SteveJ

There are 3 types of S30 center consoles that I am aware of. 1. 70-71 2. 72-73 3. 74-78 Within the 3rd type, I'm lumping in the 260Z consoles without a lid since they are completely interchangeable. Having said that, I do not see any similarities between types 2 & 3. The 2+2 has a different part number for the center console than the coupe, though it changes to the same part number for the last of the 78s.

I have a dash sitting around with the rheostat in it. The knob needs to be replaced. I'll check to see if it's good.

The battery was already down once. I'm not sure how old it is. It may be nearing the end of it's useful life.

I took the Z out for a nice drive through North Georgia today as part of the Georgia Z Club Gumball Rally. Including my car, there were 3 260Zs that showed up today. On the way back, the wife and I stopped at an abandoned gas station to take some quick photos.

How long have you owned the car? It wouldn't have been difficult for a previous owner to connect the two wires together and bypass the rheostat if it went bad.

It's looking pretty good there.

Sorry, Jai. I can't remember if I saw a sticker when I had it out. If you do take it out, be sure to disconnect the battery first.

It's definitely not the cold start valve. That is disconnected.

You'd probably need the Chevy transmission or some sort of bell-housing adapter. The biggest pain is to get the computer and fuel injection running right. There are probably some stand-alone systems that would work. It's a lot of work. What are you up for? Are you good with fabrication?

Can you provide a closer picture of the area?

I'm sorry your car got hit, Jai. Vans do not like Z cars. My 240Z was hit by a van 18 years ago. My car was parked at a gas pump and the driver cut the corner too much.

A great way to prevent that from happening is to install LED bulbs for the parking lights. My 260Z draws just over 1 A with just the parking lights on now. It also gives you a opportunity to examine the bulb sockets and look for corrosion in them.

To give more details, Dave's (MSA's) kit is plug and play for the 240Z. It uses the same connectors. I've yet to see anybody complaining about it. I bought the Blackdragon Auto kit. It wasn't worth the money. Also, it used non-standard relays. If one goes bad, good luck finding a drop-in replacement.

Someone has plenty of optimism.

My pleasure, sir.

Try this link: http://www.amazon.com/Rebuild-Your-Nissan-Datsun-Engine/dp/1931128030/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446502999&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+rebuild+your+nissan+ohc

First, state your goals. Why do you want a 5 speed? Is it to reduce RPMs at freeway cruising speeds? Second, how do you know your engine needs to be rebuilt? Is it burning oil? What is the compression like? Have you adjusted the valves lately? Is your fuel system in good repair? If it does need a rebuild, what are you looking for? (Again, state your goals.) Datsun Spirit and Rebello are pretty expensive if all you're looking for is a nice cruising experience.

Jai, Fuel tank products that contain iso-propyl alcohol are the best for making water in the fuel tank miscible with the fuel. The cheap products contain methanol and ethanol. I advise staying away from those since they can harm the rubber components in the fuel system. Fuel injector cleaner contains mineral spirits and possibly fuel system detergents. They help dissolve organic based compounds that can clog the fuel system. (Think varnish.) Stabil (and other fuel stabilizers) helps prevent the degradation of sitting fuel that happens as lighter volatile organic compounds (VOCs) evaporate from the fuel. While your car is under a carport, it is subjected to the effects of cooling. This can include condensation of water vapor in the intake and exhaust. It might take a few minutes to heat up the car to burn off all of the condensation. The whoosh you heard when you opened the gas cap indicates to me that you are less likely to have condensation in the fuel tank. That's a good thing.

With my track record? I probably would have snapped off half the bolts on the intake manifold.

Do you have rear disc brakes on the car?

To be clear, I cleaned up the contacts with a wire brush. There wasn't any real testing I could do.

From your description, I inferred that you got the sparks from the battery then the car would not start again. Did I misunderstand that? Did you replace all 5 fusible links? There are four under the covers and one for the EFI. Did you clean out the fuel lines after sitting for a year? They could be gunked up. The firing order should be 1-5-3-6-2-4 counterclockwise. Issues that could cause no spark: Improperly grounded coil Bad Transistor Ignition Unit, TIU (rare) Lack of voltage to the TIU Bad connection to the TIU. The FSM has good diagnostics. You may want to review the EF and EE sections.

The 73 has the mounting points for the 70-72 bumper brackets. You just need to get the early brackets and remove the 73 brackets and bumper. The holes on the fenders line up, and I would advise attaching the bumper there first, while supporting the front. It's a bear to get the bolts lined up on the sides once it is attached in the front.

ALWAYS put the year of your car in your posts or your signature. There are variations in the 280Zs. 1. Buy a decent inline fuel pressure gauge and install it under the hood. That is how you check fuel pressure. Make sure you get one that will go up to at least 60 PSI. 2. There is a fusible link for the EFI. It is separate from the other fusible links. You need to check that. It wouldn't hurt to check the other links, too. Use an ohmmeter to check. Visible inspection is not adequate.