EScanlon

And several pounds (at least half an inch) of bondo on the rear panel as well as both rear fenders, and the driver's door that I could tell. Crumpled RH inner fender support and the obvious front end damage that Will pointed out. All of these point to a vehicle that's been driven hard and abused, and what's worse repaired pooly. While the PO may have had good intentions in "repairing" it at one time, sadly it spelled doom for this car. $250 TOP dollar would be my offer, and I'd try to get him to accept Canadian dollars. FWIW E

Check MSA's line of body kits and you may find a very nice looking "integrated" bumper look. You might want to post pictures of the bumpers AND post your build date. There is a change in the bumpers in 73 from the thinner more desireable ones to the slightly larger more robust ones. (Part of the US-DOT requirement for 3mph impact strength.) Usually, the larger bumpers also had a "filler" that went behind the bumper. I'm sure Arne will pop on and post the defining info to help you determine which you have. FWIW E

DO NOT "bondo" the holes. Bondo is porous and will absorb water from the back side and cause problems down the road. If you're intent on having the "shaved" bumper look, then put some bumper bolts from the back side of the bumper mounts to the front, grind/cut them to size to even them up with the sheet metal, then fill with bondo if you wish. The point is to seal that exposed backside of the bondo from moisture. Also be aware that there will be little to NO protection in the back in the case of an accident, not that there is much back there anyhow, but now you'll be exposed to even shopping cart damage. Lastly, just as a precautionary note, you might check California's notorious tyrannical laws specifically regarding bumpers. I don't know that they will or will not give you trouble, but fore-warned is fore-armed. 2¢ E

Hood adjustment: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15175&highlight=hood SU carbs do not have a pump mechanism like Weber, Holley or other Detroit downdraft carbs. The pump mechanism in those carbs (accelerator pump_) actually squirts a measure of gas into the intake on heavy acceleration. It's common for those vehicles to need a squirt of gas into the intake to start properly. Since SU's do NOT have that, pumping the acc. pedal does nothing but lift and lower the gateway. Additionally, Automatic chokes are also present in those carbs and their engines would exhibit the higher rpm's at cold start with an eventual decrease in rpm's as the temperature of the engine released the choke. The SU's choke mechanism is strictly manual. You either pull on the cable and actuate it or not. If it's stuck ON in one or both carburators it more than likely would be stuck ALL the time and not just suddenly come on. Nobody has asked whether your car is an automatic transmission or not. The automatic cars had a second set of points that were actuated on by a temperature relay. Not sure if this changed the timing, dwell or just added a second spark (mine were never connected). As a result that may be a part of the problem. 2¢ E

You could use plain old satin black to achieve that dull shine. However, you may want to use POR-15 (Black) as a base and then top it off with a satin black just before it's set. This will give you addtional protection in the long run from scratches etc. as well as rust. 2¢

That's only because Mattel hasn't put one out in bare metal and odd paint on each of the fenders, roof, hood and hatch all in patches with the glass out of the car. Otherwise Will would be part of the same group...... Will has been threatening to paint and finish his car for a few months...years? and we're all cowering (hahaha) in fearsome anticipation. 2¢ E

I considered bidding...until I looked at the seller's numbers and rating. All 7 of his points are from being a buyer and he has one negative against him (8 total positives, 1 negative)....in Japan. Granted that was 3 years ago. But now he's a seller. Supposedly out of Gardena California. Shipping isn't mentioned and he posts his e-mail address as being at Hotmail. To top it all off he specifies a check or money order for payment. Hmmmm..... I'll pass for now. I may lose out on a bargain, or maybe not get my butt kicked by a rip-off. Not saying that he IS illegit, just that there are too many spots on his record to not consider a leopard. 2¢ E

You'll find that most people (myself included) who have done the mod to electronic ignition have used the E12-80 Nissan distributor mod to their 240's. That's a distributor from a later year Z (78 or 79, others will undoubtedly chime in and correct me). I know the problem your mechanic is referring to, as I've done that same mod on my 1600 and 2000 Sports Roadsters. The problem is that the jig they use to drill the mounting holes for the Pertronix base plate has the centers of the holes just slightly off and the sensor on the plate rubs against the magnet holder that mounts over the dwell nut....mostly due to the tape they had to add to the magnet to ensure the magnets don't fly out of the holder. The jig they designed years ago to hold the plate did NOT have the thickness of the tape being considered as part of the diameter of the magnet holder. As a result, the magnet ring with the green tape RUBS against the face of the sensor and it's impossible to move the base plate out enough to provide a gap of any size. I called Pertronix about this and unfortunately there's some bozo there who is convinced that since they've been manufacturing them for over 35 years (his words) that there isn't anything wrong with their manufacturing process and the problem MUST lie with your car's distributor. (Makes you wonder how their QC dept must do their job. "Did you do it the same way we've been doing it, even though there's been a change?"; "Yes!"; "Then it MUST be OK. Tell the customer he's full of beans.") The solution I came up with was to very carefully slot the mounting holes (and we're talking THOUSANDS of an inch) such that you could in fact move the base plate and the sensor away from the magnet holder. Be careful of this, remember you only need enough clearance for the sensor and ring to NOT touch. Be sure that your distributor has no play in the shaft (no wobbling back and forth) and you should be fine. FWIW E

Actually that price is closer to robbing...... They are unique and distinctive. E

Are you referring to the Red Ford Capri in the background? Hard to be sure, but that silhouette is pretty distinctive. E

Or you may not have pushed the rivets in deep enough that the back end of the rivet CAN expand. Check the following: Pull out one of the rivets and look on the outside of the 4-sectioned* plastic cone and see if you can detect a ridge deformation because of the rivet trying to expand IN the hole in the sheet metal. The rivet typically has a thinner section further up it's shaft than at the point that it has been split into 4 (sometimes 3) sections. The rivet expands those sections such that the combined amount of material is more than can pass through the hole in the sheet metal. If you don't push the rivet in deep enough, the sections won't push out far enough that the pin itself can lock it in place. I hope this makes sense...and you don't bust a gut laughing about it.... E (and if you find the pun, you're sick! )

Friday afternoon, one of the later heats run DID have a 510 buzzing around the track. I'll post a pic later, but it was the ONLY Datsun/Nissan in the entire event that I saw. Granted this was only on Friday and I didn't attend Sat. or Sun. so he may not have been there the other two days. E

One Z-legend (like an urban legend) says that some owners of those vented seats did NOT opt to have the metal vent buttons on new upholstery due to the instant "branding" one could get on a hot sunny day. FWIW E

Go to Banzai Motorworks: http://www.zzxdatsun.com/ Select "Catalog", then in the window, click on "Bits and Pieces"....it's the 5th item from the bottom. Ignore the price, that's not what he'll charge you. It's definitely what he feels the market will bear. FWIW E

The contact metal may need to be re-sprung so that it exerts pressure against the speedo/tach housing. 2¢ E

Rick....I believe that's your cue..... E

You mention that the noise changes with the car's speed, yet you mention revving the engine while stationary and that NOT affecting the sound, which leads one to believe the sound is still present while stationary. Did someone change one of your spark plugs to one of the prank ones available years ago that would do just that....whistle? Or could there be an air leak (vacuum or pressure) that is whistling as it vents? Checked the exhaust system? Or maybe as Rick put it, could someone have stuck a Deer Whistle on your car and that's what you hear? Can anyone else hear it? E

It's even worse when you see that there are over 50 views...in a forum mostly male by member count!

Cruise control? On a 72? This must definitely be a PO mounted option. Otherwise Ron is dead on. Just moving a battery wouldn't cause the problems you're mentioning. However, are you trying to shut off the engine by killing the battery? Don't know that I would recommend that as a "kill" switch. Use the standard ignition switch, THEN disconnect the battery. 2¢ E

Those are the ones I put on my car. Here are a couple of links: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8953&cat=500&ppuser=1490 http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8914&cat=500&ppuser=1490 E

Might also be a crack in the solder that holds the vent tube in place. But that tubing must go....even if it isn't the cause the of the leak, and it very well could be the only leak. FWIW E

Jason: I'd make a smart-a.. remark about only running on 3 cylinders...or not using the accelerator pedal and just the choke.....or that you're only using the + side of the wire and not the - side.....but that's all they would be. Smart A.. Replies and not very good ones either. The only thought that comes to mind is that maybe you have some form of gunk in there that's stopping the needle from rotating. How does it operate at Idle or barely revving, does it follow the perceived speed of the engine until you get past 3k RPM? What happens at 3k, does it stop suddenly or does it seem that it just hasn't got the "strength" to go past 3k? Sorry, this one isn't even 2¢ .... E

I'll lay odds that the Viper alarm has something to do with it, especially with your having disconnected it. E

Go to your local hardware or arts/crafts store and find a product called Household Goop. It's by the same people that once produced Shoe Goop. This is a super thick and super strong silicone/rubber cement/RTV or something like it that when cured forms a very strong and resilient rubber. It's clear as it comes out of the tube and cures to a milky gray/unclear finish. Scuff up the inside and outside of the seals, apply a layer of duct tape on the OUTSIDE and lay a film of the goop on the INSIDE of the seal. Be sure to not exceed the thickness of the rubber in the seal and only go past the edges of the missing material far enough to grab the scuffed area. You're only looking to replace missing material. Once this cures, gently remove the duct tape and do the same for the outside, except that now you can extend the dimensions of the repair farther (to strengthen the repair). You could add a thin material such as one of your wife's knee-highs (nylons) to reinforce the goop (as rebar does for concrete or fiberglass mat or cloth to fiberglass resin) but it won't matter much as the piece is not subjected to much pulling and stress. It's main function is to SEAL the inside of the roof plenum from moisture and air being sucked in as the car travels. I suppose you could also use another type of repair compound, such as Plasti-Dip or plain old silicone, but my experience with Goop is that it will literally bond to any clean surface and stay pliable after it sets better than any other compound. FWIW E

Answers to your questions:1) It's been an indicator in other failures. Not every heat flaw has been re-reported as an eventual tach failure, nor has every tach failure been reported as a result of the heat flaw.2) No. Not enough people have noted it and reported it with the timelines involved to be able to give anything more than a shrug as an answer.It's just one of those common things. The fix has generally been to replace the tach. Since most people don't attempt to fix the tach afterward (which is a shame as they CAN be repaired (or so I've been told)), the supply of these is slowly dwindling. FWIW E