Hi everyone! I have been lurking the forums for a couple of weeks now, looking at what others have done, issues they have had, etc. etc. and I finally registered lol. I am new to the Z scene, have always loved the cars, and I was finally able to get my hands on one. She definitely needs some love, some body work (rot where the drain tube exits behind passenger door) but overall not bad. I got the car for a steal.. $300! That's what the scrap yard was going to give the kid who had to get rid of it because it was unregistered/uninsured and property management told everyone they had to remove cars from the property. She's a 1991 300zx NA 2+0, with 145k on the motor and SUPPOSEDLY 10k on the clutch. starter is bad, so I grabbed one from a scrap yard. (Has power, won't even try to crank, hear the relay clicking, etc etc.) Going to grab the timing belt kit because the car sat for 5 years, brake lines, hoses, fluids, tires etc within the next couple of weeks and go to work on getting her running again. I know she needs a lot of love, but I am excited to start this journey with her. I plan on documenting everything, as you don't get this kind of car for that cheap around here (Massachusetts).

Congrats and welcome.

Couple things: 1. Your images don't work, the links are broken, you need to host the images somewhere like photobucket or imgur to be able to link/embed.
2. If you're serious about restoring the car and you have the means I would suggest you look in the south for a rust free body and transfer everything to it. Some don't mind rust but for me it would be a deal killer. Good luck on your resto.

figures, thanks for the heads up on the pictures. here they are. The rust doesn't bother me, I know some people that can patch them up no problem. I'm excited to bring her back to life. One day at a time!

I asked a question on here so figure i mite as well return atleast a little to the community. First off your sure for a fact that power is getting to the starter? U tested with a meter? If not do that. If you did you could try jumping the 2 posts on the starter with a screwdriver. Another thing you can do is make sure every where those wires go off the starter are clean. I really havent had any issues with either of my z32 on starting so i dont know where the wires run. Also make sure battery is fully charged and terminals are clean on that. Another thing pull spark plugs make the engines just tight from sitting try cranking with no plugs.

Yeah, the starter was definitely junk. Ended up grabbing a refurb one from Autozone, put it in, and as soon as everything was all nice and tight, she fired right up. Gonna change out the spark plugs though, had smoke coming from ONLY the passenger side tail pipe, smelling of gas. From what a mechanic friend of mine said is it sounds like one of the spark plugs are not getting the cylinder hot enough to burn all the gas so vapors are escaping, or something like that. But I'm glad to know that I didn't spend the $300 only to have to call a scrap yard! lol. very exciting. motor sounded strong, too. after that, doing all the brakes and continuing on!

itsfnchris wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 30, 2019 2:52 am

Yeah, the starter was definitely junk. Ended up grabbing a refurb one from Autozone, put it in, and as soon as everything was all nice and tight, she fired right up. Gonna change out the spark plugs though, had smoke coming from ONLY the passenger side tail pipe, smelling of gas. From what a mechanic friend of mine said is it sounds like one of the spark plugs are not getting the cylinder hot enough to burn all the gas so vapors are escaping, or something like that. But I'm glad to know that I didn't spend the $300 only to have to call a scrap yard! lol. very exciting. motor sounded strong, too. after that, doing all the brakes and continuing on!

Something to keep in mind and probably address will be the "old style" injectors in your 1991 Z32. They are prone to failure and is possibly the most common issue to fix with the Z32. When they fail as they WILL do, the result is dumped gas into the cylinder via either a worn seal or worse (they have a specific issue you can google for entire story/details) and replacement with the new style injectors, connectors, and fuel line adapters the common solution.
Also a huge issue with Z32's is corrosion of the engine connectors, you will see this on your fuel injector harness as green crud inside the connector which reduces/kills the connection. The IACV, CAS, CTS, PTU harness, and more can become problematic due to the corrosion, and replacement with upgraded connectors (available at all of our good vendors) the best solution.
Another area after the above is addressed is the fuel system items such as fuel dampner and other items that must be in good newer condition at worst to work correctly with the extra-high fuel pressure the Z32 engine uses. Replacement of the fuel lines, clamps, and service items is a good idea unless you have verifiable new parts installed previously.
There is of course PLENTY more to address with an old Z32, and you can access that info via the factory service manual found in the "everything you need....Z32" sticky at the top of the main page.
Good Luck, and have fun with your Z!

I just noticed that you have TT rears, just the pair will net you what you spent on the car if you ever decide to part it. Good job on getting this thing going.

NolimitZ32 wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 03, 2019 5:30 am

I just noticed that you have TT rears, just the pair will net you what you spent on the car if you ever decide to part it. Good job on getting this thing going.

So I can get $300 for my twin turbo rear wheels? lol

If they are in good shape, sure, you have to find the right buyer.

They are in about 8/10 shape. I had no Idea they could fetch that. Time to sell!

FYI, SZR Pro has a pair for sale for $150, not sure of the condition.

So, just figured I would give an update. I will update this post with links to the pictures from the past two weekends.

I have come to the conclusion of things Z owners have known, but still found a way to shock me. (My first ever Z)

In getting the car running again, I realized that the alternator was seized up. I managed to grab an alternator, power steering pump, and an AC compressor for 200. PS Pump and Alternator were never used remanned from Autozone, so I wasn't worried about grabbing it off of someone. Decided that if we needed to remove the belts anyway, might as well grab new ones. I figured, while I was in there I might as well change everything for the good stuff. Boy, did I not see the hours of frustration, aggravation, wanting to put a hammer through my own windshield (I didn't!!!) HELL that I was going to face to replace the alternator and PS pump.

To make a long story short, got them in, new belts, fixed the fuel leak and the coolant leak (stupid hose going to heater core) only to now have the brake line connected to the master cylinder spray fluid every time I step on the brakes. And then my dumbass self over torqued one of the nuts that the master cylinder mounts on on the brake booster.. snapped the bolt. SOOOOO add a brake booster to the build list which was just ordered. lol But, I am going to recap everything I Have put into this car so far. I'm sure I am forgetting something. Here's to hoping I can get it going this weekend, replacing the booster and fixing that one line (stupid flare nut). Thanks for listening! ha.

Car - $300
PS Pump, Alternator, AC Compressor - $200
New tires and leather seats - $300
Clutch Master Cylinder - $32
Brake Master Cylinder - $61.49
Brake Booster - $80
Battery - $50
Slave - $15

I won't count the fluids or fuses that I have had to buy, but that's the running total right now. Just over $1,000.

Side note: Why the alternator and PS pump have to have that lip you gotta force them in?