SteveJ

I was finishing up a week away from work in one of the best ways I could: attending yet another car meet. I was expecting to be about the only one with a Z there today since ZCON is starting up just a few hours away. Boy was I surprised. Several friends showed up in their Zs, too. One new friend showed up a little late, too, with his 280Z.

LEDs aren't very voltage sensitive. I'm trying to figure out the voltage drop, though. Maybe I can get out to the garage tomorrow and take some meter readings for you to try to replicate. I'm wondering if the hazard switch may be corroded/crudded up enough that it's a choke point under load.

I'm enjoying some cooler than normal temps in September, so I washed the 260Z and took it to a car meet.

Maybe you're worried about making it because you know too much. Back in 2015, I drove the 260Z to Memphis with carburetors that were too lean, an exhaust leak near the muffler and badly worn out rear bushings. I didn't know about the problems, so I didn't worry. 😁 I made it there and back just fine. If I had the carburetors richer, I might have hit triple digits on the front straight during the parade laps. My biggest worry then was I knew who did the brakes and how much he paid for them. That just proves my point. You worry about what you know.

The flasher for the hazard lights is the same type used for the turn signals. The hazard lights flasher is located at the passenger side relay panel. Since you hear a click with the horns, it may be that the horns are corroded. On my 73, I used a wire wheel on a dremel to polish the positive contact and grounding points. You should use silicone grease on those areas before re-installing to delay future corrosion. One way to reduce heat on the brake light circuit after you get the hazards working would be to swap out incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. LEDs draw less current.

Glad to see you back.

NOS? Highly unlikely. Used - Try Junkyard Jenny. https://junkyardjenny.com/

If you have the filler neck clamped onto the tank and through the body opening, it will hold things in place very well for you to do the rest of the work. Harbor Freight has a coupon for that jack. It makes it a good deal. https://www.harborfreight.com/coupons I agree with @Yarb . I've used that jack for many things, including raising an oil drain pan up high enough so that the oil can't splatter as it is being drained from my truck.

Meaningless

The tanks fit. What you don't say is whether or not you have lifted the tank all of the way in place so that it is hitting something. IIRC the last time I installed a tank (about 4 years ago), the key is to get the tank up high enough so that you can get the filler neck through the opening in the body. Also make sure you have the top vent hoses connected before you try to get it in place fully. After you get the filler neck in place, that will help hold the tank up. As for lifting the tank, if the car is on jack stands, this will do a great job of lifting the tank: https://www.harborfreight.com/450-lb-low-lift-transmission-jack-70262.html That way you can use your 2x6s to help get the tank to the right height.

I think all the regulars have missed you, Philip. I'm hoping you and Janet stay well.

I second the Wesco belts. I tried them in the 260Z over 10 years ago (Edit: It looks like over 15 years ago. https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/34379-replacement-seat-belts/) and decided to swap out the Wesco belts I installed in the 240Z over 20 years ago for the roadster belts a few years ago.

I love the claims about patents considering that design is very common.

Are you kidding? This place is full of nuts.

Make sure you have the polarity right on the matchbox terminals. The positive goes to coil positive, and the negative goes to coil negative.

Did you happen to check for voltage on the black/white wire on the ballast resistor with the key in ON? What is the resistance between the engine block and battery negative? If you run the hot wire to the coil, measure voltage to ground on coil to negative while someone else is cranking the engine. You should see it at 12VDC+ and periodically drop when the ignition system connects it to ground. Also I can't remember, are you using points or an electronic ignition?

If you can get to Harbor Freight tomorrow, here's a coupon for the large and small picks: https://go.harborfreight.com/coupons/2025/07/184225-69592/

Get a couple of 90 degree picks, 1 large & 1 small. Round off the tips so you don't poke through the hose. First, work the small one around the lip of the hose to break it loose. Then, follow up with the larger one. After you break the adhesion, put some silicon grease on the larger pick and work it around again. Try the tongue-and-groove pliers to twist back and forth until it breaks free.

You need to use the more options feature. At that point you can put in a date range. You probably also need to experiment with the search terms. I think I found what you're looking for this time: https://www.classiczcars.com/search/?&q=%22door%20trim%22&quick=1&updated_before=1735603200&updated_after=1609459200&sortby=newest&search_and_or=and

@Mike Lately when I try to use the Report function for the spammers, I click on the Report button and just get the Windows spinning wheel of death. Is the function working?

Hazard switch test: Remove the hazard switch. Use the ohmmeter function on the meter. (I hope it's not just a voltmeter.) Look at which pins correspond to the green/blue, green/red, and green black wires. Turn the hazard switch on. Measure the resistance between the pins that line up to the green/blue and green/red wires on the dash harness. (Note, the switch may have wires with different colors.) Record the result. Measure the resistance between the pins that line up to the green/blue and green/black wires on the dash harness. Record the result. Report the results of this test. Turn signal test: Put your meter on DC voltage. Reinstall the hazard switch and ensure it is off. Turn the key to ON. You don't need to start the car. Find the flasher relay that has a green/yellow wire and white wire running to it. Disconnect the flasher relay. Measure voltage to ground at the green/yellow wire. Record the result and report your reading.

Was the hazard switch plugged in when you tested? Flasher units? You probably need to test the hazard switch. Do you know how to use a multimeter?

Sounds like he's from the Al Allen school of parts restoration.

There's some BS going on here. 13Ax14V=182W. I'm not sure whose backside produced a 13A figure. There are 2 (two/dos/zwei) 23W bulbs and a 3W bulb (on the gauge) in the circuit. Please invite the person who gave you that response to come here and show the testing. Until proved otherwise, I posit that someone is covering up for shoddy work. I am interested if someone can make me eat my words. I'll see if I can set up my scope with ammeter to look for transients that even come close to 13A

If only the left side is blinking with the hazard switch, that means you have another problem as both sides should be blinking with that switch.