've definitely got it easier than I do, that's for sure. Let me know if you need a hand the next time you're up, and I may need a hand installing the l28 if you come up next weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 So earlier in the week I got a lot of body work done. Pretty much the only part left is the driver side rear quarter which is coming along nicely. I also got the exhaust patched however' I removed the old muffler and am now in search of a replacement as the old one got pretty beat up while trying to remove it. Here are a few pics of the progress: Also got this sweet engine stand that had been sitting in the woods for who knows how long. It definitely has a home made base but it's pretty industrious and says USA on it so I think it's pretty cool. I still have to get the E brake to work and replace one of the brake lines that attach to the rear T splitter thing. Also need to get a couple holes patched under the body but after that it seems like it will be smooth sailing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 I was able to get the e brake to work (kind of). It works pretty well on flat ground but putting it on a hill it starts to roll slowly. The exhaust also got patched while it was on the lift and I got a new muffler. I also went up north and picked up some nice rims and tires from a guy on the ZCCNE forum. My original rims seem to be deeper than these though? Not sure if they are newer or older or something but both sets are from 75 280z's. I like the deeper ones though so I'll clean those up and eventually swap the good tires onto those ones. I got a new brake line and was able to replace the bad one going to the rear driver side wheel. I had to do this in the driveway though and unbolting the line from the "T" splitter under the car was a pretty painful process but at least nothing broke. Yes there are jack stands under there by the way After that I was able to fix my front turn signal by grafting a socket from a spare taillight harness I have onto the plug. before and after: I gave the entire car a good sand down and patched any minor dings and scratches but unfortunately towards the end of the process buy buddy dropped his motorbike onto my passenger door. The only damage was a long dent from his handlebars so I guess it could have been a lot worse. So I patched that up as well. Now it should be ready to paint next weekend providing it doesn't rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 So I got her registered and inspected. I think I drove around 500 miles so far. Had to replace the clutch slave cylinder as well. It gave out on me while I was parking in the driveway luckily. And I even had the new part lying around. How convenient! I did a valve adjustment a few weeks ago and everything seemed fine at first. I started an hour drive home and about half way through she started to sputter and almost stall under a strong load so I kept steady for a little while. Soon after, any acceleration was bogging the engine down immensely. Then it got to the point where accelerating going down hill was a huge issue so I had to pull over on the highway. I couldn't figure it out so I waited a while and was able to limp home. Apparently I adjusted the valves to the wrong specs and so I did it a second time to the proper gap and all seemed well again... until I went for a test drive and the same thing happened on the way back. I noticed my fuel pump is usually very quiet upon first start up and by the time I get to where I'm going it's buzzing up a loud storm. I'm thinking the pump is on its way out and the warm fuel that is going through it after it warms up is slowly killing it. I have a new pump and transmission fluid delivered and ready up at my house and I also took the throttle body and AFM off and cleaned them. I also sorted out my throttle linkage a bit so ALL those things are getting worked on and put back into the car on Friday. I'll be picking up better 240z bumpers as well. So In theory I should have a smooth, non throttle sticking, running car that looks a bit better! And if not then I have some other problem that I probably don't want to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Great update. No fun about the bogging down. Have you checked your fuel pressure at the rail? If that pump is going bad, or the fuel filter is getting clogged it could cause this issue. I'd guess the filter is clogged much more than the pump going bad, but it happens. Hopefully you'll be back flying down the road soon. I guess you decided to wait a little longer on the paint...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Great progress, cant wait to see more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 Great update. No fun about the bogging down. Have you checked your fuel pressure at the rail? If that pump is going bad, or the fuel filter is getting clogged it could cause this issue. I'd guess the filter is clogged much more than the pump going bad, but it happens. Hopefully you'll be back flying down the road soon. I guess you decided to wait a little longer on the paint...? I haven't checked the fuel pressure. I'm assuming you just put a gauge inline just before the rail? I have an in-line fuel filter just before the fuel pump. There are a few chunks of rust in it but it doesn't apear to be clogged. I'm going to replace it soon anyway. Is it possible that the gas tank itself could be clogged? I've been thinking about dropping the gas tank soon so I can see what condition the inside is like. As far as the paint goes...I was going to paint it with just cans of green primer but when I told my dad I was going to do that he said he wouldn't allow it and that it should be done right. So someday when I finish the body properly he said he would pay for real paint! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 The main reason I thought it was the fuel pump was because the problem only starts after like 15-20 minutes of driving and progressively gets worse. My old pump would also start quiet and after returning from 30+min. drives it would be buzzing really loud. I've heard if the fuel heats up upon returning to the gas tank the hot gas can cause the fuel pump to have issues/buzz. I don't have my AC running yet and my feet get very warm while driving so I imagine the fuel gets pretty hot after a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Hey BFG, there's another thread in this same forum about cooling you should read. it might help. Though I doubt that's really your issue, I'd bet that fuel filter is a lot more clogged than you think it is. Likely that back pressure is what's causing the pump to hum so loudly. You might also check the gasket at the end of the exhaust manifold if your feet are getting warm, there may be a leak. That or if yours has a cat, it could be getting clogged up. Running rich can make a cat extra hot. Your fuel tank may just need to be dropped and cleaned out, they do tend to rust, but mainly if they just sit a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Though I doubt that's really your issue, I'd bet that fuel filter is a lot more clogged than you think it is. I went for a drive Yesterday and broke down. I pulled into someones driveway and changed that filter and it was indeed filled with tons of rust. She started up after that so hopefully that was the only issue. I'm definitely dropping the gas tank sometime in the next few weeks to clean it out. I have a list of things to do while the tank is out anyway so I'll take care of it all. I also went to home depot and got a 6' x 8' piece of carpet and carpet insulation. I cut all the pieces I needed for the driver and passenger floor as well as the rear hatch floor. I'm very happy with how it came out and it only cost like $55! Sorry for the poor image quality, managed to forget my camera and it was getting pretty dark by the time I finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Not bad for 55 bucks. Maybe next time you try that carpet you could pull your seats and put in the full size. that way you won't have that seam by your console. no biggie, the OEM just tucks up under the console too anyway. though I think you have to take loose the screws. it's looking really good. I can't wait till you get to real paint. Glad to hear it was just the rust in the tank. it's kinda a pain to clean out by yourself. I'd recommend just taking it down and having it boiled. I wonder, has anyone tried having their tank Zinc plated? It shouldn't be too expensive. It'll certainly clear out the rust and prevent more. I might have to look into that myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 Yeah, I had a bit extra so I probably could have done the trans tunnel as well. But the trans tunnel carpet and carpet behind the seat are still in good shape aside from some severe sun fading so I don't mind dealing with that for a while. I've been looking into tank cleaning. I can't really afford ANY of the options at the moment. My Thesis project for school is stealing all my money! Once school finishes on the 9th I'm going to drop the tank anyway and try and get all the chunks out at least. And while the tank is out I can put the proper bumper brackets on and clean up all the holes in the back end. Zinc plating would be cool. I'm not sure if it would actually coat the inside though or just stop after it hits the outside. Could be interesting to find out though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted September 12, 2013 Author Share Posted September 12, 2013 I got new seats!! and a blower motor with a fan that isn't shattered in pieces! The cable that opens and closes the flap that lets air into the blower motor is connect to a lever that doesn't do anything. I tried removing a bunch of stuff to see if it connects to the center console controls but my attempts failed at providing anything useful. If anyone has any info on which lever it's supposed to connect to please let me know. Until then I'm using this golf ball to keep the flap open so I can get some fresh air. Update on the break down issue: I have broken down a grand total of 4 times, 5 if you count me leaving the lights on in a parking lot. The first three times the car stalled and I had no power at all. Engine would not even turn over. I would get out of the car and replace the fuel filter and the car would start right up again. HOWEVER, the last time it happened I replaced the filter and went to go start the car and nothing happened again. Went around checking a few things and went back to start it and she started up again. This is leading me to believe it isn't actually the fuel filter getting clogged. It should be noted this only has happened on the highway on fairly hot days ( first time was on a main road on a very hot day.) since the last time I broke down I've driven around town A LOT and 3 hours on the highway on cool nights with absolutely no issue. We'll see what happens I guess. More Updates to come!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowpoke Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Bravo on the progress. It'll be awsome to see your before pic with her in the ditch and a nice clean affter pic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse OBrien Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I believe the lever goes to the passenger-side vent. You should have a pull-cable similar to a hood popper on the passenger's side. It's pretty bare-bones, but you can see it here: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metty Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 do you still have your bumper shocks from the front? i accidentally scrapped mine and now i need them, of course. your car looks good man i like the front air dam! Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 Hey Jesse, I have that same cable but that one leads to a fresh air vent leading to inside the front fender. the cable I'm still questioning goes from the blower motor housing to the center console behind the heat and air controls. just below the golf ball in the picture above you can kind of make out the black cable attached with a rusty clip. Metty, I left my front shocks at my friends house to scrap and I'm fairly certain he would have gotten rid of them by now unfortunately. Thanks for the compliments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse OBrien Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Gotcha, so it turns out I'm as lost as you are. Have you looked in the FSM diagram? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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