SteveJ

Yep, that's the one. I never thought a distributor cap and 6 spark plugs could be worth $700. The seller was a great guy to deal with. He had plenty of patience to wait for me to diagnose the car. Now I need to put it up on jackstands to inspect the suspension more. I also want to drain and re-fill the differential and transmission.

I saw a 260Z on Craigslist that wasn't too far from me. The seller said he couldn't get it to start, but I asked if I could look at it and perhaps get it running. I looked at it on Friday and started my diagnosis. I finally found that the distributor cap was damaged. I told the seller I would go buy one and try to get the car fired up. The weather was bad on Saturday, so while I got the money from the bank for the car, I didn't try to do anything on that day. I called the seller and arranged a time to see the car today. So, I went to see the car. I replaced the distributor cap, but it still wouldn't start. I checked the fuel flow. I had a battery charger to help the car battery. I was thinking it was possibly the ignition module since a previous owner did the 280ZX distributor swap. Finding a ball bearing loose in the distributor didn't have me feeling too good, either. I was about to drop back 10 and punt, but I thought of one last thing. I checked the spark plugs. Sure enough, they were fouled. My wonderful wife did a parts run for me and brought back 6 new plugs. That was it. The car started. Here's the kicker. The guy was going to come down $700 on the price since the car didn't run. He was so happy that I was willing to put the time into getting the car to run that he still only asked for $2,500 down from the $3,200 he advertised it for. I'll try to put up some pictures later. It's in better shape than my 240Z, but it still has the boat anchors. That's easy enough to change out. (At least that's what I want to think.) The car needs plenty of work, but that's part of the fun of owning these cars. Plus, I don't have to make the same mistakes I did on my 73.

Too bad you're not still in Chattanooga. I'm only about two hours away. I'm pretty familiar with 240Z wiring, having done many repairs to my own car.

If you're talking about having vapor lock this time of year, I would be suspicious. Questions: 1. Do you have the heat shield between the exhaust manifold and intake manifold? 2. Do you have both the electrical and mechanical fuel pumps? 3. Have you verified fuel flow? 4. Have you verified a hot spark? I suspect you are getting excess heat from somewhere that is affecting your carbs/ignition or you have crap in your gas tank/fuel lines that is restricting flow.

BA9 bulbs are the proper replacement. (At least I think they are.) I am thinking of trying these LED bulbs. Look for the wide angle bulbs. They appear to be low profile, too, only 6 mm above the socket.

For your distributor swap: http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/distributor/index.html http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/z.html (Look for the section on electronic ignitions.) Are you in Chattanooga or Santa Cruz?

E, you captured my sentiments precisely and eloquently. Jason, I would not be surprised if both you and the person you talked with about the seatbelts experienced some selective listening. It's all too easy to do that over the phone. Frankly, would I do business with this company? Probably not. The fact that they offer oxygen sensors for a 240Z indicates to me that they know almost nothing about specific models. Keep in mind that for a place like MSA, you're not just paying for the part. You're also paying for some of the knowledge they have acquired about the specific models. IMHO that does add value to the product. I suggest that you just write off your loss on this one and vow never to go back to that vendor. If you want advice/input on seat belts, you might want to start a separate thread, too. I've tried several different options, myself.

Okay, let's try to fill in some of the missing data. There are two seatbelts listed at that website. One is a 3 point belt for $93.56, and the other is clearly labeled as a two point belt for $16.95. On the listings for both, it says "OEM No: NA". Did you order the 3 point belt and receive the 2 point belt? Did you order the 2 point belt because it was so cheap? Did you expect to receive a set of genuine Nissan seat belts? Did they not fit properly in the car? Why would you want 2 point belts when 3 point belts are available? (By the way, the 131 inch belts they advertise might be a tad short.) Were you just trying to go the cheap way out for your safety? FWIW I bought the 3 point belts from WESCO after someone else on the forum mentioned them. I am satisfied with the installation. You can find pictures of them in my gallery. I did make a mistake and ordered the shorter belts available. However, the company exchanged them no problem with me having to pay for shipping back to them.

FYI: I saw an ad on Craigslist in Atlanta for a 73 240 for $1500. It might be a place to start for a shell.

Stacy, are you looking for the plug-and-play adapter, or are you just looking for information on converting to the ZX alternator?

Does anybody in the Southeast need a project? How about the rare '75 280ZX? It even features the classic inline V-6. I think that block was made from forged unobtainium.

Bryan, If you have a garage, you may be interested in something like Duplicolor Paint Shop. I'm thinking of using it on my Z.

Did you also examine the sockets and wiring to the sockets for corrosion?

This might be a more economical alternative: http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/shifterbushing/index.html

"whizzbangery meters", I've never heard a multimeter described that way before. Adjusting the voltage regulator isn't any more difficult than adjusting the valves. I just didn't feel like transcribing the FSM or Haynes manual. I'm getting old and lazy. Anyway, if you have a Harbor Freight around, it's easy to find multimeters for $4 when they go on sale. It's good to throw one in the tool bin for a 30+ year old car. I have also heard what Nissanman said that disconnecting the battery from the car while it is running is bad mojo.

The voltage regulator can be tuned. Look in the FSM or Haynes manual for details.

What are the colors of the wires?

In addition to what Carl said, I believe I have seen threads over at Zcar.com where people have used Z31 alternators. I don't think they needed to mod the bracket, but they would have still needed to jumper out the voltage regulator.

It's hard to tell from subjective evaluations. Break out a meter and take measurements. What is the battery voltage with the car off? What is the voltage across the battery terminals at idle? What is the current flow with the car off? What is the voltage across the battery terminals at 3000 RPM? (Since you say it dies after revving the motor)

Basic information can be found here. Spend most of your money in getting one close to top condition as possible. You may even consider buying one on the West Coast and driving it back. The air fare is less than the cost of fixing a rusty Z.

300ZX seats are not a drop in replacement no matter if it's a Z31 or Z32.

First, define what you mean by overheating. 1. Was the temperature gauge reading high? 2. Was coolant coming out of the radiator? 3. Were you seeing steam coming from the engine/cooling system? If your answer was #1, have you checked the temperature with a candy/cooking thermometer? You start with the engine cold and let it idle. You should see a good bump in the temperature when the thermostat opens. How old are your thermostat and radiator cap? When was the last time you changed your coolant? Could your radiator be plugged? Have you tried to flush your cooling system?

You could send a copy to Carfiche.com.

I'm curious about two things. 1. What do you mean by better? It's not a complicated wiring system. 2. What are you trying to do to/with the electrical system? Maybe someone here can help you.

Try Cooper Tire. I found the size you wanted on their website. http://www.coopertire.com/html/tireselector_bySize.aspx?twtd=215&artw=60&rd=14