EScanlon

Am I the only one that's noticed the post time for the site is off by 3 hours? Anyhow, I'm off. Good Night and Happy Thanksgiving to all. Remember that sometimes that it's just as important to be thankful for what you do NOT have (illness, poverty, etc.) as what you DO have. Enrique

Exactly. By the time you add in your time AND the possibility of failure in the middle of the process, it is MUCH cheaper and quicker to pay a higher price. Hey, doesn't this sound like what we tell prospective buyers? Buy the BEST car you can afford, even if it's way more money than that "fixer-upper"? How many times have we seen bumpers that "could use re-chroming" sell for $100-200 dollars, while new ones go for $400, and then discover the guy paid $250 to get it stripped and re-chromed. The extra $50 (low Side) or saved money (high side) sometimes isn't enough to offset the effort. This isn't to say that there aren't bargains out there, but as more and more people get into the "hobby", those will get scarcer and pricier. Then again, there are people out there that CAN effect repairs and restorations cheaper than buying some of those NOS parts, but they are also in the minority. Enrique

Maybe old-guy read that Wall Street Journal piece and is hoping to cash in on it. Then again, maybe it's one of the buyers for "Overhauling", and if so, has any one of our members discovered his car missing? Or, it's actually Paris Hilton deciding to fund one of her boyfriend's hobby. Enrique

As far as the bills, you usually put it in front of you on the edge of the stage. The girl comes by and picks it up and will "personalize" her dance for you. If you're a "regular" she might offer various means of "tucking" the bill, as long as the bouncer, etc. are ...shall we say... "oblivious" to what's happening. As far as supply getting scarcer, it is. We all know that. Look at the prices that "European" tail lights were fetching a year ago, can you imagine what a new set would fetch now? There are many parts that are now selling at prices MUCH higher than we would have believed. The Heater Control Panel, the Series I Ash Tray / Fuse Cover, unblemished Dashes, tail-lights, reclining mechanism covers, are all parts that, for those who had the foresight to stock up, yielding great profits. In a way, we ALL want that to happen. As the desireability of a complete and unblemished car goes up, so does the price. Whether it's because you're investing (a stretch) or because you hope that you can recoup some of your expenses, we're all hoping to benefit from that rise in prices. As far as the exorbitant prices, it also boils down to "I'm not letting this one get away" fever. With the scarcity of the "D" hubcap in ANY condition, followed by the even scarcer unblemished, and then in NEW condition, I'm not surprised by the final bid. Enrique

Sure! As long as you remember that when they mean NO TOUCHING, they're referring to YOU reaching out. Last time I took a client out to the clubs (he was from Chile), when the girl bent over to let him get a good rear view, he jumped up and was about to plant a kiss....you know where. I reached up and yanked him down by his belt, and boy was he pissed. It wasn't until I pointed out the half ton bouncer headed our way that he realized I was only saving his hide. I took him to another club, where the girls were....shall we say, a bit more forward and got him all happy again. A year later, I went to Chile and he reciprocated with THEIR clubs. Believe me, the raunchiest we have here....is MILD down there. Before I get tons of PM's asking what/why/when/where etc., let's just say that the term Audience Participation took on a completely different meaning. As far as the auction, I too have had my share of price bumpers who do nothing but bump up the price I end up paying. Oh well, that's part of the "fun". Enrique

I had signatures turned off, it's all clear now. Enrique

You should come up to Portland Oregon. They're not required to use G-Strings, only have to maintain a 2 ft. distance, and if you tip well, the girl can "oops" closer. Whether you choose to "snipe" or bid in the first days of an auction, if you stick by your maximum price, you'll still win and lose some. And in both cases, you'll pay less than your maximum only if nobody else wishes to bid that high. Enrique

Taken from AuctionSniper.comThis is a valid point only IF you don't bid the true MAXIMUM amount you are willing to pay for the item. Unfortunately, too many of us (myself included) WANT that bargain. The proverbial Dollar for 50¢ item. The problem with that type of bidding is that someone might be willing to pay 51¢ and so on. Besides, the only way a snipe bid will win the item is if in fact your bid is higher than the one that's currently winning. Personally, I don't care for the snipe bid. I think that it takes much of the ...fun?... out of the auction process. But, at least from my experience if you stick by your MAXIMUM bid, you may find that someone elevates the price you pay, or they pay more than you're willing to. The angst of the snipe bid is that it is right at the last moment AND that, because of the way the bid increment works, they always take the item away from you by "only 50¢". 2¢ Enrique

Oh, no worries there. I wasn't referring to your repeating something I wrote as much as that Messenger (the original poster) hasn't yet posted whether or not he has checked that part. As we all know, there are many "minor" problems that can be erroneously interpreted as being something else, and then repairs attempted that can really bollix the whole car up. So, Messenger, as Carl has posted, you need to get at least 1/4" inch of MOVEMENT (if not more, I'm not sure). If you are NOT getting that movement, then it is very possible that the plate has returned to it's proper position SOMEWHAT, but not necessarily to it's proper position, and your timing is off. That's what the advance plate does, it literally adjusts your timing under heavy acceleration to allow the car to rev up. If it doesn't, then you'll experience everything you've listed. Voice of experience here. My car went from a joyful ride to a handicapped, coughing turtle in the middle of a ride. Took it to a specialist mechanic and although he also did a tune-up and valve adjust, he told me it was the advance plate that had gone out. 2¢ Enrique P.S.: I must be out of touch, but what does MOM stand for (no wise cracks guys)?

Hmmmm, I wonder where I've heard this before...... (reply #4)....... Enrique

That's what got me thinking about spraying the POR. I found an Air Nozzle Blower that had a brass tube mounted perpendicular to the tube (for a venturi) and a 6' length of clear tubing. With this setup I could shoot the unthinned POR into every nook and cranny I could stick the tip into. The thought of using a longer wand or nozzle tip was to make sure the POR made it into places that you couldn't shoot with the Air Nozzle into easily. Places such as the cabin side of the rocker metal supports (the ones with the holes at the sides of the floor panels), you can shoot through the rocker support to the EXTERIOR rocker panel metal, but to reverse the "blow" of the paint, you would need something with an angle wand and enough reach to allow you to shoot through and back onto the metal you are reaching through. (kind of like painting the outside of your house from the inside reaching through a window). I haven't yet tried to use a typical Air Nozzle Sprayer, because of the need to get ALL the POR out of the internal mechanisms. The air blower that I bought was only a few bucks, and other than the clear pick up hose needing to be replaced rather than being cleaned (thinner dissolves the hose), it's been working fine. The Air Nozzle Sprayer also has the clear hose, but it also has several metal parts that would have to be removed and cleaned. At 10+ dollars each, I've stuck to the Air Blower Sprayer. The "Ziebart" style nozzle / wand set up would be ideal, as long as you could clean them out or didn't mind buying a new one for every use. Enrique

Could you post the measurements of the item? Also the manufacturer's information please. I have been looking for something like this so that I can see if we can get one made up for the club. Enrique

Two items: The earlier Z's didn't have an Ignition Relay, they had an Accessory Relay. It could be as simple as the old name sticking. The Acc Relay on the 71 controls most of the electrical items that need to be disconnected when the starter is engaged. The Blue/White wire coming from the Ignition Relay on the color wiring diagram (nice job!) connects directly to the ACC connection on the Fuse Box. One note on the wiring diagram, a very nice job, but for future reference, the "basket weave" of the wires, although artistic, is hard to use. 2¢ Enrique

Sight unseen? Hard to say, I'll say Shipping plus $5.00. Picture will help determine if they're a good type or not. (Sorry to be so blunt.) Enrique

Can't tell from the pictures. Brush (Cut Pile) push the fibers to one side. If they are "individual" or "brushes" then it's cut pile. Loop, again push fibers to one side, the yarn used will be in an obvious LOOP. Enrique

{Sorry for the length of this post (one of my typical long ones), but read the top part through and the footnotes only if you need them. Enrique} The next thing to do is to bypass the Dimmer Switch. Go to the Dimmer Switch, to the side of the Steering Column. Find the wires going to the Dimmer Switch, the pair should be: Green/White* and Red/Blue* Disconnect AT the switch and join the two wires that go to the wiring harness. Start your car (so you don't drain the battery while testing) and turn on the lights. If this resolves the tail light and instrument light problem, then your dimmer switch needs replacing or repairing(1). If this didn't clear it up, let's bypass the combination switch and see if the problem is there. The Horn Relay is mounted on the driver's side Kick Panel. There are 3 wires leading to it. Disconnect the Green/Black* wire and connect with a shunt wire (plain wire with the ends stripped) to the Green/White* going to the dimmer switch. Press and hold the horn pad ON. If this turns on the lights on the dash and both tail and running, then your problem is definitely in the combination switch wiring. Remove the Steering Column Shroud and observe and if necessary, mark any connections so that you can re-connect properly later (2). Disconnect ONLY if you cannot look at, and access the back of the combination switch solder points after removing the screws that hold the switch to the column. Look at the switch at the base of the Light Stalk. On the back you should see where a Green/Blue (GB) and Green/White (GW) wire connect to it. Check that both wires have a good connection and have not come loose or OFF the solder point. If they have, re-connect them and see if that cleared the problem up. If the connections are good, connect the GB wire and the GW wire with a jumper wire. Check if this has resolved the problem. If it has, then your switch is bad. You can either replace the whole combination switch, or the individual light circuit switch, or take it apart for cleaning/ repairing. But that's another post, and hopefully your problem by now will be resolved. Enrique Scanlon * Standard Wire Notation: {Color of Body of Wire} / {Color of Stripe} (1) To repair the dimmer switch, remove from the dash. This is very tricky and some people have found it necessary to remove the DASH to get to it. The switch is held to the main metal frame of the dash by two Phillips Screws. The switch is placed into it's opening hole on top of the frame and then is screwed down. This means that you must access the screw heads from above the switch. This is the tricky part, as directly above it is the Tach. If you have a 90° Phillips (short) you can do it, but it is difficult to align the bit with the head. I found that a Ratcheting 90° combination (Phillips one side, Standard Blade on the other) worked best for me. Once out, look at the SPRING that has been imbedded in the bakelite. If there are any breaks in the wire, it's easiest to replace than repair. If you insist on repairing, you must bridge the gap in the spring. Soldering will work, but you must be careful that the final bead of solder does not stick up above the main edge of the spring. Next look at the swipe plate. That's the metal washer with the "hand" (as in a clock) sticking out and making contact with the spring (above). If it is NOT making contact, gently bend it downwards at the angle point just past the flat center portion. Bend it enough that it makes soft but firm contact. Actuate the switch several times and observe that the swipe plate makes contact on the spring throughout it's travel. It might help to lightly scuff the top edge of the spring in the bake lite to ensure good electrical contact for the Swipe Arm. Lastly, check the contact at the center of the switch, Make sure that the Swipe Arm has a good contact to the connection wire. (2) As a note for those of you who might be interested in how to "mark" or "tag" your wiring harness easily, quickly and with a LOT less grief than other methods. Dymo© makes a new labeler, the Letra Tag©. This is a thermal labeler using paper or plastic tape with an adhesive back. It has a keyboard on the face with special characters and 2 line capability. It runs off 4 "AA" batteries, and it's tape is inserted via cartridge. I've been using it to print a series of letter tapes that I then insert on each side of the connection. I'd been doing this with Masking Tape and pen, but it can get tedious and sometimes impossible to read later because the masking tape gets gunked up. What I do is have the labeler produce 2 labels, each about an inch long (on mine 6 characters in double line and 5 in single). Remove the adhesive from the back on one, apply to one side of the connection, and do the same with the other label on the other side of the connection. You can now safely disconnect that wire and you will be able to re-connect it correctly later. Although this may be over-kill for some of you who are absolute geniuses at remembering where and how every wire goes, it helps those of us who are aflicted with "Now, how did this go?" itis. To simplify things, just use a SINGLE character repeated as many times as necessary to fill that inch. Since the labeler will allow you to "save" the last label you printed (it stays in memory as long as the batteries are in the unit, or you clear it), you can readily keep track of what the next letter to use is. I start with AAAAA, key the Print Button and CUT the tape. Repeat and I have the two labels I need. I can allow the machine to shut off (battery save) or erase and print BBBBB. I keep this up for EVERY wire CONNECTOR in that part of the circuit. By the time I've disconnected every connection, I have it properly labeled for re-assembly. When I'm in a situation that I need more than just the letters to describe / identify a wire or connection, the second line feature allows for space.

"Which is the good one ?" LOOP = Original Style BRUSH (Cut Pile) = Easier to clean (in my opinion), and feels better in bare feet. 2¢ Enrique

Did you do something recently with the rheostat for the lights? How about getting into the center console and disconnecting a Red and a Red/Green pair of wires from another connector? Lastly, does your horn still work? All those derive power from the same wiring circuit. 2¢ Enrique

That's correct, except that it is the balance screw for part of the system that your car apparently has had removed. The Air Pump for the "smog" system has been removed from your car, and the vacuum pot that prevents the carbs from "slamming shut" has been removed. This is where it hooks up to. The screw you are missing is to balance the carbs upon deceleration. If you were to cut that zip-tie you'd note that the linkage will just flip flop around and do nothing. As far as determining that the vacuum advance system in the dizzy is still ok, look well underneath the points plate. If you see a ball bearing or two floating around in there, then it is shot. I'm not sure that 1/8" of travel is sufficient to consider it functioning well. I'm of the opinion that you should try the LEAST intrusive remedies first. That means that you should check all the items that do not require massive disassembly, adjustment or changes, BEFORE you go doing those changes. Remember, the car did RUN, as such, I don't think you need to disassemble the whole thing only to discover it's a bad plug wire, plug, filter, or adjustment. The things that everyone has been mentioning are the type of items that they've had experience with, and as such are the first things that come to mind, exactly as Zedrally points out. The gas problem is something you should have done something about. However, by now it would be hard to drain and clean without having a very hazardous situation on your hands. If you do decide to drain the tank, be very careful as 15 gallons of gas is not something you just want sloshing around on your driveway. If you do drain the tank, then decidedly change the fuel filters even if you "just" changed them. 2¢ Enrique

STOP!! BEFORE YOU ADJUST YOUR CARBS AND GET A MORE SERIOUS PROBLEM. That it "started right up and ran great" then shortly thereafter "someone flipped the 'run like $^!# switch'", to me, is a clear indication that something ELECTRICAL is what's wrong. The only thing you haven't checked is if it will IDLE ok, but just not let you accelerate unless you do it V E R Y S L O W L Y. if THAT is what it is doing, your problem is in the Distributor Vacuum Advance plate. This little plastic plate with a couple of ball bearings on it, is what the vacuum advance solenoid actuates. When this goes bad, the exact symptoms you describe happen. Take a look at that BEFORE you go making adjustments everywhere else. 2¢ Enrique

Post some pictures when you get it back. Enrique

My vote for the two hardest bolts to remove are the ones holding the Hood Latch Pin to the hood.........after the Hood Release Cable breaks. Enrique

Stephen, I borrowed the last line and made a subtle adjustment to it. E Kirby: Think of all the items you've seen discussed on the site. Instrument lights, check them now for darkened and burnt out ones. Personally, I would replace them all, not cheap, but in the long term, cheap insurance. Check for any wiring connections that are showing frayed or cut. Unplug and replug every electrical connection to make sure that it is snug and insulated and makes good contact. WASH the insides of the defrost and vent hoses, the car will smell better. Check the foam gasketing on the center vent, it will undoubtedly need replacing (the foam around the connector from the plenum to the HCP). Lubricate the cables for the heater controls. Check your fresh air vent cables and vents themselves. And that's just off the top of my head. I'm sure you'll get a few more people chiming in with their own personal PITA favorite. Enrique

If you're planning on doing a two stage paint, why not go with one of the 350Z colors. My personal favorite is that burnt orange gold (sorry, ? le mans sunset orange?). Aside from the color choice, the blending of the "new" and the "old" makes quite an impact. 2¢ Enrique

Actually, all you need to make the whole system inert (in a 240) is to disconnect the fusible link going to the starter. That's the main power link for the car, and NOTHING will receive juice. Check the schematic and you'll see. Enrique