Mike

Yea, good idea. Done.

Okay, did a search and came up with these: Switch Conversation http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4522 Small Wiring Conversation http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4292 Light Styling Conversation http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6395 Didn't find anything else about the actual wiring itself. Guess I'll have to connect my engine compartment harness to my dash harness and use a VOM to trace the wiring.

Ah.. I do remember a thread a long time ago about this. I did a search and couldn't come up with the thread. I'll search using your suggestions to see if I can find something. Thanks Alan.

How about sex **IN** a Z? Ah yes... the fond memories of dating. :tapemouth

I came across this today (see link below). It's a timeline since the birth of the Z. http://www.zonc.org/TechnicalInformation/Timeline.html The problem with the pollution control devices is that it decreases horsepower. You can see a few complaints in the timeline about the decrease in horsepower over the years. This is why Nissan created the L28 and the EFI system. So, it appears that Nissan did NOT understand the impact of this system on the engine until the car was on the market. And, it wasn't until the mid-70's that they tried to overcome and design for it. In conclusion, the decision to remove this system from a Z is merely to obtain additional horsepower. I also think that not everybody needs additional horsepower, so, leaving the emission control equipment in place is just fine. Sometimes the common goal of maximizing horsepower is a little too generalized. When people remove the emission control equipment, do they really know why they are doing such things? I read back through this post and I don't think it's in the best interest for this group to see this again. These are called flame wars and they can get to be out of control. Hence, the need for moderators. Anyway, I hope you got some of your questions answered.

I need to get this straight... Are the 240z's pre-wired for driving lights? I was taking apart my dash and noticed a couple of unused wire connections that were taped to the harness. They are very close to the two dash indentations to the right of the steering wheel. Anyone know what these are for? I also seem to remember seeing a few unused connectors near the front of the car as well.

Don't always trust those little eye hooks on the L-series engines. I learnt the hard way. Fortunately, if it's going to drop... it will do so in the first few inches. I would HATE to see an engine drop while it's hanging over the front support bar. Wouldn't that just be a total shame!?! Anyway, the bolts holding the eye hooks are usually rusted and old. If you lift an engine, at least replace these bolts!! I had one shoot into my ceiling and the engine dropped a few inches back to the mounts. I now check the lift system for any kind of failure before I raise everything up in the air. My 'check' is simply pushing, pulling, and bouncing the engine while it's only an inch or so off the mounts. Seriously, do this.

In the early cars, smog equipment was an after-thought brought on by very demanding legislative ruling. Because of this, it created quite a significant burden on the system causing loss in power and efficiency. IMHO, they were still 'learning' about how to create a good system all the way through the mid-80's. I've had the opportunity to run a couple different Z's with the emission-control equipment both on and off the car. The difference is quite noticable. There are two sides to this coin. Emissions and fuel consumption. These two sides can be (and have been) argued until we're all blue in the face.

Here's an item on ebay at the moment. I've seen these come up as available for the 240z as well. Looks as if these are sealed beam replacements that could fit any car... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33710&item=2416173394

Here's a link to a picture of that leather-covered dash I was talking about: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2630&papass=&sort=1&thecat=998

Where did everyone get the number $14k? I don't see that in the auction. Last time I looked they were asking for a starting bid of $5k, but, that did not meet the reserve.

Anyone know what the reserve is on this car? Good find 2mZ's on that bungee cord..

I'm not certain, but, the rear tail-light area resembles a 280z model with the separate reverse lights. I was under the impression that the 260z was identical to the 240z except for a few interior changes and a bigger engine. Could this be a 280z with smaller bumpers and 260z badging?

No worries... we've all had our little fumbles with terminology. We'll just make fun of you because you're an Aussie instead.

Take a look at this thread (link below). We had a huge discussion about this last week and a fellow Aussie member went down and took a few pictures.... Very useful info there. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7215 [mikey] PS: You can buy new dashes from Nissan (getting to be VERY rare these days) for about $800 smackers...

Nigel, you have to feed the little wombat in the engine compartment. Otherwise, he'll stop running on his wheel. [m]

I wonder if those are a straight bolt-in installation or if there are modifications required to get them working correctly. MSA sometimes says that devices like this can be installed, but, they fail to mention that you need to make changes to the system so they'll work correctly. Anyway, I'm simply ASKING if this is the case with the MSA guages listed on that catalog page. Anyone know?

Excellent job Mike!! Glad to know that we were an inspiration to get your car back on the road. We'd all love to see picts. [m]

Just wondering if anyone has input on this. As I sit and ponder the fact of a 'cross-flow' engine system, I really start to wonder why this design wasn't used as a standard on the L-series engines. FYI, cross-flow means that the exhaust and intake manifolds are on opposite sides of the engine. To me, this seems like a more logical design for an engine. Any input?

Biker, did they happen to mention other materials available for this dash covering? I think it would be fun to do something out of carbon-fibre or a plastic/rubber material found on newer cars. I've also seen a dash covered in leather. It looked excellent with the stitching... gave it a totally custom look. I think there's a picture of it in our gallery somewhere (along with a carbon fibre dash as well). [m]

You're right there. I just shelled out $825 for a brand new Nissan dash for my '71. I wasn't able to get an original '71 (no longer available), so, I settled for a '72 dash. Minor difference is visible by a larger cigarette lighter indentation directly next to the hazard switch indentation. I use that term because they aren't exactly HOLES until you cut through to install the devices. My choices were: 1) Wait for my dash to be re-covered in 6-8 weeks (and wait to work on it at all). 2) Buy a new '72 dash and just swap the components over using my old dash as a reference. I opted for #2 because I knew I'd be sitting and staring at it every time I drive the car. Not to mention that it's a complete bitch to remove and re-install a dash after everything else in the car is put together. I don't recommend that everyone follows this theory. I think a dash re-cover would be just fine. I just managed to find a dash that was available. Not many of them left. -- Mike