SteveJ

To be clear, I cleaned up the contacts with a wire brush. There wasn't any real testing I could do.

From your description, I inferred that you got the sparks from the battery then the car would not start again. Did I misunderstand that? Did you replace all 5 fusible links? There are four under the covers and one for the EFI. Did you clean out the fuel lines after sitting for a year? They could be gunked up. The firing order should be 1-5-3-6-2-4 counterclockwise. Issues that could cause no spark: Improperly grounded coil Bad Transistor Ignition Unit, TIU (rare) Lack of voltage to the TIU Bad connection to the TIU. The FSM has good diagnostics. You may want to review the EF and EE sections.

The 73 has the mounting points for the 70-72 bumper brackets. You just need to get the early brackets and remove the 73 brackets and bumper. The holes on the fenders line up, and I would advise attaching the bumper there first, while supporting the front. It's a bear to get the bolts lined up on the sides once it is attached in the front.

ALWAYS put the year of your car in your posts or your signature. There are variations in the 280Zs. 1. Buy a decent inline fuel pressure gauge and install it under the hood. That is how you check fuel pressure. Make sure you get one that will go up to at least 60 PSI. 2. There is a fusible link for the EFI. It is separate from the other fusible links. You need to check that. It wouldn't hurt to check the other links, too. Use an ohmmeter to check. Visible inspection is not adequate.

Believe it or not, Rory briefly surfaced a while back. He then went back into hiding. I almost went to look at the 74 when he was selling it. With what he did to others, I'm glad I didn't.

I know someone who swapped in the early bumpers on a 73. https://fiddlingwithzcars.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/installing-the-front-bumper/

I assume one of the sites the two of you refer to is Zcar.com. That site probably bubbles up toward the top of searches for "z car forum". Tony D once observed an influx of new posters with "gimme, gimme, gimme" type questions seemed to correspond with high school kids going on spring/summer/fall/Christmas break. There are also a lot of threads on that site where someone asks a vague question and never responds to requests to provide more information. Many of the regulars tired of that, and their responses reflect that. It takes more effort to find this site. That reduces the volume of school break kiddies. Most of the younger crowd that do show up here tend to be more respectful. When someone is just here for gimmes, the ignore button is a click or two away. I am not that much different from the regulars over at Zcar.com. I will go out of my way to help someone who is willing to make an effort to learn. For the lazy, like I said, the ignore feature is handy.

That's what I meant. It's just that different words came out of the keyboard.

Tim is planning on taking it back to stock, too.

No spoilers here.

Well, we got out to Jai's house again. To describe what went on is pretty lengthy, so I posted it over at my blog. If you're ready for a long, leisurely read, here it is: https://fiddlingwithzcars.wordpress.com/2015/10/24/friday-at-jais/.

I forgot to tell him that Tim and I are coming up.

Here are some other references: http://zhome.com/History/DesignChanges.htm http://zhome.com/History/1970or1971.html

No and not readily available. Chris used to post on here, but it's been quite a while since his last post.

The good Captain caught it. I was misled because you said it was a 73. Go here: http://zzxdatsun.com/catDecals.php The owner is good Z people. He only takes checks or cash. No credit cards. I've bought plenty of stuff from him and wouldn't hesitate to use him again.

That appears to be a 72 VIN. There is definitely something strange going on if it was titled as a 73. I would be surprised if an early 72 stayed on a dealer lot that it might have been titled as a 73.

Someone might have cut the firewall out of a wrecked car to replace a firewall rusted out from exposure to battery acid and clutch fluid.

Not enough information. Look at this for more information on Z car VINs: http://www.blackdragonauto.com/icatalog/zr/full.aspx?Page=11 Are the digits completely different between the firewall and the plates?

The answer lies in the type of socket and the colors of the wires running to it. Type 1157 sockets have three wires. Type 1156 sockets have two wires. On the left side of the car, if you see a green wire with a red stripe going to the socket, it will flash. On the right side of the car, if you see a green wire with a black stripe going to the socket, it will flash. On either side, if it's an 1156 socket with a green wire wire with a white stripe, it should not flash.

I have 16x7 wheels on my car. I know a guy running 15x8s, though I don't know if it has an offset.

If you really want to find it, you probably should post the name of your "friend" and the VIN. Otherwise a brown 78 is pretty darn generic.

If you need the part numbers, just buy the parts fiche CD from this site. There is also CarPartsManual.com. What concerns me is that parts that I believe are NLA are still showing up as available when I search.

More ZCon 2016 info: http://zcon.org/

I have never used them: http://www.ssnake-oyl.com/

Well, the Ontario Z Car website says 8/2-8/6. http://ontariozcar.com/ I sent a message to Mauricio Gomez to confirm - And he immediately replied that those are the correct dates.