EScanlon

Au contraire....quoting from the website mentioned: While everyone hates unwanted and unsolicited mail the answer is not to bollix the whole mail system up for everyone. This not only raises costs and reduces the efficiency of a system that is slowly being choked to death, but it also places the onus of punishment on a system that is not responsible for the way it has been misused. If you want to really cost the spammer money, just place the card you are requested to mail back in the envelope provided, after ensuring your personal information is removed, or not if you so wish, and put it in the mail. For THAT they will pay the proper charge. They won't know it's not a valid response until the actual spammer has to open it and check it. The filled box? That probably won't make it out of the city it's being mailed out of, although it could possibly do so. But since it does NOT meet the guidelines that the business declares for that type of mail, it probably will not get very far. But regardless of whether the box makes it to the business or not, this is just another stupid prank that really should be stopped. E

I've received these as well, if you look carefully, you'll note that there is NO Prepaid Postage number in the space for it. Since the post office WILL deliver postage..."Postage Due", then it WOULD save them money...by not having to pay for your response's return. E

This is a perfect example of punishing the message CARRIER for the message he carries. If anyone else has ever had a "Postage Paid by Sender" account, then they can chime in and verify this as well. The post office does not BILL you for the individual pieces of mail you receive via your PPBS account, they charge you ONE flat rate based on your declaration of expected mail volume. The rate is paid for and charged by at the post office you use for the address. It is a one time yearly rate. Sending junk, etc. via the method shown is a fine way of punishing the POST OFFICE for something they're not responsible for. The claim that it is "legal" is more than likely plain old B.S.. In fact, I'd bet the originator of that web-page would have a HUGE and INSTANT case of diarrhea if someone were to forward that page to the Postmaster General and the FBI. Bet his e-mail address disappears shortly after this gets mentioned. But then again, it may be that Jason Bell at (revenge@vertical-visions.com) is already behind bars. The only thing this type of BS does is cause the Post Office to lose money transporting crap. The Post Office is the one that's eventually blocking you, and is the only one trying to save itself some lost revenue. E

Start looking! E

What about the Hatch Hinge Weathershield Pockets? These are the "mitten" looking things that are inserted into the body and then the Hinge mounts inside. They're basically like rubber balloons to protect the interior from humidity entering through the hinge pocket area. If they're in good condition, I'd be interested in both pairs. E

That concave flare at the bottom of the front quarter valance probably happened when too wide a tire was put on the car and a sharp turn was made, which caused the tire to grab the metal and bend it out. E

I think it'd be much more entertaining to strap the doll either to the roof, or clinging for "life" from the hatch, or windshield... And don't forget to wear your helmet!! http://zapatopi.net/afdb/ And for those who don't remember the original discussion: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16699&highlight=helmet I can just imagine the cop's face when he pulls you over! E

From what I remember on another thread here, this was not the case. The Datsun production at that time went by CALENDAR year and did not take the MODEL year of American manufacturer's into consideration. That is Jan. to Dec. cars were a given year vehicle, which is why you have the 1969 Z's in the mix. The 1969 registrations and the cross-over registrations are due to both Dealer preference and DMV non-interference. Sometimes a new model year had a price increase...dealers sometimes took advantage of this. There's a good discussion on Zhome that Carl Beck wrote that helps explain that: http://zhome.com/History/1970or1971.html Datsun eventually did change their production shedule for the models based on the Sept-Aug calendar that U.S. manufacturer's use. But in 1970, they were still on the Calendar year. E

Ditto what Stephen said. You mention that you replaced the Ignition Switch, but are you referring to the Ignition/Steering LOCK instead? The Switch is the electrical part on the BACK of the Ign./St. Lock. From what you've written, and others who've had the same problem, I would check that Switch first. It may be that the bakelite portion of the lock has loosened over the years and has shifted enough that it makes enough contact for the relay to click but not enough to allow the Starter to power up. It might also be asked if you're referring to the Accessory Relay clicking instead of the Starter Relay. The Acc. Relay is on the Passenger Kick Panel while the Starter Relay s in the engine compartment. 2¢ Enrique

Aside from the repair methods, lubrication issues, and mounting methods that will be mentioned, the first and most important thing you MUST be sure of is...is that the choke cables DO IN FACT operate smoothly without any binds or kinks... and this before you connect to the carbs or mount the lever. If there's ANY binding at all, then you're just going to multiply it once you attach / mount them. If you do feel a bit of pull as you slide them in and out, then remove the cable from the sheath (straightening out the ends if necessary) and examine the wire. Any stray bends that can be discerned are the problem and must be eliminated as much as possible. Don't forget that there's only a few thousands of an inch give on each side of the wire cable within the sheath, it doesn't take much of a "bump" to become obnoxious. Once you've addressed the cable, seek out why the cable was bent and straighten out the sheath, again as much as possible. Lastly, when you mount the choke cable assembly, take a good look at how it's routed around the fuse box, the console mount bolts, the heater plenum. The path must be as direct as possible with the MINIMUM of bends. If you find that you must force /curve the cable ... you're already binding. Look and see if you can't re-route them to do less of a curve. And the final item...make sure that the carbs are allowing that pull action and that it's easy to detect when you've reached the stops. You don't want the pull to be so hard that you feel as if you're trying to yank the carbs off the engine. FWIW E

Rich: Both Stephen and Michael hit it on the head. Thanks for the compliment! E

Do an even more basic test. Stick a multimeter at the connector for the headlights and see if you get continuity at both the R/W and R/B with relation to the Red wire for the Right Head Lamp and Red/Yellow for the Left. If you get tones on both elements and both sides, then your lamps are fine. You'll still need to determine if you're getting power out there. E

Sky: Don't take it to a body shop. This is still in the realm of a very simple fix and we can get you through it. That you still have the large part of the Window Crank Handle attached to the door, and that it is giving you troubles to remove is a good sign. It says that you should ONLY need to replace the Crank Handle and be on your way. Take a look at the new handle you have, specifically the corresponding big round part. You'll see that the "back" side of it ( the side that faces the door panel) has a "tube" sticking out of it, that if you look deep inside of it, has teeth similar to a gear. Those are the splines that mesh with the splined shaft I've been referring to. Now, on that tube, you should be able to see two slots cut into the side of it that go through the tube. That's where the securing clip's "feet" go through to hold the Crank Handle onto the Splined Shaft of the Regulator. If you'll recall the clip is shaped similar to the letter Omega. The round part of the clip goes around that tube on the crank handle. If you get a small piece of wire and bend it into a "J" hook shape, you can reach between the door panel and the Crank Handle Slip Washer(and don't be worried/surprised if it isn't there) or the remains of the crank handle and tug on the securing clip. Imagine using a bent hook to lift on the handle for a bucket and you'll get the idea of what you're doing. The slip washer is only a piece of plastic to protect the door panel from the securing clip, but it does "disappear" over the years and unless your door panels are in excellent condition, don't fret over it. Since the securing clip can only mount with the round part either in line with the handle, or on the opposite side of the tube from the handle (which is now missing on your car), you should be able to hook it easily enough. Once you hook it and are able to pull off the hook (keep an eye on it, as you don't have a spare), the remains of the crank handle should come right off. Now, put the security clip on the new handle, it should be fairly obvious how it goes now. Collect the Window Crank Slip Washer that goes between the handle and the door panel vinyl and put it on the splined shaft before you slap the new handle into place as I described in the prior post. Hope this gets it Enrique

If the wiring schematic I checked for the 75 is correct, then there are two three-wire connectors for the turn signal switch and one loose bullet connector. There's a total of 7 wires. The first 3-wire connector has all 3 wires one on top of the other, and if it's similar to the earlier series connectors then it's the THIN spade lug connector, with all 3 in a row. This connects the turn-signals to the switch. The second 3-wire connector, per the schematic is a 3-wire T connector. Again if it's akin to the early Z's, then it's the wider spade connector and the wires are arranged similar to a grounded house plug, except that the round "ground" is another flat spade connector. (hope this makes sense) The bullet connector is to connect the ground connection on the Combination Switch to the Turn Signal Switch's ground connection. (The ground for both is made to the Comb. Sw. first.) The "T" connector should have both a Red/White and a Red/Black wire as well as a Green/Black. The G/B wire is for the horn, so you can ignore it for now. The Dimmer switch just connects EITHER the Red/White to Ground OR the Red/Black to Ground. It does not connect them to each other at all. First disconnect the T connector. This will help isolate the Dimmer switch (and also the horn, but we're not working on that). Next make a small jumper wire to connect to the individual wires in the harness side of the connector. Next, check that your headlight high beams work by grounding the Red/White to ground (bypassing the T/S switch), and then turn on your headlights. You should have HIGH beams on now. Do the same with the R/B wire and you should see the LOW beams come on. If everything checks (both turn on the headlights) then do a continuity check on your switch. Hope this helps, post your results so we can label this problem gone. Enrique

I'm currently re-organizing the garage and all the Z parts are tucked away (I'm working on my Roadster), so I can't tell you what color wire you might expect on the dimmer switch portion of the turn signal switch. That black wire you used may in fact be the connection to ground that the dimmer switch is looking to connect with when IT is switched. It MAY be that you now have permanent High beams just when you turn on your lights. Take the clamshell off the turn signal / combination switch and see what wires go to the turn signal switch and in turn to the dimmer switch. Then if necessary get your trusty multi-meter out and check what happens when you click switches etc. The wiring colors I'm giving you are from a 240, they should be very close if not identical to what you have in the 280, but since I don't have a 280 I can't guarantee that. Take out your wiring diagram, and you should be able to discern where the individual wires going to the switches connect to. Don't forget that the wiring on the switch side didn't necessarily match the wiring color on the harness side, so go by the wiring colors on the harness to compare to the wiring schematic. But as far as power to the stereo coming from the steering column area...well, I've seen it done, but it would be best to power directly from the fuse box or battery. I'll look around and see if I have a wiring schematic for the 75 280 other than those at atlantic z club. E

Warren: Unfortunately, it really depends on the size of your mitts and how easily you can move them into different pretzel bends and THEN...how easily you can change the bulbs with only three fingers to do it with. If you can reach the wing nuts for each of the instruments and un do them, then you can pull the instrument out from the front....except that then you have to be able to put the wing nuts back on.... Short of removing the dash completely, with the instruments and wiring harness unmoved....nope. There really isn't another way. FWIW E

Mike: Check the Red/White wire that connects to your Turn Signal switch Dimmer. If it's not properly hooked up, no juice can flow to the high beams. Hope this helps. Enrique

Sky: Check whether you have FRONT marker lights and Park lights. If you DO have lights there, but still no rear markers/park lights and dash lights, then your problem may be at the dimmer switch. (Located on the right hand side of the steering column, on the lower edge of the dash.) If you do NOT have lights up front (excluding headlights) then your problem may be at the combination switch connection...whether IN the switch, the wiring connections AT the switch, or the wiring connections TO the switch. The cigar lighter (in your car, located in the dash) is powered by it's own stand-alone fuse. That fuse is the one on the right hand side of the fuse box, the lowest one (bottom). It's a 20 amp fuse. Hope this helps. Enrique

Sky; When you say the handle broke off the door, I'm presuming you're referring JUST to the handle part and that the splined shaft is still protruding from the door panel. The splined shaft is a tube that looks like someone extended an asterisk (*) into a long tube and left the spaces between the "arms" in the length of the tube. If that is the case, then it's easy. The handle should have a clip on the underside of it that looks like the Greek letter Omega (Ω). This clip fits around the main tube on the handle and protrudes it's little "feet" INTO the tube's inside diameter. To install the handle, place it in position on the door at approximately the same mirrored position as the other door. (What this means is that if the passenger side door has the window closed and the handle is at the "9:00 o'clock" position, then put the driver's side door handle at the "3:00 o'clock" position.) Once the handle is positioned on top of the splined shaft, hold it firmly and give the large circle part (the one on top of the splined shaft) a swift smack with either your hand or a rubber mallet. This should force the clip to spread and snap back into position once the handle has reached it's proper position on the shaft. If on the other hand, your statement of the handle breaking off the door means that you have NO splined shaft ... then you have a different problem and you need a new window regulator mechanism. Hope this helps. Enrique

Here's a link to a prior discusson: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19942&highlight=wiring+diagram E

"Bird in the hand....." I remember this same type of situation when I bought my Headlight Covers. Several places listed them, and I even got a price "match" from one place....yet no results. Heck, I got a back-order info message 6-months after I'd finally received them from other sources, and I'd been told by the e-mailers that they were considering them NLA. Now this having been said, there will be another 20 listings on e-bay tomorrow, with one proclaiming a BIN of $35.00. Which begets the question: Which came first, the shortage or the high prices? E

Did you accidentally put YOUR self on ignore? Sorry, couldn't resist. All I can offer is...you broke it. E

This is where the little fine print at the bottom of the screen says " Your Results may vary." It's worked for me, on both metal and plastic. Will / Can it eventually separate? Probably, paint does shrink over time as it loses all the different solvents it has in it. How soon, or how bad? Again, I've had emblems go for more than 18 years as of my last conversation with the individual, but I've not seen the emblems myself. Then again, he's kept the vehicle pretty much garaged and taken care of. I've also seen emblems lose their paint in a few short weeks. Usually the short ones were found to be poor preparation (wax, oil, silicones) and other times it's been the wrong paint. And what constitutes the wrong paint is also subjective. I like the R/C paints, because they DO take a while to dry properly. But the strongest item is their ability to flex and adhere to the Lexan Bodies (basically the same stuff as you get your bakery items in at the supermarket in). But in the paint jobs I've done with Lexan, you don't scratch up the body. You just wash it with soap and water. A candy paint job is transparent, any scratches on the plastic would show up. When I've used them on chrome, it takes polishing/orange stick to remove stray brush marks. So, as a friend says: That's my story and I'm sticking with it. E

Dave: That you're getting moisture in the hatch plenum says that you have openings to the outside. With no emblems, that would be the first thing to close up. The next would be to check other openings and close them up as well. Unless you have a Series I with the vents in the hatch, there isn't any reason for an opening to the exterior (excepting the latch mechanism, which can't be sealed). Larry; Unfortunately they WILL go down in time, but it can be a long time for that. Unfortunately, while the 70-78 models shared TONS of parts, one of the items they didn't share were the door gaskets. Later year cars had a slightly larger space between the door and the body, which is why their weatherstrips are thicker. Add to that that not all weatherstrips are manufactured with the same specs (hardness of the rubber) and you have more variation. Your best bet is to adjust the doors to see if that will improve the fit. If you end up not being able to do so, then you might have to give up and buy the OEM weatherstripping or at least get a good quality kit. FWIW E

If you're burning up alternators, part of the car's circuitry isn't fully operational. The alternator is simply trying to generate MORE electrical charge from the small amount it draws from the battery. That it's burning up is either because the regulator isn't working properly or because part of the circuit is not connecting properly. At a guess, I would first check your grounds for the Battery and Starter, those being the two of the major draws on the system. After that, check the ground for the Headlights. But that aside, have the alternator checked before you go exchanging items trying to chase down a small problem. E