Zs-ondabrain

First, it's been a while so bare with me.... get a cheap test light. Ground one end and start probing all the wires. Then turn the key on to "ACC" and... one blue should test positive, that is your ignition wire to turn the radio on. There should be a red/blue and that is for the parking lights to dim or turn on the radios back light. I think the stock radio ground directly to the frame so there may not be a black ground wire. There should be 2 white or a white and white/black wires. Those are the speaker wires. You obviously know what the anteena wire is. The antenna UP/DOWN wires are Blue/red and Blue/white. Connect the switch to the matching connector with similar colored wires. This should get ya started, I hope. Dave.

Almost as bad as the kid behind the counter that Swore up and down that my car was a 240SX. I kept repeating myself, saying "LOOK UP DATSUN 240Z, Z as in Zebra. IT"S A 70' NOT A 90"!!!! I finally had to him to get the manager, The kid goes to get the manager and I hear them on the way back to the counter, the manager is telling the kid, " Ya, a Datsun 240Z, What, are you new??" "I thought you said you know everything about imports"?? Needless to say, the manager put the kid in his place. I got my parts and the kid kept giving me a dirty look, as if I just disgraced him in front of God himself. Kid lost his job a week later for being rude to customers. Dave

I don't know what you did but I can tell you that 2 screws are lose and 2 screws are missing. Fix those first then worry about fixing the rest. Dave.

As for ignition set-ups, The Mallory Unilite, in my opinion, is the Best bet for the L6, Hands down. I installed mine almost 3 years ago and have yet to make a single adjustment or even change the cap and rotor. I use only NGK wires and plugs. I also use a Mallory Promaster coil and an MSD 6A. My plugs are gapped at 0.060 because my set-up shoots a Bolt of lightning. This also gets me an average of 27 MPG, even with my 40DCOE Triple Weber set-up. As for cams, The Robello set-up is nice, and the 480/280 Stage 2 cam seems to be the best version for both daily driving and the occasional race down the wooded thoroughfare. I love mine, it's got a beautiful lopy rumble that most mistake for a V8. That and the Ceramic Coated 6-into-1 Header with 2.5" aluminized exhaust and turbo muffler make it sound very intimidating to most. As long as you have a full set of Metric tools, deep sockets, combo wrenches and screwdrivers, you're good to go. I carry all of that in a small tool bag that sits behind the seat. I Never leave home without it and could probably tear the car down to nothing with everything in that bag. You're correct, this is not a huge site but as we've all figured out, great things come in small packages. Like the Z itself. Follow the link in my Signiture below for the rebuild I'm doing on my 2/74 260Z on CarDomain.com Dave.

You're probably right preith, I just have my flow meter set at 4lbs. If felt like it was choking on 3 pounds. Maybe just me. No split hairs here, just been a while. Chris, You got over $1500 worth of fuel delivery there, I'd keep it and rebuild them. The price of a good rebuild and tune, far outways buying another set of S.U.'s, if you're looking for some good performance. Don't get me wrong, S.U's ROCK, I love 'em. But I feel like I get more bang for the buck and when people come up and go "Holy Crap" That's a beautiful set-up ya got there" I lost count of how many people asked me what size V8 I had under the hood. I just tell them it's a straight 6 and they look dumb founded. I explain the stage 2 cam, ceramic coated header, 2.5" exhaust and turbo muffler have a deceiving sound effect. Dave.

It looks melted but it's actually Volcanization or Devolcanization, I can't remember which. I bought the identical rubber strapping from a local Upholstry shop and the guy explained what the melting look was. ANyways, the strapping was about $2.00 a foot but worked beautifully. You'll be able to manage the black material better but the white stuff, you have to drill first, in order to get the rivots thru. It won't seperate like the black stuff. The results were awesome though Dave.

There are 2 plastic tabs on each long side of the dome light. you should be able to wiggle them lose enough to pull the assembly out. It's usually pretty easy due to the fact that it needs to come out to change the bulb out. Ignore the circuit board where a bulb should be. And look near my palm to see the 2 tabs I was refering to, Dave.

Nevermind, I thought I had some with pins but I guess I lied. The 260Z hood did'nt even have an emblem at all. You can use some thin double back tape, just clean the area well with rubbing alcohol. Oh well

I might have an extra hood emblem with at least one pin, maybe even two. Did you lose yours or recover it? Dave.

Go thru the album and you'll see all the bubbling and peeling on the white vinyl. The firewall was Undercoated, No belt on the A/C pump, overspray from the repaint, no taillight cover or left quarter plastic, etc, etc. I had considered a Black Targa Style top for the 260Z because of the dented.rusty top. The style I was looking for is the 1/8" foam under black fabric (limo style) with either a chrome or black strip to end off the edges. I doubt I'll do it though, probably do a reroof like Arne did. Dave

Bob, I, as well as hundreds of others have Earls Stainless Steel braided brake lines on our Z's. I've had mine for 4 years now and they still work the same, great. He is correct to a point. Very few perfomance items are DOT approved, like my headlights, they are 90/100 watt H4's. They are brite, clean and make driving my Z at night as real pleasure and much safer than the stock bulbs, which are DOT approved. The H4's are not DOT approved and are for "Off road use only" but like he said, it's a Liability issue. Hope that helps. Dave. Marysville, WA.

Let's see the photos before we prematurely scrap the car. Where in Edmonds do you live? write me at wolfin32z@yahoo.com maybe we (wife and I) can come over and check it out for ya. I'm just off exit 201 off I-5 so I'm about 20? miles from you. Let me know what your schedule looks like. Dave.

I personally love it, though there are others who prefer the Tokicos. Unfortunately for you, everyone has their own "Preferred" product. I love KYB's and Eibachs, hands down. They react (tight in the corners) when I want them too and are nice and smooth on the freeway. Most will tell you not to use KYB's with Lowering springs but I've yet to find out why, as mine still work awesome. Dave

That's your frame rail, that EVERYTHING sits on... MOTOR and Suspension for example. Ya, it's very importamt to have a stout frame rail on both sides. Dave, Marysville, WA. 20 miles north

It should be very similar to the 260Z stance. I have KYB struts and Eibach PR springs and here's what it looks like. Also, I have 225/50ZR16's if that helps. Dave.

his is a good place to start.... http://www.racetep.com/weberX.html Dave. Also, The webers require at least 4 pounds of pressure, so make sure your Fuel pump is in good working order. If I remember correctly, The 73 has both manual and electric pumps. The Webers work better on electric. I too have Triple 40DCOE Webers. % screw don't make sense to me but what is your model number? (40, 44, 50 DCOE?)

You should be able to swap studs easily. In the rear, just remove the drum, spin on a lug so it's almost flush with the tip and give it a smack. I should pop out. The only problem I foresee is if the replacement studs are longer than stock. Then it might not go in as easily as the stock stud came out. Seating the new ones is as easy as bolting down a lug nut til the stud seats. Done it a couple of times, Dave.

Thanks for the final clarification. I just haven't had time to get out and do the research myself. But now I'll ask you this, Will the wiring you've described above, work on a 260Z? (2/74') Thanks again, I know we all appreciate your efforts. Dave.

And when you do all this, Make sure to upgrade the Battery cables to no less than 4 gauge wire. You can make your own and buy the new connectors and mounts at the local auto parts store. But make sure to also make a new ground wire from the battery to the firewall (8 gauge) and also make one to go from the starter mounting bolt over to the ground point on the fender (8 gauge), where the harness is grounded. This will reinforce a great ground to your electrical system. Just remember that the better the grounding system, the less problems you'll have down the line. I have done all these and also have a ground wire going to the Head. Grounding the head directly helps to reduce electrolisis in the cooling system, that will normally eat thru aluminum and cause premature failure. Dave.

They were originally a "Z" specific Shop. Times have changed but the name didn't. Less Z's called for a little Diversification. They do occasionally work on Z's, both young and old. Johnny is no longer their so I can't tell you if they are still worthy as a Z shop. Johnny is now in Oregon. He KNOWS Z's!!! He started a new shop and here's his info for all you OREGONIANS... Johnny Z MotorSports Performance Automotive 1140 13th St. N.E. Salem, Oregon I'll post the PH# after I'm sure that it's the correct one. Dave.

The damn fender even says 260 or 280Z. Definately not a "DATSUN" emblem. Sniff sniff, I smell an idiot. Dave.

Sounds like a short somewhere else, possible a bad alternator? I competent mechanic should be able to test everything beforehand. There's a limiter that's not limiting, if you know what I mean. Maybe it's time for that 81' to 83' 280ZX alternator upgrade. Internally regulated, no more external voltage reguilator to go bad, better amperage to the battery, etc, etc. I sell the the adaptor for the conversion. $15 Dave

The crhrome trim peices are removable, philips head screws, I think. So yes, buy the panel, remove your chrome trim and put it on the the CF panel. Yes, it's that easy. Dave.

It's definately different, but Nope, ehh ehh, not me. good idea though. Dave.

Interstate batteries are the Best, in my humble opinion. Others will argue with me here but the Interstate battery is usually Underated. My last one was a 60 month battery that lasted for 108 months and 3 different cars. Keep in mind that I run Hi amp stereo systems, H4's, fog lights and other accessories that will drain an inferior battery quickly. Go to the local battery shop that carries Interstate batteries and tell them your make and model and tell them you only want interstate. They'll give you the right one and it should be about 750 Cold Cranking Amps. If you run an Optima battery dead, your best bet it to throw that $200 battery in the garbage. They won't full charge again after being drained like that. Interstate will. Dave.