Namerow

Chris: Don't forget about Interior Innovations ( www.interior-innovations.com ) in Saginaw, Michigan. They offer full-leather interior panel kits for Z's (in a full range of colours), along with full-leather seat covers. Although door panels aren't listed, they might just get interested in producing them if the probable level of demand catches their attention. JJ

I noticed the same problem, but I was fortunate to be able to deal with it while the dash was out of my car. There often seemed to be a lot of 'stiction' between the bulb's locating pins (what you call nibs?) and the plastic socket. Might be a combination of micro-dirt on the plastic and oxidization on the pins. Something I did that really seemed to ease the bulb lock/unlock action was to put a tiny bit of grease on the ramps of the plastic socket (i.e. the surfaces that the pins on the base of the bulb ride on). I used dialectric grease because it was handy at the time. I suppose that any grease would be ok, though, because the ramps are the strictly for mechanical engagement and don't function as electrical connection surfaces. Because you're working on this while your dash is in the car, you'd have to resort to putting a bit of grease on the end of each pin. Not quite as effective as greasing the ramps, but it might work. Just don't over-do it with the grease. And use dialectric grease for sure, because some of it may get onto the electrical contact on the side of the bulb. Try it out first on the bulb that's easiest to reach (usually the one for the clock). If you like the result, you can do the same for all the rest. I can't comment with confidence on your 'yellow bulb' problem because I'm using a different bulb mftr and wattage. Doesn't sound right, though.

Yes, I read the write-up by the engine shop too. Very interesting. Carrillo rods (no surprise) and a billet crank (!). The Aussie builder (located just east of Melbourne, by the way) sounds very knowlegable on the topic of L-series engines. Note the comments about cam wipe patterns and use of Nissan parts. I didn't realize that the 3x2 Mikuni carb setup was that rare and sought-after. Maybe just this particular size? Also, I wonder what kind of power this engine made on the dyno. There was a suggestion that the head had been 'flow-rated for 400 Hp', but there were no figures given anywhere that I could see about the actual outputs achieved at the crank.

1970 Datsun 240Z Gets Hot Engine, Attacks Laguna Seca: Video http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1100300_1970-datsun-240z-gets-hot-engine-attacks-laguna-seca-video

Nice work, Chris. Pretty labour-intensive, but a great end result. Looks like the acid prep and chromate finishing dips have paid off, so I guess I'm off to the hardware store to buy a few more buckets to add to my growing collection. Your findings about the lack of first-level sensitivity to voltage seem to mirror those of others who've tried this. Anything from 1.5V to 12V seems to be fair game. I need to put together a hi-load potentiometer for my setup so that I can get a bit of current control happening.

Thanks, Jim. That's what I was afraid of. Fortunately, I decided to do one seat at a time so as to learn what to do / what not to do before tackling the second one. Interesting how such a small but important point has never surfaced in any of the the how-to write-ups (not even in Wick Humble's book). Maybe it was just more obvious to everyone else than it was to me!

Yup. I just did a new post and that's exactly what happened. Fortunately, I'd seen the double/triple-posts by others, so checked first before being tempted to press the 'Post' button a second time. I suppose that frequent posters know all about this, but newbies probably don't. Not an issue when responding to an existing post. Only when creating a new post. Funny, though. I don't seem to remember this being an issue in the past. Has something 'shifted'?

The topic of installing new seat covers has been covered nicely by Hardway and several others. However, having completed the job on the first of my 70 Z's two seats (Distinctive Industries covers, purchased from Mike at Banzai), I've run into a little conundrum that nobody seems to have ever commented on: For the bottom half of the seat, I installed the seat cover with the sliding seat tracks removed from the seat frame. This seemed only logical, since it provides full access to the underside for purposes of pulling the hem of the cover over the metal tangs (and also for purposes of pulling the listing wire fabric loop down through the slot in the foam and clipping the wire in place. The problem sets in when I try to bolt the track to the frame. The tracks' mounting studs insert into cupped plates welded into the four corners of the tubular frame (the studs, of course, are pressed into the track ends and don't turn). So, now the hex nut needs to get threaded onto the stud (not much access, but do-able)... and tightened. Problem. The raised edges of those cupped plates is making wrench access impossible. I've tried every type of box-end, open-end, and socket wrench that I have in my toolbox. Nothing seems to work. There's not enough space between the underside of the foam and the plane of the hex nuts to get a socket wrench in there. An open end won't work because the cupped edges of the mounting plate gets in the way. It looks like a high-offset box-end might do the job but, as luck would have it none of the five versions of 12mm box-ends in my toolbox have anything more than a minor offset. Even so, what a PITA that would be to tighten all four of those nuts with a non-ratcheting box-end wrench and a swing arc of about 20 degrees. Am I missing something obvious here?

The PICO website and catalog (downloadable) makes for some very interesting reading. For example, they offer DIY fusible link kits. They also sell not only loom tape, but loom tape tools and accessories. Deutsch connectors, relay pigtails, crimping tools, etc, etc. They're a wholesaler, of course, so you'd need to source a retailer by way of one of their sales agents. www.picowiring.com

The springs that appear in the ebay vendor's site (PN 951606) are not listed in the 2015 Vogtland catalog. They're probably a discontinued item. The 2015 catalog contains no parts listings for the 240-260-280Z's. Before you buy, you may want to check with Vogtand customer service in Germany ( http://www.vogtland.com/en/contact_persons.php ) to make sure that these are the correct parts for a Z and that the characteristics (stiffness, amount of drop) are going to be acceptable for you. A quick read of the Vogtland company materials indicates that you should have no worries about product quality or customer support. If you manage to get the specs for these springs, please remember to post them here on the CZCC site. I suspect that a lot of other Z owners may be interested.

Re the brand of brake shoes that MSA sells, I think you mis-heard the sales rep. It's 'Valeo' -- one of Europe's largest automotive parts manufacturers for both OE and aftermarket applications. You can review their service parts catalogue here: http://www.valeoservice.com/html/export/en/produits.catalogueproduits.php Valeo started out in business in the 1920's as 'Ferodo' making brake and clutch linings. They moved into heaters and air conditioning systems ('SOFICA' brand) in the 1960's, and then into electrical systems ('Marchal' and 'Cibie' brands) in the 1970's. Originally a French company. Tt now has plants all across Europe, as well as in the USA, South America and China.

Motorsport Auto sells a product called 'Battery Mat'. It's an acid-resistant, absorptive sheet that fits inside the plastic battery tray. Under $10, IIRC. Can't vouch for its long-term effectiveness -- probably good for one or two incidents. Way better than the alternative, though.

I have the next-smaller size of the Eastwood series . It's loud. I put in in a separate room and close the door. These things aren't, '5 minutes and you're done'. More like several hours (of noise). I use the pyramid-shaped green media for the de-rusting step. I'm not sold on this design as a 'one stop solution' for de-rusting fasteners. I suspect that use of a powered brass wire wheel may still be a worthwhile pre-treatment (although I bought the Eastwood shaker to get away from that). Someone else in another thread has provided a lot of suggestions about adding detergents to the media. Check that out. In the end, I suppose these 'tumblers' have a place in the workshop, esp. if your budget doesn't permit buying all-new fasteners like some do. The idea of media-blasting fasteners seems a little silly, and chemical de-rust treatments leave a residue that isn't very attractive. The real issue is what to do after you've de-rusted the fasteners. Paint? Plating service? I'm playing with a DIY plating rig. Results are promising but the jury's still out. Not sure if I'm up to doing this with all of my de-rusted fasteners. Life is short.

Might be easier to find and install a different balance tube than to find a early-style, engine-side vacuum hose that's in good condition. I have the same issue with my 5/70. I measured both the OE hose (tattred braiding, ok hose) and the brass fitting and found that they're 'odd' compared to all of the other S30 hose fittings: Hose ID: 9.5mm Fitting OD: 10.75mm Hose 'stretch' over fitting: 13% Hose Wall: about 4mm (compares with 3.5mm measured for an OE coolant hose... | 10% thicker wall) Unfortunately, all that`s out there in the way of braided hose is 9mm or 11mm (ID), both with a coolant-hose-type wall thickness. Neither is suitable for the Nissan OE fitting -- one is too small, the other too big, both are too thin. But: An 11mm hose with a formed metal-tube liner/shaper might work -- if you properly seal the two ends over the slightly-too-small OE fittings. Just thinking out loud, here...

Some further insights into wiring for a dealer-installed aftermarket A/C system, as posted by member 'AZ 240z' on 21 January 2014: "The dealer added FrigiKing air conditioning incorporated a micro-switch that may have utilized one of these wires. The micro-switch was mounted at the intake duct actuator located behind the blower motor in the passenger side footwell area behind the dash. When the top slide lever on the heater control panel was moved from the center "vent" position to the left "off" position, the intake duct door moved to close off fresh air intake and open to allow the air from the evaporator to pass through the blower assembly for cabin distribution. Also, with the movement of this vent lever to the off position, a circuit was completed via this micro-switch through the dealer added A/C ON-OFF/ RHEOSTAT switch to allow electrical actuation of the A/C compressor. This on-off switch was mounted to the bottom of the dash below the hazard switch. The micro-switch assembly on my car is incorporated in a red plastic housing mounted next to the cable actuator for the intake duct behind the blower motor." I believe that the FrigiKing A/C system was just one of the two or three different aftermarket systems that were installed by Datsun dealers back in the day. The choice of system may have depended on the sales region, or it may have been simply up to the individual dealer (carl Beck would probably know more on this). They probably all operated and were wired in much the same way. So: The wire connection point you're looking for may, in fact, be at the microswitch that is, "mounted at the intake duct actuator located behind the blower motor in the passenger side footwell area behind the dash." I wonder if anyone else has ever posted a wiring diagram for one of these aftermarket A/C systems?

According to carpartsmanual.com, the Instrument Harness went through a series of PN changes in the early days of the S30. Not sure, though, exactly what this means with respect to actual changes in the design and features. The production periods for the first five (of many) iterations were: 1 SOP - 7009 2. 7010 - 7012 3. 7101 - 7108 4. 7109 - 7112 5. 7201 - 7206 My May-70 car has an Instrument Harness whose design matches (mostly) with the factory wiring diagram labeled, 'Late Model' that appears in the 71 FSM Supplement. The next available FSM wiring diagram appears in the 72 edition of the service manual (and probably a lot of the 'transition' cars' built in the few months leading up to the formal start of MY-72 in/around Oct 1971). Your car's Sep-71 build date falls squarely in that transition period, so who knows what you've got and what wiring diagram and PN apply. There is a label with the PN that's taped into the Instrument Harness loom, but you'd have to pull the dash to find it. FWIW, the owners manual that was shipped with your car might have a wiring diagram at the back. In the case of my May-70 car, this version has proven to be the only one (of the three or four possible) that accurately depicts the wiring and switching that's in my car. If you have an owners manual and you know that it's the one that was shipped with the car from the factory, it may prove to be the only accurate reference for your car's wiring. SteveJ is an expert on these cars' electrical details, so perhaps he can comment further. The equipment anomalies of the MY71-MY72 'transition cars' has been the subject of owner comments in many past threads on this site.

Not surprised you couldn't find the earlier reference. I posted it in a thread about a 4-relay system for headlights and I referred to what you call the 'bowl' as a 'bucket' (we're all colonials over here and we use different words). Anyway, the bowl that I have was purchased new some thirty years ago and has sat in its box ever since. It's ink-marked 'L' on the back face of the mounting flange, and that means its designed to be mounted on the 'traffic' side (as opposed to 'curb' side) here in North America. Looking from the front of the bowl, the mounting tab for the alignment tensioning spring sits at the 7:30 position. My LHS unit has to following info stamped,into the front face of the mounting flange: "110-24152 Koito Japan SAE H 69 DOT" There is a second stamping, located on the stamped-metal headlamp mounting platethat, itself, mounts to the bowl: "10-41371 Koito Japan" This leads me to believe that the numbering is just Koito's internal parts numbering (i.e. not a date code). Nissan PN for the complete (from the label on the original box) is 26060-E4601. It includes outer bowl (c/w 4 body-mount bolts), headamp mounting plate, alignment tensioning spring, chrome trim ring, rubber mounting gasket, alignment screws and plastic bosses, 3-wire electrical pigtail c/w black plastic and white plastic connectors, connector dustboot, and rubber grommet (where the pigtail passes through the bowl).

Different part numbers, FWIW. Changeover was as of 7409. Part number changed again in 7608. Hard to say, though, whether the PN changes mean that the rails are/are not interchangeable.

Both the metal headlamp bucket and the black plastic connector for my headlamp assembly are labeled as 'Koito' (stamped into the metal part, molded into the plastic part). FWIW, the brass wire-end terminals at the lamp end of the pigtail are all the same size. Same goes for the brass wire-end terminals at the harness end.

I have a brand-new LHS headlight assembly sitting in front of me (PN 26060-E4601). According to carpartsmanual.com, this (and the matching RHS assy) were used up until July 1973. Some details, for those interested: Pigtail length (exposed length, from exit of headlamp bucket to start of white connector plug): 23" Wire colours (continuous, plug-to-plug):RW - hi-beam... marked 'Drive' on the lamp-end, black connectorRB - lo-beam... marked 'Pass'B - ground... marked 'Ground'All 3 pigtail wires are 16GA (which is interesting, given that the 'arriving' wires from the engine harness are 10GA, 12GA and 14GA) T-connector terminals (viewed from plug-in face): LAMP PLUG HARNESS PLUG Top RB B Bottom-left RW RW Bottom-right B RB In other words, the B and RB terminal positions switch places from lamp plug to harness plug (necessary to let Nissan mate it's oddball headlamp switching/grounding arrangement to the standardized terminal positions on a sealed-beam headlamp unit?). Unfortunately, I can't find my RHS headlamp assembly at the moment, so I can't verify directly that the pigtail is the same. I do know, however, that the mating headlamp plugs on the engine harness use identical wiring orientations, LHS to RHS. That is, the LHS and RHS plugs are not mirror images. Instead, both have the RW wire located on the driver's side and the RB wire on the passenger side. This same-ness is reflected in the wiring diagram.

And then there's our friend, the moose. Not so many of them as there are deer, but they're slower and a lot bigger. They will destroy a car if you are so unfortunate as to hit one at speed. Not a happy event for the moose, either.

Thx for the additional input. I think that's pretty much in line with what I've sketched out. I'm aware of the Starter relay possibility, but haven't been able to convince myself that it's really necessary, given that the Starter's solenoid seems to be already there to serve exactly the same purpose. Do I really need a relay to operate a relay? Your thoughts on this? About the MPV relay block: It has no sockets for fuses. Just relays. The relays were mostly of one spec and terminal configuration, but one was quite different. That one used a white-plastic adaptor socket at its base to match its connector blades to the basic socket configuration that's molded into the base block. I pitched all of the oddball relays and their plug adaptors and will be using all-identical relays (made possible because I took away two relay blocks from the pic-and-pull and used them to mix-and-match to create one to my liking). I couldn't find any specs on-line for the relays that I'm going to use, so I took one of the spares and levered off the protective housing. Underneath, I found what appears to be a standard-issue automotive relay. It uses a resistor (rather than a diode) to help protect the ECU and the other on-board computers from possible voltage spikes. In its original habitat, the MPV's relay block clips onto the side of a much bigger plastic box that I'll call the 'electrical centre'. The bigger box has a few more relays, along with many, many fuses. Both boxes are easy to get at -- they're up top, at the driver's-front corner of the engine bay. If anyone else decides that they like this unit, just be sure to cut the wires as far out of the relay block as you can. I was able to get about 6" of loose wire to play with, but not much more. Try to get two relay blocks. All of those loose wire ends from the relays will receive Nissan-issue brass connector terminals, which will then be inserted back into the white-plastic Nissan 3x2 connector blocks.

Already with you on that. The design I've come up with uses an 'intermediate harness' with Nissan T-3 connectors to plug into the engine harness at the appropriate places (when I said I was going to start cutting wires, I was talking about the wires for this harness and not about cutting into the car's engine harness). BTW, a recent search through the local pic-n-pull produced a very nice relay block, taken from the engine compartment of a 91 Mazda MPV. The casing has removable upper and lower caps, with all of the wiring entering and exiting at a common conduit at the front. The internal wiring and relay set-up was, of course, specific to the Mazda application. However, the wire terminals can be extracted from their sockets and moved around to suit a new requirement. I grabbed two of these relay blocks and have used them to produce a single block with 5 identical relays (4 for headlights, 1 for fog lights, one empty socket for possible future use for an electric engine cooling fan). The new, intermediate harness will be connected up to the relay block using two pairs of spare Nissan 3x2 connectors. The fog light relay will take its switching signal off the rhs pair of bullet-connector plug-in points up at the front of the car. Power for the fog lights will come off the alternator. Headlights and fog lights will now all be grounded to the chassis with dedicated local ground wires. The relay block will be mounted in the engine compartment, using the mounting bosses from the now-discarded voltage regulator (I'm using a 280ZX internally-regulated alternator, along with the MSA/Dave adaptor plug).

Thanks for the quick reply, Captain O (and thx also to Steve for chiming in on my original question). I wanted to be 100% sure before I start cutting and soldering for my 4-relay set-up. The two FSM-sourced electrical diagrams just didn't seem to line up with what I had in front of me (nor did the one from the Haynes workshop manual, or any of the other permutations that I've found on this site), so I'm really happy that you reminded me about the one I had sitting in a drawer in my Owner's Manual. Some trivia I noticed during this exercise: The wiring diagram in my 1970 Owner's Manual shows the #2 fusible link (at the Alternator) that the 71 FSM diagrams managed to omitUnfortunately, the 1970 OM diagram doesn't show the Accessory Relay that powers the Rear Defrost heating grid (although it at least shows the grid and switch)The 1970 OM diagram also completely omits the Blower wiring and control switchThe 1970 OM diagram has the pairings of the aux gauges mixed up (should be Amps/Fuel + Water/Oil, not Amps/Water + Fuel/Oil)Also: The embossed graphics for the Light/Wiper settings on my Combo Switch show a third (but unpainted) 'dot' for the Wiper speeds, hinting that Nissan was already planning to add an 'Intermittent' feature at some later date. Counting those in my 'spares' box, I have four Combo Switches on hand. They're all different!

I should have added the full electrical diagram from the 70 Owner's Manual. Here it is, just as I scanned it from the hard-copy manual that came with my car... S30 Wiring Schematic - 70 240Z - B&W - 70 Owners Manual - v3 (darkened).pdf