Merry NX-mas!

You might recall that last year my 280z received gifts for Christmas.  Following suit, this was the year of the Pulsar!  Santa left an assortment of struts, headlights, brakes, speakers, and even a gas cap for our newest addition.  Amy was tickled!

Let the disassembly begin!

The Pulsar had an interesting audio system installed when we bought it, consisting of an aftermarket head unit with CD player and a single center-channel home theater speaker laying in the hatch area.  

The remains of a previous amplifier

In order to remove the remnants of a previous aftermarket stereo installation as well as discover any surprises, I began to remove the interior of the Pulsar.  The head unit was quite easy to remove, a trait of the 80's and 90's Nissans.  The stereo wiring wasn't hacked and instead used a wiring harness adapter as part of the installation which was a pleasant surprise.

The stereo wiring harness was still intact!

The disassembly continued with the rear seat and panels.  There were some severe cracks in the rear corners and some of the mounting tabs were broken, but the plastic panels were still very pliable and didn't feel brittle; perhaps the breakage was due to the stereo system previously installed.

Rear seat removed

Lower rear panels removed

After removing the seats and panels, I was able to get a closer look at just how severe the cracks were in the rear panels.  I definitely had some plastic welding ahead of me!

Large cracks in the corners of the rear panels

I was able to inspect the rear speakers at this point.  The wiring to these speakers looked to be in good shape which will save me a lot of time.  The factory speakers, however, were completely disintegrated.

Both rear speakers are blown

Using my plastic welding kit, I repaired the cracks in the rear panels using stainless wire mesh to reinforce the damaged areas.  I also restored the missing mounting tabs before wrapping up this repair.

Repairs to the cracked panels

Restored mounting tab

New Kid on the Block

Put on your way back hat and imagine yourself in 1988.  Hair bands were in their prime, The Wonder Years appeared, and flip-up headlights were all the rage.  It was also the year a small, sporty car from Nissan rolled off the assembly line destined for my garage.  Ever since I've known my wife Amy, she has dreamed of owning a late 80's Nissan Pulsar NX.

For the last couple couple of years I had occasionally searched for a Pulsar in good shape, but these cars simply didn't survive.  Over Thanksgiving, Amy mentioned to my father that this was her dream car.  Within two days he had located one three hours from us!

The Craigslist ad listed a 1988 Nissan Pulsar NX SE; not only was this a Pulsar that looked to be in good shape but it was it was the SE package with the CA18DE engine.  After a call to the number listed in the ad we were ready to make the drive to view the car.

The car ran and drove well, and the interior was in great shape.  The transmission was particular about how the lever was moved into Drive, but I concluded that the either the linkage needed adjustment or the engine and transmission mounts needed replacement.  The car just had a half-shaft replaced due to a bad CV joint.  The exterior, however, would need some TLC as the black exterior had faded and had spots from baked-on tree sap covering the horizontal surfaces.  The driver side had some deep scratches and a large dent just behind the door, and the pillar on that side also had an interesting bulge.  There was no rust however, so I decided that I would be able to buff out most of the oxidation and knock out the dent.  The radio was not factory and consisted of a single speaker in the hatch area.  The A/C compressor has a wiring issue that needs to be addressed.  There was also an, umm, interesting decal on the side window of a hand gesture that would need to be removed as soon as we got home.

We worked out a price and started on our way home.

Gassing up for the three hour drive home

The drive home was mostly uneventful, and I "bonded" with the car on the three hour drive.  I discovered a few more issues as I drove:

• The shocks were toast.  I bottomed the suspension on the larger bumps and white-knuckled some of the dips in the interstate as I rode out the bounces.
• The odometer didn't work and the gauges had been disassembled at one time, but other than the odometer and trip meter were functional.
• The headlights were not the brightest and likely needed to be replaced.
• The headlight switch has some kind of short where the headlights always start on high-beam and can be reverted to the stalk setting after "fiddling" with the switch.
• The decal on the side window landed me a LOT of interesting looks.  Shocking...

The car is now in the garage and I've been hunting for the parts that I need to make it a safe driver for Amy.  Struts and brakes are highest on the list.  Once I got the car on the lift, I also noticed that the boots on the steering rack and passenger half-shaft are wide open.  I'll have to address those too.

The pulsar is home and ready for a closer inspection

My test to see how well I could buff the paint.

The boots on the steering rack and passenger CV joint need to be replaced

Here is the story from Amy's perspective: "It was Thanksgiving 2017 and Matt and I were sitting with my father-in-law in the living room. Matt said he was just about finished with his 1976 280Z and now it was time to buy me a car to fix up. My father-in-law asked what I wanted and I proudly said a late '80s or '90 Nissan Pulsar. He gave the same response I get from everyone: disbelief. Out of all the cars that have ever been made, why would anyone want a Pulsar? This blonde does. Matt and I told him they were impossible to find and perhaps I should look at a Nissan 300Z. On Saturday, just two days later, I start getting texts from Matt: "When will you be home?" "Text me when you are on your way home." "Are you on your way yet?" I got home and asked Matt what was so urgent. He flipped his laptop around and on the screen was a Craigslist ad for a 1988 Nissan Pulsar NX. I burst into tears and was finally able to say, "You're dad found me one." Up until that point, Matt said he wasn't sure if I was serious about wanting a Pulsar. The car was mine the very next day."

Revived spark

One thing I noticed with the Z was the platinum spark plugs installed.  Not knowing the age of these plugs or the plug wires, along with the fact that I don't like platinum plugs due to a bad experience in my old Ford Escort GT I had as a teen led me to the desire to change these items.  I did some research and found an overwhelming majority of L28E owners (the engine in the Z) recommend a specific combination of plug and wire, both manufactured by NGK.

I purchased 6 NGK BPR6ES-11 plugs and a set of NGK RC-NE61 plug wires from Summit Racing.  The platinum plugs were hotter than the recommended plugs I purchased; we'll see if there was a reason for this as I drive on the new plugs. 

 

The swap was easy enough.  I will say that the NGK plug wires certainly seem to be a higher quality, both from the construction aspect as well as fitment.  The NGK wires were cut to a more appropriate length than the previous wires on the car.

Installation was as easy as you'd expect.  The built-in numbering on the plug wires was a nice touch too!

Old wires

New NGK Wires

Fitment was better with the new wires

A modern classic

One of the items I wanted to address in the 280z was the radio.  Not only did it have a few issues, but it wasn't the original radio and if I'm going to have a non-OEM stereo I wanted one that has the modern conveniences to which I have grown accustomed.  It just so happened that I came across a company called Retrosound which manufactures modern stereos with classic looks.  I had the "Hermosa" model selected and in my cart in Amazon.com but I never would "pull the trigger" on the the purchase until one day the price had dropped by 1/3.  I ordered the new head unit and waited for the next opportunity to pull apart the dash.  

 

The Hermosa came with several modern amenities such as Bluetooth connectivity (both streaming and call), USB input, and two analog inputs.  There was another model that supported satellite radio, but I've been there before and it doesn't really appeal to me.  

The opportunity to install the new radio arose when I pulled apart the dash to fix the heater.  Assembly of the radio was unexpected.  I had expected a unit that simply dropped-in to the opening in the console, but the Retrosound came in several pieces.  I assume that the modularity was due to the different combinations of features and faces to accommodate so many makes and models.  In my case, the back of the trim plate was already etched with the markings for a Datsun Z, so I used a Dremel and "cut along the dotted lines." 

With the plate cut to size, I attached the shafts to the head unit and adjusted the shaft depth for the Z console.  The unit was then ready for installation.

Before installing the stereo, I wanted to make some sense of the rats nest of wires that existed from the previous radio installation.

The biggest issue I had after identification of the wire purposes was the constant power wire for the radio.  Apparently the factory radio never had a need for this (it had no memory), so the installer simply found a constant 12v power wire and wrapped another wire around it to supply power to the radio.  The two windings of electrical tape around this interesting union wasn't even covering the bare copper.  I broke out the soldering iron and heat-shrink tubing to not only correct the shady tap but to also properly connect the new wiring harness (I'm not a fan of crimp connectors).

While attempting to connect the speaker wires to the harness, I discovered an interesting fact about both the factory radio and the previously installed unit: they simply used the chassis ground for the negative connection to the speakers.  The new unit would not support this common ground, so I had to run new wires to the rear of the car for the speakers.  The question of where to run these new wires gave me some pause.  I decided to run them on the transmission tunnel, behind the passenger seat, then along the passenger side of the rear deck.  I started by running the wires under the carpet on the tunnel.

I then continued under the carpet and up the side to a hole I drilled through the rear deck lip.  After running the wires through the hole, I used liquid electrical tape to ensure the wires did not directly contact the sheet metal around the hole.

For the remainder of the run of wire, I purchased a long continuous run of heat shrink tubing and ran both sets of wires through the tubing for extra protection.  Before I could connect the speakers, I wanted to add something to improve the sound quality.  I purchased a product called Boom Mats which would provide a small chamber for the speaker; this should improve the low end of the sound a bit as well as protect the speakers from the elements.  To install these I would have to enlarge the holes already cut for the speakers.  This required me to remove the rear side panels in the hatch area.  While the panels were off I seized the opportunity to make some repairs with my plastic welder, such as repairing a broken mount that was causing a rattle.

Additionally, I discovered that the power antenna was simply dangling from the mounting hole in the body.  This was also causing a large rattle in my hatch area.  I used a bit of metal strap to mount the bottom of the antenna to the side of the deck floor.

Finally, I marked the speaker cutouts to enlarge, then used a Dremel to make the cuts.

I test-fit the Boom Mat, then redrilled the speaker mounting holes.

After returning the panels and installing the speakers, I could return my focus to the radio installation.  The completely black face of the Hermosa seemed a little plain to me.  The factory radio had a silver pinstripe that matched the rest of the console area.

Factory Radio

I decided to replicate this pinstripe as best I could.  I picked up some silver pinstripe from O'Reilly's Auto Parts.  Using this pinstriping, I outlined the faceplate using the second pinstripe to provide consistent spacing around the edges.

After applying the stripes, I used an X-Acto knife to carefully trim the extra striping.

The next step was to create a backstrap that could support the radio.  Retrosound was very clear in the instructions that the radio shafts could not support the radio alone and that a backstrap was required.  I used the lower console brace as an attachment point for a backstrap.

With the unit now mounted to the console, I was ready to return the console to the car.  I took care to allow access to the USB dongle (yes, dongle is the appropriate term) from the passenger side of the console.  I also left the call microphone jack accessible on the driver side before connecting the harness and securing the console back into place.  I ran the microphone wire under the dash and up the A-pillar to the driver side visor, where I clipped the mic.

I then secured the console back into place and returned all the trim to the dash area.

A test of the radio revealed that all functions were working.  I paired my phone to the radio and set out on a drive.  To my delight there was no alternator buzz and the sound was better than I expected (I didn't expect the sound to be as good as a modern car due to the speaker placement and the fact that I re-used the Pioneer speakers that were in the car already).  I placed a call to my dad who is always ready to tell me when my call quality is sub-par, but he didn't complain about it which tells me it's as good as the Bluetooth system in my G37.  All-in-all I am delighted with the setup and the retro look of the stereo.  I did order a period-correct screen protector for the radio; I will post a picture of that when it comes in.  It is awesome to have tunes in the Z now!

Let there be... HEAT!

As the temperatures have dropped due to the fall, the more critical the frozen heat control lever on the console of the 280z has become.  When I purchased the car, the heat selection level was very stiff and essentially wouldn't move.  I was successful in moving it once or twice when the engine was warm, but being the summer months I didn't worry too much about it... until now.

The heater control valve on the 1976 280z is very rare.  So rare in fact that the only way to obtain a refurbished unit is to trade an existing core in good condition.  My first thought with my car was that the heater control valve was bypassed since the lever didn't move.  The only way to find out was to start disassembling.

After pulling out the dashboard, console and blower motor, I was ready to pull the blower housing.  I live and learn and spent too much time unbolting the blower housing from the cowl duct which was not necessary.  The three bolts securing the combined assembly to the body are all that are need to be removed in order to pull out the entire unit; simply pull down after removing the bolts.

I then scraped the 40 year old goo from the cowl mating surface where I will later create a custom gasket from self-adhesive weatherstrip.

After removing the blower housing I was able to see the heater valve, which to my surprise was still intact.

At this point I freed the valve by applying a bit of force on the valve actuator.  I then opened the valve and let the car run to operating temperature.  To my dismay I saw coolant seeping from the top of the valve, which means that I need to replace it.  After considering my options and discovering that to remove the valve and capillary tube as a whole (in order to send it in as a workable core) I would have to disassemble MUCH more of the car, I decided to follow the guidance of a forum post my father sent me.  This blog post recommended just scrapping the old valve and adapting an inline valve which had the added benefit of greatly simplifying the hose routing.  

Before tackling the new valve, it would be senseless to be this far into the heating system and NOT pull the heater core.  I once again drained the cooling system.  In order to clear the coolant from the heater core, I created an adapter to blow out the lines.  With a small amount of air pressure applied through the heater core I was greeted with a spray of funky fluid into my engine bay.

Luckily at this point it was a simple as pulling a couple of screws and sliding out the core.  I'm glad I did, as there was a bunch of trash accumulated on the core over the years.

After cleaning the outside of the core, I started cleaning out the inside.  I did this by pumping water through the core in reverse of the normal flow.  The first couple of flushes revealed a LOT of crud, but after a few bucket changes things began running clear.

I was also checking for leaks during these cleaning cycles and was happy to find none.  Much like the heater valve, the heater core for the car is quite a rarity.

I ordered a Four Seasons heater valve (#74267) from Amazon.com and received it the next day.  I also order two 90 degree molded heater hoses (Gates #28466).

After lining up the parts under the dash, I realized quickly that the new heater valve was too long.  In order to make things fit, I trimmed all tubing after the barbs on the value, which shaved about 3/4 of an inch off the total length.  This gave just enough clearance for assembly.  In order to adapt the control cable to the new valve which only has a post, I looped a piece of aluminum back on itself and drilled a hole for the cable.

After reinstalling the firewall passthrough and the heater core into it's slot, I cobbled the new valve assembly into place.

Reinstallation proceeded without any hiccups.  After a test run of the car and no leaks appearing, I finally have heat in the Datsun!