Captain Obvious

Stanley, I will draw a distinction between the earlier points driven cars and the later electronic ignition cars: For the earlier points driven ignition cars, the condenser should be on the negative side of the coil (same side as the points) and the function is to prevent the points from arcing as described above. If you have a points distributor and your condenser is on the + side of the coil (same side as the ballast resistor), then you've got the condenser installed incorrectly. For the later electronic pickup variable reluctor style cars (starting in 74), they started including a condenser on the + side of the coil, and I'm not totally sure of the function. Never thought about it much... Maybe the Datsun engineers felt like they always included a condenser on the coil and were uncomfortable without putting one on there. Somewhere.

Haha! You funny. No quiz for you! Yes, you are correct. The electronic ignition transistor switched coils don't need the condenser like the points versions do. They just have to make sure that their switching transistors are robust enough to handle the primary coil flyback (kickback) voltage without being damaged. Interesting though, the later Z's with the electronic ignition module still DO have a condenser at the coil, but the later model condenser is on the battery side of the coil instead of being on the low side (switched side) like they do in points applications. I'm assuming it's for noise reduction or for a local low impedance source of stored energy. But anyway, that begs the question... The original topic of this thread suggested the importance of a condenser on the coil POSITIVE, not the coil negative. But in points applications the condenser goes on the coil NEGATIVE. So what gives? Blue, was that an oversight on your part, or did I go off and explain the whole points thing in a "normal" application, but miss the mark on the original intent of the thread? I mean, it wouldn't be the first time I answered a bunch of questions that were never asked, but I usually know ahead of time that I'm doing that!

Well I'd really like to meet up with you as well! I've heard that you are in charge of getting all the ClassicZ members together? I'll look into it a little more and then bump the Zcon roll-call thread. http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/50945-zcon-roll-call/

That's excellent that he got it back! I'm so happy for him! Let's just hope that it only took minor damage during the whole ordeal. I guess I ought to put some sort of theft resistant something in mine... I've never given it much thought, but it would probably be a good idea. I like Fastwoman's dongle. Yeah, I said that.

Haha! I'm looking into it... If I do go, I'll be sans Z, but even that would be worthwhile, right?

What the condenser does is provide a TEMPORARY low impedance path for the primary current until the points gap is large enough that the "kick back" from the primary is not enough to arc across the gap. That's the nutshell. Here's some detail. Start with some arc theory: 1) It's easier to establish an arc across a smaller gap than a large one.2) It's easier to MAINTAIN an arc than to establish one in the first place. So if you can prevent an arc from forming when the points are first opening and the gap is very small, you might be able to prevent an arc from ever forming at all because the points gap gets wider as the cam rotates and opens it further. in other words, if you can delay the voltage presented across the points gap until the gap is wide enough to withstand that voltage, then you will not get an arc at all. The condenser provides that delay with it's temporary path. The condenser has to be large enough to suppress the gap voltage until the points are wide enough to resist the arc, but as small as possible since any energy that you use to fill the condenser doesn't go into making a spark at the spark plug. The bottom line is you should use the smallest value you can get away with before you start arcing your points. But here's the tricky part... Remember the part about it being easier to maintain an arc than to establish one? That's where the ignition spark performance stuff comes in. You might think to yourself "Heck, I want the hottest spark possible at my plugs and I don't care if I have to replace my points more often to get it. I'm not going to use any condenser at all and that way, I'll get more energy at my plugs." Well, not true... If you don't use any condenser at all and simply let the arc form across the points gap, you're bleeding energy out of your ignition coil through that arc the whole time that arc exists. So by the time the primary energy is no longer high enough to maintain the arc, you've lost a bunch of energy that COULD have been put into a secondary side spark but is no longer available because it went through the points arc instead. So if you can time it correctly such that the condenser is full at the exact same time when the primary side voltage is not high enough to jump the points gap, then you will get a faster change in the primary current and hence a hotter spark on the secondary side. In other words, the resistance to flow through an already established arc is lower than the resistance to flow though a full condenser. Use the smallest condenser you can without arcing the points. Not only will you not burn up your points, but you'll also get the most rapid change in primary current which creates the hottest spark at the secondary. Quiz on Monday.

Yeah, I think the only year they did that interlock stuff was 74. Big Brother at it's finest. Actually, I think the seatbelts on the motorized tracks that automatically swung into place was the "finest"...

I have no idea at all how the automatic knob mounts. But I'm a little confused about the "why would you want to"... You're thinking you would put a manual knob on top of an automatic shift lever in an auto car? Why?

Haha! Well I hadn't given a lot of thought about going into the knob business. I'm not sure how many shots I'm going to get out of my mold for the shift map. It's certainly not what I would consider a production endeavor. I did cast a few extras but didn't finish the process. Let me dust off the project and see what I got. siteunseen, I believe those knobs that MSA sell are Nissan's current factory offering and are the same ones that show up on ebay as well. They look very nice but it looks like the dimensions of the wood is off from the original and the font on the shift map is different as well. I mean, if your original knob is a mess, then those are certainly a huge step up, but someone who knows what they are looking for would be able to spot the difference. I've not yet seen a highly accurate recreation of the original knob other than what I produced. On all the aftermarket options I've seen, either the wood dimensions are off, the lettering on the shift map is off, or the map is just two dimensional design without the "depth" of the original three dimensional reverse lettering design. I would put mine on a stock restoration and let the show judges see if they can tell it's a repro. Other than the fact that the threads on mine aren't all stripped out inside, I would challenge even the vintage experts to tell the difference.

Not really. That big nut adjustment controls how much friction there is when sliding the rack back and forth, but doesn't really take up any play. I guess if it's completely loose the rack might be able to wobble around a tiny bit in the housing, but that nut isn't what you would consider a play-taker-upper.

LMAO! Great story. No duct tape "racing stripes" down the side hiding externally run fuel lines? Didn't have to resort to that? . . . This time?

Hahahaha!!!! :: ::

To expand a little on what SteveJ mentioned about the white bottle... It's a vacuum storage reservoir. It "stores and smooths" the vacuum generated in the intake manifold and that vacuum is pulled out of that reservoir and used to control the HVAC system. There's a check valve on the manifold side of that bottle so all your vacuum doesn't run back out into the manifold when you floor it. The canister thing is your carbon canister. It's an emissions device who's job is to scrub the air/fuel vapors coming out of your gas tank when the engine is off and store the fumes in activated charcoal which is inside the black plastic canister. It stores the vapors in there when the engine is off and then burns them the next time you run the car. The port on top that is capped is supposed to be capped. I've not studied the system in enough detail to tell you why, but they're all like that. The broken line is a vacuum line and the device it's supposed to be connected to is your FICD (Fast Idle Control Device). The purpose of the FICD is to bump the idle up a little when you turn the A/C on. That line only has vacuum in it when the A/C is on, so if you're not running the A/C it doesn't matter if it's connected or not. If you turn the A/C on however, it will cause a small vacuum leak. Welcome to Z ownership. Buy stock in the companies that make rubber tubing.

Oh yeah? Well my oil is better than your oil. edited it just so I could have the little banner come up like you did. My edit is better than your edit.

Mike, Haha! No the spell check squiggly works just fine for me too. Apparently that's not enough to stop me though. I was never very bright... And thanks for checking! (had to edit that in)

Yeah, in that case you might consider resetting everything. And I'm sure you would do this without mentioning, but I'd keep an eye on your tires too... If the changes are dramatic enough, you might find an alignment is in order.

Oh. Bummer. Surprising that it's an all or nothing. I'm spoiled in the same way you arr.

Well if we're soliciting suggestions, I'd make it such that if you edited your post very quickly after you first created it (say 30 seconds or a minute) then no note that the post had been edited would show up. But if the post is edited after that time period expired, then the notice that the editing took place would be added. I think that's how a lot of other forums operate. Gives you a short time to fix the bonehead spelling mistake "without penalty". Edited ten seconds after posting to fix a bonehead speling mistake.

Don't forget to do the tightening of the bushing nuts with the car on the ground. You might even consider loosening the other bushing locations as well and resetting them to a new "normalized" position. I'm thinking that your new springs and strut inserts might establish a different neutral stance than your old parts and it would be good to re-normalize everything. Loosen everything up both front and rear, jounce around a couple times, (have someone sit in the driver's seat if you're that concerned) and tighten them up again? Wait a minute... You're running stock style rubber bushings, not poly, right?

it's clear from the fact they built a multiple alloy assembly for the rockers that they were trying to utilize properties of different materials in different areas. I don't have rockers laying loose anymore to inspect, but I suspect the pad that contacts the cam was brazed into place similar to how they attach carbide bits to a saw blade. I also suspect it's properties run pretty much the same through the whole pad. By that, I mean I bet a couple thousandths down into it is pretty much the same as at the original surface. If there were issues, I would expect them to surface (get it?) at the lash pad end. I believe surface hardening runs deeper than .001" so if they did something like that at the factory, you shouldn't be through it at just .001. And there's no way I would try to home heat treat those things! I've done a little hardening with my oxy-acetylene torch and a can of quench oil, but there's no way I'd try it on something like that! Not nearly consistent or predictable enough. As for how good the workmanship looks... I've heard stories of the training of the old school European machinists and their apprentice days. One of the stories is that some apprentices spent their first year or two doing nothing other than hand filing. Maybe not even with a goal in mind other than to spend time filing. I'm clearly still an apprentice and with that in mind, I just spent a bunch of time hand filing a Z project yesterday. Turned out fantastic...

Blue, Those look great. Any considerations about surface treatment of the contacting surfaces? Do you know if there was any special treatments done that you might be wearing through? I thought I saw a thread on hybrid that talked about that sort of thing, but I can't find it. My search-foo is weak,

Yeah, me too. I know this is a Z forum, but they're just so closely related.

Matt, One other thing about the bolts... I don't think mine rub all the time, but once the engine is running and the car is driving and flexing and the hood is rattling around up there, you may need more clearance than you think you do. In other words, just because you can close the hood and there's no contact, that might not be good enough. That might be fine sitting still, but more clearance may be needed once things start vibrating and flexing. Beautiful work as always!

Matt, be careful with those new bolts you used to attach the fenders. My PO did the same thing and they rub against the hood sometimes when the hood is closed. I've not done a lot of investigation into it, but I've got a tub of old used hardware that my PO took off and replaced and I believe I've identified the original bolts that held the fenders on and they are lower profile than "normal". Low profile head and no lock washers. (Maybe no flats as well, but don't remember for sure.) Point is, It would suck for you to mess up your brand new paint because the heads on those bolts stick up too far. BTDT

Sorry to hear about the brain fart. I'm just so glad that I'm not the only one that does bonehead stuff like that! I wouldn't worry about it. It's not like you're putting on aftermarket lowering springs or anything... Sorry!