Dirwin

Killed 2 birds with one stone today! Alternator took a dump the other night and left me on the side of the road so I replaced it today with a 140 amp internal regulator that I got from Z Specialties. I removed the voltage regulator completely so it couldn't be inadvertently hooked up, terminated the t connector, changed the belt and hooked up the ground, works like a champ! 14.1v at idle, 14.18 at 2500 RPM. Ammeter shows a slight charge at idle and now just drops just an instant when I turn the fan and headlights on and returns to a slight charge. The two bird part, oil pressure guage was acting goofy with the low voltage, now it works like it should. I know low voltage plays hell on these cars fuel injection because it is running better now as well. I'm still going to flip out the headlights to a relay set-up and go with the higher wattage bulbs though. While they no longer dim at idle, they just aren't very bright.

You're right, the suspension might correct some of the squeaks and rattles so I'm going to start there. Is there a source for ALL of the rubber bushings in a kit form? I do not want to go with poly bushings because I don't want to roughen the ride that much. Also is the Tokico the way to go with the struts and springs?

Well this got a little easier! Decided to drive the Z home tonight, now I'm 6 miles from the house waiting for a wrecker, . Alternator took a dump, low voltage got to the fuel injection, here I sit. Just like old times, my 78 did this to me as well. Can't dump her now! She was my GF 30 years ago, she's now been my wife for nearly 24!

I bought what I think was a really nice 75 280 last year. A represented 39K mile, nearly original, nice car. After climbing all through it, I believe that it is a real 39K mile car, but who knows, after 10 years, it's exempt on miles in Texas anyway. It has been painted, but the work was done very well and it has absolutely zero rust, or prior rust repair. It had what I think were some old Panasport knockoffs, fronts were 14x6, rears 14x7, taller tires on the rear, looked like hammered crap. Seller said they were Panasports, had the blue Panasport center caps, at least 3 of them did, the 4th the same blue raised decal but was a different cap, held in the wheel with duct tape by the way. Regardless, I didn't like them so I then went and refinished a set of original 14x5's with 195/70's and hubcaps and installed them, if it's possible, it looked worse (in my opinion). Finally, I decided on where I am now, 15x6, 15mm offset, real Panasports, 205/60R15 tires, seems to fit very well and looks good to me. Now to my questions. I want to drive this car more but I have a few issues with it. And really would like some opinions from you guys. 1st, it squeaks and rattles just as bad as my 78 did when I bought it in 82 (why I bought this one you ask? My first car was that 78 280Z). I've searched and read on this issue and I know about the greased rivets and closed cell foam tape so I'm good here I think. Anything else? It actually feels like the whole body is flexing. 2nd, my drive to and from work is 18 miles one way, nearly all highway, 70-75 mph, the original 4 speed is really zinging the engine. Is a 5 speed a good swap? It seems pretty straight forward but are there any bears that are going to jump out at me when I get started? 3rd, the car is a factory A/C car, everything is there and it works (fan, defrost, etc...), just doesn't blow cold. Is switching out to a new Sanden compressor and a R134a conversion worth doing? I'm in Texas by the way. 4th, even with low miles, the oil pressure seems to stay on the low side, especially at idle. It will come up when you get going but get lower as the engine warms up (and the oil thins). I changed the sending unit already. Should I go ahead and replace the oil pump? Could it be caused by something I'm not thinking about? 5th, struts and suspension which are all original, is it time to go ahead and go through the suspension? Will this correct some of my squeaks and rattle issues? My goal is good ride and handling for the street, the car will never be raced or auto-x'd. I'd like it to handle a little better but I'm concerned as to whether going with the Tokico struts (or something along those lines) and droping the car 1 inch will cause my 205/60's will rub. Last (at least for now), alternator, headlights dimming with RPM, all the issues you run into with the low amp alternator you'd expect. Is switching out to the bigger internally regulated alternator worth doing? What kind of issues am I going to run into? My original thought was to keep the car bone stock, but now, I'm changing my mind, I want to drive it. My goal is now to get it to drive as nice as I can and enjoy it. I already know I paid way to much for it when I bought it, but it brought back a lot of good memories, and it's not that I'm looking for resale or anything like that. I don't plan on getting rid of it. Like I said, my first car was a 78, silver with a 4 speed. I bought it my sophomore year in high school after saving up 2+ years of lawn mowing money. It burned a quart of oil every tank of gas, but I absolutely loved it. Too bad I couldn't afford the insurance for it at the time and had to sell it after my 6 month policy expired, just of one of those things I guess. Now, 30 years later, I can afford the insurance! Funny though, my girlfriend at the time, hated the car! Now, 30 years later, after we've been married for nearly 24 years, she still hates it I've been searching and reading on this forum for over a year now. I don't post much but any input you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! You certainly answered one of my questions, my spare has been repainted. Your wheel balance weight is not painted and mine is. Also looks like the black is a satin/semi gloss. Is the inside silver or grey? I'm wondering if it wouldn't be very close to a rally wheel silver similar to what most GM rally wheels had, kind of a semi gloss.

I'm attempting to bring my 75 280 back to original (or as close as feasible) and have a set of steel wheels for it but they need refinishing. What was the original color of the steel wheels? The ones I have are oxidized black on the face and a rusty silver/grey on the inside (so no help here). Was the original black a flat, satin or gloss? Any idea of a close match to the silver/grey color? The spare is the original Toyo Z 195 tire, but since the balance weight is painted, I believe the prior owner may have refinished the wheel.

The original owner of my '75 had the emblems shaved, ALL of them. I'm wanting to put them back on but he had all the holes either leaded or welded up (not body filler). Anybody know what bit size to use to re-drill the pin holes? I thought about cutting off the pins and using double sided tape but I want them to be absolutely stock Dave

California Covers are what I use. They are made to order, cost about $300 for a Z, fit perfectly and are the softest covers on the paint I've ever used. The outdoor covers are higher but look at it this way, what did the paint job cost you and ask yourself, do you want to do it again? Dave

Dynomat makes a $10.00 wooden roller, if you don't have one, get one. It makes laying it much easier. I precut the pieces, relief cuts and all prior to removing any backing and when I do, I do like Kurbycar32 stated, roll back a little at a time, roll it flat and then remove a little more backing. I find that it takes about 2 beers per sheet, just a reference of course.

Thanks for the replies. The wheel is now headed to Canada to go on Jim's '73. It'll look good since it is definitely period correct. Dave

Revised look with stock wheel after refinish and leather wrapped by Craft Customs.

I just got this car in January and since it only has 34,000 original miles, I'm wanting to bring it back to absolutely original condition (or as original as possible) so I switched back to a stock steering wheel that I refinished. Any idea what the Racemark is worth? I know they haven't been made in quite a while and I have no idea how long it's been on the car but it's in nearly perfect condition. It also has the adaptor hub and the Z horn button that worked when I took it off, last Saturday. It's period correct for the '75 I know, it's just not what I'm looking for with this car. I'm really not much of an Ebay'er and I'd really rather someone have it that is rebuilding their Z, rather than just going to resell it.

Thank you, I'd definitely like to see the end results and get a first hand opinion with regards to quality, fit and turn time. Outstanding job on the '74 by the way.

I'm thinking about sending my 75 dash out and having it redone. I've done some extensive searches on the forum and am in doubt about sending it to Dashboard Restorations based on the 7+ month turn around and spotty communication that some here have experienced. That's the reason for my questions about Just Dashes. Any input would be appreciated. Mine now is has 2 cracks and the PO glued a dash cover down. It doesn't look terrible but it stands out to me. I don't mind the cost but I'm very particular on the job being done perfectly (that's why I don't want to do it myself).