Grubb240Z

@charliekwin Thank you. I just looked at the links and looked around online for the exact test procedures. I was getting a little scared that they were going to put the car up on a lift, shine a light in, position a microphone, make me rev it to 3/4 full throttle, etc. But I just called the police department and they said I can just bring the car to their station. An officer will inspect the car and sign off on the ticket, which I will THEN take to the courthouse. I'm hoping that if I do it that way, it'll be casual and they won't do a dB test. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow...

All good points, guys. I really don't know how the car would do on a dB test - I'm just saying it isn't crazy loud - not as loud as most Harleys or most WRXs or Mustangs in the area. It gets loud at higher RPMs (a bit cammy) but idles nicely. It DOES have a muffler on it - it's just a pretty free-flowing one. A bit louder than a Flowmaster or Magnaflow. I'll try to video it later. By the way, this "silencer" will be inserted about 10" into the exhaust pipe and held in place with a little screw from the side. This is not an add-on tip. They won't see that paint the way it shows in the photo. The original reason for being pulled over was the brake light not working. My son was driving. The cop added the missing front license plate and "modified exhaust" during his walk-around. The other two issues are now fixed (more on the license plate issue later). I wouldn't be surprised if a reasonable cop wouldn't have had an issue with the exhaust. I'm just trying to hedge my bet.

Gents, I just realized that I didn't close this issue out and I should have. After talking to him, I sent the turn signal switch assembly up to Zs-ondabrain. He had the switch back in the mail the same day (total turnaround including shipping both ways was less than a week!) and my problem is solved! I had my kid install the switch and everything works perfectly. I NEVER would have come up with this solution on my own, so I really appreciate all of your great troubleshooting advice, and especially Dave for his skill and great customer service. And on a side note, I want to express how grateful I am that buying this car (and being involved in this forum) is giving me a way to both learn and to teach my son how to work on things himself. I'm a handy guy but have very limited auto mechanical experience. We live in a neighborhood where few of my son's classmates could find the spare tire - and NONE of them could change it, let alone do the other jobs he has learned to do. So great to see a kid turning wrenches - not just punching keyboard or video game controller buttons!

Let's say that I, hypothetically...no, not me - a friend. Yeah, let's say a friend hypothetically got a fix-it ticket that included "modified exhaust" that the cop thought was too loud (it isn't) and needed to show up at the DMV to settle it. If that scenario ever presented itself and if this friend made a makeshift exhaust silencer (that works pretty darned well!), he might have the following question for you guys: "What, if anything is the danger of a substantial increase in back pressure to the engine over a short time/distance?". He is prepared to stop at a park near the DMV to install said device if it is better not to drive 8-10 miles round trip with the increased back pressure. Otherwise, the plan might be "install - drive - test - drive - uninstall".

Well, I'm not going to argue based on my short phone conversation yesterday. Rod seemed to think that the right and left sides were handled separately in the hazard switch and that a failure there could cause my problem. He recommended some contact cleaner and simply flicking the switch up and down to potentially improve contact as a quickie remedy. I did try that this morning and it didn't help. So I guess the consensus is that the turn signal switch is the likely culprit, eh? I know Dave's an expert on the subject and he's been awesome to work with in the past so I'll go that route now and report back as to how it goes. Dave, I'll reach out via email. PS: @Captain Obvious, thanks for helping me to avoid running over to Motorsport Auto and buying a switch I didn't need. You guys are great.

Thanks, guys! Dave, I talked to my favorite local mechanic, Rod Schmidt this afternoon about this. He also said I should take a look at the Hazard light switch, which is often the culprit. I tested the hazards after making my original post and I added the fact that they work as point #3 of that post. I'll make an attempt to play with that switch (switch it up and down rapidly and also try some contact cleaner) and see if that works. Knowing now that the hazards work, does it make you suspect the hazard switch over the turn signal switch? Rod told me today that you also rebuild hazard switches. Is that true? If I'm not mistaken, I think I turned Rod onto your service after you rebuilt both of my column switch assemblies. I think he used you recently, right? If I'm correct, then I'm glad - very happy to refer good people to your service, which is fantastic. I'll mess with the hazard switch and see if I can jar something loose :-) On the other issues, I'm planning to order a pair of 1972 blue/yellow CA plates from Dave's CA Plates tomorrow for $250. And for the "modified exhaust"? I'm thinking of taking the car "as is" after the lights and license plate have been fixed and see if a more reasonable officer will sign off on my exhaust, which really isn't that loud (at idle).

Got a fix-it ticket for the right side brake light not working. I mentioned this in another forum post that was mostly about the exhaust (one of the other items on the fix-it ticket. No front license plate was the 3rd and final issue) Trying to figure out why the right side brake lights don't work and I don't know anything about electrical systems. Here is what I know: 1) They worked until recently. 2) The right side turn signal works (which tells me the bulbs are not the problem - the same bulbs are used) 3) The hazard lights work (same two bulbs on the right side as the turn signals and the brakes. 4) I replaced the bulbs with new ones, anyway. No change. 5) Left side brake lights are working. I wonder if the brake light switch under the dashboard is the issue? I can see that the switch has two wires coming out of it. Is one for the left side and one for the right? If so, that seems to be a likely culprit and maybe I should just replace the switch from Motorsport Auto (link to the page here) for $23 and see if that takes care of the issue. Anything beyond that will probably be beyond my ability to troubleshoot/diagnose. Any thoughts or experience that might help?

Gotcha. Yes, I think we have the knowledge with you. Brakes are sounding and working fantastically now. Thanks to the great advice from people on the forum and some elbow grease I think the front brakes are an item we can add to our knowledge toolbox. Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

Attended a Datsun meet-up in Orange, CA today. Quite a few nice Datsuns/Nissans and around a dozen or so 240-280Zs. Ours is the white Z w/ black stripes. The strange beige car is a 1989-91(?) Nissan Pao. Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

I don't know much about electrical systems, so this might be a really simple issue for some of you but it has me scratching my head. And it caused my son to get pulled over, which resulted in a 3x fix-it ticket for 1) The brake light, 2) modified exhaust and 3) no front plate. Here's the issue: Right side brake light doesn't work. Some issues: - Left side works fine - Replaced the bulb. No change. - Realized that the same bulb is used for turn signal and it works performing that duty! - Hazard lights (including the brake light bulbs) are working fine. - It worked until recently - I will go through the fuses tomorrow when it's light, but I assume it shares a fuse with the left side, no? Again, the left side is working. Any thoughts/ideas would be most welcome!

Was this directed at my post? If so, and if my last paragraph wasn't clear, I will elaborate w/ photos. I know it's an odd little issue to mention and I likely used some incorrect terminology, but it's something useful for first-timers like me to be aware of. Let me know if this is the issue and I'll try to clarify. Cheers

I picked up the Stop Tech "Posi-Quiet" ceramic pads at Motorsport Auto and we did the job yesterday (Sunday). Everything went well, and the brakes and new rotors are working perfectly. No noise whatsoever and it appears all the parts we took off ended up back on the car (always a good thing). The pads came with the "backing plates" or "shims" already installed. We put a little grease on them before installation. All required hardware was there (plus some kind of wire clips, which I assume are for installation on another kind of car). The only canundrum I dealt with was what to do with the calipers once I removed them to take off the old rotors (I didn't want to have to do any bleeding). I assumed those strange clips on the struts that secure the brake lines would allow me to slide the line out after I pulled the tension clip out. I was wrong. I see that some people modify the bracket, adding a slot so they can slide the line out. I was able to rotate the caliper out of the way to remove the rotor and then put them back and hold them in place with the normal mounting bolts. No problem. Successful project!

Getting ready to dive into our first real brake job. Replacing rotors and pads. We have the rotors, pads, seals and grease sitting ready to go. Bearings are in stock at AutoZone up the street if we find we need them. The only part I'm anxious about is getting the inner bearings out when we get to that point. Any last-minute advice?

It looks so much better with the tint removed. Beautiful. To my eyes, a classic car like a Z with substantially tinted windows is like the same car with super modern wheels and rubber band tires. It just doesn't look right. You made a great improvement there. Gorgeous Z.

Thanks. The guy at Motorsport Auto I talked to was telling me that metallic will give the best stopping power but less longevity than ceramic. I didn’t ask him about noise comparison between the two and I should have. That is a key factor for me. I don’t want them to squeal. I would much rather replace them more often than deal with screeching brakes. Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

I ordered the stock-style rotors from Rockauto after checking with the major local players (O'rielly, AutoZone, etc.). Hoping they'll get here before the weekend. In the meantime, I'll probably stop by Motorsport Auto's physical location, which is near my home and pick up some pads. Any advice on the brake pad compound that is best for stopping power (and low on howling/screeching)? I'm not really concerned with longevity - they are cheap and easy to replace. Thanks!

I need to replace the rotors on the '72 240Z I got in December. The rotors are badly grooved, both brakes are now howling once they get warm and the car is pulling left under braking. This car is my son's daily driver. Not a track toy. Looking for reliable braking with maximum longevity (there are plenty of other things to spend time/money on ) I have a couple of questions: 1) Is there much benefit to moving up to slotted/drilled disks? Would they wear out my pads faster? The current brakes are capable of overwhelming the traction, so it doesn't seem like I need more power. Not interested in going to slotted if there's no benefit. Down the road I'm sure I'll upgrade the brakes entirely. For now, using stock calipers, etc. 2) Anybody have a recommended source for the rotors? The first place I thought of was Motorsport Auto, which, aside from online options is also just a few minutes from my house. Here is their listing for stock rotors: http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic21a04/24-5031 I suppose I'll rely on YouTube for how-to videos on how to remove and replace the rotors. I haven't done it before. Thanks!

It looks so much better with the tint removed. Beautiful. To my eyes, a classic car like a Z with substantially tinted windows is like the same car with super modern wheels and rubber band tires. It just doesn't look right. You made a great improvement there. Gorgeous Z.

Mine too! I still love these guys. They are a part of the sound of my childhood. Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

Update: I received my refreshed, repaired and rejuvenated switches from @Zs-ondabrain a couple of weeks ago. I've been so busy and my son is gone in the car so much that I haven't had the chance to drive it until tonight. Wow! The switches feel brand new! I could see that they looked new when they arrived. The first thing I did after the very quick and easy installation was check to see that the high/low switch works and it does, perfectly. So great to get rid of the mickey-mousey toggle switch the previous owner installed when he couldn't fix it. Too bad he didn't know about Dave's service. Not only did Dave turn around my switches in a couple of days and get them right back in the mail, but he provided a pair of loaner switches so we could keep the car on the road while he worked on ours. I don't think he usually has a spare pair around to do that (so don't assume this is normal), but it was a really great help to us. Thank you, Dave! I thought the right-side switch stalk was operating pretty well, but I sent it in with the broken (left side) switch since Dave gives a discount for doing both at the same time. I figured it'd be good for my peace of mind. But the headlight on/off twist switch works so well now, I realize it wasn't operating properly before. It's so crisp and new feeling. It ads a great new sensation to the experience of driving our Z. I can't say enough about this service. Click HERE to see the page on his site for the service. If your switches feel sloppy/tired or don't work, I really recommend you reach out to Dave. Looking forward to upgrading to his headlight and taillight harnesses - I hear they are fantastic upgrades. Thank you again, Dave, for the great service!

It'd be fun to get together sometime - even if it's a few of us showing up for Cars & Coffee down in San Clemente to park together or something. Always fun to hook up with owners and we don't really know any here in the area. There have got to be some on here from Orange County, L.A. or the Inland Empire, right?

Don, I wanna thank you for your offer. It was very nice. This is a great forum, full of helpful and generous people. I am using Dave’s (Zs-Ondabrain) rebuild service. He sent me a pair of loaner switches while he works on mine. He put my rebuilt switches in the mail yesterday and I should get them early next week. I will post how it all went. Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

My awesome mechanic, Rod Schmitt in Rancho Cucamonga, CA took care of a couple of items for me. The driver seat had punched through the mounting areas on the left side, both front and rear. He welded them back into place and added 1/8-inch steel plates on all four corners to strengthen it all. I will finally be able to lean back into the seat comfortably! The frame for the lower half (seating area) of the seat was broken and bent and needed to be replaced, which he also took care of. Also, he welded up some holes in the exhaust system. Should run even better now. Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

Believe it or not, my buddy saw them last night at the Honda Center in LA. Them and a bunch of other great 80s bands. Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

My first crush. I still think it was a very worthy choice… Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile