@jfa.series1

8 hours ago, Namerow said:

I think that the 'ground wire' consists of the braided wire shown in this photo of the disassembled antenna assembly from my 1970 Z . The larger, toothed washer gets clamped between the assembly casing and the inside of the fender, while (IIRC) the smaller, smooth washer slips over the antenna mast. The purpose is to ground the mast...

Here are a few pics to help make @Namerow 's point.

On 5/17/2025 at 6:57 PM, Captain Obvious said:

And about that wire in the rear... The antenna has a ground connection on the wiring diagrams. I haven't been into that corner of an early car yet, but I thought (without actually seeing it), that antenna's ground connection came from being bolted to the body. Now that I see your harness, I suspect that ground connection to the antenna is NOT simply from connection to the body, but is in fact, a dedicated ground wire leading to the antenna.

Do you have an antenna for the car? Is there a ground lead bullet connection attached to it?

I've found several other similar issues with the factory wiring diagrams. In many locations, they didn't do a good job of conveying how grounds were connected.

And lastly... Yes, the early rotors had holes in them. Aftermarket replacements did away with that, but they are an early car thing.

I just checked the wiring harness from #6521 and it does not have the extra wire that @motorman7 was asking about. I also pulled out the antenna that I had installed in that car back in 1980. I got it from my local Datsun Dealer, all they could get was one for an early 280Z. That one has two power wires plus a ground wire. I didn't use the ground wire and just let it ground by the mounting bracket. Here's a pic.

I also have a spare one from the lot of parts that came with #957. It has only the two power wires, no ground wire.

Here's a couple of pics of my wiring harness from #6521, without the ground wire, with both antennas and the speaker.

Edited May 24May 24 by CanTechZ

The wiring pigtail for my 70 Z's antenna also consisted of just 2 power wires (i.e. no ground wire).

Just for clarification, the transmission info on page 7 has no relevance to this thread. We will use the original stock transmission for this build.

Thanks for the info on the antenna. I added a couple pics for reference. I do not think it is an antenna ground wire as it is very long. It extends approximately 20" beyond the antenna power wires. Also, it breaks out at the junction of the speaker wires and left signal lamp. I can confirm that the wire is black, so most likely a ground. It also has a heavy black shielding over it, so maybe it was intended to pass through the body to something near the fuel tank. Interesting. Also added a pic showing the 10/69 date of the harness.

Added a pic of the rear break springs installed just for the Captain 😊

I rebuilt the front brake calipers with new seal rubber, retainers and pads. I cleaned them up first and then hit them with a clear coat to prevent future rust. (Notice the ones on the current 1970 BAT car). I then installed them on the front stuts so they will be ready to install once the body shows up.

The body shop work is progressing, always the long pole. The passenger side rear quarter panel has been welded in place. Right front section behind fender has also been replaced, battery tray removed and holes plugged on right fender that once supported the aftermarket AC. The rear hatch has been installed and the flanges that attach to the hinges have been welded up. Next to be installed will be the lower rear panel. And, once the rotisserie is free, the new floor panels will be installed.

Looks good

6 hours ago, motorman7 said:

Added a pic of the rear break springs installed just for the Captain 😊

Haha!! Thanks for the pic. And I'm glad you put one up. because..... Respectfully submitted, your springs are on wrong.

I made up a cheat sheet last time I was into mine:

And I have no idea at this point what that black wire is on your harness. Interesting that the spade connector on it appears new? At least newer than the bullet connectors just upstream.

And not only does it appear newer than the rest, but it is the spade style intended to be used in a plastic connector shell. You can see the retainer tab on the face of the brass contact. Usually if the spade was not used in a connector housing, they used a style that did not have that retainer tab. Seems really unusual, or unlikely, but what are the chances that a previous owner made a modification to the harness to add that wire? I got nuthin'.

I also find it interesting that your front calipers don't have a date stamp. We talked about caliper date codes a little while ago, and I wanted to see if yours lined up with the theories we discussed in that thread. But yours don't seem to have the same markings.

Here's the caliper date code thread:
https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/68569-caliper-date-codes/

Thanks for the picture on the spring installation. I will make sure to correct that.

Regarding the spade connector on the black wire, I replaced the original with a new terminal. There is an earlier picture of this section that shows the original, although the cover is so dark that the terminal type is not clearly visible. Typically, I replace all terminals and their respective covers and most connector bodies on all of the harnesses.

Gotcha. Well that explains the "newness" of the connector, but I still don't know what the intent of that wire was. Still the only real idea I have is that it was intended to be a ground connection to the antenna. I'm thinking maybe they thought they might need to make that connection to the antenna, but then decided they didn't need it?

I haven't yet dug into that corner of the car I have here, but I should be doing that soon. It's a mid-70 car, and I doubt I have that wire, but I will check when I get there.

Brake spring installation Rev 2.0. Thanks for the input @Captain Obvious