Jeff Berk

I had a pair of old seats in my 260z that I'm replacing with what I think is a pair of OEM 260z seats that were removed after minimal use. They lack the vent holes so I'm not sure if they are in fact OEM. Can anyone tell me if the 260s' seats came without vent holes? The more important issue is that the driver seat has a few separations in the vinyl fabric.These are not rips but I'm concerned that they may turn into rips because the vinyl is so old. Should I take the seat somewhere to get reinforcement for this spot? I'm assuming I can switch driver and passenger seats to even out the wear and that may help. Jeff

GK: Thanks for the reply. I ended up using a vinyl from JoAnn Fabric rated for 50,000 double rubs meaning it is very abrasion resistant. A reviewer said they used it for boat seats 10 years ago and it was still holding up. Total cost with shipping and several stacked discounts was $26. At that price I can afford to make some mistakes.

I'm taking my car's interior back to the way it was in 1974. It was update to red shag carpeting in the early 1980's. The carpet was installed wall to wall, or actually sill to sill. That being the case, when I installed the new carpet, I have a bare transmission hump, 1/2 wall behind the seats, and along the sills. I know I can purchase pre-cut vinyl or leather to recover these areas, but due to my combination of wanting to do as much as I can myself and being short on cash (I'm furloughed), I'd like to DIY if possible. It seems that all that is needed is some upholstery vinyl at $20 per yard or am I missing something? Jeff

The layer issue is that I recently lost access to the current version of Adobe Acrobat Pro. I can create separate pdf's of each layer using the software I have on hand but as of yet, I'm unable to then combine them into a single pdf while maintaining separate layers without Adobe Pro. I'm looking into some work arounds.

The wiring diagram is taking longer than I thought but here's where I'm at so far. Feel free to poke holes in it as I'm working through the remaining wires and fixing errors. The wires are grouped by sub-system but for now that feature gets stripped off during the conversion to pdf. wire drawing pg3.pdf wire drawing pg4.pdf wire drawing pg2.pdf wire drawing pg1.pdf

I'm not sure if this is the ultimate source of the problem but following Kenward1000's suggestion, I think the problem was the connections on the fusible links. I cleaned them up and the Z's running again. Unfortunately, one of the solder joints on the gray link is loose. The wire is too dirty to re-solder so I was going to cut the blade connection off and install a new one. It looks like 0.33 inch (8.6 mm) wide which I haven't been able to locate. Any idea where I can find a suitable connector? Happy Turkey Day Everyone Jeff

I'm using Inkscape, an open source drawing program similar to Adobe Illustrator. The wires are grouped in layers by system (e.g. lighting, ignition) but I haven't figured out yet how to keep the layers separate when I export them to acrobat. wire drawing pg1.pdf I have tomorrow night and a couple days next weekend with nothing to do and I hope to have it 75% completed by then unless it's already been done by someone. The wires are colored according to the diagram's designation and I use a dashed colored line to designate the secondary wire color so LY would be a blue line with a yellow dash as an example.

I have some time on my hands so I've started coloring in a wiring diagram for a 260z. Before I sink too much time into this, has anyone come across a COLOR 260z wiring diagram?

Kenward1000... Thanks for the suggestion. I'm currently working on a G35 in my garage so when done, I'll push the Z inside and take a close look. I looked at the fusible link; however, not at the wiring harness...Jeff

The pins tested out correct as per the diagram. I jumpered the solenoid to the battery and the starter spun like a champ. I connected a multimeter to the wire that connects to the small connector on the solenoid and it showed no power when I turned the key. I'm assuming that the two red leads don't need to be connected for the starter to start because I didn't bother since they only works the steering lock. My next step, I assume, is to see if power is going to the ignition switch. I have a wiring diagram so I'll start tracing.

Here's where I'm at now. 1) battery is charged and the battery post clamps are tight. 2) the ignition switch tested out fine except there was no continuity between the two red wires with the key inserted or in any position. Could this mean the ignition switch is shot? Is it repairable?

OK ZH, that's where I'll start! thanks Jeff

Addressing the above questions... It has sat for 2 weeks outside while I worked on another car. It cranked lively like there was not problem other than forgetting to pull the choke the first time. Then utter silence when I turned the key. I hooked up a charger and it indicated that the battery was at 75% and I hit the "start" button on the charger to give the car more power for an attempted start. I turned the key and utter silence once again. The engine did not turn, the starter did not spin, and I don't think I even hear the solenoid click. The Unilite is a common problem but wouldn't of stopped the starter from spinning the engine, nor would a spark or fuel issue.

this morning I tried to start my 260z and the engine turned as normal, then I remembered to pull the choke, and nothing. I tried again and it once again turned not start. I released the key and tried again (it was a cold morning) and nothing. Again, nothing, and again. Where do I start? The battery seems fine but I put it on charge anyways. I didn't even hear a solenoid click (although it might of been muffled by my panic). Should I start at the ignition, solenoid, or is there something obvious (or insidious) I need to look at? BTW, it likely doesn't matter but I have a Mallory Unilite ignition.

Do you have a wiring harness diagram http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/wiringdiagrams/ You likely need to start at where you had the low voltage and work your way back to the next point to see what the voltage is. Be prepared for a slow tedious few hours.

Have you spoken to Lanny at R&R in Kent about the Mikuni's. https://www.facebook.com/510Restoration/

The clock in my 260z didn't work when I purchased it two years ago and I went through two DOA e-bay clocks before trying to fix it myself. What I did was remove the back to see what makes it tick. I then determined that my clock used an electric motor to "wind" it, then it ran using a main spring. I sprayed it down with contact cleaner and put a drop of clock oil on every pivot point and plugged it in. It has been working ever since. I might of gotten lucky.

siteunseen... Thanks for the suggestion.

I just got word from the shop: "I’ve been talking to my camshaft contact. He grinds a slightly less aggressive cam for your car. The cam itself will cost around $450. We will also need new rockers and lash pads. They cost between $400 and $500 depending on what thickness pads are required. I’m looking at around 10 hours labor to remove and replace, and setup the geometry of the new cam. I will also change the oil & filter when I’m finished. So your looking at $1800 to $2000 if no problems show up after the cam is removed." I ask that he try to avoid having to do a valve job if at all possible since I'd be looking at an additional $500 or more.

The SU whisperer pointed to several potential contributing factors. The performance cam was milled from a CWC core. Apparently, CWC has a bad reputation. That engine should of had an internal oiler, but the cam shaft did not have provisions for that so an external oiling tube was installed. Since exhaust cams for 1, 2, and 3 cylinders were worn out, perhaps, the front half of the oiler tube became clogged.

I must of not aligned it properly when I rebuilt it. For some reason it was working fine for several months. The local SU whisperer knew what was wrong within a few minutes. Unfortunately, he also discovered that the exhaust cam on cylinder 3 was overly worn and I'm going to need to replace the camshaft. I didn't like that overly aggressive camshaft so now I have an excuse to replace it.

Problem resolved. I had a stuck butterfly valve in the front carb.

The only reason I'd DIY the mount is that I like to find a reason to use the metal shop I have access to and to make whatever parts I can for my Z. Looks like this will have to wait, just found out my camshaft needs replacing (ouch).

Could someone that has, or is knowledgeable about the Ron Tyler differential mount look at the dimensions of the mount on the listed URL and verify that it is valid for a Z application with an L28 engine/R200 differential? The mount was originally designed for a Chevy V8 conversion so I'm concerned that it might alter the driveshaft angle and put stress on the universal joint. I'm planning on building one using Alteredz.com as a guide. I'm assuming that RT has not patented his design. http://alteredz.com/drivelinemods.htm

Working on your Z in the kitchen. You must have a very understanding spouse.