djwarner

The on screen graphics said it was a '76. I think some confusion may come from the owner's statement that he bought it, drove it 'til the cold weather came and parked it. Then the license plate is shown with a '78 tag. For this to make sense, the owner must have renewed the tags a couple of times without driving it.

If it stays off after moderate braking, drive it til it recurs.

Corrosion makes a high resistance or open circuit. The fact that the light comes on at all indicates there is a current path to chassis ground. The fact that it is dim indicates a high resistance path to ground. If corrosion existed at the bullet joint, and if it affected performance of the circuit, removing the corrosion would only may the brake light glow brighter. But the brake light would still indicate a brake system failure.

Ok the 1972 in the episode description was a typo. The car is a 1976 2+2 280Z. More good press.

M3 x 0.5 pitch

And Wayne is supposed to be a classic car guru?

Unfortunately, the unit is not repairable, but they were used for many years and should be available. Datsun called the body "Assembly - Switch Brake Indicator". The parts manual lists two part numbers, 46100-26100 and 46100-U5200. The last number superseded the older 46100-26100, but either one should work. The light is dim indicating deterioration internally. If there was an external brake system failure, the light would go out when brake pedal pressure is released

The photo on the left is the body I referred to. There are two steel pipes, one on each end and a wire connected to the center post. Simply pull off the wire to test the circuit.

Anytime the brake light comes on with the parking brake released is indicating a brake system failure. Underneath the master cylinder is a body with brake lines running through it. Your car has two brake systems. If more pressure is applied to one of those systems, it makes a contact to ground lighting the brake light. The light is dimmer because you have a dirty switch or corrosion in the ground path. If the brake systems are operating normally - and you can verify it -there is a high resistance short to ground somewhere. You can verify a brake system failure by unplugging the wire lead attached to the center of the body mentioned above. If the light goes out when you disconnect it, you definitely have a brake system failure that needs to be fixed.

Take a look at a BRZ or FRS a couple of years old. Modern car of similar size and performance. A Z was on my bucket list for more than 40 years. Waiting a few years is not the worst thing that could happen to you. As for experience, pilots take tests you wouldn't believe, both practically demonstrating they can fly the airplane to its limits, and a three hour oral exam that the only passing grade is 100%. Yet the odds of a first year pilot being involved in an accident is several times higher than a more experienced pilot. Not putting your driving capability down, just pointing out some facts of life. This from a guy who's daughters first vehicle was a 150cc motorcycle.

It looks like the flex plate with the OEM number 12331-U9511 should work. The 3N71AorB AT was the one use for all the S30 models. If the only problem you have is with starter engagement, I would verify you have the correct starter before tearing into the engine. The gear ring on the flex plate is not in the same axial position as on the flywheel. I got a surprise when I replaced my AT, changing from a 3N71B from a 3N71A. The bell housing castings are slightly different and you cannot use the engine separator plates interchangeably. Also when we took the flex plate off, we got the surprise. The plate had failed at some point and spun on the drive shaft. At some point it jammed on the center piece with such force it friction welded itself together at two points. I had no idea it had failed til we removed it.

You may experience some language problems with this seller. They will not be able to comfirm fitment with the 240Z consoles. And no, I believe there are enough differences between to 240 and 260 consoles to make fitment extremely difficult if not impossible.

Site- The AT separating plate is split with a separate plate on the lower portion. This plate gives access to the four bolts coupling the flex plate to the torque converter.

OK, I've found some interesting photos. So, if I'm keeping my numbers matching Series I intact, which year/model Z would be a could transplant recipient on a rust/cost basis?

No one has mentioned that there are different starters for automatic and manual transmissions. You may simply have a manual transmission starter.

Thanks for the info. I believe our attorney is setting up at least one more visit to retrieve evidence before we release the vehicle. Assuming I can get there and can take measurements, what should I be looking for? Also what photos? BTW the LFX engine in the 2012 Camaro is a normally aspirated, variable valve timing, direct injected engine producing 323 HP. It only weighs 345lbs. Has an integral exhaust manifold in the heads and an integral cast oil pan. Transmission is an MYB-6L50 and weighs in at 187-198lbs. It might be interesting to double the horsepower for about the same weight and doubling the number of transmission gears.

Just over a year ago, my wife was seriously injured when she was rear-ended in her 2012 Camaro Convertible. She was hit by a box truck, lost control and the car drifted of the right side of the road and hit a road sign. Virtually every body panel was damaged, but the engine department was intact. We were reimbursed for the Camaro and it has sat in storage to preserve evidence ever since. It appears our case is heading to court but no new issues regarding the car have come up and the insurance company is asking to release the vehicle for salvage. The point is that the vehicle only had 23K miles on it at the time of the collision and was in perfect running order. The engine is a 3.6L V6 putting out 330HP mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission with rear wheel drive. We may have the option to buy out the insurance company or bid on it at the salvage auction. Would this be a good candidate for a 240Z transplant? Not only is the drivetrain good, it would also include the electronics and wiring harnesses. My 240Z Series I has a sound, rust free body and a freshly overhauled matching numbers engine and new VintageAir AC. Its only draw back is that it is also an automatic. My gut is telling me to keep the Z intact, but there are other later Z bodies around. What do you think?

The VintageAir kit comes with new defrost vents. They may have replaced the OEM with new. I would suggest you select defrost mode and turn the fan up to its highest speed. If the new vents are installed, you should be able to feel air blowing on to the windshield.

A year or two ago a British teen-aged student driver came up with the same idea, only lighting all the brake lights. It made the television news here as a "Why didn't I think of that?" Idea. I continue to be surprised that it hasn't been adopted. When my wife was rear ended at night in her black Miata, I found a third light flasher kit that alternated a few seconds of steady light with a few seconds of medium speed flashing. Later, I've seen similar flashers on the center brake lights on Harley's.

I think the real issue is what the title says. Laws very from state to state. With the way our Z's rust, this may be a case of making one usable car out of two bad ones. Worse may be if the police trace the firewall number back to a stolen vehicle.

Modern AC compressors only draw about 1 to 1 1/2 horsepower compared to 9 to 12 horsepower of the old Freon compressors.

The force required to distort a head casting 0.007" would be surprisingly small. If you consider the pitch of the thread on the head bolts as an inclined plane, the torque is multiplied by 10-20 times when applying clamping force. Assuming the head was flat when it was clamped in place prior to the overheating and no maintenance was done to the head after it was removed, you have a reasonable chance of restoring the cam tower alignment.

The longer tubes can make removing the manifold while still connected to the down pipe a nightmare. The second time I went through this, I cut the tubes leaving about 1" protrusion from the manifold face. I did this in lieu of removing the fittings which were frozen in place. Trying to remove the first one resulted in my cracking the tube just outside the fitting. With age and corrosion, I would not attempt to remove the fittings unless you are committed to go all the way and plug weld the holes.

This year's Sun Central Z Car Club Zfest will be in Tavares FL November 6-8 All are welcome. http://suncentralzclub.com/all-about-zfest/

Oil control rings are separated with a spring ring. The spring will lose temper with overheating before the piston rings. This will lead to excessive loss of oil. If the cylinder walls look reasonable, you may still need a ring job.