EScanlon

This is important, WHERE were the jumper cables attached? If you connected "by the book", then that means that you connected positive to positive terminals BATTERY TO BATTERY, and the NEGATIVE terminal on the donor car battery was connected to the BODY or ENGINE of the recipient. If that's the case, then check the fusible link from the negative side of your battery going down to the starter solenoid. If this fusible link gets disconnected or blows, it completely disconnects the COMPLETE electrical system of the car. 2¢ Enrique

Carl, and MikeW; you're both right on the money. That white area is indeed the turn signal body. In fact, that specific area is where in the JDM cars the additional bulb for the PARK lamps (the ones you light up on one side towards traffic) goes. That it has no hole for a bulb is indicative of it NOT being a JDM turn signal. Alan, although the parts book may show the bolt going in from the top down, in every Z that I've disassembled those bolts go from the bottom up, trying to get it in from the top down is a major pain due to the headlight acorn, which in the picture I'm enclosing (which I've lightened to show more detail) is just beginning to be visible in the upper left. But I agree with you in that expecting that much detail from the FSM or other book, would be beyond reasonable expectations. Kats; you asked if those "Nut- joint retainer" were installed correctly. They are in the proper location, but they are NOT installed correctly. Those nut-clips should be clipped ONLY to the upper flange, i.e. the flange of metal on the FENDER. The picture you posted shows that the clip is clipping BOTH metal flanges, the fender and the lower valance. The purpose of this clip is to hold the nut in location while still allowing a small amount of adjustment when attaching the lower side valance with the bolt. If you look closely, you'll see that the flat part of the clip, which should be BETWEEN the upper and lower flange, is on the bottom side of the lower flange. 2¢ Enrique

Are you having target practice with your automatic starter's gun? Check the wiring diagram and you'll see that it IS a separate circuit, it IS worked into the existing runs, AND it DOES belong there. If you take precautions to NOT overload the circuit, you aren't hurting it. Enrique

This is not necessary when using the wiring in the 240's circuitry. The 240's existing circuit is already powered and fused. All you are doing is connecting the fog lamps to the circuit and a switch to close the loop. Adding another wire would have power going in or out in unpredictable places. Enrique

If you aren't planning on getting high watt fog lamps then yes it should work, as that is how mine are hooked up. If you are planning on getting a high watt light, then like the headlights I would recommend a relay based circuit. Enrique

After talking to a friend of mine who had a lot of involvement with the Barret Jackson auction and yet another big name auction (whose name escapes me at the moment), I find that I must modify my prior post. It turns out that there ARE deductions in STOCK CONCOURS that would not apply in other classes. The bare fact was that if the part or part number if visible on the part, was not the one that would have come with that car, a deduction gets taken. That means that "Replaced By" or superseeded part numbers would in fact devalue a STOCK CONCOURS class vehicle, but not necessarily one of the lower classes. I apologize to all in that what I know of the Concours classes is so muddled with "barracks lawyering" that it led me astray. Personally, I'm more interested in driving my car and having it look as good as possible. Since I have custom wheels, dash, heater control panel, seat reclining mechanism, louvers, headlight covers and "angel eye" headlights, I won't be in any competition for originality or authenticity for a long time. Even though the items I have added, would have been considered a customiization and therefore "period authentic", I realize and know that it isn't a Concours contender. Enrique

"Does using "FACTORY" interchanged parts in a restoration hurt its authenticity? " I think that the form of the question begets a discussion as to the terms used. Factory designated "Replaced By" parts are what you would receive if you were still taking your car to the dealer for service. Does that mean that Dealer Repairs are devaluating your car when they effect maintenance "by the book". Does that then render some of these vehicles with "pristine service records" going back to the first oil change as less valuable or less authentic? Then the word authenticity implies that there is a STANDARD to which the vehicle in question can be compared to in order to gauge the level of "authentic" parts. Authentic implies being fully trustworthy as according with fact or actuality. In this case, that STANDARD once again applies, and as yet, I'm not aware of a Z specific standard that everyone would agree to. If by authenticity you are referring to no "make-do" parts, that is, substituting a set of Corvette Tail-Lights, swapping out the transmssion with one that was not available to that model, making a modification to the vehicle such that you would NOT have received the car with it, then I agree with your reference. However, the FACTORY word in front of a part would, in my opinion, render the question of authenticity moot. Then you can get into the realm of "accepted" non-factory designated brands or items. Is everyone using "Elephant" oil? (or whatever it's name was) Fan Belts, Air Breather elements, Fuses, and all the other disposable items that are used during regular maintenance. How about tires? I'll bet that 9/10 of the club fails on that alone. The tenth that wouldn't fail are those vehicles that have been in a time capsule with the original tires. That means that anyone with over 40,000 miles on the odometer BETTER have a new set of originally designated tires or their car is worth less. 2¢ Enrique

Yikes! This is one of the most overlooked problems when checking for leaks around the windshield area. Sadly, it takes a lot of careful use of an inspection mirror in order to get a good look inside the cowl plenum. As a result, most people miss this part. Another area to check is the flange for the fresh air opening. With the rain splash cover over it, it makes it very easy to NOT see the edges of the flange until they've rusted so far down that they allow rain in through the fresh air vent. Good thing you found it, those of you who haven't checked your wiper cowl bucket area might take note. Enrique

A HOBART 150 or a "just as good" 150? I'll think that when you check the recovery times and weld time involved you might find that 250 to be twice as expensive as a well bought 700 machine. TANSTAAFL. I've used less expensive welders and found myself having to wait longer and longer between shorter and shorter periods of welding. That makes for sloppy and weak welds. 2¢ Enrique

The 260's wiring diagram and further up, shows the connectors and the wiring pairs you are matching. Trace the wiring you worked on back on the wiring diagram and it will tell you position and color. 2¢ Enrique

Quote: Yeah i was about to say that I never seen 280z here in OZ.. most of them are 240 or 260 and 2+2 seems to be more common. I noticed this as I was preparing my post. That's a big point to make on this discussion. Most of the members here are U.S. based and as such saw a different sequences and durations of models. The 260 in the U.S. was only offered for a bit over a year, and was then replaced with the 280 which still shared the same body style as the 240 and 260. Then they started introducing changes until they came out with the ZX. Enrique

That you have a car for sale, and you've offered up a price for it, does not mean that it will sell for that price. For it to be MY definition of purchaseable, it would need to fulfill MY expectations on that purchase. A picture can speak volumes, and if you've been reading the posts here, then you know the pictures that will help determine whether it is a good candidate for restoration and not a boneyard refugee. Enrique

Before you go crazy disassembling and "fixing" things, would you do one simple easy test? Get in the car, and in a nice level area, let the clutch out slowly, but DO NOT ACCELERATE. In fact, take your foot completely off the accelerator pedal. I have a feeling that your "surge" will disappear. If so, you can repeat the test going to 2nd gear the same way, shift with no accelerator. If no sure, it's your foot and not the car. (Well, ok, technically it's the car.) If it does, then what you are suffering from is the dreaded Accelerator Pedal Surge. This is due to the geometry of the accelerator linkage. There are cures for it, but I haven't heard of any easy ones. The best thing to do, is do what most of us have done, learn to work with it. Enrique

Interested? Yeah, that's why I'm asking, now as to whether or not it's purchaseable is another matter. But, let's see the pictures before we decide anything. I once owned a 70 Nova 350, had a blast with that car. Enrique

Have you uploaded any pictures? E

As DSpillman pointed out, not at all. The connectors and part of the wiring changed a lot from late 72 to 73, and from 71 to 72. Other than having to swap out the wiring and the tach, everything else should fit right in. Enrique

AFAIK there are few differences between the 71 and 73. The most prominent of which would be the spacing in the Heater Control Panel area (due to it's lighted nature). However, from what he is asking for "a decent used dash for a '71 240z, couple cracks are fine ", which to me reads as though he's limited in funds. What about someone's part's car dash, that may in fact need a dash cap? Lastly, what about Dashboard Restorations? Weren't they "stock-piling" dash frames? Just a couple points to check. Enrique

Chris, not arguing since bodyworking and paint prep work are as individual as can be but.... I don't know that I would use the Tack Cloth. Especially on bare metal that's about to be etched. Tack Cloths typically have this icky sticky coating that "traps" all the dust that they come in contact with. Unfortunately most people either just very so lightly drape and wipe or get in there and really scrub it in hard. In the first case, they will just use up a tack cloth and not really get the dirt removed because they didn't apply pressure. In the second, they will smear some of that sticky goop onto the metal surface and cause problems with that. I would just use a lint-free and non-shedding cloth to wipe the whole car with the Ditz-O W&G Remover using the "Wax-On, Wax-Off" method. (I.e. one hand applies with separate rag, the other removes with separate rag.) Now, once you get past the etch and epoxy primer, then use your tack-cloths to ensure a blemish free foundation for the paint, but I think it's a bit of an overkill for the base etching primer. As far as sanding the whole car if, as I understand it, you've sandblasted the whole car; I don't know that I would use 120 grit paper. To me that would be a bit coarse for bare metal work going to etch/primer. You'd almost be guaranteeing that you would have to apply at least one heavy or two medium coats of fill-primer just to get a smooth surface again. If your metal is straight, and you don't have areas that need bodywork or bumping or new metal going in, then go with 180 to 220 grit for the work after the sandblasting, then do the etch. I've personally never heard of having to sand after the etch, and in my opinion, kind of defeats the purpose of the etch in the first place. But, if that's what you guys know from talking to the paint reps, then do it. Back in "my day", we always shot self-etching primer onto bare metal, so we didn't have a separate etch process. FWIW Enrique

Congratulations on your purchase, I wish you a long and enjoyable ride. Do yourself and your car a HUGE favor. Get to know each other FIRST, before you go chasing after moonbeams. This may sound cliche, or even corny, but there are so many posts about people getting their car and within a very short span of time, are suddenly beset with a car that SUDDENLY needs several $hundred$ spent on it. Believe me, a car that is in the condition the pictures show SHOULD be ....at least,,, driveable. If so, then DRIVE IT! (Of course, I'm presuming that you've already done the basic "receiving prepwork", i.e. the oil, air, gas, tires etc, so you KNOW that it will drive.) Find out the best way to start it, full choke is not unusual on a cold start. That you have to hold the choke cable tells me that the friction on the screw for the choke handle is set too loose. Once you have that down, then take her out and enjoy. However, please AVOID getting over-eager with the "repairs". Yes, you'll get to them, BUT not all at once, nor right now. Start by running the car, finding out what she will and will not do G E N T L Y. Unless you know that the prior owner RAN the car as opposed to just operate it, I wouldn't go in and essentially STRESS the car in manners that it hasn't been stressed in YEARS. That's what causes things to BREAK. So, first drive it like a bit of a museum piece, which she is. Then start doing the obvious FIXES, starting with any safety or mechanical issues, but avoid deciding that the car needs a tune-up just because you JUST bought the car. How do you know that the car NEEDS a tune-up? Too many times that's what happens to a lot of new Z owners, they do the proverbial "tune-up", only to find themselves with a disassembled engine, with the body shell up on a rotisserie, and new weatherstripping coming in from the left moon of Pluto in just a few "tune-up" sessions. I'll guarantee that you'll come to know the little lady within a short span of time and then any tune-ups you do will be ACTUAL tune-ups and not unnecessary repairs that further stress and cause more repairs. 2¢ Enrique

All good points so far, tire balance can definitely cause the vibration you mention as can rough pavement. However, I have one more thing to add and that is the U-joint that connects the half-shaft to the wheel. I had a bad u-joint on my left rear wheel which caused a massive vibration in the tire which led to the lug nuts flying off and the wheel passing my car at 60+mph. Not something you want to have happen. When I took it to the mechanic to fix the damage, he mentioned that the U-joint more than likely caused the problem. So, for what it's worth, have that checked as well. Enrique

Well, since everyone is re-posting on this topic, let me add my 2¢ on a "rebuttal" for Will. In a nutshell your procedure is the better of the two. Ideally everyone working on their electrical system has all of the proper equipment and materials to do as you suggested, which is to use a chemical process to remove the corrosion in a connection. Sadly, in my experience working underneath trees, tarps, and most other made-to-do repair facilities, the average "repair-man", meaning most of us, is looking for a fix NOW. The fix I mentioned is just that, a quick and after two, going on 3 years, fix. If you read my post, you'll note that I specified to be careful, and only remove enough material to effect a good connection. Personally, I'm saving up to buy two of Dave's upgraded Headlight Relay Wiring even though I still have stock wattage bulbs. Enrique

If someone is serious about bidding on this car, get better pictures of the following: The RH Hatch Opening, showing the channel going up from the tail-light area up to the hinge. Although the hinges appear good, there is some brown goop right above the spring hatch block. The RH Radiator Support area, as seen from above. There's some brown gunk there too. The front wheel wells, both of them, looking back towards the cabin. The driver's side seems to either have brown mud, or ..... in the space between fender and frame shell. Rocker panels. 2¢ Enrique

I very much agree with this. However, you're going to have a hard time selling that to people, as has been stated, with the means to buy such vehicles. Not until it affects their process to get the means, or they are restricted will you get them to agree to limit or reduce the "whateverness" that draws people to these machines. There's yet another point to this though. Traffic statistics are compiled from actual accident numbers. As the larger vehicles proliferate, there will be more accidents of the large vehicle / small vehicle variety. These will undoubtedly show that the small vehicle is more prone to damage than the larger vehicle (you think?). As such, newer mandates to increase small vehicle safety will both drive the price of the smaller vehicles UP, but also, by direct correlation their size. As the prices and sizes go up, we find ourselves in an upward spiral. I'm not denigrating the H2, but I don't want my residential streets cluttered up with 10 wheel tractor trucks as the family car, simply because everybody has finally bought bigger. Additionally, those of us who enjoy small cars; the Z, the Roadster, TR-6, even the Miata and others (insert / delete any you feel qualify); also don't want to have a vehicle that masses 4 times our size, feeling that the proper distance to stop from your back bumper is when they can't see you over the hood. There are HUNDREDS of other vehicles manufactured outside the U.S. that we will never see here. The laws that specify minimum performance ratings in various accidents are the reason you can't import them. Does each vehicle have to be designed to stop a nuclear blast? As a country we do this to ourselves and then bemoan the fact that we find ourselves so constrained in what we do. We want bigger trucks and all sort of pleasure vehicles, yet, since we're not willing to explore our own oil reserves, we'll hock ourselves to countries that nationalized our oriignal investment in setting them up to export the oil. Then they hold the price over our heads if we begin to show signs of developing other means. The only way to countenance this, is to seek cheaper fuels, better electricity storage and more efficient and lighter metals. Ah, well. Carl, let me know what kind of hate mail you get. Enrique

...snip...they slide up the window several inches. Which means that either you have the world's loosest set of Z wipers, or that they are somehow disconnected from the wiper motor itself, or with so much slack that they allow that bounce. Do the wipers work now? That is, wipe properly, and return to off position. If so, then I would check why you have so much play in the linkages. Enrique

If you are referring to the fiberglass fill in to the headlight scoops that are used for racing, be aware that they eliminate the function of the headlight itself. So would painting a set of clear headlight covers. If your plans are to convert your vehicle into a day only driver, then go ahead, but if not, the mod you're thinking of will not work. Enrique