TomoHawk

It looks nice. I'm surprised that he installed the muffler flat-ways. None of the exhaust guys I know will do that because they all claim it's too close to the fuel tank, and the heat will boil the fuel.

WAR, LEDs are out of order on a car from 1978 and they are just too much trouble.

I already have both fan belts in my travel tub.

What is it with the "G" owners, that they think they own a Z car?? Infinity makes luxury sedans! (like Lincoln or Cadillac.) They would laugh me out of the parking lot if I tried to get my mom's Lincoln into a Mustang meet... Anyway, I finished my valve cover racer for next week's competition, and I just need to finish the fancy cardboard box with some foam inserts.

OK.... So I've got my new tool r filled with some important tools to fix things while on the road, and even a (deodorant case) with some spare bulbs. I eve managed to use the straps on the bag to tie it to the spare wheel. I still think there is a need for an improved bag for the jack tools, so I found a Tandy leather store nearby, and I will construct a new bag for the jack tools.

Higuys, I'm updating my list of replacements, and the only bulbs I can't find are the ones in the defroster/hazard/seatbelt indicators. Is there a bulb number for those? From the look of the old bulb, it seems like an LED would fit just right.

I bought one of those oil drain containers with the screw-on cover for the coolant, but the darn thing won't fit under the car! If I cut off the threaded neck, it would probably fit, but I'd still have to transfer the old oil to another jug.

I would do that if I had a lift or a gravel floor. The cooling system is 10L, so that is a large container, unless you can put the hose back on when your small container is full. I will see if it can be done.

The buzzer is an important safety feature. It's supposed to remind you to fasten the seatbelt. It also buzzes if you leave the key in and open the driver's door. If you feel it is not to your liking, you should consider changing it to a buzzer or dinger with a sound that you like, but it should not be disabled or removed. Siteunseen- You can still start the engine without waiting for the buzzer to stop. I usually do that, and by the time the engine starts and idles down the buzzing is done. BTW- if you find a dinger wit has nice sound, please let us know, there are many uses for those.

In the truck? Or under the seat in the car? It's where you left them.

If you didn't recognize the lines, you wouldn't know it was an S30. The description even states that the lamps, and even the antenna were removed. The car is now unsafe to drive at nigh. I think those tiny pedals make it even more unsafe to drive.

I'll bet it's got imperial threads, instead of the correct metric.

Exactly. Those ears stick down so far the thing broke off. why can't they make the valve of a better plastic , or carbon, (teflon?) and have smaller lobes like an air cleaner wing nut? Well, I did want to drain it anyway...

I wanted to drain the coolant out of the engine and replace it with water + waterWetter, but when I looked for the drain petcock, it was missing. It has broken off. So I call the friendly local radiator shop, and he says a new radiator takes two days to install! I asked why you can't just replace the plug, and he says "maybe they can drill it out." Is there a good way to remove the broken part of the radiator drain petcock, and install a new one? I think the local AP has them (it has 10 x 1.25 threads.) I probably could just disconnect the lower hose, but I'd make a mess of the floor, probably, or can you inch it off and get a controlled leak? I don't think it's loosing any coolant. BTW, is it possible to protect the petcock so it doesn't get broken again? It probably broke when driving in some grass. thxZ

I was studying this diagram to get an idea why my brake lamp isn't working lately, and it led me to think that you could activate other stuff with the engine. It's on page BE-34 of the FSM. Brake Lamp Warning System, 1978 280Z

All you'll need is a power feed to a relay coil that is grounded inside the cabin by a switch. From that you can power other more demanding devices.

That wouldn't work. You need to stay away from anything that is switched by the key, and only allow things to be energized or powered when the engine is running. It is too easy to leave the key in and switched on.

Most rubber mats can be trimmed to fit too. But mats are damn ugly in a nice car (except for winter use, where it snows.) I kinda like the diamond-pattern vinyl on the transmission hump, but still like the carpet on the floors. Carpet on the floor (where your feet are) gets bunched up, so I like the vinyl, which lays flat and stays put. Plus the vinyl only needs a damp cloth to clean, instead of a vacuum cleaner, hoses, attachments, etc. My carpets are fasted only near the door sill, so they bunch up near the trans hump - it's UGLY and won't smooth out

Well, Lime Rock Park is a little way out from Cleveland (or Ohio!) but you get around, I'll give you that. If not for the 2008 convention, I would not have met you or Mr. Stokes, or Fred Jordan, who jumped into my car at the last second before going on-track at Mid-Ohio, and sat with me at breakfast once or twice at the hotel.)Too bad Mr. K. is (leaving the Z scene) but I hear he gets visitors from Ohio occasionally.

Higuys, On a 1978 280Z with OE alternator, I was wondering if there was a way to have things like driving lamps to get switched off when the engine is not running, and I remembered that the alternator has "a blue wire" that goes to the volt meter for the charge alert light, and I thought that if you can tap that wire to set up something for a relay system that powers things like the driving lamps or headlamps, then when you turn off the engine, the lamps will go off too, saving the battery. So is there a terminal on the alternator that goes hot when the engine is running? thxZ

Black Dragon has some.

Higuys, On my 1978 coupe, I need to replace the front sections of the bodyside mouldings on my vehicle, and I would like to know if you can get new material that is the same, or would it be fine to go with something that is period-correct. lease keep in mind that only the front pieces are attached with double-sided tape, and the sections on the doors and sail panels are attached with rivets, and I will not be replacing the latter for a few years, probably. In any case, where can you get that stuff? I haven't seen that stuff since the 80s or early 90s.

If you wanted to customize your valve cover with come engraving or such, you 'd need to first mill the fins off the top, leaving the mounts for the spark plug wire holders. Is there enough material on the top of the rocker box so you could mill it flat without going all the way through? I think so, and I'm interested if anyone has done anything like this.

Julio, I would turn down the offer of a free Ford GT, unless I could sell it immediately and use the money to restore the Zed. IMO, the windows on the Ford GT are just too small, and make the car unsafe to drive with traffic.

I put a long bolt into one of the holes that the canister strap was bolted to, and plugged the vent hose onto that, so the hose at least connects to something, and it's plugged.