SteveJ

You're backfeeding through the headlight. The car switches between high and low beam by changing which headlight element is grounded. (That's the high low beam switch.) When you have the switch on low beam, current flows through the good fuse and down to the headlight bulb. There it splits in two. Most of the current will flow through the right low beam filament, to the high/low beam switch and back to ground. A little bit of current will flow through the right high beam filament, on to the left high beam filament, to the left low beam filament, to the high/low beam switch and back to ground. Now to break out the EE math... We can calculate the amount of current that should be flowing versus the amount flowing when there is a backfeed. Let's use the stock ratings for the bulbs (50W high and 40W low) and assume the ratings are for a 12VDC system. Current is Power/Voltage, so with good fuses, you're pulling about 3.3A on low beam. We can estimate the resistance of the low beam filament at 3.6 Ohms and the high beam at 2.88 Ohms. This means we have 3.6 Ohms going through the low beam on the right and 9.36 Ohms for the backfeed. Since Current is also Voltage/Resistance, we estimate 1.28A going through the backfeed. Power is equal to the square of the Current times Resistance, so this is the power consumption for each filament in the circuit: right/left high beam = 4.7W left low beam = 5.9W

I dunno. It looks like something that might be more appropriate on an adult toys website.

Okay, I'm a little slow on the uptake. I sent an email via CL. Can I just come over and shop? I'd love to come over on Saturday morning.

My god, have you figured out who it is? It can't be Eddie Radatz. It's WAY too organized.

It'll buff out.

Try connecting with your local Z Clubs. Z Car Club Of Northern Virginia Maryland 'Z Club Mike McGinnis at Banzai Motorworks may be able to let you know if there are any good early Zs for sale in the area. Banzai Motorworks He has a fantastic shop, and I've been very pleased with the parts I've purchased from him.

The parking light circuit is a problematic circuit on the Z car. If you search on Google for "Running lights" and 240Z, you'll get lots of results from Z car forums. Download a copy of the 72 FSM. Find the link in my signature. Read the wiring diagram to find the wire colors for the circuit. Take off the clamshell on the steering column and inspect the wiring, especially at the connectors. Do you know how to use a multimeter? If so, I can give you more detailed diagnostics. If not, try contacting the Cape Fear Z Club to see if someone can help you or recommend a local shop. I suggest doing a proper fix and then buying the parking light relay harness from MSA as designed by our very own Dave Irwin, aka Zs-ondabrain.

It was a great day to have a car show, especially considering Atlanta had about twice its average rainfall last month. We had a nice line of S30s there, except for some weird new Opel that HAD to park in the middle. If you're in the Atlanta area and would like to join us at C&O, send me a PM. August C&O Pictures

I'll have to admit that I've never put in the distributor 180 degrees out, but I know I've read a few posts where people wound up with it that way. I did make sure the engine was at or near TDC, though. I wonder how people ended up 180 out.

You could always try holding one of these near the screws. Yes, you can take out the distributor. Directions are in the EE section of the FSM. It is advisable to put your engine at TDC to reduce the chance of screwing up your timing, but the distributor can only go in correctly or 180 degrees out of phase.

You should only need to pull the distributor cap to replace the points and condenser. The distributor body stays attached to the engine. You will probably need to check the dwell and timing afterward, no matter what.

Ouch.

Too much hyperbole in the ad. I couldn't even read all of it before throwing up in my mouth a little. I did look at the pictures, though. It looks nice, but I'm betting on no bids.

I thought some people might enjoy this guy's work. http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/weldporn-910228664

Some people have sent off their dashes to be recovered, but IIRC it was with mixed results. Interior Auto Restoration - Dash Board Restorations | Dash Restoration | Cracked Dash Here's another: Welcome To Just Dashes

Look here

You can usually get price breaks when you buy in quantities of 10,000 or so.

There's a simple solution for that: Road Trip!

Sadly, a young man who was a member of Z Atlanta passed away recently when he had an accident in his 350Z. His car was much more modern than my Z cars, but the safety features weren't able to prevent his untimely demise. The risk is there pretty much no matter what kind of car you drive. As stated in other posts, how you drive is going to be a major contributor. When I am driving my Zs, I fully realize that I must manage the risk as much as possible via careful driving and alertness to vehicle condition in order to increase the chances of me getting home safely. Convince her that you going to a Skip Barber driving course would improve your safety on the road. I'm sure you could Google up some statistics demonstrating the benefits of such training.

Actually, IMHO, Wade was not far off the mark. The OP stated in his initial post that he didn't understand much of what he was doing and that he was looking for a shortcut. I try to minimize jury-rigging wiring in the car. The modifications I make tend to be things like adding relays to the headlight circuit or bypassing the obnoxious seatbelt interlock relay. I wasn't going to offer any advice myself, but when the OP asked about an engine harness, I directed him to a potential & reputable source. I will try to help people with electrical issues online and on the phone. However, I would agree with Wade that if you have little knowledge of automotive electrical systems and want to ignore all of the work the Nissan engineers did during the design & production of the car, it would be best to seek the services of a professional.

Did you try Zcarsource?

One of the functions of the AFM is to cut power to the coil on the fuel pump relay when the engine isn't running. If you replace the AFM, what are you going to do to compensate for that signal?

Jim Frederick's chop-top 240Z was featured on NPoCP at Jalopnik today: For $15,000, This Fairlady Will Let You Take Her Top Off So far, Crack Pipe is winning the vote.

Why not just use the wiring diagram from the service manual itself? XenonS30

If I can find it (and have time and can remember to look), I have the added wiring harness that was used for the electric fuel pump. I can take a picture of it so you can see if you have one in your engine bay.