ZCurves

Here are some pics of my MSA Leather Seats. I also included a pic of the Seat Hardware. I painted it all with Rust Oleum 'Hammered' finish in charcoal, rather than go back with OEM satin black.

Sound like you are on target. But for shooting youself, please only use Jose Cuervo ammunition.

Check to see if the Piston is free in the rear caliper. You could also remove the bleeder screw and see if the fluid passage is not plugged up. If the piston is bound up, remove the Hard Line and blow it out with compressed air - be careful it will really pop when it shoots out. If this is not the case, I am leaning toward the front portion of of the master cylinder malfunctioning. You can test this by pumping the pedal with the Hard Line off the rear caliper and see if fluid is getting back there. Side note: It is always a good practice to rebuild BOTH calipers, rather than just one. This way you are ensured that your getting even pressure applied to both wheels.

Here is what I used. It is like Cosmoline (Parifin and Motor Oil). http://www.eastwood.com/ew-heavy-duty-anti-rust-32oz.html Sprayed this in the rails and any other cavity I could find (Seriously) -including the doglegs (accessed by seatbelt assy bolt hole) -AFTER I applied Phosphoric Acid. It has been almost 10 years and everything is good so far!

I believe that the Vinyl actually stores more heat and then lovingly transfers it to your backside when you sit down. Leather just doesn't seem to store that much heat energy. Regardless of material, in the past I have used a couple of Beach Towels that I place over the seats when it has been parked in the sun. Then the problem goes away. One thing that I hate about these seats is the Lumbar support (or lack thereof). My wife is making me a couple of little pillows to alleviate this problem for road trips around Texas. As for the Branding, when I was younger I drove my brothers Z which had the little vents in it, to Victoria/Corpus and remember being tired and having the Quarter sized pink "brands" on my back. It is funny that you mentioned that....

I think what you are referring to is the finisher that caps off the carpet BEFORE the aluminum sill plate. It is metal, covered in vinyl. On mine the vinyl shrank, so I stripped it off and refinished it with Truck Bed Liner. The result is that it looks the same and is far more durable.

Well, these particular seats are only about 6 months old and haven't really had enough time to drop much. I also replaced the springs in my seats and it really gave them a lift - but I am not thinking 3 inches! At 6' 2" my head does get close to the roof though! I have recovered the seats on several Z's that I have owned in the last 25 years. I have noticed the height to drop just a little after the material relaxes and things settle. This previous experience is where I learned the "Rub Down" trick and the Summer Weather thing. The summer heat here in Houston is really oppressive as you probably already know - you will see a big difference then. Another thing that you could do in the meantime is do the Rub Down with LEXOL conditioner. LEXOL is a premium leather cleaner/conditioner and it will help everything relax and smooth out. When I get the rest of my Z reassembled perhaps we can get all of the Houston guys together again. Finally... Be sure to save the Butterscotch...I am betting there is a member somewhere looking for some.

I have the MSA Leather too. They are VERY nice! The wrinkles will go away as the covers relax, you can also give them a "Rub-Down" to help them smooth out. The summer heat will help everything relax (And burn your Bacon too! )

Outstanding!

The ONLY proper way to clean a block is what PWD mentioned in an earlier post, you have to take it to a machine shop and have them "Cook" it in solvent and power flush it out! Not only does this remove the Pooky in the Water Jackets but also the Sludge in the Oil Galleys. As for rust prevention after a clean-up, the simplest way is to use WD-40 or similar on the machined surfaces until you rebuild then switch to a Assembly Lube (I like Motor Honey). The Water Jackets should be left alone. Use top quality Antifreeze with Anti-Rust and perform the usual "flush" every couple of years. For the Budget Minded, If you flush your block until the fluid is no longer rusty or pooky-fied -you'll be fine. The main culprit in a dirty cooling system is a Funky Radiator. Radiators are cheap ($100 - $150) and easy to replace. You can also have them cleaned at a Radiator Shop for half the cost of a new one. For Coolant, a Clean Radiator = Clean Block. Dirty Oil and Sludge go without saying and should be the topic of another Thread.

inmocean - I would like to know what your solution is!!! I have a '78 too and want to keep this from happening. Please be sure and post your findings!! I know that I would be interested in a "Group Buy" if need be.

WOW! I mean this car really throws you back! Thirty years back! I would ditch the color and go back to the OEM unless you have another in mind. Seats - well the seats can be quickly covered with sheep skin (warm in the winter and cool in the summer) or for a little more you can get a nice kit from MSA/Datsun Restore/Black Dragon.... Wheels - Do not keep these wheels. Buy some Konigs or something else... Finally, Do not pick up girls in this car while it is in it's current state. It is not going to do you any favors unless you are looking for a 50ish year old retro babe -then that is another story....

How aout some pics??

First, you need to transfer the titles of BOTH cars into your name. Second, "Transplant" ALL of the goodies from the "sad" car (that is not worthy of repair) into the car your are going to keep. Third, Make sure that you have moved, kept or otherwise re-arranged ALL of the VIN's so that they match. What will drive this is the stamping on the firewall of the better car. In the end you will have a car that has all of your "Stuff" and matching VIN #'s. You will be legal too. Most DMV's wont blink an eye if the VIN's all match. It should never become an issue especially since you will have ownership of both of the chassis. Keep the titles to show proof to DMV if needed. I kind of ran into this when I replaced my dash with a new one. I removed the VIN tag and painted it up real nice, then riveted it onto the new dash before installation. There should not be too much sentimentality, unless the chassis being discarded has a low VIN or is a special edition of some kind.

After you have taken INF's advice and searched the forum, you can try two things: 1.) Check ALL of the fuses (use multimeter, check for continuity). If you have a blown fuse, replace and you are back in business - unless it blows again then it is time to dig deeper. 2.) You can unplug the fan from the harness and then jump it straight to the battery or a battery charger. If the fan runs, you are ok - check the wiring harness and maybe even the fan switch for problems. If this is the original fan - you might consider doing the Honda Fan upgrade (after all the fan is 30+ years old.). Go forth and conquer.

Steve, You are taking all of the fun out of burning your ARSE inside your Z in the good ole Houston, Texas summer! Nothing compares to the smell of vinyl and Pork (that would be us), sizzling away. MMMmmmMMM Yeah! Seriously, you are doing many of the same things that I am, except I am thinking that I will fashion a Heat Shield to go around the muffler and help keep the heat away from the rear and the fuel tank. The new AC with the Honda fan should keep you nice and frosty

I am planning to build out a 240SX 60mm TB for my '78 280z. I plan on keeping the stock air box with the K&N. Nissan already mounted it up front, so it is essentially already a Cold Air intake. I do not care for the Cone Filter/Tuner plumbing rig that a lot of people install, it looks too messy -IMHO. You can get a 240SX 60mm TB for < $100 at a pick and pull.

All previous advice aside, you should examine your Calipers to see if the pistons are moving freely. If it has been a while, it might not hurt to rebuild the Calipers or buy a set of "Loaded" ones from the parts store. Loaded is when you get rebuilt Calipers that include new pads and hardware. Make sure that you check the areas that other members have suggested too. Safe Brakes are the most important part of your Z.

You are correct about the lower part of the fender, but if you observe the upper frame area after you remove your fenders - you'll see yellowish primer, that is all. It was the same for the lower frame rail which allowed corrosion to begin between the fender and rocker panel when debris began to accumulate . I have to say that your solution is pretty clever though! "Necessity is the mother of invention"

I would remove the TailLight and remove the little screws to separate it from the Finisher. Buy some JB Weld and carefully repair and fill the broken spots. Make sure that you remove any excess JB Weld with a razorblade after it begins to harden. Sand and refinish. Another member 'DatsunZGuy' posted his solution to match the OEM colors in this post: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showpost.php?p=90742&postcount=5 He identified the following paints: Dupli-Color High Performance Wheel Coating – HWP102 Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Multi-Purpose Paint – 1902 Matte Clear I have tried this and I swear it is spot on (if not perfect!!) I would paint the both Rear Finishers and the License Plate mount/Lamp -it will make a fantastic improvement to your Z for a little time and < $20 !! If you still want an unbroken Finisher, I have a few for a 77-78. Goodluck!

Thanks a lot!

The body shop that did my paint used a type of expanding foam (I believe SEM) in each of those areas AFTER the fender was installed. There is only about 1 inch of space there so it only took a dollop the size of a quarter. The foam expands out to fill the void, no worries about denting or distorting the panel because the foam is not trapped and flows to the area of least resistance. The foam is not very dense and stays pliable after it is cured. To address the rust issue, I made sure there was plenty of paint on both the Frame Rail and the inside of the Fender (-something that Nissan did NOT do, hence the rust issue :mad:.) Anywho - I know that you can get the foam from most body shop supply stores, such as TASCO here in Houston. It comes in two sizes, small toothpaste size and a larger one that requires a separate gun.

I have a '78 model Z and wanted to replace my flashers because I have the dash out and it is good cheap maintenance. I am also changing my bulbs over to LED and know that I probably will need a different flasher unit - So with all of that said, is there a Flasher Unit that you can recommend?? Is it the same as you already mentioned in the earlier post? Thanks.

Steve, I stuck with the Cut Pile which was appropriate for the Year/Model.

Perhaps you could interest MSA or Blackdragon in reselling the kit for you. If they each bought 5 or 10, that could help to drive down the cost.... Just a thought..