MikeW

I agree that the term is causing confusion here. There really are some systems that use "optical" sensors (a beam of light passing through a disk with holes in it). In fact, computer mice used this technology back when they had a rolling ball. Most mice these days have no moving parts.

Well, I could tell from the picture that it wasn't in Saudi Arabia. The shape of the blanked-out license plate made me think Europe but that's as far as I could go ...

As I recall when installing my Pertronix there's a piece of green tape holding the magnets in place and you're not supposed to remove it even though it looks temporary.

Have you seen Mobil 1 mentioned any in this thread?

I got my foam and seat covers from DatsunRestore.com I can't really compare the quality to CD but I've heard that Classic Datsun's are closer to the original pattern. In any case, new foam and covers made a huge difference over old seats that are sagging with torn vinyl. I can post pictures of mine if anyone here is interested.

I didn't specifically use theirs but I did use what appears to be exactly the same thing purchased from a different vendor. It may well be from the same manufacturer. As far as I know the differences between seats come down to reclining hardware and seat bottom webbing versus metal springs. I don't think that any of these differences have any impact on the form or seat covers. From what I recall the foam itself is quite easy to work with. You just kind of stick it up against the seat back or bottom and you're done. You might use a little spray on glue to hold it to the seat back. The tricky part is the getting the seat covers over the bottom and the back (they're completely separate - you do them independently). It can be quite difficult to stretch the covers by hand. It helps a lot to let them warm up. Perhaps you could leave them in the sun or use a hair dryer. Once you get them completely on it's a bit of work to poke the metal prongs through the vinyl and get the wire through the edging. You didn't mention that you're putting new covers on so I don't know if you need any more detail on that part. I assume that putting the old covers back on will exhibit many of the same difficulties as well as the additional problem of not damaging them on removal.

I'm with Arne about the religious wars. In my opinion the 2,500 part above is more important than what you use. I'm very skeptical of the claims of some manufacturers about going 10,000 miles with their oil. Sure, the oil itself may still be good by that point - if there's any left that hasn't burned off. We all know that the L-series engines are very reliable for many miles. Plenty of those engines made it to those high numbers on whatever Nissan recommended (Castrol 10W30 or 10W40 as I recall). I'm sure that today's oils are even better than what was available when the cars were new.

Welcome. Post some pictures - of the first three vehicles anyhow. Also, filling out your location it might help; you may be able to find someone nearby to help you turn a wrench or swap parts with.

It's very easy to put in place an aftermarket fuel filters that's clear. This will quickly tell you if sediment is the problem.

Did you re-use the head bolts after doing that? Perhaps they'd be just fine but it makes me nervous.

Yes, the resistor is inside the airflow, probably to keep it cool. My blower motor quit working a while back and I simply removed everything from the car to trace the problem. Yes, you'll probably need to remove the glovebox. At that point you can easily remove the entire blower motor assembly along with the short section of wiring harness that goes to the rotary switch. By removing the control knob and the locking nut you can pull the switch out from the rear of the heater control panel. I first verified that the motor ran by hooking power directly to it. I then worked my way backwards until I found that one of the harness connectors was loose. I took this opportunity to thoroughly clean 30 years of dust off of everything before putting it back in the car.

With a lower profile tire you'd obviously be able to go even bigger than this on the rims although actually finding such tires would be a problem:

I have one I can send you.

76Datsun280z: you might consider removing the large image from your signature. People with slow connections may not appreciate the extra download time and the rest of us may not appreciate the space it contributes to each and every thread you post to. I've simply blocked it completely using Adblock but others may not have that option.

No. It sounds like you're referring to clear headlight covers which often had chrome trim.

Unless you really overpay I don't think you have to worry about selling it for a loss. On the other hand, adding a $5K paint job to a car that's worth $10K isn't going to leave you with a $15K car. That's really the problem when you start talking about cars as investments and trying to figure out what you need to do to make it worth more. I do think that the original color is always worth more, especially with a black pearl, but then you get into a different set of questions. Do you really want to reproduce the cheap original paint that Nissan used or do you want a high quality modern base coat/clear coat system. My friend Jesse has a very nice black pearl but it's far from original: http://www.suncoastzcarclub.homestead.com/carz_jessespage.html I don't think that having a Nissan dealer do the paint is the right avenue. They likely get their paint from the same place that everyone else gets it so it's not like that would make things more authentic. Dealer body shops as well as most other collision centers specialize in quick accident repairs and not high quality restoration work.

Welcome to the club. You're correct to be concerned about the rust as that's the biggest enemy of early Z cars. It may "only" be surface rust but that concerns me if the paint is only a few years old. There may be more waiting to be found. Obviously the black pearl is more desirable than the standard '78. It's really hard to give you a number without seeing the car or knowing your location. I don't know that I'd call it (or any car) a good investment. $3500 invested in 1970 at a conservative 5% would be worth over $21000 today. There aren't that many Z cars in that price range and those that do sell for amounts like that probably had a whole lot more put into them to restore them to that level. Who know what car prices will do in the future? Some go up and some go down. The cost of a paint job is almost exclusively based on the amount of labor going into the prep and that's what determines the quality of the results. How nice do you want it?

You might be surprised at how well SEM vinyl and plastic dye works on an interior. You mentioned wanting to change the color but not necessarily that you also require all new pieces. Unless you have cracks or tears you might be able to keep what you have and make it look much better. If you're missing rivets they are still available from many locations including eBay, MSA, and the Nissan dealer: http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=90909-E4100_10PAC The rivets do come in colors to match the interior but you could probably dye them as well if needed.

I can name quite a few members along the shortest route: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&saddr=tarpon+springs,+fl&daddr=toronto,+ontario,+ca&ie=UTF8&z=5&om=1

Mine does have the pockets. What's the VIN? Is the car registered as a 71 or 72?

Where in Florida? I'd be inclined to let a local Z car expert give the car an inspection before a long road trip. There may even be a member of this club who'd be willing to give a look ...

Yes, I'm sure. As I said, the hole in your dash originally had vinyl in the bottom but someone poked a small hole there. Edit: Here's what mine looks like: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/data/500/3294Dashboard.jpg

Are you sure that the choke cables are working properly and that both carbs are being choked the same amount when you pull on it? One option would be to disconnect the cables and actuate the chokes by hand while testing with the Unisyn.

That's the hole for the cigarette lighter. Early cars had the lighter in the fuse box panel but later it was moved to that spot on the dash. The picture looks to me like the vinyl is still mostly filling the hole but someone poked through it in the middle. I believe that earlier cars did not have the spot for the lighter there. 9/71 was definitely a time of transition between features so your car may have an early lighter position but a later dash. My car was also made in 9/71 and has the lighter in the dash.

Welcome. Can you determine if the car has the original "flat top" carbs that came on the 73s or have they been replaced with earlier "round top" carbs? Where specifically is the fuel leaking from? Pictures would help; you can post them as attachments.