jeremy93ls

I'm thinking of selling my '78 280z but don't really know what I should ask. With Z car values all over the place, I'm afraid to put a price on mine. Could you guys steer me in the right direction? I'm not trying to make this thread into a For Sale post, but if I could list details of my Z with pictures somewhere, I would appreciate your opinions.

You know, it is still a beautiful shape. S30s look good even when they look this bad.

Ohhhh... that's nice...

☝️ This guy 🙂 Steve, you're a gentleman and a scholar. Have LED bulbs not advanced enough to forgo adding relays and splicing into the wiring? I don't mind modifying the wiring, but can't help to think there's a better way these days. I was looking at this for my wife's ES350 since it didn't come with the HID lights, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. They carry an H4 version, too: https://www.amazon.com/HIKARI-H7-Headlight-Brightness-Visibility/dp/B07XP1GG13/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=h7+led&qid=1602976309&s=automotive&sr=1-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyVkwyRURPV001UlIyJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTY2MTU4Mk5WUDI5RUZJWUkzUSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTgyMDg1Q09ETDc5QlBXVERMJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Awesome. Thanks guys. I'll look into the relays. And yes, 7" headlights 😉

It's been a while since I had to drive my '78 in the dark. The stock sealed beam headlights had me squinting the whole way to work. As soon as I got there, I ordered some 9" glass headlight housings with replaceable H4 55/60 watt bulbs. After installation and alignment, they're only a little better. I've upgraded a '95 Tacoma similarly and bought 80/100 watt bulbs for it. It was a great improvement. Can the 280 wiring handle 80/100 watt H4 bulbs?

Just as a followup for future search results, I ended up needing a few quarts more than what the original radiator held. The two-piece shroud took a little work to fit right, but installation was straightforward.

With my luck, I'd knock a jug over and have to clean up and drive to the store anyway. I'll get a gallon to have on hand.

I'll be swapping my leaking original radiator out for a shiny new Champion 2 row aluminum radiator (EC634) first thing tomorrow and I realized I don't have a drop of extra coolant around. Does anyone know from experience that this radiator will require more coolant than the stock radiator holds? Its odd I can't seem to find that info anywhere. Assuming I don't lose a drop of the almost new coolant while draining/refilling, should I 'make a trip to town' tonight to buy a jug so I'll have enough to finish the job tomorrow?

I would buy one of these new 240 front bumpers for my 280, but it would easily be the shiniest piece on the whole car. The rest of my car is...aged, for lack of better words. Has anyone here upgraded to a shiny new bumper and want to sell their natural patina front bumper? Which way to the scratch-and-dent section? ?

When Black Dragon was liquidating their parts a few years back, one of the (many) things I bought were replacement rubber pedal pads for my '78. The clutch and brake pedal pads seem to fit fine, but the gas pedal pad keeps coming off. The rubber is thinner than the original one and allows it to slip off from where it wraps around the back. I tried some 3M spray adhesive with poor results. Would weatherstripping adhesive be the best way to get it to stay?

I opted for manual cloth 350Z seats in my 78. While searching, leather seemed more popular, but I don't like sliding around on leather/vinyl. The cloth keeps me firmly planted and doesn't get so damn hot in the summer. With no A/C, that's worth considering. My original worn out seats are in the basement for now. I'd like to make a pair of bar stool/chairs for the garage out of them someday.

Mah man. Thank you sir.

I'd be happy to have that Nissan part number. I don't want to do this again anytime soon. Our basement has that transmission fluid aroma my wife is not so fond of.

I've got a Fel-Pro seal kit and clutch alignment tool on the way from Rock Auto. Oil still builds up at the same place I'm pointing to above, so I'll replace the side seals, too. It's got to be coming from there. Dave, what sealant did you use? I always like a new tool, but think I'll try the wood screw trick first. It sure looks like a good curved pick would yank it out of there.

It's been a few weeks since it was running and oil has very slowly, but consistently dripped. Maybe that extra quarter-turn on the rear pan bolts took care of it. I'll have a look tomorrow after wiping it clean this afternoon. Is the oil wicking up between those two areas I'm pointing to in the pictures? I'll replace the seal for good measure.

I've had a slow leak for years at the engine/transmission area and hoped it was just an oil pan gasket. After replacing the gasket with a rubber Fel-Pro, it continued to leak near the same place. I pulled the transmission (quite fun by myself) and clutch/flywheel only to find that the rear crank seal was not the source. After cleaning it all and letting it sit overnight, I had a small amount of oil above the pan/gasket, but not a drop from the seal. It looks to have been replaced when the previous owner had the clutch done years ago. After wiping it clean again, I carefully tightened the 3 oil pan bolts just a bit and saw oil ooze out from these two areas: Would replacing the two 'side seals' solve this problem? Should I bother replacing that main seal while its accessible? Bummer I pulled the transmission only to find this out, but it did give me a chance to clean 40 years of gunk off it. I can adjust the parking brake assembly, too.

Here's one I printed out for my 78 on a plotter I was working on a while back. Its a work of art, but at 10' long, its too big to fit on any wall.

The glass is super clean. With the chrome trim piece removed from the door, you can easily watch it roll along the glass like it should. Dave, they're simple to install. The door trim strip holds them in place. I hesitated to spend $40 each, but saw it as preventative maintenance. I'll soak them in soapy water again and maybe try some rain-x on the glass. That might help prevent streaking (or make it worse, ha)

I bought a pair of window roller guides from zcardepot last year and finally got around to installing them. These attach to the inside top edge of the door underneath the door trim piece and keep a little pressure on the window glass so it doesn't wobble back/forth as the door is closed with the window down. The previous owner had busted the passenger window by slamming the door with the window down years ago, so I figure this would maybe prevent that from happening again. The problem is they leave a streak on the glass after rolling it up/down. I washed the rubber with soapy water, then even tried some diluted degreaser, but it still leaves streaks after a few times. I contacted zcardepot and they said they had never heard of such a problem and offered a refund/store credit. What can I do to keep these things from streaking the door glass?

I scrubbed mine with a scotch-brite pad and sprayed them with a shiny silver/chrome rattle can paint. Cover the socket first, of course. That rubber seal around it will come off if you're careful. While you're at it, it's a good time to clean the pigtail/connector on those and maybe polish the plastic reflector before reinstalling it. edit: Ha, you just beat me to it, Blue

I used a brass disk-style brush for mine last week. It did fairly well, I thought. Afterward, I used some tiny steel picks to scratch/clean the areas the brush couldn't get to. A coating of dielectric grease afterward should keep things from corroding after that.

Try soaking the sending unit in a container of straight vinegar before buying a new unit. The unit in my 78 went wonky, so, since I'm a cheapass, I tried an overnight soak. I was amazed at how clean it was afterward and as a bonus, it worked normally again. Free fixes are the best fixes!

I recommend the capacitor fix from zdriver .com. Even with my terrible soldering skills, I was able to get my tachometer working again for just a few dollars.

Great advice and pictures! I am missing the AFM plug, but this one is a little too small to fit securely in that void. Both sides are smooth/flat. It had to come from the throttle assembly or something directly attached to it because that's all I was tinkering with yesterday. Both clutch and brake pedal have their larger, clear rubber stoppers and I can't imagine it came from inside the cabin unless it hitched a ride on my sleeve when I popped the pedal linkage off. Maybe whatever it's from is OK without it. There doesn't seem to be any wear marks on it, so its had a pretty easy life until now.