240z Resto

[Makesy]

Hi all,

My resto doesn't look anywhere near as ambitious as some of the others I've seen here but maybe it will be interesting for some of you.

72 240z with a 2.8. Plan is to get it running and roadworthy, then in a year or 2 spray it black and get the engine reconditioned.

Very little (visible) rust so hopefully not much needs doing in this department

Starts (hesitantly) but isn't road registered yet.

I think there may be an issue with the cold start valve, or general fuel pressure as it takes quite a while to first start up.

Anyway, i was wondering if anyone could share some theories on why the previous owner would have bypassed the air flow regulator?

Could this be anything to do with my hesitant start issue?

I'd like to keep the EFI if at all possible

I've attached a few pics for reference

Cheers

Alex

 

[jonbills]

Hi Alex, it's a 280z L28 right? you'll find lots of useful diagnostics in the FSM here: http://www.xenonzcar.com/s30/fsm.html
There's only a small handful of these engines in the UK, although growing. Much more expertise over on the US forums like https://www.classiczcars.com/
(however I think the advice there generally starts with 'have you worked through the diagnostics in the FSM on xenonzcar.com')

 

[Makesy]

Hi Jon,

Cheers for that - didn't know of this resource so I'll give it a read and see how I get on.

From what I'm told, it's a 78 280z L28, though I can't clarify that.

 

[Makesy]

Tine for an update!

Last weekend I got front if the car up on stilts to do some brake work.

Wheels were removed and brakes hammered free from the discs..left side was seized and may need new pistons.

Brakes are Toyota 4 pots which was a nice surprise!

Rear hatch strut was also removed to send for regassing

Bought a bunch of kit to do the headlight relay conversion, but want to take the dash off before I get involed with that.

-----

Busy weekend this weekend.

Brakes off and in the process of being stripped. Bleed nipples came free surprisingly easily.

Brake system drained with a few pedal presses

Headlights changed to MOT suitable units

Door card removed from driver's side door to try and get the locking mechanism working (locks may need replacing). Yet to start on the passengers side.

It's become apparent that the ventilation is badly routed and possibly missing a heater unit. I'm sure an upgrade is possible here!

Started up a couple of times. Cold starts are still hard. Once up and running I removed the air filter and fired in some injector cleaner. This seems to have aided cold starting a little, but I can't categorically say this is just because of the cleaner.

Using a long spanner I listened to all the injectors and one if them sounds like it might not be actuating. I will decide whether to clean or replace them soon.

Cold start valve was removed, cleaned and tested - all ok there!


Next job on my list is to rewire the rear lights.

Cowl has also been removed ready for installation of the windscreen washer tubes.

 

[jonbills]

You've been busy!

 

[Rob Gaskin]

So the injector cleaner you used cleans the outside of the injectors?

I thought it had to be added to the fuel?

Is it basically like carb cleaner?

 

[Makesy]

Hi Rob,

It brands itself as injector/carb cleaner. It was a couple of quid for a rattle can.

Directions said to spray it into the air intake, though I'm not sure how this would clean the injector itself.

At the risk of being contradictory, I am reluctant to try any system cleaners in case I do some damage.

Rock auto have new and reman injectors, so I'm tempted to just get a new set once I've had my tank cleaned.

 

[Makesy]

Bonus content:

I found a nest behind one of the fenders. Hoping the creature inside abandoned it or died long before it reached my garage!



Also, quite an interesting mount has been Macgyvered for the fuel pump. P/o was innovative if nothing else!

 

[jonbills]

PO obviously aspired to a Morgan. You haven't got wooden underfloor support rails too have you?

 

[Makesy]

@jonbills thankfully not!

Despite the questionable use of that plank of wood, there's some good work gone into this car before my ownership. The shell is nice and solid and I feel I've landed on a good combination of parts.

I managed to track down the American p/o on Facebook. Nice guy, told me a lot about the car's history. He had it for 15 years and bought the 240z shell with "nothing from the dash forward".

He intended on making a road and track car, so fitted an L28, stronger brakes, and stiffer springs. But having owned the car for 15 years, and covering less than 100 miles in that time, he sold it on.

Prior to his ownership the car had been based in Texas, and before that, Alaska!

I will share more details another time when I'm on my PC.

In other news, my washer bottle and motor arrived from
Thailand earlier today so hope to get that tested and fitted at the weekend.

Also, I never posted about the (grotty) bumper I picked up on ebay! I'll have to get that cleaned up at some point.

Goodnight for now.

 

[Makesy]

Few odd jobs done this week..

Started removing the dash but I've missed a few hidden bolts somewhere. Will work on that further this weekend.

Steering wheel is off in order to clean up the stalk connections.

On removal of the central controls it was immediately obvious that, bar the blower, they weren't connected up at all! Also the pipework for the ventilation has been taped together and is mostly disconnected! That's a job for winter though - post MOT!

A friend has been helping me with the brake calipers this evening. For love nor money we could not free the pistons with an air line. Will try boiling them and air lining tomorrow, and failing that go for the grease gun technique!

Will upload more pics this weekend.

 

[Makesy]

Got sidetracked and decided to clean my injectors.

On removal, some looked a bit ropey. I fashioned an injector cleaner using a can of cleaner, ptfe tape, various hose and a few jubilee clips, and then rigging each injector up to a battery to actuate (quick taps to replicate the actual function).

Most sprayed ok. One injector spray pattern was more like a water pistol, but eventually they all sprayed a decent pattern, so that looks like £300+ I won't need to spend on 6 new ones just yet!

In the not too distant future I will replace the hose on each injector as they look aged and perishing.

Quite the learning experience!

 

[Makesy]

What with a wedding to attend, and a hangover to recover from, not much was done with the Z this weekend.

I did buy an air compressor though - which I am sure will be generally useful, aid the resto process and may encourage me to do a bit of spraying.

A couple of pics for you...



P/O painted the car a nice ruby red colour (over the original green) though in doing so sprayed over the ID plate.

Fun fact: my dad had a green 240z many moons ago, which the DVLA records now say is painted red - go figure!

Also, I feel the need to replace the fuel hoses once I get my tank removed. This one in the back has served its time!

 

[Makesy]

After a debate with myself, I replaced all the injector hoses. Faff of a job which left my fingers a bit sore, but I'm pleased with the results and judging by how perished some of the rubber was, I am convinced this was necessary.

For anyone with injectors and wondering - it is possible to remove the hose! Just requires a lot of perseverence, a sharp knife and a flathead screwdriver.

I lightly landed around the barb of each injector to remove all the crap that had accumulated over the years and keep the surface flush.

Ensured all the hoses seated well in the collars to ensure nothing comes loose or leaks by pressing the top of the hose against a wall and using both hands to push.




Unfortunately forgot to snap a pic of the cleaned barbs, but you can see a grubby one pictured.

Windscreen is now ready for shipping but I don't fancy fitting it myself!

Will be ordering a fuel pump, filters and brackets shortly to support the tank /pump refresh.

 

[Makesy]

Windscreen has landed! For those interested, Ricky Evans Motorsport stocks them, in a heated and unheated variant.

 

[uk66fastback]

Windscreen looks good - can I enquire how much? I've not fitted one to a Z but have done a couple on other cars. The secret is to not break it ...

A friend and me had 99% finished an install and he gave it a last tap and broke it - it was only a 4mm one though and I managed to get a thicker (6mm) one elsewhere by shopping around for the same price. The ol' string and washing up liquid was the way to go - I presume a Z is the same ... others can chime in. It's a two-man job for sure and one of you needs to have done one before ideally. I am sure there are videos on YouTube showing every which way ...

I had a quote from one of the household name suppliers and it was £150 just to fit it ... (the young lads nowadays haven't done them much before ... ) - they're all bonded in now - piece of p

 

[Makesy]

@uk66fastback That's a good secret, that!!! ~£150 for my unheated one. I figure I'm never going to use my Z in a particularly cold application.

This isn't a job I'll be doing myself - definitely don't fancy snapping a screen! I'd much rather pay someone local to do it, even if it costs me a bit more!

 

[uk66fastback]

That's a decent price I think for a new front screen ... !

 

[Makesy]

On holiday at the moment, but plotting my next steps with the Z.

Johnymd has referenced applying for registration without an MOT and chrisvega mentioned this too, so I'll try my luck when I'm back on UK soil.

Mike F has kindly shipped my new fuel pump and filters (very swift service!) so I'm excited to get them fitted along with my new fuel pressure gauge and figure out if I can get up and running.

I'm having a lot of trouble freeing off my brake pistons and running out of ideas so thinking of buying a new set of conplete hilux calipers from somewhere like Big Redd unless anyone can assist?

SGS are regassing my hatch strut and that should be back with me when I'm home.

Tank still needs dropping and inspecting. Chickening out of any heavy cleaning and sealing myself so I'll likely just scrub all the crud out of it and dry it off - this should be my next big job.

 

[uk66fastback]

Why not send the calipers off to be refurbished? New seals, painted etc. Some places do it pretty inexpensively now ...