MikeW

I know you decided to put this to rest but I just quizzed the local Z car expert on this and he thinks that it was indeed for an automatic just as Arne theorized. The two wires in question actually go down to the transmission itself - not to any accessory in the engine compartment; I'm guessing that this is for the starter inhibitor switch (can't start the car unless you're in park). That would explain the two feet or so length; they were probably hanging down after the tranny swap and the PO just moved them over with the other wires in the harness to get them out of the way. The bullet connectors are similar to the wires to the reverse lamp switch on my car. He says that even automatics came with the clutch stop - it just wasn't needed. He also said that one practically guaranteed way to check if the car was an automatic is to look for the kick down switch at the top of the accelerator pedal arm since people making the switch would be unlikely to bother removing that.

Yes. I did not even release there was a detent since mine centers automatically.

Hector signed a copy of that for me as well. Were you at the Mitty? Here's a picture I took of 26th-Z coercing Hector to autograph a whole stack of posters: Link to my gallery of the event: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=20168&cat=3315

Well, as always I could be completely wrong. However, I recall that on my '72 there are actually coolant passages through the insulator to help cool the carbs. I'm going to hot link a picture from ZTherapy (while I still can) that shows the differences between model years. The pictures you posted clearly don't show the passages I'm thinking of and I didn't realize that earlier cars did not have this feature.

I don't know how likely it is but I don't see how you can say that there's no way for this to happen. It seems to me that one way would be if he spacer (insulator) cracked between the coolant passage hole and the main intake hole.

The Uni-syn tool simply provides a way of making sure that the amount of air flowing into each carb is the same. It's got a little red float in a tube that rises and falls with the airflow. You adjust the tool to the point where the indicator is somewhere in the middle; it doesn't matter where. At that matters is that it's the same for each carb. You don't want to keep the tool in place for very long as it will affect the engine. Just hold it in place long enough to get a reading and alternate between the front and rear long enough to get them the same. There are plenty of online guides that explain how to tune SU carbs. There's more to it than just getting the airflow the same. One common mistake is to just jump in and start tweaking the carbs without making sure that everything else is in tune first or that you even have a problem to begin with. Bottom line: you can use the tool easily enough but be careful with what changes you actually make. Ask questions here if needed.

Brian, Welcome to the club. Post some pictures if you get a chance ... I've got a print of Hector Cademartori's "Zeal" that you're using in your Avatar. It's autographed by Mr. K, John Morton, Pete Brock, and John Caldwell.

I got mine from Chloe a couple of years ago for $136.84 including shipping. I do note that the current high bidder has never bought anything on eBay before.

Wow, I'm sure glad I bought mine when I did ... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DATSUN-240Z-Heater-Control-Panel-Brand-NEW-NOS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33545QQihZ017QQitemZ270045485933QQrdZ1

We discussed this previously in a thread I started. Someone posted a picture showing 3 tie down hooks and one tow hook: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showpost.php?p=136746&postcount=12

If you're smelling fuel and not exhaust then it's quite likely that you only get the smell after filling up the tank. There are a number of vent hoses that may be deteriorating and allowing fumes into the passenger compartment.

Interesting. I don't see anything in the factory service manual wiring diagram for 1972 that shows two black wires going to anything. Certainly not in that area of the car. How long are these two wires from where they split out of the harness? Is there any electrical component in the car that's not working?

Nope. The recently released version is 2.0. http://www.getfirefox.com will take you to the appropriate download location at Mozilla.

It's not clear from your description but I assume that you're trying to figure out the two wires that enter from the right center and end on top of the fender. The other wires shown resting on the master cylinder cap match what I expect. The Black and Black/Yellow wires clearly are for the washer pump and the third wire is already connected to the previously mentioned brake switch. On my car (also 1972) those three wires are included in a single harness that comes through the firewall beneath the battery (along with other wires) and runs up and across the firewall at the very top near the hood. What's not obvious to me from your description or photo is where the other two wires are coming from. Are they part of the same harness as the others? Also, what colors are the wires themselves? That should give us a clue.

Please be aware that few people here at classiczcars.com know much about the 280ZX and that you posted this in the "Datsun 240K" forum meaning that it might not be seen by many.

Just to clarify we're actually talking about tie-down hooks here. They were used to secure the cars on ships. On the front of the car is a solid ring that would be more appropriate for towing.

Can you post a picture? I'm wondering if it's for something aftermarket like an alarm system. I don't think it's stock at this point.

Aussie speak for Bondo.

I'm not aware of another pair of wires. There is a single wire that goes to the "brake line pressure differential warning switch". This causes the red lamp that you normally only see with the parking brake on to illuminate. It indicates a difference in pressure between the front and rear brake systems. You'll sometimes see it trigger when the brake fluid is low. The wire has a bullet connector and plugs in to the switch which is mounted on the inner fender about 6 inches below the master cylinder. Look between the front master cylinder reservoir cap and the air cleaner. The top center connector is where the wire plugs in. All of the other lines going to that unit are hydraulic brake lines.

Click on your own "User CP" and you will see ...

My guess is that this feature is so new and so little used that the data just isn't valid yet. We might have 3 people with negatives and 3 with positives and 5000 that are neutral. In that case the top 50 or bottom 50 have no meaning. I realize that people are probably concerned about the negative repercussions of a system like this. One way to avoid that is to only use it for positive purposes. The next time someone posts something that you think is helpful to you or someone else go ahead and add to their reputation. I often want to follow up a post with "Wow, that's good information" but don't want to clutter up the thread. This is a nice alternative.

In general I like this new feature. I see it being useful for filtering out spam. I currently add spammers and people like cardogman1 to my ignore list. I'm assuming that if enough people give a thumbs down to someone that the little green square will turn red or something. That will help identify people who should be ignored. On the other hand, there are plenty of people here who are always quite helpful and knowledgeable and I see this as a way to recognize those individuals. I don't think that post counts themselves really matter; it's more the quality of the posts that counts. I agree that the vague descriptions like "off the scale" or "on a distinguished road" aren't very useful.

Perhaps it was a "dirt dauber". It's a type of wasp that collects and builds a nest out of mud. http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek020401.html

It's not an issue of cost to the recipient. It's an issue of spammers picking of valid e-mail addresses from public web pages.

I'd suggest using the PM mechanism to send an e-mail address to someone instead of posting it publicly. You can edit your existing post if needed.