EScanlon

Correction: IMPROPERLY applied Bondo. By IMPROPERLY trained "body-men", using IMPROPER methods on an IMPROPER base. 2¢ Enrique

YEAH!!! What Gary Said!! E

Geez Bill, it took you almost TWO YEARS to figure that one out? While you've been pounding on the "Breats and tights" with your Astro-Glide (No, I don't know and DON'T want to know) many of us have been leading the crusade against this scourge of Z's. Pics? Just look at anyone's gallery that's been working on their car...... Now if you're intending one of those "My story is worse than your story...." type of thread, well that's different. Enrique

Lance answered it. Their drawing can be confusing if you're not sure of what you're going to get. But Lance's description is 'spot on' as our down under friends would say. But Lance, that is a strange piece only if you've never worked on a Uni-Body car. As far as it being a challenge to change the whole rocker panel, it shouldn't be any harder than changing out a floor pan. Different? Yes, since part of the piece is "finish" metal (metal that ends up being part of the "finished" part of the paint job or "viewable" paint job.) But not necessarily any more difficult. I would recommend that the front part of the rocker panel on the car be removed first, BEFORE you start cutting the new rocker panel. Then with the front open, you should be able to ascess just how bad the rest of the rocker panel is. If the rust on the rocker actually DID begin due to the detritus of the cowl drain providing a wet sponge onto the metal, then the rest of the rocker should be fine. If on the other hand, the rocker panel was also doing a good job of rusting out from the inside out, then I would recommend you remove the WHOLE rocker panel and replace with the new. To an experienced bodyman, this type of complete panel metal replace is actually LESS complex than a cut and fill repair since there isn't any cutting/patching in the middle of a panel. FWIW Enrique

Tomohawk, I'm not making a Headlight Harness (too many projects still in the pipeline) Dave up here in WA was making the one for the 240's. If I recall he said that the only problem with doing the 280's was the connectors. Why not see if in your spare harness you have the connectors he needs to make your kit? Beandip and I both installed Dave's Headlight Relay Upgrade on our cars and the difference on the headlight brilliance is noticeable...even during a sunlight day. At night, it's at least as good as driving my Acura Legend, and my wife's jealous of those headlights. The clencher to this is one last point, even though I have those Halo Headlights, I'm still only running 50/55 Headlight bulbs. So think about it, if there is noticeable improvement with the original wattage bulbs, how much do you think you will note the difference in a 90/100W ? Enrique

ZSaint: If you end up totally flumoxed by this, Beandip and I might be persuaded (read that beer / pizza) to stop by and ops check / help fix. In the meantime, check the following: If you installed an electronic dizzy, did you disconnect the resistor for the coil? If so, what did you do with the wires that went to it? Without the tach in the circuit, the car won't start, it will crank over, but not start. You MUST connect that Green / White wire with the Black / White wire to ensure that the tach is still part of the cirtcuit. Check the Accessory Relay. This is located on the passenger kick panel, and is mounted at the topmost left most (forward most -- closest to the firewall) of the kick panel. This accessory MUST be attached to the frame of the vehicle. I'm not sure if it DOES make a ground since the schematic doesn't show one there, but if it isn't grounded, you end up with problems. Is the car an automatic? If so, have you checked the interlock switch in the transmission? If that's not connected, you're not going to start....period. Last thoughts, check that the switch portion of the ignition lock / switch is seated properly onto the back of the lock portion. If the tang exiting the back of the lock doesn't make proper contact with the groove in the switch center, you're not going to make an electrical connection and hence won't start or spin Last thought: did you apply a strong base paint such as POR or another of the rust encapsulators, or other protective coatings? If so, when you've been mounting the grounds have you chased the threads to ensure good metal contact and therefore electrical? Let me know about these answers, and also if you want a visit. Enrique

You could ~probably~ cut the front nose of the rocker panel off of a donor car, but it might be easier and cheaper in the long run to just buy the replacement metal. Here's a picture of the passenger side of my vehicle showing what's underneath the fender. If you look closely you'll see the front part of the rocker panel, just in front of and below the door hinges. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8912&cat=500&page=3 This next picture shows the driver's side AFTER cleaning, sand-blasting, and the 3 step POR process, and also my modification to the Cowl Drain Hose. This mod will drain the cowl all the way to ground and not into the space behind the fender. That short hose is what undoubtedly caused your fender and rocker panel to rust. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2601&cat=500&page=2 Here's a link to an outfit that lists the parts you would need: http://www.rustrepair.com/repair_panels/onlinecat.htm?r=ru&p=sm-datsun Hope this helps. Enrique

And before I start getting deluged with messages about who else belongs on the MECHANIC's List, suffice it to say that there is more mechanical knowledge about the Z and the L series engines on this site than in the editorial rooms at Haynes and Chilton. If I didn't specifically name you it's not due to anything more than my own private liquid Alzheimer's......Bacardi. Enrique

Lurch: (You just gotta love that name.....I can still remember the show....wish I could put a sound bite on it, you know, "door creaking" and very deep voice slowly rumbling "Y- e- s- s- s- ?") Dennis: I like that grill on your car. Unfortunately I still don't recognize it's counterpart here in the U.S., but I bet that SBlake did and is probably drooling over your pic. Quick question for you, what are those little wedges on the top front of the bumper? I'm not familiar with them. Enrique (By the way, contrary to what Beandip and HLS30 have said, between them two and SBlake you have the more present members of the real MECHANICS on this forum. If they can't help you.....well, sorry to say, but you're really up river in Piranha Waters and your boat is sinking. Gary / Beandip and Will / HLS30 are just telling you I know sumpin just so you send ME the PM's. Like another character in another TV show (Hogan's Heroes), Sergeant Schultz; I say again.."Nuttin! I know nuttin......" at least about mechanical. Now ask me about bodyworking, or electrical and I'll take a stab at it.)

You are referring to the front section of the rocker panel itself. I believe you can buy that individual piece for cutting and replacing by welding it in place. How easy that is depends on how much it has deteriorated inside the rocker panel, as that is one of the main structural members of the car. Since it is behind (beneath) the fender, you might be able to just cut and patch with a piece of sheet metal. I believe someone has already posted a source for replacement sheet metal, and if so, go check them out. A qualified welder would not have any problem in making this repair. As far as preventing the re-occurrence of this, check out my gallery and look at the drain hose for the cowl that I installed. It's basically a piece of clear PVC hose with a PVC 45° elbow siliconed and clamped to the original cowl drain tube. By the way, if the fender is rusted through only at that bottom portion, you CAN buy replacement sheet metal to fix that. FWIW Enrique

THIS STATEMENT IS NO LONGER TRUE. Will: The information we've received from the owner of the TRUE Dashboard Restorations is that their affiliation with the guys in Washington has been terminated. I do not know any more than that. Enrique

California drivers who are going to be affected by the cancelling of the 25 year exemption would be better off remembering that changing the emissions system from what the car had originally may make it difficult to meet the standards to pass their emissions check. I'm not sure of their methods of determining the different standards for each model / year, but I do know that a vehicle from 1975 is NOT expected to meet the standards for a 1999 vehicle. If it can meet or exceed the standards for it's model year then it passes, but I have heard that if the system is MODIFIED from it's original configuration (regardless of whether it passes the test or not) that that is cause for a "fix-it" citation. Someone correct me if I have it wrong, please! I remember this conversation coming up on another site (regarding the same 25 year rolling exemption) and being able to remove the Air Pump or not prior to the 25 year anniversary. The general consensus was that the system could NOT be modified prior to celebrating its 25'th anniversary even though the contribution of the air pump to the system is at best .... negligible. FWIW Enrique

So have you informed that certain family member to keep their mitts off this one? Or are you going to register and insure this one so you can drive it? Lastly, do yourself a HUGE favor. BEFORE you begin disassembling to "fix", DRIVE the car so you can determine IF it needs fixing. Because, if memory serves me right, isn't that what happened to your original car? 2¢ Enrique

AT THIS POINT IN TIME: The 240 Z is considered more collectible / desireable than the 260, or 280. This excludes the 2+2 models because the 240 did not have any. IN 15-20 years: It ~may~ be that the 260 2+2 or the 280 2+2; end up being the most "collectible" because nobody bothered to save them way back when. Maybe I have the "terminology" in error, but I think you guys can get the basic gist of my message. Someone recently pointed out that there were "tons" of 240's for sale that were AUTOMATIC, and therefore he wondered why that would be the case especially since their production figures (about 9% of the TOTAL Z production) were so low. A lot of reasons were bandied about, but one other reason may simply be that everybody found the A/T to be less "desireable" and therefore they eschewed them en masse. Now, 30 years later, they've become acceptable simply because you can't find a MANUAL Z in good condition without paying big bucks. What will 20 years bring? The 260 2+2 may indeed become collectible or it may be an A/T 240 with an original Landau vinyl roof. Or then again, it might be that the A/T cars didn't get beat to the ground like their Manual Tranny brethren, and therefore they've survived the years better. So, if you're looking to buy a vehicle that will appreciate....well, let me look at my little crystal ball...... Do you see the problem in telling you what to buy? As a 2¢ opinion, get the BEST car that you can AFFORD. That way you won't be shoveling in the $ fixing it up, only to discover that payback on that type of investment runs about 10 to 30 cents on the dollar. But spend it on a car that won't nickel and dime you to death just "maintaining" it. Enrique

There are a BUNCH of ~possibilities~ which would take all day just to pin-point. Start with the utmost basics, even though you're convinced that the problem "isn't there, so no need to check". Check the battery cables, both to ground and the starter. The fusible link going to the starter. The ground strap, and any connection to the body that is now freshly painted and possibly (probably) not making contact. You mention that you've taken the car apart and put it back together, did you by chance take the time to clean all the connections on the electrical harnesses? Then start at the passenger kick panel. Disconnect one of the larger plugs and make sure that it connects ALL the connections properly and that they look at least CLEAN. Either that or at least plug and unplug a couple of times to at least scrape SOME of the corrosion off. Then begin ops-checking. This should really be done as the car is being re-assembled not afterwards, but you're here now. You mention you have lights, but no turn signals. Does the flasher unit work? As you can see, the answer to what you ask isn't ONE post, it's LOTS of posts. Good Luck Enrique

And if after trying an Automotive Trim Shop, and a Boat Shop, call a GOOD body shop. One where they do REPAIRS and not REPLACEMENT of parts. Then ask them where they get their vinyl stripping from. E

Welcome and we won't mind the "oddity", you'll not stand out in this crowd. There's a BUNCH of excellent mechanics here. Sadly I'm not one of them, but if it's information on the L engine, this here's the place. But do us all a favor....post some pictures. I think that most members will agree that seeing the different "versions" of vehicles that we might or might not have in our home countries is one of the more pleasant aspects of this site. Welcome again, Enrique

You need to read not just the title of the post, but the original posting and replies as well. I typed in "rivet" and got 74 hits, of which the first 25 seemed to have info. The title to this one is :"Interior rivet alternatives?" http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16110&highlight=rivet And post #10 discusses how to remove, and a couple of alternatives. FWIW Enrique

Wm: I may be completely wrong, but I believe the rheostat you're looking for is on the top of the exhaust tube from the blower cage. If you look at the square outlet at the top left of the blower / fan unit, you should see some spade connectors sticking up in the air. Don't recall if there's only two or if there's a third, but the connection from the switch DOES go there. 2¢ Enrique

Sorry Will, but it IS the clock. This is one of the funny idiosyncracies of the Z's clock. The earlier clocks had an actual motor to wind the spring that ran the clock. The motor was in essence always on...and trying to wind the spring. Unfortunately after time and wear fits in, the motor succeeds in winding the spring in such a manner that it gets "locked" or kinked and won't allow the pendulum gear to receive the stored energy in the spring....and the clock dies. Then you disconnect the power to the motor by removing the fuse...and the motor can shift back just enough to release the tension on the spring. The clock starts back up and runs....for a few days, sometimes longer. During this time the motor acts as it should, re-winding the spring as soon as it unwinds. Then it gets bound up....again, and the cycle begins again. That's why with your fuse changing and other methods of interrupting power to the motor is why the clock runs....and dies....and runs.... The answer is to open the clock up, give the mechanism a light dust off with air and add that tiny drop of sewing machine oil (or equivalent) to the pivots in immediate contact with the motor. What needs to happen is for that "kink" point to be eliminated by that touch of oil and having had the dust blown off. I've done this to several clocks, mine has been running for over two years. Beandip's is only now re-connected but last I heard was going on a month or so of continuous running since being re-connected. FWIW Enrique

That is the switch. Not sure if that's the correct one for Tomo's car though. AFAIK, the switch mounted above the right hand knob, that was operated horizontally was on the earlier cars, and the switch mounted to the right of the right hand knob and operated vertically was for the later models. Additionally the earlier switch was a "traditional" switch , i.e. rectangular knob with grooves that you slid to one side or the other, whereas the later ones were rounded a rocker style switch. Enrique

Emphasis mine.CORRECTION: Use a MOMENTARY Single Pole Double Throw Switch. If you don't specify a Momentary switch, the Center OFF requirement would give you a switch with 4 leads to connect to. A momentary switch only has 3 connection points. This also eliminates the possibility of burning out the motor on the antenna due to leaving the switch on either the UP or DOWN positions. The 240's and: from the drawings that Tomo posted: show that they are using the same type of antenna. The switch only serves to route 12v+ to either one wire or the other. The reversal of polarity is what causes the motor to reverse it's direction. On the newer style antennas, they are constantly powered, but they have a solenoid attached close to the motor that detects when current is flowing to the radio, and piggyback on this current, which then lets the antenna go up. When THAT current is removed (when you shut off the radio) the antenna goes down. The limiting switch is usually a gear or micro-switch that detects the full up/down position and then interrupts the constant power. That's why if you turn on your car and had left the radio on the last time you rode in the car, the antenna and radio would promptly go up. Then when you shut off the car, the antenna would still be powered so that it could go down. Tomo, if you are serious about selling that antenna, would PM me? I would also be interested even if the motor doesn't work, but the shaft is ok. 2¢ Enrique

Ok, usually you can decipher if an item is mispelled, but this one has me stumped. What the heck is a "late"? E

If you were to look directly down the rocker panel seam with the floorpan you'd see about 3/4" past the seam. Then if you looked at the way it was cut, you'd see that it wasn't just a straight cut, but a curve to maximize the venturi effect for drainage. That way what pine needles and leaves you get are literally 'sucked out' as you drive. E

When you get under that fender you'll probably find a couple of rat's nests of leaf and needle debris that's decomposing. That's what more than likely caused the rust to be so localized. Check my gallery and you'll see my solution for this. It's a simple piece of clear flexible pvc pipe and a 45° rigid pvc elbow attached to the cowl drain. I'd also ask about the hatch. The side pillar emblem implies that the car is a 70 / early 71, but the hatch is from a later model (no vents). FWIW Enrique