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Thanks for the reply, I am pretty sure I didn't, I made sure not to move anything that would affect that and cleaned the rotor while holding it still. I placed the cap back in the same position as before. The engine ran the same before and after I cleaned out the cap and rotor. This was the first time I have opened my distributor up since I got my Z a few months back. Andrew

Wow, that film on the back contacts was MUCH more resilient than I had thought! After some difficulty, I managed to remove one of the clips from the block and sanded the back off thoroughly to get a good bond with the solder, but it would not stick! The solder rolled off, or just beaded up on the surface and wouldn't make a good connection. I managed to get the joint to hold a large chunk of solder between the brass strip and the rivet, but I still wasn't very confident about the connection there (did not look quite as solid as when I was soldering onto circuit boards, more like it was just 'sitting on top' of the connection), since I (apparently) had not done a thorough enough job sanding. When trying to remove another clip for a second shot, it was very difficult to remove, and I felt I was doing a lot of damage to the plastic and nowhere close to actually getting it out, so I decided against going through and soldering all the connections, not to mention some issues with the irons themselves (Iron I had from before was pretty old and had a lot of play in the shaft, so I got a new one from radio shack which wouldn't even get hot enough to melt the solder!). I sanded the connections where suitable, and put it into my car without much trouble and it seems to be working fine. The engine, however, will not run properly now : see my thread in the "Help Me!" forum for info on that. Thanks for the input on this issue guys, maybe I will mess with it again this summer when I pull the interior out for some POR-15 application. Andrew

I haven't run my Z in about 2 weeks since I have been working out some electrical issues involving the burned out fuse box and being busy with some other things. Today after I put in the 'new' fuse box and tried to fire it up, it(the engine) ran way worse than before. The electrial systems like lights, radio, etc worked just fine, however the car was very tough to get running, and when it finally started to turn under its own power, it had a very unstable idle (not really idle I suppose, since it required me giving it gas to keep it going at this bad rythym) that seemed very erratic... sort of like only 3-4 of the cylinders were combusting. The engine would turn in this unstable rythym for only 10-15 seconds at most before it slowly died (with my foot pressing the accelerator, it would not start otherwise. The engine would not start without giving it some gas before this recent foulup anyway). I checked the carbs, both pistons seemed to move freely: fall at the same rate and rise with the same force. I checked the fuel filter, and it looked good. Because the fuel flow and carbs 'seemed' ok to my novice eyes, I figured it must be an ignition problem (?) so I pulled off the distributor cap and noticed some carbon buildup on the rotor tip and the points (correct terminology? I don't have my manual on me ATM) inside the cap, so I carefully removed it with some fine sandpaper, replaced the cap and attempted to start her up once more. The engine idled with pretty much the same unnatural rythym before slowing down out until it stalled after about 10-15 seconds. I will probably go to the parts store and buy some new spark plugs tommorow or monday and replace the existing ones. I'm not too sure when the previous owner replaced them, and i'm guessing this could be a part of the problem as well? Could it be my ignition coil? Could the needles on my carbs be partially clogged? I was going to try to adjust my SU carbs, but upon reading the segment in the FSM, it called for the use of an air flowmeter which I do not have. Any hints? Just buy one and follow the instructions to the letter? I could tell by the smell of the exhaust before this 2 week break that it was running rich anyway. Before the 2 week hiatus, it was something of a PITA to start anyway, but once I got it idling, it would eventually smoothen out and idle fine with a little gas and choke, then none was needed for it to idle once it started to warm up. I am a car mechanical novice, as you may be able to tell, but this is all a great learning experience for me. The manuals are great for certain things, and I have read over most of the related material, but I can learn a lot more from hearing from you guys with a lot of experience. I would like to get my car running and legal again before summer and have already fixed a number of things, many of the repairs thanks to advice I got here or read about in the archives. Any help or advice you guys could give me would be MUCH appreciated! Thanks, Andrew

You might want to check out www.hybridz.org and search the archives of zcar.com. There are lots of guys in both places that have done a similar swap, although the guys on zcar.com seem to be quite hostile when a question comes up again that has been asked once before. I was thinking of doing this swap myself eventually, just keeping my eye out for a good donor for the right price. Andrew

Thanks for the input guys, I think this weekend I will disassemble the box and solder it that way since it seems easier to remove the clips than I had at first though. If i'm going to do the job, I may as well do it right the first time! When I first looked at the assembly, I thought it was a rivet holding it across an opening in the plastic that was too small for the clips to fit through. :stupid: Andrew

I thoroughly sanded out the inside surfaces of the mounting clips last night, and I am thinking that it will eventually tarnish/corrode to the point of melting again. Aren't there some chemicals that I could spray on to coat the points that will both protect it from corrosion as well as improve the connection? EScanlon: Do you think there is there any effective/simple way to clean the film off the back of the brass strips/rivets that you mentioned? Some of the soldering irons I have used in the past had adjustable temperatures via a rheostat, and maybe on the lowest setting I would have a lower risk of melting the plastic. I have done a lot of soldering before on those cheap generic circuit boards and I think as long as the solder will bond to it easily (as in nothing preventing a good hold, like that film) I should be able to do it safely. Andrew

Yes, the diagram on the site did not make much logical sense. I planned on (if I decided to do that) just bridging the existing connections. Andrew

MSA has them listed for ~$88 in their catalog. The fuses in the picture came with the fuse box and I already bought new ones since they are so cheap at the parts store.

I read what was on the z garage website, and I think I will do that as well as it can't hurt (so long as I am careful and don't melt the box with heat from the iron). I will also pull off the side markers and check those connections out, just to be on the safe side and since I am curious about what previous owners have done to the unseen wiring. Thanks for the recommendations! This site is the best! Andrew

The plastic around the left headlight fuse clip was melted slightly, but this was not the one giving me the problem, and didn't became hot while using the headlights so I think the previous owner had this problem fixed at some time. The fuse for the tail lights and side markers was the one which was the REAL problem. The block had melted so badly that the connector was hanging loose in a wide hole in the plastic. This became VERY hot apparently. I didn't notice when I first got the car since I did not do any night driving, but when it came time for inspection and I had the lights on for a few minutes, smoke began to rise out of the fuse box! Thank goodness I was paying attention... Andrew

I just got this fuse box to replace my melted fuse box in my 72 from Rick Hanson at hmsports.com (smooth transaction, good deal!). I figure from my observations, and from reading other posts on this site, that the reason my current fuse block started to melt was because the contacts became corroded which caused them to create resistance, which then generated heat. I was pretty lucky to be able to find one that was not melted and didnt seem to have a corrosion problem, I may not be so lucky 10 years down the road if this box has the same problem. so, other than the obvious of cleaning it up, are there any things that any of you could recommend to prevent this problem from occuring again? I uploaded 2 photos (front and back) of the fuse block to my gallery and should show up as soon as they get approved. Thanks! Andrew

When I took my 72 240z to get inspected, the parking lights and taillights just stopped working. I took it home and cleaned the contacts on the fuse for those lights and it came on fine. (this being after removing the cover to the steering column to check on the combination switch which i did not remove/modify/mess with etc and put it back on). My problem is that I have everything else working and now my turn signals no longer function as they had before today. When I try to activate either signal, I get no clicks or dash indicators and the lights do not blink. Any ideas what could be wrong? I removed the steering column cover again and visually inspected the mechanism and everything looked normal. Andrew Edit : the hazard lights still function properly

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I'm looking for the original hand-adjustable lap belts in the series I 240zs. I have a 72 that has the retractable belts, and the drivers side unit is pretty much junk, so I was thinking of maybe finding a way to have an upholstery shop fabricate something similar to the hand-adjustable ones that will work with my shoulder belt.

Could someone post a photo showing the mechanisms (buckles, etc) that allowed the early 240Z lap belts to be adjustable? Thanks Andrew

I've been waiting on my service manual for about 6 weeks, Andy from datsundude.com has been waiting for a shipment since then. My Z has been getting absolutely horrible gas mileage since I got it. I haven't really driven it much because I haven't had time to make it inspection legal until now(spring break now!). I filled it up about 90 miles back and it is already near the E on the gas guage. Since I have no documentation yet, maybe you guys could give me some info so I can do some investigation 1) How many gallons will go into a 72 240z tank before the pump shuts off (total amount the tank will hold without topping off or anything)? 2) What could be the possible causes? The exhaust smells like it is running a little rich, maybe the carbs aren't tuned right? Need more oil in the carbs? How do I tell if the oil is getting low in them? Idles around 700-800 RPM, but it doesn't feel as smooth at idle as some of the other vehicles I have driven. Before, I figured this was simply a characteristic of the vehicle. I haven't really been driving it wild or anything yet. Just the occasional acceleration from a stop light to get a good feel for it. Even if I had been driving it with a lead foot, I doubt it would cause under 10 miles per gallon! With gas prices at such extreme levels, I am very reluctant to drive it at all until I get this working right. I am pretty anxious to get my service manual so I can really get to work on things. Thanks for any info you guys can give me, Andrew

When I purchased my Z from California, I got a lot of quotes from different shipping companies and checked their backgrounds with the BBB. Some of the cheaper ones had very shady histories, being around $550 from the Sacramento area to Dallas. There are of course several companies that specialize in classics, such as www.horselesscarriage.com , that would be well over $1000 easily. I ended up getting it shipped with a company that had a good background with the BBB, but as it turns out, all they do is contract smaller haulers to do the work for them. I paid about $800 and ended up having damage to the front crossmember and rear frame rails from the hooks they used to lash it down. When you have a Z in great shape shipped, I recommend just biting the bullet and getting a very reputable company that specializes in classics to haul it. It will save you a lot of stress later on. I could not file a claim with the shipping company because at the time of delivery everything looked good and I signed the release. It was not until later when I had a chance to take a look at the underside that I discovered the damage. Andrew

http://www.nissannews.com/multimedia/nissan2003/350z/colour/1970orange.jpg They look like the slotted mag wheels that a lot of the members have, but could anyone guess what size they are, and what particular brand name would be associated with them?