SteveJ

The stock light switch of a Z will operate the parking lights (Some people call them running lights. I use them interchangeably.) at the first switch position. At the second switch position, both the headlight and parking light circuits are complete. I do have a good stock of headlight switches depending upon the year of your car. Also, I can design a circuit for the 77 and 78 Z to use relays for the headlights. IMHO, the best thing you can do for these cars electrically is convert all of the bulbs to LEDs. This includes doing something like using H4 housings with H4 LED bulbs. I was measuring the current draw with the LED headlights I have in my cars, and it's about 3 Amps total. That's about a third of the current that stock headlights draw. The 240Z has LEDs for all of the parking lights (front, back, and sides). The gauge lights and parking lights combined draw about 2.5A. That is a LOT less stress on the stock switches, even if you don't use relays for the circuits. Is there a reason why you aren't using the stock switch?

If I remember correctly from the Chem E Transport Phenomena class (using the classic textbook by Byrd, Stuart, and Lightfoot - I actually still remember the authors!) that I displayed a mediocre understanding of 36 years ago, for optimal heat transfer, I would think you want the inlet going to the bottom (think about the return on your radiator).

So I added tension to the alternator belt, and the alternator still wasn't charging. Time to load the parts cannon! I fired the cannon and tested with a new alternator. Still no charging. Now it's time to diagnose properly. I checked the sense voltage. It's good. I check the lamp voltage. It's not good. I checked on the positive side of the diode. Nope. I inspected the connector with the jumpers. Some time in the past I moved the jumper to the wrong place. I moved it back, fired up the engine, and saw 14.6 on the voltmeter. So let this be a lesson, kiddies. DON'T use the parts cannon before you make an effort to diagnose thoroughly.

Shake down drive: Choke cables need to be adjusted. Alternator not charging battery. (Going to adjust tension to see if that is the problem. Also spare alternator is available.) Still some leaking from the tank, but it looks like vent hoses are the culprit. I'll have to drive it to drop the fuel level to where I can drain it and drop the tank to inspect. Turn signal cancellation needs to be cleaned up. Oil pressure is great. Water temp is normal. Hard starting after fueling up. I had to hold the gas pedal down while cranking for a while. Choke cable misadjustment? Ran like a scalded dog when it was up to temp. The 5 speed truck transmission (installed by a previous owner) leaves a LOT to be desired aside from dropping RPMs at cruise.

I think the ZX distributors are pretty much re-build your old one since the cores are pretty much gone. The OP said he has a 78 distributor, so he can make that work just fine with an HEI module.

The front lights have dual filament bulbs. One filament has a lower light level than the other. If you look in the BE section, you'll see the original bulb spec. It's 1034. I was just looking at some original dual filament bulbs last night. When you look at the wiring diagrams, you'll see two loops in the bulb where you have a dual filament. There's also a dual filament bulb on each side of the rear panel.

I'm guessing that most of the tachometer problems people have is that they put both black/white wires onto the coil instead of connecting the black/white wire from the ballast resistor to the green/white on the ballast resistor. @beermanpete wrote that up about the Pertronix over at Hybridz.org.

Look up the GM HEI conversion for the ignition. The 280Z distributor can trigger it. You will need to ground the HEI to the chassis to complete the path to ground. That's usually done by securing the HEI to the inner fender. With the 280Z distributor and HEI, you would not need the ballast resistor. Just connect the wires together. If you're worried about reliability, you can just keep a spare HEI in the glove box. I believe there are threads on this board about using a coil designed for an HEI module, but I do not have experience with that.

Wow, doubling down. Yeah, points NEVER fail. They are so fantastic that automakers still use them on cars today. The 280Z ignition box is so unreliable that it only lasts 40+ years. A 240Z owner would have had to replace those "reliable" points many times over in that time. Did you know there are highly reliable replacements for the TIU? Apparently not from your answer. The OP could use an HEI module with the 280Z distributor. It has been well documented here and elsewhere. And he would not need to replace the tachometer, though he could if needed for other reasons.

Wow, I think this may be your most uninformed post, yet.

What do you plan to use to trigger your spark? The 78 used a transistor ignition unit (TIU) mounted in the passenger compartment.

The target for the base model is $40K. I would think the next level up will be $45K to $47K. I'm not going to guess on the Proto Spec.

Of course, not, but we WILL always picture you with a long scraggily beard from here on out.

And to be clear, it's pronounce as "Yoob".

When I played rugby in college, anytime a kick barely made it through the uprights (or doinked through), we would say, "UBE (Ugly, but effective)." That nut is securely fastened to the angle. It's definitely UBE.

So, what do you do when you have some free time in the evening, have access to a cheap Harbor Freight welder, and possess a homemade tool? You attach a nut to the tool.

Oil change - Annual Tires - If you store the car off the ground, you could go several years. If you store the car on the ground, you're probably flat-spotting them. That would push more frequent replacement. I have some friends in my local club that have gone 15+years on a set of tires. I won't trust fate like that. The max for me is 10 years from the manufacture date on the tire and sooner if I detect dry-rot. Remember to pull the tire to inspect the backside of it.

So, if you don't mind answering, what drove your inquiry?

The best I can do right now is the full part number: 14004-N3300.

The exhaust manifold for the 73 was a 1-year only deal. The heat shield is covering up the number on mine.

The diaphragm or one of the check valves may be going bad. What brand pump do you have on the car now?

Intake? Mine has an N33, and I'm pretty sure that it is original to the car.

My time wasn't wasted. @zKarstold me something about my doors that I didn't know before. I got to do something to address my curiosity, and you got the confirmation you needed. I feel good.

I think those capture nuts are to hold the brace in place if I understand @zKarscorrectly. I didn't take them out to see if that piece would wiggle inside the door. I'm lazy that way. It's not like there is going to be a thick support in the door since that would intrude on the space for the window & regulator as far as I can tell.