K.C.'s 1972 Datsun 240Z Restoration

September 2002

2002.08.31 - Putting the engine in!

So I decided to get back into the garage. Mainly, it was because I finally talked my friend Scott into coming by to help me put the engine back in the car.

We made a run to the local auto parts store to grab some supplies - new heater hoses, &etc, and I connected some heavy duty chain and a 1 ton come-along to the frame of the back porch which spans my driveway. We hoisted the L28 engine off the engine stand with little effort and put the original 240Z flywheel and OEM clutch kit on it. (I'm using the original 240Z 4-speed tranny for the time being.)

Then, we rolled the Z up under the engine and started the process of precariously lowering the suspended engine into the car. I really wish I had pictures, but unfortunately I haven't bought that fancy new digital camera yet. Sorry!

I put my floor-jack under the still-installed transmission to hold it up, and lowered the engine. It took some back-and-forth adjusting of the floor-jack and the come-along ratchet, but we got them aligned fairly easily. I rotated the crankshaft using a wrench on the front pully in order to line up the clutch disc with the input shaft of the transmission and the two slid together nicely.

With the engine supported from a cable and two people muscling it around, it can fool you into thinking that it's not that heavy. That illusion is completely destroyed, however, once you try to line it up with the engine mounts. :-)

So, yesterday we got the engine mounted in the car. Today it's time to hook everything back up. Nothing real suprising here, just a matter of putting all the hoses and wires back in the right place. I had labeled them before, but since the car is very simple (carburetors, mechanical ignition, &etc) there really weren't any connections to do wrong. ;-)

The various connections fell into three basic categories: Cooling, fuel, and electrical. The cooling system just involved reconnecting the heater hoses and reinstalling the radiator. No problems there, especially since I put all the correct fittings and such on the engine with it on the stand.

The fuel system was just as easy, connect the fuel filter and fuel return lines back to the fuel rail. There was a fuel vent hose that used to connect to the crankcase (near the crankcase -> PCV vent tube) on the L24 which doesn't seem to exist on the L28, so I just left it off. In fact, I removed the little 3-way junction box that it went to entirely. "I didn't need that part, anyhow."

Electrical was also simple since I'm keeping the original alternator / external voltage regulator setup. (I'm really making it easy for myself here, aren't I?) Thankfully I also labeled the plug wires on the distributor cap. ;-) I set the timing to dead center for the time being.

So, after connecting a coupe of vacuum hoses and triple checking everything, I decided the moment of truth had arrived. I replaced the oil and coolant and went over everything one last time for good measure. I poured 5 gallons of fresh gas into the tank.

Then I got in the car, set the choke, and ... {gasp} ... turned the key. I turned it to the "on" position and watched the clear fuel filter as the electric fuel pump pushed fuel through the system. All looks good, so...

The engine turned over smoothly a few times, coughed once, and then started and revved up instantly to a few thousand RPM. Not exactly what I expected, so I shoved the choke back in to slow it down until the oil pressure stabilized and it purred like ... well, like a well tuned machine.

I jumped out to observe it, and the earth was moving in time to the six cylinders firing. Did I mention that I only had the exhaust header installed, with no exhaust or mufflers installed? It was running perfectly. I revved it up a few times and watched everything respond exactly as it should. I was partially in disbelief... behind me a few kids at the neighborhood pool had run over to the fence to watch this incredibly loud machine come to life. Their mothers glared at me disapprovingly. It was pure glee.

The oil pressure gauge was reading a little more than halfway up the scale, which was more than I expected. We'll see what happens when I drive it.

Now I have to get the clutch and brake hydraulics ironed out, and then drive it to a shop to have the front end aligned and an exhaust system put together. I'll keep y'all updated!

Well, since it rained constantly last weekend I didn't get to take the car to Meineke to have a custom exhaust system put together for it.. so I decided today to go out there and finish adjusting the clutch and put the hood back on. That way when I do get a chance to take it, it might just be drivable! :-)

As you can see, I bought another digital camera... so I can take pictures again. The picture on the right is the engine compartment with the L28 I just dropped in there.

I took it for a quick test spin around the block.. It ran well as long as I didn't push the gas more than half-way. After that it choked and lagged real bad... Not too shabby given that I haven't adjusted the timing or the mixture at all. It's obviously running smoothly on all six cylinders, so I'll take it! I'll play with the timing and mixture a bit to get it to Mieneke, but then I'll probably have to start over with the new exhaust on the car.

As always, I'll keep y'all posted!