Pharaohabq Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 er I mean nice ... fin, yeah you know what I meant. I had a spoiler like that on my old 260z. pretty cool, Functional? I dunno, never seemed to make any difference, though in those days I rarely hit 90. I haven't put as much into my Z yet, I'm still trying to decide how full blown a restore I want to do. I guess taking the suspension out and replacing all the bushings is warranted, and since it's out, cleaning and painting is required. damn, it's hard to be lazy and restore a car at the same time. I think I'll get the front skirt before I spoil her. Black RTV works well for sealing seams. you might also look into a couple jugs of POR-15 for undercoating or areas where rust may come back. it's a pretty good rust inhibitor but there's plenty of other products that you might use. Phar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Yeah, I was definitely thinking of getting some POR-15, at least for the interior of the car. I'm short on welding (only tried it once years ago, don't have a welder now) so I was almost considering using POR on the floorboards and other areas where I have rust holes, then fiberglassing over them (or glassing, then using POR over it). Its not the best option, but its something I think might hold me over (and keep water out of the passenger side!) until I replace the floor pan. The holes are really quite small (relative to other Z's). My uncle has a great story of the time he and his future wife were driving around in his corvair when they hit a puddle. The floor was so rotted that the water pressure from below blew it out and soaked my aunt! Something I'm trying to avoid with my passengers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Sprenger Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Your solution sounds pretty good. What I did is, I found two bolts that fit in the holes in the spoiler. Then I cut of the heads and sharpened them to a point. Next I screwed them into the spoiler by hand. I then carefully aligned the spoiler to where I wanted it and then pushed down firmly. This made a very precise mark for which to drill. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 Usually, my doctrine is function over form. However, since I'm already planning on painting this bucket in spring, I've allowed myself to deviate from my usual method. Yes, the JDM Fender mirrors are in. I finally bit the bullet and got a set from ebay (with a "relatively" low buyitnow price). Came direct from Japan, new in box, and they came here QUICK! So of course I took no time drilling holes in my fenders to install them. Not saying that I didn't do it carefully. I meticulously followed a diagram that had the measurements mirrored from the RHD diagram. I am absolutely anal when it comes to drilling holes in expensive and rare metal so it paid off. I can't decide whether I'm going to paint them black or not... They're so shiny... yes... my precious... I also mocked up my fender flares just to give myself an idea of how it will look. Keep in mind that they are by no means in the position that I will be drilling holes at. Just temporary. Wow... those pictures turned out like crap. You can barely see any definition in the flares... Oh, and as you can see, the car is no longer flying a foot above the ground. I had to drop it to mock up the flares, and because I'm sick of it floating there. Holy crap! I forgot how low this car was! And the springs only lowered it about 1-1.5". I'm only 5'9" and I'm towering over it. I'm also not showing off the refurbished front suspension for a reason. I still have the stock front brakes hooked up to the hubs, so they're brown and look like crap. At least the calipers and everything else are a nice blue color though. Stay tuned for the madness that ensues... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forchunet Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Must have a heated garage because I can't stand working in this kind of weather/temperature. And you're in Connecticut! Wow... When spring rolls around I'm diving into my Z head first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 Being cold builds character... I have a small plug in electric oil radiator that keeps the temp at 55+ fahrenheit when the doors are closed. Made by Kenwood, bought at Home Depot. Good enough to work in. Doors get opened to vent the garage when I paint stuff. Sometimes when I'm really pissed at something, the temp in the room jumps up to the mid 60's. Lol. Not joking, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jknc90 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 The z coming along great, wish I had more progress made on mine lol. Quick question though, what kind of wheels are those? They look similar to the western turbines but I don't think that's what they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Must have a heated garage because I can't stand working in this kind of weather/temperature. And you're in Connecticut! Wow... When spring rolls around I'm diving into my Z head first! It sure beats hot and humid weather. You can always put on more layers in cold weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 The z coming along great, wish I had more progress made on mine lol. Quick question though, what kind of wheels are those? They look similar to the western turbines but I don't think that's what they are. I'm pretty sure they are Turbine wheels, but not positive. They used to be metal colored, but I painted them flat black. Any lettering on the centercaps or wheels themselves is faded and illegible, so I can't confirm this 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 It sure beats hot and humid weather. You can always put on more layers in cold weather. Except hands. Put on too many gloves and it becomes something similar to watching someone try to hand tighten a bolt using a pair of summer sausages. Either that or they're cold and numb. You can't win with hands in the cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Except hands. Put on too many gloves and it becomes something similar to watching someone try to hand tighten a bolt using a pair of summer sausages. Either that or they're cold and numb. You can't win with hands in the cold.Yeah that's true. I took apart the majority of my 280z in ~30*F weather. It took me like two days just to get some piece of the wiring harness undone because it was really tight and I couldn't feel my hands, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 The car is RUNNING!! Although I've yet to determine exactly what I did, two things were changed since I last attempted to start the car. 1. I plugged in my spare computer (got it off ebay a while ago) for shits and giggles. 2. I fiddled with my Ign Relay. The soldering point is so poor where my makeshift ground is that I have to pinch it against the metal case for it to complete the circuit. Then it clicks. Once the engine is "self sustaining," I can let go and it seems to continue to run (albeit quite roughly). The engine seems to bounce between running rough and smooth. For several seconds it may seem to idle decently, then it will stumble and rev itself faster to keep itself alive. The cycle usually continues until the engine dies at some point. I'll have to troubleshoot it some more. I'll test the old computer again later to make sure that's the problem. The fact that I got the engine to run again is beyond awesome. But at the same time, I'm pretty pissed. Why? That Ign Relay is the only one rockauto and the other parts suppliers don't offer. Murphy's law is a pain... Now I have to continue to try and source one, or discover a replacement. I'd certainly rather the former though, as splicing wires is not something I enjoy doing on this old equiptment, since it seems to repel solder like water does to oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Awesome thread just read the whole thing! I was wondering if you've adjusted the valves at all. That might smooth out the running of your Z if everything else checks out OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 The valves could use adjusting, since I remember a tapping sound coming from the upper engine last time it ran well. This time, the twice pipes were too loud for me to hear it, lol. That and my mind was on other things. I don't think adjusting the valves would help in this case either, at least not for this type of rough idling. What I'm thinking right now is either the Air regulating valve, or the EGR system (which has a hole on the bottom of my intake manifold that is currently plugged with duct tape). I ripped out the piping from the old exhaust manifold when I installed the headers, so the duct tape is over the hole to control any vacuum leaks. All the EGR equipment is still in place until I can figure out a way to get rid of it and plug up the system. However, something tells me that movement inside the air regulation valve is restricted. Being out in the elements for a few years was enough to turn my distributor into cauliflower, so I have no doubts that the air regulator is far from immaculate. It might explain why my unstable idle is slow and "roller coaster" like, and how it sometimes seems to level out for a few seconds. The exhaust is also white and smells of gas. I have a lot of things to check, and more to fix. But at least I've finally made visable progress in running the engine. Hopefully it'll make tuning a lot less "blind" from now on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 The z coming along great, wish I had more progress made on mine lol. Quick question though, what kind of wheels are those? They look similar to the western turbines but I don't think that's what they are. I'm pretty sure they are Turbine wheels, but not positive. They used to be metal colored, but I painted them flat black. Any lettering on the centercaps or wheels themselves is faded and illegible, so I can't confirm this 100%. Hard to tell which, because there are two sets (at LEAST) that are similar. I have a set of the Western Turbines on my 280 (click "fusible links blow" in my sig) but I THINK yours are the ones with just a slightly broader space between the "spokes." Obviously, you could count your spokes and compare them to mine and prove me wrong; its hard to tell from those pics posted recently with the black paint. Why?? Someone want to buy a set of turbines?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 For the most part, the engine is running quite well now. Chalk it up to some stupid mistakes yesterday that made it run poorly. I decided this morning to swap the old, "attempted to fix" distributor and plopped in the new one. While Doing so I realized that I had forgotten to plug in the AFM! DURRRR!!! I was just trying the startup yesterday on a whim, so I guess I can allow myself such a stupid mistake. The computer doesn't know how to adjust the air/fuel ratio without the AFM? No, really?? The car started up without a hiccup, and ran nicely at a steady RPM. Boy, was it smoky! It was at least 5 min until all the white smoke and exhaust fumes cleared out, and the exhaust ran clean. Also during these 5 min and intermittently afterwards, a high pitched buzzing sound was coming from the engine on the intake side. Sounded like it was coming from the EGR or BPT valve. Those things really need to go away... Sound died down after the car warmed up, but was still there. My gauges were all screwy, probably thanks to the hack-job ign relay I have hooked up. I have to pinch the solder point of the ground against its case to get the engine to start. Once I let go, the engine will continue to run, but I'm taking an educated guess its why (most of) my gauges die afterwards. Good thing I have a replacement on the way. Datsun723, you were right. The twice-pipes sound like sex. No, not like loud thumping sounds followed by crying, you know what I mean... It sounds like the gutteral roar of an unrestricted machine. Awesome. Another nice suprise; Since my headers were FINALLY subjected to the heat they needed, the ceramic paint cured and darkened the orange color to match my valve cover. I'm tickled pink. My work is far from over, but I'd also like to thank everyone who helped with troubleshooting ideas, especially Wizardblack and Daeron who have been prettymuch regulars to my thread. Its also good to see that my antics have even gained positive attention! This build is by no means over, and I'll continue to post my progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Sprenger Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Hey, awesome! I am glad you have the car running. I am not sure I am clear about the location of your duck tape, but if it is where I think it is, I wouldn't rev the engine too much or you might end up sucking it into the engine. I can't imagine that would help your situation any. I had the emissions related ports in my SU (N36) manifold welded closed. I bet if you take the manifold to a welder the same can be done with your manifold. Of course, the ultimate would be the TWM individual throttle bodies, but good God they are expensive! Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 My work is far from over, but I'd also like to thank everyone who helped with troubleshooting ideas, especially Wizardblack and Daeron who have been prettymuch regulars to my thread. I have a frank confession to make. I've got so much less experience in actually, first-hand (ie, not "helping dad" when i was still a kid" restoring these cars.. I've worked ALOT with my dad, uncle, and brothers, but being the extra hand isn't much. I had four plus years of service from my stock EFI 75 280 with some problems, but nothing serious along the way.. I grew up in these cars.. and I have read. And read. And read. But really, 95% of the "build threads" show SO much more work than was ever actually done by me, to my Z, its ridiculous. On top of that, I get thanks from all these people whose threads I've been subscribed to.. I just read, and have ideas. It seems (to ME) that most of my ideas pan out to be blind alleys.. but I throw my ideas out without hesitating. That's it; I had a teacher once (in the SECOND GRADE if you believe it) who taught me about brainstorming, and she said it's all about quantity, not quality.. Bad ideas are still IDEAS, and they can always shed a little light on better ideas. Bad or "dumb" ideas are still excellent and useful things. I just feel guilty being thanked so especially, just for gabbing!! Glad I can be of assistance. As for my little speech about ideas.. Teach yer kids, I guess!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 I have a frank confession to make. I've got so much less experience in actually, first-hand (ie, not "helping dad" when i was still a kid" restoring these cars.. I've worked ALOT with my dad, uncle, and brothers, but being the extra hand isn't much. I had four plus years of service from my stock EFI 75 280 with some problems, but nothing serious along the way.. I grew up in these cars.. and I have read. And read. And read. But really, 95% of the "build threads" show SO much more work than was ever actually done by me, to my Z, its ridiculous. On top of that, I get thanks from all these people whose threads I've been subscribed to.. I just read, and have ideas. It seems (to ME) that most of my ideas pan out to be blind alleys.. but I throw my ideas out without hesitating. That's it; I had a teacher once (in the SECOND GRADE if you believe it) who taught me about brainstorming, and she said it's all about quantity, not quality.. Bad ideas are still IDEAS, and they can always shed a little light on better ideas. Bad or "dumb" ideas are still excellent and useful things. I just feel guilty being thanked so especially, just for gabbing!! Glad I can be of assistance. As for my little speech about ideas.. Teach yer kids, I guess!! Booksmarts are undoubtedly a great asset, and go a long way. However, if there's anything I learned while flying on military helicopters, you need to combine it with hands on experience to truly make it useful. The manuals always outline how a system should work, and how it says troubleshooting should be done. Sometimes though they leave out a lot of important details and things that you can discover with hands on. And even more so, doing the unexpected, most contrary things to logic yields results. An example would be the old voltage regulator for our APUs. You could try reading a manual that told you all the troubleshooting steps (to find out WHY it was not "crossing over" and supplying electrical power to the aircraft), or you could get the 1" wrench out of your box and beat on it. 9 times out of ten whacking the piss out of it would solve your problem in a faster, more violent way than the manual would ever have you do. As such, most voltage regulators you saw were heavily dented. I wouldn't discount the knowledge that you've poured into this forum though, because as you said, even the quantity of answers you may throw out there (correct or not) will usually at least get someone to think and find a way to solve the problem. All that being said, now that my work on the bottom of the car (and EFI troubles) is nearly finished, I'm going to start with the interior. I can't fix my exterior without a welder (although the thought has crossed my mind that maybe I could cut out the rust, seal and glass the holes as they are small). Even if I did glass the holes, it would just be a temp fix to get the car on the road so I could drive it to somewhere that I can weld new steel onto it. I also have not put my steering rack back in, or my master brake cylinder. Not to bash on Ross or anything, but I ordered a brake proportioning valve from Modern Motorsports almost 2 weeks ago, and I have yet to even get an email response from them saying that they're at least processing my order. I had great success ordering my rear disc conversion from them in the past, but I'd be lying if I said this latest order doesn't have me a bit annoyed. My hands are pretty tied until I get that thing. So I'll start messing with the interior again. I have a lot of cleaning to do, and since its bitter cold outside the nasty tar-like liner inside is chipping off a little easier. I'm hoping to remove it all before I lay down anti-rust paint, but its really trying my patience. No access to a sand blaster, this is all manually done with a spatula. Once its done though, I can get that dash back out of my passenger side to where it rightfully belongs. I'm also having a bit of trouble removing the right side rear interior trim. The driver side came out fine, but this one is being a real pain. The mounting point for the hatch hydraulics is in the way, and guess what, its welded to the frame so I can't remove it. The only way to get this plastic piece out is to bend it, and I'm pretty sure its going to snap in the process, something I want to avoid. Definately needs to go though, as all the interior trim is being painted black. Doors are also on my agenda. I need to get all the cracked brown vinyl off so i can treat the surface rust hiding underneath. I also have to patch up my driver side mirror hole with fiberglass. Thank you, fender mirrors... So much time and so little to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Doors are easy; handle bolts, run around the perimeter of the panel popping the pop-ins loose, pull the bottom of the panel away from the door slightly, then push upwards on the bottom panel to disengage the top sealing pieces from the door.. The top of the panel forms a bit of a "hook" that fits well in between the top inner doorskin and the window glass. Usually they come out with the rear side tilting upwards before the front side. If you have done door panels before, they are pretty much the same in most any car; you just have to find the little hidden screw or WTFE. no hiding screw on the Datsun; if you think you;ve got everything off and it still isn't budging, something is amiss and destroying the panels might not be such a bad idea(because they are already destroyed.) hth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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