EScanlon

Luke; Your response may not seem funny to you, but it is hilarious. Yes, I can understsand why you're clueless....because (and sorry for this) you appear to be. An ELECTRICAL problem (unplugged fan) would have a hard time being a LIQUID COOLANT (closed water valve) problem unless you have some very VERY serious problems at play. Now, don't take this as a flame, it isn't meant to be. That you had a problem with an electrical connection some time back and you needed to trace and re-connect the fan may be the exact moment when you inadvertently pulled on the cable that actuates the water control valve. That valve is to the right of the heater housing and just to the left of the blower motor. It is not at all farfetched to think you may have closed the valve by simply pushing down on the lever (if the cable isn't attached) and/or forced the cable off the lever by pulling/pushing on the cable sleeve. Look at the heater plenum that sits atop the transmission tunnel from the passenger footwell area. You should see a water valve to which one of the hoses coming from the engine compartment is connected to. The other hose will be connected to one of the heater core tubes sticking out of the heater box. The other heater core tube will be connected to the other end of the heater control valve. If that valve is CLOSED, you are not getting ANY water (hot OR cold) flowing through the heater core. That valve should be actuated by the cable denoted TEMP on the heater control panel. Check out the suggestions you've been given and then see if that doesn't correct the problem. Don't forget that the engine needs to be warm for the heater core to blow warm air once you get the valve open. HTH E

emphasis mine.The underlined text may be more of an indication of your problem than anything else. That valve controls how much water is allowed into the heater core. If it's inoperative, no heat will be forthcoming. One of the wires in the control panel should actuate that valve. 2¢ E

Yellazed hit it spot on. The little white spring loaded nylon block also pushes against the dove tail to keep the latch pin rotating cuff on the door pressed against the latch catch on the post of the door. Later mechanisms inverted the design and then the post of the car has the pin and the door has the catch. Here's Yellazed's pic with an arrow pointing to the white nylong block, which on most cars has yellowed due to grease and age. E

Brian...it's the lace! E

Actually, that won't FIX the problem, it will just swap it out to the rear end of the car. That may also have it's repercussions but at least it will get it away from the front end of the car where steering is critical. However, and do take note of this, if all four tires were bought/installed at the same time, there is a very good possibility that the problem will resurface when the rear tires (now front) undergo the same stress that the original front tires endured. Simply put, you may drive a mile, or a thousand before it happens again. So, you definitely want to have the tires checked at a tire shop with the knowledge and expectation to buy at least TWO if not all FOUR tires in the near future. 2¢ E

A car from SOUTHERN California to Newfoundland, Canada? Wouldn't ENGLAND be closer? J/K and curious, you're not really asking if it's worth dragging clear across the continent and well on your way to Greenland are you? It had better be a sweet deal, but for that distance, why not ask RolfSis what she wants for her car. She's a bit closer. 2Â¥ (based on exchange) E

Without the jute, your vinyl won't fit correctly. While this may seem superfluous, down by the accelerator pedal, heater and parking brake, it could be a factor. The jute was right at 1/2" to 3/4" thick, and it cushions the metal as well as sound/heat insulation. 2¢ E

So swapping the handles is out of the question? E

You might also look at Too Intense Restoration. Troy Thacker has been at this for years and I've not heard any complaints about his carpet sets. He lists all of the years as well as Cut or Loop style. http://www.datsunrestore.com/catalog.html FWIW E

A link to an auction is ALWAYS a suggestion to buy, specifically because it IS an auction and it is time sensitive. As far as reference material, the other wheel thread that shows pictures of many wheel styles has already been linked to, so your reference does not add anything to the thread, nor will it be available in a few weeks when the listing ends and is deleted by e-Bay. As far as reading the message, why don't YOU go read the initial post and subject of the thread. She didn't ask for your thoughts on whether she might change her mind, nor for alternatives, her specific post said: emphasis mine.Maybe if you took your after lunch nap? E

The auction that tomocrack is referring to is for THREE rims and not four, plus two have curb rash AND they're for 15x7 rims. Not even a good try, and no cigar. E

e-racer didn't quote x-ray to be part of this thread. The quote you're referring to is part of his signature block. E

Or simply switch the front tires for/to the back. That might get you by for a while, since the rears aren't subjected to as much side stress as the fronts. FWIW E

Beandip has one also, but I don't recall which side. Give him a PM and see what he has and wants for it, although Will would be closer. E

I had this exact situation, and it was exactly that, belt separation. A new set of tires cured that problem. E

First; smack that girl. Second, let her know that replacement handles aren't cheap. Tell her she can expect a bill. (How strong was this girl anyhow?) Third, you might be able to swap out the left for the right and vice versa. However, it WILL involve removing the door panels. You may not need to remove window depending on your hand size. FWIW E

Two items: First is that your alternator isn't designed to CHARGE your battery, just to maintain the charge and re-charge it from the occasional start and other day-to-day discharges. When you discharge your battery as you did, you need to have it charged. That's why you'll see those battery chargers that you plug into the wall for sale. What the lady at the parts store was referring to, more than likely, was that it was not taking a charge QUICKLY, and that's what failed their benchmark. This does NOT say that it IS OK, but that her quick evaluation may not have been definitive. See if a buddy has a battery charger and charge the battery overnight, that may get you to your next paycheck. There ARE solutions available to flush your cooling system, but as with all self-prescribed medicine (whether yours or the car's), you "Takes your chances!". Two: There is a possibility that if the radiator is clogged with something, that vinegar ~may~ clear it up, but the vinegar ~may~ wreak havoc on your aluminum head or the radiator or the RTV that the guy used to seal something, or..... Do you see the problem? Go to the store, find the radiator flush solution section and read the precautions (that's why they're put on the bottle) and find out if that product is OK with aluminum. Some products are NOT, while others require a lengthy preparation process, others a lengthy and laborious amount of work..... In short, you may end up spending far, far more for the "band-aid" than simply contacting a radiator shop and asking them how much to do your radiator. But first, try the thermostat replacement. THEN do the hoses if they're still required. You ~may~ be able to save a buck or two and NOT need the radiator flush, or maybe the radiator flush will save you the problem of the hoses. Remember, you don't need to totally replace everything all at the same time. It may very well be that with a few $ strategically spent, you keep it running until you have the money. FWIW E

In discussing this with a fellow member (Beandip) he pointed out that the thermostat is actually also helpful in keeping the water IN the radiator long enough to actually effect some cooling on it. Without the thermostat, there can actually be TOO much flow and the water not get ANY cooling. The collapsed radiator hose can be because of age of the hose and the rubber has become soft or due to the excessive heat. Try the thermostat, but go with the 160 rather than the 180. 2¢ E

Maxwell; Sorry, your equation does not compute. Stephen hit it on the head, the engine will find the temperature at which it is being cooled to. The thermostat is there to allow the coolant to get hot FASTER when you first start the engine. It blocks the flow to the radiator UNTIL a given temperature is reached, hence the temperature rating of the thermostat. In colder climates you use a higher temp thermostat to allow the engine to heat up MORE before it begins to be cooled by the cooling system. In warmer climates, where the possibility of overheating exists, you use a LOWER temperature thermostat to allow the cooling system to begin cooling ahead of the higher temperatures. If you remove the thermostat, and hence have no temp-controlled blockage, then the engine will continue to heat until it reaches that temperature that the cooling system (water pump and radiator) CAN achieve. If the cooling system is faulty, then there is NO reduction (cooling) in the temperature that the motor achieves. This is what is happening to your car. Since the radiator hose is collapsing, that is a positive indication that your water pump IS functioning. That your lower hose is collapsing however, says that water isn't flowing THROUGH the radiator fast enough. I'm willing to bet that you have a clogged radiator. Your equation as it stands is: High flow MINUS (Poor cooling+Collapsing hose) EQUALS Ultra High Temperature But address problems ONE at a time, you're doing various things which can lead you to get several of them working against each other. It's ok to be enthusiastic, but you might find yourself with a hard to diagnose and correct problem with so many "fixes" going on all at the same time. FWIW E

There's also a bit of rubber wrapped around the latch mechanism itself. Without this piece of rubber, the door latch ends up being metal against metal. Many times this will fall off and that 3/32" worth of space will allow the door to rattle with every vibration of the car. Check the latch, specifically the part on the door that rotates when it strikes the catch on the door frame. If it's bare metal, then the rubber has fallen off. The simple fix is to buy a new lock mechanism. However, that can be spendy and time consuming to find. The inexpensive fix is to afix a new piece of rubber to that latch. It can be done, but it takes a bit of experimentation. HTH E

Well, as long as you don't complain about the IPO prior to the IPO..... E

Any body modification must be done safely, or you pay the consequences. Especially when you affect structural components. Modifications are sometimes a "no-brainer" other times a "scratch-your-head". What is obvious to one person, is perplexing to another. Sometimes the modifications are done because there really weren't too many other options left/available. Would you rather the car be junked, or modified into a convertible? Sometimes, it's taking the best of two that are otherwise dead and making ONE good one. I recall a mod done in the late 70's that merged the front end of a Z with the tail end of a Vega Station Wagon. Awful? Not at all. In fact it was featured in several Car books and got nice reviews. I also recall a Lincoln Mark IV front end mated to the back end of a Ranchero. It was called a Markchero and it was stunning. But this kind of thing has been going on since the Model T was first mass produced. I've got a copy of the 1919 Popular Mechanics compendium of their best "do-it-yourself" ideas, and modification to Model T's, A's and other vehicles with similar components are prominent throughout. From simple gas shut off valves (a wooden plug from a barrel spigot) to building your own camper to fit instead of the body, you'd be pleased to see the gamut. Any other interesting photos out there? E

Ian; That's excellent info. With that part number I was able to track the item down in the microfiche. It only appears in fiche 155-2 item 9 & 11 and it isn't even illustrated along with the actual mouldings for each side. But if the microfiche is correct, these clips ONLY apply to the 2+2's AFTER Oct. 73. Then it's 8 per side for the part number ending in N3701 and 7 for the prior part number which ended in N3700. Thanks for the picture! E

Mark: BEFORE you start disassembly....DRIVE THE CAR!!! Get to know her faults, and her many VIRTUES. Much of what you're referencing as "wanna" do projects may in fact turn out to be not required. Then start doing tons of research here. Most of us have spent countless hours documenting most of the "problems" you're mentioning and have spent, again, countless hours explaining how to disassemble, fix, and re-assemble those items. As far as stripping the paint, have you even washed the car? Maybe a good cleaning and waxing with a quality wax would do wonders for the car and allow you to put that off for a bit. Remember that just a good paint job ALONE will run you over $2k, ask that it be stripped to the metal and you're bound to be upwards of $4k if not closer to $6k. The radio, clock and blower have been discussed numerous times. Those items might be as simple as a pair of fuses and a tiny drop of oil away from working. The dome light has both the switch on the light and the switches at the doors. If you turn the light on by pressing on the lens, then the door switches are superfluous. Turn off the light with the doors closed by pressing on the lens, and the door switches should each turn the light on. If they don't, it might be as simple as rotating the little button to remove whatever corrosion is preventing the contacts from making contact. So, congrats on getting the car. Take a bit of time and get to know her before you start disassembling her. I've bought two DIRT cheap from guys that disassembled theirs shortly after receiving them....and then didn't follow up on finishing them.... then never enjoyed the cars. FWIW E

I'll see if I can find a scan I have from the early Clymer's manual that shows a diagram that may help. Same with a wiring schematic, but those can be perplexing if one doesn't know what to look for. As far as the two hip replacements, now I must....regretfully...agree with Hubby and Daughter. Health is important, and it can take months / years to get all the strength back that one had in the hip before the replacement. The Z does require a bit of knee and hip bending to get into it comfortably. I would suggest a handle on the windshield pillar, except I'm not sure how it would tolerate a person's weight without undue stress on the windshield or pillar. (I know I wouldn't try it.) Maybe one of our more enterprising members can come up with a swivel bucket seat with a spring aided lift assist kit as the 74 or so Chevelles (?) came out with (The Chevelles came out with the swivel bucket, the spring aided portion would have to be engineered.) HTH E