26th-Z

Mark, I found gas tank vent hose boots - both large and small - at Banzai Motorworks in MD. It would be good to replace yours with their Part #'s GF-17 and 18 for about $15. I can't emphasize the need to seal the vent system. Check the T fitting and I would use a hose prep / sealer when I put it back together. I did this procedure in 92 and will do it again with the current project. Installation is a real pain. If you get gasoline fumes in the car after filling the tank, you have a vent leak. Banzai is at www.zzxdatsun.com 301-420-4200 I have a big list for them. You demonstrate to me the need to get a digital camera. I'm photographing the old way. I have the parts to send my carbs off to Z Therapy in July. Radiator is restored. Collected most of the parts for the engine bay and I'm focusing on collecting brake parts at the moment. I found a better shop to work on the car and made a major score on industrial shelving - a bunch of it. Work proceeds slowly. I pulled the drive and half shafts Saturday.

No Mark, You have just discovered one of the fine intricacies of the early series one model. No venting system! The tube just comes down the wheel well as you describe. Do make sure all your hoses and fittings are secure and sealed when you reassemble or you will get gas fumes in the back of the car. Good luck. I found this job a real pain in the arse.

I think the plate looks real good between those snazzy driving lights! Would like to talk to you about your literature collection.

Oops, got it backwards. Switches - #9 is early 70 and #10 probably 71 on. I'm going to write a book about the parts differences.

I copied off these two shots from the archived forums. One is about the interior switches, and the second is a front shot of a license plate I would like to have.

As long as you are on-line, let me ask how you came up with the numbers so fast. Do they appear in a fiche you have and if so, what section?

Many, many thanks. Its people like you who make this club rock. I begin my quest in the morning.

Mike, I did something this afternoon I rarely do and beg your forgiveness - I checked the wiring diagram! The 1971 Nissan Chassis Workshop Manual shows the fog light wires. Sure enough, the wiring diagram from the site's downloads shows the red wire. I was confused some time ago when I bought a used console on E-bay and got two switches with it - rear hatch defroster and "parking lights". My 70 console just has blanks in the spot. I think the 71 diagram shows the connection there. Going back through your forum achives revealed just what I was looking for, confirming the switch type I have in my dash 25370-E4100 and the later switch on the console 25370-E8700 I bought. Great photo of the lamps in "Switch Coversation". Can anyone tell me the part number of the lamps? You should find some extra red wires in the harness up near the horns.

That's what I thought. I pm'd you about the engine bay light.

Mike, I have the same situation including a switch that looks like the hazard switch in the second indent. It is connected to the spares?-perhaps. I remember my car with driving lights years before I bought it, but they are gone now. I was asking in the dash restoration forum, but the subject was getting away from the forum. Lights were an option from the options catalog not published in the US at the time my car was purchased (I believe). I am interested in putting the lights on my car, and I have been asking around for them. I would also be interesting in an options catalog from 1970. What I want to know is how the lights mounted.

I liked the rear bumper on the white Fairlady. No uprights - just the corner rubber. Can something like that be done to the front "Euro" bumper?

$300 for a 10' X 15' concrete slab is about the going rate installed ($1.50 / sq. ft.). Pavers cost about $1.20 / sq. ft. for material only. For working on a car, the slab should be at least level, smooth. An epoxy based sealer finish is really great for keeping it clean. Try one of those floor products advertised on the motorhead channel. 4" of concrete will hold the load pressures from jack stands easily. Pavers will not give you this performance and in the worst case, could be dangerous if one crushes under the pressure of a jack stand. Consider how long you will be renting and amortize the $300 over that period to get a monthly cost. Consider a mortgage on a 2500 sq. ft. home - 3000 sq. ft. including a two car garage. A monthly mortgage payment of $750 equates to $125 a month for the garage. There are some numbers to chew on.

As a buyer, I have had some fun on E-bay with experience mostly good, but I'm moving on to dealing with the network of people I met and places I found. I generally see the "new" stuff bid way out of sight and with a little detective work, I have found places to buy the same stuff at or below the opening price. I have never been ripped off or had a deal go south. I think E-bayers keep it pretty honest. E-bay has its place. In a few months, it got me well connected and my restoration project off the ground. I continue to browse and bottom fish, but I go to other places for specific stuff.

I typed the e-mail address for MidwestZ incorrectly. It is zcarparts@cox.net - oops!

Great photos I like the second one - did you say haircell? - as my pic to the closest original look. The first one looks like my dash cover. I would love to do the interior in leather. Leather dash would be rich.

Forgot to mention the clock! Z clocks are notoriously broken. I am going to try http://members.aol.com/zclock4u/cof.html but Motorsport Auto sells rebuilds. Their catalog shows $80 to rebuild your clock.

I have had pretty good luck on E-bay but agree its a mixed bag. I have met some really nice parts sellers on E-bay and they usually have their own websites. Engine lamps are real common and I have a couple. One is brand new for a 72 and later, e-mail me. Luggage straps can be expensive and they are always used meaning re-plate the hardware and sew new strap material. Try zparts@cox.net (MidwestZ) and Banzai Motorworks. My list of part sources includes fourteen different businesses so far.

Oh my, what did I start? H20-Z tells it all - the Aussie texture IS inverted and appears to have more of a "leather" grain than the original stipple. I'm going for it, though. I hope all you "original" buffs will forgive me. Incidently, I notice the defroster vents seem to be unique to the series one dash. So... should I leave the "mystery indent" alone, or should I install a driving lamp switch in that location? I have a toggle identical to the hazard toggle for the application. The console has a driving lamp switch location next to the hatch glass defroster switch. Would love to hear comments - as I have thoroughly enjoyed all the rest of the remarks on this site!

Fantastic work Biker! You get the A+ for the day. THe close-up of the grain is most interesting. The facia shot has me right with you - "Spending too much again" indeed! What fun for us kiddies.

Sounds like this is what you want to do, Mike. I am restoring HLS30-00026 and I am convinced. Yea, its going to cost plenty, but all I hear is; "if I had a series 1 dash, I'ld want well over a grand for it". What do you have, #215? Its worth it. Biker might shed some new light, but me thinks this story will add lots of value to my car. I phoned the guy in Washington and he told me not to worry about sending all the fittings. He says they have done so many Z dashes that they know what to do. I want some holes left closed so I am going to tape notes to the dash. Sounds like our dashes might go together. Good luck and let me know how this turns out.

My you're full of questions! Go to the website, my man. They ship as often as they get a full cargo container. Their price includes shipping to and from down under, but I will have to pick up the tab from Washington to Florida and back. For all that trouble, hot pink sounds like the ticket! I just talked to Carl Beck of www.Zhome.com and he advises the surface texture is not the same and that he notices, but that was an $800 "Just Dashes" restoration and not the Aussie connection we are discussing. Either way, its all better than a dash cap or a cracked dash in my opinion. I'm probably going to spend as much as I would for a new series 1 dash, if I could find one, and if this works, I think I will send out my spare cracked dash for future E-bay gouging. Oh, I don't think they will assemble the wiring harness and such. Just check for fit.

Check out the website. What they do is vacu-form a new skin and they have to cut out the holes for the gauges and vents and stuff. They want the accessories for the fit. For the particular restoration - like mine - the dash is original and not generic. I think the only thing someone might nit-pick is the texture of the finish.