TomoHawk

I thought stringback gloves had laces? The gloves in the video aren't exactly flame-proof, but how many well-maintained streetcars let the flames loose? If they send me some, I'll try them, but I have several pairs of leather cycling gloves I can use in the meantime. $125 for some gloves. How many people really wear that stuff?

I saw a photo of Moss with a little golf cap on- it was kinda cool- I already have a nice polyester beret for the summer, and I use a wool one in the winter. I really liked the look Steve McQueen had in Bullet, with the cardigan, for a cool day. Real racing shoes are extremely expensive, but they used to wear boxer shoes back in the ol' grand-Prix days. The closest thing today is wrestling shoes. I have a pair of work gloves that I like for driving. They are made of a neoprene-like material, with a rubber-coated palm. BTW, Aviator glasses are out-of-style lately, unless you are in an F-14 pretending to be Tom Cruise. Even if you are in a 1970s sportscar.

The book is called Sports Clothes for Sports Cars, by the famous Men's fashion expert John Weitz. He was a sports car owner and racer in the1950s, so he focuses on all that kind of fashion. He discussed the kinds of things worn by Nuvolari, Moss, Sterling, and even Shelby. Then he had a chapter with fashion recommendations for all the major racetracks, like Sebring, Watkins Glen, Bridgehampton, V IR, etc. Yeah, you probably need a variety of clothes for where you are and what you'll be doing, from breakfast to e beach to dinner. So we can discuss it all and get to the second-hand stores to stock up for next year's cruising season. Personally, I'd start with a lightweight colour-coordinated turtleneck with a plain cotton/poplin windbreaker or sportcoat/tweed, depending on the weather.

I just read a book about the fashions of the sports car owner/driver of the 1940s and 50s, and it made me wonder about the stuff I wear today. People used to dress for just about any time they leave the house: for school, for a party, for Church, for travel, etc., and it was never the same thing. Remember that ladies had all those fancy hats? The only time you saw a person wearing a T-shirt tat wasn't covered was for cutting the grass or some other mundane or dirty task. Even at my last evening visit to a nice restaurant I saw guys in T-shirts, one with a jacket over that. People have lost the skill of dressing well or appropriately for wherever they were going. So I would like to ask what you'd put together (that doesn't include a T-shirt) for a trip to anywhere in a Zed as a proud sports car owner & driver. What would you wear to a dinner at Applebees, or a race as a guest of Nissan? I remember photos of guys at the races wearing turtleneck sweaters, jackets, slacks, cool colored berets and golf caps, and just lots of great fashions. Jaguar owners wore slightly different stuff. Even the race drivers had cool fashions.

It's the same 6mm screw that is all oover the engine and the car.

Is that a whole new brake handle, or just the plastic part?

Really, when NVZ mentioned Interior Innovations, I thought he wanted to discuss new things to do wit the interior of the Zed, like a padded or leather dash cover, or a redesigned centre console.

Well, besides an occasional "moisturizing" treatment, real leather is just as easy to care for, but OTOH, cloth is just as practical, period-looking, and comfortable as leather. I like my Eclipse cloth seats, even if some 'experts' comment about how crappy they are (because it's not leather, nor a racing seat.) The only reason I would consider reupholstering my seats is because the seams are starting to pull apart, and you lose points in a judged show, and if the seat-guys can add a little foam to the sides you would be a bit better-kept when going through the twisties.

In the U.S., you might be shot at if you flash someone that was ahead of you, unless you are driving much faster in an expensive car.

Aren't you glad they didn't accept Ben Franklin's suggestion of the Turkey as the national bird? It was the obvious choice at the time, but if ol' Ben had known what was flying around out west, he probably would've suggested something else. Did you see Obama do the annual pardoning of a turkey. He really acted like it was a joke and beneath himself, but we were all laughing at him.

Well, at least we share one thing with the Canucki brothers- warm beer... But thanks to everyone who didn't call it "Turkey day" because that would be .... STUPID. I suppose Christmas is "Present day" and Easter is "Bunny day?" Yeeesh...... I'm looking forward to the traditional Thanksgiving meal food: Chicken, fish, lobster, clams, BEER.

That must be the same guy in a car show that tried to convince me he had a 1982 280Z. It was obviously a ZX, but the guy insisted otherwise. I should have pointed out all the "welding" that was done to his "cracked" intake manifold! I suppose those guys think a 1970s Impala SS has a V8, when it actually doesn't?

The best answer would be to ask Santa to bring you a time machine, so you can go back to 1971 (or whenever) and get a new one from Datsun. And while you're back in the 1970s, bring back a bunch of dashes, wiring, and headlamp connectors for all the other years, to get rich in the 21st century, so you can restore your '71... Have a nice Thanksgiving

If you needed to be able to direct power between different devices, like Fog or Spot lamps, or a pair of 12V power jacks, you can use an ordinary SPDT toggle switch. But if you wanted a visual indicator, a toggle switch with a pair of integrated colored lights or a dual-colored LED would be nice, especially at night- you wouldn't want to switch on Spot lights when you want the Fog lights.... I suppose you could put some small colored lamps or LEDs next to the power jack or the toggle switch so you can tell which way the switch is flipped, but having the light integrated into the switch simplifies things a lot. I think you can get modern rocker switches with neat little pictures that light up, but it wouldn't look right on the S30. They are usually only a single color too (a tiny red or blue LED.) I saw a toggle switch at the AP store once, and it had a clear plastic handle, which lit up white, but it was always white no matter which way you flipped it. Is there a source of dual-colored, illuminated 12V, 15A toggle switch?

I've been looking for some period toggle switches for my lamps. You can find the ordinary Col type with the rounded lever, but can you get the 240Z type switches with the longer curved levers?

Name: Datsun 280 Zed (1978) Date Added: 13 November 2015 - 10:11 PM Owner: TomoHawk Short Description: Slightly customized body painted red. The rest is all stock equipment (the Chassis and driveline.) View Vehicle

Actually, what I think I'd like is not a fuse cartridge holder, but a fuse element cartridge (Pacific fuse) holder.

You can, but you should confirm your calculation with a tested spec. I chose 25A.

Before installing relays for the headlamps and fog/spot lamps, I reconsidered the fusible links. Since I think the fusible cartridges are the most appropriate substitute for the fusible links, I'd start by looking for a cartridge holder that can carry 4 or 6 cartridges. Is there such a thing? I think it wouldn't look too blingy in an older car. BTW- I still haven't found a reasonable spec for the amperage of the Brown fusible links...

Don't you ever wish that HotRod or MuscleCar Magazine would have an article on cleaning the engine? Maybe they did one, 40 years ago, but if you look up online information on cleaning & detailing the engine/ engine bay, you get this: remove plastic coversspray citrus cleaner everywhereWash off with light misting sprayUse your $280 blower-vac to force air into everything and hopefully dry itSpray detailing potion everywherere-attach plastic coversshine the plastic covers with a microfibre cloth So if you have polished or chromed parts, or carburettors, you are on your own. If you don't have any plastic covers on the engine, you can't show off your engine. BTW- The information for "old" car engine detailing are all awful amateur web pages or videos made with a smartphone, so it's guaranteed to be useless. "Professionals" won't discuss cleaning & detailing engines unless they can sell you their products or services.

I forgot to say that you can't do the whole engine and engine area at once. The suds won't last long enough. Divide the engine and body parts into sections and clean it in parts Otherwise you will just spread the grease and dirt around. Also, try to use several tools or brushes; use one for painted parts, one for really dirty areas, one for hoses and one for polished parts. Remember to clean the tools or brushes when you are done, so you have clean tools for the next time. When you are finished cleaning the engine and engine area, wash the outside out the car.

I thought you meant it was from 1972

You can use plastic bags to cover parts that don't need to get wet, and some dielectric grease to seal-off connectors (which should already be sealed with dielectric grease.) Park the car in a place where you don't mind greasy run-off getting on the ground, and not over the drain, for environmental reasons. Warm the engine just a little. It it's 'too hot to touch' let it cool first. A hot engine doesn't like degreaser or cold rinse-water. I use Gunk Foamy for the most part under the hood. I also use some citrus cleaner first for heavier grease or grime. I use a bottle brush to scrub things, and since it has a big and little end, you use the big end for flat areas and most parts. It gets in the smallest gaps or holes and is flexible. I rarely use the little end, but it's still useful. A medium-size stiff brush may be useful for you. (YMMV) Rinse using the 'shower' setting or a light spray, and be careful where you spray into (use a glancing spray, not directly into things, like the air filter or the intake manifold. Then start the engine to help it dry. Some people like to use a leaf blower. You really need to clean the thing a few times before you really get it right, so don't expect perfection on your first try.

FYI, If you wish to replace the rheostat with something better (a modern electronic control) there is a recent topic discussing that. It uses a PWM to control the light and you can use it with either incandescent or LED bulbs.

You need to have a working windscreen defogging system for days with high humidity or rain. The defroster hoses connect to outlets at the lower part of the heater system, just above the transmission tunnel, behind the radio. Maybe your new blower didn't have outlets for the defogger.