EScanlon

That wire at the ignition switch, see if you can trace it back to the lock mechanism. If it goes into a little "box" on the side of the lock, then it's the wire to tell the buzzer that the key is in when the driver's door is open. Enrique

Add to the list of incongruities: #8 Hazard Light Switch has the "On-Off" Label Indent. This wasn't seen until late 71-early 72. (It apparently ALSO had the very rare and rarely seen Fog Lamp Switch!) #9 Illuminated Rear Window Defrost Switch. Again a later item, the early ones did not light up. #10 Radio Faceplate seems to be for an 8 Track Player, although only AM Band. Although it could also be a radio without push knobs and therefore no hole in the face plate. #11 Radiator Splash Pan. (I may be off on this one.) I was told that these didn't begin to appear until the engine overheating problems arose. Ahhh, carcheology.... Enrique

The only modification I had to do was to the tabs that stick out the back of the housing (plastic) since they were too tall to allow the original headlight ring to hold the housing in place. The wiring for the amber bulb was easy, two wires to hook up wherever you wished. I chose the parking lights, but you could just as easy choose the turn signal bulb. However, note that they're not the brightest, as they're only designed to accent the headlight. As such, I don't know how noticeable they would be if connected to the turn signal. As far as the headlight covers....well, I have received a ton of compliments on them, and have had several standing offers to take them off my hands, so without being rude I'll just have to say....get in line! Seriously though, when I fell in love with the Z back in the 70's, the one I saw had them, as a result I can't imagine my car NOT having them. I believe there are people working on reproductions, but the problem is in forming the stainless steel trim which holds the lexan in place. Enrique

I believe those are put on the handle assembly at the time that they rivet the handle to the back assembly. Enrique

The headlights were changed since I had one bad sealed beam bulb, they are called "Halo" Headlights and they mimic the style of the BMW lights. The amber bulb is connected in series with the park lamps. I also like the OEM Headlight Covers. Sadly, they are now NLA and sets are selling for outrageous dollars. If I didn't like my set so much, I'd sell them just to get some money back. The flap I'm referring to isn't visible in this picture as it hasn't yet been put back on the car, but if you look you'll note where it's supposed to go: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2601&cat=500&page=1&sortby=v&sorttime=all&way=desc Down at the bottom where the clear PVC tube fits between the front of the rocker panel and the back side of the fender support, you'll note a small flat edge. This is where the rubber flap mounts. It's made of the same basic rubber as a mud-flap on a Tractor Truck, and performs basically the same. It's purpose is to seal the back side of the fender support from the wheel splash, while still allowing the cowl drain to drain. Unfortunately, it also helps hold in all the crud that washes out of your cowl and into this space. If you'll look you'll see the flat space on top of the rocker panel. This is where all that crud flops down and collects. In time, it begins to break down and now you have decomposed crud sitting there. Believe me, it's a sure fire recipe for rust. With the car up on a lift, or with the front end up a ways, lift the rubber flap, shine your flashlight in there and see if you can see any crud on the top of the rocker panel. If it's clean....you're good, if it isn't, clean it out. The clear PVC hose is my solution to having the crud being deposited there. As you pointed out, I'm in the Pac NW, and we do get a lot of rain, last thing I wanted to do is to collect all the leaf debris behind my fenders. The tube allows the cowl drain to drain all the way below the fender and not behind it. (The clear PVC tube was cut AFTER the fender was put on, so that it wouldn't show from the side.) Hope this helps. Enrique

Better yet, take a picture with the gasket going the right way. As far as foam...I really try to stay away from it, except where it's the only thing that will work. In the case of the underside of the front fenders, there are the 3 support pads up front as well as the one by the inspection doors and of course the fender side support that's attached to the body up by the door. Those areas require the foam for the ability to compress and expand. Make sure you use CLOSED CELL Foam. That prevents the foam from absorbing water like a sponge. The metal seam that's all nice and straight and goes from the front point of the headlight scoops all the way to the cowl, is actually the support for the edge of the fender. That's the only area you really need to address with a secondary seal. I would recommend what Wick Humble calls "Dum-Dum". Which is basically Strip Calking. This is basically a tar-based sealing material that will squish to conform to the shape to seal, and still somewhat adhere the two pieces without gluing them permanently as silicone or some other form of adhesive would. As far as using POR, I heartily endorse it. I've used it myself, and if you look in my gallery you'll note that all black surfaces you see are in fact POR. I don't know that you would benefit much with an additional undercoat on top of the POR. Unless you are referring to Body Shutz, which is both an undercoat and an acoustic deadener. In that case, use it for it's acoustic properties and not it's dirt/dust/water protecting properties. Hope this helps. Enrique

Replace if it's cracked, torn, or down and outright HARD. As far as not having rain, that may be, but do you NEVER have any kind of water on the road that could be splashed up? Even just rolling through a small puddle will splash way up there and, if you don't have the gasket, INTO your engine compartment. You decide if it's needed. As far as MAYBE removing the fenders....well, I think you're asking to ignore a potentially major problem down the road. The area behind the sheel, behind that portion of the metal that supports the fender is where the drain cowl empties. I'm willing to bet theres some kind of crud back there. At least get a good look in there by lifting up the hard rubber flap and shining a flashlight in there. Remember, this area is one of the "typical" rust areas of the car. You decide if you should check it now, while repairing the damage would be quick and easy, or waiting till you have to cut and weld new metal. 2¢ Enrique

You've installed it exactly reversed. See my post on this thread (#6). The specific end of the rubber that you're showing there should be up by the passenger (Right) side of the car. The "flat" side of the gasket faces the engine. After installation the "lean" of the gasket should be outwards AWAY from the engine and TOWARDS the tire/wheel. The lean of the gasket is important because as the fender is mounted, it will compress against the underside of the fender, as it gets further compressed you want it to be pushed outward to direct any water BACK to the wheel plenum. Additionally, you should bring the forward edge of the gasket down to where it meets the straight portion of the seam. This is so that there isn't any openings where the silt / spray from the front tire can kick up and into the drain hole for the top part of the vent tube. If you let that drain tube on the top of that whole front support/ fresh air vent plenum get clogged, you will; regret it. That little hole by the very front (about 1/4" above the center of the "Y") is the ONLY drain for all of the water that splashes into the space between the hood and cowl, as well as between the side inspection doors and the cowl. In fact, if you have enough gasket, mount it so that any excess is down towards the headlight. This will help keep the splash out from your engine compartment. FWIW (Hopefully it's READ this time.) Enrique

Good question. AFAIK, there is no way. However, I'm hoping to learn something from this thread in the hopes that it proves me wrong. Enrique

No one gets involved at the time that their involvement is most critically needed. Yet, when the situation arises that something fails or doesn't work, then everyone is quick to blame everyone else for lack of involvement. The lack of response in any one area of the country becomes apparent ONLY after a disaster happens. It is easy, in hind sight, to find the problems, develop a trouble-free solution and avoid exacerbating the situation. Yet for all our insightful dissection, we fail to apply that knowledge to prevent future problems. We're all too smug in our beliefs that this kind of thing can only happen to OTHERS and not us. We fail to measure OUR safeguard measures against those that have already proven inadequate, for fear of having to get involved and make them better. Before you start pointing the finger at inadequacies in OTHER parts of the country, ask yourself if YOU are doing the minimum YOUR community needs. Are you a Blood Donor? Have you taken C.E.R.T. training? Do you know the type of disaster that is most likely for your area? Is there an evacuation route? Where is the nearest shelter? When disasters happen, it isn't by some form of malicious planning by anyone. Nor is the lack of, promptness of, or inadequacy of any kind of response. Consider that it is logistically IMPOSSIBLE to provide the kind of instant response that some people would claim is the "least that we can do". The only way to provide "instant" response is to have foreseen the disaster. How prepared are you to help YOURSELF? Too many times you see the victims of a disaster, literally expect to be cared for as if they were newborns. That means that EACH victim expects SEVERAL people to be there to "rescue" just THEM ALONE! These are the true victims, they can't even help themselves. Do you know the basics of helping yourself? Are you going to become another "victim" or can you help yourself? 2¢ Enrique P.S. One note on the "fault" of our government officials. They're all inadequate. Neither "side" is willing to work towards a society that in fact believes in individual freedom, and a sound and efficient method of government. The politicos feel that you are entitled to those things....as long as it is THEIR interpretation of it. Neither camp wants to be saddled with the task of re-fitting or repairing the structure, yet both are quick to point the finger at the other when assigning blame. The reason they are SEPARATE parties is that they see things differently, or in a different perspective. That makes it a given that they will not be addressing the situation as the other side would have them address it. They don't see it the same way, so of course the response is inadequate in what each considers important.

Hatch Hinge Rubber "pocket" Seals; Right and Left (These fit IN the body and over the hinge itself. They usually have a flat metal piece that holds the rubber behind the hinge bolts.) Headlight Acorn Rubber Mounting pads. Right and Left. (This is the flat rubber gasket that goes between the "acorn", that is the acorn shaped headlight case, and the headlight support that's on the fender. Interior Plastic Finishers Any and All Console (Series II) with Center Fuse Cover. Hatch Pneudraulic Support Rod. Ignition, Hatch, Glove Box, Both Door Locks. Sun Visors, Left and Right. If you have any of these, let me know what condition they're in and how much you're asking for them. Enrique

Those rubber strips you're referring to are to keep the wheel splash from going up and over the fender frame support (inside of which is the fresh air vent tunnel). If you look at them from the side, they should look like a tadpole. One edge will be "plumper" and the other will have tapered to an edge. There is also a lean, as if the tadpole were laying flat on one side. The flat side goes towards the engine and the "bumped" side faces the wheel. There should be a series of clips that hold this rubber to the seam of the vent tunnel. As far as "maybe" pulling the fenders, I would heartily recommend it as there is a high probability that you'll have crud back there. 2¢ Enrique

Do you have Adobe Reader installed? It should pop right up. It's not my diagram, but it is pretty clear and concise. I'll see if I can find one of the clearer scans I found. Unfortunately, the only one I have is twice the size that you can upload, and if you reduce it any further it gets real grainy. Enrique

Yes, but they are strictly wiring diagrrams. That is, they show the lines going to components and they interweave like an neurotically obsessive compulsive spaghetti plate, but aside from the colors of the wires (and there ARE a couple of errors) and their beginning and starting point, there is very little in common with what you're showing. The diagrams you posted not only have the wiring schematic drawn out for a SINGLE component of the car, they show you the CONNECTORS and the INDIVIDUAL wire connector in relation to it's POSITION in the multiple wire connector. Here's somebody's correction to the FSM one, but trust me the FSM one has a couple of errors in it, this one at least has one of the errors corrected. Enrique 72_240z_wiring.pdf

Stephen: I'd never seen those pages. Wish the 240 had something similar. Enrique

That's the part all right, and boy have prices gone UP! From the price I thought it was the Headlight / Wiper stalk. Boy oh boy. Thanks for the update. And yeah, for that kind of money I'd be looking at alternatives also. Enrique

Are you sure you aren't pricing the Right Half of the Combination switch, when all you need is the Left Half? Enrique

Your system is basically this: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=12208&size=big&cat=500 Which is one of the drawings that Jason originally posted when he started this thread. The independent usage of high and low beams, unless I'm totally mistaken is the standard OEM circuitry, which none of these harnesses or re-wiring methods change, just supplement. Except for the original circuit that Jason posted. That one needed some fixing. You've come up with the same solution, independent of each other. That shows we have at least 2 smart club members. Dave's manufacture of the harnesses either coincided with the post, or it was serendipity. Those of us who bought his harness were doing so because of any one of various reasons. In my opinion, it was an EXCELLENT Safety feature (avoids using the original wiring for the amount of current the headlights draw), the cost was reasonable (or I felt it was affordable), it helped a fellow club member, and the most important sales point was that I could order it, install it, and it looked good, without getting up off my lazy butt and do all this myself. But your system would take us to the beginning of this post. See what I mean? Enrique

The location of the hole, (above/below the body line on the side) and how extensive the rust is, and whether it's rust-THROUGH or rust from the exterior; all are factors in determining the best / cheapest / quickest way of repairing the problem. Some repairs can be done by simply cutting out the hole and filling the hole with new metal that's been shaped and cut to fit. Others require the whole removal of the quarter panel, or the dogleg or the rear part of the fender. Sometimes as a cost savings measure, bodymen will remove adjacent metal, even though it may not be rusted, because of the complexity of the piece and the difficulty in hiding the weld line. When you post your pictures we'll be able to give you a better idea. Enrique

What Camo said! E

EXCELLENT!!! See, Stephen Blakeney IS the 280 guru I've been telling everyone he is. (Steve: Now try to avoid the PM's. ) Enrique

And you aren't getting it now. But if you had read the first few pages of this thread, you would have realized that Dave not only has shared the schematic, but also the how - to. Additionally, a vendor sourced harness was compared as well. That is the discussion that is going on, not how simple it can be done if you don't care to buy the kit. And although what you've posted is a GOOD post.... it would have been better as a Tech Article as to How to Add Relays to your Electrical System, and not Headlight Wattage Upgrade How-To. Your personal prowess on mastering the harness is again a good item, and I've no doubt that your knowledge will come in very handy to the club. Trust me there's a strong need for someone that knows where all the Red/Blue wires come out of the loom. However, to state them by themselves, without answering a question, nor using them as support for something else you've written, they become......boasts. So once again, I ask the question that I began this with: "are you implying your method is better or are you simply boasting?" And although you feel this was being sh@t upon, it wasn't. Your post states that it is simple, "very simple without a kit", that implies you are comparing it to the kit, which is what we are discussing. Then you pointed out the manner in which your system differed from the stock wiring and that "Pure voltage straight from alternator and much brighter than stock, without the hassles of the harness." That again implies comparison. In the first case to stock wiring, and then you mention the "hassles of the harness", which implies that the harness method is a hassle and that your system doesn't have that hassle. Yet, you mention all this wiring that must be done, color code changing, modifications without explanation or justification and you tell us it is "much brighter than stock, without the hassles of the harness" and "very simple without a kit". Something doesn't quite seem right. So, since you're not offering WHY it's better, nor HOW it's better, just simply that in your opinion what you did is better, then please enlighten us as to WHY and HOW it's better. If you do that, then your posts may have some relevance to the discussion at hand and not appear as boasts. 2¢ Enrique

So are you implying your method is better or are you simply boasting? Both methods are good, they're simply different approaches to the same problem. The validity of one method over another is simply what car club's have ALWAYS found prevalent in their discussions. Your method is YOUR method, and not necessarily correct for anyone else. Conversely our method isn't yours and you feel it isn't correct for you. That's the way a car club is, we share the differences, but we try not to slam or denigrate someone else's method. The only exception for this, is where safety is concerned. 2¢ Enrique

Classic!!! And you find yourself identifying small differences in the QC stamp on the back of all the items you put in and comparing the results with others who are also in the middle of their restoration to ensure that they're all period correct and fretting if they're not..... Good One!

Walter: Not to toot my own horn, but in my experience with various Z's in and out of the rust-belt, it's the buildup of cr@p behind the fender that causes the bulk of the rust-thru on the fender. That's the main reason for the extension of the cowl drain. The cowl, being in front of the windshield and having the grill to allow fresh air into the vent, collects all sorts of debris. From dust to leaves, pine needles and just about anything that falls from the air. Then add a bit of water and it drains.....right out the hose and into the space between the fender and body.....and the rocker panel. Additionally, Datsun was very helpful in providing a stiff rubber flap that purportedly would make it easy for that cr@p to fall out. Instead, it acts as a cork and keeps it in there. Give the detritus some time, and the organic matter will begin to decompose and exhude those compounds which will help attack the metal. These will slowly seep their way through the glob and end up between the rocker and the fender. They'll actually congeal into a jelly like acidic compound, which resists being washed out. That's why you'll usually note this type of rust through as starting real low on the fender....about where the rocker is coming into contact with the fender, and not higher up, where the cr@p is. The rubbing that you mention although it would expose the metal to the air and other oxidants, would not necessarily contribute to the rusting process unless you leave the car sitting for long periods of time without driving it or having carefully washed out the grime behind the fender. If you do have a bunch of cr@p behind the fender to begin with, then the two will make it rust that much faster. If you examine that rubbing, you'll note that the only way it can occur is if the body flexes. The body will obviously NOT flex at rest, only when in movement and then only when being "run through it's paces". That is, hard cornering, steering, shifting etc. Metal that is under this kind of stress, tends to get "annealed" rather than rusted. (Annealing is another method of strengthening and working metal. You heat and cool the metal. Friction will result in heat.) Take a look at your disc brakes, or the railroad ties on an active spur and you'll note that the metal takes on a dark and glossy surface. This surface will eventually rust, but not quickly nor more quickly than non-annealed metal. However, it is much quicker than unprotected metal. FWIW Enrique