TomoHawk

I'll be looking forward to meeting you all, and don't forget plenty of cash for the souvenirs!

zhead- I think it's the samething, and we locals call it the Berea Fairgrounds because it's in Berea, OH. You can always heck the ClevelandrockZ.com web site to see what's on the schedule, on what day & time. thxZ

In case you are wondering, here is a partiallist of souvenir stuff that will be available: Hats long-sleeved shirts Sweatshirts AUTOGRAPHED Mr. K sweaters (limited edition) Hot wheels... Other Z toys Flashing guitar pins Z products (from sponsors) Banners / flags... thxZ

I just have a few small things to spiff up & reinstall. I should be ready for the conbvention and/or the car show Tuesday. Either way, I still have my city car all gassed up for the week... See you at ZCON!! thxZ

What's you goal or reason for removing the emmissions equipment? You should probably consider that your engine might run worse without those parts. Otherwise, you'll need to figure out how to retune the engine properly with the parts off. FFT...

On a 280Z, the ground connection is under the steering column, and is completed by the headlamp switch. In fact, the power for the headlamps goes through the headlamp switch twice; once from the battery/fuselink to the fusebox, and second is the ground leg for the lamps. The turn signal dimmer switch also has one that controls the high beam The round connectors inside the engine bay have 3 round pins- one is the switched power from the battery, and the other two smaller pins are for the low & high beams. On the blade connections on the lamps themselves, you may use a very light smear of dielectric grease to slow the corrosion, but it'll take another 20 years maybe before they get really bad and need servicing again. Also pay attention to how the back of the lamp bowl seals to the headlamp block, and how well the inner-fender liner protects all that stuff. HTH

According to his (the_cafe) profile, he's got a 280Z, so Dave's upgrade won't help him. BTW- the Painless wiring stuff really is good, but only if you are wiring a car from scratch, like if you were assembling some kind of kit car. the_cafe- Are you sure the headlamps are dim? Did you clean the lamp faces? Dirt scatters light. Or maybe you're used to driving with the ultra-bright newer headlamps. Driving a zed isn't like a newer car, and certain things need to be accepted by the modern driver.

I can agree with Mr. Blake, that cleaning the connections on a 280Z for the lights improves them significantly. I maintain them annually, and I have plenty of light.

Junk yard for headlamps!!? That dealer guy is nuts; go find a friendly & helpful Nissan dealer. Just go to a NAPA or other basic auto parts store and look in the lightbulb section. It's just the the basic 7-inch lamp, but you will probably find Sealed-beam, halogen, etc. On eBay, you can find H4 conversions, crystal lens jobs, etc. While you're at it, get a pair, and keep things matched. The fun part is getting them out! :tapemouth thxZ

I doubt you will be able to get connectors from the dealer becaus they're so old & out of production probably- but you might get lucky.) I think your best bet would be tolook in old AMP Electronics catalogues and then look up the modern equivalent or maybe even ask at other general electronics suppliers or just some Internet searching for the generic equivalent(it probably won't mention Datsun ot Nissan, just something like 'automotive use.')

After 1975, Nissan changed to the round AMP connectors for things that are exposed to the elements. AMP still makes connectors, but no one can figure out the part #s for the ones we use on the 280Z, and I have never seen anything compatible on newer cars.

It's probably still not to late to send him a message, as I think there will be too many to handle at one sitting, so he'll be reading them for days! thxZ

Before you go into new glassware for your lights, you need to make sure that the lights are getting all the juice possible. Clean all the connections (I use DeOxit 100 to clean, then DeOxit 5 to lubricate & protect.) to & from the fusepanel, the combination switch, under the hood, and at the lamp (if possible.) Then, if the lamps are too dim, you might go looking into brighter lamps. thxZ

the ZCON planning team has decided to allow non-Z cars into the fun at Mid-Ohio sports car course during ZCON 2008! Visit the Mid-Ohio web page on http://clevelandrockz.com or contact the planning team for more details if you want to get in on the speed event. More cars means more fun! thxZ

Very informative! thxZ

I think it would be cool to do some lapping with the ol' cycling team. With a pack-link of 5 or 6 guys, you can get up to almost 40 MPH! the guy in back gets to relax for a few seconds, get a drink or adjust his shorts.

Two questions about using those cloth buffing wheels in a drill motor: 1. how much buffing compound is enough? 2. Should you clean the wheel buffing wheel done? Any tips? how "clean" will or should it get? thxZ

You're basically right Pablo, Even though hot-lapping isn't racing, you will still get to go faster than usual (or on the streets) and the instructor will probably keep you reigned-in so you can end up with a smile, having made it back to the pits safely, and hopefully with a little more respect as to what a speed event is about. At this year's ZCON, the hot-lapping is the day before the autocross event, so maybe you can use what you learn one day on the next. thxZ

The techniques are all the same in cycling, but it's the physical factor that makes thinmgs "look" different and one needs to deal with. With only 1 or 1.5 H.P., You just can't turn up the power on your body as simply as twisting the handgrip on a torobike. You learn to ompensate for things like acceleration, braking, speed at the finish, the lack of aerodynamics, wandering thoughts (and you thought motorsport took great concentration!) etc. Picking the wrong gear can cost you the race from the first mile! It's not mptorsport, but that's the reason why we do it, and consider that pound-for-pound, some racing bikes are more costly than racing motorcycles. thxZ

That doesn't look llike an stock S30 to me...

Thanks, gnosez, That was one of the best descriptions of hot-lapping yet. I should definitely give some noobs the courage to try it themselves. I'll compile it with others and maybe put it up somewhere. I"ll agree that some people might have a tough tim driving (fast) and breathing, let alone chewing gum! . But it does sound like that first time I did some autocross; I started out slow, then went faster on each run up until I felt I was at the maximum for me & my car. I could easily have gone faster, but the tires felt like they would roll off, so that was the limit (for autoX.) I have a ot of experience on closed -courses from my days of cycling, but it might or might not help with cars; bikes only need about a foot (or shoulder-width) of space on the road, but cars are differeent. The line you drive might even be different (bikes can turn tighter & brake faster, IMO.) We shall see. As for Mid-Ohio, I think the course has enough turns that you probably couldn't get going that fast in a 'stock' car. OTOH, they rent Acuras for HDPEs. thxZ

MSA, or was it Tweeks, used to have a whale-tail you could get for your Z...

I haven't been able o find anything on what actually happens at a hot-lapping session, but here are the constraints: - 3 classes: novice intermediate, expert - intermediate & expert might have track or high-speed tyres - "stock" Z cars Questions: - what kinds of speeds would you expect for each class of driver? - Do all three classes use the same rules (like no passing?) - at what speed would you need 'track tyres' If there is a helpful website, I'd appreciate a link. thxZ & z ya at ZCON

What about some KFC or BW3? I guess you gotta be more specific as to what you mean by a 'wing.' a lip on the hatch or even a turbulator strip would be better, IMO.

From the diagrams, the purge line goes directly to the intake, and the purge valve tees off the vacuum line to the distributor (or into the BCDD.) The former is unmetered air, and the latter isn't. Perhaps it works out to be "balanced" in some way. Otherwise, the AFM or (AFM bypass) should probably be adjusted, but we won't mention that here, because that's 'secret voodoo' stuff... More research needed probably. txZ