bschiltz Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Hey guys, I think it's come time to sell the V8ZX, but I need help deciding what the Z is worth. I have way too much invested to look at it unbiased. Skip to the end if you want, I just need to vent a little. I've been daily driving the ZX for a little over a month now, which basically consisted of driving to the second campus for my university and little errands. It was doing pretty good, only died on me once when the alternator went out, but I knew it was coming so I got that sorted out in about a half hour. This Friday I was driving to drop off my girlfriend and pulled in a driveway to turn around and scraped really bad. Then next day when I was walking to the parking lot at my dorm I noticed a baseball sized puddle of oil under my car, but I had only been parked in that spot for about two hours. I checked the oil and it was just under "fill", so I went to the parts store to pick up a quart to hold over while I went to a family picknic with my girlfriend. So I bought some oil and was about to pour it in when I noticed there was a lot of oil around the pressure sensor and fittings so I tried to wiggle it a little to see if it was loose and it snapped off in my hand. Needless to say my girlfriend was pretty pissed and I was stuck in the O'Rilley's parking lot. I called my dad and he brought me some tools to try and get the nipple fitting out and took me to get a new one. When I finally got everything put back together the timing was way advanced from where I had marked it at and it was knocking pretty bad. I retarded it as far as I could (the vac canister hit the firewall) which sounded still a little advanced and limped to my parents house which was luckily about ten blocks away. Sunday morning, the girlfriend still pretty pissed at me, I go out to see what the hell is going on and start with the timing. I throw the timing light on and it shows about 35* total and 28*-ish with no vacuume at idle with the canister against the firewall. Before I took it out the canister was ~2 inches from the firewall with the same timing readings. I figure it's reading right, I'll just stop messing with it while I'm ahead, so I pull it up on ramps to start looking at the oilpan. There is deffinately a hairline crack somewhere around the drain hole but I noticed some coolant drops hangning on the block too. I start looking around and see bright green sitting between the block and head right by the motor mount as well some leaking between the manifold and head. After some swearing and brusing the knuckles on my right hand pretty good, then cooling down, I decided it's time to move on. I just don't have the time or money as a poor college student to deal with a project car anymore. So, I apollogize if you've read all this, I just need to get it off my chest. I would like some honest opinions on a fair price for selling the car though. 1979 Datsun 280ZX with 79,xxx miles on the chasis 1986 Chevy 305 from a caprice (carbed with a quadrajet) JTR engine/trans mounting JTR sanderson headers JTR alumnium radiator/mounting 700r4 from bowtie overdrives with less than 500 miles from new MSD Streetfire HEI ignition MSD 8.5mm Superconductor spark plug wires Taurus two speed fan (automatic with temp switches) Tokico blues and red 1" drop springs Xenon urethane front areo H4 headlight upgrade I'd also include the 89 350 TPI long block I picked up from Brian (mobythevan) this spring and was planning on building up. Thanks for any help and sorry to sound whiney. I'm pretty bummed but know it's what I have to do. I'll get some better pics some time this week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 You didn't mention rust or interior issues? Paint looks good from the pic? Assuming that is all good, i'd wager to say 2-4 at the most in this economy. A V8 conversion can both help and hurt depending on the purchaser, especially w/ the issues. What other aftermarket parts or upgrades does it have. Good luck on the sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 That is too bad, I was hoping you would get that new motor in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I say drop the GF, if she is going to get pissed and hold onto that anger for 18 or so hours over something so small, imagine what will happen if you really do something wrong. I shiver at the thought. Then keep the Z(x), you know you'll look back later in life, married (to a different woman) and say to yourself: "Self, I really wish I had kept that car and not sold it for those wrong reasons I did, back when I was young and stupid." Don't worry no matter how old you get you're always young and stupid, in previous years, that age just seems to get larger in number the older you get. BTW, it sounds like the dizzy is installed a tooth or two out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschiltz Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 Thanks for you opinions guys. The fight with the girlfriend was rooted in other issues, but we've worked it out now. There is what I'd consider a normal amount of rust on the chassis, i.e. around the wheel wells, rocker panels (dogleg), and two golf ball sized holes in the drivers floor boards are the only serious parts. The frame is rust free but kinda squished where someone thought it was a good idea to jack the car up... several times.As far as the dizzy, I thought it could only go right on or 180 out since the oil pump and dizzy fit in a slot and blade type arrangement. I'll check that again though. Honestly I was thinking $2500 optimistically and $2000 realistically for the car and longblock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Nope the dizzy can go in at pretty much any point in rotation. The slot you are seeing is the oil pump drive shaft and can be rotated to any position. I use a long large flat blade screw driver to adjust where it is to re-install the dizzy, can take a few tries to get it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschiltz Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 Aah, ok. Yeah that makes sense now. Thanks Shooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letitsnow Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 If I were you, and I had another car to drive, I'd put it away for a while. You're going to take a big hit selling it. JB WaterWeld works pretty good on oil pans, just clean up the area with acetone. Maybe some bars leak in the radiator too, until you get a chance to do the head gasket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 On most distributors the oil pump blade is in line with the rotor. You should align the oil pump shaft with the number 1 plug so that when you install the dizzy it is at the number one plug. Make sure you already have the engine on the TDC fire number one position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschiltz Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 Big bump, but just a little update. I decided to keep the ZX, just parked it in my grandpa's woodshed. I'm going to owe it some big time lovin' after it comes back out, haha. As for the 350, I'm taking it to the machine shop tomorrow to get it bored and honed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 What's the mileage on the gf, is she manual or auto? I'd say $300 for the gf, and that's with all the backdues on nagging and whining Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaNoZeta Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 If you can wait a month or two I could have you a Ford 302 HO EFI engine with wiring harness and ECU (after I get back home next month I'm parting out my Rustang). I'll let you know when I get the car apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschiltz Posted August 29, 2009 Author Share Posted August 29, 2009 Dropped the block and crank off at the machine shop yesterday. The crank has to be reground so that will take a couple weeks (had to farm it out) but the block should be done next week. Just cleaned, bored .030 over and honed. I think I see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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