TomoHawk

I am unsure about those red LEDs regarding the brightness. Ordinary red LEDs aren't bright at all. Super-bright LEDs should be used instead. Are you willing to put your classic car at stake to save a few dollars on a cheap lamp that can barely be seen in daylight or not much brighter at night, when people are driving with tired eyes and not paying much attention anyway?

I finished my light recently. It's a cheap eBay unit with LEDs and an aerodynamic design that mounts on the bootlid or hatch. I also got a neat little electronic thing with some electronics and a 3-D accelerometer in it, that has a programmable flash pattern, and reacts to different braking. If you brake lightly, the light will come on in the usual way, but if you brake hard, the accelerometer will sense that and the LED flashing pattern kicks in. I mounted it on the glass with a long wire, using some rare-earth magnets, and is detachable for shows.

You wouldn't have to bother with any repairs if a spark plug pops out. That was the source of the noise or bang, It must have worked its way out of the hole. You screw it back in and tighten it securely, and the engine is back to normal.

They don't really sell it by the 5 gal. pail... You'll need to degrease the screw first.

My jack seems to be working, AFAICT, but it's no longer new, and could use a bit of cleaning and new paint. I suppose I could either scrub or glass-bead the surface, then repaint it and re-grease the screw. I would prefer a longer crank handle tho. Some appropriate safety or usage decals seem appropriate too. Getting one from the JY would save you the hassle of cleaning and painting, but are they really compatible? IMO, the base has some size restrictions, and the head needs a slot for the pinched seam of the rocker/floor panels. If you repainted it, is there a proper paint? Unless you wanted a concourse-class jack, semi-gloss black or silver seems appropriate. Otherwise you could powder-coat it? Getting the paint into the interior areas would be difficult unless you took it apart, cutting the hinge pins, which means you'll need to figure out what to replace them with and how to do that. thxZ

I believe the head gasket failed on my engine. There was a loud bang, then the sound of air puffing at high pressure. I discovered that air was coming out between the cylinder block and head by the #6 spark plug. I didn't find any pieces of the head gasket, nor any discernible holes, as the hole would be very thin, but you can definitely hear and feel the air coming out. I think there was a small amount of oil expelled, probably only a few drops; there was no noticeable spattering of oil on the side of the engine bay or battery. I was wondering if anyone has anyone ever heard of this happening? Since it's a sturdy material and compressed there should be n reason for the material to be forced out from between the two tightly-fitted metal surfaces, but high pressure and heat can do interesting things. It should not be much of a problem to install a new head gasket, and I would also replace the intake manifold gasket as well; it weeps a little oil too. I'll need to get the model numbers from the cylinder head, block, and intake, then order gaskets. The engine is a stock L28 with the dished pistons, IIRC, so there's no reason to get any "performance" gasket or is this an opportunity to improve things slightly? The thing spins easily when cranking.

I was at a racing event for most of this week, and one thing that was mentioned that people would like to see for next year, is to have live-video of the event- most likely the racing, but probably also some lesser things like a car-parade, a walk-though of the paddocks, the awards dinner, etc. I know some of our European friends have offered live video of the Classic LeMans, so I know it can be done, and I am interested in knowing what kinds of resources, permits, etc. are needed. Is it as simple as starting a live-stream via Facebook or YouTube? Can you use more than one device, such as a webcam, and a phone? I suppose we could have a practice event to try out what we were interested in, like multiple video sources.

Bruce shared with me the 1990s Ford Escort heater core is compatible, but it's a bit small in dimension, and needs some special bends for the connections, but it is very feasible and affordable as a replacement. The current price for the Escort heater core is about $40.

I was thinking of where to put a microphone for when I record videos of Lapping. I could use the internal microphone of the tablet, which picks up the shifts, and clicking of the pawls of the turn indicator, or to use a remote microphone elsewhere. Also, how do you just record the exhaust of a parked car? I think the procedure for using a sound meter requires you to be a certain distance from the source, so I'm presuming there is a kind of magic distance that gives you a good representation when recording a parked car. You also don't need to be pointing the recording device (a microphone) at the tailpipe. I don't care for using a video camera of some sort to record sound; a digital sound recorder with a full-range of response is appropriate, with a quality microphone. Then you need to eliminate wind noise. I tried a few tests using a digital audio recorder with a wired microphone, and I tested my Bluetooth headset while walking around the car. The microphone was taped to the back of the car near the tail lamp, and the other test was in the driveway with the microphone on a small box, about 15 inches high, pointed 90 degrees to the tailpipe, about 10 feet away. So my goal would be to determine how to record sound for as parked car, and while driving, without wind-noise. thxZ

That's one heck of a sunroof! I have wondered with a targa-top or T-top S30 would be like.

There was no luck. A new or refurbished one from a commercial supplier would be better- you don't know the history of anything bought from eBay. In any case, I think I'll keep the one I have for a while.

After browsing the Crutchfield website a while, I'd say that "will fit" refers to a radio that is similar in function and looks, with two knobs for controls., and the rectangular display area like you'll see on a car radio from the 1960s or 1970s. The model I would mostly be interested in would be a JVC KD-R880BT although I would never use the Bluetooth connectivity for phone calls, and very seldomly for anything else.

It won't fit the hole, and you can't just swap the units, like you change a car battery. It has to be wired-in. I wouldn't be interested in that model anyway. The model I had was discontinued several years ago. Racer- Single DIN size units will fit

Yeah, everbody says at first, "make it brighter," but I already had it at the maximum daylight brightness. If it was in night mode, you wouldn't be able to see anything. BOSS is what I'd call a "chinese" cheapie unit. None have a CD player, so it's just a cheap radio/MP3 player in a DIN box.

My JVC CD receiver shorted out over the winter when the heavy winter dews got inside- I should've brought it in the house for storage. So I went to BestBuy to see what's available, and the current CD receivers basic are of two types- Bluetooth and "Media." The bluetooth ones connect to your "phone" which I don't have, so it won't help me. I do have a tablet for navigation, and if I could feed the audio instructions from the tablet to the receiver while driving, that would help. The "Media" units have one or two USB ports where you connect flashdrive, or an Android or IOS device for access to the music on the device, or to control (?) the receiver. Most units have a mini-jack (1/8 stereo) on the front, which may be useful for some things. One thing I noticed overall was that the dot-matrix displays are not very bright, and the one receiver I tested (placed the thing in the radio hole and drove around the parking lot once) was hard to read while driving, and I had to stop the car and stare at the display to read it! I seem to prefer the Media receivers, because I would use the radio mostly, and switch to a CD for longer driving trips. The USB port is convenient because you can quickly copy a few songs (holiday songs or something you want to listen to for a day) to a flashdrive, and take it with you, and share with others (like a DJ) or even have people put more songs on it for you to sample. USB Flashdrives are like reusable CDs... I'd like some input from people who have either kind. Please tell me what advantage you like for your device, the price (I'd like to stay under $100) and why you'd recommend it. If you feel a certain Brand is ointeresting, mention that- I notticed some new brands lately, like BOSS. BTW- I don't use a subwoofer- just four speakers (quarter windows and rears) and I'd like something with an easy-to-read display with few buttons and a fixed antenna.

All the heater core repair-guy did was to solder around the inlets and polish the tanks a little. he didn't do anything with the tiny leaks at the ends of the cooling tubes, which is why the radiator guy refused to install the"repaired" part.

Do you think you could convince a radiator shop that it's the "Datsun factory-recommended replacement?" IMO. The only odd thing is how to shim the thing in a way that a radiator shop can handle. I would think a long strip of thick rubber 'tape' ( like a garage door bottom seal) would be the right stuff to use. Foam tape or weatherstrip would eventually wear out and the heater core with get loose. And they usually expect the inlet tubes up match up exactly, or have the right hoses come with the heater core, so the (underpaid, non-talented "technician") can hook it up without wasting time looking for the right elbow(s). The only bad thing I have seen lately is the light rust around the air intake hole. Since that area is now protected, I could clean it up, coat it with a rust-converter and seal it off with some Rustoleum...

there may even be another heater core that will fit the purpose even better than the Escort one. You'll only need some kind of a comprehensive catalog with photos and specifications and some time.

Damn. Why bother uploading photos and making them "public" when only YOU get to look at them?

This is a cool topic. My Escort is a 1997 model, but unfortunately, I sold it to someone so I can use it for parts. If I hadn't sold it, I was going to give it to charity, so I could probably use some of the parts, like the front seats, which are still in VGC. It's too bad my local radiator shop won't accept customer- supplied parts. BTW- as of July 1st, the local AutoZone has them for $40

Anyway, Apparently the local old-fart radiator repair guy didn't do diddly with my heater core, according to the big-name-radiator-company guy. He says all the old guy did was to solder around the seam of the little tanks, and rub the inlet with steel wool. He didn't repair the "leaks" which are those thin vertical tubes that pass through the fins. He refuses to install anything but a NEW heater core. So now I need a NEW heater core for a 280Z with a/c. Since I have no a/c, is there a difference? ZCarSource seems to be the only place (unless MSA still has the one) that can supply new heater cores. Actually, they get small batches custom made, and can't tell you if or when they will get more.

Accorduing to my local dealer, ALL S30 parts are NLA. They suggest you buy a 350Z.

I think of it this way: How much current could you get from a metal star-wheel whizzing by an inductive coil?

I agree with what you say, but I'd put a DPST relay just so you can set it up to look like part of the ignition stuff; only ground wires travel by themselves. I suppose you could put your digital multimeter inline with the distributor sensor wire to measure current, but since the signal is so brief (2000+ per second, at idle), a digital meter won't register. You'd need some kind of averaging module, or maybe an analog meter.

The container is in the footwell in front of the passenger seat, and there was no accident. I probably just pushed it too far forward and it bumped the connector.