Delasangre4231 Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 First off forgive me, I have owned a 280zx and a 300zx (z31) but have been without z car for a long time, so all my previous z car knowledge is replaced with subaru stuff and now I want to get back into the game with a 280z. The car I am looking at smokes, the guy says piston rings maybe. I have never done any rebuilding or anything but I want to try if I have to. I have some friends who just rebuilt some motors and they would be able to help me out. My question I guess is how cheap can I go on replacing piston rings can I go without being stupid about it. Can I just leave the engine in and pull everything out the bottom and replace em and slap it back together? Or would this require pulling the motor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delasangre4231 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 He also said he has been driving it like this for a year or so, and its been sitting for a few months now. So how long can I keep driving it before I need to rebuild? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stprasinz Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 how to build and modify a nissan datsun read it, read it again.. treat it like a hell of hard test you gotta study for. learn it know it produce it from those pages and it will be nasty!!!!! with a capital NAStI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delasangre4231 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Thank you. I will look into that asap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 If you have no experience removing and replacing pistons in an engine, it would be easier and less time consuming to just drop in a long block. If is doesn't smoke bad(lightly smoke on accel and stuff) you can drive it like that for years, just keep your eye on the oil level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delasangre4231 Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 I have very little experience but when I do stuff on cars it just comes natural so... I didn't end up with the car sadly, so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) Well having done it both ways, I'll tell you pulling the engine and rebuilding it out of the car is MUCH easier than working on it in the car, though you can do everything but plane the block with it in the car. A drill with a 10MM adaptor is the way to go on the 10000 oil pan bolts you'll have to remove. If you're doing the rings you might as well do the bearings as well, and doing those, the oil seals arent too tough but really it's all much easier with the engine on a stand, than crawling under the care and back out 20 times. Harbor freight is your friend. Just Autozone parts are cheap and high enough quality for a daily driver. The Haynes manual tells everything you need to know to do the whole job. Though if you have the valves done (which you should once the head is off) you should use the Ford Viton valve seals as they hold up better in a NON-LEADED gas environment. (The L28 originally was designed for leaded gas) You should Rebuild it yourself, make it yours, And take a bunch of pictures and post them on here for our review and comments. We might be able to tell you a lot of tricks to make things much easier. Yeah people will say READ the manual, but that's not why we're here. We're here because we love Z's and love improving them. Why not help you improve your engine? Oh definitely consider a timing chain set replacement as the same time. Maybe Swap the distrib for a ZX version. maybe swap your head for a P90A ZX hydralic version. There's a lot you can do to improve things while you're at it. In anycase, take lots of pictures!!! Phar Edit: Ahh just read you didn't get the car, oh well, keep looking, theres a few left. Edited February 14, 2011 by Pharaohabq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.