TomoHawk

I would go for a weather-proof type connector, like the rubber trailer connectors. It's not oe-style either, but it seems like there's little choice unless you can get something from an old VW perhaps, from a JY. Even then, a little dielectric grease will help too.

On my '78, there are two brackets spefically sttached, with holes for lifting hooks. One is on the front end of the cylinder head, above the alternator, and the other on the other end above the #6 intake port.

Most every fastener I've seen on an S30 doesn't have any kind of protecting finish- they're all just uncoated steel, so they rust. And since most car shows or cruises you'll go to have zero Z people, besides you, they'll all think your car is a rust bucket, when you know it's quite appropriate to have the oxide coating on just about everything. I've even had judges refuse to judge my car becuse "it's old and hasn't been restored or cleaned" meaning everything isn't either chrome-plated or highly polished. I once had a '78 that was a Cleveland car. It was so rusted the radiator support was mostly gone, the floors were almost missing, and every bolt under the car or under the hood was rusted solid & broke when turned. It was only 8 years old with 40,000 miles, but the wires were nearly new-looking tho. I didn't know that much about S30 back then. Hopefully, you don't have a salt sitution that affects your Z. Besides some polishing or plating, I even remove what bolts I can just to give the threads some antiseize. Eventually, everything will get to be or have to be seriviced, so a little rust prevention now will save lots of drilling & tapping later. There's never a dumb question Sarah. thxZ

And the Eastwood forum: http://forum.eastwood.com/

I've had no problems so far, but I always do some research before starting something new. I tried it using a friends equipment, and would like to have success myself. ThxZ for the tip on the other forums- I've been through the Caswell website but didn't notice a forum, and would have not thought that they had there own Q&A systems. I'll check into it later. The only real questions on my mind is what to plate or polish! Polish/buff: thermostat housing coolant inlet & outlet plate & buff: hose clamps rusty OE screws & bolts miscelaneous brackets alternator pulley & bracket (silver caliper paint?) thxZ

The electrode is a Tin-Zinc alloy, Dave.

It is, but it depends on local laws. Each city can decide for themselves, but I think it ought to be a national law, like the smoking ban. Apparently, only the law-abiding people refrain from using the cell phones while driving; the other 95% of drivers think they are good enough drivers to do both. You see such drivers in the evening TV new almost every day now.

Has anyone tried out the Eastwood Tin-Zinc Plating kit? I got one after plating some hose clamps using a friend's kit. The clamps came out nice, and looked almost as good as new. I tried it myself on a intake vacuum fitting, and it wasn't as shiney; maybe I didn't use enough brake cleaner and it wasn't clean enough. I would like to ask people who have used it successfully for tips. I was planning on plating screw heads, hose clamps and all those rusty water fittings after de-rusting. thxZ

You mean BeeGees on an 8-track tape player. A polyester leisure suit would be hotter than heck. Would it be OK to pick up a unaway bride on my way to the beer depot?

The cell phone walkie talkie thing only works with other phones of the same type on the same network. IMO that's a very expensive way to communicate compared to two-way radios. CB radios don't require a phone contract or such and can communicate with any other CB radio, plus 40 channels for some privacy, and the fancier ones have the weather channels available, though the latter is not a requirement. They don't have the GPS stuff, but a GPS isn't a two-way radio either. I have the GPS on my pocket computer- no single-use equipment in my arsenal of gadgets. thxZ

Everybody in my club hanged over to CB radios about a year ago because the FRS radios just didn't work in the cars, especially in the hill country, which is just about anywhere south of Cleveland, and it gets hilly-er as you go further south. We still use the FRS radios for car shows. thxZ

So why do millions of people use them while travelling and for communication?

CB radios are constantly changing too. There's no need to rush, so I don't, and CB radio is extremely low on the list of prioities. Cell phones don't have CB transmission so they aren't pertinent to this topic.

I finally got around to buying a Midland 75-822 Micro (or mini) CB radio. I think the unit is a little smaller than the Cobra unit and it can be completely removed from the car- no adapter box is needed. Only the antenna is left in the car. It doesn't have any 'thumbwheels' (like the Cobra unit) on it which you could accidentally move while holding or operating the unit. It even comes with two battery boxes- one for AA alkaline cells and one for AA rechargeables. I only need to decide where to put it while driving.

It's not stock, huh? It might be interesting to see pictures of what people could come up with. i think there was a picture of a Z with realy big dirt tires somewhere. It look very peculiar. IMO, that first car mentioned was trying to be a 70's Camaro on ludes? Someone could get a big gash on the leg if they leaned against the spoiler...

That headlight harness is for all models Z, 1970 - 1996.

I like to see the old things pop up occasionally. It refreshes your mind about things and can even remind you of things you wanted to do yourself, but forgot, like this one. Any new info on the subject is good too. preith- That would be really cool if you could put some 4-pot calipers on the front, since you need stronger one ones there, then put the front calipers on the back. You'd save some bux and maybe even keep saying you're still using the original parts? OTOH, you gotta make sure you've got the right rubber up front to handle whatever braking power you've got. I can easily get one front tire smoking with stock brakes, and I gotta be extra careful in the rain! :eek: thxZ

Don't forget to change the fuel filter annually.

I would just prefer not to buy lamps that won't even fit the car or the lamp connector.

That's what I was just saying

When you refer to the 'beam pattern,' are you talking about the pattern you'd see on a wall at, say, 50 ft., or the pattern on the road surface/peripherally? Most things I saw on the web show the former. thxZ

I would then say the relative frequency of the service is what you'd go for. Like changing the motor oil the most often, then coolant and spark plugs ever year or two (or three,) etc.

There's a seller called Autopal on eBay- ( http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Autopal-Lights__W0QQ_armrsZ1 ) any feelings about him? This seller has a whole bunch of H4 lamps and kits that it's difficult to tell which one will work on a 280Z. Which bulb number did you get- 6014 or 6024? thxZ

I remember seeing that dual lamp in the J.C. Whitney catalog.

Pertaining to a vintage Z, your maintenance schedule also depends on how much or how often your drive your car. Mine only gets about 1000 miles a year, so should I change the oil every three years? Probably not. OTOH, I usually drive several nights a week to a cruise in, most of which are less than 5 miles from home, so that's considered an 'extreme driving condition' and so is the occasional autocross or twisty roads tour/poker run. IMO, whatever schedule you might see in a book or owner's manual is probably the maximum interval before maintenance, and since we know our cars and do the work ourselves, it's much less expensive, and can do what's needed at the right time (proactively, of course) instead of the general schedules you see in the book. Piece!