SteveJ

Stephen, shouldn't your circle have been a little more to the right. I swear that I can see the edge of the VIN plate.

Jason, it doesn't truly matter what our opinions are, but I have some suggestions for helping you decide the path you want to take. First, while the gentleman who gave you the advice may be an automotive enthusiast, we have no idea what his pedigree might be. His opinion is worth as much as you paid for it. Having said that, you need to decide what you want to do with your car. Are you looking to restore it? Do you want a beater? Do you want a modified car? Are you thinking of turning it into an ITS car? Knowing the destination can help you decide whether or not to take the journey. Any decent car is going to cost you money. That's pretty much true, no matter what make or model. Set your budget and timeline and at least double both. That will put you in the ballpark. I'm not sure how much damage the thieves inflicted upon your car, but it sounds like you have been confronted with numerous electric problems as a result of their actions and the ravages of time. Consider getting some quotes on replacement wiring harnesses from ZBarn and possibly other vendors. You're willing to pull the dash and tackle other problems. A replacement harness may save you from damaging the car with improvised repairs. I'm guessing from the pictures in your gallery that the car has received some battle damage over the years. Depending upon how detailed you might think of restoring your car, it can be expensive to fix past "repair" jobs. The Z car in of itself is a pretty reliable car. While the L28 you have is not as universal as a Chevy small block, that engine is in a bunch of 280ZXs that may be sitting in junkyards around where you live. Parts scavaging can save your pocketbook. The Z compares well with a Camaro from the same generation. In the book, Datsun 240Z & 260Z Gold Portfolio 1970-1978, there is a copy of an article from Motor Trend magazine (August 1972) comparing a Camaro Z28 to a 240Z. While the Z28 will beat the 240Z in 0-60, the Datsun definitely held its own and then some. The comparison was done 4-speed to 4-speed. Try to find a Camaro without a slushbox and a jacked up price. Don't forget, too, that what you might save in parts for the Camaro, you will probably pay back at the pump.

Have you checked to see if the part is still available through your local dealer? It might be cheaper than buying that one and having it shipped.

First it helps to have a wiring diagram to do the diagnostics. If you don't have a FSM, you can find the wiring diagram here: http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/wiringdiagrams/72_240z_wiring.pdf. If you look at the diagram, you'll see three wires going to each headlight. Two of these wires (red with a white stripe {RW} and red with a blue stripe{RB}) are common to both headlights. The RW wire carries the current to the low beam side of your headlights, while the RB wire carries the current to the high beam side. The key to diagnosing your problem is that you have high beams, but you don't have low beams. This puts odds on that the problem resides somewhere around your turn signal switch. So let's pick up the questions from there. You said you put in a new turn signal switch. Was it a new-old stock (NOS) switch? Who supplied you with the switch? Are you sure it was correct for the build date of your Z? (I'm not sure if there were any running production changes.) Are you sure the pin-outs on the turn signal switch match up to your wiring harness? Did you test for continuity of the pin-outs on the turn signal switch? Did you inspect the wiring harness plug going into the switch? Is the lug for the RW wire still making good electrical contact with the RW wire? (It's not unusual to see some corrosion in the wiring harness. Lord knows, I've replaced many lugs because the wire corroded to the point that no current flowed.) If answering those questions do not solve your problem, you have to dig into your wiring harness. The RW wire makes essentially a straight run from the turn signal switch to the headlights. There may be a plug from the interior wiring harness to the engine bay wiring harness, but since I don't have my FSM handy, I can't say for sure. That could be another site for corrosion. Otherwise, you'll have to look for any place where you or a previous owner have cut into the wiring harness.

When you say almost 99% rust free, where are you seeing rust? It has a nasty habit of hiding. Also, could the repaint have been to cover accident repairs or rust repairs? Examine closely before your bargain becomes a money pit.

You can take anything apart. The talent comes from being able to do take it apart without destroying it and knowing how to secure the cover when you're done.

Yes, early on I told you that the procedure to check and adjust the voltage regulator is in both the FSM and the Haynes manual. My suggestion is to read up on it and follow those directions.

Truth be told, there wasn't much in common between the 83 280ZX and the 70-78 Z cars except the powertrain. Given that your car also has had the powertrain swapped, you might find more useful information at http://www.hybridz.org.

Bubbles, I'm sure you could be a little more vague if you tried. As you can tell, "resistor thingy" isn't a very good description of the component. It could be a capacitor or a diode that was connected to your alternator. If you give a good description (or better yet, post a picture), maybe we could say for sure what it is. Now, for your other problems, if you are running an internally regulated alternator on a 77 or older, you need to jumper out the voltage regulator. An overvoltage situation can give you a lot of headaches.

Ensure your fusible links are in good condition, and test your voltage regulator to ensure it is within specs. The testing procedures for voltage regulators can be found in the factory service manual or in the Haynes manual.

Well, you're not completely wrong. Most 280Zs came with externally regulated alternators. The change came in 78. If Jay got an internally regulated alternator by mistake, my guess is that the voltage would read too high (personal experience).

0w-20 is a multiweight oil. It would not necessarily act like 20 weight oil all of the time. I'm not sure how a thicker oil would help you when it gets colder. It sounds counter-intuitive to me.

Well, you could order it from MSA. I also found 20 weight oil at Ace Hardware. I think it was sold under the 3 in 1 brand.

Actually with the reading at 11 volts, you're draining the battery. It wouldn't surprise me for you to have a dead regulator, especially since you say you've had charging problems. I can't recall where the regulator was relocated for the 280Z, but I'm pretty sure it's not where the regulator is in a 240Z. It might be located near the battery. (The FSM is your friend in cases like this.) I do know that the 75 has a round plug for the regulator.

Did you touch your voltage regulator? It could be out of adjustment or just plain bad. If your battery goes dead, I would lean toward a bad regulator. The FSM & Haynes manual have instructions on adjusting the regulator.

Go to this page http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/z.html and look at the "Z problems". The fusebox is a common site for corrosion. I had one fuse box melt down on me. My experience was this: I would notice the lights being out. I checked the fuse visually, and it looked fine. I pulled it and checked continuity which failed. I replaced the fuse a couple of more times. One time while the lights were still working, I lifted the cover to see the fuse glowing orange, not the best thing to see in your fusebox. Eventually, the fuse heated up enough to melt the plastic. I replaced the fusebox and haven't had a problem since.

I'm just trying to figure out why a chemistry teacher would give you extra credit for a physics problem.

That's a VERY open-ended question. How much money do you want to spend?

Try traderonline and ebay to do some pricing research.

The gauge in our 240Zs is an AMP gauge(current). Think about current like the flow of water. As the engine turns the alternator faster, the alternator is able to pump out more current. That's why the gauge goes to the plus side. As it returns to idle, the alternator isn't pumping out as much current. As long as you're not on the negative side, you're in good shape.

Okay, here's a new opinion. Just upgrade the headlight circuit to use relays. Try that with some new regular headlights. It will work great and be cheaper.

I'm thinking that you're going off half-cocked. You haven't looked at the hood. You haven't talked to MSA. Have you seen the invoice to verify what was ordered? Why does the shop think you have a used hood? Does MSA even deal in used parts? I know some parts are rebuilt/refurbished, but I don't recall ever seeing a section for ordering used parts.

Saro, Thanks for giving us the update. Be sure to check the voltage at the battery with the car running. You'll want to make sure the voltage regulator is adjusted properly. By the way, Harbor Freight has the voltage meters on sale for $3.99. I was there yesterday. The closest one to you is probably in Pasadena.

Michael, I hope the second opinion is correct. I definitely still want the parts I requested. Steve