TomoHawk

Originally, AMP made those round connectors with the round pins on the 280Z. Made that way with the rubber overboots to keep out the water, and you will find them all over the cart where exposed to the elements. The indoor connectors with the blades are AMP also, but I haven't seen any (under the dash ) with any kind of corrosion. I think the one for the taillamps has some fouling because some moisture can get in under the plastic cover in the back.The problem is if AMP still makes or has any of those. You may not even be able to find the part # it is so old. I wil try to look into it...

Make sure you get FPRs that get you the right pressure for the vacuum applied. I don't think that just 'any' FPR would work, as they are set at different pressures. Mine shows about 37 PSI when I shut off the engine. It takes a wile to 'bleed down', so that doesn't worry me. I'm concerned that I'm not really get a LOT of horsepower off t he line. It could be that the ol' engine (112k miles) just isn't up to smoking the wheels like most people think? I wish I had the $$$ to rebuild the engine. I took a ride at an autoX in a 'stock' 280Z (slightly refreshed engine) that had me pinned into the seat (It was standard trans too, mine is auto trans).

I like the idea of the product reviews, but which products? Who will review? too many variables there, but it could still be done just for others to know what products are out there (struts, shocks, coil springs, CAIs, etc. You'd need a poll just for product ideas! The F.A.Q.s are always needed, and the encyclopedias would go with that. You could do another CD with just that stuff! ( with photos, video, etc.)

Isn't the grille supposed to go all the way down to the lower valence?

The flap for the defroster isn't controlled by vacuum. When you move the lever over to the end for the defroster, it moves a control cable that moves the flap for the defroster. There are some good diagrams in the FSM.

IMO, the ammmeter gives an indication of what's going ON with the charging circuit, so you'll know if the alternator is doing its job. If the ammmeter is always on the neg. side, you know you're either drawing too much, or the alternator isn't putting out enough, and your battery is going down. Then your engine will eventually quit. The voltmeter gives you an indication of how 'full' the battery is. Is the voltage isn't high enough, the engine will quit, or the starter won't turn the engine over. You'll notice that it's the older cars, trucks, tractors, etc., that have the ammeters,because ammeters were used when they only had generators on the engines instead of alternators. Even the generators weren't that reliable/efficient, so you needed to know if it had enough RPMs to put out the voltage to charge the battery. Contemporary alternators are relatively much more reliable, so battery voltage became more important, though not necessary, so they even got rid of that! Instead we now use the indicator lights. Again, it's a metter of preference.

Hey you guys-- I just got a Palm IIc for a few weeks to try out and this little thing is pretty neat. You can get apps for tracking your gas mileage, & etc., games and the other usual stuff. You can get GPS mapping for it too. I even have a virtual dog to play with! What kind of Apps are you guys using? I checked out a few for rally driving, like Rally Calc and it's not easy to figure out, let alone use it sans co-driver. I figure on keeping the thing in the Z, since it gets the most expenses on it.

You remember that lady on Oprah that had like 35 plastic surgery procedures done on herself? That's about as close to a "frame-up" as you can get!

They say dogs age 7 'dog years' for every solar year. So when a dog reaches 14 people years, it's 98. HOw would you think that cars age? I figure it 1 'year' for every 1000 miles. That would mean cars generally outlast people (many cars get over 100,000 miles which would be 100 people years) Mine has 110k miles, and it's still quick and agile, although the 'ticker' (engine) could use a little help.

I'll still be here... New job is 2p-10p, (next 4 months) so I still get 14 hours during the dark to sleep, a meal or two and a few emails. Unless I get called to put in some O.T. (or more $$$ for the Z). Merry Christmas!

good information. Maybe I can dig up the old sending unit.

OK, they are British Standard pipe threads, but which?

VB wants $180 for a 75-78 3-row radiator; not bad.

Should I order a new radiator, or do you think the rad shop can get me the CORRECT one?

Gary- Do you know what the threads are for the oil pressure hole?

I took a look at the fan clutch last winter while the F.I. was off. Do you need to take off the fan shroud before the fan? It's pretty tight, IMO. Either I'll get to the fan clutch over the winter, or I'll get it done first thing in the spring. Should I get the whole radiator pulled, boiled & repainted? Do you think the radiator guy can make the radiator look really nice? I wouldn't want it taken out unless I can do some restoration on it.

I don't know about you, but on my 280Z, the splitter box in the center (just bedind the vent heads) doesn't split very well. I mean that most of the air that comes from the blower goes straight through the center vents and very little gets to the sides. I'll bet that if you block or close off the center vents, you'll notice a LOT more out to the sides. Could be easily fixed by extending the diverter doors in the splitter box.

How so you get those old things off? I might just replace mine if they aren't so nice. My paint code sticker is just a piece of blank gold after somebody cleaned it.

That's why the blueprinting is where the big money goes. You can't have just any rebuilder do it. Because the bolts wear & stretch slightly every time you tighten them to check the tolerances, you need to find a guy that can do the job right basically on the first try. I always thought the muscle car engines shook because they had high-compression engines with a low idle and strange spark timing. Same reason why they don't start easy and wear out starters.

Spot on about balancing. But the important thing about balancing is to have it done While the engine is being rebuilt, as it has to come totally apart any way. No reason to disassemble it again after it was reassembled.

So go back again, and get some more photos.

How did you plug the line that goes to the gas tank?

Some people need to be reminded to keep dreaming or you go nuts. OTOH, you'll go nuts if you can't or don't do something to realize your dreams. So Mr. K invented the Z.

The movie Gumball Rally (1976) is on Friday night at 8pm on Speed channel.

Which one? I've seen both last summer.