SteveJ

That certainly looks like you went on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I'm glad you weren't banged up too badly.

Well, first you need a timing light. You may want to get a higher end one if you think you'll own old cars. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVU8J8 Next you want to locate and clean your timing marks on the engine block. After that, rotate your engine to TDC and find the mark on the engine pulley. You will probably want to mark it with a dab of white paint. White nail polish is great for this. Get a baseline timing. If it's not at 15 degrees, turn off the car and loosen the bolt on the distributor. It's on the bottom side of the mounting point. (See photo) Start the engine again. To increase timing (more degrees), rotate counter clockwise (A - advance). To decrease timing, rotate clockwise (R - retard). Keep measuring your timing, shooting for about 15 degrees. If you cannot rotate the distributor enough with that adjustment, you may need to loosen the other bolt. First, rotate the distributor so it's in the middle of the indicator. Then loosen the other bolt on the distributor. Rotate the distributor just like you did before with the engine running and checking timing. If you can't get it close to 15 degrees with both bolts loose, something isn't right. After you get the timing set, make sure you secure both bolts so your timing doesn't change.

The black/white wire is supposed to be switched. Do you have voltage to ground at the black/white wire at the ballast resistor?

And just to prove that I can keep overthinking something, I was thinking about vacuum forming today. I did a search and found this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FKRNWN2/ Now it just so happens that my wife uses similar pieces of equipment to make retainers at work. I just have to figure out how to make the mold, and I could try making nubbins.

I had to laugh, probably because I was expecting the result from the title of the thread. I think we have all had the opportunity to say, "Well that was stupid!" while we were working on our cars. You just have video evidence.

Yes, they are separate wires. I'll assume you have a 240Z. In the start position, the green/white wire and black/yellow wire get voltage. The black/yellow goes to the solenoid. The green/white goes to the tachometer and comes out black/white. The black/white wire goes to the coil positive. You don't say what ignition you are using. If it's points, make sure they are opening and closing. Here is the procedure to verify it's an issue with the switch. Put the key in ON. Verify you have voltage at the ignition fuse. You can do that by seeing if your turn signals are working. Measure voltage to ground at coil positive. If you have voltage to ground at coil positive, it is likely there is an issue with the start circuit around the switch. Inspect the switch and wiring the the steering column. If you have turn signals but not voltage at the coil, you need to start inspecting connections. It could be at tachometer or the connections between the dash harness and engine harness.

If it was running before the coil swap, the timing would still be good unless you messed with the distributor or managed to install the rotor 180 degrees out.

So does your car still have the automatic transmission? The black wire that joins a red/black is only for an automatic. With the Pertronix, neither of those wires needs to be landed to an ignition component. As I stated before, the black wire from the Pertronix needs to be on coil negative. The red wire from the Pertronix and the black/white (from the tachometer) should be on coil positive. Where you have the jumper between the green/white and black/white wires, make sure there is no chance either side can touch the fender. It could short the ignition to ground. Did you follow the directions in the video I linked to make sure your wiring is right?

Maybe reach out to Z Car Garage to see if they might have one. I'll see if the one I have lying around is in decent shape.

Gateway Classic Cars invited the Georgia Z Club to be the featured club at one of their monthly meets, Caffeine and Chrome. We ended up in the December slot which was nice because it's also the holiday party for Gateway Classic Cars and their Toys for Tots collection. Despite some rain, we had around 28 cars total show up. The funny thing is that the regular crowd stayed home because of the rain, so it became an ad hoc GZC holiday party with Gateway supplying the food. We managed to fill three boxes with toys, too. Here's a link to an album with photos of most of the cars that showed up today: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CLAHn9vzgg3PxeqSA

I'm not sure what wire you're talking about. Photos help a lot!

First, here's how to make sure which black/white wire is which. Make sure you have the green/white and both black/white wires disconnected for this test. When you have identified which black/white goes to the coil, make sure it and the red wire of the Pertronix are both mounted to coil positive. The black wire from the Pertronix should be on coil negative. Make sure the other black/white is firmly connected to the green/white. Check resistance between the distributor body and the car body. It should be <1 Ohm. Then if the car doesn't start, you'll need to find a helper. Measure voltage to ground at coil positive while trying to start. It should be between 10 and 12 volts. Measure voltage to ground at coil negative while trying to start. It should fluctuate a lot if the Pertronix is functioning properly. If the car doesn't start, take clear photos of the wiring around the ballast resistor and coil. Also make sure you haven't pull the coil wire out some from either the coil or the distributor.

You nailed it. It could be a dirty contacts, or the nubbin in the switch has worn down/melted. @jfa.series1 has some good pics in this thread: Here's a thread where we got carried away talking about the nubbins:

They are essentially plug and play. You will need to back out the screws on the retaining ring a fair amount to get everything lined up right for reassembly.

I installed the Koito H4 housings with Auxito H4 LED bulbs in my 260Z a couple of days ago. I had been using the Auxito bulbs with a set of H4 housings I picked up from Black Dragon many years ago, but I didn't like the appearance.

This may help some. https://www.hagerty.com/media/advice/shipping-a-car-heres-how-and-why-to-make-the-right-choice/ https://www.hagerty.com/assets/PDF/DomesticShipping.pdf https://www.hagerty.com/resources/how-tos/10-car-shipping-and-transportation-tips

It's hard to tell with the hacking that was done to that harness, but this is my guess.

Clean the wires and tell us the wire colors, too.

What are the wire colors?

It isn't adjustable. That's not uncommon for aftermarket VRs. If the VR is malfunctioning, the battery sense wire (white in the engine harness) could be feeding the field wire (white/black) that goes to the alternator. On an aftermarket 260Z VR that I have handy, the white/black is connected to a wire wound resistor. If it has voltage all of the time, that could be a current draw. Plug the VR back in. (Listen for a click in the VR, too.) Unplug the two wire connector from the back of the alternator, and check for voltage to ground on the white/black wire on that connector.

For the 260Z, the relays and pump were from the factory.

So the main power is hooked up right. Your chart shows that isn't a problem. And the green/blue wire has 12VDC on the 9 pin connector. That is perfect. You said you found one cross connect in the center stack. When you turn the combo switch to turn on the running lights now, the gauge lights should come on. Does that happen after you corrected the one cross connect? If not, with the switch in the position to turn on the parking lights, check voltage to ground on the green/blue and green/white wires where they are soldered to the switch. If the gauge lights still only come on with the key in ON, pull the ignition fuse and see if the lights are still on. If so, repeat for the AC fuse and wiper fuse.

Disconnect the 9-pin connector on the steering column and take photos of it, especially where the pins are. If the 9 pin connector is disconnected, you won't ever have a complete circuit for the parking lights/gauges. Take the cover off the fuse box, and take a clear photo of the fuse box. Also, did you check for voltage at the parking light fuse (the one I marked as #2 above)? What are the results? The fuse should have voltage to ground on both sides even with the key off. In order to do the diagnostics properly, we have to go through the circuit carefully. Since there is not an engine in the car, could you share a picture of how you have the positive battery terminal connected to the wiring harness? Normally, the positive terminal is connected to the starter, and a fusible link is attached to the same terminal on the starter, going to the white wire.

Well, new does not always mean good anymore. If you're using a clamp ammeter, can you measure the draw at each of the wires on the VR? Also, open up the VR to see if it's mechanical or solid state. If it's mechanical, it may be adjustable.

Ironically, if you look in the EF section of the FSM, you'll find that the power to the fuel pump is cut during cranking. You don't say what carburetors you are using, but there should be enough fuel in the float bowls for starting.