EScanlon

That's what I've heard as well. Or at least that the cost of doing so. What about ALCOHOL? You know that works as you see it in auto racing all the time. In certain parts of the country, during winter the gas has a percentage of alcohol in it. Although the "cost" of this has been ballyhooed somewhat, it's mostly because it's easier to refine oil than to distill alcohol. Lastly, the natural gas conversion has been around for years. I recall using natural gas taxis all over Spain in the late 60's. The biggest problem to any of this is that there aren't enough people willing to accept the changes, pay for the modifications and accept the limitations to make it a viable alternative. Whether it needs to be profitable, or the cost of gas needs to rise so high that it becomes cheaper, is irrelevant, as long as people aren't willing to use the technology. Enrique Enrique

Tom: The motor in your picture is the one with the relay for the intermittent wiper option. That little Z box is the relay that allows the intermittent function. If I vaguely recall, these came from the factory already preset with the park function, and the only way to change it was to open the gearbox (that big round piece behind the Z box in your picture) and physically moving the gear over a notch or two with regards to the worm gear. That is, open cover, lift round gear (which is attached to shaft) and then rotate it only one tooth or two of the round gear. I don't recall if the spiral of the worm gear makes contact on every tooth or if it skips one (i.e. the round moves 2 teeth per "tooth" of the worm). I may be completely off base on this one as it has been literally a couple of decades since I dealt with one. The adjustment that Carl is referring to is on the earlier non-intermittent wiper motors. These had a physical switch which came through the back of the gear box and kept a pair of reed contacts open as long as it wasn't parked. By rotating the housing which held them in place, you would change at what position in the rotation the switch closed. As far as a moisture bag, any of the different year bags should work. Hope this helps. Enrique

That's the exact reason why I post my "clarifications". Not to be argumentative, nor to denote myself as some sort of guru or wizard. Simply that many of our fellow Z lovers would have to endure that same trial and error/ experience that I have or others have had. If these posts allow ONE member to avoid the dog poopoo on the sidewalk, then they will have served their purpose. Remember, all of us had to learn what we now know about the Z from someone and/or someplace. It behooves those of us who have Z's that are in any condition - good or bad, whether by our actions or those of others to advise others as to what to avoid. That's just the giving part of the "Golden Rule". The other part is in receiving...how others then share their experiences, pitfalls, and solutions. I posted a bit about repairing and adjusting the Wipers, then Bambikiller posted some excellent posts with pictures regarding disassembly. I remember some posts regarding electrical problems and upgrades needed on the electrical system, I've chimed in and in turn was able to buy an excellent upgrade relay system for the headlights from Zs-ondabrain. That's what's so important about this club, at least to me. Remember, we all get something for what we give. In a very cynical way you might say that every altruistic motive has a selfish motivation behind it. Here, with the Z's, hopefully by giving our best, we'll receive others best. So, now ... group hug and back to enjoying the Z. (and if that's too much "fluff" for you......PFFFFFFT!!!) Enrique

That yellow haze is the pulverized seat foam dust. Seat foam tends to deteriorate over time and the little "bubbles" in the foam break and those pieces of the "bubble shell" are what's being expelled. You might look into having the seat foam replaced. 2¢ Enrique

Be very careful when polishing plastic as it doesn't take much friction heat before the temperature / pressure is enough to deform the surface. Voice of experience here. Higher RPM's need an ultra fine touch as they'll literally burn through the surface in record time. Ever heard of burning through the paint when polishing it? Enrique

The generic term for Prep-Solâ„¢ is Wax and Grease Remover. Whether you use this or any other brand, the intent is to dissolve whatever wax, grease or protecting film that has been previously applied to the surface. If the overspray occurred after that film was applied, then the paint should be removed readily. If on the other hand the paint spray went onto the plastic without any protective film, then more than likely the paint solvent will have allowed the paint to adhere to the plastic, and the W&G remover will only clean the surrounding surface and the overspray. If the paint is not firmly attached to the plastic, it MAY scrub / wipe off. W&G Remover is generally accepted as harmless to all plastics and paints, but that's not always the case. Some flexible plastics will be dried out by it, as well as rubber and silicone compounds. Contact time will also affect whether the material being treated is harmed. Usually, you apply the W&G Remover with a moistened cloth and then wipe it off with a clean dry cloth. (The teaching method used in body shops is the "Karate Kid" movie scene "Wax On- Wax Off", where each hand does one action.) If additional treatments are needed the procedure is still the same and not a soak and wait method. Next, don't confuse LACQUER THINNER with MINERAL SPIRITS, aka Paint Thinner. Mineral Spirits are used to thin oil based paints used in homes, but not on cars (except for the really creative). While a simple wipe with Mineral Spirits will remove oil based paints while they're still wet, once the paint is dry it will take a good rubbing to remove it. Lacquer thinner on the other hand, is a true SOLVENT. It's primary use is to thin lacquer paints for air spray equipment, as the viscosity of paint straight out of the can will not allow the paint to be atomized evenly. On dried paint, it will dissolve lacquer based paints and on enamel paints will attack them such that they'll lift and wrinkle. There are different thinners for use in different temperatures as well as humidity levels. For what we are suggesting here, the typical inexpensive thinner available at most hardware stores, is strong enough to remove the paint without being overly aggressive on the plastic / rubber. Clear plastic is a very touchy material. If handled incorrectly you can seriously marr it's surface so that you will actually render it unuseable. Thinner on the clear lenses on the instruments is a definite no-no, as it will have it's surface softened and will marr with the slightest touch. Brasso, toothpaste, and other polishes have a very small amount of grit in them in order to "scrub" the surface they are used to polish. While you can have some success using these products, you should be extremely careful with them as any scratches or imperfections will have to be polished out. In my opinion, to clean the clear plastic on the instruments, if they have any stains or paint on them, try that product used to remove price sticker glue or Goof-Off. Both of these have very mild ingredients and in my use have not harmed clear plastic. But the original question was on the front turn signal lenses. Both the front and rear lenses (if OEM) are of a plastic that is unaffected by lacquer thinner. This is from personal experience, as I bought a couple lenses that had paint on them but were otherwise in good condition. The plastic used on these is of a type that is not readily harmed by the thinner. Then again, we're not recommending you SOAK them in it, just a lightly moistened cloth and a light wipe. Rubber, on the other hand, reacts very diffently to solvents than plastic. If you have paint overspray on your rubber, you will find that to remove the paint you might loose that shiny smooth finish from the mold. The best way I've found to remove paint from rubber is to flex the rubber to crack and loosen any of the paint and then use a good rubber cleaner. Hope this helps. Enrique

Not necessarily. Some plastics are "burnt" by UV rays and there is no fix for that. If the surface of the plastic has a chalky feel, or if the clear lens has acquired a milky-yellowish color, then it has been damaged by the UV rays. No amount of polishing will remove that color as it is IN the plastic. Polishing only affects the surface. 2¢ Enrique

I would try some Wax and Grease Remover first. You might be able to remove the bulk of it, especially if the lenses ever got waxed before the overspray happened. Then for whatever was left, I would use the lacquer thinner mentioned above. You would have to soak the lenses in lacquer thinner for a while before I would be concerned as to what would happen. As far as cracking or starring it....not from the lacquer thinner, at least in my experience. With American car lenses I would warn you away from using lacquer thinner, but not with the Z's lenses. 2¢ Enrique

Ed: CSI on TV is a nice interesting show. But that's about all it is. Don't be led to believe that it's that easy to prove anything. Even if you could get a mass spectrometer match of the paint on his vehicle and the paint rubbed off on your car, then you would have to find a judge that would accept that as irrefutable proof. Then again, how much do you think this would cost? The $500 deductible will seem C H E A P in the final tally. As far as finding a witness, that's probably the best suggestion. If you can find a witness that's the way to go, and then maybe the police will file charges. But since the police have not cited him, there technically is "no case" and they won't be pursuing it further. But the next part is definitely NOT a good idea. In fact, in my opinion, what you're suggesting could lead to big trouble. Don't go confront him. He'll have ample cause to call the police and have you charged with harassment and intimidation. Besides, what if it turns out he meets you at the door with a Doberman and a loaded .45? As I said before, chalk it up to a life experience. Picking at the "scab" will only result in a long lasting injury and a scar. 2¢ Enrique P.S.: Thanks for the praise Will, but I must humbly state that all I'm doing is regurgitating the kicks in the a$$ and thumps on the head that I've received over the years. If it helps a fellow Z owner from stepping on the dog poopoo that I smeared before them, then I've done my Scout's Good Deed for the day.

I think that one of the problems that Nissan ran into is that it is hard to identify a specific trait / characteristic / look to the whole Z line that could be tapped into a marketing tool for the 350Z. The 70-78 Z's share a common body style. So much so that we can interchange some parts. The changes between the different models and years were so subtle as to deceive many, and is probably one of the first questions a true new fan asks. The 79 280ZX is the first change to the body that is notable, but the changes are an obvious progression to the original body. I may be wrong, but wasn't it because of the body style change that is why Nissan added the X to the name? The 84 300ZX (Z31) however, is the first to really change the body to where some people might not readily see it as a Z. (Anyone ever seen the Celica GT of the same time period? or the Supra GT? Very similar vehicles.) The "half-lid" headlights have replaced the famous sugar scoops, the quarter windows are now much longer and triangular, the pillar between the windows is now flush and part of the body and not the windows. The hood "bump" or "nose" is completely different. Very little of the original body lines were retained. A bit of the parentage is noticeable, but it is a different look. To an unknowing person, it would be hard to ascertain that the 240Z and the 300ZX were related. The 90 300ZX (Z32) now takes the original (Z31) look and modernizes it. Many people accused Nissan of producing a Porsche 944 Replica. The half-lid headlights are now recessed into the body and behind rectangular clear covers. The little bit of taper left from the original hatch lines is now gone, and it almost looks as though a trunk is there. The car is lower and wider than it's original design. The latest 350Z (now without the X) doesn't have the side profile of ANY of the prior Z's, nor is there a discernable parentage...other than rounded body panels with the Z32. So where do you say....THIS.... is the definitive Z look? Other marques have features that have been carried on, model to model, year to year, that help identify a vehicle as belonging to the family. The Aston Martin's grille, the Ferrari's compact height, the Alfa Romeo's wheel bumps extending above the fender line, the BMW's double oval grille. The Z, sadly doesn't have a lot that's passed down the line. But then again, what are your thoughts? Enrique

Jack, while everyone here would love to welcome you to the club, and by no means am I opposing that, I think you need to realize that by stating that you are limited with the $ you can afford to spend, and requesting a Z in original condition, you've lost the race without competing. An early Z in original condition that doesn't need work, parts, etc, is going to fetch money. There are rare and joyous exceptions to this, but they are usually in the manner of a friend of a friend who knows a Z owner who's about to go to a retirement home and is selling his baby who is satisfied with recouping his original purchase price ($3.5k). But these ARE exceptions. If you contact a Z club and their members there will be a ton of other Z people who will know and jump on an offer before it becomes available outside the club / community. Now, a car that is in good restoreable or repairable shape, will be a lot more reasonable for your pocket book. At least to purchase it. But, and I don't think ANYONE on this site will deny this....the Z bug hits you. And you want to .....fix this ..... upgrade that.....tweak that.....buy a new whatever, and before long, you are more than hopelessly addicted and ..... another Z junkie. Then you suddenly know what the rest of us mean when we state that you have to LOVE the car, and not look to it as an investment or money making opportunity. Simply put, you'll be dumping money into it in nothing flat. Your wife / girlfriend will accuse you of loving the car more than her. You'll find yourself looking for reasons .... to work on your Z. Ask any member here, from the guys who still have theirs in the garage being restored, fixed, upgraded, ...to the guys who drive theirs every day and put up with the temporary fixes while dreaming of the day when they'll be able to do everything "right".... to the guys who bought it all "done" from another Z lover. You still find a way to dump money into it. So, my advice to you is to decide what you really mean by "anything decent that I can afford" and do a little research here and other sites as to what the actual value of that car that you deem "decent". Then, double that amount. Heck, I may be too conservative on this. Anyone else want to chime in? Enrique

Sorry Gary, but just the fact that you were in an accident is noted on your insurance record, and you DON'T want to contact them with the news, unless you're going to make a claim. (I found this out when I had my house fire. Luckily I hadn't given my name.) The other reason you wouldn't want to contact the insurance company is that NOBODY was charged nor cited for the accident. With no one to fault and therefore recover from, the insurance company has no one to pursue for payment. They will pay for it, but they'll cite it against your uninsured, or comprehensive coverage. The end result is....it goes on your record. Those "demerits" are used by them to determine whether you are an "at-risk" driver, and although the insurance is on your car, it is YOU that is actually "graded". Toss in young age and male......ZAPPO.....higher premiums. Then you have the value issue. Unless your policy has been underwritten with the VALUE of the Z as a Classic, AND the value thereof has been agreed on, they'll resort to their actuarial tables and not the NADA and Blue Book guides. Unless you want to get into a small battle with your insurance company, you might suddenly find your car being totalled by them. Remember they decide to total the car when a given percentage (don't know the number) of it's value in their actuarial tables has been exceeded by the repair amount estimated. So bottom line, if you CAN fix it and the cost is minimal....fix it and chalk it up to another life experience, or as Forrest Gump would say....Sh!t Happens. And DON'T contact your insurance company at all. Regarding the deductible and the amount of the repair, two points to offer. First, raise that deductible. Although a $500 ded. sounds good, in actuality you will always be debating whether to claim or not. You'll be right back here. Make it an even thousand and that way you will know what you will be paying for, and can then approach the damage with the care you'll want to assign to picking the repair parts, time and if necessary body shop. Secondly, by raising that deductible you will lower your premium considerably. If you do get into an accident that is expensive, that first thousand, although yours to pay, will be a small part of the claim. Remember, the deductible is for damages to YOUR car and not anyone else's car you might damage. Stash the savings into a bank account, and soon you'll have that grand earning YOU interest, and there should you have to use it. Hope this helps. Enrique

Unless I'm too tired from working in the yard all day, the horn circuit doesn't run through the combination switch. It has a separate wire. Check to make sure you have all the bullet and spade connectors connected, you might have missed one, or inadvertently put in a spade such that it isn't actually inside the female. I'll check my diagrams tomorrow. Enrique

On many of the rods in there, where they come close to the other rods or metal, try inserting them through some silicone tubing, like the type used in aquariums. Get the type made out of silicone, not the clear plastic. The difference will be readily apparent if you try to squeeze or bend it. The silicone will, the plastic one will be harder, and almost impossible to bend backwards without having a kink left in the plastic. Then with a little bit of stretching and a little bit of pulling, slide it on the rod until it gets to the area where the rods meet. The silicone will absorb the rattling and will not harden or crack like the plastic one would. 2¢ Enrique

John; Unless you are making them of a specific material different from the original vinyl, why not just buy a new one? Several of the vendors have them for a very reasonable price. 2¢ Enrique

Hail to the King. I'll join you in drinking a few of those beers. I think you are absolutely right. Not only does the overall design of the fender, scoops, hood literally BEG for the headlight covers simply due to the start change from curved to cut out. But on a different note, there is a distinct LACK of chrome trim on the front of the car to correspond (symetrically) with the rear of the car as well as an overall balance. The tail lights have the chrome trim with the black stripe. All the windows have the stainless trim surrounding them. The wipers are stainless. The 4 corner lights have chrome surrounds, even the door handles are chromed. Yet the FRONT of the car only has the bumper and the hood emblem. Once you're past the bumpers and the hood emblem, the back of the car still has a LOT of chrome that the front does not. Once you've seen a Z with the Chrome Headlight covers, you'll appreciate the look of the scoops that much more. If you'll collect the oranges, we'll brew them up and make a batch of Grand Marnier. Enrique

Now Mike, the post was starting to die down and you go rattle the cage? Now we'll never get the monkeys to settle down. Geeeeeezzzzzz Enrique

Give Tomohawk a PM or wait till he posts, I believe he's the only one that has experience on this. E

$50k IS a significant amount of money, no argument there. However, I'll still wager that the average price of a modest, 3 bedroom, 1-2 bath, with a small back yardin your area of CA is up close to $250k. That is an EXORBITANT amount to pay. That makes the house payment close to $2k plus insurance and taxes. Figuring that total as $2500, it comes up to being 60% of $50k/yr BEFORE taxes (50k/yr = 4166/mo). That would make it a hard reach for most young people. Rent? HAH! Same thing there. In fact, you can sometimes buy cheaper than you can rent. My mother and sister and her family live in San Jose. You can't find a house for under $500k that is NOT considered a remodeling candidate. In fact, that's how some houses are advertised. A home that's equitable to mine with a similar amount of land and in a similar neighborhood is over $1M, I paid $150k. Sorry Carl, although $50k is high for OTHER parts of the country, it's definitely not a GOOD wage for California. No doubt there are many people earning less than that, but again, that's the amount that has been deemed NECESSARY to ATTRACT people to the job of police officer and hopefully stay on and live there. Then again, your crime rate is much higher...maybe that has a LOT to do with it. Not too many rookie positions (other than the military) offer the possibility of getting killed as part of the job. I stand by my post, maybe I ought to delete the word SOUTHERN, as the rest does apply. Enrique

Couple thoughts: Carl, wages in southern California are not a good indicator. Home values and costs of living in California are exorbitant, whereas other parts of the country have more reasonable values. People who work in California require more money to stay there. Where $50k may seem high it may in fact be what's required to get people to do the job period. Alfa and Rick, as far as good raport with the police, it all boils down to how you wish to relate to them. Even in larger cities, police usually get assigned a "beat", in order for them to become accustomed to what goes on in that area. That familiarity is what allows them to pick out the odd behaviour that points to criminal wrong doing. If you wave and act friendly towards the cops, trust me, the word will get passed around and they'll respond in kind. Act rudely, glare at them and push the envelope of the law and you can expect to be treated accordingly. Just my 2¢ Enrique

Ditto Landmizzle's post. Part of the problem is that the very early Z's and the later Z's (and I'm not sure when it happened) had a slightly different dimension between the closed door and the door frame opening. The later Z's had a thicker weatherstrip which on the earlier Z's causes the problem you mention. Unfortunately, it is this newer weatherstripping that's readily available that is thicker than the one your car requires. Also, even if it were the exact year that the rubber was made for, there will also be some time before the weatherstrip gets "crushed" to shape. Just remember that when you adjust your doors, that you adjust them to fit the body and opening properly, and force the weatherstrip to adjust. 2¢ Enrique

The STG-LOCK wires go to the ignition switch and connect to the two wires that attach to the side of the tumbler housing. That's a switch that buzzes when you open the driver's door and the key is still in the ignition. Many times this switch gets removed. If you have a rectangular opening on the lower left of the ignition switch housing, it's gone. The rear brakes don't adjust with the reverse brake procedure you mentioned. That's on 70's GM vehicles, and I believe also Ford and Dodge. I may be wrong on that, but they are definitely NOT on the Z. To adjust the rear brakes, you use your Parking Brake, Hand Brake or Emergency Brake (depending on what you call it). When you pull up on the handle it takes up the slack and clicks the adjuster if necessary. A properly adjusted hand brake should only alow 6-7 clicks max. Hope this helps Enrique

And some "jokes" aren't funny regardless of where they come from. In the middle of a discussion that makes it obvious that I and others feel that safety is NOT something to "joke" about, you choose to debut your comedy routine. Then you wonder why people reacted as they did. To boot, you choose to open with an expression which some people would find sacrilegious. If this is the kind of contribution you make, please don't contribute. Enrique

Take that car to a frame shop and have them chain / block the rest of the car and then straighten the front end back out. What you have is the result of a collision with an object on the lower left corner of the frame "cube", causing that corner to come up and in towards the center. Even though the metal has been "straightened" you can still see the twist in the frame from the front picture. Get the dimensions from the FM for that year if they don't have them available. They'll chain and block your car, and then using hydraulic rams, will pull that corner back down and out. The frame shop will pull out the twist and allow you to properly straighten the metal there. You'll probably notice the roundness in the vent holes comme back on it's own. 2¢ Enrique

Actually, the putty you are referring to is INSIDE the cabin compartment, on the underside of the Cowl Bucket. That's where the fresh air intake for the blower system is. The problem more than likely is a leak in the flange around that opening. The hard part will be to inspect all around that flange, since the front part of the flange is so far underneath the cowl lip that you can't see it well without mirrors. Additionally, repairing it will be a major pain. You won't be able to weld in there without cutting off a bunch of the upper lip of the cowl. You might be better off by using JB Weld or POR with the Power Mesh, to seal that flange. The putty (plumber's putty) is a soft pliable seal that permits the two pieces to flex without direct mechanical connection, while still maintaining the seal. It's main purpose is to ensure the connection to the outside. If it were missing, you would draw air in from the back of the dash area and recirculate it, while diminishing the amount of fresh air from the cowl.. Even if the plumber's putty were completely missing, that, by itself wouldn't be the reason for the water coming in. The flange, where it meets the bottom pan of the cowl bucket, is best described if you imagine a trumpet horn, or a funnel laid on a flat surface. Imagine sealing the edge down. Then at the other end of the funnel (the small end) place a cap that fits all the way around the opening, and extends down below it's top edge. There is approximately 1" of separation all the way around the top of the flange and that cap. This is what prevents water from being driven in directly into the upside down funnel. Only if the water backs up enough that the lower edge of the cap is below water, would you suck water into the fresh air vent. (If your drains were to be that clogged, whenever you would accelerate from a dead stop, the wave surge would cause water to surge out by the kick panels on both sides of the car, and also up by the air vents below the windshield.) I think you have a hole or two at the point where the flange meets the bottom of the cowl bucket OR you have a missing or holed cap over the flange. 2¢ Enrique