EScanlon

Not in the US as far as I know. They may be off a 260, which AFAIK is the first model with the 2+2 variation. You might give Alan T. (HS30-H) a PM and ask. E

biddljj: It's getting juice when the starter is engaged but not when you release the starter relay. You have the Black/White wire at the coil reversed with the Green/White on the resistor. Is the tach plugged in? The juice to the coil goes through the tach during both start and run. If you have it looped out, and only the G/W wire to the coil, when you release the key, the car is no longer feeding juice through the G/W. You need the B/W to the coil also in order to bypass the tach. HTH E

I agree with FastWoman. Forget about the unfairness of the law, and how it seems to be singling you out by your Step-Father or not. (You may want to consider finding your own place, but that's none of my business.) You can spend the time and money to fight it ... LATER... or you can lose the car now trying to assert your "rights". As mentioned, you need Air, Spark and Gas. Those and a motor that can combine them. Check to make sure you have those and then you can adress getting it moved. FWIW E

As a point of interest, I recently had to open up the door to re-connect a misbehaving door latch rod to the latch mechanism itself. (I'll make note of the problem /fix later.) I removed the door panel, and examined the back of it. I didn't take pictures, but there were no water damage spots or discoloration on it's backside. The Shower Curtain Liner I used... about 7 or so years ago (I redid my interior in 2002), is still pliant and working well... and I still had enough material left over to do the doors on the 67 Roadster... with STILL enough material to do the next Z or Roadster coming. Can't beat that for $3. This is the second time in 7 years that this rod has disconnected itself making it impossible to open the door with the interior door handle. Having to roll the window down to use the exterior handle just looks too jerry-rigged for my taste, so I had accessed the door mechanism before. Accessing it this time only involved removing the bits of duct tape I had used to reseal the liner. When I needed to access the interior of the door the first time, I simply used a small razor blade to slit the liner and fold up a section large enough for me to stick my hand in and still see what I was doing. When I finished, I laid the liner back down and used duct tape to re-seal the opening. The offending rod is the type that has an "acorn" style tip on the end of the angled end that inserts into a plastic sleeve that locks it into place after you rotate the plastic's "grip" over the rod. In my car's case, the plastic sleeve has deteriorated to the point where it doesn't lock the acorn tip, and the "arm" that locks the rod has torn off. I used a small zip-tie that when doubled over so that it resembles a Mobius strip, (kind of looks like a figure "8" made with ribbon) allowed me to grab the 90° bend and the straight part of the rod on the other side of the latch's arm and tighten the whole thing down. It's somewhat of a temporary fix, but having done this before on other cars, I know it is good enough to last. FWIW E

From what you post, you may have the original ALKYD ENAMEL paint which has started to chalk up. That you are "removing paint", is more than likely oxidized paint from the top layers that is being removed by your rubbing and yes, exacerbated by the Goof Off, Goo Gone, and Tar and Sap remover. If you were to use a "restorative" wax product, you'd find the same results but you would likely at least have some shine left. Just supposing, you might also be dealing with old oxidized Lacquer or one of the other enamel configurations. E

I voted for the first "Posting to insult or anger instead of to share Z info" as that, to me, is the obvious answer. But the other answers; Posting misinformation as fact. Posting USA based 240Z info without labeling it as such. Posting USA info as the only facts in the S30 information base. Posting a known defenseless position. Could be manipulated to BE rude. It all depends on the overall context of the post. I could cite or make individual examples but hopefully that's not necessary. Sorry if this makes the poll a bit awkward as that isn't my intent. Sadly this state of unrest and disagreement seems to rear it's head every so often... what periodicity it has I cannot fathom, but it does reoccur. Civility is hard to define specifically, but I know it when it's missing. I also have seen people cry out that it's missing, when it has been applied lavishly. 2¢ E

OUCH! Have you tried some Mineral Spirits? Denatured Alcohol? Goof-off? Tar and Grease remover? All of those will probably remove any wax or protective finish, but they are better than adhesive. DON'T use a heat gun. You may literally "burn" in the adhesive's solvent into your paint. FWIW E

First instance with a tire: A few years ago, on the way to a Dentist appointment, my car had a little of what seemed to be a slight wheel inbalance. Just a bit of vibration at slower speeds that seemed to go away at higher speeds. Driving along on I-205 at about 60mph or so, I heard a loud BANG... followed by my left rear tire passing me and proceeding down the road. I quickly slammed on my brakes and was able to keep the back end up enough that only in the last 30 feet or so did the brake drum hit the ground. No body damage thankfully, but I did have to be towed home as I had lost ALL the lug nuts and wasn't sure that I hadn't damaged the axle, brake etc. Figured it was safer to be towed home and fix there than swiping one each from the remaining wheels. Problem turned out to be a bad u-joint on the half shaft that finally vibrated the heck out of the wheel and caused the lug nuts to fly off. Second instance with a tire: On my way to the Blue Lake 2009 car show in my 67 Roadster with my wife, as I approached the Stop sign just down the road from me (bottom of my street hill has a Yield), I pressed the brake and it gave off a loud BANG! Pressed on the brake again, steering wheel lurches viciously to the right and the left front tire continues on down the street plowing through a neighbor's flower garden. (It missed the flowers but left a single tire track, which I'm sure caused that neighbor to think... WTF?) Good thing I don't normally drive with my fingers inserted into the holes on the spokes of the steering wheel, or I might have broken a finger. Car was only going 5-10mph at the time, and I was talking to another Roadster owner I was due to meet with on the cell phone. When I commented that I had just lost a wheel and was grinding to a stop, he calmly asked if we were ok. We were, and I mentioned that I probably wasn't going to make it on time and gave him directions on how to get to the show. Retrieved the wheel, checked the knock-off spline, saw that the threads had been bunged up a bit, but was able to mount the wheel and limp home at a slow speed. Removed the wheel, dressed the threads, straightened the brake shield while my wife cleaned the tire and removed the dirt scuff marks and then replaced everything. Left for the show about 40 minutes after it happened (changed clothes) and took Best Roadster at the show. Best guess as to what went wrong, is that the knock off wheel had gotten aligned tooth on tooth when I had remounted them the day before and tightened them down. Then when I slowed for the yield, and followed it up with the stop, the wheel then lined up properly and slammed into it's groove which allowed the knock-off to have about 1/4" of play... when I braked.... ZING...off it came. So I can honestly say that I've lost tires in both the Z and the Roadster. A second incident with the Z was at the 2008 Canby show. Just as I arrived at the entrance to the show, and was in the process of paying the entry fee, the car died. Asked my wife if she had shut it off (sometimes the echo of the exhaust can make it hard to hear at drive-up windows), she had not. Tried to start the car.... and nothing. Luckily Arne had a spare E12-80 module and after replacing it, everything was up and running. Thanks again Arne. Interestingly, nobody had a screwdriver and we had to make do with the spade connector from some left over wiring that Beandip had. Those are mine. E

Following up on a cross-thread in FrankensteinZ's travel-ogue, I propose this thread. Post your stories of what and how your Zed has left you stranded. Humorous stories are fine, as well as gut wrenching ones. The ideal story should, hopefully, have a "I drove it home" finale, but I think you get the drift. Dinner just got here, so I'll post mine later. There were a couple of previous posts in the originating thread, and I'll let them have first post honors. I will say however, that I'm probably the ONLY person to have had wheels come off two different cars, with minor to no damage. One I was towed home, and the other I drove it home. In the second instance, I drove it to a car show only 45 minutes later and took Best in my class! E

There's a similar thread to this on 311s.org -- Has your Roadster ever left you stranded?. While the thread title correctly asks for "stock", that has gone by the way side. Rather than hijack, can I suggest that those that have posted, do a copy to a new thread I'm starting. E

To all; Let's not get this thread closed down. Nor do we wish to censor it, which is abhorrent to us all. There are very valid points on all sides.... and I'm proposing that we not renew nor rehash discussions simply to berate points. Personal opinions, viewpoints and learned information, are welcome as thread content, as long as they don't target individuals. Spirited discussion will always have bits and pieces that, when viewed to the exclusion of the rest of the conversation, can appear argumentative and insulting. When you find that you've been "offended" by something, rather than make a public call to arms, may I suggest that you use the PM to vent/discuss with the party what you have a "bone" to pick about. There are MANY times that all of us have transgressed that and made the mistake of posting it publicly; myself included. Sometimes the "offense" can be as simple as misunderstood concepts, or not having read the complete thread, or simply different cultural backgrounds. This thread is, hopefully, an opportunity for all of us to learn about the many different world markets that the Z was involved in, as well as the differences that Nissan/Datsun offered therein. If it helps, think of the main vein of this thread as being a spirited discussion of what came first, the chicken or the egg; or if you will, whether the Z's original design had a target market or if the proposed marketability of the design in specific markets influenced it's design. E

Have you checked for a rock or a screw or some other object in the tire tread? That may seem too obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you DO hear it at low speeds, only to NOT hear it at higher speeds. Worth a check. E

Steve, I think your experiment was worthy of note. I like it as well, and don't think a "Z" like the one in the center of the forum's logo would look out of place. Chris; You hit the concept of the stripes right on the head. Done properly it will set your car off from the rest. Not saying the others don't look good, they do, but those extra "lines" can be an added highlight... or if done improperly, garish additions. Stripes can either highlight, accent, or soften body lines/panels. Ever looked at the stripes on a Black Pearl? How about a ZZZapp? Better yet, look at the whole paint scheme on an Anniversary Edition. Back in the 70's some folks blacked out the lower portion of the rocker panels... to make the car appear lower. Some tried the Torino Stripe package famous from Starsky and Hutch. Others accented the "nose" bulge on the hood, some with subtle pinstripes others by completely painting it in a different shade/color from the rest of the car. ALL of those techniques were to make the car .... unique... to it's owner. While there are examples of "EXCELLENT", there are also examples of "WTF?". Not everybody has the artistic "eye" to execute it properly... that's why it stands out... and also why it can be disastrous. You need to be able to "step back" and examine your project critically... while keeping your vision focused. FWIW E

Wear dark clothing when you're near your dash. Seriously, if your UK boot polish is anything like the boot polish I remember from my Air Force (US) days, there's a bunch of wax and other petroleum distillates in it. As such, when it gets HOT, as black tends to do, it will get soft (unless it is an extremely thin film) and smudge anything that comes near it. As an alternative, don't use anything with Silicone in it. Here in the US we have Armor All, which DOES have Silicone Oil in it. Armor All unless it is used.... religiously, that is, on a very strict and fixed schedule, is NOT good for vinyl. There will be those who swear by it... I used to myself. The problem isn't WHILE you are using it.... it's when you don't do it for some time. Kind of like Heroin... you think everything is psychedelic and cool... until you go cold turkey. Then the problems creep in, cracks, shrinking, discoloration, chalkiness... need I go further? I've been using several products to try to ascertain the one that gives the best result, and while results vary, others have their choices as well. That we're on different sides of the "pond" (and I'm on the "left" side of the US as well ...on the map not politically), makes it difficult to recommend one product over another. Turtle Wax used to sell a product called Clear Guard. Excellent stuff, lasted forever... they took it off the market... poor sales, the product was too good. Clear Guard left a nice matte shine that repelled dust, lint and lasted for MONTHS. POR-15 sells one called Boss Gloss... again very nice, but don't put it on anything you don't want to be extremely slippery... seats, steering wheels, rubber foot pads, you get the idea. Doesn't last very long, but it gives an outstanding shine... but it IS shiny, and IMO seems to catch small dust particles easily. Protectant 302 is purported as SPF 30 for vinyl. I bought it at a shop that sells Hot Tubs, Vinyl Pools and the like. What I've seen I've liked. Lasts a good time, and you usually find yourself re-applying because it looks good and not because it's faded away (except for seats which are being wiped down with your clothing... no stains or problems there either). Meguia's Leather and Vinyl Protectant is also an easy to apply and use product. I've used this on the Roadster's vinyl top with good results and haven't found a need to switch, it's also relatively inexpensive compared to the other ones. Biggest drawback seems to be that after a week or so, it tends to "evaporate" and leave a non-shiny surface which will show you how evenly you did or did not apply it. Mother's also has a Leather and Vinyl product, but I have not tried it yet. Others will no doubt chime in with their preferences and why. But to clean off your dash board, use some Mineral Spirits (oil-based paint thinner) NOT Lacquer Thinner (that would dry out the vinyl), then use a soft spray on degreaser like Simple Green, or the like to remove the last of the oily residue. Apply your vinyl cleaner/conditioner and you should have a nice finish. FWIW E

What has the temp/humidity status been recently? It may not be your battery. You may have also made enough contact on the terminal that it's completed an intermitent circuit. But, when you say: "Just click and nothing" do you mean the starter doesn't engage AT ALL, or that all you hear inside the car is one click. And if one click, not of the starter but ONLY the relay on the starter. If so, it may be your Ignition Switch, the actual electrical portion of the Ignition Key LOCK. Sometimes these will slip in the metal holder just a tad, but enough for the contact inside the switch to make only a PARTIAL contact, and you'll get sparks inside the switch, but not a positive contact.... resulting in no current to the starter relay/motor. Worth checking. E

Fog Lamp Switch Connector. See: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23465 E

Tim, don't be dissuaded because some don't like it. Heck, there are probably dozens of their ideas that would be equally revolting to others. Customization has always been a touchy subject. One man's art is another's trash. The most important part, is how YOU feel about it. Play with the idea, it may not be a direct copy of the Mopar stripe but if that's your starting point... who cares? Especially if the end product is appealing. The BRE stripe -side to side at an angle , the GT stripe - end to end, the lower door stripe with the thinner edge stripes with your model number on it, the offset GT, all of those began as an idea derived from someone's imagination. I'll bet that there were dozens of curmudgeons putting down those ideas when asked. Nobody wants to be the lone monkey out on a limb, which is why we ask what people would think. But most of those people you ask probably can't imagine it and therefore put it down. If you have the vision, and can imagine the outcome... give it a shot. So try it, change it, modify it, re-invent it... until YOU find one that "flows" from your imagination. Worst case scenario.... YOU don't like it. Simple fix.. you remove it. Best case scenario... you find that those same curmudgeons suddenly grudgingly approve of your stripes. Try not to rub it in too hard. My 2¢ E

Starting the car may not be an issue, but were you planning on driving it home? That may have been a bit over optimistic, but not necessarily impossible. Could be as simple as needing a fully charged battery, a fuel filter change, a fuel pump that needs rebuilding or changing, etc.. So don't give up on it yet. FWIW E

I would FIRST remove the tar-mat on both floor sections BEFORE deciding you need to replace the floors. The pictures you posted show the original tar-mat still in place and it's hard to "diagnose" properly. What appears to be "serious rust" may not be. It may be some nasty surface rust, but if the floor metal has not rusted THROUGH, then you may be able to effect some simple restoration techniques and save yourself some money. To remove the tar-mat easily, use some dry-ice to freeze it, then with a rubber mallet you can give the floor a good whack and it will shatter. (By the way, you can then straighten out that dent on the driver's side.) Once the tar-mat is gone and you've exposed the metal, check for rust through with a lamp light UNDER the car, to see if you see any pinpoints of light. If you DO see PIN points, but not HOLES, then you may be able to simply use some POR, or some other rust-encapsulating product to get you by. If on the other hand, you see ground, and forget about needing a light, then you need to at a minimum, patch the floor with new metal, or opt to replace the complete pan. Give Charlie Osborne at Zedd Findings an e-mail and ask, he may very well have what you want. He's in Canada, but he's familiar with shipping to Australia. FWIW E

Check: Fuses Grounds at the Steering Column and front end. Combination Switch. All of these themes have been covered in the past. Do a Search and you'll be flooded with info, way too much to try to trim it down without you putting in more information. E

This thread isn't a request for help. It should be in the "Getting Help With Your Z" forum, but while it IS of a giving help nature, you may want to give MIKE a PM about it. Review the Non-Commercial Posting Rules: Don't take this as a put-down or anything, we do have those who routinely choose to blatantly ignore this and have "help" threads that are blatant self-promoting advertisements. Glad you found a solution. E

What was the LAST thing you had done/ did before this problem started happening? Start there, your answer may be as simple as a reversed wire. E

Algunos van a decir que el aileron que tienes (le llaman cola de ballena = whale tail) se ve desbalanceado para el auto. Ellos preferirian ver el modelo mas chico. Lo mas importante es que TU estes comodo como se ve el coche. Si a ti te gusta, no debe importarte lo que digan los demas. Si lo quieres ver un poco mas "stock", ponle el chico. Enrique

Ahhh... English terms and Yank terms. I know "wings" = "fenders", but am at a loss to for "legs". Unless you're referring to an old ZZTop song, in which case I'd suppose you're referring to the tires (tyres?). I'm not trying to be offensive, but could you elucidate on "legs", that being the term that has me at a loss. In very broad general terms, measure between key alignment points, measure and compare to the FSM (Factory Shop Manual) dimension sheet... you may have to do some basic number crunching, and clamp, support and otherwise rig up a frame to hold it all together before you do your first spot weld to hold in position. Then once you've done enough of these to hold the pieces in position, re-measure and adjust if necessary. With your experience as an armourer, you know that it only takes a gnat's width to cause problems. Hope this helps. E

Bug. E