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I want this because I may want to feel something “ cockpit “ after I retired from flying. And I would be able to tell my future grandchildren “ your grandpa used to fly jets “ in my Z’s cockpit. Kats

Actually, they are Cosmo Racing. Thought it would be fun to try them. Z forums trash them, but BMW and VW Forums praise them. Decent price compared to Ground Control, and no cutting/modifying required, so no huge investment if they suck. :-) Paint is awesome! My guy rocked it! I had all the right colours and decals thanks to my good Friend Ron Carter who did all the research when he built his a number of years ago. (Photos of his car are on this site and I would imagine many on here know him well.) I know he did alot to help Randy Jaffe with his car, as well. My Dream car is getting close to a reality....finally. :-)

I had some time so I plotted SB & RH

Sure. I didn’t take many pics but here is one of my failed first attempt .... I basically made a pattern of the backing plate and traced it onto a flat piece of metal and then used the bead roller to roll in the angles. Then I trimmed the edges to match the original. So what’s wrong with this one? 1) bent it the wrong direction ?‍♂️ (basically it’s now for the LHS instead of the RHS) and 2) started too close to the edge so wouldn’t have been able to trim it up properly anyways ?‍♂️ Oh well - all part of the “fun” right?

You're in luck. That's not a Kanji character. It is indeed a - very nice - capital letter 'B'.

Used to have one of these in my Aston back in the 1980's when I was flying 727s. Lotus also fitted them in the 1980/81 Turbo Esprit. Panasonic did various versions, Lotus had the RM610...I had the RM710. When I got my JPS Esprit a few years ago it came with one, ripped it out as it wasn't working and threw it away. Here's one on EBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153402189291?ul_noapp=true Roo

and @Zed Head, I do appreciate your input! As usual it brings up the not so obvious points that sometimes need to be mentioned and addressed.

And don't forget mechanical stuff either. Drive Shaft, AFM, ECU, Fuel Sender, interior stuff (Panels, switches, knobs, console...). If the price is right, the whole car and strip it clean and put it in boxes.

That one is a good candidate for shark's mouths on the front corners. Ala, the Flying Tigers P40's in WWII.

god that i forgot.. i should know by now that doesnt happen very often.. actually two of them were lined up next to each other.. 240z and a 280z ??‍♂️

Panasonic RM-310 http://antique-autoradio-madness.org/panasonic/Panasonic-1979/panasonic_1979.htm

Once a pilot always a pilot @kats

Another thought about the mounting of the coil packs... In the original application, the coils are designed to be pressed down all the way "home" against the top of the valve cover and the mounting hole comes into contact with the valve cover itself. Probably with a proud standing boss where the mounting bolt threads into. In addition, there is a sealing surface (might even be a rubber ring?) just below the electronics module portion that is designed to seal the larger hole in the valve cover. In your design, the holes you have the coil packs poking through is much smaller than the original design and your mounting tabs are hanging in free space. You don't want to stress the mounting tabs by putting a bolt through them and tightening them up while it's unsupported below the pack. Kinda hard to do without marked-up pics, but here's the issue I'm talking about... See the gap underneath the coil pack where the mounting bolt goes through? That thing is just plastic and you don't want to put a bolt through that and tighten it up. I suggest either using some sort of standoff boss (could be as simple as a tubular spacer) to support the bolt hole, or even better would be to make the holes in the COP bracket larger (like the original application) and have the coils mounting face sit down further (flush) against the plate. Without some sort of support under the mounting bolts, you are going to cantilever the coil pack body with the bolt and potentially crack the mounting tab off:

I am amazed at how much the old Mitsubishi Arrow copied the Z's... never knew that when I bought it but subconsciously I always wanted a Z I guess....

Thanks again , Mark , I see . I now want this for my car ? Kats

My Fire Arrow had an overhead console in 1979...

I should have added that I've never seen or heard of one.

Here is more about “ National Cockpit “ https://ameblo.jp/mach-gyo/entry-11887433930.html It is an audio device hanging on the roof , using a room mirror basement . Kats

I don't ever remember seeing one of those back in the seventies.

For me, 'unique' isn't the word that came to mind.

No, but removing the COPs is easy. Or you could leave all the coils attached to the plate and lift it off as an assembly with the six coil packs still attached. Un-clip six electrical connectors and the whole thing is loose.

Yes, boots are banded and painted black. Sprayed with Dupli-color 'Dark Shadow Gray' then clear coat 'matte clear'. Yes, I will use this for the rear finisher panel. Car will retain the original dealer supplied mags, but I do also use this for hub caps. Les Cannady at Classic Datsun Motorsports used to sell this custom made, but he says it is no longer available due to California paint standards. The Dark Shadow Gray and matte clear is now what he currently uses. It is pretty close to the original.

Made some nice progress this weekend. Got the front grill and bumper brackets installed. Got the differential restraining strap, differential and half shafts installed. The differential went in pretty easy with my new Costco jack. Just set the diff on the large rubber pad and lifted it into place. Also, @jayhawk stopped by to look the car over. Glad he was able to see the car in person, instead of just the pics.

i wouldnt mind keeping a spare.. man i am learning quickly with this car its best to hve a spare of everything haha

Thanks Patcon! And yes I wish I had a few D-ring anchors in the floor for many reasons too!

Hi Kats: I guess that melting the ice with salt is a trade-off vs. having more cars wrecked and people hurt because of ice on the road. Nonetheless, your 432 looks perfect, and the protective coating is a great idea. Thanks for the video. Carl B.

If only I knew someone with massive fabbing skills... I’ll be down end of March, have it ready!

Very nice work! A couple of thoughts on the brace.... Adding a 90 degree (down) bend with about a 1/2” flange along the edge between the bracket and the valve cover will add stiffness to the whole brace and minimize any stress on the valve cover bolts and the COPs. You may want to consider bending similar edges at each endof the bracket as well for even more stiffness. I hope this helps ..

Pretty decent looking rear bumper delete in my opinion. Probably not a good idea to drive close to schools with those plates.

None of the S30's came with headlight relays. I don't think they planned on the car lasting as long as they have, honestly.

I put one of these on my 77 that has an 80zx distributor and it seems to work just fine. Rockauto.com Not sure what year Z you have. Related Parts NISSAN 1981 MAXIMA 2.4L L6 Exhaust & Emission Vacuum Reservoir Price BECK/ARNLEY 1790212 Info Vacuum Reservoir CALIF equipped Except AUTO TRANS,FUEL INJECTION Choose: [Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty] (Only 1 Remaining) ($15.69) $15.69

I got a new battery for my Fairlady Z. Given the battery was smaller than stock the OEM bracket would not work. A quick design in fusion 360, a quick print of a prototype. then some tweaking before the final print. Works perfectly.

Please let me know if you decide to sell them. I'd likely take one too. I have the exact same battery. I'm using a block of wood.

Very nice. Gotta love 3D printers. Much nicer, and far more functional, than the whistle I made with mine. Dennis

If good fusible links are installed, all 4 white/red wires should have voltage to ground. The white/red coming off the black fusible link (assuming the links were installed in the right locations) branches off with one going to the alternator and the other branches off again with one leg going to the voltage regulator and the other going to connector C9 in the wiring diagram. The picture is zoomed in so close that I can't tell where in the loom you might be looking.

The other night I was driving home in the dark when I noticed my the lighting for the gauges starting to fail. Soon, all I had left was the lighting on the speedometer, and it failed shortly after that. Fortunately I had a GPS unit running, so I could monitor my speed, but I was filled with dread thinking that my parking lights also went out. I checked the fuse and found it blown. I replaced it, but still no lights. I checked the connector in the steering column. It had suffered heat damage. (Note: The wires are not sized for a 20A fuse.) I replaced the connector (Thank you, Vintage Connections!) and tested. The ammeter I had on the battery was running over 20 A. I quickly shut off the switch. I looked for corrosion in the front side markers. They were fine. I returned to looking at the dash lights. I noticed the current was normal after removing the speedometer. I tested the wiring on the speedometer for a short. There were no shorts. I finally checked the GW & RL wires in the dash harness. The resistance was way too low. I unplugged all of the gauges, and no change. After looking at the FSM for other ideas, I unplugged the hazard switch. (The hazard switch in the 74 has a light.) The short went away. I pulled the switch out and found the cause. When the RL wire came loose from the light, it made contact with the other wire. When the speedometer was plugged in, the RL wire was then connected to ground, completing the path for the short. That only took 3 hours to find.

I found the missing piece to the socket on my garage floor. The wire runs up through the button in the socket and is soldered in place. Somehow the solder joint weakened, and the wire came out. I removed the old solder from the button and ran the wire through it, soldering it back in place. If it holds for another 40 years, it will outlive me.

Several years ago, I posted on here the design of an Optima bracket I made. I have never tried it with a regular battery, but I don't see why it wouldn't work exactly the same with a few simple mods. It doesn't look stock like yours, but it was pretty simple to make. I have one in my street car and another in my race car.