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PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:27 pm 
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Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 8:35 am
Posts: 5
hi everyone,
new to this board. Did not see this as past topic.
have a 78 280z, bought new by me. Now 80,000 mi. Having a great deal of trouble finding a good shop. What I've seen for the last 10 yrs or so is lots replacing parts and little diagnostic skills. It seems the OBD ll has replaced the human brain in most shops. Anyone out there have positive experience in Western Ma or Northern Ct with an pre OBD Z? I am willing to travel a bit for a good shop.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:33 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
Posts: 14779
Location: CT
I remember Geritol !!! :lol:

Your original-owner 1978 280Z will be well cared for by our member Vinny Bedini:

http://www.ctzcc.com/images/bedini.pdf

Tell him you're our new member. He remembers Geritol, too.

Welcome aboard!

Frank T

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1970 240Z


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:58 pm 
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Posts: 5
thank you, Frank T. Considering how much I've invested in the "replace and see if it works" method, it's worth a flat bed ride. Sounds like he is close to the old Sharp Datsun dealership. Any relationship?
Be careful: there is a fine line between remembering Geritol and needing Geritol!


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 9:42 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
Posts: 14779
Location: CT
As you probably already know, Bob Sharp is our Executive Advisor and attends many of our functions throughout the year. He also sponsors us onto the lime Rock Park each year and leads us around the track on our annual Bob Sharp Day, so we can legitimately brag that we've "chased Bob Sharp around the Lime Rock racetrack in my own Z". Few of us have ever broken 90mph but it makes for a good bar story nonetheless. 8)

Vinny is an old 510 racer and mechanic from the early days. He and Bob have known each other since before either of them had single grey hair, and Bob has counted on Vinny's mechanical expertise for nearly 40yrs. In fact, Bob hired Vinny to do lots of work to his tribute race car just in the past two years. Adam Corrolla recently bought most of Bob's cars, but Vinny spent many moons putting them together. Vinny earned his fame by building racing engines over the years and several of the engines he built still hold world records in several categories.

My early 240 is my priZe possession. I took it to Vinny about 8yrs ago and he rebuilt it from the ground up. I consider him to be "my mechanic" and I recommend him to anyone who will listen to me. Most S-30 owners in this Club count on Vinny to do the major work on their cars which they either can't do themselves or can't find time or space to do. Ask anyone; nobody has a bad thing to say about Vinny Bedini.

Hey, if Bob Sharp still takes his cars to Vinny after 38yrs, that's got to be a solid endorsement. :wink:

Give Vinny a call to ensure he'll be in the shop when you want to take your car in.
[860-355-1829]. He sort of works 24/7 but occasionally he'll take a day off to eat something and sleep a few hours. :roll:

Frank

PS ~ why does it need a flatbed? What work are you trying to do to it?

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 8:05 pm 
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Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 8:35 am
Posts: 5
sounds like the place to go.
it's running very rough: misses, hesitates, even something that sounds like back firing. Has had all wiring changed, new injectors and, most recently, new air mass meter. Last year it was doing a bit of this and new injectors helped a lot. Now much worse especially if hot outside. I would not try to drive it very far.
It's in a carjacket for the winter but as soon as the salt goes away in the spring, Vinny sounds like the Man.
Happy New Year's............


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 8:45 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
Posts: 14779
Location: CT
Picture what you did when you describe "all wiring changed". Sounds like incorrect timing.
Any chance you scrambled the spark plug wires? I've been working on Zs since the 1970s and still mess up my plug wires occasionally.

#1 sparkplug is at the front of the engine. It must be top dead center on the *compression stroke* (not on the exhaust stroke) to set the timing correctly (cam lobes both pointing up like ears);

#1 pin on the distributor is the one closest to the fan;

The distributor rotates Counter-Clock-WiZe;

The firing order is 153624 (like military service; 15 is too young, 36 is too old, 24 is just right).


http://www.zcar.com/forum/10-70-83-tech ... order.html

Please don't take offense if you already know all that. You'd be amaZed at how many of us know it and still mix it up occasionally. Also, if the distributor was pulled out for any reaZon, there's a possibility it was reinstalled wrong; it's not hard to mess it up.

Frank

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 9:09 pm 
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Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 8:35 am
Posts: 5
No offense taken. I usually fix people not cars so there is no such thing as too low a level of information for me. Sometimes the basics get forgotten on the assumption that "it can't be that easy". It will get checked. Thank you.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 9:20 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
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Location: CT
I love it when professionals still stop to review the basics in their mind before picking up a tool. It's like the surgeons who scrub up and find the patient with writing all over him, "good leg" "bad leg".
Sometimes you only get one chance to do things right.

If any of this really poor performance has occurred since you changed all the wires, my money goes on a simple mistake while putting everything back together.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 9:40 pm 
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2 shops and who knows how many hands have worked on this one so there is a lot of potential for someone assuming the basics were done. The root issue here is finding someone who finds a car this old a challenge rather then a PIA. I'll see what I can do about the basics but Vinny still sounds the best idea for the spring.


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 11:20 am 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
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Location: CT
I should probably mention that Vinny has a trailer and can travel to pick up a car if you can't get it to him. His time is often limited so I can't speak for his availability, but you two might work something out. I've paid him to come and pick my car up for an engine swap once and he was a lot cheaper than it would have cost me for a flatbed. Of course I don't know where you are so maybe it wouldn't work for you guys. Spring is probably the worst time to send him a project because everybody waits until they want their Z then bombards him with work. Winter usually finds him working on individual Z engines and the shop has room for a new Z project.
Best of luck. I just know you're going to enjoy 2016 in your Z. Be sure to reserve time to make a few monthly meetings and driving events with your new Z Club and get to meet us. Looking fwd to meeting you and your car.

Frank

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