FastWoman

Soooooo.... ?????? So you met some cute girl in Minneapolis, and the two of you decided to take a detour in your newly repaired Z to Las Vegas before continuing on to Oregon???? Enquiring minds, and such...

Hmmmm.... Maybe it's on my "to-research" list, as there seems to be much more to it than just the body pieces. I can see why the special hinges are needed, having eyeballed the action of my own hinges this morning. The incorrectness of this body style on a 280 doesn't really bother me, as long as the installation is non-destructive and reversable. All this has also got me thinking about a custom nose. I've done a lot of fiberglass work on boats. A car might not be all that different. In fact it might be a bit more forgiving, as osmotic blistering probably wouldn't be an issue. The G Nose reminds me very much of the front end of a '60's XKE, which I think is even more lovely a car than the Z. I once wanted to find one, but every one I found was a pile of rust. Anyway, I'm one of the few people who really appreciates that projecting front bumper on the 280, as it gives the front end more apparent length. However, doing it with a bit more extension of the body would be even better. Love that look!

Thanks, Carl! Interesting history. It's a beautiful car. As I said, it'll be on my "to-do" list when I have future body/paint work to do. Peace, Sarah

The nose. "G nose." Thanks for the term! I found it: http://www.showcars-bodyparts.com/240z.html Was this an option with some of the 240 models? I had never seen it before. That's a really sexy style. Wow! Whenever I do my next paint/body work, I think that's on my list of things to do.

I saw a pic of this on another thread (about wire wheels) and did a google search for more info. I didn't find much, but here's a clearer picture of a model of the car: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww355/hiltaway2/DSCN4485.jpg&imgrefurl=http://cgi.ebay.ph/TOMICA-EBBRO-NISSAN-DATSUN-240Z-MR-KS-SELECTION-1-43_W0QQitemZ350241624774QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDiecast_Vehicles%3Fhash%3Ditem518c0712c6%26_trksid%3Dp4634.c0.m14&usg=__kXut5vYMJa-mk6GdX-333q0HEi0=&h=768&w=1024&sz=99&hl=en&start=12&tbnid=1SaGlGMs4hXTiM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmr%2Bk%2527s%2B240z%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den Can anyone tell me anything about this gorgeous modification? Is (or was) it available as a kit somewhere? Absolutely stunning!

Either bulb/socket connection is bad, or the wiring to the front right bulb is bad. That would knock out your righthand turn signal flasher (i.e. so that the right rear bulb would glow constantly and not flash). At the same time, you hazards would probably flash all around, except of course for the right front.

Dave, you read my tone entirely wrongly! (Sorry you read it that way!) I was just asking whether they'd be willing to let me out of the endless replacement cycle with a refund of my money -- perhaps credited towards an upgrade to a more expensive alternator. It sounds like you've successfully done that. BTW, they actually did insist on testing the alternator before I left the store with it. I think it was so I couldn't get away with destroying it during the installation and then claiming it was no good out of the box. It sure didn't last very long, though. It ran beautifully until... nothin'. Thanks again, guys! Peace, Sarah

Thanks, guys! :-) Dave, is that the way you can get out of a lifetime warranty situation on a substandard part -- getting your money back? The alternator isn't really that hard an R&R job, but I would have concerns about reliability. I'd really hate to have the alternator go out on me in the middle of nowhere. Interesting that you replace the regulator everytime with the alternator. Why is that? Can a faulty regulator kill an alternator? Anyway, I do replace the two together, as I have the internally regulated '78 model. That said, I kinda miss the external regulator that my '75 had. It's was only the internal regulator at fault on my last '78 alternator. Everything else was strong. Seemed a pity to replace the whole thing.

Hi all, Here and there, I've been buying a few major rebuilt components for my Z from AutoZone. Their Duralast parts are generally lifetime warranted, and they keep all the documentation on their computer network -- i.e. no need to come in with receipts. Prices are also quite good, and the rebuilt items appear to have been well done. This is all very attractive, except... I replaced my alternator less than a month ago with a Duralast reman unit. It went dead a few days ago. Moreover, I haven't really driven the car much since then. I've maybe driven it every 2nd or 3rd day on short trips. Was I just unlucky? Are Duralast parts ordinarily as good as the lifetime warranty would suggest, or are they junk? I'd appreciate feedback on this point before I commit to more Duralast parts. Thanks! Sarah PS I do have a very beefy 8 ga main line from the alternator to the battery -- much larger than the stock wire. Do these alternators strain when given an improved (lower resistance) current path? Thx!

Yeah, mine is a '78 too, and it looks like mgood's.

The "heavy lope" sounds like you have certain cylinders that aren't firing. Are your plug wires hooked up in the right order? I think it's 153624, but that's just off the top of my head. Make sure you don't have the order backwards! When you read the engine vacuum, does the needle jump around in a pattern, or does it stay relatively smooth? Jumping around (very abruptly) would suggest a valve problem. Pull your wires one by one to find the cylinders that aren't doing anything. (When you pull a wire from a dead cylinder, the engine won't run any differently.) Hold each wire with a rag when you pull it. When you've identified the dead cylinders, verify that you have spark and fuel to those cylinders. Also verify compression on all the cylinders.

I use mineral spirits for a lot of things. The stuff is great for removing goo, road tar, overspray (ever get oversprayed, through no fault of your own?), and even adhesive from urethane-based paints. I wouldn't use it on any non-polymer paint, though.

It's something to do with the main supply. Either a fusible link is bad, as Manny suggests, or you didn't connect the wire feeding the fusible links to the + post of the battery. It probably connects in alongside the cable running to the starter. You might also have a wire that connects to the + post of the starter. In fact I think I had both in my '78 before I reconfigured it.

Wow, Maryland really sounds like a fascist state! OK, so it sounds like your car AT ONE TIME was getting spark, fuel, etc. Is this true right now? You can't assume that because it WAS that it STILL IS. If you have fuel and spark, and if the engine isn't seized up somehow, it should fire up. Check the spark. You know how, right? Crank it, and hold a plug wire close to ground. You should see a spark jumping out of the insulator and to ground. If that works... Now check to see if it runs on starter fluid. Easy test. Just spray the stuff in the throat of the carb, and crank. If there's anything good going on with your engine, it should fire up, at least a little bit. If that works, then look to your carbs. Also is your gas fresh? That's a very important factor.

Good call, Enrique. That's a thread that shouldn't be allowed to drift. It's such a great story. OK, I've moved this from the other thread, not that it's THAT interesting (Just commiserating with Frankie): My only semi-dramatic story was with regard to my '66 Mustang (sorry for the drift). I had just upgraded from a 2 row to 3 row radiator and was taking three friends out for a drive in the country. About an hour down the road, I heard a soft "ting" from under the hood. I said, "What's that?" My friends, who were enjoying the ride said, "Ah, it's nothing. Keep driving." Then I heard another "ting" and said, "No, there's something wrong." They insisted more loudly, "It's NOTHING. Keep driving." No sooner than I had opened my mouth to say, "I think I'd better pull over," all hell broke out under the hood, and there was steam everywhere. My flex fan had ground its way into the new radiator. Grrrrrr... A cell phone would have been a great thing to have on that outing.:stupid:

[thread drift edited out. Frankie's story is too good to dilute.] Hey, you'll always remember that Green Giant, eh? Gotta love it. Well, you've got a week to kick back. Why not rent a car and head into Minneapolis/St. Paul for a few days?

bryand2, the diff drain and fill plugs have 1/2" (12mm?) square male and female facings on them. The drain plug is on the bottom, and the fill plug is on the backside, about halfway up. When you fill it back up, you'll have to perch the filler spout over the moustache bar and squirt about 1/2" through the air, into the hole. (Fill until oil starts pouring out the hole.) I forget where the fill plug is on the transmission, but it should also be about halfway up. Drain plug is obviously on the bottom. My oil is already in the diff -- Mobil 1. I'll look into the Lucas for the transmission. Thanks!

A week in a new place is seldom a waste! Seriously, if you have the spare funds, rent a car on the 1-week rate, and take in the local sights. Meet people. Do stuff. This is the grand adventure of your youth, with no duties or responsibilities on your plate, and you may never have another. There may even be a reason you're there, beyond the bad luck of a breakdown. Honestly, I'd give almost anything to trade places with you for a week. You could sit here at my computer, trading stocks and editing photos, while I could enjoy a week of your youth, broken down somewhere in southern Minnesota. OK, now close your computer, turn off the TV, and get out of your motel room!

I can only wonder how the dumb chick describes your friend to her friends.

Just a bit of traveling music for you. I love this song:

Ah, to be young again! I'm really enjoying your story, Frankie. Sorry to hear about the transmission, but you'll be rolling again soon. Decades from now, you'll even have fond memories of the big breakdown in Minnesota, don't'cha know -- especially if you meet some cute girl while you're there. I can't pass you a wrench, but I'm beaming positive vibes your way.

That's really not too bad, Steve! Kinda cool!

I've never seen that non-adhesive loom tape for sale. Cool find! What I've done in much of my work over the years is to start as Dan describes, and then finish up with a tiny zip tie to keep the end from unraveling. Sometimes you can place the tape end under a harness attachment point (where it's secured to the body). A method I haven't tried but have thought about is to reverse the direction, starting from the fatter trunk (overlapping the start point and doubling back), and finishing on a fine branch. I would then secure the end with a short length of heat shrink. I haven't tried it, but it might work in some cases, where there are only 1 or two wires sticking out. If you think about it, you can wrap all of your branches back into the trunk, overwrap the loose ends, and finish off the wrapping out on some tiny branch with a piece of heat shrink -- or a cable tie. True confessions, though -- I've never been that compulsive about it.

I think the rear end is a bit too short for a bumblebee stripe. That's more for long areas of the body. If you want to experiment with bumblebee stripes, you might do something like with the old Camaros, with a stripe across the front end. Like this... http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.phoenixgraphix.com/gm/cam0001a.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.phoenixgraphix.com/gm/cam0001.htm&usg=__q01PymGG1Di73rIHS7BuN4VZq9g=&h=282&w=420&sz=14&hl=en&start=13&tbnid=xYrFRircE6o4uM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1968%2Bcamaro%2Bbumblebee%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den I can't picture how it would work with the headlight recesses. Might be interesting. I've seen some 80's styled, VERY wide pen striping sets at the auto parts stores -- with the widest stripe maybe 2" wide. You might experiment with some of that to see how you like the concept. Alternatively, you could prototype bumblebee stripes with 2" painter's masking tape (in blue, but you could paint it some other color). No need doing anything permanent until you have some idea whether you like it -- and get approving thumbs-ups from your friends.

I was just responding directly to a question. Sorry for any offense.