zKars

I finally got around to trying the Kia weatherstrip on the doors while assembly the old girl after her fresh paint. It is likely THE best thing I have ever used for weatherstrip. Slips right on, nice and snug, even before pinching it. Fitting the corners is easy, just push it snug. There are no pre-formed corners, so it goes on with no issue no matter where you start it. There is one section of the weather strip that has about 6 inches of stuffing inside the bulb, its marked with a white dot. I put that in the corner. Could be anywhere, but that gave it extra body as I "made" it fit the corner. Now the real payoff. I'm also doing the hatch weatherstrip too so I couldn't resist trying the Kia strip on it. Not gonna fit, right? Read on. First I took a 6 inch section that I had cut out of the door and pressed it on the hatch lip. Even though that lip has that 1/8" or so turned up lip, it fit right over! The slot is plenty wide. I closed the hatch and looked from the inside to check the fit. The bulb compresses perfectly about 3/4 of its thickness. (pic below). Now you know I had to try the whole hatch lip. With the hatch on the car! Try this with the "real" weather strip that has to be glued! Only crazy people try that! I had only done the passenger side at this point, so I had the un-cut driver side (not that they're any different) to try out. No way its large enough for the whole hatch but I started anyway, had to see how it fit around the top part by the hinge! Well, after getting it almost all the way around, I realized it IS long enough for the entire hatch PLUS about a foot! I left it long around the strut, and closed the hatch. Perfect! Closes just about as easy with the weatherstrip as without! And no nasty hatch sticky-uppy! Picks of the fit below. Now the only remaining issue I can think of is water sealing. Wouldn't surprise me if it sealed just fine without glue, but we'll see. Make sure you have the outer weatherstrip in place properly glued on to deflect all the water down the drip channel to the back. So there. I'm calling the Precision aftermarket weatherstrip, that too thick, makes our doors stick out, slamming until the glass breaks, crap officially DEAD! Go get yourself some! Part number attached. Jim

Almost all the parts are SU, but three (at least) of them are not. The two rectangular rubber blocks with the two M5 screws go on the edge of the hatch opening (not the hatch , on the sides of the body where the hatch goes) as spacers. The electrical contacts/points (between the domes) go in the distributor. And I'm willing to say at least one of the washers does not belong with the carbs (pure guess, just chance). Jim

Rusty or dirty or pitted yoke on the drive shaft at the seal lip. Ate it up. Polish yoke, and position the new seal at a slightly different spot in its bore to put the new lip at a different spot on the yoke. Not much else to go wrong other then the inner surface of the seal seat have crap left there after removing the old one and not cleaning it properly. All very repairable by this shop, just make sure they do it right. Jim

I'm in the same boat. Fresh paint, hate the look of mud flaps, didn't put "gravel guard" under the paint, don't care for the look either, now what? I'm thinking 3m clear film. Easy to replace. Thoughts? Jim

Lots of seats can "fit", but relatively few have the right shape to allow them to fit back far enough due to interference with either the wheel well, or whether the upright part of the new seat is above the raised area behind the seat, allowing it to go all the way back while the bum cushion is still in front of that area. Optimal mounting height is determined by whether you can build thin enough (and safe enough, see John's comments above) adapter bracketing between the existing floor rails and the new seats, or if you have to remove or modify the existing floor rails to allow you to mount the seat low enough for your comfort if you are in the 5'10" and up group. With a 72, at least you don't have the drivers side "hump" in the tunnel that 280's do either for cat or resonator clearance, which further limits which seats are narrow enough. There have lots of topics about this, do a bit of hunting and searching and you'll see what others have done and what seats are common upgrades. Jim

If it takes another opinion, I concur with what Mr Camo and palosfv3 are saying. Two cars, no doubt, and what is left is not safe or practical to restore. Unless you have some immense emotional attachment to this pile of steel and iron oxide, and complete confidence in the person repairing the rust and structural damage, I would never in a million years spend the time and money required to make this car safe again. Please please think carefully before continuing. Jim

I have used the pockets before, but not my fave. That front diff mount crossmember bolts to a rectangular frame tube that runs across the car back there to the outside edges of the car. It's just in front of the rear wheels and gives a good wide stance position for a jack stand and a very positive register point for the top of the jack stand. My favorite spot. There is a "T" where another frame rail runs rearward, up and over the axles, and its just outside of that "T" spot that I aim for. I've even thought of making a custom top to the jackstand that registers in the frame T location for the best possible anchoring. Chock the front wheels too and work on level ground. Toss your tires/rims under the car under the seats for "last chance" safety. You know the rules! (I HATE working under my car, just what I do to be max safe). Jim

I'm running my 3.1 stroker with triple 44's off of a stock mechanical pump and nothing else. I have yet to run out of fuel doing "anything". After an entire summer of trying to get an electric pump/regulator/return system to work well (noise levels, pressure regulation due to return restriction etc) I put the mechanical on one day as a stop gap while I was dreaming of "what the hell" do I have to do to get the electric system working reliably", and never looked back. That was two years ago.... Just make sure you have a new Nissan pump (reliability more than anything) and go have fun! Jim

When it dies, does it just die instantly like you turned off the key, or does it slowly die over a matter of 10-20 seconds? Case 1 is more electrical suggesting, case 2 is more fuel related. You mentioned slowly, just how slowly? I'de be putting a fuel pressure gauge on there (after fuel filter in engine bay, before fuel rail) and watching what happens at that magic moment before I go spending any more money on parts.... Jim

You have a jammed linkage. One or more of the pivot points is dry/rusty/broken and not able to move. I agree the motor is likely fine. You will have to take the wiper mechanism apart and clean and lubricate all of of the joints and rotating parts. It all comes apart (look for c-rings to pry off), just take careful notes and pictures of each joint so you remember how to re-assemble it. The lock problem is likely in the wiper arm pivots that stick out of the cowl by the windscreen. Good luck! Jim

My old link to them, I think, http://www.zxman.com is dead. Hope they aren't, but may be....

Relax. There is no coolant access there. You have no blockage. Study the sensor body, you will see no fluid sealing mechanism. It is just measuring the temp of the aluminum head to gauge engine temperature, which should be very similar to coolant temperatute. Clean the body and hole to ensure good thermal conduction, but most problems people have is with the electrical connection to the sensor being dirty and corroded causing false resistance values that throw off the ECCS resulting in an overly rich condition while warming up. Check the sensor resistance values at 20C and 80C using the FSM charts on page EF & EC-87 to check if its reading correctly, and clean the connector and pins thoroughly. Make the measurement at the ECCS connector to include the connection at the sensor to see if its making good contact. Jim

Simplify. The points do nothing but make and break a connection from the negative side of the coil to ground. Confirm this happens as the points open and close as you crank the engine. The + side of the coil is supplied with ~9-10 volts when the key is ON (via the drop provided by the ballast resistor below the coil) and +12v when cranking. Verify that this is the case. Get back to us Jim

Fuel leaks are never safe. Keep the car outside and not driven if you can until this is resolved. Jim

There is no such thing as too many Z's. Go get it Dave! Jim

Nice idea! Kinda like Twitter for the car restoration community. 140 words and 4 little pic per post per day (so you not on it all damn day kids!) Just a few areas of common concern on the wipers. They can be slow for three major reasons, in order of likely hood (debatable no doubt). 1) Dirty, worn and or un-lubricated arm linkage and pivots, 2) Reduced power supply to the motor due to bad connections, everything from the battery wires, fuses, switch contacts and connectors along the entire wiring harness, but start with the connection in the engine bay. 3) Worn out motor (brushes or bushings). When you get all of these items sorted out, and you'll find the wipers are more or less "ok" on all but the heaviest downpours. The honda motor upgrade is great. You'll may also find that a product like "Rainex" helps in the mean time! Keep up the great work Jim

I never thought of myself as a 'proper datsun petrolhead' but it captures the spirit perfectly! Welcome to Datsun heaven! Jim

And now that I realize you're THAT dave and you're just down the road in Strathmore, I'de be happy to show you my wiring any time. Z club meeting tonight at Brasso Nissan 7:00pm as usual. I won't have the Z there this month, its in paint jail for a couple of weeks yet but we can chat. Jim

It just involves another auxiliary fuse panel, something modern. Painless has a few options. Power supply comes from a new cable from the battery, via an ignition controlled relay. Pretty simple. Now where to mount it, well, passenger side kick panel or up behind the glove box is handy. Most important point here is, don't try to use any of the stock circuits. I have Vintage AC, power seats, stereo, head light relays, rad fan relays, horn relays, power locks, etc etc and all their fuses, all on a fresh modern fuse panel. Much better, ahhhhhh Jim

I likely have a good 280z glove box door with a decent hinge. Drop me a note to z240@shaw.ca and I'll dig it up tomorrow. Jim