Daeron Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Are you positive this is a '78? That rear bumper is from a '75/'76. I thought so, too, at first.. but that is DEFINITELY the fairing from the later years in that last photo he posted (sans bumper bar.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 i'll double check. however i will say, it sucks not being able to work on it yet, im going on Vaca to england in april and all my money has been going towards that, but when i get back ill start doing the floors, and my S13 is getting an RB20 as well. man i need to buy a house. or a garage. or both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 GOING TO PICK IT UP TOMORROW!!!! im wicked stoked!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifton Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Ouch brother Clifton...that one stung! Sorry man. I guess that didn't sound good. I have nothing against 2+2's in general if that's what one likes, same with ZX's. I just wouldn't restore it unless it was what they really wanted. I know some people get them and other cars because the deal was good and then later they fix up something they wouldn't have if they bought again. I know I've done it with other cars, they were great cars, just wish I put the work into another car instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 well it comes down to i wont be able to afford a nice regular Z for a very long time, so i figured why not jump on this 2+2 for short money, learn how to restore it a bit, and then get what i really want.....a 240Z or a 260Z. ill be taking more pics today when i get it on a lift, so we can all see how bad the bottom really is. worse comes to worse, ill part the damned thing, make my money back, and junk it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyro Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 If you just want to make the car a good driver then just wire brush the floor boards and fiberglass the whole area. In one weekend and about 30 dollars in fiber glass, you can do both floor boards. Go to your local hardware store and get two quarts of fiber glass resin and a lot of fiber glass mat. Clean up the floor boards and lay fiberglass from the top of the foot well to the seat rail. Do it in 1/3 quart increments and cut up the fiber glass mat into 6"x6" sections. Get a box of those thin medical type exam gloves to keep the fiber glass off your hands. You may need to use card board on the bottom of the holes to mold the fiber glass. it will last at least 10 years (maybe 20??) and will be water tight. I have tried those carpet kits and found that home depot has better and cheaper carpet. Black marine and looped. Looks like the factory stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 what about chop fiberglass aka marglass??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyro Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I don't know what that is (chop fiberglass).???? You do need to use a liquid resin with a mat to form and stick to the uneven surface. what not use fiber glass resin and mat? simple, cheap, easy to use, very strong, durable, and it is sold everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 so is mar-glass. i can get either up the street at the autoparts store. either way, the car is here at my work, and i feel like a little kid in a candy store!!! and i noticed the lower radiator mount is rotted too....ah well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 the fiberglass fix is a GREAT cheap and easy way to do it.... but in doing so, you are basically sealing up any rusted spots you glass over, and the rust WILL continue to spread in a WICKED way. I did this myself with my passenger floorboard; There were two ENORMOUS rust holes (I lost a five D cell mag lite out of one of the holes once) so I cut the entire floor section out. Make sure that you cut a good margin of clean metal out around any rusted section. That is why my entire floorboard went; there was no point leaving the two awkward corners of the original sheetmetal there. I used cardboard as a form to lay the dry sheets down, overlapped about 3" onto the sheetmetal of the trans tunnel and the firewall and rockers, did a double layer of fiberglass mat, and laid the resin in. It really is that easy, and if you get thick enough mat, and use enough resin (not hard to do, easy to sponge up any excess if you are prompt about it) you could literally jump up and down on the resultant floor. The frame rail runs right along the center of it, so there is a tremendous amount of support gained there. IF this car is a 2+2 that you are "just learning on anyhow" then the glass may be the best way to go... but it is not the superfix, its a 10-20 year solution where new sheetmetal could last 100 years if taken god care of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 ok well.....this thing is worse than i thought. the oil is blacker than i dunno what, its got like 4 different types of spark plugs, the ignition is fucked, you could use a screwdriver to start it.....ugh im starting to question myself on this one.... .....but i did get it started twice today, but it died before i could drive it. al the plug are fouled beyond belief..... oh well, its all part of a project.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZQ8Dude Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Yeah thats really not too awful. My buddy's new project has 10x more. Its a 49' suburban with more rust then paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 im seriously starting contemplate stripping this thing, and parting out, and saving to get something else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 get six NGK BPR 6ES-11 plugs, get a new cap and a new rotor, and get new spark plug wires. The ignition switch is an easy hurdle to jump. Oil: drain it, replace the filter with a quality unit, put in a quart or two of cheapo oil, add 6 ounces of Seafoam, and top off with more cheap oil.. run it a little bit, get the engine GOOD and hot a couple of times, and after 100 miles or so (up to 500 should be no problem) start the engine one day, get it warming up (but not TOO hot) and then cut it and change the oil and filter again. Do NOT use FRAM oil filters. For this second oil change, use your favorite quality motor oil. After all that is said and done, find Blue's TechTips page, find the EFI portion of that page, download the "EFI Bible," read it, and test every single tiny little component of your fuel injection system. You don't usually have to go THAT far; the book gives you flowcharts and diagnostic procedures, AFTER giving you a wonderfully clear, easy-to-understand, and THOROUGH explanation of how the system works, and how each component works in harmony to make your Z go BRRRAAAAP!!! This Bible is well named; I have heard tales (I think it was TonyD, but dont quote me on that) of people walking up to a 280Z that had been sitting in a field for years. They put a battery in the car, went through component by component checking for proper connections and functionality, put fresh gas in her, and she fired right up and purred like a kitten. The L-Jetronic style system that Datsun designed in the mid 70's was in certain ways, a member of a pinnacle group of EFI systems. By today's standards it is grossly lacking in real-time functionality and for performance purposes, is next to worthless.. but on the other hand, it is a WONDERFULLY simple system, and it is very easy to make all the pieces work together for a daily driver. Nobody in my family knew SQUAT about EFI until I got my 75 (and my brother and dad had each owned 280ZXs by that time, one of them a turbo) and I kept that thing purring for five years without a peep. after a year or two, I had begun to wonder why anyone would ever scrap the system in favor of carbs; after four years I was beginning to understand the limitations. Now I can't get the megasquirt diagrams out of my head, and my plans for what my monster shall be keep snowballing daily. What I am saying is, you can work through "that whole EFI mess" much much MUCH easier than you might think. Start out with fresh ignition consumables, flush the oil like I detailed, may as well run some sea foam through the gas tank to clean the injectors out, and if things still dont run quite right consult Scripture. Get some fun out of her before you part her out; a good running engine is worth more than an engine that "seems fine, but we never really got it running quite right." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4xwellmurd3r Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 agreed. at first the whole EFI mess scared me, since i have no background with working with EFI systems. but the L-jetronic system is so dead simple, that after a bit of poking around i figured out a large portion of how they work. they are very simple, but finding exact problems isn't the easiest at times. I would start checking things like plug corrosion to the water temp sensor, check the thermotime switch to see if it's funcioning, check the cold start valve to see if it's functioning. Corrosion is the biggest enemy of Z's. On several occasions i've found that corrosion was the culprit to my cars issues. Definitely get the EFI bible. You'll worship it once you realize how helpful it is. I got my 78 running pretty well considering the issue it has/had (wrong afm, bad injectors, vacuum leaks, a bcdd that's probably failing) needs a new rad, but because of that efi bible i got it running pretty good. i was able to diagnose where the issues were coming from for the most part, how to test the components, and where to test for certian things. instead of getting frustrated, just follow the bible and your car will let out a loud joyous roar haha. black oil is dirty old oil. but as far as i know, as long as it's just oil, no sludge, no metal, no water, no gas, it's fine. just drain it out and do what Daeron said. actually, do everything he said. he gave out a ton of good advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 i apreciate the help guys, and keep in mind, this isnt my first rodeo, ive been working on cars for a couple years, so i know what dirty oil is and what not. i only wish i could get it running enough to get it in the damned garage, its frickin cold up here, and the car is sitting in dirt/mud, so its a bitch to get under. oh and get this, youll love it..... i went to put a new air filter in the stock box.....and all the bolts for it a broken. and the large diameter rubber that goes from the MAF to the AirBox and the other one that goes from the MAF to the intake? GLUED BACK TOGETHER. W.T.F........ so i think ill just end up getting a cold air intake to remedy the air box, and then just scoop up some new rubber ish from ebay. ill post pics ASAP. but good news is, my Catalog CD from thezstore.com got here today.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 If you like the 2+2 fix it, dont scrap it because everyone makes fun of it being a 2+2. Yes most completely stock 2+2 are ugly, but so are some coupes... Not many people like 2+2 because not many people restore them nicely. Go look through the 2+2 Owners thread, theres alot of really nice 2+2's. You cant say this doesnt look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4xwellmurd3r Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 And don't forget, 1fastZ has the most killer Z out there, and it's a 2+2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 If you like the 2+2 fix it, dont scrap it because everyone makes fun of it being a 2+2. Yes most completely stock 2+2 are ugly, but so are some coupes... Not many people like 2+2 because not many people restore them nicely. Go look through the 2+2 Owners thread, theres alot of really nice 2+2's. You cant say this doesnt look good. i have a flat black S13, trust me, im used to people telling me car is ugly, so this is no different lol i like this car, i really do, but i think its just initial shock of how bad it really is starting to sink in. at this point i really just want to fix the floors, make it run and just drive it. oh and get this, i figured out why i cant bolt the driver's seat down..... .....the last guy riveted over the holes in the seat rails and just welded it to the floor....and the thin metal he used broke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 so here;s the list so far OTHER THAN FLOORS. -spark plugs -fusible link wires -plug wires -oil change -center console -possibly a new driver's seat -ignition cylinder -rear brakes -the rubber hose going from the MAF to the airbox, and the one from the MAF to the TB -a new airbox (most likely gonna go CAI on this) .............so far.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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