Guernsey 280Z 🇬🇬

Larby

Club Member
@yellowz thanks, I suspect that missing hose from the intake is indeed the one for the FPR.
Being a naturally aspirated car it shouldn’t make a massive difference, but would be a bit rich on idle without it.
Probably the biggest difference would be the air leak into the manifold!

Hopefully the FSM can shed some light on that bit.
 

Larby

Club Member
Well, I've found what the mystery disconnected 'thing' in the boot was - a floor temperature sensor!
Possibly the most random sensor I've ever heard of, but there we go. I wonder if it still works - we'll find out soon!

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Larby

Club Member
Aaaaand I've just figured the unplugged relay too - also for the floor temp warning!
Someone really didn't want to know that their floor was getting hot! 😄

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Robotsan

Club Member
I hadn't got round to wondering what that Floor Temp warning light was for on my dash yet .. but just googled it. It's only found on Californian cars and it's literally to tell you if the floor is too hot, but seems to be because the catalytic converters get very hot when failing? So maybe a fire hazard? Maybe when the weather is really hot in California it goes off all the time so people unplug them? I'll check mine today. Not much danger of it going off in Manchester 😂

Found this thread: https://www.zcar.com/threads/floor-temp-light.65322/
 

Larby

Club Member
@Robotsan yeah you’re right - it’s exactly that.
It’s positioned above the rear silencer and warns you if things are getting a bit toasty from an issue or spirited driving!

Cats do cause an increase in exhaust temp and being the very early days of cat use, they were evidently a bit concerned.

I don’t know about yours, but my whole exhaust is covered in a heatshield.
Maybe the cat technology back then was very restrictive.
 

Robotsan

Club Member
@Robotsan yeah you’re right - it’s exactly that.
It’s positioned above the rear silencer and warns you if things are getting a bit toasty from an issue or spirited driving!

Cats do cause an increase in exhaust temp and being the very early days of cat use, they were evidently a bit concerned.

I don’t know about yours, but my whole exhaust is covered in a heatshield.
Maybe the cat technology back then was very restrictive.

Yup, same with mine I think. I always think it's mad how much space there is in the tunnel there, with just that little single exhaust hugging the side. Almost like they designed it to be able to have 2 duel pipes fitted?

Btw the boot of your 280 is quite different to mine. The jack in mine (76 but built in 75) is in one of the little compartments behind the seats like on the 240, and there's no hinged board covering the whole boot floor. So I guess mine is like a crossover model where a lot of it is like a 260z maybe? I'm sure I can find out..

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SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
So, my plan for the car…

It’s a bit undecided yet, but I don’t ever plan to sell it. I’ve waited this long for one, so now I’m never letting it go!

I plan on having it as a rolling project, as I know from experience that if I totally strip her now, I’ll never get it finished.

Short term (ie, for next summer), I plan to get her looking the way I want, running well and we’ll protected underneath.

After that, bit by bit, I plan to just keep improving her as the years go by.

Doing what I do, I plan to develop a whole bunch of parts as I go, ranging from 3D printed plastic bits (having a 3D scanner and a large format printer, this could include bigger things too!), some carbon parts, as I used to make a lot of carbon bits, fabricated items - basically anything I feel my Z and the rest of the world could benefit from.

So, onto today’s work!

Hi James.

My view is that, as a keeper, in a well-equipped garage and as a potentiel shop-window car, advertising your expertise, quality of work and parts you can make for our cars, you really ought to strip and rebuild her.
Judging from your reporting, open a Youtube channel with regular updates there, here, on a specific blog, FB and enjoy the 'ride' until and beyond that she's roadworthy, continuing her evolution with improvements.

My deux centimes' worth.
 

Larby

Club Member
@SeanDezart I can see your point, but I know how that would end with me.

I’m also conscious that a large part of developing parts is the development and testing - something I can’t do with a car on stands in a workshop.

Given what great condition she’s in, my plan is a thorough tart up, to get her in good usable condition, so she can be used for testing and development, along with finally allowing me to actually drive one!

Having never actually driven a Z, I can’t make better components if I don’t even know what they’re like.

There’s a high chance I’ll aim to buy another in time, which will become the complete rebuild queen, with all the best parts on.
I might then transfer to using that, while I bring the 280 up to standard, then sell the second car to repeat the process.

Either way, I feel it’s critical at this stage that I have a running, driving car.
 
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