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Initial D World - Discussion Board / Forums > Automotive Discussion > Another Z Project? OH NOES!

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 19 2009, 08:32 PM

Yup. I've been suckered into starting a Z project. I thoroughly blame Sideways for planting the seed in my mind saying that a Z would make a great car that's easy and cheap to work on. His constant nagging combined with my original love for the early S30 body led me to do something silly. I scoped out some Zs, and ended up with this guy right here.

user posted image

Looks great, doesn't it? Runs great, too. Well... sort of. When I first picked up the car, it enjoyed being powerless in first gear and bogging randomly. It also enjoyed taking about five or six tries to start and idling low and rough. Thankfully, a visit to the local Sideways Shop diagnosed some of the nasty. Cracked intake hose was screwing up the air metering. So the hose gets patched with tape, and then the engine decides to not run right at all. AFR was screwed, so Starion fiddled with it and got it running again. He also fixed up the clip for the cold start, and found the injector clips were probably boned too.

But those fixes alone made the engine run properly on all cylinders and not bog. And oh yeah, start the first time. So of course, being victorious, it had to be test driven. I let Sideways do it first, and when he went by and shifted, there was a fireball out the back. I was next up, so we had Starion film it while I drove by. Oh man. The power is like night and day from when I originally bought it. It feels soooo much better now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO_EcCPjaaE

Now, the car also had a habit of making a loud BANG on shifts. Differential carrier bushing, like the rest of the bushings on the car, was boned. I'll get a new one soon, one a wee bit stronger than the stockers.

The body also rolls like crazy, but that's to be expected of suspension right outta the 70s. All in due time. First, a fully running vehicle that doesn't have a jumping diff.

So let's get on with the showing of the nasty pics!

First we have the passenger floor panel. Obviously, the previous owner ignored his laptop and proceeded to blow the manifold.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6578/passfloor.jpg

Then we have the interior wiring. Why do all the cars I buy have to have a rat's nest of wires? Why can't people wire things properly instead of taking useless shortcuts?

Oh well, more fun times for me. I'm gonna have to rip apart the dash anyway. After all, the speedometer doesn't work.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4803/wiringmess.jpg

And then we have the AWESOME paint job. It's so SIIIIICK.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/6836/trunksill.jpg (Trunk Sill Area)
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/8375/trunklid.jpg (Trunk Lid)
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3779/lowerrear.jpg (Passenger Lower Rear Quarter)
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5320/gascap.jpg (Area Under Gas Cap)
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1485/fenderp.jpg (Passenger Front Fender)
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/9068/driversidef.jpg (Driver's Side)

So yeah, deeeelicious. I've got some work cut out for this thing. Fun as hell to drive though, and good to see that most of the parts are $300 or less. Including motors and transmissions.

And so, the pros, the cons, and my goals for the build.

Pros
(Relatively) cheap to begin with
Parts are cheap
Engine runs very well
5-speed manual that works (but is angry with me)
Good seats, seatbelts
Great exhaust

Cons
Needs some engine parts (AFR, injector clips, hoses)
Weatherstripping needs replacement
Rusty body parts need replacement
Suspension needs replacement
Brakes need replacement (eventually)
Needs a steering wheel
Needs to be repainted
Speedometer is broken

Goals
250 WHP
Reliable
Restored and converted to 240Z bumpers/tail
Repainted like http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/7121/tougepolice.jpg, with アズサ県警察峠隊 on the side

If anyone is in the area and wants to check it out, lemme know. Otherwise, ask your questions, make comments, and keep watching this thread for progress!

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Apr 19 2009, 08:36 PM

Wow, grats man! Your dad was cool with this? What happens to the contour? I'm down to check it out once school settles down.

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Apr 19 2009, 08:40 PM

QUOTE (ToyotaFan84 @ 4 minutes, 0 seconds ago)

Wow, grats man! Your dad was cool with this? What happens to the contour? I'm down to check it out once school settles down.

He still has the Contour. Can't get rid of the Touge Taxi man. The Z will be his fun weekend car when its fully restored and repaired.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 19 2009, 08:44 PM

What Ayako said. The Z isn't reliable enough yet to be a daily, so the Contour stays. My dad... doesn't know about this Z yet. He was okay with me having a Z in general, but I need to let my bank account recover before I can come right out and say I have one. I'm currently in financial pain, so.

Posted by: Demon_Lord Apr 19 2009, 08:58 PM

N1, congrats on picking up that Z.

When do you plan on being out of financial woes, and have it up and running? Or is just going to be a go with the flow deal?

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Apr 19 2009, 08:59 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 14 minutes, 33 seconds ago)

Ugh, financial woes, say no more lol.

Posted by: Sensation! Apr 19 2009, 09:00 PM

I say we start some DONations so n1 can earn some money back....
that and he wont get spanked to hell..

lol with the JDM pig paint job
imo id keep it white all the way,
you'd better slap on some ZG fenders

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 19 2009, 09:09 PM

QUOTE (Sensation! @ 9 minutes, 22 seconds ago)

Honestly, I normally wouldn't accept donations... but right now I'm hurting bad, so if y'all are feeling generous lemme know...

ZG fenders are going on eventually, along with some of these:

user posted image

However, I won't be doing the ZG nose. I was never a fan of it. I dunno, I just prefer the plain-jane Z nose better.

EDIT: Demon_Lord, the car is driveable now, and I'm fixing things as I go along. Hopefully I'll be back in normal financial status in a month or two, and then can start really attacking things.

Posted by: But she looked 18 officer Apr 19 2009, 10:30 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 1 hour, 57 minutes ago)

You sir have my sympathy. I haven't even met the peice of shit and I already know he's a pushy son of a b*tch.

Congrats and good luck on your ride. Good color choice too. Not too sure about your paint scheme choice, but it's neat and kudo's for some level of originality. A lot cooler then dark blue. lol

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 19 2009, 10:35 PM

Honestly, I love white on a Z. It's my favorite color. I'm still tossing up whether to do the police scheme or just repaint it properly into the same white color. I like them both, but you don't see a lot of the police ones around.

Thanks for the well-wishes, I'll do the best I can to get it back to spec.

Posted by: Möbius Apr 19 2009, 10:58 PM

At the very least, it looks good from a distance now, so you shouldn't need to repaint it until you are ready.

Congrats on the project.

Posted by: backalleyracer Apr 20 2009, 03:17 AM

oh great...another one

but i love them so much, i can't help it, they so awesome

congrats man, looks like it will be a very fun project, my friend had a S30 too, funniest car ever to drive

Posted by: djmisio85 Apr 20 2009, 04:09 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 7 hours, 36 minutes ago)

Now, the car also had a habit of making a loud BANG on shifts. Differential carrier bushing, like the rest of the bushings on the car, was boned. I'll get a new one soon, one a wee bit stronger than the stockers.

I also have this issue on my evo... maybe replacing the bushings on the diff carrier could also be my answer

What does your car run power-wise as standard?....

also, who is Azusa??

Posted by: Drew Apr 20 2009, 04:22 AM

First off...is it just me, or is /idw/ turning into WME with all the z projects we keep getting??

Secondly, if it sounds good, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD keep that ghetto-ass sound system on that shit.

Posted by: Rudy Apr 20 2009, 04:56 AM

Next up:

Drifter's Z31 project.

Nice... catch there Nomake, but sadly it looks about as rust-free as a comparable kouki S30 from the Garden State. o_O

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 20 2009, 05:17 AM

QUOTE (Thir13Teen @ 54 minutes, 38 seconds ago)

Secondly, if it sounds good, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD keep that ghetto-ass sound system on that shit.

No.

It's two big speakers hooked into a... mono... '78... tape deck...

DUAL MONO POWAA!

Naw, it's going. I'll see if I can put a new head unit into my dad's Contour and then put his old head unit into the Z. Might keep the speakers, might not. We'll see, we'll see.

Drifter: Meh. It'll work. You can't really expect a '78 car to be rust-free no matter where you buy it, unless it's owned by someone who babied it or restored it themselves. And those go for biiiiiig monies. I can handle a little restoration, I think.

Posted by: Rudy Apr 20 2009, 05:22 AM

Well, good luck Nomake... I just wonder if you carfaxed that shit, I'm almost suspicious of it being out-of-state orginally with those floorboards ;o;

Posted by: Demon_Lord Apr 20 2009, 06:26 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 8 hours, 52 minutes ago)

EDIT: Demon_Lord, the car is driveable now, and I'm fixing things as I go along. Hopefully I'll be back in normal financial status in a month or two, and then can start really attacking things.

What the hell was I thinking when I said that. I knew it was driveable, because I read the first post... in realality I ment when were you going to be doing things to it, but it came out that way.

Rust free and Garden state don't belong in the same sentence.

Posted by: Spaz Apr 20 2009, 06:57 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 8 hours, 21 minutes ago)

The white will grow on you. If you still see it as an option, that's what you'll end up going with, trust me.

Posted by: MattW Apr 20 2009, 07:07 AM

Sounds awesome there, Don. I have to ask though, what does the Japanese say in your post?

Also, what's with the BMW driver-esque Bluetooth? Don't tell me you're becoming a cock!

Posted by: sideways Apr 20 2009, 10:20 AM

You never see the policia scheme lol. I say ignore the body and get the maitenence goodies then performance goodies! Then make it pretty. I think youd enjoy having a car you can beat up around the edges a bit ant not worry about EVERYWHERE you take the thing. Looking forward to seeing that thing in person again, lets hurry up and take care of your diff mount

Posted by: peemyTNBow Apr 20 2009, 11:56 AM

QUOTE (MattW @ 4 hours, 49 minutes ago)

Sounds awesome there, Don. I have to ask though, what does the Japanese say in your post?

Also, what's with the BMW driver-esque Bluetooth? Don't tell me you're becoming a cock!

It's illegal to talk on the phone and drive.

Posted by: DeeezNuuuts83 Apr 20 2009, 01:16 PM

How easy is it going to be to get 250 whp out of that car? I'm not sure what it has stock, but with that much whp you'd be looking at 280-290 at the crank.

Posted by: peemyTNBow Apr 20 2009, 01:33 PM

He plans to go turbo at some point, so should not be too difficult.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 20 2009, 03:22 PM

QUOTE (MattW @ 8 hours, 15 minutes ago)

Sounds awesome there, Don. I have to ask though, what does the Japanese say in your post?

Also, what's with the BMW driver-esque Bluetooth? Don't tell me you're becoming a cock!

Finally, someone asks what it says here instead of over IM.

It reads:

"Azusa Area Police Touge Division"

As for the bluetooth, it's exactly what BmwNeoType said. It's illegal to hold a cell phone and drive, so I prefer to have it. Besides, I wear headset at work, so after having it on for a little bit I just forget it's there.

Deez: Again Bmw beats me to the punch. Eventually there'll be an L28ET motor going in, so 250 to the wheels should be attainable without getting too insane.

Sideways: That was the plan all along. Fix the mechanicals, make it fun to drive, then take care of the pretty. The only difference is I might end up doing the body fixing before the turbo swap, as the engine will be out of the car at that point anyway.

Diff mount and other engine bits will be fixed as soon as I'm not totally in debt.

Posted by: MattW Apr 20 2009, 05:18 PM

Azusa? Is that the county?

Posted by: djmisio85 Apr 20 2009, 05:21 PM

QUOTE (MattW @ 2 minutes, 40 seconds ago)

Azusa? Is that the county?

Its a girls name in Japan....

Also, N1, you didnt answer my question

Whats the stock power for one of these cars, and why Azusa

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 20 2009, 05:28 PM

QUOTE (MattW @ 9 minutes, 40 seconds ago)

Azusa? Is that the county?

It's where all the fun is.

And it sounds like "Akina!"

djmisio: Sorry about that! The L28E is rated for 170 HP stock. See above for your "Why Azusa?" question.

Posted by: MattW Apr 20 2009, 05:29 PM

Touché, Don. Good choise, lol.

We really need a Datsun Alliance in this here forum.

Posted by: sideways Apr 20 2009, 07:28 PM

Haha I hear you on the debt bit.. Im there myslf trying to get mine going. But its almost at a good driveable point. 300+ whp here i come.

Posted by: NismoTime Apr 20 2009, 11:59 PM

yay more olden Z's!!!

now nomake and sideways both owe me a ride!

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 21 2009, 02:31 AM

QUOTE (NismoTime @ 2 hours, 31 minutes ago)

yay more olden Z's!!!

now nomake and sideways both owe me a ride!

I'll be able to give you one first.

Even though I'm really hurting, I went ahead and got some of the parts I needed to get the car back into good running shape. I hope to at the least have the engine running right, the differential mounted properly and working A/C by Wednesday, and at least have a diagnosis for the speedometer, driver's window and passenger door controls by the end of the week.

Just be warned, she has some crazy body roll.

Posted by: Spaz Apr 21 2009, 04:48 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 2 hours, 16 minutes ago)

I hope to at the least have the engine running right, the differential mounted properly and working A/C by Wednesday

I think you need to consider pulling out the extra weight instead of making that worthless crap functional.

Posted by: RalliKai Apr 21 2009, 06:42 AM

Congrats on the Z N1.

Older Z's are pretty rare in my area. Aside from my dad's 240, I've only seen a 280ZX and 300ZX Z31. Hope your new project comes out well in the end.

Posted by: MattW Apr 21 2009, 07:22 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 4 hours, 51 minutes ago)

I'll be able to give you one first.

Don't need a speedo. Just run it off the tach.

Posted by: peemyTNBow Apr 21 2009, 07:58 AM

QUOTE (MattW @ 35 minutes, 38 seconds ago)

Don't need a speedo. Just run it off the tach.

I know you can, but this is not fast and the furious.

Posted by: Hannah Apr 21 2009, 10:18 AM

Nomake, you jerk! You never told me you bought it yet! :x
Good thing Drifter told me. I really like the outside appearance so far. I think you should go with the police paint deal. *nodnodnod* And good luck on fixing it up to get rid of all the rust and crap on the inside. :3

Posted by: sideways Apr 21 2009, 01:22 PM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 8 hours, 34 minutes ago)

I think you need to consider pulling out the extra weight instead of making that worthless crap functional.

Worthless crap? Boy are you crazy. Its getting close to 100 already in many spots in socal. If its cheap and easy to fix (hopeing for just a recharge) why NOT use the ac?

Posted by: peemyTNBow Apr 21 2009, 01:34 PM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 8 hours, 45 minutes ago)

I think you need to consider pulling out the extra weight instead of making that worthless crap functional.

If you can't go fast with AC, you are doing it wrong.

The only thing that would make AC worth removing (to me), is a dry sump system for a Straight 6 engine.

I love AC

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 21 2009, 03:54 PM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ Today, 4:48 AM)

I think you need to consider pulling out the extra weight instead of making that worthless crap functional.

Are you freaking retarded? Oh wait, you don't live here. Lemme paint you a picture.

It was over 100 degrees yesterday. It's about 100 degrees today. The car may be white, but it has a black interior with black leather seats, black seatbelts, black steering wheel, black shift column... am I making myself abundantly clear yet!?

The A/C stays. I'm not going for a balls-to-the-wall race car that's 1500 pounds and pushing 800 HP here. I'm going for a fun driving car. And a driving car in southern California had better damn well have A/C.

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Apr 21 2009, 05:07 PM

I think this topic needs an A/C, it's getting hot in here!

Posted by: Sensation! Apr 21 2009, 05:29 PM

black leather seats + california heat + Eggs, bacon & pancakes = breakfast

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Apr 21 2009, 07:02 PM

QUOTE (Sensation! @ 1 hour, 33 minutes ago)

black leather seats + california heat + Eggs, bacon & pancakes = breakfast

By the time you sit down on the leather seat, you are automatically cooking your butt cheeks to a tender juicy crisp.

Posted by: Drew Apr 21 2009, 07:06 PM

+1 on AC comment.

If summers in Cali are anything like they are here at the Jersey Shore, you need it.

And BTW, if you're gonna go with those 8-spoke rollers, I'd do some Panasport 3-piece rims, but as you did say, budget is a problem, so that's probably out of your range.

Posted by: Spaz Apr 21 2009, 07:37 PM

Fair enough. When it comes down to it, I see it as an amenity, aka 60lbs that aren't necessary for the car to function.

Believe me, there were quite a few days in a row in Iowa last summer where it was high 90s, and my car has a BLACK roof. You know what I did? I put my damn windows down.

Posted by: MidnightViper88 Apr 21 2009, 07:52 PM

If 60lbs from an HVAC unit is too much, then the driver needs to lose 60lbs...An HVAC unit is only worthless if your car is a HARDCORE race car; Anything short of that, it's needed, especially one that's going to be driven remotely daily or on the streets, and it's necessary...Unless one derives a masochistic pleasure from freezing their ass off in the cold or sitting in a pool of their sweat during the summer time, but since cmspaz has already been nailed to a cross, I guess none of us have any room to talk about pain...

I live in Kentucky, and our area is notorious for humidity; Air conditioning removes the humidity...On days when it's hot and humid, rolling down the windows is great; On days when it is hot and humid, rolling the windows down is only going to bring in even more of the miserable shit inside the car and into your face...And there's nothing more exhausting than having moisture in the air between the range of <80°F temps, it's not fun to be in, and it's not worth the suffering...

Posted by: Xtreme Drifter Apr 21 2009, 08:19 PM

I think thats around 40 Celsius for Europe. Thats very much anyway. Its usual here (Portugal) to have the temperature around that in the summer, and a lot of people don't get A/C. When we need to stop the car... we melt.

So, in my opinion, fix it.

Posted by: peemyTNBow Apr 21 2009, 08:32 PM

QUOTE (Thir13Teen @ 1 hour, 26 minutes ago)

And BTW, if you're gonna go with those 8-spoke rollers, I'd do some Panasport 3-piece rims, but as you did say, budget is a problem, so that's probably out of your range.

He likes the 8 spoke, I already told him my lovely opinion on rotas LOL.

I think he has bigger fish to fry than wheels right now though.

Posted by: sideways Apr 21 2009, 08:38 PM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 1 hour, 1 minutes ago)

I see it as an amenity, aka 60lbs that aren't necessary for the car to function.

Believe me, there were quite a few days in a row in Iowa last summer where it was high 90s, and my car has a BLACK roof. You know what I did? I put my damn windows down.

Oh I believe you, and I have to say, its not NEEDED, but god damn is it appeciated. A few days at 90? BFD. Theres a HUGE difference between 90 and 100, and the heats only begining. Plus its not "quite a few days in a row". Its weeks, months. Day after day after day after day after day of hot angry suck assi'ness. Sure its easy to say "roll the windows down" when its 100 out. But what do you get when you roll the windows down at 100? 100 degree ass-hot air blowing you in the face. And its not like you even get the benefit of rolling around with them down. This is socal. Its bumper to bumper love in 100 degree weather. Its a LOT of suffering and angriness.

One plus is being in socarl, weve got the beaches- its usually HUMID here in socal, so if you ARE rolling with a lot of humir air going over you, the humidity evaporates pretty fast and its tollerable. On the down side, its usually humid here- and youre NOT usually rolling fast with the windows down. 80 with high humidity is worse, FAR worse than 100 or even 110 dry heat.

But ya, In the sun at these temps, incar temps can get damn close to 200. I live in vegas mostof the time, and I can tell you its far, far worse. Im a desert brat myself and often played in 100+ as a kid- But even Ive started to show early signs of heat-stroke when driving around in my car during summer for extended periods of time.

It simply is not worth it to remove 60 pounds off your car to remove a MUCH appreciated system, that you will use for MONTHs out of the year to your average indvidual- Just to remove at best a FRACTION of a second in the limited LESS THAN 1% driving most people do. If it is for you than by all means, enjoy it.

I will defend anyone who wants to save their ac with my teeth

Posted by: Sensation! Apr 21 2009, 09:28 PM

not to mention, having your windows down during one of the annual so-cal brushfires is a definite no-no.

Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Apr 22 2009, 01:35 AM

also some tracks require you to race with your windows up or run window nets, so fire suit + helmet + 100 degree temps. I know guys with vipers that race with the AC on.

Posted by: peemyTNBow Apr 22 2009, 05:18 AM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 9 hours, 41 minutes ago)

Believe me, there were quite a few days in a row in Iowa last summer where it was high 90s, and my car has a BLACK roof. You know what I did? I put my damn windows down.

I did that in the FC and in the GT-R. I put up with it in the FC because for some odd reason 2-3 years back it didn't seem as hot, and i was younger and stupider. I thought it was cool for me to not have AC.

In the GT-R it took me all of about 20 minutes with my windows down in the summer and hot air to realize that i wanted my AC back.

Posted by: Spaz Apr 22 2009, 07:14 AM

I haven't actually done the delete on my car yet, but when it comes down to it, I've never owned car with working A/C, if it actually even came with it.

I very well may pick up a new tensioner pulley, a belt, and a recharge kit and get it working again this summer, but it's something I've lived without for so long I probably wouldn't use it all that much.

Posted by: Rudy Apr 22 2009, 07:20 AM

For me it's tradition. I'm used to cars that have either no A/C period (Dad and Grandpa's trucks) or non-functioning AC (Nana-Maru and Ryuuichi).

Posted by: MattW Apr 22 2009, 07:48 AM

I know nearly all professional GT and Touring Cars all have A/C.

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Apr 22 2009, 08:14 AM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 59 minutes, 54 seconds ago)

I was the same way, my first two cars didn't have functioning A/C. When I got my Celica, I didn't use it out of habit. A year later, I'm using it a lot.

Posted by: NismoTime Apr 22 2009, 09:35 PM

a picture should give a good explanation on my point of view on A/C

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 23 2009, 01:01 AM

Well, the A/C's converted but it still doesn't work. Either the switch or the wiring to it is hosed, so the clutch won't engage. I'll have to current-test the wiring, see if it's even getting anything. If it is then it's the clutch and that would suck bad. The only real good news I've had today is that the system is holding its charge just fine, and my diff mount showed up.

...too bad my jack doesn't go high enough for me to do the job. Gotta pick up ramps tomorrow...

Damn project cars.

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Apr 23 2009, 02:12 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 1 hour, 11 minutes ago)

Well think of it in a positive ways....

You won't be hearing anymore clunking noises when you upshift at full throttle.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 23 2009, 03:44 AM

Yeah, I'll be taking the Z to class tomorrow, and I'll pick up ramps on the way back. As for the A/C, I hooked the wires together to test and sure enough, it doesn't work. So thankfully, the switch probably works properly. I've been looking over wiring diagrams for the system in my car, and my guess is that the wiring from the heater switch to the A/C switch is the cause. It's a dealer-option ARA A/C unit, meaning it was installed after the car was assembled and wired to take power from the heater controls in the dash. However, I know that my heater was disabled by the previous owner, so likely he disabled the controls as well.

Time to take the dash apart and start rewiring things, I suppose! *pushes up sleeves and grabs soldering iron and wire cutters*

Posted by: Sensation! Apr 24 2009, 07:51 PM

lol don, do explain how your dad took the news about you getting a Z.

"what! you bout one already?"
*long distance slap*

Posted by: Spaz Apr 24 2009, 08:56 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ Yesterday, 6:44 AM)

Time to take the dash apart and start rewiring things, I suppose! *pushes up sleeves and grabs soldering iron and wire cutters*

Seriously?

Dude, wire crimps. That's how my head unit and front O2 sensor are in, no problems yet.

Posted by: Rudy Apr 24 2009, 09:03 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ Apr 23 2009, 06:44 AM)

Time to take the dash apart and start rewiring things, I suppose! *pushes up sleeves and grabs soldering iron and wire cutters*

Where's your shrink wrap?

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 24 2009, 09:50 PM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 46 minutes, 37 seconds ago)

Where's your shrink wrap?

Came with the injector clips I just got in the mail today.

And I haven't told my dad yet, I'm waiting for him to get here. He won't be here until tomorrow morning.

Should be okay.

Posted by: sideways Apr 24 2009, 09:59 PM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 1 hour, 3 minutes ago)

Seriously?

Dude, wire crimps. That's how my head unit and front O2 sensor are in, no problems yet.

Whats wrong with a soldering iron

Posted by: Tessou Apr 25 2009, 12:48 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ Apr 20 2009, 12:32 AM)

A CHALLENGER APPEARS

user posted image

Very nice choice, N1. Whenever I get out to California (possibly later this year) we can cruise.

Also, Nismo, what is up with your ECC display? On mine, I have the desired tempurature display, but on the bottom instead of another set of numbers (I'm guessing that's outside temp on yours?) there's graphics of a fan and where the air is going.

Like this.
user posted image

Posted by: Spaz Apr 25 2009, 05:23 AM

QUOTE (sideways @ 7 hours, 23 minutes ago)

Whats wrong with a soldering iron

Hard to do with wires still in the car, takes longer regardless, requires hot things and a steady hand.

I'm very much partial to the twist, push, squeeze approach.

But believe me, if I'm dealing with wiring that I've pulled out of the car, I'll be all over my soldering iron.

Posted by: Shirogane Apr 25 2009, 09:28 AM

QUOTE (Tessō @ 8 hours, 39 minutes ago)

A CHALLENGER APPEARS

user posted image

Very nice choice, N1. Whenever I get out to California (possibly later this year) we can cruise.

The most saddest thing is, my father didn't buy a 'ZX back in 95, since it was raining, and the fact that it took him 20 freaking minutes to know where the goddamn wiper switch is.

(He's used to those levers attached to the wheel..)

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 25 2009, 10:47 AM

QUOTE (Sensation! @ Yesterday, 7:51 PM)

lol don, do explain how your dad took the news about you getting a Z.

"what! you bout one already?"
*long distance slap*

Just told him this morning. Conversation went something like this.

Dad: Then tonight I gotta get some actual sleep.
Me: Yeah, because we have to be up mad early.
Dad: Heh. So you say.
Me: Screw that! I paid for the entrance fee already. We're going.
Dad: Oh wow, really? Online?
Me: Yeah.
Dad: So how big do you think it's gonna be?
Me: *laughs* Huge. Tons of Z owners from all over.
Dad: Wow. You don't even have one.
Me: Ahahaha... yeah, actually, I do.
Dad: Huh?
Me: 1978 Datsun 280Z.
Dad: ...don't tell your mother.
Me: No plan to.

Well good, now I can put the car back in the driveway and finish messing with the wiring.

Posted by: Spaz Apr 25 2009, 11:18 AM

Sounds about how it would have gone with my dad. Well played, sir!

Posted by: brian mayhem Apr 25 2009, 11:33 AM

Too bad you dont see many of them around Ithaca.

Congrats on the pickup of your Z.

Posted by: Sensation! Apr 25 2009, 12:14 PM

i demand some pictures of this epic Z meet...

yes its true, i like demanding things xD

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 25 2009, 01:38 PM

QUOTE (Sensation! @ 1 hour, 24 minutes ago)

i demand some pictures of this epic Z meet...

yes its true, i like demanding things xD

Why not just carpool with me? You seem to be good at carpooling.

Anyway, while the dash was apart, I think I found the problem with the A/C. There's a three-prong switch for the heater that's missing a wire on one of the prongs. I believe I found the missing wire as well, but didn't have time to test voltages or anything before having to put it back together and move the car. I'll work on it more on Sunday afternoon.

Posted by: BOZZ Savage Apr 25 2009, 02:27 PM

Nice car Don! I love white on a Z. :3

I'm pushing the idea of a 240Z or 280Z project car to my dad and I think he's nibbling on it.

Ian

Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Apr 25 2009, 02:28 PM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ Yesterday, 9:56 PM)

Seriously?

Dude, wire crimps. That's how my head unit and front O2 sensor are in, no problems yet.

Just wait till that crimp corrodes and causes extra resistance which lowers the O2 voltage your ecu sees.

also the previous owner of my black car thought it would be fun to extend the maf wires with the "twist and crimp method", that's a nice way to hydrolock a fresh forged motor.

Then in the process of unhydrolocking the motor the car caught fire... fun times.

Posted by: Spaz Apr 25 2009, 02:55 PM

It's getting a wideband o2 soon anyway. It was only meant to be temporary.

Posted by: NismoTime Apr 25 2009, 04:53 PM

QUOTE (Tessō @ Today, 12:48 AM)

A CHALLENGER APPEARS

user posted image

Very nice choice, N1. Whenever I get out to California (possibly later this year) we can cruise.

Because mine is a 90' and things changed after that

Another challenger appears!!!

Posted by: Tessou Apr 25 2009, 06:50 PM

^^^ May I ask just what the heck are the differences between the ECCs, then? I know a few things were changed between the years but I've never heard of Nissan changing the layout of the ECC when looking at the Z32's production history.

Posted by: NismoTime Apr 25 2009, 07:31 PM

lol, mine has the ambient temp, I guess nissan thought that was pointless after 1990, idk though......

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 25 2009, 09:15 PM

Lol, my dad thoroughly checked out my car (I knew he couldn't resist), and he's just shaking his head at it. He noticed a lot of the same things I did (but that I ignored). Car must've been in an accident at one point, the front end doesn't line up right, the bottom has panels that have been pulled back, etc. Bondo everywhere. Worst paint job ever. White does a good job of covering horribleness, etc.

His suggestion to me which I believe I'm going to follow is this.

I'm going to fix the little stuff. The diff mount, the engine, the speedometer, the A/C, the radio, that sort of stuff. Put swaybars on it so it handles nicely. But then... leave it. Once it's fixed that much that it's daily driveable and fun, post it to craigslist. If someone comes and wants it, sell it. And next time, get a Z that is a little better off than this one.

I think that's a reasonable idea. These cars are so easy to work on that I really wouldn't feel bad doing it. I don't think I'd lose much fixing this one up and selling it then getting a different one. So yeah!

In the mean time, I gotta get cracking on fixing this one up. Can't do anything until late Sunday or early Monday though.

Posted by: NismoTime Apr 25 2009, 10:57 PM

and how much are you thinking of selling it for?

Posted by: Tessou Apr 25 2009, 11:02 PM

QUOTE (NismoTime @ 3 hours, 31 minutes ago)

lol, mine has the ambient temp, I guess nissan thought that was pointless after 1990, idk though......

No use for ambient temp, really. It's either too hot, too cold, or just right. Knowing the exact number doesn't mean a damn thing. Is there a way to turn off the loud beeping that accompanies each push of the buttons on the ECC? It tends to wake sleeping passengers.

Also, N1... sad faaaaace, but it happens a lot with the old 240s. People beat on them a lot, and so many of them become fixer uppers. Looks like you caught one yourself.

If you can't find another one, there's always the 260 or even the Z31/32 family to look at.

Posted by: NismoTime Apr 25 2009, 11:15 PM

idk how to turn off the beeping, I doubt you can, as for Nomake he should join the Z32 club

Posted by: sideways Apr 25 2009, 11:26 PM

Old school > Those

Take a LOT less to make that car as fast or faster

As for the beeping? Find what beeping and rip it out

Posted by: Tessou Apr 26 2009, 02:43 AM

QUOTE (sideways @ 3 hours, 16 minutes ago)

Old school > Those

Take a LOT less to make that car as fast or faster

As for the beeping? Find what beeping and rip it out

Fast isn't the only thing some people look for in a car, remember. I got mine over a Z31 because it had more features.

And I do intend to open up the ECC and find out what causes the beeping sound. A little snip should be all it takes.

Posted by: sideways Apr 26 2009, 04:09 AM

Features shmeatures. Plenty of cars have "features". Thats muh story and im sticking to it!

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 26 2009, 06:58 AM

I actually agree with Sideways on this one. If I sell this one, the next one will remain an S30Z. How much would I sell it for? Same price I bought it for, $2k.

But for now? Drivin' car. Hell, might still go turbo on it just 'cause I can.

It'll be a fun car to beat on, mwahaha.

Posted by: MidnightViper88 Apr 26 2009, 07:09 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ Today, 10:58 AM)

I actually agree with Sideways on this one. If I sell this one, the next one will remain an S30Z. How much would I sell it for? Same price I bought it for, $2k.

For what you plan on doing to get it back in better-working condition, you could probably get at least a thousand more than what you're asking for...

Besides, did you inspect the thing thoroughly before buying or did you decide on initial impressions and price? Because it sounds like you might want to bring your dad with you for a second opinion on the second Z...

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 26 2009, 07:14 AM

QUOTE (MidnightViper88 @ 5 minutes, 11 seconds ago)

I saw all the imperfections when I bought it, but it wasn't falling apart and the stuff wrong with it was stuff I figured I could fix up. Not sure about collision damage though, it's a unibody, so not sure how much that'll change things...

I'd love to drag him along to buy the second one, but I think he'd punch me in the head.

Posted by: NismoTime Apr 26 2009, 02:20 PM

they didnt ever call the Z32 "awsome" so I guess you have point there sideways......
then again they used this guy for the old school

Hes watching you people with Datsuns!!

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 26 2009, 09:09 PM

Okay, it wouldn't be a project car without pics of it in various states of disrepair. So here we go, it's pics from when I tore into the interior! Good lord, that was... wow.

user posted image

This is the center console. It's missing some unknown stuff (no, really, I dunno what's supposed to go in that center hole between "Rear Defroster" and "Fasten Seat Belts"), and had some unknown controls and crap hiding under it when I pulled it out that weren't connected to anything (but didn't fit the gap). WTF? Oh, and it was held in by NO screws. It was just kinda... laying there held in by nothing but gravity. AWESOME. I'll fix that as soon as I know what screws I need, lol.

user posted image

Once I had removed the center console and placed it aside, this is what I was greeted with. There you can see the random control rocker switch that's not connected to anything and doesn't fit anywhere (...), as well as a random light that isn't connected to anything and doesn't appear to go anywhere either (..........). Oh, and did I mention a TON of exposed wires? WTF??? Seriously. I didn't take a pic afterward, I'll have to pull the car back into the garage and take more as I start actually fixing things, but I snipped the ends from all exposed wires for now so at least I don't start fires.

user posted image

Here you can see the ugly truth about my car. It was never white. And the interior was never black! It was an orange car with a tan interior (and was apparently given a bright red hood after whatever incident it was in, since the white paint flaking off reveals bright red paint). To make matters worse, rather than actually replace tan parts (because that would cost MONEY!) the owner just... kinda... painted the carpets and headliner and all that. Wow. WOW. Just wow. Oh, and check out those JAWESOME shift and e-brake boots. f**k YEAR!

The dash part of the center console, with center console removed. The radio that the car had was just kinda sitting inside the center console, not held on by anything. That was awesome. I immediately pulled the stupid radio out because it's...useless. The black cable with a silver tip is the antenna cable, and the other three wires are for the A/C controller which is out of view. Oh, funny thing! The knob on the A/C control had been missing when Sidewaysstarion found it. Well, I found the knob. He had been using it as a replacement for the power/volume knob on the radio.

If you don't know what this is just by looking at it, lemme tell ya. This is the AWESOME DUAL MONO speaker wiring the guy had going.

Notice how both negative wires go into one wire from the car, whereas both positive wires go into the other? Yeah, that's the SUPER JDM TYTE DUAL MONO. I immediately detatched those, clipped the wiring, and removed the ghetto speakers. I'll probably put them back in once I have a proper deck installed.

That's it for now. I think I've found the problem with the A/C clutch not engaging, as the heater controls are missing a wire I'm assuming is power. I'll get it.

Stay tuned!

Posted by: Rudy Apr 26 2009, 09:43 PM

What is it with you and cars with jacked up wiring?

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 26 2009, 10:04 PM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 20 minutes, 37 seconds ago)

What is it with you and cars with jacked up wiring?

They call to me, mang. "Fix meeeeee, fix meeeeeee," they cry, writhing under the feet of their oppressive owners! I...just can't resist?

Posted by: Spaz Apr 27 2009, 06:29 AM

Seriously, painted carpet? *grabs knife and runs off to stab nearest ricer*

Posted by: MattW Apr 27 2009, 06:34 AM

I'd say less orange, and more Metallic Brown.

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Apr 27 2009, 07:15 AM

Wooooooow.
What the f**k man?

Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 28 2009, 12:19 AM

QUOTE (MattW @ Yesterday, 6:34 AM)

I'd say less orange, and more Metallic Brown.

I'm inclined to agree with you. This is Color #301, Brown Metallic. Notice that it also has a brown interior. HMMMMM looks familiar?

Of course, the paint code sticker on the radiator support has been painted over (lol), and the VIN is one of those short useless ones that doesn't have any paint info attached to it. But yeah, I think you're right.

Oh boy, I do love this car.

It's sitting in the garage now waiting for me to work it over. I don't think I'll be able to do anything with it for the next 2-4 weeks though due to being 100% broke.

Posted by: Tomo Apr 28 2009, 01:54 AM

All I want to know is...

why?

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Apr 28 2009, 04:54 AM

I'm glad to hear you still have a good attitude despite that little surprise.

Posted by: MattW Apr 28 2009, 07:15 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 6 hours, 56 minutes ago)

I'm inclined to agree with you. This is Color #301, Brown Metallic. Notice that it also has a brown interior. HMMMMM looks familiar?

It's sitting in the garage now waiting for me to work it over. I don't think I'll be able to do anything with it for the next 2-4 weeks though due to being 100% broke.

I'm all too familiar with that color, haha.
user posted image

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 1 2009, 03:40 PM

Shockingly, the Z is now being daily driven (despite no progress being made on it since last update)! The Touge Taxi decided to blow its valvetrain randomly (VVT failure is what the onboard computer is reporting, so obviously I ran too many pounds of VTEC on the wangan), so it's in the shop undergoing a thorough autopsy. Until I know the nitty-gritty, the Z'll be my main mode of transportation. Oh yay.

Damn I gotta fix this thing. Damn I need money.

TIME TO FIND A NEW JOB!

I wonder if Wal-Mart's hiring...

Posted by: peemyTNBow May 1 2009, 03:45 PM

Trust me, you don't want to work for wal-mart. lol

Posted by: Shirogane May 1 2009, 04:11 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ Apr 26 2009, 10:09 PM)

Okay, it wouldn't be a project car without pics of it in various states of disrepair. So here we go, it's pics from when I tore into the interior! Good lord, that was... wow.

user posted image

If you don't know what this is just by looking at it, lemme tell ya. This is the AWESOME DUAL MONO speaker wiring the guy had going.

That's it for now. I think I've found the problem with the A/C clutch not engaging, as the heater controls are missing a wire I'm assuming is power. I'll get it.

Stay tuned!

At least it was for a good reason, other than the SVX with that button that I think you explained afterwards...

And the "FASTEN SEAT BELTS" Remind me of them annoying auto-belts, only the difference being "EMERGENCY SEAT BELTS".

Posted by: JaeMok May 1 2009, 04:17 PM

Wow!

Awesome Z Nomake. Hope it turns out well.

Posted by: sideways May 1 2009, 04:18 PM

Story on the dif mount?

Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi May 1 2009, 07:21 PM

Story on the injector clips?

Posted by: Tessou May 1 2009, 08:16 PM

QUOTE (JaeMok @ 3 hours, 59 minutes ago)

Wow!

Awesome Z Nomake. Hope it turns out well.

Learn how to read. That is all.

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 1 2009, 09:01 PM

Sideways: Still sitting around. Still need to get the thing into the air. Don't have wood/brick handy (dammit, in NY I'd have oodles of random car-working stuff, but my grandma doesn't work on cars so her garage is devoid of helpful tidbits), don't have ramps. Friend of mine says his uncle has a garage, I'm gonna see if I can pull that connection.

Sidewaysstarion: They arrived, they're in great shape, and came with both small (for solder points) and large (for heatwrapping ends) heatwrap. And dielectric grease. Truly worth the $21! Just gotta find time to solder 'em in. Was gonna be this Sunday but apparently I have to drive a friend of mine up North. I'm still trying to figure out how that's gonna work with the Contour being screwed... not sure I wanna do an 8-hour round-trip jaunt in the Z.

Posted by: JaeMok May 1 2009, 09:44 PM

QUOTE (Tessō @ 1 hour, 27 minutes ago)

Learn how to read. That is all.

Did I do something wrong?

Posted by: Möbius May 2 2009, 05:07 AM

QUOTE (JaeMok @ 7 hours, 23 minutes ago)

Did I do something wrong?

You have offended the God Emperor of Mankind.

j/k, don't worry about it.

@Nomake : I didn't know the 'tour was busted last night in chat. Sorry about that. I would give you my spare one to use, but that would not work because I am not local.

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 May 2 2009, 05:20 AM

QUOTE (BmwNeoType @ Yesterday, 3:45 PM)

Trust me, you don't want to work for wal-mart. lol

Work at Walmart, when you find another job... GTFO! (of Walmart)

If you're mischevious like me, have a couple of cool coworkers, then Walmart can be a fun place to work!

Posted by: sideways May 2 2009, 05:46 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 8 hours, 45 minutes ago)

Meh you dont need a wood brick

Just jack the rear end up by the rear diff or the diff mount, put jack stands under it, then jack the front up by the cross member like we did when you were over at marks with me. Shmeasy! Come on boy get to it! If you dont have it done by next weekend imma charge you gas and go do it for you

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 2 2009, 11:01 AM

QUOTE (sideways @ 5 hours, 15 minutes ago)

Meh you dont need a wood brick

Shit dude, might take you up on that anyway.

We'll see how it goes, my jack doesn't go as high as mark's does (thus the comment about the wood/brick lol).

Anyway, I know it's not Z-related, but a quick update on the Contour. Timing belt had skipped a tooth and it all messed up. Thankfully, the Zetec is non-interference (lol AJ), so it didn't do any head damage. Just needs to be replaced. It's being done as we speak, so it'll be ready to go by tomorrow.

Seems odd, though. Supposedly, the timing belt on a Zetec is recommended at 100k-120k miles. Contour's only got 69k on it. Then again, Subaru recommends timing belts at 60k, so... eh. Any experience on that?

In any case, Z is being daily driven again today, but if the shop does their job right, the Contour will return to being a DD tomorrow morning.

Posted by: Möbius May 2 2009, 11:18 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 17 minutes, 2 seconds ago)

Shit dude, might take you up on that anyway.

Timing belt is being replaced?

Change the water pump the same time.

( Well, depending on how long you are planning on keeping it, but to change water pump you need to remove timing belt anyways ).

I had ~100k miles on my Zetec, and timing belt was OK. Water pump went though...

Posted by: sideways May 2 2009, 03:43 PM

Any experience? No. But a thought. The car wasnt designed to be a touge taxi

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 2 2009, 10:12 PM

Well, some more about the Contour before moving on to the Z. The work was finished, and as I expected, they just did the whole service (don't think they did the water pump but meh, tevs). Reason being, the idler pulley was supposedly not in good shape, and might've been what allowed the skip in the first place. I've got the old parts in the car, so I can photo them.

I'd photo them now, but I don't have the car. The credit card used for these things was declined. After talking to my mom about it, she called and found out that it was declined because I used it.

Yes, because I've been paying for everything on my own these past months and haven't used the card, they tagged it as suspicious and declined the transaction. Needless to say it's been taken care of, so I'll be picking the car up tomorrow morning.

As for the Z, she got taken out to meet up with some friends, who then drove her around and found out--after commenting about how jealous they were initially--that maybe they didn't want a Z after all.

They liked the sound, and liked the look, but actually getting to drive it was frustrating. That, and the hood popped up not once, but twice during the jaunt. Once while driving around the parking lot (I hopped out and closed it but accidentally leaned too close, it left a good mark on my chest, argh), and another after I'd gotten up to freeway speed on the way home. That sucked bad, 'cause I was doing 70 (I think) and it popped. So to exit I had to slow from 70 to 0, which meant the hood got progressively more open with the shift of momentum.

After slamming it shut that time, though, the car made it home without any further issues.

Argh. Damn car. I wonder if/how I can adjust the hood, I know it's not supposed to be that hard to latch, and I know it's not supposed to be slightly lopsided and not line up with the sides of the car.

Posted by: MattW May 2 2009, 10:43 PM

I dunno about you, Don; but I'd MUCH rather have the bonnet go up as I'm slowing down, than it whipping into the windscreen at 70mph, haha.

Posted by: Möbius May 3 2009, 01:57 AM

That CC thing happened to me once, it's a real bother...

Posted by: sideways May 4 2009, 07:37 PM

Frustrating to drive? Why and how so

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 4 2009, 09:21 PM

QUOTE (sideways @ 1 hour, 43 minutes ago)

Frustrating to drive? Why and how so

Well, for me they're not annoying. I don't really mind. But the things he didn't like were:

-Interior door handles on the floor instead of higher on the door
-Heavy mechanical steering
-Doesn't go into 1st unless practically stopped
-Useless headlights unless high beams are on

The other things he wasn't a fan of weren't the fault of the car in general, but were rather the fault of my car specifically.

Anyway, Contour's back on the road, made it through a hella road trip without any problems. Managed to go 285 miles on half a tank, too! Z still needs some lurvin'. Gonna see if I can do something on Wednesday perhaps. If not, Sideways, I get off of work at 7:30 on Saturdays...

Posted by: MattW May 4 2009, 09:33 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 12 minutes, 11 seconds ago)

So basically, he wants a new car, lol. Old cars have character.

Posted by: peemyTNBow May 4 2009, 11:21 PM

QUOTE (MattW @ 1 hour, 47 minutes ago)

So basically, he wants a new car, lol. Old cars have character.

If you consider are a constant pain in the ass, potential be unreliable and drivable, a moneypit, falling apart car as one that has "character". Then i guess you could say so.

I just consider old cars fun and stupid.

Posted by: NismoTime May 4 2009, 11:55 PM

-Interior door handles on the floor instead of higher on the door(style points!!)
-Heavy mechanical steering(a good workout!)
-Doesn't go into 1st unless practically stopped(safety first!)
-Useless headlights unless high beams are on(if you're gonna light the road, might as well do it right!)

My Wednesday is pretty empty nomake, want me to go help out? It'd be fun

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 5 2009, 12:57 AM

QUOTE (NismoTime @ 1 hour, 2 minutes ago)

My Wednesday is pretty empty nomake, want me to go help out? It'd be fun

DUDE my Wednesday is empty too (well before 6 or once I get off of work around 9 anyway)! Okay, this sounds great! You wanna meet up somewhere? I see your Z is immobile, but I can still drive mine.

PM me, lemme know what's up!

Posted by: Möbius May 5 2009, 05:46 AM

QUOTE (BmwNeoType @ 6 hours, 25 minutes ago)

Those are not always true, you know. A car can have character , and not be like that.

Or rather, one can close one's eye over them.

Posted by: Tessou May 5 2009, 08:39 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ Yesterday, 1:21 AM)

-Doesn't go into 1st unless practically stopped

Why would you want to downshift into 1st at any higher speed than "grandma"? The only times I shift into first is when I'm either stopped or going ultra slow (i.e. practically stopped). My car does the same thing in that it will pretty much refuse to let me shift it into anything lower than 2nd if I'm going at anything resembling decent driving speed. Not sure if Nismo's Z32 follows suit, but it's a quirk I got over months ago.

And how the hell do the door handles on the floor work? You got pictures or something that I can work with, cuz I'm having a real hard time grasping the concept.

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 5 2009, 09:53 PM

QUOTE (Tessō @ 1 hour, 13 minutes ago)

Again, they were things that bothered him, not things that bothered me. I never go into first unless I'm coming to a stop and need engine braking.

As for door handles on the floor, here's a photo.

user posted image

Note the door handle being on the floor rather than halfway up or on top. But I'm used to door handles being in weird places. In the SVX, the door handles were inside the armrests!

Posted by: MattW May 5 2009, 10:03 PM

Speaking of SVX's, there's one at the Junkyard near my house. Sat in it yesterday, was awesome.

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 5 2009, 10:46 PM

QUOTE (MattW @ 43 minutes, 41 seconds ago)

Speaking of SVX's, there's one at the Junkyard near my house. Sat in it yesterday, was awesome.

I tell ya, man... if you want to buy a car that will just eat up miles on a cross-country trip like they're nothing, get an SVX. That was the most enjoyable trip I've ever done. The car practically glides along at 85 leaving the driver in perfect comfort. Put on your favorite music and you can just go on and on and on...

...not that I'd ever buy another one... but I'm just saying... you know?

Anyway, lookin' forward to the help tomorrow! May as well go all-out, do the diff mount, injector clips, check the speedo, maybe even figure out what's making that whiny noise in teh tranny. Should be fun. Hopefully it helps Nismo out too.

Posted by: MattW May 5 2009, 11:08 PM

Quick SVX question, lol. There was a big circular button to the right of the steering wheel, with up and down arrows on it, what did that do?
user posted image

RHD car, but you get the idea, the one right below the two vents on the center console.

Posted by: NismoTime May 5 2009, 11:44 PM

QUOTE (Tessō @ 3 hours, 4 minutes ago)

Not sure if Nismo's Z32 follows suit, but it's a quirk I got over months ago.

ive never tried to go into first at a moderate speed lol

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 6 2009, 01:30 AM

QUOTE (MattW @ 2 hours, 21 minutes ago)

Quick SVX question, lol. There was a big circular button to the right of the steering wheel, with up and down arrows on it, what did that do?
user posted image

RHD car, but you get the idea, the one right below the two vents on the center console.

That's to adjust the target temperature for the automatic climate control.

Here's a much, much, much better picture so you can see how it works.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/3686/interior057.jpg

Posted by: sideways May 6 2009, 09:28 PM

ker bump. progress report?

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 6 2009, 10:11 PM

FAAABULOUS~!

Now then, let's start the update!

Oh, this'll be easy! -Cyrus430 before the Z went onto jackstands

Well, NismoTime and Cyrus showed up at my place around 12:30 or something, and we got to inspecting the Z. Showing off all its awesomeness, discussing how similar/different it was from the '75 Nismo's got, all that good stuff. Then it was time to get down to business! Diff mount! Woo! Well except... we weren't really sure what to do about keeping the car in the air. Sure, jacking it up was easy... but once the car was jacked up, we noticed something interesting.

user posted image

The rear suspension was different on each side. Like... as if someone had taken two left sides, then flipped one upside down and used it on the right. So it was uneven, and that made the jackstand on the left side tilt onto two feet. We didn't like that, so we started brainstorming other places to put the jackstands. Next up was the middle of the A-arms.

user posted image

Yeah, that was quite possibly WORSE than before. Eventually Cyrus spotted the linkages on the diff carrier for the A-arms and decided to try those. Sure enough, they lined up properly and seemed to support the weight of the car just fine. And were far enough away from our work area that they wouldn't accidentally get in the way or anything. Jacking up the front was easier, it only took us two tries to find the right spot there and get it sitting properly. Now the car was up on all fours... so time to dig in!

AHHHH! -The sound of rust falling into our eyes

For those who've never worked on an old Z before, here are the basics for removing and replacing the diff mount. You'll need a wrench and a socket wrench (17mm), goggles (which none of us had, so there was lots of cussing and wincing involved), and preferably two people. This is because the diff mount is bolted to the diff with a bolt that goes through the diff and has a nut on top. So one person holds the nut and the other tightens/loosens the bolt or vice-versa. Now that you have your tools and people, let's move on to the actual process we went through.

...are there nuts on the top of these? -Cyrus430 noticing that we'd been spinning the bolts to the diff mount uselessly

After fiddling around trying to get wrenches into impossible places, we decided that removing the crossmember was probably the best course of action. It seemed that the rest of the driveline and suspension would be okay even if it were gone, because the swaybar would hold the diff in place without it. So Cyrus knocked the crossmember out of the way and started working on the nuts connecting the mount to the diff. After turning it for a good ten minutes, he wondered aloud if the bolts had nuts on the other end. That's when I remembered reading that there were, and we started doing it the right way. Much easier when you're actually loosening things!

user posted image

There you can see the crossmember pushed aside, one of the diff mount bolts removed and on the ground, along with a ton of rust crap that came off while messing with things. It ended up being that Nismo's hands were of a better size to do the whole grab-the-nut-while-turning-the-bolt thing, so he took off the bolts. Whew! Now we had the mount off, so while we rejoiced over that victory, we snapped pics of the old mount and the new one.

Old Angry Diff Mount:
user posted image

New Happy Diff Mount:
user posted image

Yes, the old one split in half. Made removing it a lot easier because the bottom half of the mount covers up the bolt heads. Which.. we figured out once the new mount went in. We also managed to temporarily lose the washers that go between the nut and the diff, as well as install the diff mount backwards (though that last one was my fault). After a whole bunch of fussing and yanking and awkward arm positions, Nismo and I finally got the diff mount secure. Cyrus430 finished the job off by getting the crossmember back into the proper place and bolting it back up. Then it was just a matter of making sure we'd put everything back as it was before dropping the car back to the ground.

Well, almost. I did one last thing while the car was in the air. I disconnected the speedo cable from the transmission to inspect it and run a test. As I'd thought, the o-rings on the cable had worn down to crap, and so gear oil has wicked its way up the cable. Not really deadly or anything, but annoying and leaky. So then I had Nismo spin the cable while I watched the speedo. No dice, nada. Then I felt the cable from the back of the speedo to see if the inside was rotating. Yup, it was spinning. Verdict? Gauge is shot, need new gauge. Just need the cash! So now that that was taken care of, I put the speedo cable back in place and... snapped this next shot.

user posted image

Yeah, Cyrus! It'll be easy!

In the end, though, it worked out. We dropped the car back down, and took her on a shakedown cruise to return the 17mm wrench we'd...borrowed from AutoZone.

I shifted hard on purpose and holy crap does it make a difference. The car jumps ahead now rather than clunking and getting unhappy. It feels very different to have all the torque going to the wheels instead of being lost in the diff performing body work on the tranny tunnel.

So, next up? Injector clips, which I can do on my own. Tearing into the doors to figure out why the driver's side window and passenger door handles don't work. Once I've got cash, replacing the speedo. Ignition switch needs replacing too but that could be taken care of very soon. Also gotta properly seal up the AFM->Intake boot. Once all that junk's done... shit, she might even be driveable again!

Oh yeah, gotta figure out what's up with the wiring, too. Getting A/C working would be nice!

That's it for tonight's update, hope y'all enjoyed it. HUGE thank you to NismoTime and Cyrus430 for coming down and helping me out with the car. You guys are awesomesauce. Now then, let's all pitch in to get them a lift!

Posted by: Cyrus430 May 6 2009, 11:23 PM

A lift would be great for everyone...

Oh any by the way, make sure to have someone there just in case the driveline falls... it can get heavy... especially when Nismo takes his time turning bolts

I helped! And it was easy... till we got the car up

Posted by: sideways May 7 2009, 01:43 AM

This is why you need a sideways :nod: Congrats on finally getting that shit replaced man. Soon, sooo damn soon will you have a fun ass toy to drive!

Posted by: DALAZ_68 May 7 2009, 10:21 AM

so u gave up the SVX for this...

Posted by: Spaz May 7 2009, 11:43 AM

QUOTE (DALAZ_68 @ 1 hour, 21 minutes ago)

so u gave up the SVX for this...

No, he gave up the SVX for a base model Contour, then picked this up on the side.

Posted by: sideways May 7 2009, 02:17 PM

QUOTE (DALAZ_68 @ 3 hours, 55 minutes ago)

so u gave up the SVX for this...

Enh? This > The svx in a lot of respects, IMO. Much easier and a lot cheaper to fix to boot for whatever comes up.

Posted by: Drew May 7 2009, 05:40 PM

Awesome job with the diff mount guys! Glad to see you're putting some initiative towards it!

Once again, I envy all of you west coasters for being so damned close with many a
hand to call upon when projects need working on.

Posted by: MattW May 7 2009, 05:47 PM

I'm thinking of selling my Datsun...

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 7 2009, 10:55 PM

QUOTE (DALAZ_68 @ Today, 10:21 AM)

so u gave up the SVX for this...

No f**king way. You apparently missed what happened to the SVX. The SVX was NOT sold by choice. I didn't choose to sell it to some dude who doesn't appreciate what it is or the work that went into it for a measly $1200. That was NOT my choice and I really don't appreciate the "giving up" comments. If it had been my choice, I probably would've still had it. At the least, I would've gotten $3500 or so for it.

The choice was my mother's. She told me to sell it, and then got angry one day and told me to sell it to the first person who offered cash. Said person offered $1200 and so I was instructed to take it. So I did. That's what happened to the SVX.

I got this car a whole year after that fiasco. I'm learning already, and despite all the problems and the hate I have for it, I do enjoy driving the Z. I enjoy learning about it, I enjoy talking to the Z community, I enjoy the comments I get from people when I take it places. And as annoying as it is, I enjoy taking it apart and diagnosing and fixing things. This car has a lot of problems. It's a project. But it's teaching me along the way, so hopefully I can be more informed about cars in general.

QUOTE (cmspaz)

No, he gave up the SVX for a base model Contour, then picked this up on the side.

The Contour is an SE, not a base model.

And it was my dad's car, which he gave to me to use after my mom forced me to sell the SVX. He now drives his PT Cruiser.

Anyway, if all goes as planned, I'll be fixing the boot with some silicone and replacing the injector clips tomorrow before work. Then I just need a speedometer and I should be good for driving it around. Dunno if I'll be able to get to the doors tomorrow or not, depends on how long it takes to do the injectors.

Posted by: sideways May 8 2009, 12:06 AM

It better not take you more than half and hour for those injectors

And like. 5 minutes for that boot

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 8 2009, 01:24 AM

QUOTE (sideways @ 1 hour, 18 minutes ago)

It better not take you more than half and hour for those injectors

And like. 5 minutes for that boot

The boot'll be easy. I haven't soldered in a while, so no guarantees on that.

Posted by: Tessou May 8 2009, 03:16 AM

Good to know you're learning the niceties of owning a Z car. Always something to hate, but a lot to love.

So, I might have missed out here but are you still planning on selling this after all the work is done, or has that plan changed?

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 8 2009, 07:59 AM

QUOTE (Tessō @ 4 hours, 42 minutes ago)

That plan hasn't changed. She'll be listed for sale once the driveability work is finished. I'll just keep driving and doing stuff here and there until someone comes along interested. This one is my introduction to Zs, so I know what I'm getting into and also what to look for. I can't stay away from these cars, though... so even if she sells, it probably won't be long before I'm in another one...

Just don't tell her I said that. She's a jealous b*tch.

Posted by: sideways May 8 2009, 11:16 AM

Hmm your selling the car?

Posted by: Tessou May 8 2009, 12:22 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 4 hours, 23 minutes ago)

I can't stay away from these cars, though... so even if she sells, it probably won't be long before I'm in another one...

Just don't tell her I said that. She's a jealous b*tch.

Those are words that I love to hear. Glad to see you're joining the club, N1.

Posted by: Rudy May 8 2009, 01:10 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 5 hours, 11 minutes ago)

Just don't tell her I said that. She's a jealous b*tch.

Don't be afraid to give the later gens, such as the Z31, a look. ^^

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe May 8 2009, 01:45 PM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 34 minutes, 34 seconds ago)

Don't be afraid to give the later gens, such as the Z31, a look. ^^

The Z31 will be mine to take....

Posted by: Rudy May 8 2009, 02:58 PM

QUOTE (Ayako Watanabe @ 1 hour, 12 minutes ago)

The Z31 will be mine to take....

Not if I don't get my hands on one first.

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 8 2009, 04:13 PM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 3 hours, 3 minutes ago)

Don't be afraid to give the later gens, such as the Z31, a look. ^^

The issue with those is that to get a good specimen of the turbo (the only one worth it), you'll be paying $5k at least... $5k that if it went into an S30 would get you something stupid awesome that eats Z31s all day long. Not to mention, it's a lot easier to work on the S30s than it is the Z31s.

But while I'm sticking to the S30s, my dad seems to be interested in a Z31...

Posted by: am3pkcet May 8 2009, 04:26 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 12 minutes, 7 seconds ago)

But while I'm sticking to the S30s, my dad seems to be interested in a Z31...

i thought he wanted the "corvette-lookin" Z32s. lol.

btw, test drove a 370z sport today. do want.

Posted by: Rudy May 8 2009, 04:36 PM

Well I'm probaly just going to buy a non-turbo and go NA-T.

Posted by: Tessou May 8 2009, 05:23 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 1 hour, 9 minutes ago)

To each their own. I'm particularly drawn to the features the Z32 offers in ABS and power steering. My brother is drawn to the Z31 because of those crazy retractable headlights (totally exotic, I know [/sarcasm]) and the optional digital dash. You like the S30 because it's cheaper in the long run and is easier to work on than a Z31 (and I guarantee a HELL of a lot easier than a Z32).

I'm liking how other members are stepping up to join the Z train that seems to have descended upon IDW.

Perhaps an epic meet is necessary if a Z group actually happens. I'll bite.

Posted by: Drew May 8 2009, 05:58 PM

Man, I can sense that there's a trend going on here...

/obvious

Haha, I REALLY gotta get all A's during my first year at Rutgers.

After that, Z34 will be the sweetest scholarship gift ever. Give it three years out of school and with a steady paycheck, badasssedry will commence.

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 8 2009, 10:25 PM

QUOTE (Tessō @ 5 hours, 2 minutes ago)

I'm liking how other members are stepping up to join the Z train that seems to have descended upon IDW.

Perhaps an epic meet is necessary if a Z group actually happens. I'll bite.

THIS. Man, an IDW Z Meet? Who'd have thunk it? I certainly didn't... but now it's becoming a reality!

As for today's progress...none. I fell ill this morning and had to sleep it off.

Maybe tomorrow, or later tonight. Hopefully it was just food poisoning or something and it'll get better overnight.

Posted by: Möbius May 8 2009, 10:35 PM

Hope you feel better tomorrow.

Posted by: DALAZ_68 May 12 2009, 01:13 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ May 7 2009, 10:55 PM)

QUOTE (cmspaz)

No, he gave up the SVX for a base model Contour, then picked this up on the side.

The Contour is an SE, not a base model.

dont get ur panties in a twist bud, u see what kind of mess ive gotten myself into with my cars...

the one thing thats wicked wierd about the Z tranny, atleast the Z32's is the external linkage system...whats even funnier is that they have the upper plate opening like KA trannies...its so funny looking

sucks to hear about the SVX...everytime i saw one on the freeway i thoguht it might be you...

ohh wells...i wish to see much progress on this one...are u still in CA...junk yard run

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 12 2009, 01:52 PM

QUOTE (DALAZ_68 @ 39 minutes, 3 seconds ago)

ohh wells...i wish to see much progress on this one...are u still in CA...junk yard run

Yup, I'm still in CA. You wanna do a run, lemme know when. I'm pretty strapped for cash (mostly 'cause of the car lol) but I could tag along I suppose.

Posted by: am3pkcet May 12 2009, 03:11 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ May 8 2009, 11:25 PM)

THIS. Man, an IDW Z Meet? Who'd have thunk it? I certainly didn't... but now it's becoming a reality!

hopefully soon enough....

Posted by: Nomake Wan May 12 2009, 03:14 PM

QUOTE (am3pkcet @ 2 minutes, 23 seconds ago)

hopefully soon enough....

Please refer to https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=37988, where you will sure to be the envy of all of us with cobbled-together crotch-rockets and econoboxes.

Posted by: Tessou May 12 2009, 07:32 PM

QUOTE (DALAZ_68 @ 6 hours, 19 minutes ago)

sucks to hear about the SVX...everytime i saw one on the freeway i thoguht it might be you...

Hah, I was watching National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon a few days back and saw one of the bad guys driving a white SVX (he got away without a scratch, btw). Immediately thought of N1.

Posted by: The Stig May 13 2009, 08:19 PM

God all this Z talks is making me think of selling my RSTi and buy a S30 and plop a badass motor into it...

Posted by: DALAZ_68 May 13 2009, 09:11 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ Yesterday, 1:52 PM)

Yup, I'm still in CA. You wanna do a run, lemme know when. I'm pretty strapped for cash (mostly 'cause of the car lol) but I could tag along I suppose.

half off sales man...half off sales

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 15 2009, 03:49 AM

Time for an update. My dad was down on vacation, so I conned him into helping me a bit with getting the dash out. Some hidden bolts extracted later and she came out without any serious issues. Once the dash is out, it's painfully obvious what color the car and interior used to be. It's also painfully obvious that there's some shit wrong. Like... wrong.

user posted image

Here you can also see the speedo cable sticking out, which I discovered after panicking about the transmission being dead was snapped on the speedo side. That is, while it's still the right shape, the squared end isn't long enough to push into the back of the gauge. There's no tension on the wire pushing the ends into the gauge and transmisison, so it never actually spun properly. The speedo works, though. Anybody want a speedo out of a '75?

Here's the dash on some boxes in my garage, front and back. Honestly it's in decent shape, save for the tubing which is worn down to shit and useless now. I'll have to see if I can get replacements from MSA before I put the dash back together. Working air vents would be kinda nice!

user posted image

So I get the dash out... and the first thing I notice is why the A/C was never working. HMMMM. I WONDER IF THIS WIRE SUPPLYING POWER TO THE SWITCH IS SUPPOSED TO PLUG INTO SOMETHING!?

So yay, looks like the A/C is a simple fix. The switches themselves seem to be in good shape, so with luck I just wire it back up and it'll be good. So next up are the wires I couldn't quite figure out, starting with some by the ignition area.

user posted image

The two dangling prongs are kinda...wtf. Seriously, the hell? Two prongs and nothing to plug into. Even better is that the back of the ignition switch has five prongs while the ignition harness only has four connectors. I'm guessing someone grabbed an ignition switch off of a different year and tried to adapt it...badly. Just a guess, though.

Next up, this mystery dangling wire by where the tachometer would be. It's between the steering column and the climate controls, behind the main harness that goes over to the ignition switch assembly.

user posted image

And then we have these wires from the passenger side floor. The ones pointed out probably are radio wires. The rest, though, I have no clue. Especially that black harness that has a bunch of wires cut off of it. WTF?

user posted image

And finally, these two wires near the internal fusebox. Just kinda chillin, not plugging into anything. Just...there.

user posted image

So yeah, I'm waiting for a speedo cable to come in. In the mean time, I'll ask around, see if I can solve this wiring mess. The wiring diagrams aren't helping much, probably because the wires here aren't what they're supposed to be. I'll keep you all posted, as usual.

Posted by: Möbius Jun 15 2009, 06:11 AM

Wow sounds like a mess ( looks like it too

). Do you have a multimeter?

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 15 2009, 07:17 AM

QUOTE (Apex Carver @ 1 hour, 6 minutes ago)

Wow sounds like a mess ( looks like it too

). Do you have a multimeter?

Indeed I do have a multimeter. That'll let me know where current is, but it won't tell me what goes to what. Helped a lot when I was diagnosing the SVX, though.

Posted by: Möbius Jun 15 2009, 07:21 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 4 minutes, 15 seconds ago)

Indeed I do have a multimeter. That'll let me know where current is, but it won't tell me what goes to what. Helped a lot when I was diagnosing the SVX, though.

It helps to verify the wire once there is an idea where it goes. With battery out, short the questioned wire to frame, then test continuity on other end to frame.

It looks like it's not any factory harness, so it doesn't look like the wire colours can be trusted ( maybe spliced to different colour >_< ).

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Jun 15 2009, 08:27 AM

Woot update.

.... That wiring looks like a headache to have to deal with... I can't even imagine how one would solve all that.

Posted by: Rudy Jun 15 2009, 08:35 AM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ May 8 2009, 05:58 PM)

Not if I don't get my hands on one first.

Well, a Supra is fine, too.

Posted by: MattW Jun 15 2009, 09:10 AM

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. f**k wires! Just look at all of them, and that's a '70's era car. Imagine the wires on the new ones!

Posted by: peemyTNBow Jun 15 2009, 09:34 AM

Actually, wiring on newer cars is a little easier due to better wiring harnesses, better diagrams, color coding, and manuals.

But, it all depends on the car.

Posted by: Spaz Jun 15 2009, 09:57 AM

Your honest to god best bet is to pull it all out and redo it.

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Jun 15 2009, 10:00 AM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 2 minutes, 52 seconds ago)

Your honest to god best bet is to pull it all out and redo it.

That's what she said.

Posted by: chillined Jun 15 2009, 11:15 AM

QUOTE (ToyotaFan84 @ 1 hour, 15 minutes ago)

That's what she said.

I have no comment on this. That wiring looks like a b*tch to handle. That must be nothing compared to the Nissan GT-R.

Posted by: Rudy Jun 15 2009, 11:43 AM

Wow, I'm digging the Fujiwara-style rubber shift boot

Posted by: Sensation! Jun 15 2009, 11:47 AM

man with this much work put into it, and a dash that clean, id say you keep the car xD

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Jun 15 2009, 11:52 AM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 3 hours, 16 minutes ago)

Well, a Supra is fine, too.

Was that really necessary Drifter?

On-Topic: That seems quite a lot of fun actually. Shame that the last owner could have at least done a better job. Hate it when you have to fix up the mess that the last owner left behind

but hey! At least the dash is in pretty good shape!

Posted by: Rudy Jun 15 2009, 12:02 PM

That's his curse man, cars with horrendous wiring jobs gravitating their way into his ownership are https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=27211&st=0&hl=

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 15 2009, 03:45 PM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 5 hours, 47 minutes ago)

Your honest to god best bet is to pull it all out and redo it.

f**k that noise. The majority of the wiring in this car is perfectly fine. The few wires I took note of in the update post are the ones I'm not sure about, and given time I'll figure them out even without help from the forums. But hell if I'm gonna tear out all the wiring in this car and put it back together again. That's wholly unnecessary.

QUOTE (Sensation!)

man with this much work put into it, and a dash that clean, id say you keep the car xD

The dash looks clean 'cause it's got a cap over it.

I'll be keeping this car until someone buys it, as planned. It just won't go on sale until I've got the thing running right again.

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter)

Wow, I'm digging the Fujiwara-style rubber shift boot

Yeah, the one that isn't from this car and doesn't quite fit.

QUOTE (Ayako Watanabe)

On-Topic: That seems quite a lot of fun actually. Shame that the last owner could have at least done a better job. Hate it when you have to fix up the mess that the last owner left behind

I'm used to it. As AJ mentioned, I had to do the same shit with the SVX, if y'all recall. The previous owner trashed the hell outta that thing, and I got it mostly back to normal. Same plan for the Z.

Anyway, with luck and awesome RockAuto will have my speedo cable to me this week, so next Sunday I can get at least that working. The wiring will have to wait a bit for me to do some more research.

Posted by: Möbius Jun 15 2009, 04:37 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 52 minutes, 0 seconds ago)

I wouldn't pull it out either, if most of the wiring is OK.

Posted by: Drew Jun 15 2009, 07:00 PM

Don, just thank yourself that it's not British. If so you;d have to deal with Lucas electrical systems. That's the first thing I'll be dealing with on the Spitfire.

As most brit car guys say; Lucas is the real prince of darkness.

Posted by: kyonpalm Jun 15 2009, 08:33 PM

QUOTE (Thir13Teen @ 1 hour, 32 minutes ago)

Truer words haven't been said. At least to my knowledge.
Hell there's a whole "Side Glances" article in Road & Track from some years ago that I still have that details the woes of Lucas...

Posted by: Spaz Jun 15 2009, 09:55 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 6 hours, 10 minutes ago)

If that's the case, then I will have to agree with said f**king of said noise.

I was basically getting the impression that the whole car was a clusterf**k of wires. That not being the case, you can ignore my suggestion.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 15 2009, 10:19 PM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 23 minutes, 41 seconds ago)

Ah. Naw, the only clusterf**ks are what I specifically pointed out. If you look carefully at the images, you can see that the remaining harnesses are all intact and original. No worries there. The engine bay is similarly original wiring, so at least that's okay too. Just gotta figure out a few mysteries on the inside and I'll be good.

That and I think the guy adapted parts from a different year Z for the passenger door, too... seeing as the latch cover doesn't fit (it's not positioned correctly) and the window lever doesn't match the other side.

Seriously, an amalgamation of parts. I gotta hit up the junkyard, see if I can find a '78.

Posted by: Rudy Jun 16 2009, 06:23 AM

I was telling my neighbor about your car and he said before he owned his '87 Jag he had a '78 Z that he ended up swapping an L28 into. He said it was 'almost as fast as his Cobra'... that being a 500HP, 428 Side Oiler Cobra replicar

So yeah - when tuned right, Z's can be ridiculous.

Posted by: The Stig Jun 16 2009, 11:07 AM

QUOTE (ToyotaFan84 @ Yesterday, 8:27 AM)

Woot update.

.... That wiring looks like a headache to have to deal with... I can't even imagine how one would solve all that.

That wiring doesn't look bad at all. Now Subaru wiring harnesses... oh boy...

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 17 2009, 02:26 PM

QUOTE (The Stig @ Yesterday, 11:07 AM)

That wiring doesn't look bad at all. Now Subaru wiring harnesses... oh boy...

f**king THIS. Seriously, you guys have no idea what a pain it was trying to figure out why the dash lights on the SVX never worked.

Posted by: Mr. Shine Jun 17 2009, 03:37 PM

I want a Z now, but they're just so damn hard to find in New Zealand

Posted by: Drew Jun 17 2009, 09:42 PM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ Jun 16 2009, 10:23 AM)

So yeah - when tuned right, Z's can be ridiculous.

corrected it for you.

From your Freindly Neighborhood Ford Nut

Posted by: Möbius Jun 18 2009, 06:01 AM

QUOTE (Thir13Teen @ 8 hours, 18 minutes ago)

corrected it for you.

From your Freindly Neighborhood Ford Nut

I was going to leave it alone.

It's probably just a typo...

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 12 2009, 06:04 PM

All right, time for an update. This'll probably be my third-to-last update on this car or so.

So my dad and I got to looking at things, finally triumphing over the ancient speedo cable and getting the damn thing out. We then compared it to the new cable, which brought some rather troublesome facts to the table. First, that the old cable was some six inches shorter. Second, that the new cable's speedometer-side fitting was significantly larger than the old one. It still fit onto the speedo properly, sure... but the issue was getting the large plastic fitting through the small hole in the firewall. After test-threading the cable (forgoing the fitting), I also found that the new cable had the exact same issue as the old one; for some reason, it was able to be pushed back far enough that the inner cable was nearly flush with the edge of the outer cable. If you don't know what that means, it means that the part that keys into the speedometer could actually end up "falling back" into the cable housing, disconnecting it from the speedometer.

Just like the old cable.

After that, and looking at some wiring... we've decided to give up. Officially. I will likely put the old cable back into place, then just throw the car back together and sell it as-is. The speedo won't work, something is wrong on the transmission side which allows it to go deeper inside the transmission than it should. I matched most of the missing/dangling wires (almost all of them were for the radio and speakers), save for the one hanging off the side of the ignition. Since the ignition is not original to the car, and since the car does start and run, I will be ignoring it.

The air conditioning now functions properly. I ran a continuity test with bits of the circuit, and found a suitable power source for the switch assembly. The A/C can now be engaged and disengaged from the cabin based on whether the main HVAC controls are on or not. This will probably be my saving grace, as I don't know any S30Zs with working OEM A/C besides mine.

The engine wiring and tubing will be repaired this week. I need to stop by Motorsport Auto tomorrow and see if they have HVAC tubing so I can also repair the tubes behind the dash before putting it back. Even without the tubes, the A/C will still blow cold air through the center console, but with them it will distribute said air much more evenly. I'm planning on having the dash back in and the car running by next Sunday.

At which point it will be up for sale. It was a good lesson. My next car won't be such a project, as I don't really have the resources for one, it would seem. Not to mention, my life just got turned on its head, so I'm not even sure what I'll be doing in the next month. Better to not have loose ends like a project car laying around.

I'll update as the repairs are completed. If interested in purchasing the car, PM or IM me and I'll get back to you.

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Jul 13 2009, 11:29 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ Yesterday, 7:04 PM)

So basically, no more Z for you for quite a while eh? That sucks quite hard. However, think of it as the calm before the storm, except not in a bad way

.

The time will come where you will find a GOOD car to work with and still have the funds to maintain yourself and the next vehicle.

Wish you the best of luck man.

...Now I just need to continue saving up money over here (just started) to get myself a Z31 turbo when I move <.<

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 14 2009, 08:19 AM

Minor update.

I was bothered by the wiring again, so I delved further into the manuals I had sitting around, as well as google and Rockauto. To my surprise... I found that my ignition was probably not ripped off another car, and has been replaced by something aftermarket instead. It's this part here:

user posted image

Which, according to the wiring diagram, works. The two wires coming out of the side are for the steering lock (though in the '78 diagram, one of the two is supposed to be female, which explains the random male/male situation I found when I opened the steering covers), and the fifth prong on the top is there (but is unused). Meaning the wiring is actually correct (ZOMG!) and the problem is likely with the switch itself, not the cylinder. I'll replace the switch now while I've got the car sitting there. It's like $30 shipped, meh. Worth it to make the car start reliably.

I also appear to be right about the remaining dangling wires. They were for the speakers (which no longer exist) and the factory radio harness (which was cut up by the previous owner to install... an even crappier radio than stock lol). So far, all the ones I've traced have been non-essentials. Things that would be pretty simple to fix, but being non-essentials, I'm not going to spend the effort going over them before selling the car. The car will run and be safe (save for the nonfunctioning speedometer, though I'll include both the old and new cables for whoever buys the car), and the A/C will work. That's the goal.

I'll update again as I actually go repair bits. This coming weekend's a long one, so my goal's in sight. Just gotta make it happen.

Posted by: Rudy Jul 14 2009, 03:16 PM

Wow, was I dreaming last night or something? I thought I posted here. *scratches forehead*

Well, if you want a buyer I think I have one. Possibly. Maybe. Transcontinental transit's a b*tch, it it might just happen. Mind if I send him your contact details?

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Jul 14 2009, 04:13 PM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 57 minutes, 17 seconds ago)

That's because you DID. Now knock it off.

Don: How much are you planning to sell the Z after you get everything sorted out?

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 14 2009, 09:20 PM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 6 hours, 4 minutes ago)

You did. It caused problems. Don't post the same thing again, I'm warning you now.

If you think you have a buyer, SERIOUSLY have a buyer who's willing to pay up front and transport the car out-of-pocket, sent him or her my way. If there's ANY doubt, don't even bother because it's not worth my time to negotiate a cross-country transfer.

Ayako: Since I was unable to fix the speedometer, $2000. Will include both speedometer cables and any and all hardware I have for the car.

Mini-mini update: I ran a continuity test on the steering lock wires. Turns out, they are a complete circuit whether the key is inserted or not. That explains why they'd been left dangling; it must've been buzzing the guy to death!

So I'll go ahead and trim those down so they don't hit against anything. Rockauto shipped out the ignition switch today, from Los Angeles, so it'll probably be here tomorrow. I'll install it then since I don't have work until 6.

Posted by: Rudy Jul 15 2009, 05:41 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 8 hours, 20 minutes ago)

If you think you have a buyer, SERIOUSLY have a buyer who's willing to pay up front and transport the car out-of-pocket, sent him or her my way. If there's ANY doubt, don't even bother because it's not worth my time to negotiate a cross-country transfer.

Well, here's the big question; do you think the car will survive a 2,000 mile trip to New Jersey?

Posted by: MattW Jul 15 2009, 07:20 AM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 1 hour, 38 minutes ago)

Well, here's the big question; do you think the car will survive a 2,000 mile trip to New Jersey?

That'd be 3,000 miles.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 15 2009, 12:12 PM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 6 hours, 31 minutes ago)

Well, here's the big question; do you think the car will survive a 2,000 mile trip to New Jersey?

I don't know. I've only driven it through SoCal so far. I don't think it'll fall apart, but I can't predict what will happen on a 3k mile trip.

Ignition switch showed up this morning. Damn, Rockauto is fast. I ordered the thing yesterday morning and just had normal everyday shipping. Bad-ass! I'll install it later. Just so stoked at how quickly it got to me. I'll be able to have the thing installed before my dad gets here to help me put everything back together. That's just awesome.

Posted by: Spaz Jul 15 2009, 01:38 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 1 hour, 25 minutes ago)

Ignition switch showed up this morning. Damn, Rockauto is fast. I ordered the thing yesterday morning and just had normal everyday shipping. Bad-ass! I'll install it later. Just so stoked at how quickly it got to me. I'll be able to have the thing installed before my dad gets here to help me put everything back together. That's just awesome.

Yeah, they're good. Got me a hub for my car in a couple days. I was very pleased and impressed.

Posted by: Rudy Jul 15 2009, 02:55 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 2 hours, 43 minutes ago)

I don't know. I've only driven it through SoCal so far. I don't think it'll fall apart, but I can't predict what will happen on a 3k mile trip.

Your number and the price has been sent. With any luck, you'll have a buyer.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 16 2009, 09:45 PM

Another update!

On a hunch, I went and retested continuity on the steering lock wires. This time, I put the key in and turned it all the way back to the "LOCK" position, then removed the key. Sure enough, it broke the continuity of the wires. I put the key back in and the circuit completed. So apparently, it'll buzz at you until you actually lock out the ignition, and it does that by design. Huh. I'll see about wiring it back up, then.

Also, I went ahead and test-fitted the ignition switch tonight. Mainly because I was too damned lazy to remove the old one, because its screws are a little hard to get to with the screwdrivers I had handy. So instead I just connected the ignition switch harness to the new switch and put a screwdriver into it.

user posted image

Sure enough... fired right up. Cold start problem SOLVED! I was so happy. So I turn the car back off and go to remove the cable from the battery again... and smell something funny. A smell that totally wasn't there before. It smelled like... gas. Crap. Crap, crap. So I got the camera out and ran the car again so I could find out where it was leaking. Well, I found it.

user posted image

...why do I have a bad feeling that the fuel rail is leaking?

Why does that look like electrical tape over it? I swear that wasn't leaking before, I don't remember it smelling like gas when I drove it a while back... argh. Well I'll figure it out over the weekend and get back to you. Argh. If it's not one thing, it's another...

Posted by: Shirogane Jul 16 2009, 10:00 PM

That almost resembles sludge on the line.

One of the same problems with the Econoline, 'cept a huge puddle of petrol formed under the carb.

Posted by: Spaz Jul 17 2009, 02:25 PM

Looks more like it's just that line than the rail itself.

In which case, it's a shame, fuel rails are cake to swap out. Lines are a PITA.

Posted by: Möbius Jul 17 2009, 02:28 PM

Yeah it looks like the line itself, it was "fixed" with electrical tape? >_<

( I like your threads, Don, they always have nice pictures of everything

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 17 2009, 03:24 PM

I was wrong about the electrical tape comment. After closer inspection with a rag, that's actually the fuel eating away at the (probably) rattlecan black paint used to paint the engine. I discovered this because my intake manifold is now glimmering silver in a few spots.

So yeah, line needs attention. I'll inspect it tomorrow.

Posted by: HashiriyaR32 Jul 19 2009, 07:29 PM

Time to bright slap this time limit into a thing of destiny!

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 19 2009, 07:55 PM

Thanks, Hashi!

Well, here's your weekend update. The dash and internal bits are being installed tomorrow morning. The A/C is confirmed working (through the full control system instead of hot-wiring, this time). Also, the fuel leak? Was not a hole in the rail at all... it was a loose clamp on one of the injector hoses. My dad spotted it, that one of the clamps looked like all the paint had come off. A quick tightening and it's dry as a bone. Gotta love simple fixes!

So the car runs good now, A/C works, wiring's set. Only thing that doesn't work now is the speedo (don't have time to figure out exactly what's up there), the driver's window regulator and the exterior door lock cylinders. Again, things that I can fix but just plain don't have the time to do.

So the car will be back in driveable condition tomorrow. Glee.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 26 2009, 01:36 PM

Another update.

New ignition switch is installed and working. Delay on the dash because we're fixing the hoses. So the side fresh-air vents as well as the windshield vents will be fully functional before putting the dash back in. Also, my dad decided to just replace the hose between the AFM and the throttle body with a brand new part rather than just sealing it, which to be fair is less of a hassle in the long run. Afterwards is just soldering a few things and that's it.

One of my co-workers has expressed interest in the vehicle, but as he hasn't actually made a deal with me, the car is still up for sale, still $2000. Biggest non-functional is the speedometer, though the gauge and cable are fine. I'll throw in the spare speedo and cable I have anyway though, as I've said before.

More to come tomorrow evening.

Posted by: sideways Jul 27 2009, 03:00 AM

Have to admit ill be sad to see it go. Did you ever get to really enjoy driving it much?

Posted by: backalleyracer Jul 27 2009, 04:32 AM

seems like we are now all on a "new" trend here

sell the Z's we bought

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Jul 27 2009, 11:37 AM

Is Nismo still working on his? I haven't seen him update in a long time.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 27 2009, 02:00 PM

QUOTE (backalleyracer @ 9 hours, 27 minutes ago)

seems like we are now all on a "new" trend here

sell the Z's we bought

Hey, I still plan on getting another one, just this time it'll be one that's less of a project.

Sideways: I haven't, but once it's fixed up I'll probably hit up GMR or something for the heck of it. Gotta get my money's worth out of her, haha.

ToyotaFan: No clue. Where's that guy been? I guess I should text him or something.

Aaand update.

Got the new AFM hose, installed. Working on the soldering this week while waiting for the hoses for behind the dash to show up. They were special-order (and pricey, jeez!) so I can only hope that they're the correct hoses. There were two part numbers, DH7 and DH6, and while the guy looking at my hose was confident it was DH7, eh. We'll see. If it's not the right one, I'm gonna have to raise some hell.

Also have to go junkyard-hunting for a hood latch. Sure the hood closes and all, but I'd much rather put the stock safety latch back on. Not sure why it was removed in the first place.

So yeah. I really wanna put the damn thing back together, but can't until I have the HVAC hoses... dammit.

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Jul 27 2009, 02:38 PM

If you go to GMR on Sat or Fri night please let me know!

Posted by: Nomake Wan Sep 18 2009, 12:11 AM

Well, there's a new vid up on youtube of the car running, so the car runs nice and smooth now. It's still not back together though, the dash needs to go back in. If anyone would like to come over and help me with that, PLEASE DO! I'll treat you to dinner if you do! Seriously!

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu5q-TtApxk )

Posted by: Sensation! Sep 18 2009, 12:33 AM

Dont feel like working on my car atm, and i need to pick up some MKVs from you.

if the either of the sideways' feel like it, i just might just tag along

Posted by: Nomake Wan Sep 18 2009, 12:48 AM

QUOTE (Sensation! @ 15 minutes, 16 seconds ago)

Dont feel like working on my car atm, and i need to pick up some MKVs from you.

if the either of the sideways' feel like it, i just might just tag along

I have all of Gundam 00 in Bluray as well as Eureka 7, just a heads up.

Oh and before I forget

E7: 49.7 GB
Gundam 00: 59.5 GB

Plan accordingly.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Oct 11 2009, 05:22 PM

The dash is back in!

Today, my dad and I went back to the car, put the dash in, and reconnected the speedometer. It was done by the book, correctly. We made sure, twice, that both ends of the speedo cable were keyed properly. We also confirmed once more that the speedometer gauge itself works properly on both ends. However, it is still non-functional, so the problem with the speedometer lies within the transmission. Perhaps the gear which connects the cable end to the speedometer cog is bad, I'm not sure.

For now, my iPhone has an app that displays my current speed accurately and updates its reading every 3 seconds or so, so I can at least calibrate myself on relating speed to gearing and revs. That's how the speedo in the car works anyway, so it's exactly as accurate as the original equipment. Maybe I'll be ghetto and put a sticky note over the speedo with gear/rev/speed notes.

Car runs great, still takes two cranks to start. On the second crank it'll start just fine, so it's a cold start injector issue, most likely. Not something that impacts driveability so I'm leaving it alone.

The full interior isn't back in because we didn't have time, but that's stuff I can do by myself, so that'll happen here soon. For now, the car is perfectly driveable, so I'm gonna go have some fun with it. Well, after I renew its registration and insurance, that is!

Anyone interested, the car is up for sale now that it's working and legal to drive again. $2000 as I've said before, same I paid for it. PM me if you're interested. You can either stop by my place, or I could probably drive the car to you. I can no longer keep it in my garage, so right now it's in temp parking. Thing's gotta go, sadly.

That's it for this update. Night all!

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Oct 11 2009, 05:50 PM

Ain't Iphone apps great? lol

Good to see you're almost done with it Don. Shame it has to go though.

Posted by: Drew Oct 11 2009, 05:53 PM

Mucho glad to see this project back on track!!

Keep wurkin at it Don!!!

Posted by: Rudy Oct 11 2009, 06:37 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 1 hour, 14 minutes ago)

Maybe I'll be ghetto and put a sticky note over the speedo with gear/rev/speed notes.

The Pimp My Ride 240SX mod. Nice.

Posted by: Spaz Oct 11 2009, 07:10 PM

Stickers were fairly common back in the day. The old GLHSs had a sticker over the gauge cluster so they wouldn't have to make new gauge clusters to show speeds above 80mph.

A friend of mine has wrapped his back around to 0.

Posted by: Rudy Oct 11 2009, 07:12 PM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 1 minute, 49 seconds ago)

0 = 135 miles per hour.

Posted by: Spaz Oct 11 2009, 09:12 PM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 2 hours, 0 minutes ago)

0 = 135 miles per hour.

Or thereabouts. That car's fast as shit, but goes through stock turbos like nobody's business. Of course, you can't expect a 24 year old turbo designed to handle 11psi to last long at 16psi.

Good thing for him that they only cost ~$20.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Oct 12 2009, 09:24 PM

Another update. Took the car to AAA to get all the registration shiz taken care of, they wanted me to smog it, I was like ehhhhh...kay. I figured what the hell, why not. So I took it to the smog place by my house and holy shit it passed. So yeah, Z's all legalized and shiz, so I can actually drive it around without worrying about that stuff.

I also have a suction mount for my iPhone in the car now, and it works great. Yay for knowing how fast I'm going!

Next up, putting back the rest of the interior. Might even fix a bulb or two on the way.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Nov 1 2009, 07:21 PM

Quick progress report.

Motorsport Auto was having a fall sale, and while they had a bunch of stuff I needed/wanted, I had very little cash on me (damn you for having a sale right before I get my next paycheck!), but managed to pick up a couple of items. Got six NGK spark plugs, a new distributor rotor, new distributor cap, new fuel filter and a new hood latch mechanism. Those showed up while I was up in San Fran, so I didn't really have a chance to deal with them until today.

Sadly I don't have any pics of the process, but my dad and I just pulled the nose of the car into the garage and got to it. Having never dealt with an older car, he showed me the basics then let me at getting things done. The old distributor cap looked okay, honestly, but was replaced anyway since I had a new one. In case this one cracks or something, I still have the old one laying around. The old rotor was a tad on the pitted side, so it got replaced. The old spark plugs were a tad on the hot side (white tips rather than tan), but a check with my plug gap tool showed that the gaps were over .045... and the manual calls for .039-.043. I set the new plugs to .040 and put those in.

The fuel filter wasn't put in as we didn't really have time. I'm going to hold off on it for a little bit, as there's something I may be doing with the fuel tank here soon that should probably be done before the filter.

The hood latch was fun. We put the new latch on and eyeballed where it lined up... and that resulted in the catch mechanism becoming hopelessly stuck shut. The hood was almost latched for good, but some convincing with a screwdriver against the latch got it free. I adjusted the position to better match and tried again, and this time the hood shuts just fine. Now it can't fly up on me on the freeway! Worst it can do is hit the latch.

The car afterward was...weird. I later found this was because I was almost out of gas, so a tank of gas later and it's running real smooth. Even better than before, really. I even had to adjust the idle back down to 800, so yeah. Feels good, having the motor magically run smoother just because you did a few little things.

November is going to be tight for me financially, so progress on the car will probably be stalled. I'm now paying for my own insurance on top of gas and maintenance... and work cut my hours again, so it's gonna be rough for a bit. I'll get through though, and hopefully soon there'll be more to report.

Tomorrow, a trip to the local exhaust shop to see how much it'd be to get something done. The leak into the cabin is starting to get a tad on the annoying side.

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Nov 1 2009, 08:09 PM

So do you still have to sell the car?

Posted by: kyonpalm Nov 1 2009, 08:12 PM

Good luck with the exhaust thing.

QUOTE

Feels good, having the motor magically run smoother just because you did a few little things.

That feeling applies to many things in life, including computers - I know that one all too well.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Nov 1 2009, 08:35 PM

QUOTE (ToyotaFan84 @ 25 minutes, 58 seconds ago)

So do you still have to sell the car?

Have to? No. I'm paying for everything on the car out of my own pocket, including insurance (my parents wouldn't even let me put it on their policy, so I got my own). It's 100% my car and my responsibility. It's also now my only transportation since the Touge Taxi was sent up north with my dad.

Willing to? For now. For now, if someone wants it for $2000, I'd be willing to sell it and go looking for another. However, once stuff starts going into it, that will change a whole lot. It's a running car now. Hopefully soon it'll be more than that.

Posted by: HashiriyaR32 Nov 2 2009, 06:11 PM

Bump for another dose of fabulous justice!

Posted by: SgtXDNX Nov 2 2009, 06:11 PM

Holy shiz, new parts incoming!

Posted by: Nomake Wan Nov 2 2009, 06:15 PM

I love you guys.

As Jake said, new parts ahoy! I took the car down to the local awesome muffler shop that's been around since... well, before the S30Z was even in production and had them look at it. I'd taken the SVX there before, but it was "too sophisticated" and they didn't wanna do anything with it. Funny, I had a feeling they wouldn't mind working on a Z. And they didn't! So we got the shitty exhaust cut off and replaced it with shiny new straight pipe.

I love not having to have a cat.

So here are pics of the new setup.

user posted image

And of course, the obligatory youtube video showing off the new sound. For the old sound, just look at the "Engine Test" video I posted a while back. The new exhaust isn't annoyingly loud, except in 4th gear at low revs. That gets pretty noisy, but in an "I'm AWESOME" sort of way.

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTpMlIbq7zw )

Enjoy.

Posted by: Hannah Nov 2 2009, 07:20 PM

I love the sound.

I wanna ride in your car some time.

Posted by: Drew Nov 3 2009, 07:46 AM

Oi Don, for the next purchase (if the mechanics are all sorted out), go for some coilovers and a wheel-tire package. Make it look even more b*tchin'

Posted by: Nomake Wan Nov 4 2009, 08:28 PM

Sadly, I'm terrible when it comes to taking photos of my work, as it's just me here working and when I get going on a project I don't want to stop partway and take photos. Sorry about that!

Anyway, today I started the day by replacing the old radiator cap with one that has a safety release on it. I ended up really wishing I had one of those back when I had the SVX, so just in case there's an overheat or other problem with the Z later on, I want to be sure I can quickly remove the cap without killing myself. So since the car'd been sitting all night, it was cake to swap the caps.

After that, it was finally time to get down to replacing the fuel filter with my new one. Having never replaced such a thing, it was a fun experience. So basically, on this car, you have to disconnect the battery, then connect jumper cables to the battery and jump the cold start injector to release the fuel pressure in the lines. Except of course that that doesn't actually EMPTY the lines or anything.

So first things first, removing the old clamps. The large clamp securing the fuel filter to the car was actually...loose...as in there was no bolt in it. Fun times. Went ahead and removed the clamp from the top hose first, then got a bunch of rags and put them both under the filter (to catch just in case) and around the top hose as I removed it. This ended up being partially futile as the top hose was on rather tightly, so it popped off and quickly began spewing gas. Most was caught by the bottom rag until I got the other one under it and let it empty out.

So that's one crisis averted. Knowing the filter itself would be full of gas too, I spent a while trying to figure out how best to go about it. I settled on undoing the main clamp, then tilting the filter (still connected to the bottom hose) upside down into another rag to catch the fuel. That worked, making removing the bottom hose a snap. Not a whole bunch more came out, and all that did was right into a trusty rag. So awesome, now the old filter was out.

Putting the new one in was cake too. New hose clamps, clamp it down, then get the main clamp on. Which actually fit this time, but I was without a proper bolt so I ran down to the store and nabbed one. Tightened up now, I had my cousin start the car while I watched the filter for leaks. As soon as the car started, though, I knew that I'd done it right. There weren't any leaks and the car purred. It was awesome.

I did a quick test drive up and down this windy hill by my house, and even beating on it the car didn't sputter or try to die. So far, so good. Of course, only as I drive the car more will I really know if the problem is solved, but for now it's good news.

So yeah! Next up, I gotta get my steering looked at. It's starting to make noise and I noticed that one of the boots is cracked, so I'm probably due for something. It never ends, hahaha.

Posted by: Möbius Nov 4 2009, 10:32 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 2 hours, 4 minutes ago)

Sadly, I'm terrible when it comes to taking photos of my work, as it's just me here working and when I get going on a project I don't want to stop partway and take photos. Sorry about that!

Haha, same here, once I start I don't want to stop. Sometimes I even leave the camera outside so it's easily reached, but I always forget to take pics.

Posted by: Spaz Nov 5 2009, 04:51 PM

QUOTE (Apex Carver @ Today, 1:32 AM)

Haha, same here, once I start I don't want to stop. Sometimes I even leave the camera outside so it's easily reached, but I always forget to take pics.

Yep, same. I was going to document the strut tower fix and the suspension install, but I have zero pics from the process.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Nov 9 2009, 08:03 PM

Minor status update. Car just got new front side marker lenses as well as bulbs all around, so now I have functioning exterior lights. Well, save for one dead license plate bulb, but the other one works. It's always something, right? Stupid me though, the front side marker housings are somewhat bent, so the new lenses don't quite fit properly. I got them screwed down, but considering the nasty sounds they made, I'm pretty sure they're gonna fall apart the next time I go to take them off. The front-driver's marker housing had a shattered bulb in it, whereas the passenger side had no bulb whatsoever inside. Both housings looked painted, as the interior were the same color as the car.

However, when I went to remove the housing for the rear marker lamp I needed to replace... I was shocked to find that it looked brand-spanking-new. We're talking fresh metal, clear stamps, pristine bulb socket, the whole nine yards. I'm lost. The guy gets a brand new marker housing then does a half-assed job on the entire rest of the car? What!?

Next up is using some paint remover I got that claims to be safe on plastics (we'll see; I'll test it on the old side marker housings first) to get rid of the spraypaint over the front turn signals so they'll be useful. I also have to see if there's a way to wire the front side markers in line with the front turn signals so they blink at the same time. Just because I'm paranoid like that. I mean, at the moment, I have no front turn signals.

Engine runs great, usually idles around 800 RPMs like it should. Now I'm starting to look at the creaky old suspension, the noisy speedometer-less transmission, the loud-as-hell brakes, the wearing-out steering wheel and of course the body. Probably in that order. If I could, I'd just start getting parts now... but the end of the month is gonna be unpredictable, so I need to make sure I have funds available. As soon as it blows over, I can start getting some more parts for the car and begin restoring it. For now, it's reliable enough to DD without worrying about it sputtering in traffic. Good enough for me.

The only thing worrying me really at the moment is that there's a small amount of coolant on the top of the radiator that only appears after running the car for a while. It seems to start under the top hose and follow gravity down whichever side is lower, so the hose is probably cracked or leaking or something. It's working for now and the coolant levels are good (as checked when the cap was replaced), so I'm holding off... but if that changes or it starts to get bad, I'll be doing that.

That's it for updates. See you out there!

EDIT: Took pictures while I was out getting dinner.

user posted image

New side marker lights and lenses.

user posted image

The LOL PAINTED front turn signals the car's had since I bought it. I'll be working on those, see if I can get the paint off so they'll be functional. Eventually I'd love to swap to 240Z front signals and the MSA Type I front bumper... but that's monies I don't have. I just need turn signals.

Posted by: Wanadrift Nov 11 2009, 09:14 PM

All these z projects lol. messin with ma brain! I want one now too.

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Nov 11 2009, 09:34 PM

It looks a whole lot better from the first time you've got it Don. The white paintjob has grown on to me too.

QUOTE

Wanadrift Posted on 20 minutes, 49 seconds ago
All these z projects lol. messin with ma brain! I want one now too.

If all goes well, there will be another Z project build up thread involving a 85' 300zx Z31 turbo.

In before someone says "LOL Z31 AWFUL CAR LOLOLOLOLOLOL SWAP IN A LS1"

Posted by: PandaApex Nov 11 2009, 09:43 PM

Z31 has the lol epic dash + the VG engine isnt that bad.
Nice S30! I must say, wtf. Who paints their front turn signals =|

Posted by: Wanadrift Nov 11 2009, 10:30 PM

QUOTE (Ayako Watanabe @ 55 minutes, 57 seconds ago)

It looks a whole lot better from the first time you've got it Don. The white paintjob has grown on to me too.

If all goes well, there will be another Z project build up thread involving a 85' 300zx Z31 turbo.

In before someone says "LOL Z31 AWFUL CAR LOLOLOLOLOLOL SWAP IN A LS1"

How soon do you plan on getting it? There was a TT TT 300zx around my way i looked at other day. LET THE Z PROJECT RACE BEGIN

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Nov 11 2009, 11:19 PM

QUOTE (Wanadrift @ 48 minutes, 52 seconds ago)

How soon do you plan on getting it? There was a TT TT 300zx around my way i looked at other day. LET THE Z PROJECT RACE BEGIN

Who knows. Most likely next year. I'm getting a job interview soon. Probably, in estimated time, February or March.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Nov 12 2009, 02:53 AM

Wow, all of a sudden interest in my thread! Good luck with your eventual project Z, Ayako. I personally love how the Z31 looks, and I've seen some great examples go for about $5k. They're heavy, and the engine is more complex than the earlier Zs... but I've got a soft spot for 'em.

Now then, on with today's update!

As I mentioned earlier, my next move with the car would be to see if I could get the damn spraypaint off of the front turn signal lenses. Well, I decided the heck with it, I've got the day off today, so it's time to try this. Working one lens at a time, I did the driver's side first (sorry, no pics of that one) to see what the whole removal/clean/restore process would be like rather than try to screw myseld with two at once.

In the process of removing the driver's side lens, I found out that the lens housing wasn't actually bolted to the car (!!) and was in fact hanging by a clip on the top. The screws were not missing, they just weren't...screwed...in. WTF. So the housing came off easy, and two screws were all that held in the lens itself. I cleaned it up a bit (the inside had dirt and shit in it, eww), then went at it. Since I'm gonna detail the process starting with the second lens, let's just say that two hours later, I had this:

user posted image

And here's the passenger side, before removal. This is what both were like originally.

user posted image

Eww. Why would someone do that? It makes no goddamn sense. Well anyway, the housing on that side was screwed in properly, so it was four screws to get the lens out. A bit of cleaning work and I had the lens like so.

user posted image

Next up, slathering on a heavy helping of my secret weapon! Yep, just slap it on all over the place. No need to be subtle, the stuff was pretty damn weak. After doing the first lens, I found that I didn't have to worry about damaging the lens any by being careful with the application.

user posted image

As for what the "secret weapon" is, it's just a bottle of Lift-Off I got from Home Depot. Stuff said it removes spray paint and acrylics safely from plastics and such, so I figured what the heck, I'll give it a shot. Well, it works.

user posted image

However, as I mentioned, it's weak as hell. This is all that the first coat and deep agitation with a spare toothbrush managed to do. And I'm talking thumb-atop-brush crushing-those-bristles agitation, not some dainty scrubbing.

user posted image

The next few three coats I'll put into a spoiler tag. You can look at them if you want for reference, but I'll just save space here a bit. In total, it took about 10-15 coats due to the last bits of paint being incredibly thick. The same was true for the first lens, most of the paint came off okay, but there'd always be one or two stubborn spots.

SPOILER

Skipping all the nitty-gritty angry curse-words, here's the lens, all done.

user posted image

Installation is the reverse of removal.

user posted image

"And Don said, 'Let there be light'. And so it was done, and the light was good."

user posted image

So there you have it. Now the car has proper front and rear turn signals. I still have to look into wiring the side markers as turn signals however, since apparently the harness that MSA carries is only for 240Zs (260Zs and 280Zs have different harnesses entirely). Bah. That way people on the side can see which way I'm going. For now, though, it's a huge improvement! Finally, oncoming traffic wanting to make a left across me know where I'm going!

However, all this good does have some bad. I was running out of Lift-Off, so I put the car back together and ran over to Home Depot to get some more. On the way, that old sputtering problem reared its ugly head again, though it wasn't nearly as severe and didn't last nearly as long as it had before. On the way back, I had the transmission in neutral and was coasting down a steep hill, braked for the stop sign at the bottom... and when I came to a stop, the engine stalled out.

I was kinda expecting this, though. Changing the fuel filter meant I started fresh on the engine-side, but the fuel tank is still from 1978, as are the lines and probably the pump and dampener. That means rust particles, which means the problem will resurface and won't get better. I need that tank drained, cleaned and rubberized ASAP, then start looking at the rest of the pre-filter fuel system. Hopefully the pump and dampener are still in good shape.

That's it for this update. I'll keep you posted as things change.

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Nov 12 2009, 03:12 AM

QUOTE

Thanks Don. Always had a soft spot for the Z31 when I was little kid, and still do till this very day.

Like I said before, the Z is definitely taking shape every time you work on it, despite its dings here and there.

Posted by: Mr. Shine Nov 12 2009, 12:38 PM

As a guide to any future paint-removal you may want to do, brake fluid works wonders for removing paint without damaging plastics. Get some DOT3, dunk it in or brush it on and you're good to go.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Nov 12 2009, 03:07 PM

QUOTE (Mr. Shine @ 2 hours, 28 minutes ago)

As a guide to any future paint-removal you may want to do, brake fluid works wonders for removing paint without damaging plastics. Get some DOT3, dunk it in or brush it on and you're good to go.

That makes me angry to hear seeing as I have a bottle of DOT3 sitting on my garage shelf from when I did the brakes on the SVX.

I'll keep that in mind.

Posted by: Mr. Shine Nov 12 2009, 03:20 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 13 minutes, 20 seconds ago)

That makes me angry to hear seeing as I have a bottle of DOT3 sitting on my garage shelf from when I did the brakes on the SVX.

I'll keep that in mind.

Staple of wargames players wishing to strip their precious plastic miniatures without damaging them! [/megageek]

Posted by: Nomake Wan Nov 29 2009, 12:55 AM

Minor update. Got new brake pads on sale from Rockauto for $5. Shipping was $7, more than the pads themselves. I lol'd hard, but hey, can't beat that! Full set of new OEM pads for $11? Hell yeah. That'll get rid of my grindy-squeaky goodness.

Speaking of which, I got a new camcorder. I'm gonna need to figure out a better way to mount it, because mounting it right on the windshield is...weird. Not to mention you can't see me or any of the gauges. Not as cool. But hey, here's me driving the Z back from work. No music or commentary as it was just a test. I promise I'll fix that in the next video.

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV2Vf_i_BOI )

Suspension and transmission and...stuff will have to wait until my NEXT paycheck because some expenses hit. Hahaha. Expenses. I really need to stop spending money. Oh well, the next two checks are huge so that'll be awesome.

Next up, testing the EFI system with a circuit tester. Wish I had a fuel pressure gauge to test the system with too. I really wanna nail down what's causing the random bogs every once and a while.

Posted by: Möbius Nov 29 2009, 01:07 AM

How did you mount it on the windshield, it came with a suction cup mount?

Posted by: Nomake Wan Nov 29 2009, 02:03 AM

QUOTE (Apex Carver @ 56 minutes, 23 seconds ago)

How did you mount it on the windshield, it came with a suction cup mount?

I should take a picture of it. A while back, I came up with a genius plan to use my iPhone as a speedometer and music player. So I ran out and got an mp3 suction mount. Worked decently with the iPhone, worked great with my old third-gen iPod. Also works fine with the new camcorder, though you do have to twist the mount a bit to get the camera to face the right way, hahaha.

You can sorta see it in the parking lot pictures I posted a little while ago.

Posted by: Sensation! Nov 29 2009, 03:48 PM

don, im gluing your headliner the next time i see that car..

your headliners judgment= inescapable

Posted by: MattW Nov 29 2009, 03:57 PM

I wish my run home from work was more than a mile, haha. I'd make one of these videos.

Love your car man, I wanna get a Z eventually.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Nov 29 2009, 04:50 PM

QUOTE (Sensation! @ 1 hour, 1 minutes ago)

don, im gluing your headliner the next time i see that car..

your headliners judgment= inescapable

LOL. You're more than welcome to. I'm sure anyone who rides shotgun will appreciate it. Probably why I never bothered to fix it... I'm always driving the car.

Matt: Great cars. They run pretty amazingly for being made in the 70s.

Posted by: Möbius Nov 30 2009, 07:43 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ Yesterday, 5:03 AM)

Ah you twist it all the way around, so it doesn't face you, but the windscreen instead?

Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 3 2009, 07:22 AM

QUOTE (Apex Carver @ Nov 30 2009, 08:43 AM)

Ah you twist it all the way around, so it doesn't face you, but the windscreen instead?

Exactly!

But that's not what I did for these videos. I decided to meet up with sideways and sidewaysstarion for a little trip to GMR, dragging Pikachu_Fragger along to ride shotgun and man the cam. It was pretty fun, though we didn't do much. There were a few people there, but frontside had black ice on it, and when we went down there was already a tow truck dragging an Integra onto its bed. Ouch.

So enjoy the random videos, excuse the ridiculous commentary.

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3iGimJqLXQ )

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ-Rnw3n2Ro )

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b2Z0_8JUkA )

If you're wondering why there aren't any downhill videos, it's because I don't like downhill and my brakes were on the way out as-is. Doing anything serious would've ended up with us eating a wall, or worse. No way. New pads should be here today, so that's good. There was one part on frontside where I tried to cut on the inside of a miata and said miata 'cut me off' by sliding... but we don't talk about that.

Funny enough, the car ran great the whole time it was on GMR, as opposed to last time back in April when it ran like absolute crap. On the drive home it hiccuped a little bit, but nothing major. I'm starting to wonder if it runs better when it's hot as opposed to cold or something. I'll keep you guys updated as more happens. Later!

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Dec 3 2009, 06:11 PM

Man I wish I could have gone. I'll definitely hit you up once school is out. Black ice sounds scary though....

What's with all the grunting in the first video? Is the steering wheel hard to turn?

Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 3 2009, 06:49 PM

QUOTE (ToyotaFan84 @ 37 minutes, 36 seconds ago)

Man I wish I could have gone. I'll definitely hit you up once school is out. Black ice sounds scary though....

What's with all the grunting in the first video? Is the steering wheel hard to turn?

LOL. Sideways made the same mistake when he saw the video. I re-watched the vid to see what he was talking about. That's not me, dude. That's Pikachu_Fragger being tossed around because he's holding the camera in one hand and his drink in the other. I tried to tell him to leave it at the station but he had to have it.

EDIT: I F**KING HATE MY AUNT. My brake pads showed up today, but no one bothered to answer the door (and yes, they were here) so the FedEx dude left. What the friggin... argh. So now I gotta go to bed the second I get home from work tonight, then wake up f**king early and run over to Fullerton and grab them. f**kin... this is the second time, too. I guess from now on I'll leave a note saying HEY I SLEEP DURING THE DAY I HAVE A PACKAGE COMING PLEASE ANSWER THE DOOR THX.

Posted by: ToyotaFan84 Dec 3 2009, 07:31 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 41 minutes, 50 seconds ago)

Oh, lmao. XD

RE: Edit. That type of negligence runs in my family as well. You have my deepest sympathies.

Posted by: Spaz Dec 3 2009, 09:09 PM

You have no idea how much I hate that shit. Seriously. I bother to answer the phone when my parents can't, and I don't receive a single call on it, I have a cell phone for that, and I get the door when they're busy. But god forbid they answer the door for me when I'm in the middle of a Forza race or finish up a post online, oh no, that would be too considerate.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 10 2009, 03:14 AM

Some updates.

Put the new brake pads on. It solved the grindy-feeling brakes, but not the loudness. They still squeal. Damn.

There's a flat spot or something on the right front. At low speed, if you let go of the wheel, it'll pull right once per tire rotation.

The radiator is leaking coolant from somewhere. I'm at work, so I could only take a quick look... but with a quick look under, it's dripping from the petcock. I couldn't pop the hood, so I dunno if it's leaking from there or somewhere up higher.

And the best one yet?

The car starts IMMEDIATELY in freezing freaking weather. I mean immediately. I figured it'd take forever to get going (since I have to crank for 15-20 seconds normally anyway) but instead it fired up first try. WTF? It had been sitting all day... wtf. Same thing happened tonight. Started right up. But when I leave work at 8AM in the morning and the sun is out, the car needs to be cranked. The hell is that? Seems ass-backwards to me. Aren't cars supposed to fire up in warm weather and take forever to crank in the cold? The heck is causing this? Any guesses?

Also, hurray for rain. Cleaned the car, and was fun to drive in.

Posted by: peemyTNBow Dec 10 2009, 07:35 AM

Did you bed in the brakes properly?

Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 13 2009, 03:02 AM

QUOTE (BmwNeoType @ Dec 10 2009, 08:35 AM)

Did you bed in the brakes properly?

Yes, I did. I learned how to do that back with the SVX. The issue is it's squealing the EXACT same way as it always has (right up to being able to change the pitch/direction by altering pressure on the brake pedal). This leads me to wonder if it's the drums and not the discs. I sheepishly called my dad and asked if drums squeal and I could just hear the facepalm on the other end. I'll get it looked at tomorrow. I've never done drums before (all my previous cars were 4-wheel disc), so...

Update... the car hates rain. Not having a heater nor defroster hoses means that the car is okay for the first few hours of a rain, but after that the interior fogs up like crazy. The weatherstripping on the car is mostly shot and the doors aren't aligned perfectly, so water leaks into the cabin from the front of the passenger door as well as a few other spots. It doesn't splatter onto you or get annoying, but it's moisture on the inside, which is what does that whole foggy thing. It's annoying.

Car's pretty fun to drive in the rain, though. Racing down the 55 at 8AM in a torrential downpour is an experience. It's my first time driving a RWD in the rain, so...

Also, I'm not sure if it's moisture or what, but my clutch fan has gotten significantly louder. I'm gonna have to fix it. It's always been broken (which is why the engine bay sounds like a hovercraft when you rev the motor), but it seems it's getting worse. Sigh.

Still gotta look into the lamps on the Temp/Oil gauge pod. I'm pretty sure there's two bulbs on that gauge, so I find it a little odd that both would blow at the exact same time. Maybe just a wiring issue?

It never ends, but I just can't leave it alone. Bye-bye, paycheck.

I think I'll get tires for myself for Christmas when I get back from NY.

EDIT: One advantage of the rain? Cleaned the car up for me. LOL.

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/6325/280zrain.jpg

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Dec 13 2009, 12:47 PM

Lmao @ rain. It's been a downpour over here in PA, and it hasn't stopped yet. Though it has calmed down a little bit. Once I get mah Z31 turbo ( finally got a job, YEEEES!!! ) I'll come over to California and you, me and the sideways can go for a drive lol.

Posted by: Rudy Dec 13 2009, 02:21 PM

It's raining like hell here, too. God have mercy on us. >.<

Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 31 2009, 10:00 PM

Another quick update, and I'll have to apologize for the lack of pics. I love pics but gosh darn it, I haven't had time!

Just got all new tires on the car yesterday. Set of four Falken Ziexes. Car rides smooth as hell now, no more vibration or shimmying. It's really cool being able to drive it without worrying about it falling apart or whatever. It's like a new car now. Except of course that I can now finally feel where the suspension and other components are weak, so I'll be itching to get that done next.

The brakes got looked at before I went to NY on vacation. Turns out, I've been braking with only my front discs the whole time. My drums were seized. Soooo got that fixed, but of course the squealing is still there in the fronts. It's nice having a balanced brake system and an e-brake that stops properly, though, I'll give it that. I gotta figure out what's up with the fronts. Or maybe just say f**k it and convert the whole thing to better brakes?

My fuel filter was leaking when I got back from NY, that wasn't cool... was just loose hoses, but I'm wondering why it only just started doing it. Why didn't it do it right when I replaced the fuel filter? That worries me. Also worrisome is the flaking paint on my fuel rail. Sure, the whole damn motor was rattlecanned by the moron previous owner, but I can't help but wonder if the rail is leaking somewhere and eating the paint. I haven't noticed any more leaks there, but I'm vigilant about looking.

Battery's also been replaced by one that actually fits the battery tray. Sadly, parts of my battery tray apparently went missing sometime between me driving the car to the airport and my dad driving it back home. Sigh. It never ends, but for the moment the battery doesn't slide anywhere. It's too big to!

So that's the status. Car still needs lots of help. The engine still acts up, the input shaft bearing still whines, the clutch fan still whines, the weatherstripping is still bad (the passenger side of the car tends to fog up after it rains due to that), the passenger-side headliner still droops... but tevs. As much as my parents laugh at me for it, I'm gonna keep cracking away at this thing.

...wow, that turned out to be a longer update than I thought.

Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Dec 31 2009, 10:13 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 13 minutes, 14 seconds ago)

In b4 White Z terrorizes everyone in the road ....as in then chased away by sideways Z.

Posted by: Rudy Jan 1 2010, 09:21 AM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ Today, 1:00 AM)

Or maybe just say f**k it and convert the whole thing to better brakes?

Good idea. Z32 Turbo brakes can be fitted to S30's rather easily. Big ass discs all around FTW.

Posted by: Kiroshino Jan 25 2010, 09:39 PM

Saw a http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1567617724.html, which reminded me of this project. Any time to take new pics yet?

I have never seen one in person. Really sucks that they just get rustier and rustier over the years... Might never get a chance to work on one myself.

Not a serious complaint. You just have a nice Z that can make anyone envious.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Jan 25 2010, 09:52 PM

QUOTE (Kiroshino @ 13 minutes, 10 seconds ago)

Ugh, toss that ad, man. It's a 280ZX for one thing, and it's a 2+2 for another. Non-turbo too... so basically yeah no.

As for new pics, I'd run out and take some now except it's dark out, so that wouldn't work. I'll take some new ones before work tomorrow. As for updates and such, though, here's what I've got so far.

-Brakes have been fully replaced. They work well, and make no sound whatsoever (unless it's rainy, the brakes are cold, and I liiiightly press the pedal. Then I get a tiny squeak LOL). It's awesome. Now the only way people can tell I'm coming is from the exhaust note, which is exactly what I wanted. Turns out it was just the pads I'd been using. Apparently the car hates semi-metallics. The ceramics on it now are quiet. Haven't noticed any loss in braking performance, and since the rears actually work now, there's more balance to it.

-The new tires just make a huge difference in driveability. For some reason they don't feel as grippy as my old tires (they seem to lose traction sooner in corners), but they ride a lot smoother. The traction loss is pretty gradual, so it's manageable. I haven't had any OH SHI- moments, so I'd say that's good enough for me.

-Really do have to work on suspension. I've got some loose bits in my steering rack that allow the driver's side wheel to move a little bit. The passenger-rear also gets loud sometimes... so yeah. Suspension's what I'm saving up for now.

-After cranking the screw on the airflow meter leaner, the car does run better. It starts up more reliably (the car sat for almost 48 hours once, and then fired up first try) and hasn't done the whole power loss thing in a while. It still isn't running perfectly, as sometimes it'll start up then sputter and die (will sometimes sputter and recover if I give it some gas), and it runs funny until it's warmed up... but it's a start. Better than what it was, that's for sure.

-All this rain we've been getting has been awful. The passenger side of the car really does leak like a siev, and then all that moisture evaporates and screws everything up. It's making me want to go find hoses for the defroster vents and get a new heater core, it's that bad. What we really need is some sunny days in a row so I can open it up and let the thing dry out. This weather's been really horrible.

That's about it for updates. I'll try to get some photos tomorrow. The one benefit of it raining so many days in a row is the car actually looks pretty nice right now.

Posted by: JaeMok Jan 25 2010, 10:08 PM

QUOTE (Kiroshino @ 28 minutes, 39 seconds ago)

Saw a http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1567617724.html, which reminded me of this project.

EWwwww! 2+2's are a BIG nono.

Posted by: Möbius Jan 25 2010, 10:08 PM

I used to hate rain before I started waxing my cars regularly. Now it's really like a free wash.

Can't wait for your new pics.

Posted by: Spaz Jan 25 2010, 10:34 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 42 minutes, 3 seconds ago)

-Really do have to work on suspension. I've got some loose bits in my steering rack that allow the driver's side wheel to move a little bit.

That's just a tie rod end, won't be expensive or difficult to replace.

Posted by: Kiroshino Jan 26 2010, 06:07 AM

Meh, couldn't buy one even if it were within your specs. One project at a time.

Rainy days are really a pain when you need to drive. All of my windows were fogged up yesterday, and since my car takes 20+ minutes to warm up via idling, I was sitting for quite a while. Better to be safe than sorry, especially in a college town where 90% of the drivers are worse than me... which is sad 'cause I'm not that good of a driver.

Outer tie rod ends for my MR2 are like $32, two complete rear tie rods being $175. I'll need to get them done myself someday...

Posted by: Nomake Wan Feb 2 2010, 02:46 AM

It is indeed a tie rod end, and they're not expensive at all to replace on this car. Should be done within the next week or so, gotta get back in touch with my 'parts supplier' and see if I can get some time put aside to do the swap.

The nice thing is that we had some sunny days in a row, so I went ahead and let the car sit out in the sun. I also took the opportunity to remove, clean and dry the floormats that had been covering up all the big bad mojo of the passenger floorpanel. They really needed it. I also went ahead and took photos of the car while it was airing out, so here, enjoy. Spoiler'd to keep the size down in case people don't want to load all the images.

SPOILER

And here's all the big bad mojo. I forget if I actually bothered to take any decent photos of this shit without the floor mats in, so after removing all the mats for cleaning I took photos. It's... yeah. Mmm, delicious rust. Gotta love it. Maybe this is why the heater core's been bypassed?

SPOILER

So the car dried out nicely, the mats are all clean and dry, all's right with the car. Well... no. Not really. Now I get to do the unhappy part of the update, where I mention where things are wrong some more.

Firstly, I'm pissed because apparently, back when I paid a shop $370 for converting the car to r134a (which they said they did but mentioned my console switch was broken, and when I asked if it'd work when i fixed it they said yes), it wasn't. I'd been putting off taking it back, but I was running errands nearby anyway so I stopped in, mentioned that I'd had it converted back in April and that the system was apparently empty since I had no cool even though I'd fixed the wiring. After spending a few hours looking at it (and telling me that my engine running crappy was normal OLOLOL) their diagnosis was that even though the shaft and clutch of the compressor worked, the internal mechanism of the compression was broken, so it wasn't sucking in any freon.

So that begs the question of... what the f**k did I pay them for back in April? I'd think "The freon isn't going in! WTF is going on!" would be a PRETTY OBVIOUS PROBLEM. The shop wants $475 to do the compressor replacement, but apparently they can aquire said compressor and such. I wouldn't mind, except that I'm still pissed off about them making me pay that much for a system they said would work that isn't working, then change their mind the second time around. I left without having paid anything. Ugh. Well if they're right, then at least I know what's wrong.

However, after I got in the car to leave, it was running funny again. Doing the bad stuff, where it was idling too low. I decided to see if I could kill it, so I pumped the brakes rapidly and sure enough, after about 30 seconds of that the engine sputtered out. I restarted it, revved it back up, then drove home. The car does that, it's not normal, but it hasn't kept me from driving it.

I had to change clothes and go visit my grandmother, so it was back to the car afterward... at which point I discovered that now it really wasn't running right. Not a normal starting-hard-running-odd-until-warmed thing, but was missing like crazy and wouldn't even idle. If I didn't give the thing gas, it threatened to stall all by itself. Well... I still had to go, so I limped the car over, did my visit, and limped it back home to test some things. The problem remained during the whole trip, something that previous intermittent problems had not done.

Here's a video I took of the problem... during the taking of which, I fixed it. Well, not fixed, but 'patched' I guess. The car runs like it always has again, but the problem is likely still very much there.

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbVz5LLl1Mk )

All I could think was, "Man, if I had some damn carbs on this shit, it wouldn't even be a problem." Such is EFI. Yay.

The one good thing to happen today was finding out that I didn't have to re-smog the car to re-register it. She's good until 2011 now.

Posted by: Kiroshino Feb 2 2010, 05:43 AM

Your video reminds me of the time I went to Apple. "I have a problem, but I can't show you because it's working now." XD

Anyway, someone on the MR2 forums had a similar problem. This is what they said:

QUOTE

There is a switch in the AFM which will kill the fuel pump if your airflow stops. If this switch got knocked out of adjustment, then it might kill your fuel pump when your air has only gone down to idle flow. Or, if there is a leak in the coupling to the TB, then there might be enough air bypassing the AFM to kill the pump at idle flow. The jumper bypasses this switch, so if has an effect, it proves that this is the problem.

QUOTE

So I solved the problem. When I got home today, I removed the afm to take a gander at it and found the flapper to be sticking and farily sluggish to move. So I must have blown out the pivot lubrication when I cleaned the assembly. So I removed both upper and lower covers and lightly lubes the pivot with some PB blaster and now it's smooth as butter and runs like a champ.

You mentioned something about air flow so I thought you might want to check out the AFM.

Posted by: Spaz Feb 2 2010, 08:39 AM

I'd make sure the harness isn't corroded and if it's not, replace the MAF with a known good one.

You're better off buying from a junk yard or from a part-out, remanufactured goes for about $300 after core according to the internet.

Posted by: Rudy Feb 2 2010, 08:49 AM

There's never a bad time to go grab that translator and LS1 MAF sensor... ;3

Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Feb 2 2010, 09:04 AM

QUOTE (Midnight Drifter @ 15 minutes, 11 seconds ago)

There's never a bad time to go grab that translator and LS1 MAF sensor... ;3

so the tune of your car will shift with the weather. when its hot it will run lean when its cold it will run rich.

Posted by: Rudy Feb 2 2010, 10:08 AM

QUOTE (sidewaysstarion @ 1 hour, 3 minutes ago)

so the tune of your car will shift with the weather. when its hot it will run lean when its cold it will run rich.

Never heard of that problem with my F-Body pals.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Feb 2 2010, 11:57 AM

QUOTE (Kiroshino @ 6 hours, 13 minutes ago)

You mentioned something about air flow so I thought you might want to check out the AFM.

The AFM on your MR2 is orders of magnitude more complex than the unit in the L28E. Keep in mind that your MR2 has an actual computer with the ability to self-check and report error codes. My "ECU" on the other hand is a simple device which takes input data (voltages, actually, which it interprets based on known values) and converts it into a pulse, which gets sent to the injectors. That's it. That's all it does. You know how you run a diagnostic on an L28E's computer? You don't.

You jam terminals of a volt/ohmmeter into things and check against the shop manual to see if the voltages/resistance are within spec.

So while it would be nice to have a car with smart devices like that, mine does not. The AFM on an L28 is a flap attached to a spring and a potentiometer. It has a bypass screw for adjusting lean/rich. And an air temperature sensor for triggering the cold start valve. That's it. No fancy circuitry, nothing. Hell, were I more technically inclined I could probably make my own replacement board for the thing just by getting a potentiometer to attach to the original flap and produce the same voltage range.

Basically, it's either a connector that's shot (wouldn't surprise me, the fuel injector connectors were all shot too), or the AFM-side of the connector that's corroded (also possible), or the potentiometer is broken (not likely as fiddling with the connector shouldn't fix that, but tossing it out there).

Thanks for the suggestion though.

AJ: How much would those two parts be, and if they're more expensive than me just going and grabbing parts off of another car, what benefit would it give? If they're cheap that might just be a good idea. Unless, you know, the harness is bad. In which case neither part will do jack LOL.

Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Feb 2 2010, 11:57 AM

F-bodies have IAT sensors from the factory so they auto correct for the changes in air intake temp which drastically effects a hot wire maf. But his cheapest option would be to hit up the junkyard and grab another maf with the pigtail and do a little cutting and pasteing

Posted by: Kiroshino Feb 2 2010, 07:06 PM

Ah, my bad. XD

Well, good luck with your problem.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Feb 15 2010, 02:39 AM

Well, the car's... well it hasn't changed much since last update. The connector on the airflow sensor is kinda rigged up to be a little more solid and it's been adjusted to run kinda rich. Car runs decently, usually. The plan was to take it up to a shop and do an outer tie rod install (and possibly some bumper work), but that fell through. However, we did get to look at the suspension and found that way more than the outers are shot. Inners are shot too and apparently those aren't easy to find. To the point where I'd have to swap to a 240Z steering rack.

The bumper and rear valence removal isn't trivial either. Something about dropping the gas tank, removing the shocks, and then having to cut the valence off and repaint the body behind it. Yeesh. So that's why no actual work's been done on it.

However, after much discussion (well more being told than actual discussion, haha), my next project for the car has been decided. After all, supposedly there's only one real fix for all my engine problems, and that's to replace it.

Keep an eye on this thread. The next month or so should be veeeery interesting.

Posted by: MetalMan777 Feb 15 2010, 11:35 AM

Dude, you traded the Z for a whale tail 964? I approve.

I can't wait for the rest of the updates. You're gonna need to hit a dyno by the end of the month.

Posted by: Sensation! Feb 15 2010, 11:41 AM

oh i dont think he ended up getting a porsche.

but if i know don, i think we'll all be satisfied with whats to become with his Z

Posted by: MetalMan777 Feb 15 2010, 11:56 AM

I'm just joking about the picture, because the Porsche clearly has the focus. And I know what he has planned for the Z. I just can't wait to see how it turns out.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Feb 15 2010, 12:01 PM

QUOTE (Cactus @ 25 minutes, 57 seconds ago)

Dude, you traded the Z for a whale tail 964? I approve.

I can't wait for the rest of the updates. You're gonna need to hit a dyno by the end of the month.

What a coincidence! There's a HybridZ Dyno Meet being planned for the 28th of February. Dunno what'll be being dynoed but I'm going regardless of project status. Can't pass that up.

Thanks for the support guys. With lots of luck and some penny-pinching I'm planning to have most of it done within one month. Might even end up selling some stuff to make that deadline.

Posted by: sideways Feb 15 2010, 12:39 PM

Get to eet son. Looking forward to that big time.

Posted by: Drew Feb 15 2010, 06:45 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 6 hours, 43 minutes ago)

Thanks for the support guys. With lots of luck and some penny-pinching I'm planning to have most of it done within one month. Might even end up selling some stuff to make that deadline.

Eat shitloads of Ramen noodles, and drink tap-water. Penny-pincher builds are the best because they show true determination and passion.

Posted by: Sensation! Feb 15 2010, 07:30 PM

QUOTE (Thir13Teen @ 43 minutes, 55 seconds ago)

Eat shitloads of Ramen noodles, and drink tap-water. Penny-pincher builds are the best because they show true determination and passion.

im gonna put don on BLAST! for this one.

avoid the kamen rider belt display!
row row fight tha urge!

Posted by: Nomake Wan Feb 15 2010, 07:33 PM

QUOTE (Sensation! @ 3 minutes, 12 seconds ago)

im gonna put don on BLAST! for this one.

avoid the kamen rider belt display!
row row fight tha urge!

I'm actually selling one of my belts for this project, man. Along with my PG 00 Raiser and SoC Gunbuster. Shit's worth a ton and man... sure they're fun to have but a turbo Z is way more so.

...might I interest you in one of those?

Posted by: JKaiba Feb 15 2010, 07:50 PM

I'm bored at work Don.... They made me Assistant Manager of a 47 room hotel... You should come up to LA one of these days. I'm sure you miss the GT-R. & I haven't seen your Z yet. I have a new super classy flat if you want to swing by. You still have my cell# right?

Posted by: Nomake Wan Feb 15 2010, 07:59 PM

QUOTE (JKaiba @ 8 minutes, 56 seconds ago)

I go to LA every once and a while, and yeah, I miss the GT-R. I'd be more than happy to stop by sometime! And shockingly no, I don't have your number. PM it to me and I'll add it to my phone. New phone, so I lost my phonebook haha. Only a few numbers in it.

Good to hear from ya again!

Posted by: Nomake Wan Mar 28 2010, 06:27 PM

Been quite a while since I posted in here, so here's an update. First and foremost, enjoy this video I took today on the way home from work of my car running like shit.

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTpCaHwrr5M )

You'll be driving along fine then BAM suddenly partial-throttle has almost no effect, the motor's power drops off sharply enough that it jerks you forward in your seat. Idle plummets to 500 RPMs, engine stumbles, exhaust suddenly smokes everywhere and smells like gas, and pops loudly on just about every rev. Strangest bit is if you put the car into gear and drive it up to redline, the problem goes away. Until the next time, anyway. So far it's never happened twice in one driving session, but it now happens once every time I take the car out. Usually within 5-7 minutes, probably soon after the car reaches operating temperature.

However, as much as I'm curious as to what the hell is going on, I've got an L28ET that needs some loving (and by loving I mean AMERICAN CASHITOS), so I'm just kinda ignoring the issues the current motor has in favor of the swap. Sidewaysstarion said over a month ago that the solution to any and all problems with my current motor was a turbo, and I believe him. I just gotta get the damn thing finished and under the hood.

Rockauto has 240Z and 280Z steering racks back in stock now, for the exact same price. It's not something I can afford to do right now with the swap in progress, but definitely something I'll be doing. I might go for the 240Z rack just because it's a quicker ratio. Turning the 280Z wasn't too bad, so I'll just think of the 240Z rack swap as a workout.

Unless Sideways finds out that the rack doesn't swap across, then 280Z it is.

On a side note, J's flat really is classy as hell. To be expected of someone who dresses as he does.

In other news, the Z did manage to make an over 800-mile journey a little while back. It made the trip from Orange to San Fran in roughly 7 hours (LA traffic was terrible; I left Orange at about 8PM on a Saturday), and the trip from San Fran back to Orange in about 6 (would've been 5-something but I hopped the wrong 55 freeway and had to take surface streets home). The only issues I had during the long-distance journey was that the car cruises at about 3000 RPMs and gets only 18 MPG (too high a rev for a 5-speed; I should consider swapping in a 280ZX 5-speed for better cruising mileage), and that since the fresh-air vents no longer have hoses on them, I froze my legs on the drive up. Otherwise it was fine.

Oh, and my mom doesn't mind the car. She actually liked the way it looked and drove, though she wasn't keen on the shoddy interior. As far as she's concerned, "it's not what [she] saw [me] driving, but as long as [I] have fun driving it, it's fine." Not to mention she likes that I pay for everything on it.

That's all for now. With luck I won't have to update again until I'm making decent power with a motor that doesn't suck. Later all!

Posted by: Spaz Mar 28 2010, 07:53 PM

Since the car has a MAF, it's fuel injected, right?

I'd guess either a sticking injector or a crank angle sensor. Neither of which are normally cheap.

Posted by: Nomake Wan Mar 28 2010, 08:33 PM

QUOTE (cmspaz @ 39 minutes, 21 seconds ago)

Since the car has a MAF, it's fuel injected, right?

I'd guess either a sticking injector or a crank angle sensor. Neither of which are normally cheap.

Yes, the 'E' in L28E is for EFI. The problem vanishes after the engine is pushed above 5000 RPMs under load and does not occur again until the car has been sitting for a few hours (it did it on the way to work and on the way back, I was at work from 12:45 to 6PM, for example). Would a sticking injector or crank angle sensor still explain that? I'm asking honestly since I'm by no means an expert in ancient EFI systems.

If it really is one of those, then meh. Turbo motor will solve that problem nicely.

Posted by: MetalMan777 Mar 28 2010, 10:02 PM

QUOTE (Nomake Wan @ 1 hour, 28 minutes ago)

Revving past 5k would flow a lot of fuel through your injectors, possibly unsticking the troublesome one(s). Sitting idle, whatever's in them could potentially gum them back up or something. Or it's probably an electronic issue. Your crank sensor, or maf or something could be out of calibration, or a lead on a circuit board could be kind of fried. I'd care more if it was really important to you, but it runs and you're getting that new engine soon.

Just a stab in the dark, but what happens if you get some Fuel injector cleaner and dump it in your fuel tank? I recommend Techron, a bit pricier than most fuel injector cleaners, but I've run it in my Bimmer and it's been running better since then. I'm not making that up, it really does run better, but I've also cleaned the crap out of my idle control valve, and all of my intake forward of the throttle butterfly.