IBZINYA

I have an update!! OK... I have a bad ground I am sure of it. I tap the starter solonoid while turning the key and it starts every time!... I know, bad starter you say... ive tried 3... same results. So I was looking for voltage at the starter while cranking and I am only getting 3.5 volts or less to the starter when in the crank position. It varries with each try. 2.8-3.6-3.1 and so it goes.. I have been removing electrical components individually and cleaning contact surfaces... both spades and metal cans to ground... I hope to find it soon as I am running out of possibilities. I'll let you know the second I find it. For now I still drive it probably more than I should... but I cant help myself... its like a 15 year old with porn. Thanks for all the input. It all helps.

I wish I had read this thread a long time ago... I have had a similar condition on a Datsun 1200... turned out to be the ballast resistor under the coil... There was a "near" open in the resistor.. ok at lower rpm but as it aproached 4500 rpm it began to sputter, progressively got worse untill it topped out at 5500 rpm to the floor. $1.99 could fix your problem.

Yup ... I replaced the electrical part and the same symptom... this is why I'm so perplexed. I think I will try the jump wire before anything more involved, just to see if it is a good solution. Thanks as always... You D'man

SO I have a very regular no crank condition... It only cranks every 5th to tenth twist of the key. I have installed a good used starter... ingnition switch and made sure all of my conections are good.. So I have found in the factory service manual that my car is equiped with an ignition inturupt AKA anti-theft safty $%^&*!!!! Is there a way to bypass this pain in my A$$!!! I really do not want to install a separate starter button but will if absolutely nessessary. Another potential symptom... When I turn the key to lock the ignition turns back on and occasionally the starter cranks.... for this I simply leave my key in the ignition in the off position... we dont have a real theft problem here.. everone carries GUNS... and they arent any good without bullits.:finger:So I have lived with this discomfort for about a year but now this start problem has gotten much worse and seems to be getting even more prevelant. In the wire diagram there are simply to manty possiblities ie.. door switch-seat belt switches-seat switches(integrated in the seats)"didnt know that"-buzzer and the diagnostic flow chart uses an apparatus I am sure has not been seen since Magnum PI went off the air"damn shame" Any help with this will sure be appreciated.. we want to make it to Canby again this year. I wont even try with this problem:mad: SO thanks to any and all who can rescue me from beneath my dash. To make things easy 12/73 260 manual trans

A bolt on fender flare... as opposed to a molded in one.

Wanted to fire up an old post. Give me the air dam and black bonnet!

It is funny how pulling out your Z atracts more Z's... Last fall I went for an extended drive through the country and all of a sudden I saw flashing head lights in my rear view. First thought.... Im getting pulled over..... it's not a police car.... oh no- whats falling off!!! Turns out its another Z owner wanting to meet. Scared the #$%* out of me at first, but all was forgiven when I was given the locations of all his known parts donors.

Most prominent rebuilders I know would keep all of the rod caps as well as journal caps together with there original mate surface. If you were going to clean it for astetic porposes I would clean with break cleaner and then throw a light coating of WD-40 to help keep the rust at bay. I would Just leave it alone untill you really do need it. You may even lose a part you really, REALLY need at a later time. Just my thoughts, It is in the end your motor.

I will be 41 on May 6, I raced Datsun 1200's in the mid 80's at Portland and have always had the Jtin bug. I remember fondly beating the all new at the time IROC Z Camaro at the highschool drags in Woodburn Oregon sometime in 86-87... I have even fonged a few 944's back in the day. My daughter (14) and I wanted to celibrate my midlife crissis by going raceing again... not alot of options here in Western Montana... pretty much auto-X. What better than a Z? We looked for 2 years and found our current example on craigslist sitting in a barn in Eastern Washington (Spokane). We love it... well I do. And hope to make it to Canby again this year. The best part is the comradre we find wherever we go. This car can start conversations just sitting at a stop light, and in this day and age it is nice to hang out with floks of the same intrests.

Today I got out the Z... WOO-HOO!!! After a long winter up here the skies opened up and we got all the way into the 40's.. (not so much the heat as the gosh darn humidity!) Im lovin the ride! A fellow drove up beside me and gave the perverbial thumbs up and I cant wait for more good weather! So here is how the car looks today and Im so giddy I cant think of my next mod!:mad: Oh well I'll sleep on it tonight and come up with something I'm sure. Hope you enjoy the photo's.

Glad to hear your getting a Z.... Z ya on the roadROFL

I run 15x7 Konig Rewinds... they are light... cheap... and I run 225-50-15 Toyo PX4's on them. They are a 0 offset so with that tire size I do not get ant fender scrub,

Well what can I say, I have another Z 1971.. no interior, not even the dash! HLS30-25015 matching number block #32135 E-31 head E-46 intake and 4 screw SU's It runs strong but has alot of body stuff to be done. I think it will make a good track day car in the end and an even better mechanical doner for my 74. At least I did my part to save one from the crusher.

Think of it this way... you have a NON-CRACKED dash... worth the $750.00 alone!

My two cents.... I own a decent early 74 and enjoy it because its a daily driver... and a hot rod of sorts.. modifications and engine swap are in its future.. and its an all matching numbers car. It would be a long time before it would be worth much more than I paid for it. If you are looking for a concourse car go with the early Z... If you want one that you can truly drive hard and not cry over the ocasional rock chip or deer in the road go with the 74... Cant wait to see which one you get.

The sunroof looks alot like a SCARAB option. Is the quarter vent emblim gold? Looks kinda intresting to me... also the rolled fenders are another point if intrest. Could it be?

In 2006 My youngest daughter and I conjured up a scheem to go autocrossing. I had raced SCCA GT-5 in a Datsun 1200 in the mid 80's at Portland IR and have always had the bug! After looking for ever for a decent start car I realized that there really was no after market anymore. The next logical step.... a Z of course! We looked for a decent candidate but colamitty struck late in 2007 when my 13 year old daughter was diagnosed with end stage renal disease (Kiddney Failure). We had life flight bills in the $35000.00 range plus ambulance rides and medical bills to the tune of a new home. We are still awaiting transplant but there is a light at the end of this tunnel. This disease is covered by the Americans with diabilities act.. however you must qualify.. and part of that qualification is you canot have more than $3500.00 equity in your vehicles. At the time I owned a 2005 Dodge Neon (paid for) a 2001 Dodge Dakota quad cab 4x4 (paid for) and a 1999 Neon for my then 17 year old daughter. So I traded in the 05 Neon on a 07 Dodge caliber R/T awd and that took care of that equity.. Sold the Dakota and used part of the money on my 74 Z. I had to give th 99 Neon to relitives.... So I found my Z on Craigslist 15 minutes after the owner had listed it. He had pulled it out of a barn in Spokane Washington after a 12 year Hybernation.. He was reluctant to let me drive it home becuase he wasnt sure it would make the 3 hour journey... (Silly man, its a Datsun) So I made it home and found the water pump to be wobleing and the rear main seal pukeing, but it was in my garage. Best part is so far in a year of ownership most of the parts I have needed to replace have come from the 4 boxes of spare parts he supplied at the time he sold it to me. Even the water pump and rear main seal were there in Nissan bags and boxes. So with 1 autocross under our belt we managed to be the fastest car on street tires and beet out some others in higher classes and we are hooked. Our newest delima is of course how to afford tires... took 4/32 of our Toyo PX4's in one afternoon... yup wife is pissed.. This is the Z as of yesterdayLOL

Im glad to see I'm not the only one around here to feel this way... I think of my Z as eco friendly.. it not only gets good mpg but I saved all that metal from the scrap heap. The longer you drive "one" car, the longer you keep "one" more from being produced. This saves not only the mined mineral content but the stored energy output for assembly. I plan to drive mine as long as replacement parts are available, or my license is revoked.... which ever occures first.

Thanks for the response folks.. I have sealed it from the inside with POR 15.. The problem I really have with a current fix is that the few body shops that have looked at it all say the same thing... They cant match the color. They all want to repaint the whole car to the tune of $4500.00 to $7000.00... I dont have that in the whole car. My point is this, if I leave it as is the worst that can happen is to eventually need to replace the hatch or at least need a more intensive repair. I do plan to do a major restoration in a few years. I do not drive it in winter but it still looks unsightly to me. I am having a hard time with the thought of a black hatch so for me it comes to leave it for now or repaint it now(ie.. start the major resto sooner than I want.) Wish it were an easy decision to make.

So I have this delema... If you look at the pics you will see the only rust on my car is on the back hatch below the glass. My paint is in pretty good shape and I dont have plans for a repaint any time soon. At the same time I dont want to have a visable patch job showing... my hood is bad enough, but livable... looks race inspired- my wifes words-. So do I fix the rust now and live with unsightly repair or wait 4-5 years and fix at repaint? What would you do? Thanks for inputs

So, any new updates? Would love to see this to the finish!