EScanlon

There's no need to remove the Fan Switch from the Panel. Doing so just guarantees you the problems you had. The whole Heater Control Panel h the Control Lever Assembly and Cables AND Switch come off as an assembly. 2¢

There are 3 ways of removing the clock: 1) Remove the Glove Box Cardboard and access the back of the clock. 2) Remove the Heater Control Panel and access the back of the clock. 3) Squeeze your hand in between the ducts going to the defrost ducts and the eyeball vents, worm it in between the wiring and strictly by feel, remove the 8mm Hex Screw holding the clock in place, then disconnect the wiring and carefully snake the whole thing out. Installation is the reversal of removal! :devious: As far as testing off the battery, do yourself a favor and hook up an inline fuse before using that as your test / calibrating power source. If you should "jolt" or shock the mechanism you might burn it out. (Remember that's what a surge protector does.) 2¢

Bambikiller said it best. The problem with pliable seam sealer is that it never "sets", which is it's good point. Since it never sets, it can be pulled off by accident or get hard when yu least expect it. That's what happened to the original stuff Datsun used. I POR'ed the whole floor, firewall, transmission tunnel, tool compartments, wheel wells, inner fenders, hatch floor, behind the tail lights. The only part that didn't get it was the spare tire well, and that will get it later. 2¢

The 240 Heater will NEVER put out HEATED air through the vents in the center vent or side "eyeball" vents of the dash. The only air that will come out of the center and sides is air from the Vent when the Top Lever is on Vent. When the lever is on Heat it will either push air out the defrost tubes (up by the windshield) or down to the floor (Room) down by the top of the transmission tunnel. This lever is the only one that operates TWO cables. One that goes on the left hand side of the Heater Assy, somewhat to the front, to operate the internal flapper valve. The other cable (the longest one) goes behind the Heater Motor Squirrel Cage to the Fresh Air Vent mechanism to the flap valve there. The Center Lever just actuates the Heater Valve on the passenger side of the Heater Unit. One cable to this lever. The Bottom Lever closes a flap inside the Heater Assy that either pushes the air up through the defrost tubes, or let's it out the sides by opening little flaps on both sides of the heater unit below the Heater Core. One cable to this lever. Hopefully this explains why you're not getting warm air through the "correct" openings. Enrique Scanlon

Welcome to the club! Two notes: The Original grey finish for the rear finishers was a very odd shade / texture. Wick Humble's recipe is his best approximation to the paint color. The main key to getting the right "look" is to apply it kind of dry and let it get a "scratchy" finish. Wick's description of the finish was "Matchbox striker". And that is why so many Z's have had the rear finishers painted in Satin Black or Gloss, or Flat (although Flat has the same problem). When you wax the car, polish the paint, rub it out or ANY procedure that involves using some sort of wipe on liquid, you MUST avoid touching the finishers. The finishers will show EVERY kind of dirt, wax, polish or substance that has touched them. And cleaning them? Rotsa Ruck! That's why people painted them satin or semi-gloss black. Next item, regarding the overrider, most all the ones that mount over the bumper guards that I've seen have been drilled THROUGH the rubber. Yes, others have done other installations, but that's what I have seen. However, BEFORE you drill, place the overrider on the car, and CHECK FOR CLEARANCE! You may find that that little 3/8" or 1/2" spacing from the rubber becomes critical as far as having the tip of the hood avoid hitting the overrider. OH, and lastly, do yourself a HUGE favor before it becomes a massive repair problem. Check the fuse box and fuses. Don't just VISUALLY check them. Check them for continuity, resistance and make sure that the clips are nice and bright shiny where the fuses get pinched AND that the clip is tight. The sad fact is that this is probably the BIGGEST problem on the Z's next to rust. Hope this helps. Enrique Scanlon

Vacuum Advance Bearing Mechanism. Common problem, it's a little piece of plastic that holds some ball bearings for the innards of the dizzy to rotate on when the vacuum pulls on the mechanism. It also has a spring which allows the mechanism to return to base point. As the car ages, the little plastic thing gets brittle and eventually breaks and sheds little ball bearings all over the inside of the dizzy. Common problems are hiccupping, poor idle, back-firing through the carbs, even real lousy acceleration. The part is available through Nissan, would have to look up the part number, but that's usually all it needs. If I recall right , they're only about $20.00 or so. But why sell the car?

The ones that I've seen have been drilled through the rubber. Which makes it a real shame if you just bought new rubber for those guards. If you have the original bumper guards, and the original rubber, then I suggest you make sure you have them on the car, then place the overrider in place, and open and close your hood. Make sure it clears in both directions. Once you have clearance, then mark your holes and drill. 2¢

I'm also with AAA (actually ACIA), and I have no complaints as yet either. However, I DID specify a value for my car based on what I purchased it for, and an additional value based on the work that I was planning to put into it. I have it on the policy and on a letter signed by my agent, with a provision that states that this is an ongoing condition upon renewal. Now that that work has been completed, I need to reevaluate that value, and at this point in time it may be that the ~new~ value is not acceptable to AAA. My point wasn't that your insurance co. is out to cheat you, but rather that way too many times you find out AFTER the fact and not BEFORE. Sometimes a simple phone call is all it takes to discover whether or not your insurance company considers your 30 year old pristine 240Z an outstanding example of a collector car ~ OR ~ a rusty old beater. Forewarned is forearmed! 2¢

Now that you've obtained your Z, you have taken the first step in something that will give you hudnreds of hiours of enjoyment and unfortunately, a few not so enjoyable hours here and there. Take care of your car, look it over carefully and learn all you can about it, as that knowledge is what will save you much money and avoid frustrations. This is one of the best sites for that. Research the archives, but feel free to ask questions. The search feature will yield faster results than posting the same question over again. But if you truly have a new spin on an old question, feel free to post your query to the ORIGINAL question. Mike has programmed all new posts to pop up on the home page as ACTIVE POSTS and you will get more information with an old post that is refreshed this way, than if you were to post the question as new. Additionally, by keeping all subsequent questions to an item together (i.e. the same post) when new searches are done, not only the older answers but also your new spin on the item will all be presented together. Again, Welcome! Enrique Scanlon

This is probably one of the least discussed topics. Just adding your Z to your standard Automobile Insurance Policy will NOT, repeat NOT, insure for any of the following: a) TRUE repair costs. TRUE value. c) APPRECIATION due to restoration OR collectability. Read the fine print, and you will more than likely discover a phrase that says "Fair Market Value" or "Average Worth". These are insurance double-speak for "What we decide to give you." You MUST contract with the insurance company to either insure at an agreed upon value, or the value assigned to the car by a car appraiser. Otherwise.......you will get insurance based on the insurance companies tables. That means, tables prepared BY the insurance companies FOR use by the insurance companies in paying out claims. Trust me, in the insurance business, paying OUT is to be avoided or minimized at all costs. Yes, they have to pay out, but how much they pay out is where thousands of people have been very VERY rudely awakened. There are insurance companies out there that specialize in collector cars. Unfortunately some of these companies also impose limits, restrictions and other conditions before they'll accept your vehicle insurance policy. The alternative is to arse-U-ME that your insurance company will do the ~right~ thing. Rots-A-Ruck! Their main intent in business is to maximize the premiums while minimizing the benefit payout. They will give you what their books say is "Fair Market Value" which is based on data that will almost definitely NOT include your gem. I won't mention specific insurance companies, I'll leave that to other folks. But the bottom line here is to check your contract, talk to your agent and get it in writing what and how much your current policy is actually protecting you. If you find that it isn't what you want, then find another company FIRST, before you cancel your old policy. This is critical, especially if you have any kind of a bad driving record, or points on your license. NEVER ASSUME THAT INSURANCE IS A PHONE CALL AWAY. Get the policy, or at least some sort of written confirmation that you are covered before you cancel your old policy. You can always put the refund into your checking account. 2¢

A blonde listening to earphones walks into a hair stylist shop and requests a hair cut and a style. The stylist sits her down and reaches up to remove the earphones from her ears, and she exclaims: "NO, I was told that I can never remove those from my ears." The stylist explains that this will make giving her a haircut and style very difficult. The blonde says, "That's fine, I'll pay extra, but I was told to NOT ever remove the earphones." The stylist goes ahead and does as requested. This goes on for months, with the blond always wearing her earphones. Then on one visit, the blonde falls asleep while getting styled. The stylist, unable to contain the months old curiosity, reaches up and removes the earphones with the intent of listening to whatever was so darned important. No sooner have the earphones been removed than the blonde immediately suffers what appears to be a Grand Mal Seizure along with more serious complications. The stylist runs to the phone and calls the ambulance service. The ambulance crew arrives and attempts to revive the blonde but after a period of time, the blonde is declared dead and she's carted away. The stylist is crestfallen, and in cleaning up the area notices that the blonde's earphones and player are on the ground. Reaching down, and inserting one of the earphones in one ear a droning voice is heard "BREATHE IN........BREATHE OUT........BREATHE IN.......BREATHE OUT........"

A couple on their way to get their marriage license, are unfortunately, killed in an accident. They arrive at the Pearly Gates and St. Peter lets them in. After the initial shock, they ask St. Peter: "Since we were on the way to get married, do you think we might be able to get married here in Heaven?" St. Peter says; "Hmm, no one has ever asked that before. Let me investigate and I'll get back to you." 3 months go by, and during that time the couple has had time to reflect and consider the ramnifications of their decision. St. Peter FINALLY arrives and says; "Whew, YES you can indeed get married in Heaven!" The couple then says: "St. Peter, thank you, but we've been thinking. Here in Heaven things are FOREVER, and 'Till death do us part...' won't work. What happens if we want to get a divorce later?" At this point, St. Peter obviously frustrated, throws down his clipboard and shouts: "Darn it all, I've just spent THREE MONTHS trying to find a PRIEST, and NOW you want me to find a LAWYER?????"

Yup, that's a Spook alright. You can still get them from MSA with or without holes. The big advantage of the Spook is that it bolts on to your existing front valance. The other styles offered, as a general rule, require you to remove it as well as the side marker curved sections. BRE also had a short full width rear spoiler which mounted on the upper edge of the rear end. This was in part to add down ward pressure on the rear tires and also to upset the flow of air in order to avoid the dreaded exhaust back flow in through the hatch vents. 2¢

Hey there groovy guys and gals, got a nasty ride that you want to look even nastier? Well, you need one of these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34203&item=2400104333 Hurry now, as supply will probably outstrip demand! To see how this would look on your car, look at the bottom picture! [On a serious note, I wouldn't want the liability on this item!]

Look in the Yellow Pages, under ICE. (Seriously) But on another note: Guys, I know it's a PITA to chip off the tar paper, but it seems that using Dry Ice, Air Chisels, Heat Guns, Aircraft Paint Stripper, et al, is just making a huge volcano out of a tiny anthill. Get a fairly stiff 1" or 1-1/2" or even a 3" paint scraper. You can usually find these in the simplest of hardware stores. Take it home, and put an edge on it with your bench grinder. You're not talking about an edge you can shave with, just enough of an edge that it will cut under the tar paper. Sharpen ONE side of the blade only, leaving the other side flat. The resulting edge should look something like this when viewed from the side : /_____ Then with the sharpened edge facing up, find an edge of the tar paper, or a crack, or heck, just start in the middle of it, and either with your hand, or with the aid of a lightweight (NOTE: LIGHTWEIGHT) hammer, tap - tap - tap. You'll shove that edge under the tar paper, it will probably POP right off, or if it proves stubborn, TWIST the scraper up and to the side. I'll guarantee that the tar paper will come off. That's how I've done the Z's I've worked on. 2¢

99% of Lawyers give the REST a bad name!!!!! Lawyers as a general rule of thumb, never suffer the consequences of the actions they participate in. The lawyer who sues a large corporation and loses, doesn't have to pay out any money at all, his client does. He still charges his client for the time he spent on it. However, if they were to win, he'd get a share of the pie. Attempts at fixing this are impossible, know why? Cause the lawyers that would upset this applecart hasn't been born, nor would he be allowed to practice!

A man goes to the doctor complaining of an incredible pain in his testicles. The doctor examines him and says: "Your wife is blonde, isn't she?" The amazed man exclaims "That's uncanny, how would you know that from examining my privates? Did you see a stray hair or something?" The doctor replies; "Oh no, nothing like that. What you have is a very common affliction to men who are married to blondes. You have a ruptured testicle, which we can treat. To avoid future problems, remind your wife that 'Blow Job', is a figure of speech!"

Regarding the tar mat in the hatch area. I agree with Michael Perdue. With all the wrinkling of the metal, the tar-paper and the possibilities of water / moisture having gotten back there in 30+ years, I would remove the tar mat just to be sure that there is no hidden rust just waiting to bite you later. Yes it is a PITA to remove, but which is worse, removing tar paper or welding in replacement sheet metal? You will find that Datsun placed the tar-paper directly over unpainted galvanized (and low level galvanize) metal. Those wrinkles and moisture seepage will have undoubtedly allowed rust, whether surface or heavy to develop. 2¢

I found that a simple paint scraper botht he 1-1/2" and the 3" with an edge put on it via my bench grinder provided an excellent removal tool. You're basically looking to put an /_ edge on it. I would simply find an edge of the tar mat, push the scraper with the ground edge up underneath it and the tar mat would lift right off. There were a few times when I needed to use a small hammer to "tap" helped, but for the most part just chipped it right off. Yes, heat will help, but that will also reactivate the adhesive behind it. As far as an air-chisel set up on an air hammer, be careful as it wouldn't be hard to dent the metal. If you are going to go this way use the wide blade chisel and not the smaller blades and adjust your pressure down. You don't need the full strength of most air hammers to do this. 2¢

This isn;'t one of those cars you buy to drive. This is one of those you buy to put in your own personal museum. Yes, it's driveable, but only to the local Concours Shows, and then ONLY in perfect weather, probably with a front and rear escort the whole way. Sorry Bambi, doing anything, and I mean ANYTHING to this car would be like trying to improve on the Mona Lisa or Marilyn Monroe, or .... Sometimes the best you can do is absolutely nothing. Besides, anyone buying this car to take it out on the road as a driver or ~shudder~ as a Daily Driver, should be shot, if not emasculated..... Like you said, this is just my opinion.

The original ones were hides from the Nauga animal. Sadly this animal is now an endangered species and true blue replacements are difficult to find as Customs have them on the same list as Tortoise Shell artifacts. It seems that poopular demand for high quality leather like naugahydes outstripped the population faster than the little buggers could keep up. Incidentally, Armor All was first introduced as a sort of a primitive Viagra trying to get the little beasts to procreate. Unfortunately, this caused their skin to crack which resulted in even greater loses of the little guys. The other item rare item is the wood they used on the steering wheel. That came from the Arboraetus Mimicus tree which only grows in a small section of Japan. Although several attempts have been made to plant the tree elsewhere, it seems that it will only grow in Japan. However there have been reports of a very similar tree found in the outback of Australia, which the natives refer to as Maderus Plasticum or in the original aborigine "Bluh Deeh Fuäacke Wôd". Just a bit of Z trivia.

I'm glad you saw that picture. Sorry I hadn't posted anything about it along with the picture, I had posted something on a post regarding Avoiding Rust or something like that. Basically I got a 45° PVC Elbow to fit into the rubber hose that goes through the side wall (Kick Panel Metal) and to the cowl drains which are located inside the passenger compartment. The PVC Elbow was both siliconed and nylon strapped in place. Next was a piece of clear Poly tubing, since that was what was available at the hardware store. You could use different tubing or hose and get the same effect. Then I routed it towards the frame rail behind the splash guard and in front of the rocker panel. At the exit point I cut the tube at a diagonal with the opening facing back towards the passenger compartment and down towards the ground. The reason for that is so that I wouldn't get splash up from the front tire being forced up into the tube and then have the air pressure force it up into the cowl. The diagonal directed as I did will also allow a bit of a venturi effect and drain the cowl during rain better than just gravity. Again, glad it helped someone. Enrique Scanlon

Per the dictionary: "Roadster: an early automobile having an open body, a single seat for two or three persons, and a large trunk or a rumble seat." However, the 1600 and 2000 SP/SR series vehicles (don't confuse the 1600 with the 510 model) are also referred to as the "SPORTS". From what I understand the name Roadster was also used by Nissan / Datsun in promoting the vehicle. That's why when people refer to the "Roadster" you have people identifying the Datsun SportS 1600 or 2000, OR the BMW Roadster, OR many of the vehicles created from 20's and 30's and 40's cars. 2¢

And that also explains why Z's in good condition in the Rust Belt sell for such high $. Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, New York and that whole area are besieged by nasty snow, ice and sleet storms all the time. Urea is too expensive to use, and if you've ever encountered a sheet of black ice on the road at high speed, even if you hate salt, you appreciate what it does. Unfortunately, Salt + H20 + Steel = Rust. You could invest in thousands of dollars of undercoating, inner wall rustproofing, car washing the outside and the underside of the car everytime you drive and you would never beat the rust genie. (Ever wonder why the Zeibart and other ~RUSTPROOFING~ folks have a LIMITED warranty on their product?) Park it. Drive it in spring, summer and fall. Nuff Said. Enrique

An Irishman, a Mexican and a Blonde man working on the roof of a skyscraper sit down to have lunch. The Irishman opens up his lunch pail and announces; "Roast Beef and Cabbage AGAIN! If I get Roast Beef and Cabbage again next week, I'm jumping off this building." The Mexican opens up his lunch box and, not to be out done, says: "Tacos and Refried Beans! If I get Tacos and Refried Beans next week, I'll jump off too!" The Blonde man opens up his paper bag and exclaims: "Peanut Butter and Jelly! If I get Peanut Butter and Jelly again I'm jumping too!" Next week comes around, and they sit down to have lunch. The Irishman opens his pail, looks inside, and exclaims: "Roast Beef and cabbage, that does it." He then runs to the side of the building and jumps off. The Mexican opens his lunch box and yells:"Tacos again!" and proceeds to jump off also. The Blonde man looks in his bag, and he just screams "Arrgggh" and jumps off. At the funeral for all 3, the Irishman's wife mournfully exclaims; "I really didn't think Sean was serious, if I had known, I wouldn't have given him Roast Beef again. The Mexican's wife says; "Juan was always kidding around, who would have thought he wasn't kidding this time." The Blonde Man's wife says: "Hey, don't look at me, he used to pack his own lunch."