Mitchka

Really? Any idea where I could find aftermarket setup like that for mine? I don't know much about AC systems beyond parts required and a general idea of how they work. The car has the Condensor and the Radiator in the stock places, and it appears to be stock parts. The compressor was mounted on the passenger side of the engine (removed by previous owner). The evaporator is a large unit, and it takes up most of the footroom underneath the dash, and looks just kind of tacky. It probably would work fantastic by the size of it though.

I wouldn't say I'm new to Datsuns, but I have a 260Z with an airconditioning unit attached in the passenger footwell. Does anyone know if this was the original location, or an aftermarket unit?

My car is a two-tone Black and Silver. Black hood, silver side stripe. Paint Code is gone. Any idea what the paint code is on that? That website has a black, listed as Thunder Black, code 505.

I just lost a cousin that I knew pretty well last Wednesday. He wasn't driving a Z, by any means. He had a new Yamaha YZF-R1. He had too much bike, too few brains, sadly. Decided to get on it, IN TOWN, and was going well over 100 MPH when a car decided to pull out in front of him. He hit the fender in ahead of the front tire, and was launched into a concrete wall. No helmet either. He died at a young age of 22. I'm 21, and although I've been stupid, I generally do stupid out where no other vehicles are, and if something gets loose/goes wrong, I won't kill myself. Everyone out there should be safe. Don't let your hobby/pleasure cruise get the best of you!

That is correct. Brake fluid for some reason attracts moisture. Make sure they have a good seal on the caps. In a car this old, you will most likely have to bleed all the lines through to get rid of the old stuff and air. Dot 3 brake fluid is all you need. Do not use Dot 5, it'll mess up your car bigtime.

Sweet Jeebus! Everything there is just friggin perfect. Clean, Shiny, Color-coded. It sure is nice. I'll trade you a Klondike Bar for it!!

I had a neighbor in Minneapolis that worked for Nissan in the R&D department. He worked on the design of the 350Z, and his specialty is Suspension. Well, not really in Minneapolis. His family was there, and he did a lot of his work there, but he flew to Japan for a lot of work. I called him up and harrassed him for everyone. He actually knows his stuff. Anyways, the first 5 cars are generally test models. #1-3 are used for figuring out the tooling needed for mass production, and #4 & 5 are the tests for mass production. The cars go through all sorts of testing. Generally the first 5 are kept or crushed. A car or two is usually kept if they plan for improvements in the short-term. Those cars are then the template to design and put improvements on. Likely #2 was the prototype that had improvements done on it for a couple years to see how they would work, and how what differences in tooling they would need to produce them. From the looks of the descrepencies, that seems to fit. Prototypes like that were the workhorses, not something to be respected, by the engineers. There are possibly some unusual minor features that never went into production or production MUCH later somewhere? I would love to own the car, to restore it by hand to as much as original as I could figure out!

Sounds almost like vapor lock to me. Try venting the gas tank next time it stalls.

He was a wonderful man, and a fantastic comedian. I am very happy that the rest of the world feels the same way, and felt it was worth national news. Bless him.

The stuff used on boats is designed to withstand much harsher conditions than what is generally used on automobiles. Something designed to be used on a boat will work extremely well and last a long time.

Isn't it just a rubber hose with a clampless seal? I know some people put clamps on them, but a new tube usually eliminates the need for a clamp.

I would be interested in 2-5 sets myself. What's your Ebay Username? I'll give you my business!

Jeezus! $12 for 4 bolts? He's just ripping people off with that. Now if it were 20 bolts, I could understand $12. Yeah, that is a major scam he's got going there. So he made an extra $10 off of you! Edit: ~What kind of deal do you think you can come up with?

I have 2 sets of 74.5-78 taillight chrome I'd be interested in having replated. Both have the chrome paint peeling off, but are in decent shape plastic-wise. That's 4 pieces there. If we can't do the bulk deal, perhaps someone could get me the contact info to a place?

Hi Brandon! I assume you are talking about selling bolts that have the same coating/look, in the correct sizes, but not OEM? Reddat has a massive quantity of Datsun Parts, but he thinks he is sitting on a goldmine. His prices are higher (to varying degrees) on parts, and he never lists shipping prices. Shipping prices in my experiences with him (never bought from him yet, but he always has something I want) are not obscene, but definately not a deal by any means. He does sell quite a bit of stuff nonetheless.

My "new"" 260Z has all the equipment for AC (not all attached, of course), but I have a few items that bother me with it. According to the previous owner, it had the AC compressor installed on the passenger side of the engine. He removed it to install a mechanical fuel pump it it. Where did the compressor originally mount to? I see mounting holes on the drivers side of the block, and a mounting plate attached to the passenger side inner fenderwell. In the passenger footwell there is a "glovebox" A/C unit. The type mounted in vehicles not equipped with A/C. I do not know much about A/C equipped Datsuns, could anybody tell me where the controls to turn it on are at, where the compressor mounts, and anything else possibly useful?

I am going to assume this car has had the issue for a long time, and it didn't just pop up. If you just bought the car, look for some quick fix wiring that someone else did. I know a guy who has his lights hooked up to the ignition switch (if running, lights on) because it came that way. It could be a bad fuse block, or perhaps something is just really badly corroded on the backside.

I will admit to owning an 85 mustang with a class 1 hitch. I've seen several mustangs with a class 1 hitch. I've seen a Goldwing with a class 2 hitch. You will get away towing the two smallest sizes of trailers without any damage, as long as they are not loaded with heavy items like TVs or other items. It still is not advisable, especially on uni-body like this. Trailer towing requires low-end torque, not torque at high RPM. It's like fishing with a rocket launcher. Get the right tool for the job. In the long haul, renting/borrowing a truck is cheaper. It'll save you the fab work, stress on the car, and probably will help on resale as well. Plus, who wants to hear you say, "yeah, I really like abusing my car." ?!?

The best seats you can get for the price is also one of the easiest. Junkyard them. I have 1985 Pontiac Fiero SE seats in one of mine (speakers in the headrests) and I know a guy who has full power 'vette seats in his. The most difficult part of it is finding a pair of seats in excellent condition. I want to get corvette seats in mine, but I have to find the right pair first. Mine cost me something like $16 for fabbed mounts, and the seats themselves cost $85. Once you have the seats, test fit them and design mounting brackets to be welded in. Any machine shop can do 8 individual, or 4 paired mounting brackets for real cheap. For power seats, out of newer vehicles, they have a plug-in for airbag sensors and all the other crap, you will need a diagram to figure out what is what. I would suggest a forum, or checking out a dealer for free information on it. One last note: Do not get anything that is very...cushy and tall. Seats out of a Suburban will not work, due to clearances with the steering wheel. Stick to economy cars and sports cars for seat-searching.

As Nissanman said, it is most likely the fuse. If your flashers work, it should be the fuse.

All three wires should NOT be hot. One should be a ground, one wire for low beam, and one wire for highbeam. Start off with some general troubleshooting. Check voltages when the lightswitch is off, on lowbeams, and when on highbeams. These will be your base to go from. The next step would be to check the switch itself. Unscrew the clamsheel on the column (total of 5 phillips screws) to get to the switch connectors (and switches themselves) Test for continuity and voltage through the switch. Either you have a bad wire somewhere, or the switch is bad. New switches on Ebay are $120+, used are $25-35. I have a couple extra switches. If yours is the culprit, message me.

Can anyone check with a voltmeter what their washer fluid pump is doing when the car is running please?

Did I hear someone say 260Z parts? I currently have 4 260Z center consoles (of various qualities), 1 extra dash (still cracked), extra doors with full internals (both sides), etc. Generally, the only parts I do not have in decent shape are upholstered interior parts. PM me with what you need, I can take some pics of the parts for you.

whoops! Dave is a good man!

Well, as a general rule of thumb, any tach that is 30 years old is tired and should be replaced. I would recommend getting rid of your old tach. It is an original piece, yes, but they are inaccurate and jump around as they age. Even in good working condition, they are inaccurate near redline. I know Autometer makes a good 5" tach that is still black face. If you need an original tach, let me know, I have 2 extras with under 40k miles on them.