TomoHawk

Is there a specific name or style for the cable ties used in the engine bay wiring bundles? I'm referring to the ones that plug into a little hole on the fender. The best I can do for now is to look up "push in cable ties' or 'panel mount cable ties.' You want to make sure you get the same kind and not mix them, like I see sometimes on the hoses. thxZ

Of course... specially if you can afford them! I gotta stick with whatever you can get at the pick-N-pull, but, IMO, I think mine are fine for the marque.The other thing I see happening is what to do when OEM parts are actually no longer available, even from rusty parts cars. For example, the electronic ignition and EFI systems. You may have to resort to substituting hand-made parts, but you may still be able to have them (look) fine.

Have you considered using the bedliner coating instead of paint? It's oil and chemical resistant (brake fluid easily removes the OEM paint) and chip resistant. Done well, it looks as good as the usual satin type paint.

Unless the wiring for the starter has been really modified, you should be able to find the original wire that connected to the starter solenoid, and extend it as necessary. Since you are willing to start adding relays and other new wires, you might have to dig into the wiring harness to find the original wire, or restore the starter system as it initially was.

IMO, it seems reasonable to add something to the Z car only if it was normal or usual to find it on other cars of the same era. AFAIR, cars of the 70s didn't have Recaro seats as OEM parts, as well as video screens and 10-disk CD players, subwoofers, and the boom-box speaker panels. Cars owned by high school kids usually had loose speaker boxes, with a 10-foot extension, in the back. Race cars had the bumpers removed and sometimes had big fender flares, roll bars and nitrous bottles. Only custom-prepared "show-car" engines had polished or powder-coated intakes, exhaust, chromed EVERYTHING, and urban-themed cars had the 'ghetto shine' on the tyres. I still meet people who insist that the basecoat-clearcoat system was the normal thing in the 70s, so you just bite your tongue and change the topic when that comes up. Those people are obviously living in the media- corrupted today, and probably watch "Overhaulin" too much, instead of studying how the real classics were done. That's why I just walk past the new Corvettes or anything built after about 2000, and look for something the real character. Usually they have some rust on the body or are assembled with bits of interesting junk. I don't call it a molestation or abomination- I just look for something else, like the hotdog vendor. :classic:

It's a little late to announce the event, but some of us Ohioans (from the Cleveland Z Club and the Columbus Z Club) were at the event. It was the Rolex Grand-Am championship weekend. Nissan Motorsports was there as a major manufacturer. They had one big tent (the "Chalet") on 'Championship row' and a big setup at the manufacturers midway, showing off the 370Z and the new LEAF, as well as Paul Newman's Nissan IMSA GTP car and the new PS3 GT video game.The winner of last year's video challenge was there, as a driver. Continental Tire was there showing off tire technology and their lovely models. There was an opportunity to do a few parade laps (the pace car driver didn't understand everyone behind him was capable of going over 25 MPH on the tighter turns) but people were definitely pointing and waving at the two Classic Z Cars as they went by. There were paddock tours, where we met a few drivers and the chief instructor for Mid Ohio School. Continental tire was there with 6 big trucks full of tires, and demonstrated how they mount & balance racing tires. We also some great catered food both days. I believe Speed TVs roving camera guy got some video of the Z cars on the driveway from the infield to the track for parade laps, and he seemed to focus on a certain green classic and it's driver! :laugh: The Rolex Gran Am championship will re-run Sunday, Sep. 25 on SpeedVision. If you'd like to see some photos of the event, click on this link: the http://actsmarketing.smugmug.com/Nissan/Nissan-Z-and-GT-R-Owners-Mid-O/19125654_qD2g7R#1489306527_vfwK39h

After the welding, were you able to polish the welds? Did it all come out equally shiny, like it was solid aluminum, or can you tell where the welded spot was?

Is there such a thing as an sensor system (rpm, temperature, oil pressure, or any other basic stuff) that you can clip onto the L24, L26, or L28, and uses an OBDII interface with a Bluetooth wireless connection? Maybe you can even get a Bluetooth exhaust sniffer? You can get software that runs on a computer and you can record & display the data, for tuneups, for example, or use it for other stuff like dyno calculations, track laps, etc. There are Bluetooth OBDII interfaces, but those rely on the engine's ECU, and we all know that the S30 hasn't one- even the 280Z, with its "EFI system." (I still meet people who argue you can 'reprogram' or "chip" the 280Z's EFI system. :stupid: thxZ

I wonder if the Nevr-Dull people are reading this stuff and saying " You're not supposed to use it to do that!!" and the guy in the next cubicle is thinking," I didn't know it would do that!" :bulb: After my experience with the Nevr-Dull can rusting, I'd suggest that you get a small plastic container and store the stuff in there. Can anyone confirm the solvent they use? It might be good to spike the contents of the can occasionally with a couple drops, or in case it dries out.

Be careful with spark or flame around that stuff. :eek: I forget what the smell was, but it was definitely an organic solvent, so you could either use them to start a fire or dissolve wax or paint.

Cool thoughts, brother. Nevr-Dull: Ironically, the can rusted apart! I'm not sure I'd use it to de-wax paint, because I think the wadding feels abrasive. Plasti-Dip Spray: It sounds like a good idea for use as a kind of stone-guard. I think I'll use it to paint my side mirrors, which are faded from wind and rain.

You guys make me think of those carnival/ college events where you get to whack an old clunker with a big sledge hammer for a few bux for charity.

Basically the metal bracket is clamped tightly and keyed around the cable, so I don't see how it can be adjusted.

On a 280Z, Is there a way to adjust the amount the hood release handle sticks out? I want to put the lower left dash cover on and I can't get it behind the hood release handle. The vent knob sticks out far enough. thxZ

I was thinking about putting one of those corvette flag things on the hood, so my car would only go up in value about $30,000?

That's not possible when you use a torque wrench to tighten the wheel nuts, which is what we do.

Is there a place where you can order a stub axle that is more-or-less guaranteed straight at the hub, like a brand new one would be? The first one I got from the Z salvage guy had the hub bent just as much as the old one. He was nice enough to send another at his expense. Hopefully that will be good. I just can't figure out how it was bent or got bent in the first place? The most aggressive thing I've done all year is one autocross? IMO, the front wheels take more beating than the rear. I haven't hit any curbs or big chuckholes either; just the usual freeway bumps or some rough road patches. Nothing I haven't driven my DD over a hundred times...

Every bottom that I've scraped clean had that white-looking epoxy type paint/primer. What exactly is that stuff? You can only imagine what the S30 would be like using today's coatings , plastics, wiring, connectors, and switches.

I keep coming back to the original idea of where to mount a fire extinguisher in an S30? I think that if you are involved in some kind of competition, you could exchange the center console for the fire extinguisher, but where would you mount if for daily driving or country cruising? Would behind the passenger seat be a "safe" place? It's conceivable that in a collision, the seat could be stuck and you couldn't slide it or release the seat-back lever to get behind it.

WOW... $150 - $300 And it's got a "masterfully-crafted" bottle. It sounds like some kind of antique furniture.

About the same time as MariaAz's incident, I was at the local Nissan dealer to check them out in case I needed specialized services for my Z. A salesman met me in the lot out front where the 350Zs were and I talked about my 280Z. The salesman informed me that there's no way I can have a 280Z because they stopped making those 30 years ago! :ogre:

After you cover it with rubberized or asphalt undercoating, like mine was, it doesn't matter what colour the paint was.

That's why I like the FireAide extinguishers. It's rated 1A10B, got a pH of 7, and an unlimited shelf life. You can hose yourself and the car down with it, with no bad effects. the only bad thing is they only come in the one size.