EScanlon

Not sure on the 78's, definitely there in the 240's. Don't know why they wouldn't include it in the wiring harness. To verify, look at the wiring harness that goes between the headlights and horns in the lower front of the car. You should see a pair of bullet plug pairs (1 male / 1 female) coming out of the wiring harness and then taped to the body of the harness. Usually a light blue vinyl tape holds it to the harness. There should be one to the right of the right hand horn and one to the left of the left hand horn. The corresponding connector for it, is inside the cabin, by the heater console / fuse box area. At that point neither wire is energized and requires a switch to power them. If I recall properly, they are slaved to the parking lamps. That is they draw their power from the Tail / Side / Parking lamp circuit and via the Fog Lamp Switch feed it to the fog lamps and then to ground. Hope this helps.

I hope that tip helps you. When I discovered this I realized that many Z's out there are suffering from front fender rust out just because of the water and dirt getting trapped back there. My "fix" is something that anyone who uses their car on a regular basis, i.e. in the rain, should look into. Here are a few other tips that I have done to my vehicle in order to alleviate or avoid future problems with rusting. When you remove the front fenders you will note that there is a rubber gasket that is attached to the top of the "arm" which is actually the fresh air duct as well as the main top support for the "frame". This gasket is supposed to prevent the splash / spray from the front wheels from seeping up and into the drain channel which is underneath the fender but in towards the engine from the wheel. If you examine this channel you will note that any water and debris from in front of the cowl, the inspection doors and splash from the road will eventually be washed down to the small exit hole. If your car was treated at the factory like mine was, chances are that the drain hole was plugged with body sealant. This plug will cause the water to stagnate in there and in very short order become filled with debris which retains water etc. Take a minute and clear the drain hole. The exit for this should be just behind and above the fresh air vent tube plastic pieces. Another place that is notorious for catching dirt and other debris is your rocker panel. Believe it or not, the vents on the sides of the roof channel actually draw in dust and other dirt. Typically this ends up being sucked into the "bowels" of the car. The "bowels" actually end up being your rocker panels and the space in front of the rear wheel. With the plastic panels removed, get a 4-6 foot length of 5/8" or larger hose which you will duct tape to the inlet of your shop vac. If you don't care what's in there, then just thread the hose into the space behind and in front of the wheel from the hatch and vacuum up all sorts of dirt. If you'd like to know what you're picking up put a nylon knee-high on the end of your shop vac hose and then feed the 5/8" or so hose into the knee high. This becomes a "net" that will catch whatever you vacuum up. This method is excellent in retrieving those little pins for the plastic rivets which are notorious for disappearing into the nether regions of the car. If you have the complete interior out, put the hose into the rocker panel area from the panel in front of the rear wheel, as well as the access / vent holes in the interior side panel. You'll be surprised as to how much dirt is in there. That dirt is like a sponge and will hold water for days even weeks. When I did mine I vacuumed up about 100 cigarette filters, talk about a nasty sponge! Clean this area out as much as possible to avoid the collection of rust causing dust / dirt. Another spot to check is the vent holes in your doors. You can check these without disassembling the door panels if you get down on the ground and look at the bottom seam. You should spot a couple of oval holes that are there for water to seep out of the car. Make sure these are clear of debris. If there's a bunch in there, you'll want to remove the interior panel so you can vacuum the stuff out. That's all for now. Hope these tips help someone.

To be honest, I don't recall. I was surfing the net and came accross someone elses Z site and they had this at the bottom of a page if I recall right, or I swiped it off of someone else's post at another forum. Feel free to swipe it from me, just right click on the icon and "Save As" and save to disk.

The old steering wheels are very easy to find and very easy to restore. Although some owners have changed the steering wheel, it is rare that I see a vehicle offered for sale without the original "wood" steering wheel. If by chance you should buy a car without the original one, post here as I'm sure there are literally dozens lying around. By the way, the original wheel was not true blue wood, it was a special kind of fibrous plastic that resembles wood not only in appearance but also in texture etc. In fact, with care you can even stain it. Good Luck.

The drains for the windshield wiper cowl bucket empty out behind the splash guard in the front fender area. Unfortunately, there is little room for the water to escape without leaving debris behind which in turn causes the fenders to begin rusting. Take a look, and you'll note the rubber hose about even with the top hinge of the door. I added a section of 1" ID tubing and have it directed out below the splash panel. In this manner any debris coming down from the cowl bucket will go to the ground and not get caught behind the splash guard. This is a simple 10 minute mod which will help down the line.

I have to admit that I've looked at your cars and found them both to be pleasing and sharp. Sorry if I didn't post any superlatives that first time I saw them, but I have to admit that another post with just "Nice Cars!" would not suffice and you weren't looking for a dissertation on your modifications. They look good, they obviously work for you, the cars look well maintained and obviously polished so Good Job! Sometimes a lack of posts does not imply that people didn't like them, just that they didn't post. If anything they may have taken heed of that adage that says "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all." 2¢

Leeroy: Good advice so far, but FIRST check the fuse box. In reading your post, I must point out something that is very much a Z CHARACTERISTIC FLAW. The Fuse Box! Followed by the Wiring. That said, I suggest that as a NEW owner, you FIRST replace, not remove and replace with the SAME fuse, I mean NEW fuses. Then if the problem persists address removing and disassembling a switch that you aren't yet sure is the culprit. There are way WAY too many insidents where the simplest repair was all the car needed. Just because YOU haven't done anything to either the fuse box or the wiring does not mean that due to the change in owner that something has now gone wrong. You drive differently than the prior owner. I'll bet on it. Mayhaps you CLEANED where the other guy had only spilled, get the picture? Any one of those might / could / probably have effected some movement. A fuse might have been jarred a tiny bit, but that broke the metal to metal contact through which it WAS conducting and now it's mostly corrosion that it's on, that increases resistance, that causes HEAT, HEAT will and has melted many a fuse box. So start there. If the problem persists at least you will have done a LOT in defusing the self-destruct mechanism that some Klingon's wired into it. Disconnect the battery, this is done by disconnecting the fuse wire from the battery to the starter motor. The smaller wire, this effectively neutralizes the ignition and wiring harnesses. You can go ahead and disconnect the battery, but that's a much bigger pain and this does the same thing. Remove the old fuses, run a small piece of steel wool through the contacts, (this is why you disconnect the battery from the system). Next, tighten up the contact clips, BEFORE you re-insert the fuses. This will now give you a clean contact area, a NEW fuse and solid mount. Many times this clears many current problems and sometimes prevents new ones from cropping up. The other advice you've received is excellent, but it is a bit more invasive into the car. If you wait till you get your factory manual or an Early Clymer's (my two pics), then how to disassemble some of the things you'll HAVE to, in order to get the combo switch out and reconnected properly won't be such a major pain. Hope this helps.

In your shoes if it's only been a short while since you lost the hubcap, I would try to backtrack and try to find it. Especially if it was in good condition. Welcome to the club, use the Search function for many of your questions, as it helps to cut down on repeats. If you find something by Searching, but it still is missing something, post a reply to THAT thread. The software will then make it an ACTIVE post and people will re-read not only your reply but also the information you've already received. This method will make the search function that much more valuable, as new posts to old threads will then "revive" them and make them viable in an on-going manner. As new posts Add to that original post, the search will remember this post and make it easier to find, as well as provide an easy link in an "articles" section. By the way, ditto on Andy Russell, heck DOUBLE DITTO. I've located some very hard parts through him many in New Old Stock condition, some in NEW condition. 2¢

I voted for XP because I like the color scheme even though it takes a bit to load. Second choice would have to be To The Max. Again, takes a while but the final is a very pleasing color scheme. Also gives a dynamic feel to the page. Generally this could easily have been #1 for me, except that the ORIGINAL XP look for this website was so b!tching! Third, TabMenu or VbpRed Both very similar except for background. Fourth: VbpRed or TabMenu (ibid) Fifth Tabby. Not because this is our current, but rather cause it just strikes me as bland. Just my 2¢

Contact Z Cars of Arizona at: 480-816-8668 You can also talk to Andy Russell there, he's the Datsun Dude and he might be able to get you NOS items. You can e-mail Andy at z@datsundude.com 2¢

I've used these and although the bulb glass is a bit bigger, they DO work in the speedo and tach in ALL the holes. 2¢

The Spring on the window regulator is there to counterbalance the weight of the glass through the mechanism. Without it you would have a heck of a time rolling up the window, and it might get away from you when rolling down. With the regulator out of the car, and the gear cranked out of the crank handle gear, the mechanism should open up by 60-90 degrees from the last stop with the gears engaged. At this point the spring should be fairly easy to just slip out of the slot on the shaft. If your spring is broken or sprung, it's a good idea to replace it as it will take the stress from cranking the window off the window crank handle gear.

Whoa! 1.25mm for a diameter would be .0049" and NOT what you are looking for. The 1.25 refers to the PITCH of the thread, or if I recall right that it will move out 1.25mm for every full turn of the Nut. (Please correct me if I'm wrong!) The Lug Nut Dimensions are as follows: Diameter: 12mm (or 1.2cm or .4724") Thread Pitch: 1.25RH Not sure on the measurement for center to center, (can't find in my books yet) or diagonal. Hope this helps.

The 72's and the late 71's saw the transition in the wiring harness and console area. Early 71's and 70's had a difference in the wiring harness depending on whether the car was an automatic or manual. The late 71's and 72's added the seat belt warning light as well as the choke on indicator light. I'm not sure about the differences in the harness due to the transmission, but you might check. The Automatic requires a pair of wires going to the kick down switch on the gas pedal. These wires in turn go to the solenoid at the transmission.

And you are now a Blood Brother with your car. That means you will have to take care of it and keep it running well and it will in turn give you hours of satisfaction. Crazy as it seems, it seems that if I do a job / procedure on the car and I don't nick myself, then I end up redoing it later. If I cut / scratch / gouge etc etc, then the job goes flawlessly and it ends up as good or better than what I wanted. Do you think the car is out to get it out of me regardless of whether it's blood or money?

Contact Andy Russel at Z Cars of Arizona. They have not only new but also used parts and their quality is unbeatable. His Phone is 480-816-8668.

Silicone will work, but do keep an eye on it over time to make sure it doesn't peel off. You could also use strip caulking, which is what Wick Humble refers to as "dum-dum". It generally never hardens and provides an excellent seal and adhesion. Just don't use any kind of adhesive / epoxy / glue that gets HARD, as it will literally be impossible to remove from the lens if you do have to remove it.

I just recently bought Sylvania #53 for the instrument, and although haven't had a chance to light them up, they fit well and they are 3.4 w. 2¢

I'm probably misreading your reply, you meant the plastic housing and NOT the lenses themselves, right? Don't paint the inside of the lenses with any kind of opaque paint as you will not only block the light, you will heat up the inside of the lens and housing and melt the sucker. If you do want that "tinted" effect, check into the transparent paint you can get for making "stained" glass. You can get it in different colors for a different look.

Alfa; first of all, see if you can access the SIDES of the tangs that are biting into the plastic pin. It may take a small bent nail, or if you have an old dental pick, or some other SMALL prying tool, but the intent is to move those tangs UP and AWAY from the pin. I'm awful on ASCII art, but here goes. In a bit I'll try a .BMP image from Paint. ........./ ||| \........ The dots and the diagonals are what the sheet metal blind nut are, the vertical lines are the plastic pin. The diagonals represent the angled up portion of the sheet nut (also called a speed nut) pressing onto and biting into the pin. The plastic pin extends up and below the speed nut, but this is where ascii art can be deceptive due to the spacing between lines. What you want to do is insert a "hook" or some method of pulling the diagonals up and away from the plastic pin. The reason the speed nut isn't moving is because it is being pushed down by the angled pieces of metal, and because of that pressure will literally squeeze the pin until it breaks if you try to pull the speed nut straight up. Secrets: Regarding old diapers. Never had access to diapers personally, and all my friends who are parents have opted for the disposable kind. However, you CAN find them at garage sales, or Goodwill, or second hand stores both Baby and General. I was given this tip by an old friend of mine and "mentor" who did a lot of airbrush painting. The specific reason old cotton cloth diapers are "best" is that they are typically made with few extraneous threads (i.e. non-cotton), and also have very few "knots". They can literally be bleached, and washed in very hot water and come back time after time ready for use. They are typically the most absorbent, and scratch proof cloths you can buy. I use mine for polishing, cleaning, and other jobs where both absorbency and scratch free clean up is important. (Try doing a wax job with one of these!) Lights: Once you have disassembled your lenses, and before you put them back together again here's another tip: Paint the area around the lightbulbs with as bright and shiny a WHITE paint as you can find. I use a fuel proof paint from my R/C hobby. It is Pactra Formula U Polyurethane. It will take a day or two to dry, so be careful in handling them to avoid finger smudges. Don't paint the reflector, just the gray / white plastic above and below the reflectors and bulbs. With clean and polished lenses, the result is dramatic. The red area looks brighter and the clear looks clearer! This is without the lights being on. I've also done this to the somewhat white of the front turn signals, as well as the inside of my instrument panel gauges and also the License Plate and Interior Light. All of these show a remarkable increase in their illumination and non light appearance. In fact, the "dome" light is now bright enough that you can actually SEE inside the car at night. Courtesy Lights: There is wiring in the 240 wire harness that will allow you to mount a pair of courtesy lights to either the door panel or the kick panel. Datsun originally intended for the light to be mounted on the door and illuminate the entry area to the doors, but few if any cars (to my knowledge) ever arrived in the US with that option. I found some "marker" lights at the local auto parts store. These have a chrome top with a white lens and the light bulb housing. I mounted mine on the kick panels just between the fresh air vents and the pull mechanism, way up and nearly invisible as you are seated. They are turned on when the door opens or the dome light is activated. The inside of my car is very brightly lit now. The wiring for these is usually wrapped up and taped to the wiring harness at the point where the wires for the door open switches come out of the harness. Rustproofing Side Markers: The 73 and later Z's had a rubber boot that housed the whole back portion of the metal reflector for the side markers. Earlier cars did NOT have this feature, and as a result are usually rusted from behind, and within a short measure of time, will allow water to seep into the light and rust the reflector inside. A lot of people have replaced their 72 and earlier markers with the 73's and now it is almost impossible to find a 73 side marker light with the rubber boot. To rust proof the new 71 side marker lights I bought, I first removed the metal portion from the new boot. Then I used some heatshrink tubing around the external portion of the socket all the way from the base to the wiring protector. Then I brushed on a product called Plasti-Dip. This is a rubber coating that when dry resembles rubber. It is the same kind of stuff in use to dip your tool handles in to get a slip proof grip. You can usually get this at Home Depot or other hardware stores. Let it sit for a couple days to dry and shrink to the metal then reassemble carefully and you will have a rubber boot on the back side of the metal. One other note, a small bead of Plasti-Dip in the groove of the original side marker rubber boot where the metal is inserted into the boot will do wonders for sealing the lens assembly. You could also use weatherstrip adhesive or silicone. While I'm on the subject of side marker lenses, if you recently bought new, or if yours are in good clean condition, take a close look at the lens. You will note that the front of the lens is glued to the back of the lens. That's because the lens uses both a prismatic refractor and a circular pattern refractor to light the whole unit up. The problem here is that the manufacturer used the LEAST amount of glue necessary to hold the two halves together. The ensuing problem is that there is a space for both water and DIRT to creep into that channel. The end result is that over time, you will note a dark band develop on the outside edge of your new lens. Go to your favorite Hobby Store, and buy a small bottle of Gap Filling Cyanoacrylate glue. Also known as Super Glue. There are several types there, from slow setting to fast setting. You want the SLOW and GAP filling type. Instead of trimming the nozzle of the bottle to open the nozzle to allow product to come out, use as fine a pin as you can find to open a hole. This will allow you better control over the glue. Next, the short height side will usually have the seam hidden beneath the stainless trim, this is where you want to slowly and patiently apply the super glue and let it fill the gap. If you are careful and using a pin, you could even walk around the whole perimeter of the gap and fill this seam. The intent is to fill that seam such that dirt can't creep into it, and show up later. Be careful getting this on any other part of the lens as it will mar the finish and look unsightly. I think you could probably also use clear nail polish or paint but I haven't tried it. I opted for the super glue because I had it on hand and I know it won't crack or yellow with age. That's all for now, I have other secrets up my sleeve which I'll share later.

Cleaning the tail light lenses in plenty of warm water and a dishwashing soap will do an excellent job of removing the bulk of the dirt. Use as warm a water as you can comfortably put your hands in without getting into HOT water, use dishwashing soap liberally and let the stream of water remove and loosen as much of the dirt as possible. I like to let them sit in the soapy solution for a good hour or longer. Once you've done that, if the water needs warming up, add hot water, but don't put the lenses directly under the hot water. Don't know that it would hurt them, but why take chances? Next, with a soft sponge and liberal amounts of dishwashing liquid, go over the whole lens and housing. I have a very soft old toothbrush that I use to get into the nooks and crannies. I also have a mixing brush with soft stiff bristles to get into deep recesses. Using these, I will then wash the whole unit again to remove the last of the dirt that I can get to. Dry them off, enough that you won't be dripping on yourself as you start to disassemble them. From the back of the mounting frame, the part of the housing that is actually inside the car, and where the light bulbs go through, you will note that there is one sheet metal blind nut in the center. This needs to be removed before you can go on and remove the lens from the housing. Be careful as this holds the lens AND the chrome strip in place, AND it is notoriously very VERY fragile. In fact, since the sheet metal blind nut is easily obtained, I would recommend that you bend the tabs on the sheet metal nut out and away from the plastic pin. If the tabs break off even better. Once the blind nut is out of the way, then you can address removing the lens from the bracket. Alan has it right in that there is a small rectangular opening on the bottom of the lens. There is supposed to be a felt rectangle in there which at one time was supposed to allow condensation to escape the lens. With a screwdriver, start prying the lens from the mounting bracket, but be very very careful as you don't want to stress the lens and crack it. Once you can get it to lift a bit, insert something in the tab, and move down the edge that has lifted and work your way around the lens. The yellow / white taffy like adhesive will give up it's hold, but you must be patient. Once you've removed the lens from the housing, you can remove the final two sheet metal clips that hold the chrome strip to the lens. Again, even though the clips look like they're difficult to find, it is much easier to replace them than the chrome strip. Trust me on this, if you try to "unscrew" the clips, or rock them off the plastic tips in any way, manner, or fashion, you will either break, bend, or otherwise mar the chrome strip plastic tips, which will give you tons more trouble than just finding sheet metal nuts to hold the strip to the lens. (Voice of Experience) Reach under the metal tangs that bite into the plastic tip and pull / bend / cut them away from the tip. The intent is to leave the plastic tip as undamaged as possible. After removing the chrome strip, I like to clean off the adhesive off the lens before proceeding, as it likes to retain clumps of dirt / dust. You can use lacquer thinner for this, but you must work QUICKLY and not let the rag or thinner sit on the lens for an excessive period of time. The key note here is to moisten the rag, use it to clean the edge, but keep moving it and don't put it on to "soak" or "soften" any primer, glue, paint etc.. You might have to redo this fifteen times, instead of soaking it for 5 minutes, but in those 5 minutes the lacquer thinner will melt and distort the lens, so be very careful and watch what is happening. Meguiar's 3 step Clear Plastic Polishing / Cleaning Products are absolutely excellent. Yes Brasso is good, for those of you outside the US that might have a hard time finding the Meguiar's line, but be aware that it is, in my opinion, a slightly harsher and stronger abrasive than most lenses require. The trick with Brasso is to be careful and not overwork an area. Meguiar's products are: (In order of use) Clear Plastic Cleaner No. 17 Clear Plastic Polish No. 10 Clear Plastic Maintenance No. 18 They are all labeled Mirror Glaze, don't ask me why the numbers don't go in sequence. Use these in the sequence above, with clean soft terry cloths or if possible, old sweat socks or diapers. For really scratched lenses you can even apply them with a buffing pad like you would do a wax job. If you have access to a D/A, they even sell small pads (about 3" Diameter) which work very nicely. The trick to the Cleaner and the Polish is to work a large area and concentrate on small areas only for a short while. Change the piece of cloth you are using often, and don't hesitate to use more of the cleaner or polish as needed. The Maintenance spray is an excellent detailer for just before you go to a show. I've been able to restore lenses that some considered junk, but haven't yet found a way to fill those little stress cracks that occur on the clear portion of the lens. So if anyone has any suggestions there..... Hope this helps.

Ah, Alan, you need to understand the American mind set. Having lived outside the US it is very easy to discern once you know what to look for. IMO, most of the hub-bub regarding whether a vehicle is Series I or II, a 70 or 71, a "concours" or "modified", original or restored is due to the age-old "mine is better than yours is" mindset. Or put in different words, "My Dad can beat up your Dad!". The US culture is something to admire, wonder at, and also shake your head at. Where else would you have a Classic Car Show and have awards for having restored, maintained or whatever you want to call it, your car to ULTRA-AUTHENTIC standards. The attention that each and every hose clamp, screw, decal, spark plug and battery receives would make beauty contestants schizophrenic and anti-social. In fact (sadly) some of these cars are actually over-restored, and therefore in error, but that's another discussion. At those contests there will be discussion as to whether or not a given part was available at the time the car was produced. Want to drive a concours Series I owner into an epileptic frothing fit? Tell him that the defrost tubes on his car were from late 71 and not early 71 or 70 (and YES, there is a way to tell). A concours owner will spend weeks and big $ finding the original wire clamps used for hoses. The rest of us will head down to your local auto parts store and buy the standard sheet metal worm screw variety. Is it wrong? Not in any meaning of the word. Obsessive?? Well, that depends on your viewpoint. If you are a concours contestant, not in the slightest. If you have a car that cannot compete in concours competition because you've (shudder) replaced the battery with a Sears Gold Die-Hard and have used non-braided hoses for your radiator, then it's not only obsessive, it's down and outright SICK! And this constant recurring theme, which VIN# is the absolute FIRST Series II or the for sure, no one can deny LAST Series I, is more of the same. But here there is probably a healthy dose of bragging rights involved. After all, it's important to be able to claim "Well that may be, but mine is the FIRST (or LAST)!" America, where else can you get two guys with pristine and perfect automobiles comparing notes, discover that their cars are consecutive VIN #'s, practically TWINS, both maintained with standards that the Smithsonian Institute would document for further reference, and after discovering that they're both perfectly matched, point for point, have one guy declare himself the winner because the air in his tires is the original air from the factory!

I would agree with your relay having gone out, or in this case starting to burn out. The relay is actually a special kind of switch. As the current begins to flow, it causes part of the wiring, through which the current is flowing to heat up. When it reaches a certain temperature, this bit of wiring expands on one side and causes the wire to bend in the opposite direction. This disconnects the wire from the unlit part of the circuit and onto the active or LIT part of the circuit. The wire quickly cools down and then snaps back onto the other wire. The clicking sound you hear is actually the wire flipping from one contact to the other. Yes, there is also the possibility that there is some drop in the current from the turn signal switch to the relay, and then to the lights, but since you haven't mentioned any problems such as dimness, not working etc, I would first replace the relay. Be sure you look at the right one though. Remember that the Hazard Light Relay is separate from the Turn Signal Relay. The Hazard on the 240's was on the passenger kick panel and the turn signal was behind the dash on the driver's side. In fact, there is a hole in the steering column support bracket that the relay fits in to very nicely.

Contact Andy Russell at z@datsundude.com or at: 480-217-7322 orj at Z Cars of Arizona, at 480-816-8668 All his parts are brand new OEM or the high quality replacement parts. I've not been disappointed yet. Even his USED parts are high quality. He's also told me that he can usually BEAT MSA pricing. I don't get anything from this other than helping to keep him in business. Trust me you won't be disappointed with his prices nor his quality.

Rick; Maybe only 3 stings, but I'll bet he ruined a pair of undershorts!