SteveJ

According to the FSM, there is no ballast resistor. Does the Mallory need to have the ballast resistor in the circuit for starting, or are you supposed to bypass the ballast resistor? The reason I ask is that all S30s with a stock ballast have two circuits coming off the ignition switch going to the ignition circuit. In start you bypass the ballast, and in run, you go through the ballast.

You might want to talk to the guys at Z Therapy about what can be done to improve high altitude performance. What temperature thermostat are you running?

1. Did you remove the ballast resistor? 2. At what times are you getting the lower voltage at the coil? Just at starting? While running? 3. How old is your battery? 4. Check your battery voltage while the car is starting and while it is running. Does the battery voltage dip at start? How much?

Engine braking uses the engine's compression stroke to slow you down. Try it some time on a much more gradual slope. Are your fuel lines insulated well? You may have been experiencing some vapor lock, though it's funny that the car would start and then experience vapor lock. If it was the altitude, tuning the carburetors wouldn't help. They would need to be re-jetted. Also, you would probably have experienced sluggish performance on the way up. As far as checking your gas, some time when you get down to a gallon or two, drain the gas via the bottom plug and see what comes out. Unless you have had the tank boiled and sealed, you might be surprised at what you get out.

I'm curious, is your car an automatic? If not, why didn't you let engine compression slow you down? Also, for it to die while running and then restart later might indicate junk in the gas tank.

As stated earlier, Rockauto has a Centric Power Brake Booster.

The fuses are not perfectly sealed. They can develop corrosion inside. Also, I have seen fuses heat up enough without blowing that the connection between the fuse material and the end cap failed.

While fuses can degrade, it's also wise to check for a short. Pull the fuse and disconnect the headlight from the engine wiring harness. Use an ohmmeter to measure from the inside post of the fuse holder to ground. It should show an open line between those two points. If so, replace the fuse and go, and while you're at it, replace the other fuses, too. They are probably just as old.

You're backfeeding through the headlight. The car switches between high and low beam by changing which headlight element is grounded. (That's the high low beam switch.) When you have the switch on low beam, current flows through the good fuse and down to the headlight bulb. There it splits in two. Most of the current will flow through the right low beam filament, to the high/low beam switch and back to ground. A little bit of current will flow through the right high beam filament, on to the left high beam filament, to the left low beam filament, to the high/low beam switch and back to ground. Now to break out the EE math... We can calculate the amount of current that should be flowing versus the amount flowing when there is a backfeed. Let's use the stock ratings for the bulbs (50W high and 40W low) and assume the ratings are for a 12VDC system. Current is Power/Voltage, so with good fuses, you're pulling about 3.3A on low beam. We can estimate the resistance of the low beam filament at 3.6 Ohms and the high beam at 2.88 Ohms. This means we have 3.6 Ohms going through the low beam on the right and 9.36 Ohms for the backfeed. Since Current is also Voltage/Resistance, we estimate 1.28A going through the backfeed. Power is equal to the square of the Current times Resistance, so this is the power consumption for each filament in the circuit: right/left high beam = 4.7W left low beam = 5.9W

I dunno. It looks like something that might be more appropriate on an adult toys website.

Okay, I'm a little slow on the uptake. I sent an email via CL. Can I just come over and shop? I'd love to come over on Saturday morning.

My god, have you figured out who it is? It can't be Eddie Radatz. It's WAY too organized.

It'll buff out.

Try connecting with your local Z Clubs. Z Car Club Of Northern Virginia Maryland 'Z Club Mike McGinnis at Banzai Motorworks may be able to let you know if there are any good early Zs for sale in the area. Banzai Motorworks He has a fantastic shop, and I've been very pleased with the parts I've purchased from him.

The parking light circuit is a problematic circuit on the Z car. If you search on Google for "Running lights" and 240Z, you'll get lots of results from Z car forums. Download a copy of the 72 FSM. Find the link in my signature. Read the wiring diagram to find the wire colors for the circuit. Take off the clamshell on the steering column and inspect the wiring, especially at the connectors. Do you know how to use a multimeter? If so, I can give you more detailed diagnostics. If not, try contacting the Cape Fear Z Club to see if someone can help you or recommend a local shop. I suggest doing a proper fix and then buying the parking light relay harness from MSA as designed by our very own Dave Irwin, aka Zs-ondabrain.

It was a great day to have a car show, especially considering Atlanta had about twice its average rainfall last month. We had a nice line of S30s there, except for some weird new Opel that HAD to park in the middle. If you're in the Atlanta area and would like to join us at C&O, send me a PM. August C&O Pictures

I'll have to admit that I've never put in the distributor 180 degrees out, but I know I've read a few posts where people wound up with it that way. I did make sure the engine was at or near TDC, though. I wonder how people ended up 180 out.

You could always try holding one of these near the screws. Yes, you can take out the distributor. Directions are in the EE section of the FSM. It is advisable to put your engine at TDC to reduce the chance of screwing up your timing, but the distributor can only go in correctly or 180 degrees out of phase.

You should only need to pull the distributor cap to replace the points and condenser. The distributor body stays attached to the engine. You will probably need to check the dwell and timing afterward, no matter what.

Ouch.

Too much hyperbole in the ad. I couldn't even read all of it before throwing up in my mouth a little. I did look at the pictures, though. It looks nice, but I'm betting on no bids.

I thought some people might enjoy this guy's work. http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/weldporn-910228664

Some people have sent off their dashes to be recovered, but IIRC it was with mixed results. Interior Auto Restoration - Dash Board Restorations | Dash Restoration | Cracked Dash Here's another: Welcome To Just Dashes

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You can usually get price breaks when you buy in quantities of 10,000 or so.