mikehos2004

Thanks for all the help guys. I have a buddy coming over after work tomorrow to help. Seems like having a second person is good advice.

Thanks for the reply Jard. I'l get out there today and try to get the door panel off without breaking it. I also like those Black Pearl mirrors. And your Z looks great, you should ad some pics of it. I love the blue. Mike

When I got home from work today a great surprise was waiting for me: the original style sideview mirror for my 78 Z that I ordered. I went out, took off the Wal-Mart one that the PO put on, then found there is more to it than I thought to get it on there. It looks like I need to get behind the door panel to secure the backing plate. Is this right? If anyone has experience with this it would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure this is an extremely basic thing, but I'm new to working on my car, and I'm definitely getting better. Thanks to this forum I've changed my oil sending unit and fixed my non-working heater. Awesome. Thanks! Mike

Yeah I'd have to agree 78 is a good year. Very solid car, as are all years Z's. My first car was also a Z, a 1975, twenty years ago. The big difference is that now I treat the car with much, much more respect. Your good to it, it pays you back kindly with tons of enjoyment. Good luck with you car.

Thanks for the help guys. I picked up the part on the way home from work today and will (carefully) install it this evening. Do I have to drain the oil first, or is the opening high enough that it won't leak? Also, how do you know if you need a new fuel filter? How long does one normally last? Thanks!

Hi everyone. My 78 has had a little oil leaking recently. I traced it to a canister looking thing next to the oil filter (opposite side from the dip stick). This part has two terminals on the end, and a connection to it covered by a rubber bootie. Anyway, can someone tell me what this part is, and how serious of a problem it is? Hopefully it's something I can fix myself. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Astewart, I had the exact same problem you describe with my 78 Z. AC worked great, and the blower came on when I tried the heater, but no heat. Maybe someone already hit on this, but there was a thread a few months ago saying the most common reason for this is a cracked vaccum tube. I know very little about fixing car problems (just love driving the car) but I went out and tracked all those little tubes and sure enough found one that was cracked! Snipped off the end, stuck it back in, and the heater worked. It was great. So if you haven't already, go check all those little black tubes (black on my car, at least) and see if that gets you anywhere. And your right, this site is the best! Mike

Hey everyone. I hear people mention they take their car to a Z specialist, and I was just wondering if there is a way to find such a shop. I have a few rust issues that I'd like to have taken care of (not too good at doing it myself), but I'm not sure where to take the car. Just a local body shop? Or maybe contact the Nissan dealer? I'm in the Denver area, and if anyone knows of any Z specialists, or how I can find one, that would be great. Thanks!

I also need this outer hatch weatherstripping, and at the risk of asking a stupid question, is MSA an online supplier? I tried to look it up without much luck. It would be great if anyone could tell me where to buy this. And also maybe where is the best place to get an original style outside mirror for my 78Z. It has one from Target or Walmart that probably cost $19.99. Doesn't quite look right. Thanks!

Thanks for the help guys. I'm on it. I'll let you know how it turns out. Mike

Recently joined, this is a great club and from reading looks like there is a ton of info here. I finally was able to upload some pics of my 78 Z. I do have a question (or two) about the pwr antenna. Was this a standard item on the car when new? The guy I recently bought my car from said the pwr antenna didn't work right, so he just installed a fixed one. Is the pwr one difficult to install? I just ordered the book by Wick Humble about restoring your Z car (got that info on this site - thanks). So before the book arrives, just wondering what's involved in the pwr antenna. Thanks! Mike