TomoHawk

The 240Z had bumpers? I thout it was the old Merc 'led sleds' with the 2,000 bumpers.... Even though my windscreen sunshade has in BIG letters on it, "1978 280Z," people still say, "nice 240" or "nice "ZX"

That's a cool setup, Wayne.

That red, white, and blue ZCON logo hurts my eyes. :paranoid: . :sick:

That applies to any car, not just a vintage Z. I see reports of 'disabled' vehicles on the freeway every morning. Some people just don't put enough attention into maintaining their cars. If something isn't supposed to be reliable or safe enough for street use, why would you want to put it on a vehicle use off-road? The Baja race trucks come to mind...

Of course. Any modification, or even a repair, should be carefully investigated, planned, and executed; especially on an old car like a Z. You wouldn't want the car to quit while driving on a crowded highway...

One more upgrade option you might want to look into: http://www.zcarcreations.com/howto/maxifuse.htm

Just push your foot down to the floor and keep it there!

The third photo looks like the endcap from a condenser, and the rest of the condenser is missing ( it fell apart.)

On a 78 The dome light grounds through the door switch, but it also has its own ground connection. The voltmeter has a separate plug (a 3 pin pconnector) just for the volts part of the gauge, and its own ground connection. If the gauge indicates zero, then either the gauge has failed or the plug/connection/wire has broken the circuit. You should be able to measure the volts directly at that plug.

1- Check all the vacuum connections and vacuum hoses to ensure there are no leaks. 2- Check and clean the electrical connections to the air flow meter and coolant temperture sensors.

My 11/78 had the entire rear floor on one plane, and it was flat, which was nice.

The wiring was the important thing. The OE ignition module was not needed after the swap, which is the goal. The odd thing is the the author keeps referring to the ballast resistor. The first graphic is the OE setup, and the second is after the swap.

Is this of any help: http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/distributor/index.html It's for the ZX distributor swap with the E12-80 ignition "matchbox" circuit integrated.

I remembered where I saw a good write-up of the fusile link upgrade: http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/fusiblelinks/index.html

I think the best part of the swap would be the 'shortening' of about 6 feet from the wiring between the distributor to the ignition module inside the car, and all those old connectors.

The raised floor is to hide the spare tire underneath. You could probably make a cover to fit over the tub, but IMO you'll never get a carpet to lay flat and be smooth because of the frame rails along the sides and all the little brackets sticking up.

Would it be possible to swap that into the L28E engine, replacing the OE module? It might be good to have a better sytem with the cheaper parts. thxZ

The best option seems to be the Maxifuse system http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18312 http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17317 IMO, fuses are better to use, because they force you to investigate the cause, and curcuit breakers are better for things that may cause a momentary high-current situation, but not a serious fault. There is a chart somewhere here showing the current ratings to subsitute fuse for the fusible links. There's nothing wrong with the OE fusible links, a long as you keep it all in good condition, of course.

I think you're right

Yeah, you'll get lots of 40- something guys or gals saying " that was a really cool car- and fast too" or " I had one of those back then" but when it comes to people voting for "best car" or "people's choice" they'll go for the chromed-out megabuck custom with the chromed Chevy engine. Most kids will say it looks cool, but won't have an idea of what it is. One young kid saw the Z on the sail panel and asked if mine was a 350Z ? Fortunately, many Z clubs have many members, so you can have your own events or go on a road trip or go to ZCON. Stephan- Things must be different, as you say. I can count the number of S30s I see in Ohio on one hand. Moreover, most, if not all "classic car" shows in the Midwest area are for pony/muscle cars and customs/hotrods. In fact, some car show flyers have printed in bold letters, "Pre-1972 cars only" or something similar, depending on what the draw of the show is intended to be. This is a typical inventory of a "classic car" show: 8 Chevy BelAir 5 2000+ Corvette 3 early Corvette 6-8 Model A custom 3 stock/restored Model A 5 1930's roadster 6-9 60's Mustang 5-7 2000+ Mustang 4-6 60's Camaro 15-20 custom rods 1 280Z 1-2 dozen various antiques (from the 30s, 40s or or 50s) in various stage of modding or restoration. Probably because the Zs can't survive long enough in the "rust belt." If I had one the Megalotto, I suppose I might like to have a few S30s restored and/or modded for car shows, "best of show" awards, and touring.

It's hard for a stock, or even a restored S30 to get any recognition when you are at a show that's loaded with hotrods, megabuck customs or even brand-new imports. The last car show I was at had 6 foreign cars; my 280Z, an old jag, an MG and three Miatas. there were no 350s. The Miatas got the awards. I also noticed that he judges spent more time judging the Miatas than the Z or the Jag or the MG. Importantly, the older cars seemed to attract more viewers than the newer ones.

On the BRE website (http://www.bre2.net/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=B&Category_Code=wheelacc) they have a "narrow spare" for your Z that uses a speed-rated motorcycle tyre. It saves weight over the normal wheel by being about 1/2 the width, and should sit lower in the back of the car. Has anyone ever seen one? I don't see how it attaches to your car- probably some kind of threaded adapter is required, and you get a huge hex nut to keep it on, like the old knock-off spinners. thxZ

the direct link to the jackets is: http://www.bre2.net/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=B&Category_Code=apparel_jackets and they didn't have the red, white and blue jacket in the photos 26th posted, so you'd be on your own to collect the pieces for that. I did like the narrow spare tyre tho- something for another topic. thxZ

Finally.... I have a transmission that will kickdown a gear. The first solenoid had a bent shaft, so I got a new one in yesterday, and had it installed. The dealer wanted $150 to install it ( after paying $100 for the solenoid itself) so I had a friendly service place do it for only $40. They only thing the service guy couldn't do was to measure the voltage that the solenoid was getting. The solenoid was making a very audible clicking noise, so I think it's getting about 12V. I did try it out on the local suburban (35 MPH) streets, but I haven't had the ooportunity to see if it will kick down at highway speeds. thxZ

Do you think you could assemble most or all of the stuff for a "Datsun" jacket so it looks decent? thxZ