sblake01

I use the Meguiars cleaner wax and Meguiars Color X. I use a small Ryobi orbital applicator to apply them, however. The more you go over it, the better it gets.

That's pretty much what my 78 reads and has read ever since I've owned it. The factory gauges aren't too accurate, at least mine isn't. When tested with a hand held meter, it shows 14.1-14.7 which is normal.

Without going into a bunch of scientific mumbo jumbo, I'll just say that there are many reasons why avgas is not a good idea for a street engine. Especially one who's basic design is more than 40 years old.

Wish I still had my 70 2dr. 510 but you can't keep them all I guess. You still have a 4 cyl engine in it don't you? You just used all the rest of the ZX stuff. I've heard of people putting the L6 in a 510 but I've never seen one in person. One of these days I'm going to Canby. I live in SoCal but I was born in Portland, OR though I haven't been back there to visit since 1990.

I don't know about the earlier S30s but on my 78 those lug nuts are in a sealed plastic bag and appear to have never been mounted.

I'm not sure when the 1/78-up lever ends. Whenever they went to the different bushings. My car is a 5/78 build date with a 1984 Maxima 5 speed which is the same as a 81-83 ZX 5 speed. I'm using the shifter from my stock 78 5 speed and have been since 1999 with no problem. I guess I have the 'ough to find' lever that Darrel described. I visit 10 local 'yards on occasion so if I find one, I'll grab it.

If it has three connectors, he's is looking for the seat belt warning timer.

How many connections does it have? The power window circuit breaker has 2 and the seat belt warning timer has 3.

Nah, checked Autozone and CSK. They don't have it. You might end up having to bite the bullet and order it from Nissan. That's the only place I was able to find one.

Okay, if you connect the LW wire from you car to the LW wire on the 280ZX antenna and connect the LR to the LR, connect the B wire to the B wire, and disregard the Y wire which is for the antenna timer (half extention feature) in a ZX, it will work. Hope that makes sense.

Disregard that last post. The 280ZX does have a switch similar to the 76 280Z. You're right that the 280Z antenna is grounded by it's mounting. I'm researching it and I'll post again with the info as soon as I compile it.

The 280Z antenna is semi-automatic (on-off-on type switch) and the ZX antenna is fully automatic (switched 12v vs. unswitched 12v). I imagine it could be made to work but you wouldn't be able to use the stock 280Z antenna switch.

To each his own. The factory grounds work and things are not as 'isolated' as you think. Switches on a transmission, auto or stick, are just completing the circuit when closed anyway.

There is no '77-79' 280Z/ZX lever. There's one for up to 12/77 and another for 1/78 and up until the bushing style change. The earlier one of the two is identical to the one on your 73 4 speed. If you could find the later one, I think that would solve your problem. The difference in the bend is subtle and you'd have to see them side by side to notice.

On the note of adding extra grounds: I still don't get it. I guess I'm old school. I have never in my life added extra grounds to a car and I've never experienced and ground related problems. I just make sure that the grounds that already exist are good. The factory did a pretty good job building these cars. Why would your transmission need extra grounding? I think I paid like 68 bucks for that solenoid but that was 9 years ago. 31941-X0103 is the part number and I seem to recall not being able to find it at a Autozone/Kragen/Pep Boys type store.

Is that the stock trans? I thought a 78 would have a Jatco 3N71B.

The downshift solenoid is probably the culprit. I had a 77 200SX with essentially the same trans and went through that same problem. Probably not the ground since they are grounded by their mounting. When I pulled the solenoid, I couldn't get it to click by applying 12 volts to it. Bought a new one, insatlled it and the problem was solved.

TomoHawk, are you 'Music' on the Z Association of Cleveland, Ohio site?

You can remove the switch and test is for continuity at the terminals as shown on the left side of the scan in post #5. What I usually do is reach behind the ignition pull the plug and plug it into a known working switch and turn it with a screwdriver. If everything works okay then the switch in the car is bad. Then I take it out and change it. I have several working switches. That same switch is in several Datsuns from the 70s and 80s and Subarus from the 80s so I've picked up a few of them over the years during trips to the junkyards. You can also buy them at Kragen for about 40 bucks or at Autozone for about 20 but they have to be ordered at Autozone. On the Z you'll have to remove at least the bottom half of the steering column cover to reach it.

When we say 'ignition switch' we're referring to the plastic/metal piece that's screwed into the back of the ignition housing with the 5 pin plug plugged into it. (#1 in the picture) I'm only saying this to clarify because, based on your other posts, you may not know that it's set up that way. They do ocaisionally go bad and will cause the problem you're experiencing.

Could be the ignition switch, the ignition relay, or just bad connections at the starter.

You can do either. Connect the two wires together that goes to the switch or unplug the wire that goes to the inhibitor relay and run it directly to the starter. If you do the latter, it will circumvent the potential problem of a bad relay.

He's doing a 77 so it has electronic ignition. Also, he's going AT to manual, not the other way around. No one has mentioned either bypassing or eliminating the nuetral safety switch from the AT but that will have to be done also.

Oh, that plate. The mounting plate. I thought he was talking about the round spacer that goes on the crankshaft.

It's just a typo. When I realized it, it was too late to edit.