Leaderboard

Late Wednesday afternoon, when the eye came ashore, I was thirty-five miles North of the center. The worst of the wind speed was just South of me. I don't know what wind speeds we actually saw, but it was pretty fierce. All the flooding and storm surge was South of me also. Carl and Jim Frederick are sixty miles North of me so I would think they made it through fine. We have lots and lots of wind damage. Trees, signs, awnings, traffic lights. all blown over. Some areas of town have no power, but I do. Cellular is spotty also. Most of the major roads are passable - full of tree trash. Two trees down on my street. Today's music will be Chainsaw Symphony.

Touge Con in Fayetteville AR was last Friday & Saturday. A very fun event with a great turnout. All jdm event with a underground vibe going on Friday night. Lots of lights & music. Main event took place at the 4 block town square, all reserved.

Went on a memorial cruise for a local car guy a few weeks ago and just found this photo posted. Nice photo of my car.

All good here. Lots of wind damage around the neighborhood and my house took a minor amount of damage but Irma, a couple of years ago, was worse. We didn't get much flooding.

all clear, no damage.

Thanks for checking in, all good in my area!

We are expected to get a good bit of rain and possibly some relatively high winds but shouldn't be too bad. I'll know more Saturday or Sunday

Don't know how interesting this is, but I got my 280Z back in 2013, car had 337k miles on it, the story was the original owner was an air force pilot who drove the car constantly from California to Florida. 1975 280Z California model. Currently has 352k on the clock.

Have you seen this new release from Nissan? https://global.nissannews.com/en/pages/all-news-archive Lots of Nissan News publications dating back to 1963. Some cool stuff in there. Here are some samples......

Made a delivery to the University District in Seattle, and parked in front of the Beta Theta Pi house was a pretty pristine ZX complete with iron cross wheels and silver hood. Something you don't see around here very much anymore are Z cars parked illegally on the sidewalk in frat row. I think mine is too low to make it onto a sidewalk.

Not sure how interesting it is, but one of my old Z's was a '72 that I had to sell back in 2003 when I was moving. The new owner had it a few years and put a lot of money into it before he was forced by his wife to sell it. The next buyer got a job transfer to France and he took the Z with him to Paris. I lost track of him a while back, but it was cool to see my old Z with European plates in his yard. @Lazeum was a member here, but I'm not sure if he still has the car or is active on this site.

Couple tags off the top of my head: @Dave WM @Derek @Serban @tunesnxs @26th-Z

Thanks, now I feel OK with keeping the SUs and not dropping another $750 into the engine.

If you cut it with a hacksaw then a hand file should finish it off. We're all so surrounded by power tools now, especially those with the new high power batteries, that the old basic human-powered hand tools often get forgotten. The hacksaw was the right first choice. Minimal heat, not too much work.

Made some brackets for the Vintage Air AC Evaporator: Good clearance all around except for the corner of the cardboard glove box insert. It makes contact but it’s not right. I may be able to pull it forward when I make the third bracket. Right now the mock-up can twist longitudinally, so I definitely need to use that third hard point. Kinda wish I had used 16 gauge instead of 22 gauge steel for the hump bracket because it’s pretty flexible. However, I think I need another bend in it so it’s not flexed. That may stiffen it a smidgen, and maybe it won’t be an issue. I’ll decide after I have the third bracket on if it needs to be redone.

So much opportunity but so many mistakes. In the meantime Banzai Motorworks notches Gold Medallion #4!

Eons ago, I road raced British cars with SU's and learned a lot about tuning them for performance. Hitachi's are just the same and I would say if you wanted to play carburetor tuner, the Hitachi's would be fun and simple. Read some SU tuning books. You can get a lot out of a set of Hitachi's.

Lost power Wednesday afternoon. Came back on late last night. Still no Spectrum yet. Verizon just came back up this morning. My house is fine. Lost a fence and part of the aluminum roofing on the back of the shop itself. Overall not bad. Could have been a lot worse. Hope everyone is ok.

Looks like we may be wondering how @Patcon is now.

Got the gauges ready, clock converted, and right dial in the tach, and tested. I had a small paper gasket on the back side of the speedometer dial, around the needle shaft, that came loose, and it dropped down slightly covering part of the odometer, so had to take speedo apart to remove that. Cleaned lenses with Meguiar's PlastX, which worked good. As I was putting the clock back in the new dash, I noticed the dash holes were a bit tight, and had to pry the opening a little while pushing the gauge from the back. I didn't like the idea of prying on a new dash, even if it was a plastic tool. So, I found a plastic bottle, just the right size to fit through the dash hole, and fit around the gauge bezel rim, after cutting at a matching angle. And it was slightly tapered, smaller at the ending I poked through the dash hole first, wider at the gauge end. Once the bottle is shoved halfway through the hole, I put the gauge up inside the open end of the bottle and pushed gauge up against the back of the dash, and pulled bottle off. Worked great, plus no messing around the front of the dash gauge opening. I think it was a Clorox wipe bottle, but I'm keeping it! I'll bet the factory had something similar, but better. Gauges are mounted. Moved the old clock wires over to the new clock wiring, and have an adjustment switch ready to mount somewhere, not sure where yet. I also have this leftover part, that white spacer that fell out while removing the gauges. Can't for the life of me figure out where it goes, or even if it's needed. If anyone recognizes it, please let me know. 🤔 Now the fun part, connecting wires back up.

And don't forget about @Carl Beck

Check out the first response to your post! AFM and CTS. My 83 gave me 7 weeks of the same thing you just went thru. I purchased the car as a non-running car for 3,000.00 after the PO spent 8,000.00 at 2 different shops trying to get it to run. This is the car and all I had to do was wash it. With there not being any way to test the actual ECU's in these cars it can be a difficult and frustrating road. Mine ended up being the ECU.

I had the dual Webers on my 240Z when I first bought it. Andy Craig suggested I convert to SUs when I went to him to rebuild the engine 27 years ago. I agreed and never looked back. I think I sold the Webers about 18 years ago. When you consider a member over at Zcar.com got a Z into the 12 second range on SUs (https://www.zcar.com/members/norm-the-12-sec-dual-su-dude.1912/), I don't think the SUs are holding you back too much if they are in good shape and balanced properly.

Okay, I made a short video to demonstrate.

For me, it is. Everything I have is stock parts. Spectrum of different years, but all stock. I'd be happy to look into other systems, but I don't have anything here. It all started for me wondering what they did in 78 to allow the removal of the ballast resistor. And the answer is they started including current limiting inside the module in 78. Then av8ferg wanted to be able to mount two different style modules (ZX matchbox and GM HEI) on his car and be able to swap between the two if one of them failed. But when he tried it, he noticed a timing difference between the two. So I thought it might be interesting to investigate that. That's how I got here. I've been poking around inside the stock modules for some time now but figured nobody (other than me) really cared, so I didn't post about it.

Your problem sounds similar to what I experienced with my 75 280 a few years ago. The AFM flap was stuck open....because it was slightly bent. It probably got worse and worse due to repeated intake backfires. Something to check out.... And...all...is it really that necessary to take a stand on a person's use of one word or another? That kind of comment just seems out of step with the purpose of this forum and also the typically kind culture I see here. Lets leave that stuff out of this great site.

Lets hear from our Florida members on their status after the storm.

If it looks gray in pictures - might just be the lighting and angle of the light source etc. That said - if it looks gray or has blueish undertones etc when you see it in person- it isn't factory. Factory Silver in person looks Silver as in that picture. Factory Silver used "Fine" silver metal flakes only. My first 240Z was Silver... got a scratch in the passenger door about 14 months after I picked it up from the Dealer. Spent several months trying to find the right body shop that could match the paint - the fourth shop got it right. Spent months looking very closely at that Silver from the factory. Very hard for shops using completely different types of paint today to blend the correct color - it can be done - if they are willing to shoot enough test panels large enough. Chevy Guys - have the same problem getting Cortez Silver correct as well on Corvettes/Camaro's/Chevelles from the 60's/70's. I had that on my 1970 SS396 El Camino - it is all but identical to the original silver on the 240Z's. Sill if today you look at a hundred pictures of Cortez Silver - only about 1 in 20 looks like the correct shade. Too many of them have gray or blue undertone, or a sand/gold undertone. FWIW Carl

Has To Have A VIN - or it didn't happen.

Kinda doesn't matter much since (it seems) you guys have presumably hit on the root issue, but is there any explanation for this? Terns unstoned and all that.

Mr.Patcon: Clearly, the obvious best solution, and one I would have pursued were I not machine-tool disadvantaged. But then, the situation with press-fit gears on the spindle shafts has been previously well addressed. The core issue of this thread is the symptoms of failed pick-up coils, the potential dire consequences in the event of their non-performance/failure, the complication of diagnosing such a non-performance/failure, and the current difficulties in sourcing properly operating replacements. Bottom line, beware of Standard Products' replacement pick-up coils, and of Rock Auto's lack of due diligence in distributing products that are well below an acceptable level of performance. As consumers, we should demand better. Just $.02 from the cheap seats.

Looks like the correct hole. The switch button would sit right next to the ramp edge. Just a tiny movement moves the button. Before you start filing away at the button you could just thread the switch in to the hole partially. You could use a meter to see when the contacts close then back it off a thread. Then put the transmission in reverse and see if it works correctly. If it does then a washer or some filing should get you there. This is what you should see in the hole when it's in reverse and not.

Put me into the "I want a dimmer" crowd too. I run my dash lights just bright enough that I can see them when I drive. I want the gauges to be visible if I need them, but not the main area of focus. LOL... In other words, I need my 50 year old headlights to be brighter than my new LED dash bulbs.

They look pretty cool going around the Daytona race track at 200 MPH though.

I'm about an hour north of Orlando. We dodged a major bullet for sure as we were in the projected path up until it decided to turn in at Ft Meyers. Hopefully everyone south of us made it through ok. Derek

That is a Dodge Charger Daytona. It came that way from the factory. Chrysler also produced the Plymouth Superbird. The cars were manufactured for homolgation so NASCAR teams could run the body style in NASCAR’s top level Cup series. Those cars sell for huge money these days.

Right you are: a '77 280Z that until this year, was still running, after 200k mi., on the original distributor (with orig. pick-up coil) without incident. But all good things must come to an end, and for the p-u coil, this resulted in ignition spasms that increased in occurence and duration of undrivable operation, until there was only a good idle with hellacious mis-firing (with much shake, rattle, and roll) at any revs above that. Like you, I never suspected the p-u coil's fault and spent much time and money looking for the source of the ugly behavior. When it came down to "I've tried everything else", I bought the first replacement coil, the installation of which resulted in the very same behavior, so I kept looking elsewhere. Three months later, I was back to "I've tried everything else" again, and I bought another replacement, thinking the crappy condition of the first upon receipt may have been more meaningful than I thought. Sadly, the second would not produce any spark at all. DOA. Mind you, all three passed the only test specified in the FSM, the check of resistance of the coil. In between the two, I had purchased a "rebuilt" distributor body, as a despirate extension of my earlier "throw fresher parts at the problem" that resulted in a replacement ECU and ICM (among other parts), all to no avail. It was this distributor body that brought the p-u coil that looked to be out of some other application, along with some other oddities. Finally, having little hair left to pull out in frustration after the utter failure of the second "new" p-u coil, I threw that puppy (the "rebuilt" distributor... (30Sep. edit)) in for lack of any other approaches to the problem. Lo and Behold, the engine got sweet once again! I was astounded. I moved the p-u coil to my own already rebuilt distributor (with its fresh cage and new bearing balls), and the engine is running fine once again. There is a larger moral to this tale of woe; as a result of the violent behavior during the first p-u coil's recurring spasms of slow failure, the crank nose drive gears began to shear their keys and spun the distributor/oil pump drive gear press-fit on the spindle shaft. Fortunately, we're only talking a few degrees, and with the deployment of a new spindle shaft, I have been able to dial in a usable ignition timing for the time being; tho I know that when time and opportunity permits, I will have to address the crank drive gears in a more meaningful manner. Thus, I urge you, Gentle Readers, to never take misfires lightly.

@dmorales-bello

Yeah, a lot of money! I wonder would a nice 55k miles (he's at 88555km last week.) euro version bring that too as these are also less made in euro version i mean? At the carwash.. Complete history, like 4th battery or so but original everything haha and also the exhaust!!. never driven in winter, i can prove this by all the registrations at our RDW!! if you look at it's reg. number you'll see all the winters since he was 5 yrs (in garage Nissan for 5 years..) For example the aircon or climate control is never refilled and never had a defect! It still works perfect after 30! years.. howcome? i start the car every 4-6 weeks!! VERY important for oil and for the clim.control!!!! (I can not emphasize how important this is!) Many papers with this car but few repairbills.. this car costed 173000 guilders in 1992.... pff it took about 5 years to sell in the netherlands haha.. for the same money you had a Porsche turbo.. so funny.. this i like more! Don't want no porsche on my drive! At his summer spot.. This one i have seen earlyer..

6,000 mile, one owner probably helped. And +373 pictures over the front page images. That is a lot of money though.

For some reason in the past, I came across this part number for a Sentra Intermittent Wiper Relay part number: 28510-1M200 It appears as though it might still be available. This is the wiring diagram from the EL section of the Sentra FSM: Note that it is 7 wires. Edit: Oops, I finally noticed that there is no pin #4. That fits an observation that I made after I posted this. I'll have to see if this is a fatal flaw in my effort. Here is pin out on the 73 Intermittent Relay: It seems pretty close to the same. I just have to trace out the wires better for the 73.

So it takes weight to make it happen or the suspension in a certain position. That will narrow the possibilities

It's a good starting point since that's what most people here are running, but it would be interesting to learn more about ignition for the coil on plug systems. Just from talking with @Captain Obvious on the phone and looking at some videos he suggested, I was able to detect a potential issue with my 240Z by using my oscilloscope. The scope indicated there could be some extra arcing (having to jump more than the gap between the rotor & cap and spark gap) at the firing line of the spark at different cylinders. When I looked at the cap, wires, and coil, I found significant corrosion at the coil. Before changing the coil and wires (yellow wire is the voltage at the negative post of the coil): After the coil and wires were replaced (again, yellow trace): Next up is for me to get a current probe for my scope so I can chart the current limiting effects of some of the ignition systems.

Thanks @[email protected] for the confirmation that they are the correct inserts (phew!), your advice and appreciate you asking around on the cutting/cooling for this situation.. it looks like that is my best option (and thank goodness they have the nubs to grind down to give me those needed few mm's!) Your 100% correct in that the history of modification done on these struts are entirely unknown, and i certainly don't see it as a fitment issue that would apply to anyone else's situation. I did do some research prior to confirm they were standard length (and there is certainly no sign of cutting either, on the tube or the top threads ), but having not modified them myself i can only guess! There was limited option in adjustable standard length shock inserts (i understood the GC option to be for sectioned struts), and i am still very grateful that you have developed this option for us! I am also very thankful for the information and support both yourself and Lee from Koni has added in this thread - its a rare opportunity and part of the reason i went down this road. as a side note - The car is not for track, just trying to clean up and mildly upgrade what i can to enhance it's on-road personality.. The GC kit came to me second hand with the tokico's and 300+ lb/in springs, it had clearly been track focused and unsuitable for my needs (i never ran them this way, just started rebuilding them when i got them). On advice from GC, i have new 150/175 lb/in springs going in to try and keep things within a comfortable range of standard, hopefully this suits the intended Koni shock performance curve.. i am pretty sure i will be happy with them once its all together! Thanks Kent

Thanks! I wasn’t able to find many people talking about how they made the brackets that hold this thing in among the various build threads I’ve read about installing one of these. Hopefully this will help someone either finish their project earlier or figure out a better solution than I have. The flat steel bracket material they provide is a no-go. Unless you’re putting this into a car where the mount points on the car are close to the mount points on the evaporator, it’s going to swing around all over because they are very springy. I'm trying to create ate least one triangle for each axis. Maybe my transmission hump bracket should have been rod instead of sheet to be stiffer, but I think the last of the three will wipe out any flex. The other benefit of going with rod over sheet in the back and on top is I’ll have WAY more space to run wires, tubes, and pipes. I made some mock-ups of various brackets for the top and they all created a huge barrier I wouldn’t be able to snake the ducting around:

Have you tried putting the car on jackstands, starting it up, and putting it in gear to see if you can locate the noise while it's up in the air?

What! Can't hear you over these triples.

Well I did get another lid and have both short ears on there . I have my float sync tool and messed with float levels forever . I come up short- no matter what I try to get the correct height . I said time to try it . It seems the engine want at least 4 turns out to be happy . That also varies from start to start . I need to check the incoming fuel pressure to make sure it’s adequate or maybe too much . I do have my wideband working so I am shooting for about 13.5 at idle . . Did I say I hate carbs :-0

Yea Greg! You woke up my favorite thread. I've been listening to a lot of music lately. Coffee in the a.m, music in the p.m. Never heard this before and it's seven years old. I am not cool.

It's false Fall in Georgia. That means for a while we will have cooler temperatures for a short while, followed up with a last blast of heat before true Fall. Anyway, the conditions were great for going to a Saturday morning car meet. As a matter of fact, the weather was so nice, several others decided to bring their Z cars out, too. The two yellow 240Zs were purchased through BaT. One of the owners has been to a Georgia Z Club meeting, though I don't know if he joined, yet. I ended up diagnosing "lack of cabin heat" issues on both. The brown 280ZX and black gold AE are both owned by fellow GZC members. All I can say is that the 260Z felt great on the roads with the new inner LCA bushings. I need to consider doing more suspension work on the 240Z to keep pace.