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Just to add to the long list of satisfied customers.... Received the harnesses (HLH with fog, PLH) couple days ago. Excellent service and turnaround time! They appear well-constructed and made of solid materials. Instructions provided are in plain language, easy to follow, and should be simple to install. Very pleased with the product! Can't say how well they work, simply because my car is deconstructed for paint and bodywork. I'll update that aspect when appropriate. Thanks again, Dave. You've got a great product. Steve

Hmmm.... So, net HP of a stock L28 is about 142, right? With a new net of 184, that's a respectable net gain of 42HP--good job! I bet most of it came from upping compression from low 8s to around low 10s by changing the head/cylinder combo, but the rest will certainly help keep it tuned well. Were you using 93 octane gas? BTW, there is always drag on the engine...flywheel, clutch, driveshaft, trans, halfshafts, etc. but it's good you've done what you can to minimize it. Don't know what to make of spikes in the dyno chart--maybe scan it and post? Keep us informed! Keep up the good work, Steve

If you have someone who works at a decal manufacturer, maybe you could also generate stickers which replicate those placed the three heater control console levers...I would pay $$ for that and the hazard sticker.... Steve

Just an observation.... That rusted section will have to be cut out and rewelded, and you probably will have the better advantage of a more complete assessment after you have it blasted. I would wager that the rust in the frame rail may have weakened the TC bucket strength, and it may cause more damage if someone just throws it on the frame rack without an idea of how careful to be with it...maybe... I think after having it stripped you should take it to a body shop. I think an experienceed bodyman could properly assess what the next step is, and may in fact be able to do both (weld and straighten) concurrently in order to get the best result. $0.01, Steve Good luck!

Good to see you posting Carl...We need your experience and expertise.... Nice to see Homer again! Steve

Quote bobc: "The ones from Motorsports aren't factory matches. The width of the lines is not correct." OK......so what is the correct width? Thanks, Steve

No, Blitzkraig, say it ain't so! Sorry to see you have to sell it. Looks like a great job. The bodywork looks stellar in the pics provided! Sure hope you get at least the BIN price. Was that a Clooney reference in post #1? Nicely done. jnonni, if you check the auction it says the color is 2004 Honda Monte Carlo Blue. Any paint shop will have the proper code for it.... Steve

reposted here from IZCC listserve without permission...thought it would do well in the archive since it's such a great discussion of this "option" but feel free to delete if inappropriate. "Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 16:36:09 -0600 From: E Scanlon <escanlon@worldaccessnet.com> Subject: Re: <240> Fog Lights prewired Going through some old e-mails and noticed this one. Saw one answer, but felt that there was a bit more information that should be included. Jean-Pierre Lemonde wrote: > Question: The 240Z was prewired for fog lights. Anybody knows where > the wires end up in the car and ultimately where would be the switch? The 240's had the fog lamp wires taped with blue vinyl tape to the main LIGHT wiring harness, in front of the radiator. You should find two sets of wires right by the wirng for the horns. The colors for these wires are : RED and BLACK. They are wired in parallel so if you only hook up one fog lamp you definitely should insulate the other pair from ground or each other. Inside the cabin, by the fuse box, you'll find a 2 wire connector that has spade connectors arranged in a "T". That is, one spade will be "horizontal" while it's pair will be perpendicular to it. In the cabin however, the wiring color CAN be slightly different than the Red and the Black at the lamps. The schematic shows it to be a RED wire and a RED/GREEN wire, but I have seen this be a GREEN/WHITE wire instead. Since the Fog Lamp circuitry is actually receiving power from the Parking Lamp circuit (As well as the instrument lamps, although it's hooked up ahead of the rheostat and inst. lamps.) all you need to power the Fog Lamps is a Switch, or simply join the two wires at the "T" connector by the fuse box. So a simple SPST switch is all you need. You CAN use a lighted switch, but you must provide a ground for the bulb in the switch. In the Series I cars, the true OEM Fog Lamp Switch was located above the Hazard Switch on the Dash. To my knowledge no U.S. or Canadian vehicles were shipped or received with the Switch in place. As a result, the OEM Fog Lamp Switch is but a mere vague memory to most Z fans in North America. Kind of like the Individual Side Marker Lamp circuitry that was used in Japan. (Lighting up the traffic side of the vehicle in areas where no street lighting was available. It allowed independent lighting of either the Left or Right sides of the vehicle, both front and rear, via a small 3W bulb.) But, the location for that Ind. Side Marker Lamp Switch, is on the Series I console. Just to the right of the Hatch Window Defrost Switch. If you've ever seen an EARLY Defrost Switch, you'll recall that it's NOT lighted. If you were to put two of those switches in the same housing side by side, you'd have the Ind. Side Marker Lamp Switch. But I digress, the reason for mentioning the Ind. Side Marker Lamp Switch is that it's location on the console is PERFECT for an aftermarket Fog Lamp Switch. The only problem is that most Fog Lamp Switches that are Light, are of the NARROW type. Leaving a lot of space on the sides of the switch. So now you need to fill that space, or find a different switch. After a LONG and tedious search at my local Radio Shack, I found 3 switches that fill that hole very nicely. I'll give you the numbers so that you don't bug the hell out of your local Radio Shack help scrounging through their switch drawer. Radio Shack Part Number 274-731; This one is a direct fit, and it has an LED in it. However, for my vehicle, I didn't care for the lone LED dot next to the Lighted Defog Switch. But, the switch is a direct fit, 12V and Lighted. The "frame" around the toggle is squared with rounded corners. The toggle button is a round rocker style. It "snaps" into the surrounding plastic/metal that you mount it onto. You can connect to it with standard Spade connectors. The next two switches are 125VAC, which simply means that they're rated for a much higher voltage than you'll be submitting them to. If you use the Illuminated style in 125VAC, the light won't work with 12V. But if you cannibalize a 12V Lamp from a 12V Switch, Radio Shack Part Number 274-694: This one has a Square Frame and a Square Toggle. The Toggle is cast in Red plastic with White "O" and "I" painted on it's face. It is a "threaded" mount style, which means that you'll be tightening a "nut" on it's back side to mount it. Connections are Solder Style. Radio Shack Part Number 274-692: This one is very similar to the 12V switch (275-731) except that it has a rounded Red Toggle Switch that is illuminated from inside the switch. It is a Threaded Mount, and uses the narrower Spade Lug Connectors. It is however a 125VAC switch. To convert it to 12V you will have to cannibalize a 12V Lighted Switch. But once you do so, the match to the Hatch Defrost Switch is much more appealing. All of these switches FILL the space to the right of the Hatch Defrost Switch. Perfect if you don't have the filler plug. If you DO have the filler plug....DO NOT THROW IT AWAY. There are several people who are in need of just that plug. To see a picture of the installed switch, follow this link: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2596&cat=500&ppuser=1490 Hope this helps. Enrique"

So I was bored over this past week (on vacation with two kids under 3--no fun trips yet) so I decided to yank out the dash and wiring harnesses...found the taped up connectors for the foglights and the non-connected connector by the fusebox, and got to thinking: My understanding is that the foglights worked off the parking light/dash light circuit. So---if the parking light harness relay/upgrade offered by ZsondaBrain is installed, would I be able to add some beefy foglights without frying my wires? If not, since foglights as standard equipment were pretty rare, what would be the appropriate replacement? Oh, and thanks again (as usual) to a resurrected post from Enrique Scanlon for describing the foglights and available switches from Radio Shack, as recently noted on the IZCC listserve. Thanks for any input. Steve

mine was originally in CA, then OK, then GA now here in NC.... Thanks, Steve Z VIN NUMBERS-1.xls

My life is Sooooooo much better with the wife. Clearly, if you could see me and my wife together, I married up. That said, she tolerates my car habit because it helps me be who I am. I am conscious not to go overboard, and make sure I don't neglect her or my family. It helps a lot to know what your spouse likes to do (mine likes cooking and gardening), so i make sure I encourage her to enjoy her hobbies as much as I do mine. The best part is when she comes downstairs in the garage when I'm working on the Z, smacks me on the butt and says something about how sexy "it" looks. She leaves it up to me to figure out what she's referring to....

The ad looks great. I'd buy it blind if I was looking for a second Z resto project. You show all the areas "that matter" very well, and having that documentation really puts it out that this is a prime candidate for a concours resto. I'll be praying it doesn't go to someone who just drops a V8 in it......

to confirm my previous post, please see www.zhome.com, and scroll down the left hand side, clicking on the "hubcaps" link. There you will see examples of early and late 240Z hubcaps. For a set currently available (in need of resto), see below link: (They are listed as 1971, but I suspect it's a late 1971--technically 1972 (Series III) model year: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971-Datsun-240Z-Hubcaps-Datsun-240Z-Wheel-Covers_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ34209QQitemZ4610996176QQrdZ1 Good luck, Steve

Based on the mfg date of your Z, you'd be more period correct with the red "Z" center cap wheel covers...and they're cheaper! Steve

Ken and ZOnDaB have it right. 2 questions.... 1) did you find it difficult to reposition the strut assembly into the rear control arm after installing the bushings? I had to trim the inner portion of the bushings to get it to fit, since the way it fit originally had no intervening bushing between the arm and the strut... 2) Ken: Those look like new fuel/brake lines in pic #2....If they are, where'd you get 'em? Thanks, Steve

Yeah...I get that they are selling something. My point is that they SEEMED to be acknowledging the fact that the priors sucked and that (inferring here) Precision has made it better. They sell three varieties--repro, repro with attached welting and "genuine." I'll call tomorrow and ask about what "genuine" means if I get a chance...

OK, now I'm totally confused. I've been looking at door seals for a while, thinking all along that OEM is the only way to go, and if I pony up the bucks, I'll get 240Z seals to go with my stock welting. A while back I emailed Charlie Osborne in response to one of his emails on the 240Z email list, and he said the only OEM seals left were for the 280Z, but they should fit fine. Courtesy Nissan said the same thing. $hit, I thought. Why pay $150+ per seal if it isn't the right one? Now MSA says on their website that Precision's seal works very well, and the phrasing implies that maybe something has changed in their design...VB's stuff is major inexpensive, and I suspect that the quality is, well--suspect. So JC Whitney is now the better choice? Can I use my stock welting with it? Help! Steve

I just put Herculiner on my Zs undercarriage, but it hasn't been driven since...You may want to PM member Ed as he has done it, and has driven his car a bit. I think his resto finished maybe 6 months ago or so. Test of time? Who knows. BUT, if you have some rust under there you may want to consider grinding it off and using a POR-15 or Eastwood Rust Encapsulator product prior to undercoating as wediscussed earlier in the thread.... Good luck, Steve

Marty, you may also want to check Victoria British..they list one (item #71-600) for 20 bucks that fits 1971-Feb 1977 Zs and one for 40 bucks (71-602) for 78-83Z/ZX. Good luck, Steve

Bigger displacement is almost always better---unless it's accompanied by parasitic smog pumps, beefier bumpers, fat luxurious seats and other unnecessaries that make the car heavier (and therefore slower.) There are also issues with gearing to make the car better for highway driving that may adversely impact performance. Off the top of my head, there is NO disadvantage (performance-wise) to putting a bigger displacement engine into the lighter 240 body. Some folks transplant the fuel injection also, but that can be problematic unless you know FI well and are attentive to details.... It's very easy to put carbs and NA intake on an L28 block and head, and you've got near-instantaneous 30% increase in power (150-ish to 180-ish) If you have the means, I highly recommend picking up one....(apologies to Ferris) Steve

Ed! Nooooo--the horror, the horror! Sure hope the damage is limited...I just looked through your pics for motivation, too.... Good luck with repairs, Steve

I basically trusted the folks at NAPA. Told them what I was doing and they hooked me up with the right bolts with thread pitch/diameter to match the trans bell housing. The engine is not that heavy--250 lbs or so for the block, 50 lbs for the head, 40 lbs for the rest of the stuff. Ha Ha---hope it doesn't fall.:nervous: Steve

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