280Z gets new lungs – K&N Filter Intake

The Datsun 280z gets a new cold air intake!

I’ve had this part for a little while rolling around in the back, thought I’d take a few minutes to see how it works.

Among all the intakes on eBay, I figured it’d be just as easy to make my own. Here’s what you’ll need:

– K&N Air Filter – various models can be used. I decided on the K&N RC-4690
– Spectre cold air intake – model #94990, 3″ 90 degree aluminum elbow
– some Windex
– Philips and flathead screwdrivers

Just a few notes before we begin, the Spectre 94990 is a 3″ diameter tube which is just larger than the original intake opening, so getting the original intake boot on the elbow is a bit tough. Hence, the Windex.

1) Use the philips screwdriver to remove the original intake from the car frame, also removing the plastic intake extension, and loosing the intake-to-AFM boot

2) Attach the K&N filter to the elbow, tighten

3) Fit the elbow to the intake-to-AFM boot (you can use some Windex here to help it slide on). It’ll be a pretty tight fit, but it’ll go on. You can also use the flathead screw driver to help get that last bit of lip over the intake tube.

Estimated completion time: 30min – 1hr

All the parts laid out…

Dry fitting the K&N intake to the Spectre elbow – a 3″ ID (inner diameter) filter SHOULD fit on a 3″ OD (outer diameter) intake.. right?

And installed!

Now to tune this beast…huh, kinda runs ok without doing anything.
okok, so now to strap this down so it doesn’t wiggle off…

December 31, 2013December 31, 2013

Merry Christmas & Happy New Years!

Merry Christmas and… wait for it… Happy New Years! (Thanks auto-publisher for posting this at the stroke of midnight! haha)

Look what Santa dropped off for the 280z this year:

Energy Suspension’s 7.18102G Master Kit for Datsun!! wwwaahh!

Yes, a full polyurethane bushing set for the Datsun 280z. Complete. Masterful. Sure to add on multiple hours of labor to put them all on…and get all the old crusty rubber ones off.. oy..

If Santa didn’t see your Z in the driveway, you can pick up your own at Amazon for about $160.

August 18, 2013

Interesting Part: Turbo Tom

I’m on my morning Datsun CL search routine. and come across something very interesting: a Turbo Tom.

The Turbo Tom was an aftermarket turbo setup in the 70’s for the early Datsun L-series engines (think, a turbo before the 280zx). It was developed by SCCA racer Tom Wyatt III, which in his own right has a pretty inspiring Datsun racing story of his own. Supposedly as he raced his turbo’d L20b Datsun 510, they had to continue to move Wyatt up in class. He was blowing doors off each class all the way up to the Corvette and Cobras.. the big boys. And even then, he beat Porsches and Cobras by seconds*.

From what i gathered, the Turbo Tom was a BYOT (bring your own turbo) setup, coming with intake and exhaust manifolds, and featured a mount for a sweet 4 bbl carb.

240Z car straight 6 with a Turbo Tom

Like any other aftermarket product, it’s subject to nay-sayers and the Turbo Tom is certainly no exception (one forum member harked it should stay dead). But also with pieces this interesting, there are those who create builds specifically around this turbo setup (zcar.com forum). Personally, I like the setup – it’s unique, it’ll no doubt give that L-series some more get-up-n-go, and it’ll be sure to generate talk with who ever sees it.

Worth $700? eeehhh sounds like a stretch, but I suppose for the right enthusiast, it’ll be turbo-riffic.

Original posting: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/pts/4006283760.html

*DatsunHistory.com, http://www.datsunhistory.com/Racehistory1.html

July 4, 2013July 3, 2013

Shift knob repair

Pretty much since day 1 (Oct of 2011), the shift knob of the 280z has been loose…and eventually flat out threaded.

On a occasion, I’d be in the zone (or maybe secretly racing the car next to me), and in a shifting fury find the shift knob flung off, bouncing around the cabin. sigh!

There are plenty of OEM retro looking Z shift knobs from Motorsport Auto, and a more after market junk you can fill it’s trunk with – so the choice is yours. However, in true Daily Datsun mentality, ‘why replace when you can refurbish’. And of course i wouldn’t mind using the same since it came with the car – call it owner’s nostalgia. :]

With help from my brother Kris, we were able to do just that.

Since the threads of the shift knob were all threaded and gone, it made cleaning out easy. He used a spare stock rod of some hard plastic, hammer-press fit it into the existing hole, and threaded it with a M8x1.25 tap. Add washer with nut, and we’re good to go!

Check it out – brand new again. Shift on!

April 23, 2013April 22, 2013

Yes, I’m in Z office

Want to excite that drab office? Got a couple of car seats laying around?!

You can only change that computer desktop wallpaper so much and so often – so take it to the next level and make some car seat office chairs! Back in March of last year, I got new seat covers in for the 280z and just had to throw them over the office chair for fun. Well it looks the guy at DIY-Create actually brought it to fruition on Instructables using the actual seat! Seats came from a junked 240z, and I’d say, they’re now getting much more use than left in a yard. Also, you can bring that car you love so much into the home. Enjoy!

And many thanks to DIY-Create for using the seat restore article and mentioning Daily Datsun as a resource!

Instructables – How to Turn Junker Car Seats into Beautiful Office Chairs by DIY-Create
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Turn-Junker-Car-Seats-into-Beautiful-Office/?ALLSTEPS

Getting work done…fast.

March 21, 2012

New Seats: 25% done

I finally found some time this morning and re-upholstered the seat back…yes, just the back.
Previously I purchased 1976 styled 280z seat covers for my 1977 (my year had the plastic “basketweave” styled backrest, ugh), and now it’s time to put them on.

Check it:

And I’ve got to say, my forearms burn like i just went rock climbing!

Here’s some of my feedback on the process. If you’re looking at recovering you’re own seats, here’s what I did, and it may help you.

1) Take off of the old covers – I paid special attention to how the old covers were put on, and it made a difference. My 1977 280z “basketweave” seat covers were held down by metal prongs / tangs, and two sets of metal rods for reinforcement. The front face of the seat cover is under the back face. And the prongs pierce through the vinyl.

What was interesting was this seat arm “pocket” on a single side of the seats – none of them had been used! The arms were attached on top of the pockets instead of inside of them (though the original fit looks intentional).

There were metal reinforcement rods along the edges that will need to be removed and reused for the new seat covers.
Always remember to label just in case!

Like taking off a shirt, there’s two ways of taking off an old seat cover: 1) starting from the headrest, 2) starting from the bottom and rolling up.
There is a flap of extra material that hold down the seat cover snug to the seat between the headrest and the back.
If this flap has disintegrated like mine has, then you can just shimmy off the old cover like a shirt (method 1).
If the flap is still intact, then you’ll have to roll up the cover from the bottom (method 2), undo the hog rings, and then take off the cover.

Very surprising – the back wasn’t foam material at all! The seat back padding is this straw-like material that is semi-dense and springy. With the vinyl, i’m sure it’s provides a good amount of breathing for the back.

You can also see the disintegrated cotton flap that previously help hold the seat cover taught. The new 1976 seat covers have vinyl flaps to hold the material down.

On to the new seat cover! Here you can see the flap that lays between the headrest and seat back, and the hog rings that keep it there. There’s also a metal rod through the flap to help reinforcement it.
I ended up getting new hog rings at home depot (chain link fencing aisle), as well as hog ring pliers. HOG RING PLIERS AREN’T REALLY NECESSARY. It takes a touch of finesse, but I was able to manage with just needle nose pliers.

“Put the cover on like a condom”. That’s actually pro advice from a friend who used to work summers at this father’s upholstery shop. And he was right. Invert the cover first. Then starting with the headrest put the cover on, rolling back on the rest of the cover on to the seat. When you get to flap between the headrest and the back, hog ring it down to the metal rod that’s between the two paddings. And continue to roll down. Putting on seat covers work best when the vinyl is warm.

Inserting the metal rod at the end of the seat cover.

Work the vinyl downwards starting from the headrest on down to the bottom – almost like massaging it down. This will really help you be able to pull the covers tight, and get the ends around the prongs.

Cut holes for the seat arms.

Installed

Seat re-covering takes quite a lot of patience and arm muscle – but certainly more of the first. You need to be patient and work the vinyl from the top down, continuously. This will help with the fit, and certainly when you need to secure the seat cover ends to the seat back frame / prongs.

Additionally, i should probably re-do this one after the passenger seat gets done – there’s excesses material in the upper bolsters that should be mounted down and lie flat on the chair. To do this, my friend suggested that i use spray glue / mounting adhesive. I’m sure this technique will require some practice to be good at it, as drying time, and allowing for stretch are major factors.

I wish I could pass down where these came from, but the previous owner can’t remember where / whom he’d bought them from. I’d give them about an 8/10 – good quality, decent fit (could be a touch better).

1.5 seats more to go.

March 13, 2012

No Bumper = +5% MPG

You read right: by removing the hefty bumpers on the Datsun 280z, i was able to get a solid 5% MPG increase (19.5MPG).

While safety takes a nose dive, an extra 1 mile per gallon actually translates into quite a bit over a tank ~10-12 miles.
Though the real question here is: ‘is it worth it?’. Probably not. Which is why soon enough i’ll be putting on the 240z bumper (better than nothing, right?).

Now if only that guy on eBay would get back to me…

For anyone looking to purchase 240z bumper conversion brackets for their 280z, I’m not having a good purchasing experience with eBay user: v8-240z.
I’ve already sent two emails (via eBay and personal) and I haven’t heard back yet on anything (‘hey i got your email, i’m working on it”, or “shipped, here’s the tracking”, or “i don’t want your business”).
I would suggest zspeed240‘s listing instead.

March 7, 2012

Pimp-my-office-chair

My new 1976 Datsun 280z seat covers came in yesterday. Purchased last week, they came pretty quick (thanks Mark!)

My co-worker just HAD to ask how to put them on :]

and on his chair

gonna be a fun weekend.

March 6, 2012

240z Steering Wheel refurbished – part 1

A few weeks ago, I picked up a series 1 (slotted spoke) Datsun 240z wood rimmed steering wheel for the 280z at a great bargain.

Took some time this past Sunday to give it a good clean up and re-paint!
Sanded, 2 coats of primer, 3 coats of paint and a 2 coats of matte clear coat.
Didn’t come out too bad, but I think it could use a buff and another coat of clear just to be safe (and some of the matte clear came out patchy).

I’ve determined the wood grain on the wheel is actually worn pretty heavily, and needs a stain to bring it back to it’s former cherry color glory. That’ll be for “part 2”.

March 2, 2012

Seat Covers Coming In!

Pop open the door, what’s the first thing you see? Yes, the seats. Or in the 280z’s case, torn up seats :]

Looks like a cat got to it as normal tearing would’ve probably gone width-wise.

These original seats for the late Datsun 280z are called ‘Basketweave” and replacement covers sell for about $299 on BlackDragon Auto. Yikes.

Initially I wanted the 240z version with the horizonal “jelly rolls”(as i like to call them). They just scream, ‘classic’.
But even those are $200/piece (w/ replacement foam) from Les at Classic Datsun Motorsports – and sad to say, after two emails and almost a week later for a price quote, I haven’t heard back from them.

In the end, I guess it has worked out. I just picked up some great looking ’76 seats covers from Mark D over from the All Datsun Classifieds / ClassicZCar forums.
He was selling them for a great deal: $150, and I’ll reuse my current foam. Although they’re not my first pic, the look has really grown on me. Can’t beat that they were at a great price… and they have the vent holes. love those.

When then come in, i’ll be sure to post how I’ll put them on, and perhaps make a helpful video for it.