EScanlon

I don't recall and the package I have doesn't list it either. If I recall (from an older package) it was either 3.5w or as Tomohawk pointed out 4w @14.4v. I can tell you that my lights are nice and bright and that I even use the dimmer to bring the brightness down. Enrique

I'll have to go back and check to see what the Sylvania catalog says as I can't remember. However, and this is both my observation and what I feel needs to be a cautionary note for other Z owners. I HAVE noticed in some catalogs that there is a tendency to "assume" by some manufacturers that because the 7X car used 12345 that 7X-1 also used the same. With the Z's early year cars, there were various changes that did change year to year as well as items that were changed later and considered a RETRO-fit. Also, don't forget that as time goes on, and demands for certain things drops off, manufacturers will combine items that differed by only one or two minor things. Sometimes it's this part supersedes that one, or this one supersedes those two. When you have an item that is now in it's second or third iteration of this cycle, then suddenly it doesn't fit. I don't have any of the 194LL's that you mentioned. When I went to the store to try to find replacement dash bulbs, I had read TONS of comments on how the ones that the catalogs listed as the proper replacement did NOT fit the green lens inside the case. Or comments on how the green lens got melted, or ..... So I did what I was taught to do in the bodyshop, go VISUALLY and then mechanically. So I took one of the original bulbs and went to the store after having used my calipers on the instrument opening and the original bulb. Once there, the Sylvania #53 matched the original bulb to within a gnat's hair. I was able to cross reference the voltage and wattage and once out of the package dimensions. Went home, plugged it in it worked, no further questions your honor. So you need to check the 194LL for yourself, especially if it's cheaper. But as long as I can get the 53's I'm set. By the way, a BAYONET bulb is one where the pins that stick out from the side of the main cylinder body are at the same height. Typically this is done on single element bulbs where there is only one contact at the base. On bulbs where there are two bulbs of different values and the need to maintain the contacts for each separate, you'll find an offset bayonet (not sure of the exact trade name) this is where one of the pins will be located at a different point on the cylinder than the other. A good example of this are your 1156 and 1157 bulbs. The 1156 is a single element typically seen as "running lights" on most American cars. The 1157 is a double element where one is noticeably brighter than the other (brake and running in one bulb). The pins for the 1156 are on the same line since it doesn't matter which way you insert the bulb. The 1157 does have a specific need for the brighter element so the pin is offset and the bulb fits in only ONE direction. Hope this helped you. Enrique For those desiring a short / quick answer: I compared them and bought the one that matched. I don't need no "stinkin' catalogs". E

Geez you guys, why not just call up Geico and apologize for having parked in their insured's way? Heck, if you feel badly enough offer to pay for their time and trouble for his having filed a claim for having smacked your car! Don't take this lightly. First off, get a copy from the Wall Street Journal showing where the value of the Z is going up. Preferably write to them and get an actual back copy if available, or better yet a reprint of their article mailed from them (this authenticates the source again). Next, go to NADA (nadaguides.com) and get a classic car price, you'll find that a 71 240Z is currently averaging 8750 (as of April of this year) and has probably gone up since. (I checked, 9300) Note that this is the average, if you can "upgrade" the status of your vehicle by verifiable means, paint in good condition, no mechanical, interior complete but being re-worked all add value to the car, so you could get closer to the High Retail of 18,200. How much closer depends on the overall condition of the car. Next, see if you can contact an independent (i.e. not affiliated with the insurance companies) to give you an appraisal of worth. Then go get 3 estimates. The Nissan Dealer may not even want to, but try. Then find the MOST expensive CUSTOM body shop you can. Get an estimate from them. Then find the most expensive ordinary bump and paint body shop. This will give you 3 estimates. Preferably one exorbitantly high, another quite high and the last just plain high. The next item that may or not help is the type of insurance you had on the vehicle. If all you had was liability, well, that puts a HUGE damper on the case, but if you had comprehensive (usually if you owe money on the car, the bank/credit union will require this type), then you have a stronger argument in your favor. The insured's insurance company is going to try their darndest to intimidate you to settle out early. Don't accept anything, nor even tacitly imply that it might be satisfactory, until you get what you want. So, if the car can be shown to be worth 7000, then don't accept anything below 4000 or so. And insist on keeping the car, because that is part of the deal. That is, pay me for the damage and I'll get it fixed. The concept of totaling a car is based on the perceived worth of the vehicle. If the insurance company lowballs this, as they will (it's in their best interest to show that the car wasn't worth squat) then you counter with creditable and publicly available data (newspaper, nada guide, appraisal) that belies their data. The estimates are to show the judge how much they should pay. Now the tables has turned and now that you can prove a higher worth than they are willing to pay out, they'll give you some song and dance about this being all you will get, and how you'll get less if they have to go to court, and that if you choose to go to court that they'll take a long time, blah blah blah. Just tell them that you'll see them in court. Now, since they are already "fighting" with you, you go to court and file a claim against them and the insured. Yes, he's your buddy, but point out that this is to make the insurance company pay up. You can go to small claims court (if the amount is under $5k (check your county!)), OR if necessary a higher court. That you'll have to check with your state and county. Some states have a state office that accepts those claims, and others have you file through the courts. Now with the court claim having been made, the pressure is on the insurance company to perform under the time line that you've established through the courts. That is, you file and the court tells you that your hearing date or court date is ..... days away. I'll guarantee that the insurance company is going to go ballistic over your going to court, but it lets them know that you're done playing footsie. BELIEVE ME! They will up their initial offering QUICK!! Anyone else care to comment? Don't let them bully you around. YOU were hit, not the other way around. Look back on at least one other post where I recommended some of this "heavy" action and ask the member how he finally fared. Heck, some of you guys who know how it ended up, chime in. Don't let our fellow Z member take it in the shorts. Remember, if you have a group of people clamoring about how important and valuable it is, they can't just shrug it off as a worthless piece of .... (Isn't that what happened with the spotted owl?) Enrique P.S.: Have you ever seen a little dog tell a big dog to get the hell out of his yard? That's kind of what you are going to be doing, and believe me, it's in their best interest to make you happy and QUIET.

I'll see what I can find. Unfortunately my 71 doesn't have a fuel pump, and haven't done much with the 72 to be able to give good info. My car only has two relays and one other item (looks like a big capacitor) on the passenger kickpanel. Anyone else have a fuel pump car? Enrique

If this is an answer then congratulations. On the other hand, ALL of the car's wiring harnesses meet under the dash on the passenger side of the car. The two that comprise the Dash Harness, one to the back half of the car, one to the engine compartment. Now if you wish to be picky, there is also the wiring harness that connects the heater motor to it's controls.. AFAIK, the feed wires to the electric pump are part of the wiring bundle going to the back of the car up and through the rear fender plenum to the tail-lights where a very skinny section creeps under the car through a grommet in the rear floor and has the gas tank leads, the ground wire for the rear and your two wires for the fuel pump. So, WHICH harness are you looking for? Does this differ from what anyone else knows? Enrique

I'll see if I can post a picture of the package and bulbs that I have in my hand. Not only are they visually and dimensionally the same, they actually DO work, as that is the bulb I used when I replaced all of my burnt out or "fogged" bulbs. One point to be made here. If you check Voltages for automotive equipment, you'll not find a SET standard except in the most general of termms. I.e. Automobile Battery Voltage is 12V when in reality it is actually higher than that. A 12v DC Power Supply actually provides 13.5v DC. The charging circuit is 12v when it actually provides closer to 14-15. The variations are due to known expected losses through the circuitry, as well as inefficiencies of design that when compounded "average" out to approximately 12v. This is the "standard" that automobile electrical systems are designed around. The 14.4v voltage for the light bulbs you checked would be correct at 12v and would function correctly. The 14.4v rating is the Maximum working voltage the bulb can work with before it's service life is seriously shortened. How long depends on many other factors, variations in the voltage, spikes in the current flow, duration of use, etc. How short the life is, can be as sudden as a blow-out or just the darkening of the glass over time. This is caused by the element literally "burning up" and coating the inside of the glass with vaporized element. A light bulb basically operates because a small length of wire gets so hot that it gives off light due to the heat of the element. The reason for the wire getting hot is the internal resistance of the element. This is the "fight" if you will, that electrons must make as they travel through the element. The more they have to fight, and the more of the electrons there is, the brighter the bulb lights. More fight is more resistance, more electrons are higher voltage. If you reduce either one the bulb's brightness changes, brighter for less resistance and dimmer for less voltage. That balance is what the dimmer control effects. It either increases the resistance in the line feeding the instrument bulbs or it reduces it to almost zero (it can't, but that's another discussion), since it cannot increase the voltage in the line. Shunting it's wires eliminates whatever residual resistance is present through the switch at it's zero setting. Remember, the power to the bulbs all goes THROUGH the switch. If the wires are disconnected from the switch and not re-connected to each other, whether through the switch again, or directly, none of the dash lights will receive ANY power. Increasing the voltage is what those "capacitors" mentioned earlier are about. Their closest relative to something everyone is familiar with are your surge protectors. The surge protector ABSORBS energy over a given value, whereas those sound system capacitors make sure the voltage supplied never falls below a given voltage. Now the voltage of the bulb you mention was rated 4 Watts at 14.4 Volts. At 12v, supposing that your car's system functions at a perfect nominal 12v (it probably functions closer to 13 +) it won't burn as bright, but it will burn bright enough. The original specs for the dash bulbs were 12V 3.5W, so you're well within the margin of acceptable variance. Ok, hope this wasn't too longwinded nor too heavy an explanation. Enrique

Mark Edit your post, you don't need to quote to reply. You can post a stand-alone post (as this is). The bulbs you want are Sylvania 53. I found them at True Value Hardware. Good luck Enrique

Aren't those a pair of Flat Tops? Are you going for concours or just given up on getting a pair of round tops? E

Actually Richard, the VB catalog shows that only ONE of the tension rods is available. The other components, RH and LH Hinges as well as the LH Torsion bar are no longer available. That's why they're grayed out and no number assigned. It may be that that lone torsion bar is all you need, in which case, that's great. Let me know the outcome. Enrique

I would suggest you first find a plater in your area that SPECIALIZES in Auto Restoration Chroming. They'll usually have that in their ad on the Yellow Pages. Let HIM tell you what he would have you do or not. Many times inexperience is more expensive than to have it done by the pro's. Ask him also if he offers any kind of straightening, welding, filling etc. If he's just a plater, ask him whose work he deals with and who is the best if more than one. Many times you'll find that John over in that town does exactly what you want. As far as to what YOU could do, other than remove it from the car (done) and take it to the plater (to do).... you get my drift? Enrique

While it may be possible that one of your tension rods has... for lack of a better word, been tweaked, I think trying to re-temper the rod pair to match may be a good exercise in futility. Your hood could have received enough of a twist due to a number of reasons. You had the hood open at a show and a gust of wind, or that big guy who accidentally bumped it with his thigh, no damage visible, but enough of a twist that it twisted the hood, or travelling behind that semi a gust of wind hit the car just right. A twist just enough that even though the bolts and everything are in the same spot, the hood is stressed when down and that's why your hood pops up on the left front corner. Address the bolts to the hood. Then address the hinge bolts to the body. It may be as simple as loosening and re-tightening one by one. Or, you may need to adjust as those other posts mentioned. Hope it helps Enrique

Agreed on the second paragraph, but on the first one I differ. Without going into a long winded explanation (Who, Me?), think of EVERY Z transaction having an impact on the average price, not only in the region, but nationally. As prices in one region go up regardless of condition, which I think you can agree is the situation here, then those vehicles that are at or better condition will also see increases in their estimated worth. (Again, estimated, because the price won't be fixed UNTIL it gets sold.) But that is my point. Since banks and other lending institutions go by the national price of various statistic gathering books, then in a given moment I can borrow more money using the Z's for collateral, which in turn allows me to go buy yet another one. Thoughts? Enrique

But you forget that I'm on the West Coast. As a result it does. The more he gets for his car, raises the bench mark for which a poor vehicle on the West Coast will sell for a premium on the East. At the point where the sale price, less the transport fees yield a profit (how big is yours to decide), you'll see plenty of East Coast buyers scrounging around. The premium cars in the East Coast are garage queens as they are on the West. However, the next "step" down, i.e. a very good Sunday Driver, offers a good possibility if going from West to East, but is a sure loss going the other way. Simply due to the level of care each of these cars would have required and then received. The EC cars would have required constant yearly undercarriage washing and inspection, whereas the WC cars would not, or not to that extent. Simply due to the difference in winter salt use. Additionally, on the EC one almost "automatically" has their car "rust-proofed" right from the dealer, whereas on the WC (you U.K. readers, pipe down) it was uncommon almost to the point of non-existence. I'm not quantifying what effect that would have on the price, but only that it is almost an "environmental" requirement in order to care for the car. The point I'm making, is that a car on the WC will continue to be more desireable on the EC due to the conditions they have to operate their cars in. Those conditions take their losses of the available cars, if demand goes up, price goes up. Eventually, the cost of importing a vehicle in from outside the market area (the Where in my statement) becomes an absorbable cost especially when the level of expectation on a given "condition" is so unbalanced. A vehicle in what the West Coast (I told you U.K. guys to knock it off.) in what would be POOR condition would still be worth more on the East Coast, except that the cost of transport pushes it past the profitable stage. At least at this point in time, in my opinion. However, a West Coast Good condition would be considered Excellent on the East. It is these vehicles that will push the price higher, and therefore make my car that much more desireable. Not that I'm planning on selling either one of mine. Enrique

Here are two threads that might help: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4607&highlight=hood+adjustment http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2045&highlight=hood+adjustment Although the second involves a front end smack, the adjustments are sound. Hope it helps. Enrique

Having worked on cars in the Midwest and specifically Michigan (which salts HEAVILY), I can attest to the damage a car will get in a very short time. My wife and I owned an 84 Sunbird (Pontiac) which she bought new off the lot and had it Ziebarted. By 89 it was already showing the beginnings of rust through in the rear and front doglegs. As a result, I stand by what I said and David pointed out, older vehicles are in fact, a RARITY on the East Coast. That rarity ALONE, is what helps drive the prices up. Add to that the expense (as David pointed out) of "importing" from another climate and you can actually feel that "upcharge" I spoke of. That the car is not worth the same amount on the West Coast does not degrade it's value on the East Coast. It's kind of dumb to buy where it's more expensive to an area where it's less. The value of that car is what that car will bring at the time of sale WHERE it gets sold. So discussions as to what that car would bring IF it were on the West Coast only serve as further additions to the "We agree to disagree." file. You can't sell ice in the Arctic and you can't GET it in the Sahara. David, as far as your evaluation of the car. You must agree that there are a lot more people out there who know little to nothing about the trouble spots the Z can have. Many of these people state the cars as being "nearly rust-free" but in fact have floor boards being held together by the tar paper. If you feel you were defamed by the statements given, then chalk that up to not knowing WHO the seller was, and most importantly, whether or not they would actually know anything about the Z. I hope you DO get your asking price. Any transaction that maintains or improves the "value" of my car is welcome. 2¢ Enrique

True, it is a skill but I have done it on other plastics. I'm into R/C Boats, Planes and Back Yard Racers, and I've used it with the Trim Tool which gives you a very small and localized hot plate to afix and then iron smooth. Instead of using a hot air gun or the larger iron, you end up with a hot plate about 1" long by 3/8" wide with a small bevel to the face. I've successfully bonded trim up to and just touching the canopies on planes and boats and haven't melted nor distorted. Now I can't claim as many planes or boats as Z's in what I've done, so I'll try it and advise. Enrique

While I agree with the suggestions so far, I would recommend you first get used to the car so you KNOW what it is currently doing / not doing, then begin repairs that are needed and not try to catch up on the cars maintenance log.

Andrew: You blew her off because it was going to rain?!!!!!!! I wholeheartedly agree with your restrospective view and raise you to :stupid: ============:stupid: COMPLETE BONEHEAD! :stupid: ============:stupid: Geez man, get out from underneath the car everyonce in a while. You can always re-wax your car and it won't be mad at you. Besides, so WHAT that it would have gotten wet, dirty, etc., you had a female willing to drive out to see YOU, then you cop out because your car might get wet? Sorry, but that's one real lame excuse. What's next? A run in your sock? If you really, REALLY think your car wax is good, then a simple old thunderstorm should not WASH off the wax!!! Sorry Andrew, not to berate the point, but this move qualifies you for the HALL OF SHAME!! Enrique

Use Sylvania #53(BP). These are a direct exchange for the ones in the car, I've heard that GE 1445 also works, but I can't confirm that as I used the Sylvania's. The BP denotes the "Bayonet Plug" afaik. The SKU Code from the back of the package is: 0 46135 33721 5 The leading 0 and trailing 5 are those very small numbers to the right and left of the SKU Bar lines. So omitting those (for different POS Scanner systems) the SKU would be : 46135 33721 I include it both ways, because it depends on your store having those numbers in their database (AFAIK). I installed these in my car and I am well pleased with the amount and adjustability of the light. The bulbs are bright enough that just one in the center gauge is enough to light up the face. (Granted, I had also repainted the inside of my cases with a Polar White paint.) As far as adjustability, the dimmer has them lit completely through their range without any significant flutter to the light given. But I agree, first do ONE bulb, and check, THEN go on to doing the others. It may be as simple as a fuse, or even a pulled ground. 2¢ Enrique

That you're getting water through the door onto the sill, tells me that your drain (weep) holes on the outside portion of the inner metal (where it comes into contact with the exterior skin) may be plugged. Another item to check is the gasket that is attached to the bottom edge of the door, and lastly, make sure that the top "whale tail" gasket at the top front of the door is in fact making contact with the car's body in order to seal there. Since I did my car, I've not found water where you mention. Enrique

The main reason I went with the shower curtain behind the interior door panel was that I wanted to be able to remove and replace easily and if necessary, CHEAPLY. IMO, the Dynamat, Brown Breadk, Q-Pad, etc, would be both thicker and much more expensive to work with. Then when you cut all the holes to leave the access holes for the window and lock mechanism open, you've really reduced it's effectiveness. Granted, an application of the material directly behind the speaker (if you have your speakers installed on the door panels --- shudder--) will do a lot to reduce the noise and vibration generated in the door plenum by the speaker. However, a LOT of the noise inside the car is due to the resonance of so much undampened sheet metal all over the car. The interior of the doors, the interior of the rear quarter panels, the floor pan, the roof, the hatch skin, these are all areas that will resonate and in turn generate noise and transmit whatever noise they absorb from the outside. For that reason, I used POR all over the inside of these panels, then I put a layer of Q-Pad over the inside of the outside sheet metal. This alone made a very significant improvement in the noise inside the car. Then all I needed was a vapor barrier to keep the moisture that was bound to collect inside the doors (from the window), away from the inside of my brand new door panels. That is where the shower curtain comes in. It is durable enough that it can be removed (I used 3M General Purpose Adhesive) from the door, and can be re-glued and put back on. As far as killing two birds with one stone, I think that to get the BEST of both worlds, you would need to address each one separately as I did. But then, that's MY opinion. Enrique

I concur with Carl, but I'll temper the price range with the famous "It's located on the EAST Coast" upcharge that seems to add 2-3k to what we would pay in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada (dry states, little to no salt in winter). So, if you discount that upcharge...then it's a $500 to $1500 car. And that's about what I would expect to pay in the states mentioned. Not that I agree with that upcharge, but it seems to me that many people on the east coast tend to pay a bit more, because they do have lots of rain and snow and do use salt in the winter, so a car that's survived this far has been, in their estimation, "Babied". Just looking at the pictures of the car, a blind-a$$ guess-timate of the bodywork this car would need would be in the vicinity of $3-4,000 and that would not include a paint job. And I may be totally out of line with that guess. Anyone else? Enrique

DITTO! There are cheaper ways of taking risks, and also less tragic. There is a reason some things MUST be left to the experts i.e. those people that do it often, and have a reputation to maintain on their performance. Enrique

Personally, I recommend you start with SAFETY items. That means the brakes, then steering, then suspension, then critical rust, and not necessarily in that order. It all depends on the true condition of each item. If the brakes are "ok" but will need replacing down the line, then fine, address any known problems with the steering, or suspension or... As far as "souping up" the car to drive faster, harder.....in a car that needs safety issues dealt with....that's a short road to suicide. I always tell people that want to "fix up" their car to take care of Safety, then all Mechanical and finally Body. Some items are in all 3 categories, some are only in one. But the bottom line it is a real heart breaker to see a beautifully painted car....in the boneyard. 2¢ Enrique

From this I gather that it has the typical early horn button damage: i.e. cracked / broken inside center plastic cap. The one that the ring on the horn button grips to allow the horn button assy, to "float" over the center column. What is the condition of your OUTSIDE Vinyl. If it is acceptable, but just needs the inside fixed, you CAN do iit, with some 2 part epoxy / filler. Here in the U.S. we use JB Weld a lot. This is a product that mimics a real hard "ceramic" style metal filler. The two halves are black and off-white almost a pale yellow. When mixed they produce a gray toothpaste like putty. Using a pair or more "zip-ties", which are those nylon self-locking straps, insert the strap on the foam side of the plastic inside cup, and tighten them until all pieces are just almost aligned. You need to get some glue in and behind there, so don't yank down fast. You can then glue all the pieces, and if necessary, even rebuild sections of the missing plastic. The intent is to restore that cap. If trimming is necessary, you can do it afterwards with a high speed hand tool. (U.S. we use a Dremel Tool, a 40k rpm hand held drill / sander / grinder ) I believe another member posted a picture essay on the subject, and if so, use the two to make your repair. Enrique Scanlon