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Imagine if you could click on any number on those pictures and then be hot linked to the part number(s), item listing and details, or the opposite. Maybe search all the parts suppliers web sites that might have that part number to get availability and pricing. Click on a bolt and get a picture of a real one, it's size and torque specs. Let your mind imagine what's possible..... It's so much more than supplying a picture to look at.....

Hey gang So I'm working on a little project (don't enough irons in the fire....) and was wanting to bounce some ideas off a few of you So the blow up parts pictures in the clubs parts fiche CD pdfs are, as we all know, well, pretty poor quality. So poor that reading the numbers is often impossible. carpartsmanual's version of the fiche is better, but still not perfect. carpartsmanual on the left, same pic from the fiche CD's. Not the worst one I can assure you. I want to get a set of these pictures that is better quality. One idea would be to have the fiche re-digitized at higher resolution. Another would be to perhaps make a project where someone with the Nissan FAST program can extract better quality pictures. There are 256 such pictures (from carpartsmanual), so the project is not huge, just not trivial. Looking for other ideas and suggestions. Put it out there. If I can get what I'm thinking of doing, working, it will be worth the effort to get better pictures, trust me. Let's try not to make this about finding out what I'm working on, just on getting better pictures.

Here are the new battery cables installed. The ty-wraps are not stock, but it looks a bit nicer this way.

Hmmm Alberta and Texas are like the same place really! Cowboys and oil wells! Y’all are welcome here anytime!

Our microfiche images were created about 15 years ago using an external service that I paid. At the time, they had some pretty good equipment, but, I also spent about 50-60 hours cleaning up the final images you see today. I'm sure the scanning technology has improved since then, so, this could be looked at again. The microfight was in new at the time (donated by Nissan) and never used by a dealer. I still have them, and with today's scanning technology we might be able to get better images. We had a project going a few years ago to collect and store all documentation about the early model cars. Unfortunately, that project didn't go far when one of our leaders had a stroke. @Victor Laury was a great guy and had collected quite a few documents and had them scanned. Anyway, since then he has passed on and I fear the documents are lost. Although we do have a lot of documents collected by members, we could start this project again and have them posted on the site. I still have a number of documents that were donated to me directly and still need to scan them and post to the files area, too. Anyhoo, if you guys start looking into this more seriously, I think it's a great idea for club members. Instead of keeping them on your own sites, I highly recommend also putting copies into our files area as well. Personal websites and cloud shares often get lost in the shuffle, or, can go away forever if (god forbid) a health issue arises. So, please be sure to post them here if you find something good! I have long term plans to keep this website going even if something happens to me. Mike

another observation about a professional mechanic, I am not one but I do see how if a car came to me with a lot of after market changes from OE may make me hesitant to want to take it on. Not that aftermarket is bad but it you would have to consider who was doing the work and to what degree was it done right. I think untouched cars that have worn out parts are often more desirable, simply due to the belief that incorrect work may not have been done. I used to work on a lot of vintage electronic gear, something I always hated to see was a set that had obvious work done on it. You never really know if the work done actually fixed a problem or became a problem. I would much rather work on an untouched chassis as I could be pretty sure a proper restoration would be easier than trying to unravel prior work done.

a few things, there are factory OE bushings, and then there are PU after market bushings (I see red bird has a lot of those), both available. I prefer factor OE when ever possible, they do have a correct method of install, such as not tightening the bolt until the car is loaded (on the ground not suspended in the air with the wheels hanging). This is due to the fact that the bushing is bonded to the inner metal part, tighten the bolt with the car in the air supported by frame and you pre stress the bond (when lowered to the ground). The PU bushings don't have this issue as there is no bonding (they are installed with a lubricant between the urethane and the metal inner part) . While being a mechanic is great, unless you know the ins and outs of a Z car, then forums with members that eat and breathe this stuff can be a better source info about what parts are available and what best practice may be. There will still be bad advise, so you need to try and figure out what people to listen to. One way of knowing is listen to those the have the most success with their own cars. Also if you get a consensus of opinion, avoid the outliers unless they are the only ones with success. One last thing on tightening, the FSM has specs on most every nut and bolt, IIRC these require 100ft lbs, which is a lot, maybe more than what might seem right if not consulting the FSM. there is not a lot of room under the car when its on the ground so if trying to tighten that way is may be possible that someone takes a short cut and just does not get on it hard enough. For me the best practice would be to load, tighten then lift and torque to spec, at least with OE bonded bushings. The bushing you currently have (red showing in photo) is an aftermarket PU style.

Hi Kats, For those of us in a hurry or with limited skills.... yes, it is easiest to match the electronic ignition with the correct electronic tach circuit board (3 wire voltage type) or to use the early points ignition with corresponding passive (4 wire induction type).... HOWEVER, this clever member of our board developed a circuit board to allow an early 4 wire points tach to work with electronic ignition modules: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/34295-converting-a-four-wire-tacho-current-driven-to-an-electronic-tacho/ Cool racing tachs above! I think racers typically put the sweet spot at 12 o'clock position for quick viewing.

Wunder if the tach needle workes like the speedometer needle? That you can adjust it by hand (when you have the needle out you can put it back a bit forward or back it off a bit to read faster or slower)? If the tach needle workes that way it would be easy to make a tachometer plate with the 0 rpm at 6 o'clock. It sure looks cool.

I see , so a voltage type tach must always go with an electric distributor and an electric ignitor , right ? If they are not installed correctly ( mixed up, vice versa) , you may break them , that Is what I have read from the text so far. And I found this shop in Japan, this shop http://acqua-garage.com/NISSAN/Meter/index.html is doing repairs for the tach , and even they offer modifying your tach just like a works rally 10000 scale tach. The needle taking a rest at 6 o’clock is so cool !!! Kats

Perhaps the 10000RPM instrument face could be created rather easily as a computer-generated image and then printed onto some type of thin, durable material by a commercial printer. It could then be carefully trimmed to shape and glued onto the existing instrument face (or maybe just laid over top, without using glue).

Hi Kats, I restored a 71 240z for a good friend. One of the project goals was performance so I installed a 280zx distributor with the small electronic ignition module on the side. To make this work, I had to change out the 240z tach's internal circuit board with a 280z circuit board, and also run a new wire from the coil negative terminal to the tach. FYI I have a nice 74 260z tach that I just tried to calibrate. Unfortunately my coil simulating signal was not strong enough to drive the tach. Later this winter I'll have another go at seeing if I can get a better driver circuit.

Here i've got a copy of the fiches Datsun 240z / 260z s30 (euro version ?) I'ts readable... Fich0001.pdf Fich0002.pdf Fich0003.pdf Fich0004.pdf Fich0005.pdf

I remember that safari gold car in Nostalgic Hero. He had modified it in some ways yet still maintaining a very "original" vibe. The twin pipe exhaust is what I loved the most. How was the auction Kats? That red car with the Monte bumper and the Works rally wheels is divine. Ben

Mr. Matsuo specified 2 gas struts when designing the Z. Bean counters cut one... along with the rear disc brakes and under bumper grill.

Productive afternoon today: all the holes on the body panels have been filled up. The rear quarter was a little more work than I was expecting when I got started (thanks, guy who didn't see any body work that couldn't be done with just filler!), but that just meant more opportunities to practice. Blew through a bit a few times, and the flap disc cleaned up the ugly from most of the others, but a handful of the welds came out just right on the first try. Those were satisfying. USPS delivered my new shrinking disc this afternoon, so I know what I'm going to be doing tomorrow.

You will never get better pictures. That's why every Part person who ever worked with Microfiches is doomed to look like Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys.....

Those Works Rally air cleaner assays are amazing. I thought of a making a set someday for another car. You have originals and NOS at that! Keep up the awesome thread Kats. This is what dreams are made of. Your cars are phenomenal and I have only seen pictures of the museum your cars are at in the pages of Nostalgic Hero. Sincerely, Ben

Hi Kats, I'm glad to help. #1 I checked the FSM's for North American Z's and the first electronic ignitions started in 1974 with the 260z. The start date would be 08/73. You can see the tach part numbers here: http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/electrical/meters. I checked the 260z schematic and the input to the tach is taken from the coil -neg terminal so it is voltage type tach. #2 I did not calibrate 280z meters yet but I have some spares and can try to see if I can adjust the sensitivity and scale to respond to the equivalent to 10,000 rpm (input = 500Hz). The 280z unit goes to 8,000 rpm which is driven by 400Hz so there is not a huge input difference.