EScanlon

Timberwolf: You failed to mention what TYPE of paint you were using on the car port. This is important as it will help pinpoint whether or not you can do something "easily". Since it was the carport, the probability is that you were using Oil Based Exterior Enamel. I'm not real familiar with house paints so there may yet be another type out there. Oil Based Exterior Enamel would probably use Mineral Spirits or Turpentine, commonly referred to as Paint Thinner. Don't confuse this with Lacquer Thinner as this is the thinner for Lacquer type paints. If that is the case, then get a bottle of Mineral Spirits or Turpentine and wet a rag, and wipe down the areas of your car that got overspray on them. This will remove the overspray and will ALSO remove any wax, grease or oil on the paint. For that reason I would recommend that you wipe down the whole car with the wet rag, and with the other hand use a clean dry rag to wipe off the residue. If on the other hand, you were using a lacquer type of paint, or a spray can, then using lacquer thinner will remove it, but it will also tend to "cut" or degloss the top coat of most enamel type paints as well as dissolve older lacquer paints. For that reason you should be careful on how much lacquer thinner is on your rag and how fast or slow you do it. Getting the car "rubbed out" will do it, but at least in the body shop I worked at, the first step is to wipe the whole car down with Wax and Grease Remover after having washed the car. You might try this method also. Once they've wiped the car down, then they'll proceed to use Rubbing Compound, followed by the Swirl Removers and final polishing agents. The feasibility of this depends on just how good your paint is. If it is badly oxidized and or thin, they may just tell you that it can't be done because the rubbing out would just remove what little paint you have on the body lines. At that point you have no choice but to repaint the car. Hope this helps clear up things.

It was the NON-illuminated rear window defog switch. It was put up for auction by Z cars of Arizona, Andy Russell (aka The Datsun Dude). Two of those "might" work, but I only have one and the starting bid on it was a little stoo steep for my pocketbook. Thanks though. Enrique

Check the reclining mechanism on your seats. The Early 71, and 70 had a knob that would allow the seat back to pivot and therefore "recline". Not a true recline as we've come to know. Additionally these did NOT allow you to pull a lever and bring the seat back forward to allow for easy access to the hatch area. This style of seat did in fact have a gap between the seat back and seat cushion. How much depended on how the seat back upholstery was finished. That is, whether they used hog rings to leave a seam, or if they folded the back under the front and then either hog ringed or stapled. The first method leaves a raised seam similar to the flange when two sheets of metal are spot welded together. The second method eliminates that flange which increases that space by about 1/2" to 3/4". Please note that these are my observations and not something I looked up in a book. The seat back mechanism on the late 71's and upwards now had a true reclining and forward tilt mechanism. I don't know if this affected the height of the seat back compared to the early 71's but it may have. The main problem with this newer style is the availability of the cover for the mechanism. These were prone to breaking off and many times were simply lost and never replaced. NOS of these have sold for as much as $80 for the pair. Hope this helps.

You're up for a long search. Your best bet is to find one where the metal is still in good condition but may need rechroming. No, this isn't cheap, but unfortunately it is about the only way. You may still find one or two in the bone yards, but be aware that many bone yards are slowly crushing old cars that they see as unprofitable. 2¢

Let us know if it worked or didn't. The hard part about posting "advice" is not knowing if you described something successfully, so that others may duplicate it, that to you seems easy. Enrique

Excellent, thank you. Take your digital camera and get some photos of those items that may be commonplace in Japan, but for those of us in the U.S., non-existent, rare or in the "You have to be kidding me" variety. Thanks again. Enrique

Best part of helping other Z owners out is when they come back and post that they found the problem and were able to fix it. Thanks for the feedback. Enrique

You don't say whether it is BOTH sides of the hood or just one. If it is both sides, you need to move both hinges downwards in order to get the hood to "level" out with regards to the sugar scoops. Look at the hinge closely and you'll note that there are 3 screws for each of the hinges. These screws provide not only front to back adjustment but also up and down, and to a limited degree side to side (although this is not a parallel side to side adjustment) You've already done some adjustment so we need to back track a bit. First of all look at the general alignment of the hood, and here I'm referencing how the hood fits in the opening between the fenders and to the cowl. Don't look at flush with, but rather evenly spaced on each of the 3 sides. This is your first adjustment that needs to be made. Is the spacing to either side of the hood even with the other side? Is the space even from the top of the hood (closest to the windshield) to the bottom (by the sugar scoops)? How about at the cowl, is the space the same (approximately) as the side space? How does the bottom of the hood line up, as seen from the top, with the sugar scoops? If all those are "ok", and here is a subjective term, because if one side is at 3/8" and the other is 7/16" then it's up to you how anal you want to be as far as aligning it. Then again if one side is 1/2" and the other is barely 1/8", then it isn't in the opening properly and you could possibly have problems. Also with the overall fit. It could be that at the top you have 7/16" on both sides of the top of the hood and on both bottom sides you have 5/16", meaning that the opening tapers down by an 1/8". You can get in there and play with the fender mount, and do a LOT of work, but in reality it's going to be frustrating to get it to align PERFECTLY. Adjustment to the space between the hood and cowl is done by the back and forward placement of the hinges. Side to side is more complex and can involve spacers on one side or the other of the hinge bracket at the hood, or in extreme situations the hinge mount on the side fender. Uneven spacing along the sides of the hood generally shows up on BOTH sides of the hood at the same time, with one side showing the opposite of the other. i.e. the top is narrow on the right side while being too wide on the left top, AND the spacing is too wide on the bottom right and too narrow on the bottom left. If you have spacing differences on one side but NOT the other, then it's more than likely the fender on the uneven side as opposed to the hood. The main key here, the spacing around the hood's 3 sides (cowl and two fenders) should be approximately even. If it is, then you're properly aligned within the opening. Now we can move on to FLUSH. Flush involves looking at the fender and the hood surfaces and how they relate to one another. Let me forewarn you that you're not going to get them to line up exactly. If you'll note the fender has a slope TOWARDS the engine compartment while the hood has a slope towards the fender. What you need to do is level the hood with regards to the fender in such a manner as to not make it look like a STEP. Before you can align the hood to the fender and sugar scoop, make sure the sugar scoop outline is in fact aligned to the fender. I have seen Z's where the sugar scoop is actually out of line with regards to the fender, i.e. the scoops top edge "dives" down from the top edge of the fender. This is going to make it next to impossible to align the front (or bottom) of the hood to the sugar scoops, since it's top edge isn't in two separate pieces and it should be what you align your scoops to, and not the other way around. However, if the scoops are properly mounted then the generally profile of the fender / scoop should match the profile of the hood. Ok, presuming no problems with scoop to fender. If at the top of the hood (by the cowl) it is flush with the cowl and the top of the fenders and the inspection panels, then you're fine. If not, check the hood latch pin first. This is the MAIN component that will pull down the hood to the level it needs to be. Take note that the rubber bumper stops on the side of the cowl do in fact push on the hood, and you need to adjust them as well. What I do is to first lower the bump stops below the level I'm working to. Then using the hood latch I adjust the hood until it rides even with the cowl and the fenders, or the "best" fit I can. Then I adjust the bump stops UP to support the hood and not push up on the corners. Then moving down the hood. The edges should line up with the fenders all the way down to the sugar scoops. Your post says that at the front is where you're having a problem. Again presuming both sides. Open the hood, look at the hinge and note that you can adjust it front to back as mentioned before, or within a given range up and down as well as how and where it pivots. Sometimes the adjustment to get it lined up in front by the sugar scoops involves bringing the front edge of both hinges down a bit, while leaving the back edge of the hinges at the same height. This essentially shifts the pivot point (where the scissors cross) downwards and hence lowers just the front part of the hood while generally NOT moving the back edge of the hood down. (it will change it's angle slightly, but not a lot, as a lot is NOT required). You'll have to do both hinges evenly in order to align both sugarscoops. Loosen the back bolt just enough that it will alow the hinge bracket to shift, but not move freely. Then loosen the front bolts. Be careful here, it might involve closing the hood, reaching up and behind the grill in order to get to the hinge mounting bolts (that is NOT the ones that mount the hood to the hinge, but rather the ones that mount the hinge to the car). loosen them, carefully open the hood, push down gently until you can feel or see the front edge of the hinge shift, then tighten everything back up and check for fit. You'll do this several times until it finally does what you need / want it to. Now, you also have a small amount of adjustment on the hinge to hood mounting bolts, although this is usually a very small amount in relation to the hinge base adjustment. Hopefully this helped clarify it. (sorry for the length, but panel adjustment is somewhat of an art.) Enrique Scanlon

I don't know if I can. I'm not sure what it's caught on if it isn't still on the mechanism. You should be able to look at it and determine whether it's something caught between the spiral or if it is still attached at one of it's ends. Sorry, this is where you have to figure it out.

You've confirmed what I had deduced. Since the "early" dashes, meaning the ones with the fuse / ashtray cover combination had the cigar lighter mounted through that cover, it didn't make sense for Datsun to have place a SECOND lighter in the dash. Even though some dashes apparently got drilled for that, it just looked odd. Why have a lighter on the dash, and another one less than 18" away on the fuse box cover? The early console didn't have another opening other than the parking light switch hole for a fog lamp. This is probably why so many folks in the U.S. believe that the parking lamp switch opening is / was for a fog lamp switch. When I was told that that opening was for the fog lamp, I wondered why there would be two instances of the word "ON" directly above the switch. As I investigated that, is how I discovered, with the help of this site and another site and of course, you, that that was for the parking light switch. I've not yet run into an early fog lamp switch, although now that I look at the "later" style, I may have seen one in a boneyard and dismissed it (darn!). Ok, at least the early switch can be "fabricated", meaning that there are various toggle switches that match the basic look of the switch. Do you have any idea if the switch was illuminated? From the fact that the switch in the picture only has 2 terminals I would tend to doubt it, but stranger things have happened yet. Also, do you know what symbol it had engraved on the handle? The hazard switch has what appears to be a double triangle, one inside the other, so it stands to reason that the fog lamp switch would also have a symbol on the handle. Thank you again Alan, this has been extremely helpful. Now I can go out and see what I can do to manufacture, fabricate, or otherwise modify switches that I can find in order to at least have the correct appearance even though they won't be OEM parts. Enrique Scanlon

I have no excuse, I've been busy yes, but not so busy that I couldn't take the time. I've printed out the picture and have gone to several places trying to find something similar or ...... Yes, it was extremely helpful. Yes, I hope to find something. So, I apologize. Now, not as an excuse, but rather an explanation. The weather here in the Northwest portion of the United States, has just in the last few weeks started to turn towards winter. While the summer was great, and I had my car parked outside while I removed the interior, front fenders, hatch, wheels, and then proceeded to refurbish. Refurbishing means, sandblasted the floor pans, trunk area, inside the hatch, behind each front fender as well as the front frame members. Then using POR painted over all the aforementioned metal. Restored all of the Tar Paper sound deadening, and took it a step further. Due to the POR have had to tap just about EVERY nut or bolt hole that got POR on it. Repaired several bad areas of rust, as well as several areas where the paint job by the IPO didn't work well. Removed and repaired the "bondo special" job on my rear valance. Removed, repaired, POR'd the fuel tank as well as replacing all the fuel line vent hoses. Repaired / replaced all the rubber seals everywhere. Headlights, tail lights, side lights, interior lights, dash lights all checked and cleaned / changed / brought to life. New Carpet. Repaired / replaced seat mechanisms New Interior panels. And it is the last item that had held me up from putting the car away for the winter. Remember it rains for about 4 months straight here. That's where I began working on the console etc. and it started the round of questions that this is a part of. The weather the last few days has been excellent, and I just received what I thought were the last interior panels. Unfortunately, they're for a Series I 240 and not a Series II. Therefore the rear panels don't have the ventilation holes above the shock towers. Trying to get the car finalized and mothballed for winter is what kept me away from replying, as I wanted to thank you and reply with some pictures of my own. (that's been the major hold back) So, Alan, I once again humbly apologize. Your knowledge of the Z (Zed) is encyclopaedic and impressive. It is for that reason that I approached you with my queries. However, in an effort to put my baby away, I forgot my manners. Enrique Scanlon

I just have a few minutes to post, so I'll post the answers to your identify the parts picture. Clockwise starting top left. 1. Sheet Metal Nut, possibly from a speaker installation, or something that was due to grip the fiberboard panel. 2. Possibly part of the same spring that broke. By the way, without that spring the latch bolt just wobbles around in the assembly. You can get the spring replaced by finding another one, but it might be easiest to get a replacement from a junk yard. 3. Rubber Receptacle for the panel hold down clips. 4. Rubber Bumper that goes on the bottom of the door for the window pane at it's lowest point. This uses a clip identical to the ones for the panel to hold it in place on a small rise / bracket almost all the way to the back of the door. If you look on the bottom, right by the pivot point for the locking mechanism you should see where it goes. 5. Side Rear View Mirror Reinforcement bracket. This is simply a reinforcement for the door sheet metal for when you tighten down the nuts on the original mirror. Many after market mirrors use sheet metal screws, and when you drive them in they tend to dislocate this bracket. Hope this helps Enrique

You may think you're getting away, but trust me, you're hooked. For all the problems you may have had, and difficulties, I'll guarantee that that Subaru will not satisfy you. It is a sharp little car, and yes you'll enjoy it, but ....... Once you've had a Z you can never go back, why do you think Nissan re-issued it? I bid you Au Revoir, mon ami, and not Adieu.

His floorpans are the best, and although I haven't bought them myself, (no need), I've heard from dozens of folks who say the same. I was able to get my Chrome Headlight Covers from him when no one else was able to get them Regarding replacing the frame rails, don't go cutting metal out just because you may have heard there could be trouble there. First check them out, if you HAVE problems then address them, but if you're going to begin replacing metal just because it might have or might get rust, then just buy a new car. Many times there are repairs that can be made without having to replace all the metal. If your friend is knowledgeable have him look at it. All it might need is a reinforcement gusset that he can fabricate in his shop. 2¢

The ONLY difference you might note is that the 72 ~might~ have a small indent in the upper portion of the tank closest to the filler neck on the rear corner. This was the indent to accomodate the rear bumper shock absorber which began in either late 72 or early 73. 2¢

Since you've already replaced your OEM radio with a newer unit, it should have the automatic lead to power a fully automatic antenna. (Note: it's the radio that tells the antenna to go up or down) This is typically a separate blue wire lead from the rest of the wiring harness. (i.e. you'll have the two power wires and the speaker wire pairs all somewhat bundled or in the same connector, but the antenna lead will come out of the radio case by itself.) Personally, rather than trying to get an expensive OEM style or replacement antenna, I would go find a good aftermarket antenna, probably a fully automatic one, that closely resembles the original antenna. You'll probably spend a lot less, even if you were to buy the "top of the line", since an "expensive" aftermarket antenna here in the U.S. will be about $100, whereas the OEM antenna which I did buy (I'm using the original radio) cost me closer to $140. The original antenna used two wires with the chassis ground to either go up or down, MANUALLY via the switch above or to the side of the tuning knob. If you plan on using the original wiring to power the antenna keep this in mind as the newer antennas use two wires and it is the SWITCH that inverts the polarity of the current to actuate the motor in one direction or the other. Since you've already replaced the radio, it's not that much more work to run a pair of wires to the back of the car to power a newer style antenna which does NOT use chassis ground as one of it's "wires". Although you can use the original wiring, but you'll have to splice it into the harness behind the connector. Anyhow, hope this helps.

I hope this doesn't come off as too arrogant, but this is one of the BASIC things you MUST do with your Z. Remove the fuses, don't just visually check them, using some steel wool or a fiber glass contact cleaner clean the contacts. If possible replace the fuses or at least do a complete continuity check AND a physical integrity check i.e. twist the ends and make sure they don't fall off. This is the source of so many problems on the Z that it isn't funny. Dim Headlights, instrument lights not working, erratic performance, etc etc. Good Luck. By the way Brian, I'm only a few days away from having the Z back on the road.

Wick's book references it but no pictures or drawings given. The wiring schematic I have in several guises and that's how I was able to determine which wires both in front and inside the car to use to wire my fog lamps. Yes, I am using the original wiring, and I've put my fog lamp switch where the two switch parking light switch goes in the console. I'll be posting pictures soon. So far, I've gotten pictures of what the Parking Light Switch on the console should look like, but no one, as yet has had a picture or description of the Fog Lamp Switch. I'm still hoping. Your point on Charlie is very good, he just may have one. I'll also check out the website you posted. Thanks! Enrique Scanlon

That forward console cover is considered 72 and later here in the U.S., although some late 71's had the panel. The console that accepts this forward piece has the ash-tray located in the receiving cup for the choke / throttle assy in the early 71 and prior. The late 71's and forward did not have the hand throttle cable, and the choke cable was different. Again, this is for U.S. models, other countries probably differed from what I'm stating here. Thanks for the input. This is the best part of having people from all over the world. We've had input from the U.K., Australia, and the U.S.. What about some of our European Continent or Latin American members? Anyone from the Far East? Thanks guys!

You can get a pretty comprehensive kit from Sears that has both Metric and Standard socket sets in 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch sizes. Both shallow and deep all in 6 point. About $120.00 Screwdrivers: Again Sears has a good set with most of the sizes in both Phillips and Straight. About $30.00 A good set of pliers; needlenose, regular, pipe (I maybe have the wrong name here). Wire cutters and Dykes. Vise Grips, 9" and 6" both in standard version and needlenose in the 6". Clamps, I like the various sizes of the QuickGrip line. Get at least 2 each of the smaller two sizes. Small Mag-Lite flashlight; a head light will also work. Safety glasses! or at least a Face Shield. Dust Masks! A 3.5 ton jack is sufficient. You can get a high reach or fast lift or heavier base, but there is a small compact unit at Sears with a case for about $80.00 TWO sets of Jack Stands. Trust me you'll find more times you want to lift all four corners of the car than you think. You can get the spendy ones at Sears or go to Harbor Freight Tools and pick up a pair for about $15.00 A good set of Metric Tap and Dies. Again, Sears has a spendy one, and yes they are the better harder sharper steel, but the cost is VERY high, usually starting at $90.00 for a basic set. Harbor Freight has a good 40 piece Metric set for about $25.00 It has almost all the sizes you need and the right pitches. Remember it's not only the size, it's also the pitch of the thread. A Dremel 395 Pro set. Just about any one of the packaged sets they offer. About $60.00 to $95.00 I prefer the 395 because it's variable speed up to 30k rpm, the digital one is nice, but the speeds are fixed and for the extra money they want.....I don't think it's worth it, about $120.00 Get the one with the most bits and pieces you can get. While you're at it, get several of the wire brushes, not only the cup, but also the wheel and the tip. A creeper, you'll be spending plenty of time under the car. You can get a real basic one from about $15.00 (on sale) to a real fancy one (about $150.00) with extra low pan, large wheels and an adjustable headrest. You decide. A Magnetic pick up tool. A three prong finger pick up tool. (the one you press, it expands three "fingers" they go around the item, then you release and it grips it.) Two or three different inspection mirrors, in different sizes. A set of padded knee pads. A gallon of Orange GoJo. A bundle or two of shop rags. A greasy rag can, so you can dump your dirty ones into and reduce the chance of fire. If you are careful you can usually wash your rags with lots of detergent, bleach and degreaser and they'll come out clean, although maybe stained. There, I've given you what I consider to be the basics. Granted I don't get into the grease mechanics, I'm an old body man, so check what the guys who get into engine work as well. Good Luck.

First off, loose your ballast resistor. Join the wires going to it. All that does is allow the engine to have 12v all the time instead of just when starting. That may do it. If you had already done that, then check to make sure that the black white wires going to the coil (which feed the dizzy) are NOT reversed. If they are, the dizzy won't work although the car will start and run. 2¢

I have the microfiche from here and it's a copy of the actual micrifiche. I also have a true blue microfiche. Neither one shows the items. Thanks though.

You can get new ones from Andy Russell (The Datsun Dude). E-Mail is z@datsundude.com Phone is 480-343-2962 Used ones are available, but usually for the time and effort you expend in cleaning them up and refurbishing them, it's sometimes cheaper to get a new one.

I went to an old harness I have in the garage. Sorry it took me so long to post back. Ok, the white / red wire has another wire connected to it about 9" up from the fuse box. This wire rounds out the connection to the ammeter and ignition. I guess, technically, it's superfluous but in my opinion you should restore it as well. The wire that connects to it connects to the other half of the wiring harness that connects to the fuse box. Let me explain, as that may seem muddled. The back of the dash actually has 2 complete wiring harnesses that connect everything together. They interconnect at several places, most notably the ignition switch and the fuse box area. The white / red wire connects to the engine harness at two points via each of the two harnesses. One with a stand alone single wire connection and another on the other harness as part of a 6 wire connector. The T connection at the fuse box area connects the two harnesses together. Hope this explains it.

Do you have the item number? Maybe I can download and blow up the picture to see if it shows the switch. Thanks