lambs

Sorry, I missed this. The BMW calipers bolt straight to Z caliper mounts, but require a small amount of shimming to get the offset correct for the discs. Because they use the Eurpoean dual independant brake cct they also either have to be drilled internally to 'join' the piston cylinders or an adaptor is used to connect both inlet ports to the single Z brake line. I went with the drilling option. $60 was from a BMW wrecker.

Bell-housing bolt pattern is very different, so depends on what you mean by 'easy' - certainly not a bolt-up proposition.

Got a 260Z up on the hoist at the moment with a VG30DET in it - engine mounts are a bitch. Be interesting to know what gearbox is behind it as these motors all came with an auto from the factory, but it doesn't say in the ad. Bonnet latch mount has been cut off and I can't see how it is otherwise kept closed.

Dreamin.... A month or so ago he wanted $9K+, then dropped the price to $4999 as a starting price but got no bidders. Someone on here was interested and got more details, so would know more. Your right, probably a good starting point, if rust is not too bad and everything else checks out (completeness, interior condition, etc). The japs generally don't what 'restorers' but cars that have actually had the work done already. $20K is about $US15K+ shipping, and I can't see anyone over there being interested in a 'restorer' for that those sort of $$, esp when there are still a reasonable number of these cars still available in the US. That leaves the UK and pretty much the same situation although less cars were sold there, of course.

....there's a 280C at Pick-a-Part, Kilsyth, with an EFI L28. 280C has same sump configuration as a Z, so motor is 'bolt in' with change of engine mount brackets. Interesting thing is the rocker cover is the 'chunky' Nissan type commonly seen on import motors. Block is also F54 when stock 280C is normally N42. Head is an N42. Fuel injection is all there as far as I could tell, and even the electronic distributor is still in place. I didn't check prices, but generally PaP want $100 or so for a bare motor, and anything else you want is add-on in terms of price. Can get expensive esp when you don't really know the condition, but OTOH, L28's seem to be getting a little harder to find. FWIW radiator was still full of nice green coolant. Also out there is an R30 with E88 head - good for raising comp on L28, plus another one with an E30 head (ie 240K/C210 head). Plus off to one side was a Z31 (non turbo) that had suffered an under-bonnet fire, which is not uncommon. I actually was looking for a brake caliper for my daughters Civic....

The rails are most definately NOT spring steel.

Probably the best book specifically for early Z's is Wick Humble's 'How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car'. Although it only covers LHD cars, much of it is still applicable to RHD and I think it's still available. There are also many general books on how to strip, repair rust, paint, etc.

The condition of the body is everything. Mechanicals is easy and interior stuff is generally availble from the US (some unique RHD parts can be hard, but still out there). Rust in the body and previous accident damage are the things that cost the $$ to repair properly, and unless you can inspect the car for yourself how can you know ?? I think this guy originally wanted around $9K some months back, so that might suggest the reality is different to the description. On the plus side, it's a low chassis number and if it has the original engine/mechanicals that increases the value, assuming you want that. His description suggests the car was originally brown, but painted white, which is not unusual. But the photo of the chassis number appears to show yellow and the engine bay is black. None of these things are a 'big deal', but one implication is that the car has been in an accident at some stage (painting the engine bay black is an old 'trick' used to 'hide' chassis/rail damage - makes it harder to spot). Of course, a car of this age is highly likely to have been in accident at some stage. It's a question of repair quality.

OK' date=' who is that? Since there seems to be contradictory 'facts' regarding this issue, can you please provide the flow rates of each and pics of internals? What are the physical differences between the R32 GTR oil pump and the R34 one?[/quote'] I don't give out names, particularly these ones. What you believe in terms of the 'facts' is entirely up to you. The only difference between R32 and R34 GTR o/pumps that I'm aware of is the crank engagement, which is a carry-over from R33 GTR.

People that have actually done the measurements..... Edit: I should add that I think there is some confusion over N1 oil pumps versus the Nismo type, which is probably where the myth arises. The N1 pump is just a standard Nissan part available across the counter at Nissan and is nothing special really. OTOH, the Nismo pump offers both higher flow and pressure. It's a bit like the standard L-series oil pump vs the turbo pump vs the race oil pump.

Keep looking and don't waste any money on RACV inspections. Rust appearing after only 4 months from a respray says the job was not done properly and the worst is yet to re-appear. On top of that, interior sounds like it needs a lot of work....in fact the whole thing sounds like it needs a lot of work.

They are the fusible links - early 260Z's are the same. A fault here might cause power supply problems to the start cct, but I'd have to check the wiring diagram. Worth checking for corrosion, etc, but the low battery voltage should still be investigated.

I'd say the battery is a dud, but are you sure your voltmeter is accurate ??

The black box in that photo is the regulator. It's an aftermarket, solid-state unit which has replaced the original mechnical type. They are very reliable and I doubt that's the source of your problem. From your description it sounds more like the starter motor, and possibly the starter solenoid which is faulty. It's easy to check whether the charging systems is OK....assuming you have access to a voltmeter. With a fully charged battery and the engine running, the voltage across the battery terminals should be around 14V (lights off). Switching lights on the voltage should drop slightly, but recover with increased revs. If this is the case the charging system is fine.

Do you still have the original mechanical regulator, or has it been replaced with a solid state reg ??

Are you sure it's not regulator related ??

Looks more or less the same as the 260C type that I have on my car, even the mounting bracket bolts straight up. Got mine at Pick-a-Part in Melbourne for $2, although that was quite awhile ago now. Edit: Hmmm bottom radiator assembly in that diagram is not for an L-series engine (note inlet/outlet points). S20 perhaps ??

E31 was only used up to about mid 1971. From then on it was E88. From memory there were a couple of different 'types' of E88 used, but the variations were minor.

Looks like a US site. Be interesting to know what the sump and pick-up costs in Oz. If anyone is THAT interested in using one I can get the trade price. GQ (or was it MQ ??) Patrol sump will also do the job, although fairly deep. I see the myth of the N1 oil and water pump's continues to be perpetuated.... `