MikeW

If you read the meter properly you've only got a 12mA (0.012A) drain which is not much. Your headlights probably each require a 10A fuse and even if they actually draw 5A each for a total of 10A then that would be over 800 times as much current. When you accidentally leave headlights on they might drain the battery in a couple of hours so you should be able to go for a couple of months at only 12mA. Lasting only a week clearly is a problem. I suppose it's possible that the problem is intermittent. I'll have to let someone with a 280Z let you know what those fuses power as it's probably different than my 240Z. You might try pulling the 3rd fuse on the right side and see if it will sit a week that way.

Yes, but you really need to read amperage, not volts. For the most part volts will be either 0 or ~12. The millivolt readings you were getting don't really mean anything - they're basically zero. You headlights, starter, and dashboard lights all use 12 volts but pull vastly different amperage. If you read 12V that means that the circuit was active which may be fine if, for instance it was just the low draw running the clock but bad if there's a short somewhere.

I speak from experience. My timing chain tensioner broke once which caused the chain to slip a few teeth which in turn bent all of the exhaust valves. Generally when we hear of an engine running on only three cylinders it's due to one carb not supplying fuel. It's interesting to me that only three valves are bent and the other three are fine and the three good cylinders themselves hold pressure. If the valves were bent while the engine was running I'd truly expect all 6 to be bent. I wonder if it was assembled wrong, turned over a few times by hand, and then reassembled with proper timing but without fixing the bent valves?

No, the distributor timing has nothing to do with the valve timing. The valves are opened and closed by the cam which should always been in sync with the crankshaft as it's driven by a chain. The only way for valves to get bent in a previously running engine is for the timing chain to slip which can happen if the tensioner breaks. The other possibility is that the engine was assembled wrong and got damaged the first time it was cranked.

It should only read a few milliamps as I recall. Really just enough to run the clock. Other fuses should read 0 if the circuit is off. An even easier first step is to check at the battery itself. First turn off all lights including the dome light. Set your multimeter for the maximum amps (10A or 20A usually) and disconnect one of the battery cables. Insert the meter in series between the cable and the battery post you just pulled it off of. This will tell you your total drain while everything should be turned off. If it's a reasonably small number then the problem is elsewhere. If not you can then check the fuses one by one as has already been mentioned.

Until you hear otherwise I'd have to assume that the car is rusted beyond hope and that's why it's being crushed. Parts that don't rust are more likely to be available.

I posted this a while back: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34138

Possible new record - almost seven years since previous post.

Fair enough. Somehow I had it in my mind the springs are never fully compressed in normal driving. On the other hand, I recall Dukes of Hazzard jumps where clearly the springs got compressed all the way and then some. I think they tore up a lot of cars for that show. You'd see the whole fender crumple and in the next cut the car would look perfect again. I do know that when I replaced my original springs with lowering springs the ride height went up slightly.

FWIW rubbing tires could also be an indication of sagging original springs. The shocks/struts do little to affect the actual ride height. In effect the springs do the shock absorbing and the struts dampen the oscillation of the springs.

Post some pictures if you can. That will be your best way to get a positive identification.

That sounds like fuel to me. Will it keep running fine with the clutch in, i.e., the problem is only under load? I'd check for a partially clogged fuel filter first as that's easy to do and cheap to replace.

In the second shot it appears to be more than just the floor pans themselves but the inner rocker panel or whatever that's called on the inside of the door opening. It seems like cutting that out along with the floors would require a lot of stabilization to keep the whole shell from flexing as replacements are being welded in.

That's a great idea but I don't know if any high speed internet is available at Road Atlanta. Presumably you'd need a wireless option. It looks like AT&T may have that area covered in 3G but I don't know for sure.

Is that your wheel lock key code?

The seller is certainly reputable in this case.

I can't help but think about Eddie Murphy's routine about that car. You can listen to it here but if you're at work you better turn the sound way down: http://new.music.yahoo.com/eddie-murphy/tracks/talking-cars--717519

That was an aftermarket addition. My car had those front and back when I bought it. I don't see anything too alarming in the rest of the pictures you posted. My biggest concern is the damaged heater control panel. Those are becoming harder to find but may actually be easier for a '73. The car appears to have aftermarket air conditioning but I only see the console switch, not the A/C components themselves.

Feel free to post the other pictures if you're not too concerned about the white glove treatment we tend apply around here. It's actually a good thing to have experienced eyes nit picking little details and will hopefully give you some ideas of where to start once you are able to start working on it.

Looks very nice on the outside. Especially for only $3000. The only thing I see wrong is the mudflaps. Any idea what the missing 10% is?

Welcome. I've always burned unleaded because that's all that's available. My understanding has always been that softer valve seats can be affected but this explanation from the EPA makes even that seem like it's not a problem. They even claim that 1971 was the last year that softer valve seats were used but I'm not sure if that applied to Nissan. http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/airpage.nsf/webpage/Leaded+Gas+Phaseout

Not only is in on eBay but it's being sold be a dealer which indicates to me that the previous owner didn't know the best way of selling one of the VZ cars.

It appears to be one of those not yet accounted for: HLS30-53543 http://www2.zhome.com:81/IZCC/ZRegisters/VintageZ.htm

Mine measures 57mm.

I was actually trying to look up what appears to be Jack A Atwell Accounting Services, CPA/?? Miami Lakes I don't know if that's a current sponsor or if it's a vintage thing.