ChrisA

My own personal preference on the paper pan gasket is to shoot one side of it with Permatex Purple Hi-Tac. Keeps the gasket stuck to the pan so bolt holes stay lined up. i cant say I've ever seen a cork/rubber pan gasket on a Z. Anybody think they are better? Sealing wise that is. Where can I get them?

Hey guys, If you switch to high wattage halogen bulbs, think about getting a Painless Wiring headlite kit. It allows you to bypass the stock wiring and use two Bosch relays to fire the bulbs. The stock headlight switch will just run the relays. The kit is powered right off the battery thus shortening the wiring as a whole. My setup is about 2 years old and works well. Relays mount next to inspection light. Nicely made harness with bulb sockets and all. Stock harness plugs have to be modified very slightly to fit the Painless plugs. If I remember correctly, I had the kit in and running in less than an hour. A lot less amperage draw on the gauge when lites are on now versus stock. Much luck!!

Hi Guys, I bought a Painless Wiring headlite kit a few years ago. It uses 2 relays and connects directly to the battery. The headlight switch doesnt have to handle the load anymore. It just switches the relays. I think it has performed really well. When the lites are on there is less of an amp draw. Was very simple to install also. Got mine from jegs.com. Here is a link: http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=3698&prmenbr=361

Hey Tony, I messed up that post about the meeting. It was Sunday not Saturday. Go to zcarsofnebraska.org for a membership application. The club just formed last year but they need new members.

Change the oil and filter. I think your Z should have a fuel tank drain plug also. Older ones do. Drain out the fuel put in some fresh. Change the fuel filter too. You'll have to get close to the fuel pump and listen for it running. Put your hand on it. Make sure your battery is charged up. Let her rip man!!!

Hey Fever, you're local parts house should have the valve cover gasket in stock. Since it fits everything from 69 to 83. I get Fel-Pro gaskets from my local store. Or you could order from Victoria British online or Motorsport Auto.

I heard that the club is meeting today at 3:00 pm at Woodhouse Nissan in Bellevue. Come one come all!!

You might have to experiment with pulley sizing. Take your stock pulley down to the parts house and see if they can get anything smaller by say eighth or quarter inch.

Be careful of those fumes when you put the bedliner inside. Made me seriously ill even with a respirator. I let car sit for a month to get the smell out.

Forgot to say the pump is either right outside the fuel tank or in it on a ZX but I'm not 100% on that. Havent had a ZX since 1983.

If the stock fuel pump is working, when you turn the key to "ON" the pump should run and prime the system. You may have to lay under the car and have someone kit they key while you listen for the pump. They are sometimes very quiet. I have seen some people plumb a pressure gauge into the fuel rail to see what pressure they're getting. Check your fuel pump relay in the engine bay and any fusible links or fuses also. Good luck!!

Hey Mike, you do have a ZX right not a Z? Some 280Z parts will fit the 240Z but a 280ZX is a whole new ballgame.

Hey Mike, I've been thinking about your wiring question. I'm not sure about the ignition wiring on a ZX. I dont know if it goes thru the brain or not. Hopefully someone out there in Z land can answer that. I would think it would be easy enough to bypass things to get the car running on carbs. Google the "Datsun Garage" and look thru his site. I thought he had some basic ignition wiring diagrams posted. You might just go to your parts store and get a cheap Haynes or Chilton manual for a 240 or 260Z to get the wiring diagrams. Good luck dude!!

Hi Guys, Bought a 71 240Z when I was 16 in 1983. Parted it out when underside was just to rusty. Bought a great 73 in 1995 and a beater 72 in 1996. Have also had: 1977 200sx with built L20B and dual carbs. Man that car was ugly!! 1979 310GX 2 door hatch 1979 280ZX 1979 810 (miss that car) Wife drives a 240SX. She used to have a 1975 280Z. Guess were truly Nissan Nutz!!

Hey Kevin, that picture is downright disturbing. Makes me wonder how long the car was being driven like that. In my 20 years of being into Z's I've never seen rust like that. Not even here in Nebraska, the Rust State.

Hi Guys, from what I have been reading on various Googled sites, dimming lights at idle is not easy to correct. I read one site that said the alternator cannot supply enough power at idle with several loads on. My own car is exactly the same as Xargon's. It's rainy and cold here today so I had on the heater/wipers/headlites/stereo/electric fuel pump/rear defroster. Since my car has the original 40 amp alternator, I am putting a tremendous load on the alt at idle. The unit must spin at a certain rpm to excite the charging side enough to counteract the load. So naturally when you rev her up everything brightens/speeds up. I suppose you could add up the amp draw of everything that's running but what difference would it make. The alternator is not doing its job. BUT--another site said to clean every ground connection in the engine bay and add some 4 gauge ground wires between the engine and the body. Since we have cars that are 30 or more years old there is corrosion between wire connectors and their mating connection. When its bright and dry out with just my fuel pump drawing power it still slows down at idle. Every Z car I have ever owned (4) does this with the stock 40-45 amp allternator. Much luck all!!

I dont think you'll get a measurable gain. But low end torque improved on my setup. I have ztherapy carbs though.

Hey Mike, Tom is 100% correct. My state doesnt test so I am free to do as I like. But it would be easier to just change the pump on your car. Assuming everything else is o.k. Nebraska, where the smog drifts into Iowa.

Hey Matt, I did buy some green LED's that were already rated for 12 volts. I got them at a Heavy Truck dealership. They werent very bright though. I suppose you could fabricate a mounting device but I figured the clear silicone to be easiest because you can just peel it off if needed. Its worked well for me thus far. Chris

P.S. --If you buy loose LED's from like Radio Shack, you'll have to install resistors to lower the voltage incoming to around 2.5 to 3 volts. 12 volts will fry a lone LED in a microsecond.

Hey Matt, I put LED's in all my gauges. Bought the newer "Bright White" ones and set them into the little green bulb housings with clear silicone. What a difference. Yes you will have to find a ground for one neg wire but that's no biggie. I also disconnected the dimmer control and that sends full voltage to the LED's all the time. Project all started because of the dimmer control going bad. I also used some mini Packard connectors on the tach and speedo LED's to ease removal of gauges. Hope this helps.

Hey Fever, I'm no expert on injected cars but if you switch to carbs you cant use your stock regulator since you will remove it to go to carbs. When you buy the holley pump or whatever kind just get a remote regulator at the same time. The stock regulator works with way more pressure than carbed cars. And I thought the stock regulator is plumbed into the injector rail and it wouldnt be suitable anyway. Keep us informed on your project.

Morning Guys, My 6AL is mounted on the right strut tower so I didnt have to lenthen the power wire to the battery. I was wondering if Steve could tell us what the small silver box above his 6AL is? I havent seen that piece on anyone else's car.