Can I have it?

Actually, EScanlon, a diagram of what the things under the hood are. We're true novices, and only found one wiring diagram from the UK, which was a bit confusing.

Hubby and daughter are actually right on spot with concern but mostly because of how low the Z ride is (we all love it), but with two hip replacements, not too wise. ...snip...

I'll see if I can find a scan I have from the early Clymer's manual that shows a diagram that may help. Same with a wiring schematic, but those can be perplexing if one doesn't know what to look for.

As far as the two hip replacements, now I must....regretfully...agree with Hubby and Daughter. Health is important, and it can take months / years to get all the strength back that one had in the hip before the replacement.

The Z does require a bit of knee and hip bending to get into it comfortably. I would suggest a handle on the windshield pillar, except I'm not sure how it would tolerate a person's weight without undue stress on the windshield or pillar. (I know I wouldn't try it.)

Maybe one of our more enterprising members can come up with a swivel bucket seat with a spring aided lift assist kit as the 74 or so Chevelles (?) came out with (The Chevelles came out with the swivel bucket, the spring aided portion would have to be engineered.)

HTH

E

Tee Hee! Right on spot! Without doubt, any diagram or schematic would be humungously helpful.

Naw ... altough very innovative thinking here on modification options to improve access, which would make great sense to try for the right kind of personality, but in my case not so much. The creative solutions you mentioned that already exist are brilliant!

We're definitely going to sell this baby, although it'll be a real family event. I'm happy with the '88 Acura LS ride with actual mileage of <83K. It's always been fast and fun and still works for me, even though it's kinda low as well. The Z is in the hospital getting a checkup, new battery, and diagnostics to see what impact the 5-6 months curbside in the CA sun had on it (not to mention the bad person who has consistently ripped off/cyphened the gas over the years).

Many stories to tell about my Bro's Z in terms of history, many stories to read and hear about how to assess it, fix it where it makes sense, and/or improve it. Imagine having it stolen from your front driveway shortly after it's newly purchases for a day or two of joy riding and screwing up the insides. Delighted we were to get it back so quickly, bummed to have had to pay such big bucks to recover it's newness and beauty. Some things really bite!

Still waiting to see those before and after pics of the engine bay after you went after it with Simple Green :classic:

This thread makes me a little sad

Been in the same boat lately. My health has not been the best. I have a nice car but the motor needs to be finished and I don't know if I can do it anymore. So, do I try hard push myself and see it through or sell it off to someone that will care for it and enjoy it. Damm frustrating, isn't it.

UPDATE – Sept. 19, 2007 – Novice to you for insight….

YIKES! Pretty much learning that it’s not OK to let your special Z sit curbside for 5-6 months without testing things out and giving it a good run! This gets even worse when you have the original Z without a locking gas cap to stop thief-types from ripping off your gas. That said, the Z has been at the Doctor’s office the past days and $223.66 for new battery and diagnostics, then another chunk of money because it would start fine and sound GREAT, but the clutch has play and they had to reset the points. They also had to reset points (what?) …. And replace the negative battery cable doohickey because of corrosion. Still sounded good, then it became $373.53. BUT the clutch has play and is acting up, so now they feel the Clutch Master cylinder and the Slave Cylinder need to be replaced. The master showed some leaks, not so the slave, but perhaps just a matter of time. STILL don’t know if it’ll be fine after all this and a total now of $710.16. What next?

Anyway, that’s where we are now, and it’s a bit of a bummer. BUT, perhaps not all is lost. Hopeful that’s all the toll we have from sitting so long without being driven, but not sure. What if we do all this, and find more issues ….. Gads, when do you stop and/or go to school and figure out how to do all this yourself?

Touch not to feel baffled by all the unknowns....

:disappoin

Asta

Steve, I'd love to see you finish that '73.

If I were closer I'd make you an offer on it, but it's too nice a car to let sit.

I'm sorry, 240ZGL, I never saw your response here, and sure didn't mean to ignore your comment. Sorry.

YES! It is very frustrating to have a treasure you've cared for and loved for decades to be caught in a spot where you can't continue to give it your all (health reasons or other). To sit in this classic and experience it's uniqueness is truly something that only true Z Lovers can relate to. If you're lucky enough (as you must have been) to have the skills and willingness to work on it yourself and watch the magic happen is a blessing. Sadly, neither my Bro nor I have any of these skills. We can do lots of stuff in terms of manual labor to clean it up and hug it (tee hee), but lack the technical and engineering knowledge that most folks at this Classic Z Cars club have. I'm sad to hear that your health is in the way of your continuing on your dream path with your Z. It's a sad thing when we want stuff and can't quite get there.

Crossing fingers and wishing for good stuff.

":0) Asta

Yahoo! Yipee! It's running GREAT and purring according to the "shop"! Getting ready to pick it up and check things out. Will post updates and take more photos. ":0)

It really sounds like there is nothing seriously wrong with this car. Clutch hydraulics fail, that's a given. We expect this sort of thing, along with electricals failing due to corroded connectors, brake cylinders leaking from age and pitting, and so on.

The key to making this kind of car liveable as a daily or somewhat regular driver is one of two things:

1) Bags full of money

or

2) A willingness to get dirty and replace things

yourself when they fail

If you lack the former, or a willingness to spend it on the car, you'll need to learn the latter.

For example, the clutch master and slave can be done in a couple of hours for under $150. A good source for parts is Courtesy Nissan, see the clutch parts page here:

http://www.courtesyparts.com/s30_clutch.html. With a service manual it is not too difficult at all. Even without one, it's not too tough a job for a novice. I'm no professional mechanic, I just learned by doing over the years :-)

Just my 2c worth. You have a great car there! I hope you keep it and drive her as she was meant to be driven.

Great info, Exdamyankee, thank you. Sorry for the delay, didn't see your response until now. The Z is back and sounds really good! I was finally able to get some snapshots of the underside while up on the lift, and will include them here. My brother replaced spark plugs and the shop did this stuff:

September 19, 2007: 24-6 YR Delco Battery & Warranty, new spark plugs, reset ignition points to 18 THOS. and set ignition timing to 7 BTDC. Replaced negative battery cable end. Bled the clutch system and ended up replacing the clutch master cylinder and clutch slave cylinder. It sounds really good, and want to fix the driver's seat this week and retest it; have to push down on the brakes hard. Might be what you said about brake cylinders leaking from age or pitting, though not likely since such few miles on the brakes themselves, but again, not sure.

Pictures without any cleanup efforts of the underside, etc. as updated, here:

http://asta.bizhosting.com/Sept-21-Updates.htm

Thank you for the excellent information. We have definitely decided to sell her.

":0) Asta