EScanlon

David, the process you cite is what gets used for HARD plastic "chroming" and not the vinyl strip on the doors. Vinyl striping with this type of "coating" usually gets it's film covering applied immediately after the vinyl tubing has been extruded. The door panel vinyl strip is therefore, already "chromed" on it's surface before it gets welded (possibly Ultra High Radio Frequency weld as that doesn't involve a hot press) to the base vinyl and hardboard. This is done with a large machine that presses down on the vinyl strip and the vinyl covered hardboard and "zaps" it into place. Look at your door panel and you'll note a distinctive weld flange at the junction between the door panel vinyl and the tubing. The vinyl strip can lose the "chrome" film for a number of reasons. Most commonly due to the heat expansion and cold contraction differences between the vinyl tubing and the film.... minute, but present. Add to that the subtle differences in the adhesive coating on the film as the tubing and film were mated and you have the future potential for them to separate. The film is THIN... thin enough to resemble a decal, which it basically is. Once the film separates ... anywhere... it starts peeling. The difference in the strength of the adhesive (after 30+ years) and the film's strength is what keeps part of it from peeling, while other areas don't. While the typical tubing on the door panels after the chrome film peels off is a nice semi-transparent blue, I have seen pale amber and even a "green" tint. The repair or replacement of that vinyl chorme strip depends on it's condition. I have been able to re-film the strip with what I consider acceptable results. The link I gave above shows panels 3+ years AFTER they were re-installed on the car. The car, while not the exclusive Daily Driver, is the preferred vehicle of choice by the owner of that car. As a result it has seen sufficient traffic to "pass" a "beta" test. The problem in offering this "service" is in the shipping both to and from. However, with "used" panels at $185 each (making it $370 for a pair), it might be an alternative. Especially if your door panels are in good shape and acceptable ... except for the chrome vinyl strip. FWIW E P.S. The process I use also allows for "custom" color matching to an extent. Meaning, you pick the color from a color sheet. Colors can be metallic, pearlescent, and all one tone.

http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=3479 Problem is the shipping to and from. That's why it never got priced. FWIW E

I know that's the case with the Sports (aka Roadster). One spring is not only a different length but also a different tension. The concept being that it takes higher rpm's to extend the longer and heavier spring and changes the advance curve accordingly. Don't know if that is the case for the 240, but it may be so. You might also check the vacuum advance mechanism, as those little ball bearings have a tendency to pop out of the plastic holder. FWIW E

And the type of soundproofing, if any, you have done to the car. See Zs-Ondabrain's gallery for what he's done. (Some of his pics are in this Gallery Link: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=3407 HTH E

Tarmac: The "good advice" may be your intent, and that is what I'm counting on. The problem is that the "fraudguides" advice misrepresents itself. They are NOT Craigslist and unless it's posted elsewhere on their site, I could not see where they are or are not affiliated with Craigslist in any manner, fashion or form. As a result, their comments about what Craigslist does and does not recommend are opinion, which is further exacerbated by your posting it without reference to them. Even Craigslist's comment regarding anyone asking you to wire funds being a scammer.... how's that? I'm sure the Western Union, Moneygram and others might find that just a tad bit libelous. It may hold true that a lot of scammers request a wire transfer, but not that anyone asking you to wire funds is a scammer. I've not only wired funds via Western Union, but have also requested funds be returned the same way... but the circumstances were different. I'm sure that Craigslist is not inferring that I am a scammer, but that statement does not exclude me. Wire transfers, money orders, cashier's checks are typically one way transfers. Once you've handed them over there is little recourse you as the payer have. Which is why RECEIVING money from someone via a wire transfer does not necessarily a scam make. Most institutions selling any of these instruments will generally NOT accept a credit card for payment. As to why someone would buy something sight unseen... geez, that's a can of worms by itself. FWIW E

That may be so, but the term "paranoia" deals specifically with delusions of persecution to the point of irrationality. If you have a basis for making such assertions, then your comment might be valid, but without such a basis, it is exactly that... an argumentative comment more commonly known as a "flame". If you or anyone you know has travelled to Mexico City, then you're familiar with the posted warnings by the U.S. Embassy regarding where, when, how, and what to avoid in Mexico City. Those warnings aren't there for S&G, they're real. Those warnings are because of the incidents that HAVE happened. The U.S. Embassy also puts out a pamphlet to residents of Mexico City regarding what and how to procure services while not exposing one's home to risk. If you have not travelled to the D.F., then your comment is based on ... what? It isn't based on first hand knowledge. Sometimes a snide remark causes you to be hoisted by your own petard. 2¢ E

Take note that the "eyeball" vents and the center vent (just below the 3 gages) will NEVER blow warm air (unless it's warm outside). They're strictly for fresh air. Heated air flows ONLY to the Defrost vents under the windshield, OR to the side door gates to either side of the heater plenum. That you are stating you are getting warm air out of the vents implies that the valve inside the heater plenum box has possibly lost the piece of vinyl that "seals" the opening to the fresh air vents. FWIW E

Hey David, that's right! He might also be able to head down by the Torre Latinoamericana and check out the side streets back there. If he couldn't find it there.... he wouldn't be looking. Maybe Unkle can have a good time in the Zona Rosa, then he can chortle about paranoia.... or better yet the zone on the opposite side of Ave. Insurgentes just towards Reforma of the Insurgentes Metro Station, or by the Angel.... after dark! It isn't paranoia if the threat actually DOES exist. E

The kind of help that can/would arrive makes some people living in Mexico City very -- VERY careful as to whom they invite to their home. Let alone one that will have a copy of the main key for the car. I'm not saying that ALL of the locksmiths that do make house calls in Mexico City are shady, just that some of those "locksmiths" who make house calls are looking for more than your lock to open. While in the US we tend to take it for granted that anyone in business is trustworthy, in Mexico you learn soon enough that even those that are supposedly trustworthy are not. In the past few years/decade there has been an incredible number of adult kidnappings of wealthy or well-to-do residents of Mexico, for money. Unfortunately, both paid for and not paid for, your chances of making it ... aren't very good. This is why if I were still living in the D.F., I'd remove the lock and then go to the best locksmith in the city... and pay cash. Just MY 2¢ E

Tarmac Don't know where you obtained the information in your post #9 above. There are items in there that just don't ring true. RECEIVING money via wire transfer, which is what Mike mentions the seller receiving are warned about.... How's that? If the money being SENT via a wire transfer is unrecoverable and advised against, how is it that when you RECEIVE the money it becomes recoverable? I checked Craigslist's page regarding Scams; http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams and only some of what you posted in #9 is repeated there. Some of it appears to be someone's interpretation of what and how and not a post by someone AT Craigslist. Look at the paragraph that details: The following paragraph also mentions the writer's misgivings followed with a paragraph that begins with: So which is it? Is this advice a copy from a page on Craigslist BY Craigslist or is it an editorialized version of something compiled by you or others? If it is FROM Craigslist, would you post the URL as it would be interesting to read, and bluntly rebuke, some of their findings. If on the other hand, you're copying from someone's editorial... well... wouldn't posting it AS IF IT WERE from Craigslist.... be kind of a scam? Don't take offense, as none is meant, but there is a HUGE difference between posting what a company posts as a company and what others interpret and/or editorialize about their post. Posting it as "advice".... well that kind of tips the bucket. There ARE a number of reasons to be careful in any kind of monetarial transaction that begins between strangers, but to presume evil intent BEFORE it begins, well that strikes me as paranoia. My 2¢ E

David is spot on. When I lived in Mexico City, and later when I traveled there on business, it wouldn't be unusual to spend as much as 2 to 3 HOURS driving from one section of the city to another.... one way. Depending on the time of day, and where you were headed... it can cause a business trip to really get weird as far as itineraries. The public transport system (subway) is sometimes the only fast way to get across town. However, sometimes that isn't the best way to go. Buses, taxis, are about the only way then. Then you get into the "Be careful of..." notices for American travellers in the lobby of your hotel, that alone can make your travel partners very very leary of commuting. But Gil, the methods of removal mentioned are the best way to go. Either cut a notch into the screwhead so you can use a flat blade screwdriver, or hit it at an angle with a pin-punch to get it moving. E

You've definitely done some research, and I can understand why some of this gets confusing and even duplicitous. I'll do my darndest to boil it down to smaller chunks. Don't worry about the flames, they'll probably be directed at me, but that's ok. === If you've already treated with Ospho, in my opinion Metal Ready won't be adding much to the mix. Both Ospho and Metal Ready are acid baths that etch the metal and leave a surface preparation to help prevent further rust and promote primer or POR adhesion. They should be the last step before applying POR or Epoxy Primer. Some folks even abide by the adage that Epoxy Primer does it's own "etch" and therefore does not need a prior metal prep. Doing Ospho or Metal Ready before Epoxy Primer wouldn't necessarily be "over-kill", but doing both would be. In your case you did some sanding between. Anytime you "break" that prior surface finish a touch-up or re-coat is not a bad idea, and in this case since you did do some sanding, recommended. === Painting POR on the underside of the fenders is an excellent idea as that will help avoid and hold off rust from forming there. That is what I've done to my cars. If you wanted to further protect the POR from rock chips etc, a good tar based undercoating will help eliminate any "chips" (as unlikely as that may be) from happening to the POR. Using POR, you don't need to top coat it both with Tie Coat and then with Epoxy Primer. The Tie-Coat primer allows you to top coat (paint) directly. When using it on the underside, you could coat the POR with the undercoating without using the Tie-Coat primer at all. === As far as using POR on the EXTERIOR... in my opinion it wouldn't be worth the expense, in labor, time or money, for the small benefit gained. As good as POR's self-levelling and rust protection properties are, I don't think they're good enough for an exterior finish. IMO, it would take way too much time AFTERWARDS to smooth the final base BEFORE you could apply your color. The rust protection qualities are good, but the EXTRA work involved, (not to mention the curing time), IMO make this prohibitive. If you absolutely insisted on using POR on the exterior, the surface prep for POR is sufficient for the POR to apply directly to the metal, and the Tie Coat primer then allows you to "prime" over the POR for top-coating with your choice of top coat. There is also enough fill material in the Tie-Coat to allow you to block or wet sand it. There is also another version of the Tie-Coat that does not have any fill material. It should be noted though, that since both POR and Tie-Coat are quite thick, it is almost impossible to spray them. As a result, you end up brushing them on. This is where the problem of using the POR as an exterior rust treatment begins. POR by itself is extremely difficult to sand. Tie-Coat Primer is very easy, but it can take a day or so to cure, depending on how thick it is applied (remember, it gets brushed on). Then even after "curing" it can stay "soft" for another few days or so, all depending on humidity, temperature and how thick it was applied. To me all that extra "juggling" of variables is too problematic. A proper application of Epoxy, Fill and Top-Coat of standard paints will protect the exterior metal well enough. The rust protection that the POR would provide for the rock-chips that will inevitably happen isn't enough to off-set the additional work now and also when the rock chip would be repaired. ===== Epoxy primer is primarily for use onto bare metal and generally has little or no "fill" capabilities. You can also use the Epoxy as a "sealer" (i.e. over prior paint, bondo or primer) as long as the surface has been properly prepared to accept it. That is, either scuffed / sanded or degreased / etched. Follow the Epoxy with your choice of Fill primer (i.e. Light or High Fill) to build up the surface with enough material that you can then wet-sand it or block sand it smooth. Depending on how smooth your car's sheet metal is, you can shoot it with light fill primer, mist-coat it with a different color of primer and sand off the mist-coat. Once you've sanded evenly you will have removed all of the mist-coat and you should be ready for color, or, my preference, a final coat of epoxy primer (remember it's low to non-fill property?), then to final color. (Don't forget to keep within the no-sand time-frame for the epoxy primer.) If on the other hand you know you DO have some bodywork to do, then you get to choose between the two "thoughts" on the matter, that is, whether to epoxy prime and then apply your filler (bondo) or apply the filler directly to the metal after proper scratch-grinding the surface. I personally do a complete scratch-grind and then apply the bondo. Granted, the bondo is pressured into the scratches very hard to eliminate any air after ensuring there are no cracks or holes in the metal. (Bondo IS porous! Don't use drill holes to "improve" adhesion... those spell guaranteed rust.) After the bodywork is done, I top it with some medium fill primer and wet-sand it smooth before a final coat of Epoxy primer followed by final paint. (I'm using Epoxy Primer as a Sealer. Sometimes your final paint can call for a specific Sealer as a base coat, check the label.) This gives you the BEST possible finish, for the best possible "fall-back" scenario. The "Fall-Back" scenario allows you to "retreat" a small step, before pressing forward again. === A final note on using chemical paint removers: Aircraft Remover, Paint-Stripper, Kleen-Strip, to name a few; all use various forms of paint solvents and emulsifiers. Some of these can inflict serious chemical burns on unprotected skin and EVEN ON PROTECTED SKIN if it soaks through your clothes. (I won't say how I know, other than keep your arms, sleeves, shirts and pants-front away from this stuff.) There is also the additional problem of re-activating the stripper hours, even DAYS later and not being aware of it, except that now it's underneath your fresh epoxy primer. So, make sure you completely rinse, and neutralize the stuff. In your case you've Ospho'd and Metal Ready (and rinsed after each of those) already, you should be fine. The extra note is for future readers. This ended up being long... so flame away... HTH E

That's the beauty of having the glass company install it. If they break it, since your contract calls for an installed windshield, they get to find another one. Sometimes you can still contract with a glass installer and you supply the glass and for their fee they'll guarantee the install... sometimes even that they won't break the glass. As far as the transmission tunnel padding... Jute was what was commonly available. But aside from it's thermal insulation quality it also provided a bit of STC (Sound Transmission Coefficient) as well as the obvious NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient). Add to that that it was a lot easier to rest your leg on it than bare vinyl covered steel. I've not used closed cell foam for thermal insulation, but I have for weatherproofing. I don't know if I would use closed cell for thermal, but that's my opinion. I may be thinking of the wrong type of foam. It IS possible to install the glass yourself, but having a pro do it for a small fee... FWIW E

If you look at the picture he posted, blow it up to about 200% and you can just make out the top edge of the Choke Lever slot (the smooth area that's molded in). IIRC, aside from Carl's note of the molded in brace, that helps define that that console is NOT a series I. FWIW E

Nice to learn about the trimmer screw! E

There should be FOUR cables. Two to the left side of the heater plenum to control A) Fresh Air or Heated Air Room or Defrot The two on the right side, A) one goes to the plenum to control the Water Valve goes to the Fresh Air Vent to open or close it. For the most part, the cable sheaths should be stiff enough that once routed to their destination you shouldn't need anything to hold them up or in place. FWIW E

It wasn't a write-up as much as a reply to a question. Are these the ones you're referring to? http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24649 http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19467 E

Ron; You're correct about "trimming" the antenna, but I don't recall if there is an antenna trim screw on the OEM radio and the schematic / owner's manual doesn't say anything about it. The way I "trim" my antenna is to raise or lower the antenna to the height that gives the best reception, both in AM and FM. FWIW E

Mitchell, I'm a longstanding member of AAA (joined 1976) and even with AAA+ you're usually only limited to ONE tow per incident. That is, tow from where the car broke down to the shop of your choice (depending on plan and distance), and maybe to one other spot but on a referred services basis. AFAIK, they won't pay for: return to; or from; or in between body shops for a situation like this. You'd be better off renting a trailer and doing it yourself. FWIW E

71 240Z Gold = Running and Driving; Comp 2002 71 240Z Red = Parts, 72 240Z Orange = In Work Next 73 240Z Red = In Work 2nd Next 67 1600 SPL Sports = Running and Driving, final tweaks being polished. Comp 2008 68 2000 SRL Sports = In Work Now; Exp 2009+ The poll wouldn't let me do it again so I could only "vote" for 1 Z and 1 Roadster. So add the 3 Z's and the 1 Roadster to totals. E

Check these photos: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=3542 E

Reviewing older diagrams it is possible that that B/Y wire actually goes to the Washer motor. Older diagrams show the Washer motor as having a B/Y wire that magically transforms to a Blue/Red (L/R) at the firewall or thereabouts. That it makes it all the way to the steering column switch area is just one more anomalie to note in the wiring schematics I've seen. To double check that your brake light circuitry is functional, jumper the two Green/Yellow wires at the Hazard Switch connector and then join the two G/Y wires at the Stop Light Switch. With that shunt and switch bypass your brake lights should be both on. If they are not, or only one, then your problems are NOT in the HAZARD Switch. We need to check the comb. switch next. Next re-connect the Haz. Sw, and while you maintain the Stop Light Switch shunt, now at the combination switch cross connect the Green/Yellow wire with either/both the White/Red and the White/Black. When you do so you'll get either the Right (W/B) or Left (W/R) or both lights depending on how you've cross-connected. If you DO have the lights then your problem IS in the Combination Switch. If you still do NOT have lights, then your problem is in the wiring to the back. This should get you back on track. Check your grounds at the back, they're often overlooked. HTH E

For future reference: The easiest way to make it easy to swap out the instrument lights is when you have the dash out and are returning the instruments to the dash. Tighten the wingnuts used to keep the speedo and tach only to the point of not slipping. That is, simply don't torque the wingnuts down, remember that when you go reaching for them ... once the dash is installed ... you won't have the benefit of using your wrist to remove them. If you have so much vibration going on in your dash, that a wingnut can be vibrated loose.... check your tires / suspension, first then change out the instrument bulbs. Once you have the speedo/tach loose, slip it out the front of the dash and pull it out just far enough to swap out the bulbs. Removing the steering wheel is a definite requirement (although I've heard of people not doing so... supposedly). The harness should have enough room to allow you to do it without having to disconnect it but if you have to, it is far easier to reconnect the connector than to snap in the bulb holders firmly and properly onto the instrument can. A dab of candlewax on the tip of your finger, just enough to stick to the washers (lock and flat) when you install them and then the wingnut, will allow you to re-mount the speedo and tach without going too far nuts. If it weren't such a PITA to remove the seats, I would heartily recommend doing that before attempting any of this. FWIW E

How small are your hands? Also, can you hold a light bulb socket with your ring and pinky fingers while inserting a bulb with your thumb and index fingers and turning it? If the answer to #1 is Large OR The answer to #2 is NO, Then you might as well get used to driving in the dark. The easiest way to change the bulbs without removing the dash is to pop the Speedo or Tach out the front of the dash and replace the bulbs once they're out. The center gauges are best approached from the glove compartment opening once you've removed the glove compartment box. FWIW E

If that Black/Yellow IS for the Starter, then he has some serious problems. The pictures show the B/Y connected to something other than the ignition switch. You can readily see the ignition lock with the B/Y wire not connected to the backside. (Also, aren't all 5 wires going to the Ig. Switch in a single 6 wire connector?) Like I mentioned previously, the "blue" series of wires at the column are typically for the windshield wipers and washer circuits. If that B/Y IS for the starter, then what does he do, toggle the Windshield Wiper switch to start his car? I'm relying on the wire colors in the harness and not the ones coming from the comb. switch, as I've seen discrepancies with respect to the schematics color legend more often with the comb switches than with the wiring harness. The same discrepancies happen with regards to individual component harnesses (tail-lights, instruments, etc.). But this doesn't mean harness errors don't happen. But before we go on a wild chase, I'm still betting it is something quite simple especially if it just started happening. Electrical wire connections don't suddenly decide to reconnect incorrectly, except for a short circuit, and that doesn't involve plugging and unplugging connections. That being said, it is more than likely either a broken hazard switch (if it "just suddenly started") or a misconnecton (if it occurred after a "repair" or "upgrade"). That's why I asked what the last thing he had done was. E