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Something's wrong with this Z right? 11k seems cheap as hell if it's in as good a shape as implied. https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/d/1977-datsun-280z/6441082301.html
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Jan 6, 2018 23:42
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Ah right, so the assumption should be that half the floor is rusted through and it's just hidden by the pics and carpet. But as a gut check, if there somehow isn't significant rust issue, (and the frame isn't disfigured or something) that's a screaming deal for one of these yeah? I'm not about to run out and throw money at this but I'm trying to get a feel for what they go for. Because I want to debase one with an electric motor some time in the next few years and I don't want to build one up from a stripped shell.
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Jan 7, 2018 00:09
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What is the cover-your-rear end procedure for buying a car with a lost title? Further complication, car is in CA where I am but appears to have last been registered in OR.
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Feb 5, 2018 07:25
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Deteriorata posted:Look into what it takes to get a new one. That is what the current owner should be doing to get it straightened out, not you. "Lost title" usually means the car is stolen. There's a decent chance it will be impounded by the cops at some point and you'll lose all your money. tactlessbastard posted:Yeah yeah but it's a really good deal, man
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Feb 5, 2018 18:59
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sounds too good to be true, so I'm going to drive 20 minutes and find out why https://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/cto/d/1977-datsun-280z-1-owner-barn/6498789590.html
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Feb 16, 2018 21:50
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smax posted:“No rust”
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Feb 16, 2018 23:18
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Album of pics: https://imgur.com/a/yIq6t There are clearly body repairs and some bondo. It doesn't look much worse (on the rust front) to me than Lord of Garbagemen's Z when he first got it. Look through the album and crush my dreams please AI bawfuls fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Feb 16, 2018 |
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Feb 16, 2018 23:39
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Lord of Garbagemen posted:That door is going to be painful to try and repair. You will likely be better off just grabbing a good one off a donor. Your floor pans seems good (drain plugs still exist so car has likely not seen much moisture). The frame rail damage is a little concerning, but the picture might be just making it seem worse, also on the second picture is there a separation in the welds above the frame rail? How did the wiper cowl look? Did you check the spare tire hideaway? Also, unless you are going to strip the interior, is everything there and working? The interior bits are the most expensive from my research (if you want to look factory). Being a 77 it has a much better body than 69-74, your trans tunnel is also larger then the earlier years (if you are swapping). You cannot always be sure from the head, but if the block is an N42 you can sell it for at least half the price of that car. Just got him on the phone, he said another guy is driving down from LA to get it now, so I'm going to go over now and pre-empt him. Too cheap to pass up. bawfuls fucked around with this message at 01:47 on Feb 17, 2018 |
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Feb 17, 2018 01:44
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It is done. I am the proud owner of a stack of papers that claim I own a 40 year old non-operational car.  Any advice on how best to sell this engine? I would assume potential buyers will want to know that it runs (if we can make it run), and do a compression test themselves, but that's tough to demonstrate if we pull the engine out of the car first. What's the proper way to go about it? I will make a thread for this project once we clear out garage space to start stripping it down. bawfuls fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Feb 17, 2018 |
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Feb 17, 2018 03:03
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Lord of Garbagemen posted:Not really, most guys want the n42 block because it has the most nickel content and takes very well to a 3.1 liter bore. The heads are near worthless. The best way is just to pull the engine as complete as possible and sell it that way. bawfuls fucked around with this message at 04:02 on Feb 18, 2018 |
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Feb 18, 2018 03:58
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*relocated*
bawfuls fucked around with this message at 09:09 on Feb 19, 2018 |
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Feb 19, 2018 02:46
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The clutch on my 280Z is not disengaging properly. The guy who sold it to me replaced the master and slave cylinders, so today I bled the line but the problem persists. I did several pump-hold-openvalve-closevalve-release cycles after air stopped bubbling out of the bleeder tube, also verified the fluid reservoir was near full throughout the process. I had a friend pump the clutch pedal then hold it in for a minute, and when she released it the withdrawal arm didn’t move, because it had crept back over the minute already. This seems to imply it lost pressure during that minute, but I checked all the connections and there’s no leak in the line. (The connection at the slave was previously showing some leakage during bleeding, but hasn’t since i tightened it). Does this mean the “new” slave or master has leaky seals internally? Is there a way to verify that’s the issue without buying yet another set and replacing them? Unfortunately I’m a moron who threw out the boxes these parts came in so I can’t easily verify they are the correct spec. The master is stamped 5/8ths which google tells me is the right size, but I can’t see any markings or serial numbers on the slave. Any ideas? Edit: push rod from the master cylinder was too short. Managed to extend it with a coupling nut and set screw. Drove the car around the block for 5 minutes! 
bawfuls fucked around with this message at 01:39 on Feb 26, 2018 |
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Feb 25, 2018 22:16
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Any recommendations for getting my '77 280Z to pass CA Smog? (I haven't tried yet) I'm going to convert it to electric but it needs to pass smog so I can put current tags on it while it sits on the street for a couple months before we can start the real work. Thus I don't want to spend a lot of time or money tuning the engine. It seems to run pretty well right now, (idles where it should, no smoke out exhaust, no obvious big leaks, etc) so maybe it will pass OK on the first try, but I'm suspicious of a 41 year old car's ability to do so. Searching online there are some additives people recommend but idk if those are snakeoil or what. Also most of these additives have directions like, "add this to a full tank of gas, drive it to near-empty, then refill the tank and go get smogged" but I don't even plan to drive it that much in total over the next couple months.
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Mar 20, 2018 00:14
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There are additives like this which claim to (temporarily) reduce NOx, CO, and hydrocarbon emissions. Then there's others like this which say they clean up an old failing catalytic converter (again, temporarily). I don't know which of these, if any, I'd need. Should I just go get it smogged and see if/how it fails first?
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Mar 20, 2018 00:50
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Deteriorata posted:That's what I would do, unless there's some penalty for failing. Make sure you have a problem before you try to fix anything. Unless someone in AI has experience with CA smog failure?
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Mar 20, 2018 01:02
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Replaced the vacuum line that needed it and treated the intake with sea foam. The Z ran noticeably stronger after that so hopefully it passes smog tomorrow.
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Mar 20, 2018 06:30
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Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:Change the oil if it hasn't been done recently, that'll also help smog numbers if the oil's been in there awhile. And get it good and warm - take it up on the highway for a bit, romp on it a bit if you can. You need to get the cat good and toasty.
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Mar 20, 2018 07:12
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Any strong opinions about rubber vs polyurethane suspension bushings? The 40 year old bushings on my Z project are obviously rotted out and need to be replaced. Urethane bushing kits are easy to find and relatively cheap, but I've read they squeak incessantly and make the ride harsh (though obviously improve handling as a trade off). Rubber kits are nearly impossible to find for this car, are more expensive, and I'd have to track down specific parts one by one. Should I just suck it up and use the urethane?
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Apr 9, 2018 22:56
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The Door Frame posted:Where are these cheap bushing kits you've found, or is that a relative cheapness? I could use a new set of suspension bushings, and a set of urethane bushings for my car is almost $400 KakerMix is right of course that I won’t know the difference in this car, having never driven it with fresh rubber. My only concern is if urethane will be obnoxiously harsh for a car I plan to drive daily. My current daily driver is an unmodified 2010 WRX so it’s not like I’m coming from a cushy luxury sedan or whatever. It sounds like the difference is noticeable but not extreme, particularly since I’ll be keeping the stock coils and struts for now at least. bawfuls fucked around with this message at 07:43 on Apr 10, 2018 |
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Apr 10, 2018 07:36
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Is there some clever way to remove a snap ring without the specialized tool? I just got back from Autozone and stubbornness dictates I need to try to get this thing off without going back for a new tool.
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Apr 30, 2018 00:16
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In the process of replacing all the suspension bushings on my 280Z. Here are the old and new front tie rods: The new ones are noticeably shorter. Here is a test fit of the new ones with the front control arm, there isn't enough thread sticking out to grab the nut and compress the bushings:   This issue persists regardless of which orientation I put the bushings in (and it's not clear to me which way is correct anyway). Should I just reuse the old tie rods? They are slightly deformed in a couple places:  If I use the new ones, it's going to be tough to compress the bushings in place in the car enough to get the nut on the end. Any ideas?
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May 1, 2018 03:10
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Cool, guess I’m calling the bushing people tomorrow. It was a whole box set for the car that definitely says it’s for like 76-79 Z’s so we’ll see what they have to say.
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May 1, 2018 04:14
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Replacing old light bulbs with LEDs, started doing the front turn signals today. Replaced driver side first, tested it, all the lights (except the headlights which have been inconsistent in the past) turned on just fine including the new bulb, took a pic even to show how the new bulb is clearly brighter than the old one next to it. Turned lights off, replaced passenger side bulb with LED. Turned lights on, nothing comes on. Not the new turn signals, not the rear lights that also worked 5 minutes earlier, nothing. Took the passenger side LED out and put the original bulb back in. Still no lights. Multimeter says battery is still 12.2 volts. Uhhhhh, what?
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May 3, 2018 20:43
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I just checked and the fuses are all intact. Now that I think about it, the headlights going out is also weird. A week or two ago when I was messing with the turn signal switch, the headlights did work. Then they didn't work when I was replacing the tail lights with LEDs. I don't even know where to start with this stuff really, other than to put all the original bulbs back in, but that didn't even work for the turn signal today so.
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May 3, 2018 22:35
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Old bulbs back in, still no lights. Sooooo, now I go through this and check every ground connection? http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/wiringdiagrams/F77ZCAR-WIRING1.pdf There is a local body ground at the horns that the front lights are wired to which I had previously detached because it was connected to the front bumper mounts (which I removed). But the lights worked with that ungrounded before. I just now grounded it to battery negative using alligator clips and that didn't change anything. edit: also plugged in the stereo head unit and that still works fine along with the speakers so it's not a total electrical failure just all the lights bawfuls fucked around with this message at 23:20 on May 3, 2018 |
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May 3, 2018 22:59
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New front brake calipers/pads came in today and I have no clue how these weird rear end clips are supposed to work. This is how a random youtube video I found did it: But it feels lovely. The clip is pushing the top of the pads apart right now and the bottoms together. There's also a second kind of clip that came with them which again, I have no idea how it's supposed to work:  I'm just trying to figure this out on the workbench right now before putting it in the car. What am I missing here?
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May 8, 2018 02:34
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So there was one of each type in each caliper box, along with a pair of those pins that align the pads. Then in the box with the pads themselves, there were another 4 pins and 2 of each of the clips. This implies to me that each set was supposed to use one of each type of clip (meaning I have extra set of clips just like an extra set of pins), but I have no idea where the second clip goes. Also here's the first clip in the car with everything mounted up. It clearly rubs against the rotor in the middle there which seems.... wrong. As you can see there is a whole lot of space in there already between pad and rotor which also strikes me as not optimal. 
bawfuls fucked around with this message at 03:00 on May 8, 2018 |
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May 8, 2018 02:52
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They are (re-manufactured) S12 calipers from an 80's Toyota 4x4. That image is helpful, it at least clarifies what the second type of clip is for. When your clip wasn't broken, did it rub on the rotor? Does it matter?
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May 8, 2018 03:02
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This brake situation doesn't instill confidence but they're in now so we'll see. Also got ahold of a dremel so I could get the last bits of old rubber bushing out of the front control arms. Here is side by side after I got the first one cleaned up:  But now I'm realizing that the new bushings are the same size as what looks like a metal sleeve in the control arm, is this normal? Am I supposed to just removed the old sleeve, or are these polyurethane bushings going to somehow compress enough to get inside it?  Not sure if it's clear from that pic. edit: Z forums say the sleeve has to get cut out. Should be fun. bawfuls fucked around with this message at 06:54 on May 8, 2018 |
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May 8, 2018 04:05
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Reinstalling front control arms with fresh bushings today, and I snapped a bolt head off between the control arm and the ball joint (whatever the base of that hub/strut assembly is). I was using a torque wrench set to the middle of the FSM recommended range spec for this bolt (double checked it after I broke it). Is this just a case of old pieces failing or is it likely I did something stupid? edit: also, recommendations on extracting the broken bolt? There are like two threads on the stub sticking out so I'll try vice grips and sloooooooow to start  edit2: much ado about nothing, this thing came out easily, feels like I dodged a bullet here bawfuls fucked around with this message at 01:05 on May 10, 2018 |
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May 10, 2018 00:46
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Should I seek out new stronger bolts for all the suspension pieces I'm taking out and cleaning up? If so, where is the proper place to find such things?
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May 10, 2018 01:46
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Platystemon posted:I would.   The one that snapped was one of the smaller ones. These are the two sets of bolts that go into that end of the control arm, and the bigger one actually has a slightly lower torque spec. Googling around, I see references to a metric 8.8 spec and 10.9 spec, so I guess I'll try to find the latter.
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May 10, 2018 20:42
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I picked up some 10.9 grade bolts to replace the one that broke (and the other 3 like it). Torquing it down and I heard a pop that wasn't from the torque wrench. The lock washer under the bolt head had split, then I pulled the (new, 10.9 grade bolt) out and it looked like this  Which makes me think my torque wrench setting was wrong, but I really wasn't cranking that hard on the thing. This is fishy.
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May 10, 2018 21:19
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Yeah I agree. But the wrench is new and I've used it successfully several times in the past week, including just a few minutes before the original bolt failure yesterday to do the other end of the control arm which is a higher torque setting (90 ft lbs). This is 60:
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May 10, 2018 21:32
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These just came from home depot down the street, and they are stamped 10.9 on the head. I can seek out a different source I guess but how likely is it that home depot has a stock of counterfeit bolts?? Is it possible that something about the alignment of the parts or the split washer is putting extra torque on the bolts? The threaded holes on the ball joint piece go all the way through (and I checked that the bolts will thread in from the other side) so it's not like they are bottoming out on something. bawfuls fucked around with this message at 21:59 on May 10, 2018 |
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May 10, 2018 21:57
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Yes they thread in by hand just fine. Guess I'm headed out to find more bolts. But that's also an unsatisfying solution. On a side note, all the references I've found online show tensile strength specs for the various bolt classifications, but none show torsion or shear specs, which seems weird. Aren't those pretty relevant limits for a bolt??
bawfuls fucked around with this message at 22:16 on May 10, 2018 |
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May 10, 2018 22:06
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So I just tried again on the other side of the car with one small change: did not use the split/lock washers this time. Bolts went in fine and torqued down to 60 without issue. Is the washer really the culprit (not sure why)? Is it stupid to omit lock washers that are supposed to be there?
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May 10, 2018 23:43
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Platystemon posted:Hmm, that’s a pretty small bolt. Check your torque specs again. 60 ft-lbs seems high for a bolt that size. I agree it seems high for a bolt that size. Here's the page out of the FSM:  I may be identifying it wrong, but I don't see any other candidates for this bolt on the diagram but C. Here they are in the car, from below and from the side:  
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May 11, 2018 00:42
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MrOnBicycle posted:Silly question, but are you wrenching the correct way? I once went the wrong way while a bit too tired and was rushing, didn't hear a click, probably went way over spec.
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May 11, 2018 07:13
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| # ¿ May 9, 2024 08:32 |
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STR posted:OP stated the bolts are from Home Depot, so there's more than a slight chance they're really cheese grade bolts (despite the stamps).
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May 11, 2018 17:03
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