xray

I concur. What he said. Please use the grease (lithium, I think) they supply. Apparently some folks who forgot it/omitted it have horrible squeaking noises as the PU rubs against other bushings or metal. I have had no problems with my bushing set while using the supplied grease....

Throwing in the towel? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Z-Series-240z-sand-blasted-72-240z-with-extras-great-project-car_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6187QQitemZ280000023699QQrdZ1 Sorry you couldn't keep up with it. I hope the sale helps fund your 280Z project. Good luck, Steve

So when I ordered the "genuine" door frame seals from MSA the other day I only got the driver's side--passenger's side was on backorder. It shipped on Monday and arrived today--in a Nissan bag! I thought these were NLA, but lo and behold, there it was! Had the correct part number on it and everything. I firmly believe these are the correct seals to order. Here's the pics, with compression... Steve

Your passenger side pic shows a fairly discrete "shoulder" where the rocker was welded in (see annotated pic) Are you sure it's right and the driver side wrong? Just eyeballing it, it looks like the driver's side may be closer to accurate than the passenger side....

Hmmm...identifier is only on the engine block, not the head. There's no identifying mark on a Z head that would make it particular to your unique vehicle. If you stick with E31, E88, N42 etc. that is appropriate for your block and year you'll be fine. Of course, the different variations of E88s are known only to those privy to the combustion chambers, but I doubt a judge will pull heads to verify.... I have priced head work here in the RDU triangle, and 4-600 is in the ballpark. I wouldn't cheap out on that stuff...quality work is worth the price. $0.02, Steve

I just posted pics in the other thread of the MSA "genuine" door seal, which requires use of stock welting. I included pics of them without and with finger compression, and have to say that I think these might be the closest to stock replacement that I have come across... Hope it helps, Steve http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?p=173525#post173525

Soooooooo....a little more fuel to the fire OK, so I just dumped a ton o cash on MSA and VB replacement parts, some of which went to the weatherstripping department. Unlike Goose 52, I am choosing to retain the original welting and went with the "genuine" door weatherstrip, MSA part# 76802-E41 and 76801-E41. Pricing is around $64 a side. These options are listed currently on their website and not in the current catalog... First reaction out of the box was "&^%@#$@*, it's Precision!" But then I unwrapped it, and the door seal was--soft! It compressed easily. I took it down to my garage and compared it to the original 35-year strip I had saved when removing the old stuff: same profile, same softness! I temporarily installed one--it fit nearly perfectly along the paint line (car had been repainted red from original yellow), and the welting fit over it perfectly! Feeling like reminiscing over my days in gross anatomy and surgical pathology, I did some comparison pictures, submitted below...Now, of course ihave not installed it and closed the door, so this is not definitive--but it looks pretty dang close to me! Steve

Engine removal.... FIRST RULE OF DISASSEMBLY: Take Pictures. Lotsa lotsa pictures. Your memory is not that great.... Get an engine hoist. Make SURE you get a load leveler!!!! Drain all fluids. You're going to change them out anyway, it adds extra weight, and who needs gear oil everywhere?!? Remove the radiator (after it's been drained.) Take off the hood. Remove all items from the inner fenders...Battery, voltage reg, engine light, coil...you can most leave firewall components attached, but remove anything that could get snagged. Remove the fuel line before it enters the fuel rail, before or after fuel filter is up to you... Don't forget the heater hoses--they contain coolant, so place some towels under the engine bay. Disconnect the vacuum hose to the brake servo... Disconnect throttle linkage. I pulled off the ball/socket near the firewall using a small flat-head screwdriver. Disconnect the choke cables and secure them to the firewall. Make notes on how the wiring is attached, then disconnect engine harness from the motor itself (Alt, starter, oil press sender, Distributor, thermostat etc..) Don't forget to remove the neutral/reverse switch wires along the passenger side of the trans! Despite your misgivings, it's easier to remove/install with the trans attached. It's a bear to muscle the inupt shaft into the rear of the motor while on your back! The load leveler makes it even easier. Loosen the trans mount bolts. Reach around the passenger side near the mount and unscrew the speedo cable. Secure it away from the center of the car. Disconnect the flex clutch hose from the hard line. Drain the hydraulic fluid.... Remove the exhaust--you can leave the ex manifold in place. Those three nuts holding the manifold to the primary exhaust have likely rusted, so lotsa lotsa Kroil/PB Blaster, maybe some heat. Loosen slowly to avoid shearing the stud. If it snaps, it probably needed replacing anyway. Remove driveshaft by removing bolts to the diff. Shaft then pulls off the output shaft of the trans. Loosen the motormount bolts. Your choice whether to loosen the one bolt which holds the mount to the front crossmember or the two which hold the mount to the engine mount flange. Attach the load leveler mounting brackets to flanges on the front right (just behind the fuel pump) and rear left (just below and behind the air tube) of the cylinder head....Bring some tension on the hoist. Remove the trans mount bolts, but keep something under it so it doesn't smack the concrete when it swings free. Remove the motor mount bolts. Next is a very slow and careful process. Couple inches at a time. I hoisted up until the bell housing grazed the trans tunnel, then moved forward. The up and out some more. Once the bellhousing was mostly cleared I adjusted the load leveler until it was at a nearly maximum angle. Some more up and out maneuvers.... By this point the hoist was about at maximum height, and I carefully worked the trans over the radiator support and driver's inner fender and voila--done! I think that's about it...anyone else can feel free to chime in with stuff I forgot...Here some pics: Good luck, Steve

Actually, it's all XP-based programming imbedded in the OS itself. In XP Service Pack 2, if you click on a picture it will open the photo in the "Windows Picture and Fax Viewer." The second-to-last button on the right will open up the VERY basic Windows Photo Editor (called "paint" when you go under the Start>Programs>Accessories path). While it's somewhat intuitive, it is very rudimentary except for the most basic tasks like drawing arrows, adding notes, resizing. It works well for what it does, but Photoshop it ain't... Good luck, Steve

yep. here's an annotated close-up:

Did you check my post? I thought I included them....

OK--sorry to be confusing.... Three wires from my lighted defog switch( far right on pic #1 previous post): Black, Red and Green w/red tracer. At the connector (second image), black connects to black, Green w/red connects to Red w/ black tracer and Red connects to Blue. Hope that clarifies it some, Steve

Z Saint: My "defroster" plug goes to the rear defog switch. On the harness side it has three wires: red w/ black trace, black and blue. On the switch side, the red wire connects to the blue, a green w/ red trace connects to the red w/ black trace, and black connects to black. Here some extra pics: Pic #1: rear of console panel. From left to right--choke light, seat belt warning light, rear defog. Pic#2: closeup of connector between dash harness and defog switch leads. Hope it helps! Steve

Definitely a scam using Second Chance Offers. The offer was not in the "My Messages" section of my EBay page, and this response confirms it: Thank you for writing to eBay Motors. It's not unusual for a seller to contact a non-winning bidder and offer the item. The reserve price may not have been met, or maybe the high bidder backed out of the purchase for some reason. If you receive an offer like this, make sure that the seller is making an official Second Chance Offer through eBay. If you complete a purchase outside of eBay, the purchase isn't eligible for eBay benefits, such as Feedback or purchase protection. An official Second Chance Offer will have a new Item number and a new item page. It will also show up as a message from eBay in the "My Messages" section on your "My eBay" page. To access your messages: 1. Click the "My eBay" link at the top of any eBay Motors page. You might be asked to sign in. 2. Click the "My Messages" link on the left side of the page. 3. Use the drop-down menu at the top of your inbox to select "eBay." This will display all of your messages from eBay. If the offer you received appears there, click on the message to open it. To accept the Second Chance Offer, go to the Offer page contained in the message and use the "Buy It Now" button. ***Important*** If the offer you received isn't listed in the "My Messages" section, and if it doesn't have a new Item number with a new item page, it's not an official eBay Second Chance Offer. If that's the case, I don't recommend completing the purchase. Also, we strongly recommend against using instant cash wire transfer services such as Western Union and MoneyGram. We suggest that you not send payment in cases where these are the only methods of payment accepted by the seller. It is my pleasure to assist you. Thank you for choosing eBay.

I think I may have almost fallen for an EBay scam...here are the details, although I left out exact names. I included whole text of emails in case someone has run into this before--sorry for the length So I've been looking for a set of 44 Mikunis to put on my L28, and found a recent EBay auction advertising them. I bid, but lost by 10 bucks to a well-known Mikuni-supporting company on the East Coast. A couple days later I receive an email stating the initial high bidder backed out for financial reasons, and I could buy them if I still wanted them. I initially said yes, while noting that the email address and name on the Second Chance Offer differed from the seller's email and name as listed on the auction. Today I got an email stating the following: Dear [me] , My name is _______ from the eBay Safety Center. We know that you have been contacted by ________ for the second chance offer in his auction #8059642388 and we also know that the item is located in United States and the seller is in United Kingdom. The shipping will be made from United States by his wife and the payment will be made in United Kingdom to Mr. ____________ who is a verified seller and you will be protected by us. As will be stated in the invoice, the seller has $6,048.50 in our account and if something will happen ( you will not be satisfied with the item ) in max 5 days you will receive your money back. So you can see the item before you give your money for good. So it is not a problem if you send the payment through Western Union Money Transfer. We secure this transfer! To complete the transaction, you will need to follow the steps from the invoice and make the payment. In any other case you will not be protected. Payment instructions: To submit the payment with WesternUnion Money Transfer, you have to: Click here to locate the agents in your area http://www.westernunion.com/info/agentInquiryIntl.asp? . Go to one of them and send the payment to the verified name of the seller.. Once the payment was sent, email the seller the following information: 1. Exact 10 Digit Money Transfer Control Number; 2. Exact senders name on file with WesternUnion: 3. Your street address on file with WesternUnion: 4. City and country where you sent the money from: 5. Amount sent: ImageCopyright © 1995-2006 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and.... So....looks like a scam. Bad grammar, using Western Union, non-US recipient etc. Things to note: 1) All hyperlinked text looked like real EBay URLs. 2) I have not heard of people scamming on Second Chance offers, usually just initial auctions. Then I got this from "EBay" as an invoice. I've bought using Second Chance Offers, but never got anything like this: Congratulations, eBay transaction started! • Current status: Payment pending. Purchase protection granted. Dear [me] ( 44Feedback score is 10 to 49) , After verifying the trustworthiness of the seller _____ ( 99Feedback score is 50 to 99) , and the availability of the merchandise for immediate shipping, we have approved your buy it now transaction and offered you as the buyer, full purchase protection for the amount you agreed on with the seller. Complete your eBay transaction in 5 easy steps: ************************************************* 1-Buyer and seller agree on the transaction terms and a selling price. 2-Seller contacts eBay with the transaction details. eBay accepts the transaction and offers purchase protection to the buyer (if the transaction is declined, no further action is required from either the buyer or the seller). 3-The buyer sends payment. After the payment cleared, the seller must notify eBay. Buyer will send the payment details directly to the seller email address. The seller has three business days to send the buyer and eBay the tracking number of the shipment. If no tracking number is provided, a full refund is immediately sent to the buyer; 4-Buyer receives the merchandise and has five days to inspect it. If it is complete and as described, the buyer should accept the merchandise. If he refuses the merchandise, the buyer must ship the merchandise back to the seller within three business days. 5-After the inspection period is over, the buyer must contact eBay with the result of the inspection. If the buyer refuses the merchandise, the refund will be sent to the buyer after the tracking number for the returned shipment is verified. To enjoy the purchase protection, you must send the payment by the insured payment method below. Attention: Sending the payment by any other method will void this transaction and your right to refund. Details and instructions of this transaction: • The following item(s) are protected in this eBay transaction: Item name: Triple Mikuni/Solex carburetors for 240z 260z 280z 44mm carbs and cannon intake with chrome K&N filters Item price: US $_____/ Amount insured Shipping price: Ready to ship / The Item price includes shipping and insurance fees. Payment: Pending ID Verify Seller's verified payment address: ___________Member is ID Verified _______ _______ ________, UK Buyer's shipping address: Steven Carter ____________ ____________ United States Date of verification: May-05-2006 Payment must be sent by: Western Union Money Transfer Next step to be taken: The buyer must send the payment to the seller • Complete your eBay transaction: Payment instructions: To submit the payment with Western Union Money Transfer, you have two options: 1. Pay for the transfer with cash at a local Western Union agent. Click here to locate the agents in your area http://www.westernunion.com/info/agentInquiryIntl.asp 2. If you are now in the USA and need to use a credit/debit card (Visa or MC), call 1-800-CALL-CASH and make the payment to the verified name of the seller. An additional fee will be charged on most cards because this transaction will be considered a cash advance on your card. Several IDs and utility bills are required before the funds are paid. Therefore, no one else but your seller can pick up the money. Your payments cannot be lost in the mail, like money orders or checks. Sellers located in United States are not yet eligible for the PayPal Buyer Protection, which means you are not protected against fraud if you pay this seller by PayPal. Our responsibility is to make every option safe. This seller is verified by our services and you can have all the trust in his requests. However, Western Union Money Transfer is designed mainly for sending cash to friends and family in need, so telling them you are sending the money to an eBay seller will prevent your money transfer to go through and you will be unable to complete this transaction. Because the fee to send a Western Union Money Transfer is high, compared to other methods of payment, we have arranged with the seller to compensate for half of this fee (i.e. if it costs you $100 to send the payment, take $50 from the amount insured and send the balance). • Once the payment was sent, email the seller the following information: 1) 10 digit MTCN (Money transfer control number). 2) Exact sender's name on file with Western Union. 3) Your street address on file with Western Union. 4) City and country where you sent the money from. 5) Amount sent. • Purchase protection and refund: Currently, this seller has a US $6,048.50 deposit in an eBay managed purchase protection account. Transactions with this eBay seller are covered by purchase protection against fraud and description errors. For your safety, this account was locked today, for 30 days time. The seller is unable to withdraw any money from it, within this period. Should you need a refund for this transaction, the insured amount will be taken from the seller's purchase protection account and sent to you. The refund is sent to your bank account, or by check or money order. The way you are refunded is at your choice. You have 30 days from the above verification date to request a refund. Refund requests are processed within 3 days. The insurer of this transaction is eBay Inc., located at 2145 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125, United States of America. The account is managed by eBay's Square Trade center. SquareTrade LogoThis transaction is supervised by eBay's Safe Harbor team. CONDITIONS TO BE MET BEFORE YOU MAY ASK FOR A REFUND Here are the situations suitable for a refund request: 1. If the item doesn't arrive and/or the seller stops communications after the payment was received. 2. If the merchandise you receive has different specifications than the ones you agreed on. 3. If your merchandise arrives in a much longer period than the one you agreed on (more than 10 days from the payment clearance day). For cases 2. and 3. you have to send back the merchandise to the seller prior to ask for your refund. If you did not pay the seller by the required payment method, your refund request would be declined. Important Usage Guidelines: ************************************************* 1. The contact information should only be used for resolving matters related to eBay. Any other use is strictly prohibited. 2. This transaction is protected by eBay services such as insurance, feedback and dispute resolution. 3. You may buy and sell with confidence in all transactions with this eBay member. 4. If you need to dispute this transaction, keep the transaction number at hand when contacting eBay. Any complaints must be filed within 30 days from the verification date. This e-mail message was sent to you from eBay SafeHarbor team, with the full support of the SquareTrade center. The seller was informed about this transaction being started and is awaiting your payment. It is recommended to send the payment as soon as possible, because your purchase protection is valid for 30 days only. DISCLAIMER: Do not pay with a cash transfer for a transaction eBay never insured. Never use Western Union Money Transfer or Money Gram to pay a seller which credibility and payment address was not verified by us. You are most likely to lose your money and never receive the merchandise you paid for. If a seller requires cash transfer and you do not have this kind of purchase protection, please do not participate. If you encounter any problems with this transaction, please contact us. When contacting our support team, use the reply feature so that all previous correspondences are included in your email. Otherwise, we will not be able to process your request. To ask for a refund, simply reply to this notification and enter in the subject line: Refund request for eBay Transaction # 8059642388 Account Protection ************************************************* Protect your eBay account - eBay will not ask you for sensitive personal information (such as your password, credit card, bank account numbers, etc.) in an email. Thank you for using eBay! http://www.ebay.com/ Copyright © 1995-2006 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy This almost looks legit. But, like I said before, I never saw an invoice like this before despite having made several Second Chance transactions. So, with all the other problems with the prior email and the misrepresentation of (1) seller ID, (2) seller and/or item location (US or UK? Nigeria?) and requiring Western Union gave me cold feet so I backed out. Thanks for taking the time to check this out. Did I lose out on some good Mikunis, or almost get separated from a big wad of cash? Thanks (and beware), Steve

Well...not sure if this will help, but here's a pic of my 5/72 heater control panel from the rear (with notes). If it's confusing, just ignore it. I know the defog wiring's probably different given console differences, but the heater wiring may be similar and of some benefit. Good luck, Steve

Well...we're all a bit odd, in our own special way:stupid: My car's named Zeke. Odd owner, odd name!:classic:

mint-pushed/pulled from garage to trailer and back...well, sorta since I got the wheel dollies! Needs help-as does the driver/owner. Pics are self-explanatory

Well, I crossed my fingers and bought a spray can of Chassis Black Gloss from (drum roll, please)........Eastwood! They have flat, satin, gloss and high gloss, but I think the high gloss is more like the gloss appearance of black POR (too much, IMO) I'll post pics when I'm done... Steve

Hey all, I am repainting some engine bay parts and need some advice...What kind of glossiness of black paint will most closely match stock for things such as the radiator, steering rack, brake booster, etc...Eastwood sells an "underhood black" which is supposed to have "just the right amount of gloss," but I'm not sure if it's the right way to go. I think the rack can be painted Chassis Black, but the booster needs to be glossier...ditto the radiator, but the booster (I think) is glossier than the radiator... Any help would be great. Thanks, Steve

I can't fully recall, but Restoration Stainless might have something like that in their engine bay packet, or whatever name it goes by. Their site is www.zcarcreations.com good luck, Steve edit: Here's a link to their EBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Restoration-Stainless

A good SUV-alternative might be something like a Subaru Outback/Forester type.... If you're going to buy another car for better gas mileage, don't forget to run the numbers...I thought about trading my 1998 Camry (25 mpg city, fully paid) for a Prius or Civic hybrid, then realized that even if my mileage goes up 100% (50 mpg) it would take me like 10 years to "break even" when accounting the cost of the vehicle against the gas savings... IMHO, gas prices now are a perfect storm of sorts..The whole MBTE to ethanol additive change(coupled with the $0.54/gal tariff on Brazilian ethanol imports), plus increase risk (Nigeria/Iran/Venezuela), plus decrease supply (Iraq not fully online; limited drilling in Gulf/ANWR; too few refineries, some of which are down for periodic maintenance, etc) plus increased demand in China and India, plus the upcoming travel season coupled with hurricane season, and THEN there's the EPA demand for "seasonal variations" on the gas cocktail to keep smog and surface ozone in check and the resultant supply kinks THAT all creates..... Sheesh! I'm feeling a bit woozy.... Guess I'll just stay home. Netflix, Pay-per-view, Ebay and Amazon will get me through the summer! Steve

Gas herein Raleigh is around $2.90 a gallon. I (thankfully) only fill up once a month, as my commute is a hefty 3.8 miles one way. Figured moving to a smaller town (From Atlanta) would allow me to actually live in town, which has had a nice impact on my wallet. Without getting too political, I doubt gas prices will go down for quite some time. Anyone for a Vespa forum??? Steve

Congrats! Must've been real frustrating to put it all back together and come up short on the speedo and dash lights---glad they ended up being easy fixes! How do the LED dash lights look? Take some pics when you get a chance... Again, great job and getting those jobs done! Steve

IIRC, the VB--uh, ahem--Black Dragon Automotive catalog sells almost all the suspension nuts and bolts. What few they don't sell you can probably match at the local NAPA. I ordered some of the ZCar Creations stuff, and most of it's fine. From memeory, The fender to body bolts are of the wrong head type, so if you're going pure stock look ,plan on buffing up your originals... Good luck, Steve