Pop's Z

1Bravo6, Rick, Are you listening? This is your kind of joke!!!

Thank you Arne and James for your responses. I decided to look in the FSM I have on CD from Courtesy Nissan (well, duh) and lo and behold...all my questions were answered. The part in question is a thermo switch to activate the E.G.R. If I had an auto trans it would also do someting with the distributor. The switch was added to 3/73 240s and 260s to meet U.S. emission standards. (James, could you look on your 73 parts car to see if it's there on the thermostat cover? It may not be as you have a non-U.S. car. Did it have the flat top carbs?) Becuase the PO removed all the emission stuff I have no E.G.R. so I'm guessing the switch activates nothing. I'm going to eliminate it and see what happens. I'm guessing nothing will happen. Once I get my new radiator on I'll be able to tell. Thanks again. Cheers, Mike

Hi all, I have a 1973 (build date 6/73). I am refreshing the cooling system and found the thermostat cover is a bit corroded (see pics #2&3). It appears that a cover for this build date is NLA. My question is what is this electrical part (see pic #1)? It appears to be a thermo control of some kind and it fits in this cover w/ pipe threads (see pic #2). It is not the water temp sender as that is in the thermostat housing itself. The only thing I have discovered is that it might be a thermo controller for the automatic transmission, however I have a manual transmission. As far as I know it never had an auto trans. The real question is: Can I use a thermostat cover from the earlier model and eliminate this part? The original owner removed all the air emission stuff and replaced the carbs/manifold with '71 roundtops and manifold including the cleaned-off balance tube. Any help from the Z gurus would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike

Ah Rick, You made me laugh me arse off...Mike

Hi Dan, There was a sunroof like this on a really nice Z at the MSA Z Car show in April. I had never seen one on a Z before ( I had one like it on a 1962 VW) and I talked with the owner about it. There is a picture of it in my photo gallery here on page 4. The owner said it was quiet and did not leak.He was an engineer and had done many interesting mods of his car...some I liked, some I didn't. The one on my VW was ok...no leaks, but a bit noisy when closed, and it would raise up when traveling at 70 mph or so. I would keep it just for the uniqueness factor if it's in good shape. Just my 2 cents. Mike

Here's what I did and it works perfectly with no leaks. Remember the air rail seals like a flare fitting on small 4" pipes inside the exhaust manifold. 1) remove the air rail from the exhaust manifold. 2) cut off the pipes from the air rail where they enter the fittings that go into the exhaust manifold (notice they have a rounded fitting on the exhaust side).3) weld those fittings bak in so they are snug inside the "nuts" ie: weld them on the outside and close the holes (I had them brazed).4) pull out the flared 4" pipes from the exhaust manifold.5) cut those off to about 3/4".6) replace them back into the exhaust manifold (I used a pencil to hold them as I put them back in).7) replace the welded up fittings in the exhaust manifold (I used anti-seize to make future removal easier. This process seals the pipes and the fittings. Feel free to PM me if this is confusing, I'm sure I can make it even more confusing. It really is a straight-forward DIY. Cheers, Mike

Oh, Rick, I should have seen that one coming. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...you are a really sick fellow, but sooo funny. Cheers, Mike

Yeah, Rick. In 1966 I almost got a Marine Corps emblem tatooed on the back of my hand in Oceanside, CA. Notice I said "almost". I just wasn't pissed enough. I am SO glad that I didn't do that. Mike

Hi all, I actually saw this car when I visited NZ 2 years ago. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! James has done a real service to all Z's everywhere by restoring what was a rusted-out almost-wreck. Good onya James...send more pics. Cheers, Mike ps: if any of you ever get the chance to visit NZ (one of the most beautiful and friendly places on this earth), be sure to stop off in Christchurch (South Island) and visit with James and his family...lovely folks and GREAT tour guides. pps: wow, 100 posts!

Nice to have you back, Rick. Mike

Jack, Thanks for the kudos. However, I can't take any credit for the rest of the interior. The original owner had some buddies going into the upholstery business and he had them do the whole interior in the tan/butterscotch velour that you see. Some people love it and some people hate it. I think it looks better than the original diamond vinyl. My problem now is that the seats don't match the rest of the interior, so I'll have to deal with that sometime in the future. Meanwhile, I don't see it when I'm driving the car and because the seats are so much better to sit in it is low on the priority ($$$) list. Cheers, Mike

Rick, I've said it before and I'll say it again...you are really sick...funny, but sick. Welcome back from your weekend, and a belated Happy Fathers Day. Cheers mate, Mike

Nate, The Z32 seats do not touch either the center console or the doors when closed (I was pretty careful when lining them up before I drilled any holes). Also you do not sit up higher as long as you leave the spacers off the frames. The drivers seat can be adjusted up and down in the front or the rear. On the passenger seat only the seat back is adjustable. Mike

Nate, I just did this on my 73 w/MSA bushings. The long bushings go together on the long sleeve, and the short bushings go together on the short sleeve. Don't foget the special grease or they will squeek. You will see where the long assemblies go and the short ones, too when you remove the old ones. Also, I replaced my diff. mount and although it didn't look like yours, I feel that you won't have trouble if all the holes and the stud line up. Have mucho fun, Mike

Hi all, I also put some new seats in my Z. They are from a 1990 Z32 300ZX. They were not too much trouble to install, either. I would be happy to send a description and pics to anyone interested in the proceedure. Basically you remove the original seats and remove the seat brackets. Then you do the same to the Z32 seats. Then you mount the S30 brackets to the Z32 seats( you have to knock out the mounting bolts on the S30 rails, then you have to oval out the holes to fit the Z32 bolts). After the rails are on you will have to drill new holes in the mounts in the car about 3/8" out from the old holes. Bolt in with no spacers and there you go. They are a much needed improvement to the old seats, more support and kinder on my old butt. Cheers, Mike

Ok Rick, Admit it. You were the guy in the swing, right? Cheers mate, Mike

Here's another after-market site: www.hotrodair.com. I think their system will go into the S 30. It replaces the heater core and provides a/c in one compact unit. Their parts are available individually. I'm going to do some research on this and see if it will fit. I have one of their catalogs and the only problem I can see (other than the complete tearout of the dash) is going to be fabricating up a mounting bracket for the compressor. I think that mounting it on the left side of the motor makes the most sense. I'm pretty sure that is where the factory units were mounted in the 260s and 280s. If anyone has a left side mount they would be willing to part with please send me a pm. Cheers, Mike

Rick, Barbara must have to put up with a lot...she is a saint. Cheers, Mike

Sean, Be sure to stop off at Devil's Tower in Wyoming...a very interesting place. Also You should stop at the Little Big Horn national monument...a ghostly place. Try to take the native American tour...very different from the usual Custer stuff. Have a great trip, Mike

As I have gotten older I thought I had learned patience. Turns out I just don't give a $^!#. Peace, Mike

Try searching for Crane XR3000 install. Member Dave Honeycutt did a nice step-by-step with pics. It is the same unit except for the electronic box and the Z uses a ballast resistor on the coil(a new one was included with the new coil I got, also a Crane). The wiring is the same. I used it to install my Crane XR700. The only problem was trying to figure out which trigger wheel to use and getting it to seat properly on the dist shaft. Good luck. It really isn't that hard. I noticed a real difference after the install...the motor revved right up to 7K without any hesitation. Cheers, Mike

Rick, You are a very sick individual...keep up the good work. I laughed my a** off. Aunty Sharon sounds like our kind of people don't you think? Cheers, Mike

I have to ditto what the others have said. That being said, however, I 've had no reason to find out about their service...yet. They have been a pleasure to deal with on the phone and you can't beat the price. Remember the insurance is for low mileage use only. For a daily driver you need to look elsewhere. Cheers, Mike