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Yeah, weird. Another example of the original wiring diagram for the early cars falling short of accurate. The whole reason I started this journey! And I think I'm approaching the end. The mistakes being uncovered up are becoming less severe and less frequent. I'll have the new rev out soon. Changes to the horn system, some power distribution stuff (grounding scheme), and of course, the condensers.

My .02 cents on new alternators. Have it tested before you leave the parts store. I bought one and it blew the glass fuses, maybe not all of them but the car wouldn't crank and my gauges went limp. Ask the guys on here and found out it was "back charging"? Guys at the store were cocky but got alot nicer after it failed their test. Learned something new that day. 🙃

Colour matching is really important.😎

This is a little bit wide of the mark, but how about this Z on an album cover...

The 240Z engine is a remarkably simple and well-built device... except for the emissions control system. The latter is a train-wreck, typical of the auto industry's late-1960's, analogue-era, pre-ECU/fuel injection, band-aid solutions. The problem was not unique to Nissan. Whether it was the USA, the UK, Italy, France, Japan -- they were universally bad. Why? Because the technology available to the industry that was 'ready for prime time' (i.e. wouldn't get the manufacturer sued for incompetence) was nothing better than a lash-up. In the end, the only answer proved to be a combination of electronic fuel injection + computer control. It took almost 10 years to get there. In Panama, you are re-living the 1970 Los Angeles nightmare -- high temperatures + traffic jams + complicated, ineffective smog equipment technology. Plus -- as I mentioned in an earlier post -- the pssibility that your local gas may be substandard. My advice: 1) Remove all of the emission control equipment; 2) Run the tank dry and then fill up at the biggest, brand-name gas station in downtown; 3) Place your trust in a top-quality auto shop that has a lead mechanic who has proven credentials with carburetors (preferably SU carburetors); 4) Only if steps 1, 2 and 3 can't get the engine running properly should you consider removing the cylinder head.

A good battery will be about 12.6-12.8 volts; 12.2 is very low and indicates it might not hold a charge. A good alternator will read 14-14.5 volts.

Went to Cars & Coffee in Steveston BC this morning, and met up with about a dozen members of the local Zed club I belong to. It was110 km from my house, so it was a great drive too. After the cars & coffee we did a scenic group drive for breakfast to a local Pub for the $5.99 special. Lol. Sadly this the last weekend they will be open, as they are closing after 130 years of service. Sometimes "progress" sucks, the Buck & Ear will be missed. On the way home I also stopped at my favorite, close to me, craft brewery. For some reason I was attracted to this six pack? I think this Dutch Pale Ale is my new go to beer. Lol. And it tastes good too.

I suspect that JAlex's problems may be the result of poor local fuel quality combined with local high-temp conditions. Not sure that any of us are qualified to provide proper guidance on that combination. Maybe not even Nissan. It may prove difficult to find qualified tech help in Panama. That said, I hope the new mechanic proves to be up to the task and this will end with JAlex piloting Panama's best Z on his local streets and highways.

After exchanging emails several times with Chris at s30 it was determined that the initial gas tank shipment was lost. They finally resent it about a week ago and now they estimate that it should arrive the first week of May (per Chris in today's email). Twelve weeks after my initial order. It's a good thing i wasn't in a big hurry. They say they have added the door rubber strips and emergency cable to make up for the inconvenience. I'm out of town for two weeks starting tomorrow. I'll post an update if/when this thing shows up. Rodger

Zedy…..Glad to see you still wearing your steel toed safety socks!!!!

Its been about 4 days and it still keeps time, so I guess it was the bad cap on the working one that didn't keep time.

Since you're in experimentation mode and you have fabricating skills, you might remove the factory mount and fab up a new mount that gives the desired angle. It wouldn't need to be super strong or made for permanence if you're only evaluating cruising speed. Keep the strap in place in case of breakage. It could be a solid mount. If the angle is perfect but the vibration is the same, then you can start looking elsewhere. The RTz mount either gives a certain angle with the GM mount, or it gives a range of angles in use with the snubber, as the diff nose moves up and down. The GM version is an actual mount, the snubber version is essentially a solid strap. p.s. have you considered mounting a camera under the car to see what the diff nose is doing while driving? Maybe something is moving. Or, looking back at your pictures of the crossmembers, why don't you just shim the crossmember mount downward with some washers. Perfect the angle, take it for a drive. then you'll know if you should go further.

Hahahaha!! I've been called worse than stickler as well. And that was just today!! 😄 I'm confident with your attention to detail, that stuff I noticed has already been addressed, or will be in the near future.

Bottom line that’s not the way the engine was designed unless he thinks you had a defective thermostat.

Leaking oil pan gasket? And... Mismatched hardware holding the slave cylinder on?? From you? Stickler for details? I'm shocked!!! Hahahaha!!!! 😁

Any chance of correcting this thread title's 'J30' to 'S30.world'? Might help future searches...

I agree. In spite of my overall frustration with the order it was a class move on their part. Rodger

Restoring the hubcaps. I decided to freshen up the hubcaps a little. 3 were a faded gray, and 1 was a darker color, almost blackish gray. My first step was cleaning the area between the chrome and the paint. The tape line. I used 0000 steel wool. Then I degreased it and applied 1/4" fine line tape all the way around. It really helps to see so I used these magnifying goggles and a headlamp, and a good light. Once I had that tape on, I used a wider tape and continued around until it was masked off. Same for the center cap. Then I used a scotch Brite pad and scuffed and cleaned the old paint. Blew it off with air and degreased the old paint until the rag was clean. It took several cleanings, but this is a very important step. Then when the wind quit blowing, I gave them several coats of the Datsun Gray paint purchased from California Datsun, great stuff! An hour later, I removed the tape. It came off easy, pulling at a right angle to the paint.

Have you heard of @zclocks on this site. He’s pretty much the expert on these clocks. I’d reach out to him and see if he will take it on.

Cleaning out my shed of Z items. Free to the first person to pick up in Johnson Lane, NV (Reno/Tahoe area). Set of 4 Epsilon 3 piece wheels with black centers. Wheels were setup in 1982 by Mark Morris Tires in Portland, OR for a 1981 280ZX. I've also run these on 3 different 240Zs over the years. The mounted tires are too old to use and will need to be discarded. The wheels have blemishes expected after over 30 years of use. They still clean up good enough to use as is or restore. NOS Ansa resonator (rear muffler) for a 240Z. This muffler mounts horizontally (dual outlet), not vertically. These were popular on 240Zs during the 1970s. EDIT: Added photo of the wheels on my last 240Z.

My brother likes making them, and i am not from the U.S. but thank you for this site! It is going to be handy i reckon.

When I rebuilt that old slave cylinder, I included an internal spring. So now I have both internal and external. It gives me guilty pleasure thinking that the two of them are battling it out on my car right now! Hahaha!! 😄

Sorry for geeking out. I was on a roll. 😄

Yesterday I gave #957 an overdue wash/detail, top and bottom. I've had six months of ownership, and been caught in the rain a few times during the 700 miles I have put on her so far.

Gents, Looks like I might have to put up my Z for sale and I'm curious to know if there's a good market for the early-series Z cars right now. Mine is a 1971 model with parts from 1970 and 1971. Most of you know the history of my car but in a nutshell it was completely sandblasted and restored from the frame. Serial numbers do not match as the original owner let the car freeze while it was in storage. I've had the car since I was in high school (a looooong time ago). I bought it from the father of the original owner, Bob Gilder (pro golfer). Bob used the car when he was just getting started as a newlywed in the PGA. He used to drive the car to tournaments and I might be able to dig out a few photos of him pulling clubs out of the back of the car. Car was originally silver. Engine is a balanced/blueprinted L28 from Rebello and the carbs are triple Mikuni's with separate air cleaners. This was the first engine to have the triple weber setup from Steve at Ztherapy. Unfortunately it does not have the triple SU's as Steve kept those for his own projects. Suspension is adjustable Tokico's and matching springs. Pretty much everything else is stock except for the color of course. It does have sway bars installed. Dash is a new one from Les Cannaday when he was building the early reproductions that Nissan put together. Wheels are VTO classic 8's wrapped with tires that are only a few years old. Right now she's sitting covered in a storage unit and I just don't have the space to keep her at home. Windshield is the last remaining unit that we found in Nissan's inventory. All other glass is original, including the hatch with vertical defrosters (a 1970 model leftover when it was assembled). I have a Nismo fuel pump and bracket that has not yet been installed. Plenty of books, manuals, microfiche, and extra goodies will come with the deal. Not many things wrong, but there are a few glitches. The brake fluid distribution valve could use a rebuild. Some brake fluid dripped onto the rail under the distribution valve caused the paint to peel a bit. The MSA 6-1 headers get very hot and it affects the braking, I would think new owner should have the headers removed and coated or covered to prevent this (or use a higher temp brake fluid). There is a small paint bubble near the fuel filler that I have not yet looked into. Headlight cones were painted after the main car was done so the paint color is slightly different (body guy wasn't able to match the color exactly). Cold starts after sitting for months can sometimes take a few times, but she starts and drives without issue. Engine sounds great and does not leak any oil. Entire car is pristine and needs more daily attention than I've been giving her... I would consider her a stock resto-mod. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just comment here. Not sure if it would pull more value with a direct sale or if I should even consider putting her up on BAT. Thanks guys! Mike

Try swapping the leads around where you got the open line. Diodes will block a resistance reading on a meter if you have the leads reversed.

$25,500 For instance, Less fees. Not a chance IMHO. Sell it privately to someone that’s going to preserve it.

I would think BaT with a healthy reserve. I wouldn't consider a no reserve auction, too easy to lose it cheap.

I have seen the diode fail open in that design before. That would keep the car from charging. Also, if the ignition fuse in the fuse box is blown, it won't charge. The test I asked @Zedyone_kenobi to perform would help to identify those problems.

The problem is that I don't see the results of the tests I suggested you do.

I picked up an old (1973) set of minilte 14" wheels. They are in ok shape but the guy only had 13 lug nuts. The lugnuts are very light (aluminum) and fit the wheels. Has anyone ever seen lugs like these? I found a minilite website and I plan on contacting them, but thought I would ask here too. I think it would be nice to have this style lug nut. The guy also had this dual weber setup. If anyone is interested, let me know. The guy is local, super nice, and is trying to get rid of some old stuff. I have no interest in it but happy to help if someone needs it.

I pulled the alternator this morning (wearing my osha white safety socks - those who have followed my Z build will understand) and plan on taking it to get tested this afternoon. None of my connections were lose or corroded. No matter what I do the amperage never changes or moves with revs and the battery will NOT read more than 12.3 volts.

They are really aluminum. My 911 has factory aluminum lug nuts. They are a bit of a pain as you need a cushioned socket to keep from damaging them and no air tool, ever. They cleaned up pretty good. I may get them polished and checked for roundness.

Fortunate to find an early antenna with the bullet tip. The Nut wasn’t available. Any help will be much appreciated.

I hope you strapped them down to the headlight scoop for the drive, although I think you'll need to wait a while before opening them.

There is no lamp on a 71. On the original 71 alternator, it would be a field wire and alternator neutral on the T plug going to the external VR. Since the car is modified, the field wire is jumpered to the ignition wire, and the neutral wire is jumpered to the battery wire.

12.3 volts while running tells me that there is a problem. However, diagnosis is not complete. Have you verified the signals for the sense and ignition inputs? Those are the two wires going to the T plug on the back of the alternator.

Awesome. Thanks!! And your prolific use of pics and documentation has helped me on numerous occasions. Keep up the good work!! I'm currently working on a set of carb air cleaner attachment hardware stuff based on a sketch of yours from years ago. 😊

Hey CO, #6521 did originally have a condenser in all four locations listed above. Funny that two of your four pics above are of my car. The pic above with no condenser on the alternator, was from about 10 years ago when I pulled it to do some engine detailing. Prior to the detailing it did have a condenser there, but it was not connected. At the time I just left if off when I re-assembled alternator. Here's a before & after pic. Mystery solved, Lol.

North South it’s still Carolina!!😂

Thanks @Patcon I had not seen that before. It's on order. If heat is a problem maybe we can get a 2fer😃

You could look at the RT mount and customize the diff angle

I know you had a heat problem when in Panama. Did you also have that problem after moving to Europe? Maybe just a lower temp thermostat rather than no thermostat should at least get your engine to warm up a little quicker. On the PCV and thermostat, both should be readily available at any auto parts store. Both thermostat and PCV are very easy to replace.

Too funny. That's what I get for buying someone else's project. BTW, I've been called worse than stickler. Lol.

CO, the condensor on my coil is connected to the + post along with the B/W wire. Also, a condensor is on my alternator as you pictured.

Save the date if in the area or interested in a road trip...ECZN is an easy three day event wrapped in the Carlisle Import and Performance Nationals in Carlisle, PA. Get those Zs ready for Carlisle East Coast Z Nationals (ECZN), which is held internal to Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals. Save the date if in the area or interested in a road trip. ECZN is an easy three day event wrapped in the Carlisle Import Nationals inside Carlisle, PA Fairgrounds. Over 18,000 attend the import nationals and the Maryland Z Club hosts ECZN social evening and drive on Friday... Then enjoy Saturday festivities at Carlisle fairgrounds. Nissan/Infiniti paddock for ECZN attendees with car show awards, raffles, special display vehicles and more. Thursday Evening May 15 – Happy Hour Hotel Bar – Homewood Suites by Hilton Carlisle Friday May 16 – Hang out at ECZN Tent / Fairgrounds / Corn Hole Z Cruise around Carlisle – Planned Route End at Desperate Times Brewery at approx. 5:30 pm Social time at Desperate Times: 5:30pm – til ?? Other bars downtown Carlisle — on your own Saturday May 17 – Carlisle Fairgrounds for ECZN People’s Choice Car Show Registration from 8am to 10am Voting 10am – Noon 12 noon ballots turn in Awards Raffles 50/50 3pm Register for Import and Performance Nationals select club East Coast Z Nationals and then register for ECZN, its only $10. Website and registration: www.eastcoastznationals.org #eastcoastznationals #Nissan #Nismo #zcca #zclublife #marylandzclub #whiterosezclub #datsun #ZCCR #s30 #s130 #z31 #z32 #z33 #z34 #rz34

I found an old thread with several of us iin it. I feel kind of dickish reading my old comments. Hopefully I've mellowed. The 6801 has come up before, I'd forgotten about it. I also pulled up the 79 and 83 EFI ECU wiring diagrams and they seem essentially the same. Odd though that the 79 diagram doesn't show the O2 sensor circuit to the ECU. Just interesting that they apparently added the microprocessor to what had been a processor-free system. 1979 Uploading Attachment... 1983 Uploading Attachment...

Thanks much guys. That certainly explains why there isn’t an internal spring. I kept seeing the later version, and was pretty sure I didn’t loose it.

Your analysis of the parts is correct... Resistor, zener, capacitor - Those three parts are used for power supply and regulation*. They are relatively easy to source, and other than the zener voltage, the specs are relatively unimportant. By that, I mean... You could use a 180 Ohm resistor or a 150uF cap. Within reason, the values don't matter. The resistor will dissipate less than half a watt, so a one watt resistor would be fine. Composition (wirewound, metal film, carbon... Doesn't matter.) Crystal, and control chip - Those two are not easy to source. Hope that your problem is not one of those two. The HD44001 control chip does not appear to be available. Probably designed for the application and sold only to the clock manufacturer. And I would try hard to not mess with the crystal. The frequency is a little unusual, and even if you can find another crystal with "close enough" frequency, it's not guaranteed that it would work paired with the electronics inside the control chip. They are used as a shunt regulator system with the cap as a filter. System has about 30 mA quiescent current and therefor a little less than that in compliance.

I found these Skechers in Las Vegas on the weekend. The color looked very familiar so I just felt the need to buy them. What do you think of my new 918(ish) driving shoes. 🙂