wal280z

I used about 3' of clear 3/8" dia tubing. Removed the rubber plug in the bottom of the spare tire well. Attach tubing to new fluid bottle and insert other end into fill hole. Keep an eye on the fluid. (if you attach the tubing to a funnel the fill goes much quicker)

Dave - Between the ones I sent you and the refurbished one you sent back, I can't be for sure on the build date(s) of any specific car(s) they came out of. However, they were all from 280Z's. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Taking a picture of what I (re)installed in the car is pointless, as I'm not sure the date of the original donor. But from the picture, it doesn't look like I was the only one who donated to your "illness"...... Wayne

MSA's part number for 5 bolts (loose, non-Nissan packaging, FWIW) is 141256, price of $7.95 + shipping Listed individually (per MSA's packing list): 2 of 0811062062 2 of 081108851A 1 of 2107921002 Not sure what the component part numbers refer to, if it is a Nissan P/N or just a MSA part number reference.

I just ordered a new water pump from MSA and was sold a kit for the bolts. Don't recall the exact price off hand - will update w/ part number / price when it gets here.

Mark - As always you have an eye for capturing the details. Even the solo stripe (along with the rookie bumper stripe) shows up! Heck, you even made my rattle can paint job look good.

the '78 FSM diagram is available HERE

Stephen (Sblake01) posted a picture earlier in the thread that you should be able to positively identify the difference between factory or non-factory AC. Just in case a PO changed the faceplate of the control panel, the fan speed switch is the other obvious check as the switches cannot interchange between the two (I already tried). The other difference noted is the vacuum lines coming into the passenger cabin. The vacuum line feeds the factory AC system and is not used any where else inside the cabin. Please note that there are still some cable controls (temperature and heater only setting) for the factory AC, but the rest of the functions utilize vacuum control.

Do you have factory AC or is it a dealer / aftermarket add on? If it is factory, then more than likely either your vacuum lines have deteriorated and can no longer move the mode door on the heater box OR the retaining clip on the vacuum actuator (for the mode door) has been removed or is missing and allowing the arm to displace off the mode door arm. Take a look at my photo gallery - I took some pics of mine when it was out of the car and I refurbished the foam on it. For some reason the link won't work. Download the FSM for the '77 at www.carfiche.com and review the AC section at the back of the book. The controls are nearly (if not) identical to the '78. Be careful switching the vacuum hoses off the components if the vacuum lines are found to be faulty - the connections on them can be very fragile and break the nipple off. It's worth checking into those places before you tear into your dash. Good luck. Wayne

I'm not sure how much this will help in diagnosing electrical problems in your converted car, but here's something that's helped me a time or two.... http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13131 (scroll down to post #13 for the diagram) FWIW, it may help if you disconnect each connector, one by one, and inspect the contacts - clean all of them, half of your problems I have seen in my car where simple maintenance of cleaning the fuse box contacts and dirty connectors (hazard switch) takes care of the problem. Good luck, Wayne

I haven't used them yet, but it looks like a good place to start for bulk wire w/o a minimum length requirement. http://www.britishwiring.com/ Click on components catalog, then wire (bulk) for an conversion from British strand to US equivalent. Lots of good stuff in there. The multiway connectors (waterproof) look promising for those hard to find round connectors.

Gregg - here is one as a tif format... http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16332 Wayne

The FI harness is one complete assembly. Everything goes. There is the FI Relays and also a 6-way connector on/near the steering column. Temp Sensor goes to Temp Gauge in dash. Brake sensor goes to brake light in speedo. In addition, there is a major ground that connects to the cable clamp that the FI harness feeds through on the manifold, in addition to a ground wire that fastens to the strut tower w/ the FI wire clamp. You also may want to pay particular attention to the wires @ the coil, and also the pair of wires going from the 'patch panel' (green and red wires) to the pick up coil on the distributor. The A/C control may also be affected as well as the BCDD control wire. How major of a fire? It seems as though the whole body harness (inside the engine compartment) would be compromised. Have you downloaded the wiring diagram (see post #13) posted? I attempted to take some pictures, but unfortunately my camera wanted to put extra flash on everything, so that was a wash... Wayne

Mark, once again you have topped yourself! I tell ya, when I asked you to only 'shoot the good side', I was really trying to figure out how you would even take a picture of me! Excellent photos!

Download the Factory Service Manual (FSM) from http://carfiche.com/ and download and printout the electrical wiring diagram from this thread http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13131 (post #13) Good Luck! Wayne

Just a quick reminder - today is the day. Looks like we have sunshine and clear skies on tap.

Mark Those are awesome - they show the 'freckles' even better than in the natural sun. Thanks for hangin' out with the crew from Hampton Roads, I'm sure we will see you again for Father's Day @ Roebling. Wayne

Chris - I opened this thread expecting to see pictures of a bent bumper, a cracked taillight housing or even an oil stain in the driveway. Vicki - I am still stunned as I write this. I am so sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you. 43 is way too young.... Wayne

nwcubsman - Is this the eBay store you were thinking about? http://stores.ebay.com/Motorsport-Auto-Outlet-Store Motorsportdirect shows a location of Las Vegas, Nevada I hope you get the issue resolved. I'll need to call and order mine from Arizona Z car for their springs. Wayne

Hi Bill -I am assuming the fusible link to the EFI is good as your fuel pump runs in the start condition. Just to be sure, make sure your fusible links are good and not fried. If they are good, then proceed. Next, with the key "ON' and battery connected, try twisting the main body harness coming out of the firewall on the passenger side back and forth from where the starter feed exits and the fusible links are. My bet is that you have a loose connection in there. Do you hear the ignition relay at all /or sometimes when turning the key over? If the connection is loose, and you make connection by twisting back and forth, you should hear the ignition relay click on and off, and then get your +12V on pin 10. Very common problem in these cars. Unwrap and repair. You do have the FSM. you may also want to download the scanned wiring diagram of your car at http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/ Follow the links to 'electrical' to find what you need. Best of luck, Wayne

Now since I went shopping on Sunday, I stumbled upon a slight variation.... The wheels of the gray car (previous post) are now on the yellow where it is printed 'Datsun 240Z' vs '2006 New Models", The back of the cards show them both as "2007 Models"

Mark - found these at my local K-mart. You want them? I can bring them with me to VIR, if you want. I haven't found the white one yet. Wayne

Sounds like you could be in the future business of making adapter harnesses for the 240's to use the 280's...... :surprised Wayne

Just got my spare combo and turn signal switches for my daily driver 280Z back from Dave, wanted to put my note of "thank you very much for a fine job" in. Parts look better than new, and I will play with them tomorrow to see the improvement in operation. I must commend you on the excellent customer service, attention to detail and a through report on what the finished results were. I will be sending the switches that is currently installed on my 280Z shortly. Thanks for a speedy turn-around and excellent workmanship. Wayne

FWIW - I ordered the "DISC BRAKE HARDWARE KIT" from Advance Auto. Beck Arnley P/N 084-0876 - Price (excl. tax) $13.97 It does NOT come with the PINS, and it was a 2 day delivery. Wayne