September 2, 2011

The Z has been parked outside under some trees. Today I washed it to get all of the tree junk off of it. We are going to put it in the shop soon. Also, I will be brushing rust converter onto the bottom of the car. I noticed a lot more rust after this summer

July 12, 2011

Dad tapped the new threads and put in the new bolt. Then we put back on the original exhaust manifold and put on the new intake manifold from the Maxima. Afterwards we noticed on the exhaust manifold, the Y-pipe that connects to it had an incorrect size bolt in it. This was definitely another place where the exhaust was leaking. Dad put in the correct size bolt and got it tight. Here's a link to see all of the pictures we took today. https://picasaweb.google.com/107049701433976725112/20110712?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMT_0fn7wfvfPA&feat=directlink

This arrow points to the bolt that we needed to tap the threads for.

 This arrow points to the bolt we replaced and tightened.

July 4, 2011

Yesterday Dad and I got some parts from McAdam. He got them off of an old '80s Maxima at a U-Pull in the cities. The old Maxima has a lot of parts that are the same on my Z. We got everything that was on the head which includes a lot of sensors and the fuel injectors and the EGR parts. We got a starter, radiator, mass airflow sensor(not sure if it is compatible with my Z), and alternator. These parts will save me a lot. Today Dad and I stripped all the parts we need off of the head. Also, to update since the last post: Dad drilled out the bolt that was broken in the head. We will need to tap it to make new threads.

June 6, 2011

Today Dad stripped down the engine. He removed the intake and the exhaust manifolds. We found out the "lucky bolt" we found was actually the remaining piece of a bolt. The other part broke off and got stuck in the block. We also found out that all of the bolts were only finger tight, they were never torqued. Below are some pictures. You can see more at https://picasaweb.google.com/107049701433976725112/BenS6611?authkey=Gv1sRgCKP-0Nan5svXHA&feat=directlink

The engine stripped down.

The "lucky bolt" where the exhaust manifold bots into the block.

June 1, 2011

Today we removed the transmission from the block and we found out, because of the new soft plug, that my engine was rebuilt. We also found out that the clutch was slipping because of a bad seal that was leaking oil onto it. The gear on the starter was also pretty shredded. The best part of today was finding out about the exhaust leak. It turns out one of the bolts from the exhaust manifold was missing. We found it wedged by the air conditioning compressor. We think it they dropped it when they were doing the rebuild and it has been sitting there for years. You can see more pictures at https://picasaweb.google.com/107049701433976725112/6111?authkey=Gv1sRgCNXdrqLvvbL-Nw&feat=directlink

The new soft plug

The shredded clutch

The starter gear

May 31, 2011

Today we got the engine out. I got to do a lot of the work like cutting off the exhaust pipe and tapping the bolts out of the support that holds the transmission. Before we did this we had to drain the oil from the transmission. The plug is magnetic and there were many shreds of metal stuck to the plug and in the oil. This means that we need to replace the transmission. Below are pictures. You can see more of them at https://picasaweb.google.com/107049701433976725112/53111?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjN3aWj7uXLeQ&feat=directlink

 

 

Transmission drain plug covered with shreds of metal 

 

Carnage from the transmission 

May 30, 2011

Today I went under the car to remove the parts needed to get the engine out. Some of them were the clutch slave cylinder, transmission mounting bolts, driveshaft bolts, and the speedometer cable. You can see more pictures here https://picasaweb.google.com/107049701433976725112/BenS280zx53111?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPvq_P8gN2y_QE&feat=directlink

 

 

May 23, 2011

Today Dad and I started disconnecting wires and hoses so we can take the engine out. We also took out the radiator and air conditioning condenser. Oh yeah, no hood. You can check out more pictures here at our Google Picasa web album https://picasaweb.google.com/107049701433976725112/May232011280ZX?authkey=Gv1sRgCJb1_MuUsqnSPQ&feat=directlink

 

 

 

April 12, 2011

Today Dad and I did a compression test. We got 180. So, good news-we don't have to open up the engine.

April 2, 2011

I bought an  8x11 foot remnant of carpet for may car. We will have to wait to put it in until we have a parts car with the original carpet so we can use it as a stencil for my new carpet. Today, I also made a face plate adapter for the stereo I am putting in my car. I used 1/4 inch plywood. I painted it with flat black spray paint and then I sealed it with clear gloss polyurethane. I still need to put a second coat of polyurethane on.

April 2, 2011

I glued some felt on to the bottom of the center console cover so it doesn't rattle. Finished the center console cover.

April 1, 2011

I added another coat of polyurethane, but this time only to the holes.

March 31, 2011

I added another coat of polyurethane. 

March 30, 2011

I got an idea to add cup holders to my center console cover to give my car some more functionality. So, I used a 3-inch hole saw and drilled 2 cup holes. Then I put on another coat of polyurethane.

March 29, 2011

I made a frame out of oak for the bottom of the center console cover so it will stay in place when sitting on the center console. 

March 28, 2011

I stained the oak with Minwax Cherry 235. Then I sealed it with clear gloss polyurethane.

March 27, 2011

I made a wood center console cover out of oak. The original one broke off. First I cut out the rectangle and rounded the front edges with a jigsaw. Then I straightened the sides with a file. Then I sanded the whole thing.

March 11, 2011

Today I put in a new door jamb switch. There are still some problems. The door light is still on and the dome light only works when you switch it to on. At least it got rid of the "lights and keys" light and the door bell quit beeping. Overall it worked.

March 7, 2011

Today Dad reassembled the cooling fan for the fuel injectors. I was the camera man. We have video of cleaning it and showing how much better it works.

February 28, 2011

Today I took apart and cleaned the cooling fan for the fuel injectors. You should have seen the 30 years of dust and grime in those fan blades. Not to mention the rusty allen screw that held the fan to the motor shaft. Later I plan to reassemble and install the fan.

February 22, 2011

Today I removed the fan that cools my fuel injectors after my car is shut off. We tested it and it's pretty wimpy. I'm going to clean the fan motor and see if that helps speed it up.

Feruary 18, 2011

Replaced the left taillight bulb. First I had to use the dremel tool with a wire brush attachment to scratch away the corrode and rust in the socket. Then I sprayed it with contact cleaner and dried it with a paper towel. Then I put in the new bulb and it worked fine. Then I noticed my right taillight socket wasn't locked into the body. Then I put it in and it didn't work anymore. So, I dremeled and cleaned that socket, too. And it still didn't work. Then I realized the bulb had separated into two pieces. So, I will be getting a new bulb for the right taillight, also. On a side note: it snowed and the paint on the rust spot on my hood got penetrated by water, and some of the rust converter got wet and ran off. So, I will be repainting it. This problem shouldn't happen again because my Z is now in our shop away from the elements.

February 16, 2011

Today Dad and I worked on the car and found the reason why my temp gauge doesn't work. The thermistor is shot. We will need to replace it. Also on the list is to clean my brake light socket and put in a bulb.

Parts I'll Need

These are the parts I am going to buy for my car.
part........................NAPA.............RockAuto
distributor cap..........$8.33..............$5.10
distributor rotor........$3.33..............$1.80
spark plug wire set....$22.99.............$20.79
NGK spark plugs......$3.09..............$2.33 each
coolant temp sensor...$19.97.............$22.79
grounding wire from frame to engine block
positive wire from battery to starter.....$12.12
radiator reservoir cap
 door jamb switch...........................$11.17

Also some work I will need to do on the car before I replace the battery wires is to clean the battery tray and body under the tray with baking soda water. 

February 13, 2011

Today I vacuumed out the Z. I also cleaned up some standing water in one of the compartments in the back and on the floor behind the driver's seat. I got all of the loose parts into a bucket so I don't loose anything. Noticed a rust hole in the floor behind the driver's seat. It will need to be fixed along with the one in front of the passenger's seat.

Figured Out Dome Light

I believe I have figured out why the dome light doesn't work. I checked, and the dome light fuse is missing. I think the original owner removed it. This probably goes with the fact that the driver's side door switch is stuck in the on position and when the door got shut it broke and fell through the hole.

Febraury 12, 2011

Today I chipped away all of the paint bubble on the hood. Then I used a small wire brush to remove the dirt and loose rust under the bubble. Then I put on 4 coats of rust converter. After it had dried I temporarily sealed it with aluminum spray paint. Then I wiped off the over-spray with mineral spirits.

February 11, 2011

Replaced the positive battery terminal connector.

February 6, 2011

Removed aftermarket stereo, secured bottom panels of dash on driver’s side and passenger’s side so they don’t hang down anymore, and oiled door hinges.

Early diagnosis of Z

The radiator has a hole in it that has been temporarily patched with JB weld. The radiator will need to be replaced. The rear differential whines and it will need to be replaced. The front suspension is going out and the rear suspension is totally out. It will need to be replaced. Has an exhaust leak. We think it is the gasket in between the exhaust manifold and the engine. The passenger t-top is cracked. There is no carpeting in the car. The seats are ripped and need covers. There is a crack in the passenger’s floorboard that needs to be sealed. The dome light doesn’t work. The driver’s door switch is broken. The e-brake doesn't work. The steering column lock needs to be oiled. The doors need to be oiled. The door locks need to be oiled. Passenger’s side bottom corner of windshield has a rock chip that needs to be filled. The center console/arm rest top needs to be replaced. There are various panels of the rear interior that need to be replaced. The stereo needs to be replaced. There is a second hole under the stereo slot and to the right that can be filled with a cigarette lighter outlet. There is a rust bubble on the driver’s side of the hood that needs to be repaired.

February 5, 2011

Replaced the negative battery terminal connector.