Seppi72

I have these two wires hanging in close proximity to the connectors that attach to the 6-lead plugs coming out of the fuse box - a thick white/red and a "normal" white (that had been covered by a black sleeve. Because of the proximity, I'm confident that the white wire connects with the white wire coming out of the left side bundle from the fuse box and services the horn circuit. I think I have a good idea of where the white/red wire goes but want confirmation from one of our electrical gurus. Because it is finished with a lug, it is supposed to be held on somewhere with a screw or bolt and I think that place is the metal block located around 3 o'clock on the MSA fuse box. On my other '72 that has the OEM fuse box, the white/red wire disappears underneath the box and I haven't torn things apart to see exactly where it attaches. Can someone verify that this white/red wire does indeed go on the screw mount inside the MSA fuse box?

Pretty sure I know the answer, but for confirmation's sake, I'll ask. First, the set-up. Just got a new Precision complete weatherstrip kit for my 1972 240Z. The door strips in the kit are quite a bit different from the OEM ones in that they have a "gripper" channel (see Photo 1) whereas the OEM strips have but a thin U-channel (see Photo 2). I believe this was a design change made for the 280Z. Both of these are meant to attach to the metal weld and quarter window flanges around the door openings. The OEM strip's grip on the flanges is then reinforced with a stiff U-channel (Photo 3) that covers all but a small section of flange along the bottom of the door opening where the inner scuff plate does the job In his book "How to Restore Your Datsun Z-car", author Wick Humble said (page 135) that the factory's 280Z-style weatherstrip comes preloaded with a "non-hardening adhesive/sealant in the "U" of the weld flange trim that was not previously specified." Clearly, the strips I got from Precision do not have such a preloaded material So, my question to you fine folks is this: Should I apply some kind of adhesive/sealant in the U-channel and, if so, what would you recommend? I'm already using 3M Yellow Super Weatherstrip and Gasket Adhesive on the rest of the car that needs such a material.

I may have inadvertently covered up that wire when I re-wrapped all my harnesses several years ago (what a FUN time that was). In any case, I've decided to go with a fuse tap in the main fuse box on the 20 A FLASHER fuse, which is the only circuit in the box that is KEY-ON activated. Will use a 10 A fuse for my Retrosound Motor 4 radio, Vintage Air HVAC controller and Valentine One radar detector. Frankly, until yesterday I didn't know such a thing as a fuse tap existed. Ran across it when searching online how to hard-wire my radar detector. Really happy now that I swapped the OEM fuse box for an ATO-style one from Motorsport Auto.

It occurred to me today as I was reinstalling the dashboard (after 17 years) that because I have completely separate wiring for the Vintage Air HVAC system, I mighty just take the power intended for the OEM heater/blower and use that instead of finding a KEY-ON wire. Yes, I know that circuit is activated in the ig-switch's ACC position but because I don't have adolescents who will want to listen to the radio when the car is not running, that might be a good option.

Not hard as I recall. Except for the clock, the overlays would slide over or under the needles to .get into position. I think I had to pull the hands off the clock bu they went back on easily. Because there is a reputable supplier offering them - Z Car Depot - you could email or call them for information. They've been very good getting back to me with my questions.

I have the 1972 body and engine FSMs, which I've had since 1972 (purchased from BRE and now installed in 3-ring binders with each page lovingly protected), but the body one doesn't have anywhere near the level of detail as some of the illustrations that have been presented in this thread. I'll check out what's on the site.

I got those on eBay back in December of 2010 from a fellow named Jason Ellis (jasmaster1@yahoo.com). I don't know if he is still active there but here is a currently active listing there for the gauge overlays (https://www.ebay.com/itm/116754738195?_skw=240Z+gauges&itmmeta=01K6VECE8NHA8V1JRWG7KECTFX&hash=item1b2f1fec13:g:HYIAAeSw8fdosIdf&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1f7RDWuP4ip3L0xi8Epcs3MGzRnIDxeRpwRTiJTFo%2FyXhMMsfddLn9Ap%2BvCn%2FGIN7AmIPoYfEWRqx3LB%2Fb6vtgs1LiOt5M%2FxbtHCoHbKvaiVhw88gQ%2FXqNsLGyyDOluqQraCdGuUIvEXpINFE6kLubse8%2BlZzyix9Z0uWrrXO5tkWb9pzBDEuh0sjE%2FAYFzMlq8Eno8bfz8eo23vQRsM6D91r88a95CHj9SIRMV4k31WB5gT629KVQ75UisBeYw%2FCU%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9zkse62Zg). I just saw that Z Car Depot also has these overlays on eBay (https://www.ebay.com/itm/333353236584?_skw=240Z+gauge+overlays&itmmeta=01K6VERGB27HD9RGDN98R029CQ&hash=item4d9d66b868:g:IT0AAOSwKA5bx61X&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1e7wRbXJooQ7dodz55p%2FpfL3%2FDnI4KnIpEfg3F3lVeIRyEHeGgeVSHLqgbLDNDlk6GrqecMFTnyKkJMHxl2%2B5udEItKajJaOrn%2FBoiCSmcgSJn4Z6nYMS7V4iBywuzLaKtHbfHwXjdriTm7vfNRE4B4%2FIozubXeyBv1%2FUg%2By1bjHqNT4EMrXUYBymvBGdZxGrJ5CgNM8HF7LJ7MMqeYqRiTSXWaimnbZLBgGt%2BIsW5Uic4skEvPTSgm69RN3BRwRm0%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-CF4u62Zg). I hope that helps you.

Big milestone today: the dashboard is now back in the car since it was removed in 2008 at the beginning of this project. Lots of 'field mods' but that's the stuff that builds pride of ownership. Hard to believe that 17 years of "just plain life" have passed by. But, I'm on a roll now and I hope to be back on the road by spring.

I don't know where you guys find these detailed diagrams but I'm sure glad that you have and share them.

OK, without the car actually being assembled for ready reference, I thought that might be a possibility.

As I was working on the car today, it occurred to me that perhaps the best KEY-ON signal I could hope for in the engine bay would be one coming from the alternator. After all,it will only have an output when the car is running. I have an internally-regulated 70 amp, 280ZX alternator so I won't be using the 1972 OEM voltage regulator. In fact, that location on the inner fender is where I'm clustering all the relays for headlights, electric cooling fan, etc. What do you folks proficient in S30 electrics think of this as a possibility?

The right-hand plastic "pin" that functions at a pivot for the fuse box cover is broken off on BOTH of my 1972 cars. There is a thread in the Interior topic from July 2010 where it was suggested to simply drill out the divot left behind and epoxy in a short section of rod made from either plastic or wood. So far, so good. However, if my memory serves me, there is also some kind of V-shaped spring that goes on that pin to hold the cover open. And, I'm sure the right-hand pin is longer than the left-hand pin. Can someone either confirm or correct my memory of a spring as well as measuring the length of the pin? BTW, that white electrical connector in the photo is for one of the switches controlling my power windows.

To quote a favorite Stars Wars character, "Meesa no lie."

I agree with you, Captain, and patcon that I should avoid the B/W associated with the VR and coil as there will probably be enough issues with the electrics once I get everything back together and try starting the car. Running another 16 AWG wire into the engine bay isn't that big a deal. Excellent advice on an inertia switch, cgsheen1. Do you have a preferred brand and, perhaps more importantly, location for mounting such a device? I was once a passenger in a car that was forced head on into a concrete median barrier by an aggressive driver, thankfully the impact was at low speed, and its inertia switch operated. I recall the driver having to reach down near the E-brake pedal to reset it so we could continue on to our destination.

Thanks a million, SteveJ. You've saved me hours of trying to track things down in various wiring harnesses. Now, I can just tap into the FLASHER wire coming out of the fuse box and activate the relays for the AC controls, the AC trinary switch (in the engine bay) and the two DRLs (Daytime Running Lights). I'll probably modify things to use the fog lamp wires to reach the DRLs. But, my goodness, there are a LOT of connectors coming out of the dash. I'm glad I have another '72 that's still together to use as a guide when my eyes get crossed trying to decipher the FSM wiring diagram. Does anyone have an idea of the location of that inline fuse for the electric fuel pump? I added a NISMO pump and it's hooked up to the appropriate wires on the rear of the body harness but I'd be well served to know where that fuse is... just in case.