*New* Z project!

[Oddmanout84]

Well, today's the day. As I hope everyone know's already, I'm not going to half-ass the work on my car, as long as its within my budget. So in keeping with my suspension overhaul, I'm going to remove the crossmember along with my steering rack. Since my home made skateboard trolly jack is insufficient for this, I think the time has come for me to get a real one. I don't trust my little 2 ton bottles holding up my engine! opefully the process goes smoothly as I don't want to have the engine hanging on a jack for too long.

 

Other stuff;

More mouse nests were found!! The sneaky little jerks had homes under the rear shock tower supports, which I found when I removed the vinyl. These guys look so old they belong in a museum.

 

And these ball joints look pretty compromised. I'm seriously thinking of trashing them, because from the looks of it the years of wear and neglect have taken their toll. They still pivot, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

Add that to the massive list of things I want to replace . Wherever I can I try to refurbish the old rather than buy new, but some things I just think it would be more cost/time effective to buy replacements. Once this suspension work is done, I'll almost have a rolling chassis... almost. The master brake cylinder is still off and soaking in a bucket of brake fluid. I need to find a decent way to blow the old lines out before I connect anything new. It would be pretty stupid to foul the new brakes with old contaminents still left in the system. I wish I had pictures, but when I unveiled the car a few months ago, what was left of the old fluid in the MBC had turned to green grease. Gross. Luckily The valves and seals were still good, they just needed a good cleaning. As for the proportioning valve, well, I want to get an adjustable one from Modern Motorsports anyway because of the rear discs. I can't seem to crack the old one open to clean it out anyway...

[datsun723]

Heres a pic of my twice pipes. told ya i get them to you! jus not in a timely manner lol. you can click on the pictures to make em bigger...

 

 

 

 

 

you can tell which piping is the kit and which is the one the shop had to use to get it to fit. don't know if this is the way it is on all 280s but i got the difference back from msa that i had to pay to "make it work." sounds absolutely gorgeous but the fit sucked.

[RPMS]

my z will die after its 2 seconds of fuel is used up regardless of key position.

 

I had this issue with my '76 a loooong time ago. If you want to amuse yourself, try starting the car, then after a second and a half, quickly switching the key from "run" to "acc" then back to "run". Do that every second and a half, and I'll bet it'll continue to run.

 

I think what is happening is that the cold-start injector is firing enough fuel into the manifold to run the motor for a few seconds, then the fuel dries up and the engine dies. The cold start injector fires every time you switch the key on, so if you turn the ignition system on and off every 1 1/2 seconds, it'll keep squirting in fuel.

 

I could be wrong, but I *think* I remember tracing the problem to an intermittent fuel pump relay. I was stuck by the side of the road, so I pried the relay apart, found a cigarette butt and wedged it into the relay, effectively locking it in the 'on' position.

 

I hope this helps. It caused me untold embarassment until I finally fixed it.

 

*edit* I read through the other four pages of this thread, and it seems you may have already replaced the main fuel injection relay with a known good one. If so, please disregard!

[HLS30-08077]

I know it's probably too late but the "Mystery" item bolted to the front strut tower is a very old "Shock Sensor" for an alarm. They only require one wire and the chassis is the ground. The knob on top is the adjuster for sensativity.

 

As for your picture above, just soak the steering knuckle then sandblast it clean and paint before installing a new ball joint. Take a look at mine on my 260Z rebuild currently in progress.

 

 

You can check out the whole rebuild at http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3195135

don't forget the 5-star vote. I appreciate it.

 

Dave.

[WizardBlack]

Mystery component A looks like the hood switch for a security system. The sticker on your quarter glass seems to support that, too.

 

[MazterDizazter]

Looks like your project is coming along nicely! Wish I could say the same for mine; it's covered in a foot of snow right now. Looks like we're both on par with the L28ET's though...mine needs a lot more work before I can put it in.

[Oddmanout84]

Looks like your project is coming along nicely! Wish I could say the same for mine; it's covered in a foot of snow right now. Looks like we're both on par with the L28ET's though...mine needs a lot more work before I can put it in.

 

 

Heh... mine would be too if it wasn't taking up half the garage. That last storm a few days ago was great, and I had to take a car ride to the MV ferry in Woods Hole during it!

Work is slowly progressing, but at least now I have a kerosene heater to warm up the garage while I work. Hopefully I'm in the last legs of the suspension work. My crossmember is out and being derusted and prepped for painting, and I want to put it back in asap. That jack/jackstands combo has been holding up the engine too long, and it worries me. with luck it'll be back in place in a few days. Still a lot of cleaning and work to be done in that area though, as I'd like to kill the rust and coat the area under the fenders first.

[Oddmanout84]

Saying I'm on the last legs of the suspension work is a relative term. So is saying my Z is "clean and mostly rust free"

 

So the fenders are off. It really killed me to take off the front lip and mess up her curves. Now she just reminds me of an anorexic supermodel. Time to begin work derusting!

It almost looks as if Nissan used some bodywork putty to cover weld seams and some other openings in the metal, close to where the tip of this wire brush is pointing.

Once I clean these seams out, I also plan to seal them with black RTV you keep out contaminants in the future. I don't know if its the best option, but I know it works for helicopters.

Some of these areas, especially under the cowl, are extremely hard to get inside to clean and paint. Looks like I'll be coating them with a good old brush.

 

Thankfully its just about all surface rust, nothing that a wire brush and some rust converter can't cure.

 

The rest of the suspension waits patiently for installation...

[rturbo 930]

Bonus:

Lets see if someone can recognise this car from the recent CTZCC outing.

Almost positive that's cygnusx1's car, in case you haven't found out yet (post is from October).

 

Your progress looks good BTW.

[Oddmanout84]

Almost positive that's cygnusx1's car, in case you haven't found out yet (post is from October).

 

Your progress looks good BTW.

 

Heh, I knew it was his car. I was talking to him as I took the pictures.

[BunnySlippers]

Looks like your making pretty good progress.

Keep it up, and good luck with the ignition gremlins.

[Pharaohabq]

Yeah, Sounds like your Fuel pump is working, but maybe shutting down, Get a bucket and some tubing, pull loose the fuel line and attach the tube (caution it's under pressuer when the car is off still) but then put the hose in the bucket and try to start, see if the pump continues pushing fuel, if not then it's the relay, if it does then change your fuel filters and try again. Just a thought. Could be clogged from crap in the tank, it's common.

[Oddmanout84]

Yeah, Sounds like your Fuel pump is working, but maybe shutting down, Get a bucket and some tubing, pull loose the fuel line and attach the tube (caution it's under pressure when the car is off still) but then put the hose in the bucket and try to start, see if the pump continues pushing fuel, if not then it's the relay, if it does then change your fuel filters and try again. Just a thought. Could be clogged from crap in the tank, it's common.

 

I might try this method, but it still looks like my problem is electrical... according to the noid light I've plugged into my fuel injection harness, the injectors are not getting an electric pulse. I'm almost certain the problem is electrical. Since I now have a large quantity of new relays, one of my next steps will be to get a new battery. Even though I have what seems to be a good battery, and a charger to keep it juiced, it has seen several winters in the garage (on a block of wood, not the concrete). The possibility has dawned on me that the battery could have just enough power to provide spark and crank, but not enough to run the EFI. It might be a bit far fetched, but I'm marking it down as a possibility.

[Oddmanout84]

Killing the rust on the fenders and headlight buckets wasn't all fun and games. Oh no, it had to be difficult. While removing the headlight buckets from the fenders, each side had one of the three bolts break off while trying to free the nut. The threads were corroded just enough that it caused more friction than the stud could handle, and thus sheared off. Looks like I have to cut the remainder out and install a new one. Since I don't have a welder, this may prove slightly complicated as both threaded ends were in areas that are a bit difficult to reach with a wrench.

 

Good news is that I was able to scrape all the rust off, most of it just surface rust. Now the inner sides of the fenders are coated with rust converter and will be ready for priming/topcoating tomorrow.

[Daeron]

dropping resistor. That what takes the 12VDC and drops it down to ~5VDC (?something like that) for the injectors to fire. EFI bible ought to show you the way. Its bolted up near your hydraulics and brakebooster.

[Jesse OBrien]

Oddmanout84,

 

I hate you. Let me explain.

 

I recently sold my s30 and bought a sweet old rwd Celica, and have been very happy with that decision ever since (the s30 required gobs of work, and the Celica is a great dd). Then you went and ruined that by having this thread. I'm going down the street to make an offer on a few Z's that haven't moved in a few months. You bastard.

 

Oh, and I'd have suggested a v8 if you weren't already pot-committed to a Nissan engine. They're simple, easy to diagnose, easy to tune, cheap, available everywhere, and relatively easy to install into an s30 (you'd spend about as much time installing as you've spent diagnosing here).

 

Also, I just wanted to follow your build thread. It looks kind of awesome. I'm excited to see it, and more excited to HEAR it (you should get video once it runs on its own steam).

[Oddmanout84]

Oddmanout84,

 

I hate you. Let me explain.

 

I recently sold my s30 and bought a sweet old rwd Celica, and have been very happy with that decision ever since (the s30 required gobs of work, and the Celica is a great dd). Then you went and ruined that by having this thread. I'm going down the street to make an offer on a few Z's that haven't moved in a few months. You bastard.

 

Oh, and I'd have suggested a v8 if you weren't already pot-committed to a Nissan engine. They're simple, easy to diagnose, easy to tune, cheap, available everywhere, and relatively easy to install into an s30 (you'd spend about as much time installing as you've spent diagnosing here).

 

Also, I just wanted to follow your build thread. It looks kind of awesome. I'm excited to see it, and more excited to HEAR it (you should get video once it runs on its own steam).

 

Heh heh. Call me an annoying purist, I just have a set opinion on the Nissan engines. The first engine I ever considered swapping was a small block V8, but the thing that stopped me wasn't just the fact that I'd be putting an American engine into a Japanese car. Most of my reasoning is the sound and ease of working on.

 

Sound issues have been the reason why I'm so squeemish about swapping an SR20DET into the car, that and along with the fact that I'd thoretically be more difficult to get it to work right in the car. I'd have to get new mounts, driveshaft, etc. Sourcing one is actually the easy part! I recently found out that my cousin has a red top SR20DET (/w electronics and xmsn) sitting in his garage next to a never-been-used engine hoist. He had originally planned to buy a cheap 240sx to swap it into, but never got the time or money to do it. Its still a consideration, but I'd have to get over the fact that I'd be swapping the six for a four. Maybe that's illogical, seeing as how there's a huge market support for those things now, and the engine can take quite a bit of HP. I'll keep the thought in the back of my mind..

 

The V8 carries a similar disposition. For some reason I just prefer the smoother sound of a straight 6. As for the "ease of working on" quip, I'll explain. As someone who's never worked on an engine before (besides organizational maintenance on helicopter turbines), working on an inline engine is more forgiving. V8's have a lot more moving parts, and the crankshafts especially require very exact balancing in order to be reliable. In plainspeak, they scare me, at least at this point. The L28 and L28ET on the other hand have much simpler balance procedures due to the pistons traveling on one plane, and they only have one cam. And although the parts are simple and incredibly easy to source for domestic engines, after working at a shop for just a month's time after I left the service gave me a strong dislike for the US auto industry.

 

Edit: Also, I like turbos. With a V8 I'd already be spinning the wheels in several gears, I don't want to imagine that with a turbo. 400hp is my absolute maximum, as I'm looking for a balance between handling and speed... not all out power.

 

That and I like that I only have to worry about metric tools being in my garage, haha.

 

Call me Illogical, and maybe I'm a little bit crazy... Its just the way I am. I'm sorry that my thread has made you hate me, but you live in Cali, which is car heaven. My Z was sourced from Temecula almost 5 years ago, so you should be able to find something similar (much easier than we east coasters can) should you decide to return to the Z side.

 

Daeron- I've definitely considered the dropping resistors could be a problem, I've been looking for a decent source of them. I guess one of the reasons I didn't act sooner on this was because I was planning on using an aftermarket ECU (like megasquirt) much sooner and didn't know if I'd be ripping them out entirely. I've stepped back from that for the time being, as I have more pressing issues for the car than that and I shouldn't be getting in more than 10ft over my head (where I am now). Once I get the suspension reinstalled I will be dropping the car back to the floor on its wheels where it should be, and electrical troubleshooting will resume.

[Daeron]

IIRC you start testing for voltage at the injectors and work backwards.. I am pretty sure the positive voltage to the injectors is present at all times when running, and the ECU switches the ground.. If so, you would start by making sure you had the ECU thinking it was running (read EFI bible) and checking for positive volts at the injector plugs. If the juice is not there, work backwards towards the resistor etc until you find the problem.

 

Thats a summary pulled unpracticed out of my mind from practically memorizing the EFI bible a couple years back. I may be wrong on a few finer details, I may be skipping stuff, but its ALL in the EFI bible. Don't just read the first 35 pages, the testing section is where you learn how the switching in the system works and how to check what, when such and such symptom occurs.

[Jesse OBrien]

...The V8 carries a similar disposition. For some reason I just prefer the smoother sound of a straight 6. As for the "ease of working on" quip, I'll explain. As someone who's never worked on an engine before (besides organizational maintenance on helicopter turbines), working on an inline engine is more forgiving. V8's have a lot more moving parts, and the crankshafts especially require very exact balancing in order to be reliable. In plainspeak, they scare me, at least at this point. The L28 and L28ET on the other hand have much simpler balance procedures due to the pistons traveling on one plane, and they only have one cam. And although the parts are simple and incredibly easy to source for domestic engines, after working at a shop for just a month's time after I left the service gave me a strong dislike for the US auto industry.

 

Edit: Also, I like turbos. With a V8 I'd already be spinning the wheels in several gears, I don't want to imagine that with a turbo. 400hp is my absolute maximum, as I'm looking for a balance between handling and speed... not all out power.

 

That and I like that I only have to worry about metric tools being in my garage, haha.

 

Call me Illogical, and maybe I'm a little bit crazy... Its just the way I am. I'm sorry that my thread has made you hate me, but you live in Cali, which is car heaven. My Z was sourced from Temecula almost 5 years ago, so you should be able to find something similar (much easier than we east coasters can) should you decide to return to the Z side.

...

 

I actually have a super-secret source for some Z parts in New Hampshire. I believe he has two pristine dashes. PM me if you're interested. Both have rotted bodies, and don't run.

 

As far as the l6 vs v8, I completely understand. I've just found that American motors tend to be readily available (in the US), and easy to work on (although that statement is VERY relative to what you're familiar with), and just sound great (of course, that statement is ENTIRELY relative to tastes, so you can ignore that one). You had been having a tough time finding a fun engine at a decent price, so I just tossed my .02 in (even if they were a bit late).

 

Your reasons are sound, and I certainly don't disagree. I think this go-around I'm doing the silly thing and NOT going with a Chevy engine, but a Ford 5.0. I have an l28et now, and need a decent s30 shell to put it in, then I'll start sourcing v8 parts, and I guess I'll sell the et when the time comes. You've reminded me of the Z itch that I had been ignoring, and as much as I hate you for it (it's incredibly itchy now), I'm happy to have this as a project again.

 

Looking forward to more updates!

[Oddmanout84]

Installed this today, hee hee...

 

 

I almost crapped my pants doing it too. Making sure I was drilling holes in my hatch at the right spots with little reference was scary! The method I used was to take the spoiler and mock it up on the hatch, make a couple reference marks. Then I took the supplied bolts and HAND tightened them into the spoiler as far as they could go, then coted their heads with a dab of grease. Lined the spoiler up as best I could and plopped it down. Drilled holes where the center of each grease splotch was. Very nerve wracking. However, it worked, and it looks like I was dead on!