HLS30-01222 Project

[Reverend]

Nice pictures and good story.

[ksbeta]

Thanks. Lots of text, not lots of meat. I'll take some more detailed photos hopefully this weekend, and hopefully have some more details as well.

To do list includes (in absolutely no order):

- Glove box installation

- Obtain/install radio (and speakers, antenna...)

- Throttle control cover panel needed (to include defroster switch & wiring harness)

- Obtain/install vertical overriders for front bumper (and new rubber for F&R bumpers)

- Polish/replace wheels. Find center caps.

- Clean up the bumpers (or replace)

- Clean wiper control motors

- Weather stripping & window gaskets

- Corner light gaskets

- Paint (& associated body work)

- "Wipers" for the D&P door windows.

- Headlight wiring harness.

- Transmission/ Rear Differential insulator mounts.

- Engine rebuild (next year or two)

- Probably need a new front windshield (Small crack)

- Carpeting

- Shifter/e-brake/etc. Leather boots.

- ...

[zpizzaman20]

I have the front bumper vertical overriders :-)

[ksbeta]

A few updates:

- Did the 280zx alternator upgrade after experiencing some issues with the old alternator. What a slow and excruciating death the car experiences when the battery isn't getting charged sufficiently while driving. The turn signals stop responding, then I'd notice the fuel gauge starting to plummet slowly, and shortly after the headlights go out, the car sputters to a halt. Fixed this yesterday, and the amp meter seems to be in the positive. We hadn't done our research properly, and after bolting on the 280zx alternator, fired up the car. Turned on great, but without the diode, it wouldn't turn off. The battery's kill-switch was installed after the first time Jason pulled the main coil (with the shocking jolt that followed) from the distributor to turn the car off. Got the upgrade adapter and all now it works fine.

- Jason took a choke assembly and created the throttle control linkage. The car is equiped with both the hook on the gas pedal, and the mount up in the firewall, and with some engineering, he got it working. Since we don't have the throttle control knob, we're just using a backwards choke knob for now. Works well for warming the car up, and it will hold the car at speed on flat stretches of highway.

[Kathy & Rick]

Nice opportunity to resurrect a great car! Looks like the rear glass was replaced from a later model, as it has the vertical defrost lines in it. Mine (#1399) has the original clear glass, but not in the best shape. Still holding on to it for sentimental reasons!

Hi, Duffman, Rick here.

Not trying to be argumentative, but informative: I wonder if YOUR rear

glass and/or hatch might have been replaced at some point in time?

The reason I say this, is that I have had a sort of sub-hobby for about 40

years, that addresses the subject. It looks like the cars with a 1969 build

date had clear glass (say up to about Carl Beck's #587 car); and beginning

with 1/70 build dates, in came the vertical defroster. In my records I have

#965, owned by Joe and Dottie Novak, as the earliest I have seen WITH the

defroster; although I seem to remember that car #725, owned by Frank

Pagano, also had one. But the point is, that the transition seems to have

come in at about that time frame.

Interestingly enough, the rear window defroster must have always been in

the plans, because even the earliest 1969 cars had a location provided in

the console for where the defroster switch would eventually be located.

FWIW,..............All Z Best,....................Kathy & Rick

[Mike B]

Hi Rick,

Here is a thread about the rear hatch glass that discusses the clear (untinted) glass and when the defroster was included on various models of the S30 http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15886. Keep in mind that tinted glass and defrosters were available from the beginning of S30 production for Japanese market cars, they just weren't initially included on North American market cars. That decision was quickly changed after the first couple months of production.

According to NMC USA's Technical Service Bulletin TD72-29 (see post #31 in the thread I linked to above), there was no provision for a rear defroster in the wiring harness for HLS30 cars until HLS30-01456. I don't know that is 100% accurate though. I parted out HLS30-00882 a few years ago and it had the defroster and what I think was the original wiring for it. This TSB describes the procedures required to add the defroster to cars that didn't originally get it from the factory.

-Mike

[ksbeta]

Dug into the car yesterday, with three projects in mind:

1) Assemble the rear hatch's fresh-air/ drainage vents.

Finally obtained all the parts to complete the rear-hatch’s fresh-air vents / drainage system. Took an hour or two to clean and install, but otherwise went well.

2) Install the radio

Obtained a radio from a ’72 or ’73, thinking that although it isn’t the Series 1 radio, the din space in the dash should still accept it. Well, it didn’t, and since then I’ve done some reading that says you actually need to pull that faceplate (holding the HVAC controls, map light, etc.) to get the radio in. Further than that though, a good 45 minutes of searching didn’t yield the 3-prong female end of the radio’s connection to the speaker. There is some new wiring in there, and a black case holding a newer fuse. Not sure what the PO did, but shortly after finding that, I decided to move on. Lastly, I pulled the old Hitachi 5.125” speaker out and couldn’t find anyone in the area who sells a 5.25” speaker with that low of wattage. I’m interested in maintaining the stock system. My accord has a stereo after all, if I want to drive and listen to music I’ll take that. I’ve done reading on some older forums citing a low-watt Kenwood 5.25”, but it doesn’t appear to be for sale in that same configuration anymore.

SO, any recommendations on a satisfactory replacement for that rear speaker?

3) Install the glove box

It would appear that a PO magically re-routed the wiring harness exactly where the glove box should go. I don’t have the panel that covers the Heater blower, and I suspect the harness originall was covered by that (?). If so, I suspect the PO moved the harness (again, not sure how) so it wouldn’t be visible.

If my assumptions are wrong – how in the sam-hell does the glove box fit behind that door? I’ll post some photos later showing my predicament.

Lastly, I’ve begun the search to replace these tired wheels. The tires are 215/60/R14, and are less than 2 years old. Since I’m on a budget, I suspect a 14x6.0 wheel is my best bet to re-capitalize the tires. Open to suggestions.

[ksbeta]

Quick Update:

- Followed the instructions on this site to restore the car's steering wheel. Went well, and with some help from Fred (horn contact pin was missing from the turn signal stalk), the 'new' wheel is installed and the horn works.

It's my understanding that power for the brake lights (the stop lights), works like this:

- Power goes into the turn signal stalk

- from the turn signal stalk, it goes to the stop light switch

- from the stop light switch, it goes through the hazard switch

- from the hazard switch, it goes to the bulbs.

I replaced the Turn Signal Stalk and the Stop Light switch yesterday. Stop lights (foot on the brake) still don't work. More investigating is needed, because they worked when I bought the car.

Edited January 11, 2011 by ksbeta
Added Photos

[ksbeta]

Found a decent set of snowflakes from an '81 ZX Turbo. 15x7 with 205/60/15 Potenza's. Makes a big difference compared to the 195/60/14's I had on previously. Replaced the speaker and installed the power antenna from a 280z. Side note: I snapped this photo of the temp gauge on a relatively cool (~60) day in which the car had been running around town (50% highway, 50% neighborhoods). Does that strike anyone as being too hot?

Thanks,

[Arne]

My gauge runs just a touch lower than that year-round. The gauges in these cars are not especially accurate, nor are they consistent from car to car. If the car doesn't seem to be over-hot and the gauge shows that same temp under normal conditions, I wouldn't get too worried about it.

[bobc]

Bill,

I can't believe I haven't seen this thread before. Nice car, but I am partial to BRG! Interesting that yours has a black interior. Mine does too. The original owner swears it came that way from the factory and I've been told that it wouldn't have been unusual if Datsun ran out of a part from the tan interior, to keep the cars going out the door they would substitute black. Keep up the great work, it's worth it. I rarely see BRG cars at shows. The color always draws a lot of attention, including people that will swear that Datsun never made a Z in the color!

[Mike B]

Nice car, but I am partial to BRG! Interesting that yours has a black interior. Mine does too. The original owner swears it came that way from the factory and I've been told that it wouldn't have been unusual if Datsun ran out of a part from the tan interior, to keep the cars going out the door they would substitute black.

North American 240Zs were made in 907 Racing Green with either black or brown (tan) interiors from the beginning. There was no running out of tan parts and substituting black. Here is a copy of the paint and interior options from the 1970 Nissan Service Bulletin introducing the 240Z.

-Mike