Daniel

U joint is the first choice.Then I would check all rear and front rubber bushings.Remember the right rear is the torque wheel.That power shifts things more than we realize.I assume you are not thin enough to look under the car without jacking it up.That changes everything when you do.Myself,If a visual inspection failed I would spray wd/silcone whatever on all misc. moving areas a little at a time until I had a change. .Go Fish!!

What is the status of the motor as is?Who knows a few owners ago may have rebuilt it or taken good care of it. I would do a compression check on what you have before I start throwing wrenches and dollars at it.You may be better off than you know.As you know those engines last a long time.As a mechanic friend of mine says"Be darn sure before you open that can of worms"

Carl,I vote OEM any chance you get.That list gets smaller each day.When the day comes I have no option but to settle for "other" then that decision will have been made for me.I'm like you weekender street.I alway rib my "datsun dealer" guys by saying, Man you buy a new car and 30 YEARS later you need replacement parts!Can't you make one that will last?

Most all your rental store have a lift for rent.It hooks to a trailer hitch for transport.There not expensive.Also you may look for some wooden pallets to set it on.You can nail support to them as well as the straps.

The standard 240 problem is the white wire although it looks good in that multi connector that the VR attaches is not making good connection.For a test you could run a jumper around the multi-connector.If not the trouble,I would replace the vr.You're in the right area.

Odds are its not pressure holding them locked.More like rust.Spray the front disc with liquid wrench.With the wheel off the ground wiggle the tire.Spray into the rear drums also.Bang them with a hammer.Make sure the emer.cable isn't frozen in lock position.You can put a long pipe on a lug/socket and get good leverage to try to crack them loose.I've had plenty I had to just drag a while to break them loose.

Doehring,I certainly understand the insurance concerns.In the U.S. the first thing the insurance companies try to do is find a way NOT to pay.It's not hard to believe yours is any different.I sure would want to be sure that "official agreement "was as solid an agreement as you had before you made the brake change.Loopholes can bite !!

A little more food for thought Kmack.If you find a suitable bone yard relay not only is it low cost but,Should the day come you need a replacement ,myself I would prefer finding a NAPA type store and ask for a relay for only example: 80-87 chevy truck than trying to track down a radioshack #OUaintGOT 1.Don't create a future problem.There will be enough of those!!

I would think about putting a set of rings in the 240 engine.That would buy you time and you get a chance to develop your skills at Z rebuild.I've seen the oil pan dropped from the car and with the head removed install rings with the engine in the car.I would guess the 240 could be done like that .In the end its cheaper practice than blowing an all fresh 280 engine and you get a taste of the tools required.

Just something to consider.The z use two seperate circuits and a non-shared fuse for each headlight.Think about if the relay goes bad or a stone hit knocks out a headlamp and blows a fuse.You don't want to suddenly be in the dark at 60 mph!!Also some relays are made for intermit duty not continous duty.I would think the bone yard is full of relays that would work.Also we say the car is 12v but somewhere around 14+/- would be more correct.As far as switches go ever notice the car makers put the switch on the ground side?That gives more life to the switch as putting it between the positive and the "load' puts more strain on the contacts.Thats why all your gauges work from a ground.Even your points switch the coil on the neg side.

The haynes 240 manual gives a good explanation.It is for emissions.The potiental "gotcha"is that it shows a temp sensor that triggers a relay to decide which point will be the active set(one is advanced the other retarded)I have no doubt that a single can be installed I just don't know if the sensor /relay needs to be worked around.

Great!! Glad you're fixed. Notice that the problem was within the "human hands can touch it"area.Seems they did huh?

First let me say excellent excellent effort!!You have a good line of thought going there.I would suggest a couple of things.First go to the lights that dont work and find out why.That needs repair anyway and may be your demon.If not remove all the bulbs and see if it pops with no load.Those sockets could use cleaning and wd40'ed so it 's not a waste of time.I have seen bulbs look good but short.I wouldn't worry about the dash bulbs until last resort.Also remember your headlight hi'lo switch is in this mess also.How does it feel and look.If no blow with the bulbs out reinstall a couple at a time to test.Your doing great! Most of the problems with ANYTHING broken will be found where human hands were able to touch it.Always try those first.

Once the spring breaks and the shoes seperate and the part in your wheel cylinder that has the adjuster will fall out into the drum.When it happened to me it made the cluck until it locked the wheel because it was jammed.If your wheel is turning free that doesn't sound like it.Does the clutch act OK? Does the car bog down when you let the clutch out?Do the brakes fell correct?If they came apart they will blow the piston from the wheel cyl and you'll have brake fluid leaking from the wheel,not to mention poor brakes.

Usually a broken axle will make the wheel sit funny.You may have just snapped a spring in your brakes that is jamming up the drum.If you jack the car from the middle and turn the wheel the other should move also.That would test your axle.

How about jacking up your car.Place the "tents "between 2 boards(a top and a bottom,bumper sandwich).under your car tire.As you lower the car it should smash the tents flat.You may end up painting that bumper.This is just a theory I have .

Just a thought.You may wish to replace the radiator hoses while you have the car down replacing the thermostat.It has been my experence that once those old hoses balloon due to the pressure/heat they are on borrowed time.Use caution removing the hose from the rad.Don't try to twist it off with too much force or you'll snap off the rad. neck.If you get them off without cutting them put them under your spare tire and you'll always get home!!

Hey thats what this site is for!Next time you'll know a few more things to check!!

I like to slide a small needlenose plier between the metal and the plastic ball.That puts even pressure and snaps it right off.Wrap a piece of string around the channel that is going to seat in the firewall.Feed the string thru the firewall hole and start the rubber lip in the hole, have someone hold the boot in place.From inside the car when you pull the string it will pull the rubber into the car.Cool huh?

Check the passenger floorboard for wetness.The heater hose or valve could be leaking.Your rad cap could be bad.The thermo could be acting up to where it isn't always shut,just not functioning properly.The coolant just didn't evaporate.

I haven't ever had a pump fail that didn't leak first.Of course that doesn't rule that out.The thermostat could be stuck/hanging shut.Coolant could be worn out.Fan clutch not working correctly.Loose fan belt.My least favorite would be the sending unit went bad and your readings are false.

Most people just screw a plumbing pipe plug(hardware store) into it and eliminate the intake water supply.It's not required.If you want it plug it and keep looking.At least you can drive the car.Make sure its a plumbing plug.There are electrical types.The difference is all plumbing thread are tapered to seal.Others are just straight threads.Compare them and you'll see what I mean.

Learning to use a multi-meter is a good thing,but even if you had gotten the readings that the factory spec'd that doesn't prove absolute.You are testing using just barely enough voltage to run the meter.The actual voltage the coil produces is thousands of times more powerful.Think of it as trying to pressure test a firehose by pouring a cup of water thru it.The fact that the water pours out the other end means the path is there and thats all.

Did you adjust the new shoes to the max that would allow you to put the drum back on?If not you can either backup alot while tapping your brake or hold the button in on your emergency brake and pump it .You should hear the adjuster's in the drum's clicking.A trick is to put a board (2x4 or such) under the brake pedal before you start the bleeding.Remember the pedal hasn't been that far down in years.Rust and crapola will kill the master cylinder piston seals as it travels into this unsmooth area.

Bart sounds like a trip to a radio shack /napa etc. is in your future.They have a kit that have various type/sizes connectors and the tool to install them correctly.