Matthew Abate

I’m getting close to putting this left window back together, but first I wanted to clean up the frame. It’s looking pretty good! I didn’t want a mirror finish since I didn’t go that far on the quarter windows and it seems inappropriate for stainless steel. This feels like a 51-year old piece of metal that was lovingly polished every year, which is what it should have been in the first place.

Wait. I’m a dope. I totally forgot to try sliding the seat back. @SteveE How is instrument visibility with that comp wheel?

Well, I put the steering column and seat in temporarily just to see how things feel and found out I don’t fit very well. Now I’m kinda having a meltdown about this problem and need opinions. With my feet resting on the clutch and brake pedals the steering wheel is touching my thighs (2nd photo). NOT GOOD! That means no hand clearance, potential leg interference, plus getting in and out is tough. Plus this is with 50year old seat foam that I’m planning to replace, which will raise me higher and make this worse. Am I doing something wrong that’s making this not line up as it would be when it’s all together? The pedal box is not completely tight, but it’s snug, so I thought it was up all the way, but the dash is out so maybe it’s sagging a bit. It doesn’t move when I try to lift it, though. If it’s up all the way then I need a new wheel, which means these are my options: 1. Get a JDM Nissan Fairlady Z steering wheel. These are 1” closer to the dash and 1.25” smaller in diameter than the US domestic market wheel in my photos. Getting one might work, but it also might obstruct my view of the gauges. And it could be the same problem if being closer to the dash cancels out the clearance I get from the smaller wheel. - 2. Get a Datsun Competition wheel. It’s essentially the same dimensions as the Fairlady Z wheel, but easy to find if I get a replica and cool AF if I get a real one. Same issues as the Fairlady Z wheel, with the added problem of being more expensive. Looks dope, though. - 3. Get a RS Watanabe Falcon steering wheel. Same diameter as above, but requires an adapter because it’s both nearly flat and has a different bolt pattern from stock. Looks dope, a comparable price to the above… if I can find one. They’re currently out of production, so hard to find and maybe inflated. - 4. Find another aftermarket wheel. More flexibility in dimensions because I can mix and match sizes and adapters. Potentially cheaper. Potentially more expensive. Not super appealing to me personally. Living with this USDM wheel isn’t going to fly, so I have to figure it out. ••• Also, I found this curiosity while investigating my options. It’s a Datsun Comp wheel, but the red horn pad logo and the low price (sub-$200) make me think it’s fake. Very little info beyond the photos. Any ideas?

Lookin good!

You’re right. I was able to find a photo that confirmed it. That’s it! It’s for my spring clip pliers. Thanks to both of you.

Can anyone help identify these parts? I believe the plastic donut goes in the back of the cigar lighter, but I have no idea what this spring came out of. It might not even be a car part, but I found it in my box of dashboard parts.

I had purchased what was supposed to be a NOS Kanto Seiki 240z ignition because it has the original steering lock buzzer wires. Turns out it’s either for something else or they increased the diameter of the steering column somewhere along the line. So since it won’t fit, and since it took the same key as my door locks, I scavenged it. Adapting the cylinder and switch to the later style housing was easy. It didn’t just drop in, but it was close. I rekeyed the cylinder with wafers I got from @inline6 and put it, the wires, and the buzzer switch into the aftermarket housing that came with my car. I was able to get a key made from the door lock code by a place in Australia called Keys4Classics. Super simple and not much money. I almost bought a rekeying kit off eBay, but I didn’t feel like spending the $80. FYI, the retailers that say they can sell them are just drop shipping them direct from ASP. I reached out to ASP directly and they said they can no longer make complete kits. The aftermarket lock cylinder uses pins and the asymmetrical oval key. The NOS lock cylinder uses wafers and the double sided VOSS key. Once everything was in hand it was about two hours of work, most of which was figuring out how to do it. The housing had to be drilled so the pin that connects the cylinder to the switch could pass through. I tried to mix and match the internals but it was sloppy and didn’t feel good, so it ended up being all of the parts from the NOS ignition inside the aftermarket housing. So now all my locks work off the same key… except for the glove box, but I have the wafers to fix that.

For each dash they sell.

You know what’s real damned annoying? The 1973 Vintage Dashes 240z dashboard is not a 1973. It had gone onto the frame really nicely until I ran into this issue: The light/hazard switch bracket definitely does not fit anymore. When I pointed it out to them they confirmed that they didn’t actually make a 73 dash. Instead they make 1972 without the indentation and call it a 73. The 1973 cars used a pull knob for the hazard switch instead of a toggle switch, so try to make everything work and you’ll notice the switch is recessed too far. The fix is easy enough: make a new bracket. I just had to make a series of prototypes by hand, draw up the schematic, and send it to SendCutSend to be made. I comped it up with cardboard and then thin steel I could bend with my fingers. It’s pretty straight forward. It’s really just a question of time. The new bracket arrived this week and it’s almost prefect. The only change I would make would be to slope the bit that connects the top to the bottom so it isn’t near the wire on the lighter socket. It’s not touching now, but I put electrical tape over it just in case. Don’t want a short! If you buy one of these dashboards and need one of these brackets, let me know and I’ll send you the file in a DM. Having it produced costs about $45.

It’s this one, but there are many that are similar. https://a.co/d/g0cCVne

I finished my LED pulse width modulator (dimmer) today. It’s pretty easy if you want to try it. Using a brass rod made it tough to work with hand files so I resorted to a bench grinder for some of it, but all you need to do is measure the length you want, grind the end into a tab to slide into the slot on the PWM control rod, and drill through them sideways so you can press in a retaining pin. It won’t stay otherwise. Sorry I forgot to photograph that part. I fabbed up a bracket out of a strip of steel with some holes and bends in the right places and it fits exactly like the OEM rheostat.

My Movie-720p30H.MP4 Got my LED dimmer figured out. This pulse width modulator was $16 on Amazon. The brass rod in the background is a rotary knob extension I will use to make the OEM Datsun knob reach this thing once it’s buried in the dashboard. I just need to figure out how I’m going to mount it.

I’m not sure what I would need yet. I’m looking into getting a key made from the code on the door cylinders. If that works I will know if the glove box and trunk are keyed alike. If they are then I only need to figure out the ignition. If I can’t find a code on it I’ll need new wafers. If none of this pans out I’ll need enough to do everything.

Fantastic! Thanks. I had found a document that states 1970-83 Z cars use tumbler series P-16-151/154 for the ignition. I’m assuming from the photos and your description of the kits that the rest of the locks use P-16-141/144, right? Where did you buy the kits?

Z Car Depot has door cylinders matched to one key, so I may start there. Two things I’m wondering and haven’t found answers to: How does one order a coded key? Which rekeying kits are correct? I’ve found places that sell ASP rekeying kits, but I’m not sure if it’s A-16-105, A-16-106, or some other kit that would work. I do know the ignition uses pins and the rest use wafers, so maybe that’s the starting point.

Question about my locks: what would you do to key all these locks keyed alike? I have an off-brand ignition with no steering lock wires, a NOS 240z ignition with steering lock wires, two door cylinders, a trunk button, and a glove box button. I only have keys for the off-brand ignition. I know the door cylinders have a code, so I could try to get a key made for them, but I don’t know if they match the trunk or glove box. I know the NOS ignition doesn’t match anything because I bought it recently. I have not been able to find a local locksmith so far. I’m thinking buy new door cylinders with keys and get rekeying kits for the rest, possibly foregoing the glove box. Any better ideas? EDIT: I found two different keys that will go into the door, glove box, and hatch locks. One says ilco X241 Suz18. The other says Curtis DA-2. It looks like both of them are left hand. The ilco will go into the ignition, too, but it doesn’t feel right. It’s sloppy and feels like I’m jamming a wire it it rather than a key. The Curtis will not go into the ignition. Neither of these keys will lock/unlock any of the locks.

IMG_1916.mov I finally got the fuel pressure stable. There was an issue the first time I ran it with the regulator where I couldn’t get more than 2.75 psi out of it. I took it apart and cleaned it on the advice of the manufacturer and now it’s working. I’m not sure what it was because it looked pristine inside, but now I am good to go. IMG_1915.mov It’s still running super rough. The idle mix screws are at two turns out and it’s very rich. I’m hoping to address the jetting over the weekend, but I might not get to it.

What’s a good asking price for an L4 engine? I need to get rid of the one that came in my car to make some room. I can’t vouch for it. I’ve never run it and have no info on its operating performance or condition at all. I think the head is an E30. Also, what should I remove and save or sell separately, if anything?

I broke down and bought a fuel pressure regulator by Aeromotive (the Ultra-Low Pressure model). The more I talked to people the more it sounds like I have a fuel pressure problem that is swamping the carbs, and even if I don’t it would always be an open question. The previous owner must have clairvoyance because there was a set of holes that perfectly fit the fuel filter bracket just aft of the stock hard point, and the dope who did my paint forgot to weld them up, so it was just a matter of moving the filter and tweaking the bracket that came in the box the use the original filter location. Now to route the hoses.

I worked on the firewall a bit yesterday and today. The dash can now go in once it’s ready (unless I forgot something as usual). I wrapped the -10 ac pipe at the evaporator end, but the insulation isn’t long enough to go all the way to the firewall, so I may need to address that. I also need to figure out where I want the AC drip hose to exit. There are still a handful of insulation pieces to put on the hump and the kick panels. I’m holding off because I am missing some plugs and I still need to test fit the ventilation and relay stuff. Once those are on I will tape all the joints and put a sheet over it until I order the carpet.

The engine is running much better! I was struggling to get the timing below 40° advanced, so last weekend I reinstalled my oil pump shaft and played around with different distributor bases and plates. Today I adjusted my valves and checked the torque on the head bolts. It’s still idling way too high (1,130 rpm) and running way too rich, but today it is much smoother. I have a jetting kit in the mail from Upgrade Motoring so I can bring it down to manufacturer’s specs. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to get it to where I can sync the carburetors. But first I need to relieve the fuel pressure by putting the fuel return lines back on. It’s currently over 5psi so it’s swamping the carbs. While I fix that I’m looking into changing my jetting: Im not sure about Mikuni’s recommended pilot jet, but I will definitely bring the nozzle up to 0.45. Depending on what happens with that and adding the regulator I might be fine with 150 main jets. We will see.

Side quest: I’ve started assembling the dashboard. Originally I had intended to “restore” the dash I had, but after wasting a ton of time and money trying to replicate the texture (which I did figure out how to do pretty well) I realized that my dash isn’t even original. It’s one of those ABS replicas. The replicas, while pretty true to the original, have a completely different grain pattern (droplet) than the original vinyl (hair cell). The ABS plastic is really easy to work, but it’s nearly impossible to find a compound that can accept an impression AND adheres to the ABS well. Add time under the sun magnified by the windshield and I had very little confidence of success. So I broke down and bought a replacement from Vintage Dashes. What tipped me over was reading that they’ve done a ton of work to match the OEM vinyl and the little details that changed from one year to the next. It’s pretty nice! I do wish the VIN plate fit over it a little better and they had left material to wrap around the bottom edges, but otherwise no complaints on fit or finish. The frame was in pretty nice shape after I ripped it all apart. I sand blasted it in the driveway and gave it a coat of cold galvanizing spray to promote conductivity and keep the rust away. The top got a coat of satin black like nearly every other part I’ve refinished for this car. The hardware sat in Goo Gone then 409 for a few hours, followed by a polish with some of my wife’s cuticle sticks. Good as (almost) new. Next comes the instruments and accessories, followed by the glove box, then the wiring. ••• Here’s a shot of the ‘75 voltage/fuel gauge in place for anyone who wants to do this mod: It’s a pretty tight fit getting the light under the bracket from the ‘73 Amp/Fuel gauge, so I put a bullet connector on the wire for the light in case I ever need to change the bulb. I really hope not because it might mean pulling the gauge out. This is how I wired it up. The green wires and black & red wire go to the fuse box. The blue wire goes to the alternator. The yellow wire goes to the fuel tank sending unit. The black wires go to ground. I kept the wires on the harness the same colors as the ‘73 rather than matching them to the ‘75. I go into this in more detail in my wiring thread.

A quick little project while I wait for parts to arrive. I wasn’t happy with the clearance between my throttle linkage on the no. 1 carb and the thermostat, so I ditched the EMPI paper gaskets in favor of rubberized cork. Super basic. I used a roll of Mahle Motorsport JV123 gasket material, which is 1/8” thick (3.175mm), a template, and a pile of x-actor blades. The clearance is about double what it was. Done and done. Looks nicer, too.

$#!¥ Doors are too high. %@¢#

I’ve identified four issues that need to be addressed before I can start the car again: The timing being 40° advanced is due to the oil pump shaft being off by one tooth. To fix it I’m going to have pull the pump off, and to do that I’m going to have to pull the front sway bar because it’s hitting the pump bolts. I’ll be changing that hardware. Once I get the timing right I can address my insanely rich mixture (last picture), but before that I need to check my head bolt torque because I have a leak (not pictured). It could be the valve cover, but I want to check the rocker arm adjustment, so I’ll do it all in one shot.