Datzun76

I used to play on yahoo all the time. Thats a good site to play on. My record is - 231 Wins - 120 Losses

I agree with the 3 to 4000 range for repairs. Looked up all the parts I can see that are damaged =$1000. I am taking it Monday to get an estimate. I turned to the left right before impact so it was not a full head on collision. I do have pictures of the car before it happend so I am sure that will help my case. I am just worried the other drivers insurance company is going to try and pay lower than the cost it takes to fix it including new paint.

Some BMW made an illegal u-turn right in front of me and there goes my front end. Was able to drive it home and it does not appear any damage was done to the frame. Air Dam, Right Front Panel, Headlight Casing and Part of the hood all destroyed. Cop wrote $1500 estimate for repairs on the accident report. Yeah right. try $1500 just in parts. Only good thing is he was fully insured and cited for the illegal turn. Never fails just when you get your Z in great condition some idiot screws it up. Will post the lovely pics later.

Well I got the door today and surprise surprise it does not match. My Reply to him: The door is in ok condition but it is not from a 76 model. Z cars from 1970 to 1976 all have the same door and lock mechanism. This door does not have the same mechanism where the lock plate grabs on to the door when you shut it. This door is most likely from a 77 or 78 280z. This is why I asked upfront if you are sure it is from a 76. Do you still have the car this door came off of? There is a metal plate on the driver side on the body of the car that tells the month and year production date. Mine is 3/76. If this door had the actual locks on it and the lock plate that attaches to the body it may be possible to switch them out? but since this door is so stripped down it is not going to work. I am discussing this with other Z owners so I will be sending pictures to show how they are different.

I had another person suggest the clamp so may go that route. If I can reattach the bottom strut part I am pretty sure I can get it to rest on the support arm since it is loose and can move it up and down. The tie rod is preventing me from doing it. What if I disconnect the rank and pinion steering arm? The silver bolt at the top of it. That would free the tie rod and I could get the strut back together. I really dont want to undo the top of the stut unless it is a last resort. Obviously it will need to be taken in for a realignment anyway.

I ordered one door from a guy on ebay but he stated it was a 76 model. Waiting for it to arrive. People have sent me pics of other doors for sale and the latches are always different compared to mine.

Will doors from a 77 280 Match up with a 76 280? I am assuming they would.

I smoke a pack a day. Colon cancer is the least of my worries. I agree bring on the peanut butter. The smooth kind:classic:

I have those nasty fingernails right now and a few cuts from trying to swap out this ball joint. :devious: Battle Scars

My dad ate these all the time and now I inherited I guess. Peanut Butter, Mayo and Lettuce Sandwich. I leave out the lettuce on mine. A friend of mine told me it sounded disgusting but he tried it and now he eats them all the time . Of course you need to like mayo or dont even try.

Dont have one and thats what caused the problem. The lug nuts were put on with an air wrench and too damn tight to get off. I switched out the ball joint so thats done now my problem is getting the strut back on. A real problem since I am not able to get the tire off. The strut is too far below the arm that the ball joint rests on. I tried to disconnect the front of the tie rod from the part that attaches to the bottom of the stut. Took out the nut and pin but it will not separate. Is it supposed to separate? Every time I lower the jack the strut pushes away from the ball joint so it is making it a real pain in the arse to get it to rest on that arm.

Nope didnt even think of it was alone at the time. If I get the tire off and dissconnect the piece at the bottom of the strut I can just insert the new ball joint, nut and pin? Does taking this piece off the bottom of the strut housing affect the compression on the front spring?

I be edumacated:classic: Gav I would be ashamed to show the first few things I did in flash. It takes a year or so to get the hang of it but once you do it gets real addictive.

Already had a wrecker come out. He warned me it could cause damage so we both opted not to do it. The car will not move at all since the strut is entirely off where the ball joint comes under it. I tried jacking the car up and putting a hydraulic jack under the strut. Put thick wood stops under the tire and Lowered the car trying to get the strut above the joint to slide it back on but that did not work either. Even if I jack the car up I still need to get the tire off. If I can get the tire and lug nuts off I can get to the bottom of the strut and may be able to get it back on. There is no pressure on the front wheel so when I try to take the lug nuts off the tire just spins. The lug nuts are on super tight. If I loosen the arm the ball joint is on and undo where the sway bar connects will I be able to move the arm lower?

Turned into my driveway and the front left ball joint disengaged from the strut!. The top of the ball joint has zero thread and was badly worn. No warning of this or shaking before hand. Problem is I am not able to get the top of the ball joint back inside the strut. Trying to so it can be towed to a shop. Not able to get the lug nuts off the wheel either since there is no pressure on the strut. Tried a hydraulic jack to try and get the strut above the top of the joint as well. Any ideas? I dont want it towed for fear it will tear off the front air dam when trying to roll the car. Only other route I can think of is to disconnect the strut from the top. Thank God I was not going 50mph when it happened.

Oh I have that all covered on my other site - studiomodel.com

Nope. No way in hell. I dont let her or anyone else drive it. She just wants her name on the title so when I die she gets it.

Try 465 MPH. When I went to pay the fine that is what they had in the system. Other than that a slow 75mph ticket in a 40 zone.

That car looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor. Well worth what he is asking and it is a 280 so that means he has good taste.:classic:

I have a 76 280. Try to describe it without a pic. Picture a small piece of a mailing tube. Mounted with three bolts in a triangular pattern. 2 bolts facing the seat on the tower one bolt in front of the tower/tube in a triangular pattern.

I just installed a new center console on my 76 280 and I have one empty slot? There are three holes for switches right under the radio and I have one empty slot in the center. Perfect square. What the hell goes in this one? I must be missing a switch or is this the wrong year console. A 240?

I have been trying to get mine insured but most insurance companies refuse to give me full coverage and almost all of them will not even give me the state required (Florida) minimum coverage. I looked mine up on NADA since KBB does not offer the value of cars that old. According to them my 280z is worth 3,000 in good condition and $5,000 in excellent condition. Look your car up in NADA and see what the value is. Alot of insurance companies will go by blue book values. A friend of mine recently wrecked her car and her insurance company agreed to pay her the average price that other owners were selling their cars for. Exact same year and model. She wound up getting another $700 out of them.

Joke (jok) n. -Something not to be taken seriously

ok found it. MSA has two separate pages for shift knobs.

Thanks I will take you up on it if I am not able to find one. Did the ones with the Datsun logos go on any specific model/year? All the knobs on ebay are just the 4speed logos. Anyone seen these as well? This looks custom made. Datsun horn pad at the bottom of the page Datsun Horn Pad