EScanlon

Neil; Buy a car-port. While this isn't a cure-all, it will at least keep the snow/rain off the car with the car cover you've put on it. Since you mention it's a "budget" car cover, I presume it's the typical Size A CoverCraft possibly "Noah" fabric. You can buy a custom fit car cover, but you can expect it to be $200 plus, and take 6-8 weeks to get from the manufacturer. You might also check with some of our club sponsors and see if they might have something on hand. I bought 3 car-ports from Costco, don't know if you have them up there, or are a member, but for $159 they are a 10' x 20' unit that are very well put together. Assembly is only a couple of hours for you and a buddy, or several hours alone. You don't mention whether you're living in your own home or are renting. This normally isn't much of an issue, but you might check with your local zoning laws / ordinance rules to ensure you're not going to get Mrs. Grundy all cracked up about it. Sometimes these are considered semi-permanent structures in some areas. As a home-owner you might be able to take the "risk" of Mrs. Grundy's complaints, or be able to fend of the local Neighborhood Association, but as a renter, you may not have those options. 2¢ E

Here's the link to the one I recalled in LA, it is a 75 280 though: http://www.classiczcars.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=1589&cat=1 E

Some of the other guys in California can help you more on the legal aspects of re-registering after that many years. But as with all these cars, the key factor is what the car's condition is. If it's a rust-bucket, are you inheriting someone else's junker? Have you checked to see just how much rust it DOES have? (And there are very few truly rust-FREE Z's.) Do a search on "Rust Spots" and you'll find tons of reading material. Not too long ago, there was another member in the LA area who had one in the Classifieds who just couldn't get anyone to buy it....that also needed some work. Have no idea if it's the same car or not. You might even get Stephen Blakeney, the club's resident AC expert to help you out with what needs to be done to the AC, he's been in the business for years. The carbs need not be a problem, Z-Therapy has good info and material. The 300ZX wheels are also not a problem. MSA sells wheels, and you'd be set. The biggest question is how much would you have to invest into it to make it into a driver and what YOUR intentions are. 2¢ E

If it's the same stuff I recall using years ago, it is clear, but it ends up looking kind of cloudy-milky when it's dry. It appears to be from the same 3M family of products, so this may be the same or slightly different formulation. It was mostly sprayed on after the rocker panel already had been sprayed with the color of the car, sometimes they'd spray one quick coat on the top of the stuff to "even out" the color to the rest of the car, because of the slight color changing properties. IIRC while you could shoot it with a regular paint gun, the rep recommended it be shot with a Body-Shutz style gun (i.e. syphon venturi). Can't recall what it was thinned with. As a side note it's dried consistency is more like dried rubber cement...somewhat rubbery-soft, but nonetheless hard. Also kind of grabby like you would expect a rubber surface to be. So don't expect it to clean or wax like the rest of the car. (That was another reason for the "top-coat" of paint.) That rocker panel spray that I used needed to be sprayed on rather thick to attain the true protection that car's were getting back then in the 80's. In fact, you had to be careful if you tried to get an even appearance as it didn't spray evenly very well at all. It's main selling point was that it basically gave you a rubberized coating to allow small rocks and pebbles to bounce off the rocker panel instead of chipping the paint. Take your time when you paint it on and it should work out well for what you intend Tomo. Just be careful of how you mask off the rest of the panel so you don't end up with a distinct cut -off line. This is where a masking tape line can actually work against you, and you would need to have very careful control of your paint gun to maintain an even line without the tape. Unless you have a body line against which you can hide the cut-off line. FWIW E

Those are sharp wheels! But then again, I'm biased. All you need now is a nice set of center pieces, whether you decide on plain cones, spinners, or .... it will really finish them off nicely. Here's a link that Arne gave me when I mentioned I couldn't find them from the store I had bought my original set from: http://www.gorilla-auto.com/products/?sfID1=270&sfID2=274&productName=2.68%22+WHEEL+O.D.+4%2F5+LUG&image=5941.jpg HTH E

Adam; Without intent to flame, nor to vilify, but if you were willing to pay more than $100 then why didn't you bid that higher amount? Obviously someone was willing to pay AT LEAST $2.50 more....maybe LOTS more, but IF or HOW MUCH is irrelevant, all they need to do is bid one bid increment higher than you to win the auction in the time permitted. If the tools were only worth $100 to you, and $60 to others, then it's simply logical that someone else willing to pay MORE than that would do so and therefore win the auction. What if they bid $500? The notion that if you had known that someone was going to bid higher than you then you would have bid higher is simply totally foolish ILL-logic. Unfortunately, that is what "sniping" preys upon. If you would have been willing to bid higher....then you should have done so. A snipe bid will only go as high as the maximum allowed by the new bidder. If that maximum is higher than what you were willing to pay...and that's the KEY to this, what YOU are WILLING to pay...then they would win the auction, plain and simple. If the snipe bid's maximum is below YOUR maximum....YOU would win the auction, although at a higher amount. If you're purposely under-bidding, thinking that you can always increase your bid if someone out-bids you, you're fooling yourself into thinking you "Got a GREAT bargain" just because you didn't bid what you thought you would have to pay for the item. Bid what the item is worth to you, and not a penny more. If no one else bids against you, you WILL get those outrageous bargains. And if someone else wants it more than you...they will simply have to ante up the cash to get it away from you. And when it happens, and it will, then you will know that you didn't over pay for the item EITHER. A snipe bid combats one thing and one thing only...the furious bidding war that ensues when someone fools themselves into thinking that nobody else would / should / could bid higher, and that if they had enough time, they would just "up" their bid. Then it gets into ...$5 more, then $20, then... That's where you see the furious $1800 dash auctions, or the $325 European Tail-Lights (see link at the bottom). The winning bidder came back at least half a dozen times...each time upping his bid a bit more, and a bit more, and probably sweating the whole time worried whether he'd win or not. So no doubt, that person had a bad case of doubt BEFORE he bid and all throughout the process. If he'd just bid $350 the first time he bid he might have been out bid, but then again, maybe not. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=015&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=250068801869&rd=1&rd=1 Just my 2¢ E

Mohamed: Yes I was referring to the Headlight Cover Mounting Clips, from the first pictures it was hard to discern what they were. With your new set of pictures, it became very apparent what they were. Which leads me to ask: Why don't you use the Headlight Covers? As far as the air dam/valance in my first questions: That is a very unique look. I don't know that I've seen it elsewhere. If you'll note, the rounded bulge where the 240 has the front quarter lights, and the rounded opening visible in the 3rd and 4th picturesl, are very distinct looks. I'm sure others have noticed that. Very nice overall. Enrique

It depends on whether it's the Crank Handle, the Splined Shaft that drives the Actuator Gear, the Actuator Gear or the Actuator Arm that has become worn. Any one of those items will cause what you are experiencing. To repair and eliminate the problem will require careful removal and replacement of the offending item(s). FWIW E

No worries Wade! Glad it helped you out. E

Those are the wires that go to the Power Antenna switch. Blue is main power, the other two are directional. Ground is return. E

Alan: I agree with what you've said here, but maybe I can toss in something that has caused me to be confused about the different "models". The S30 and all it's variations did not arrive equally to ALL markets. As a result, there are HLS30 European and HLS30 United States (and it is from that U you used that I'm deriving that bit of information). But I'm deriving information that may have been garbled in my attempt at understanding it. While this may have been addressed in various different threads, different variations have not been posted to ONE thread. That is partly what Will is trying to do. Could you help us in turn, and give us a brief syllabus of the different S-30 models? This would help myself and others in being able to properly identify the specific model being referenced when posting the picture for a part. What I'm suggesting would be along these lines: (This is not accurate in the least, as I'm totally confused.) S30: "Fairlady-Z" model; Sold in Japan only; 2.0 LITER engine; RHD H-S30: 240z; Japan only; 2.4 Liter; RHD H-L-S30: 240z; Europe only; 2.4 Liter; LHD H-L-S30-U: 240Z: US/Canada; 2.4 Liter; LHD L-S30: "Fairlady-Z"; ????; 2.0 Liter; LHD G-S30: "Fairlady-Z";Japan only; 2.0L; RHD; Extended Hood/H-Lights S31: P-S31: etc. While this is something that you are well versed in, I find it baffling, and I'm sure there are others who are as perplexed as I am. I'm sure that in my brief example above, I've omitted and possibly "created" a model or two. But I think it explains how confusing it can be This would allow those with parts with differences they've noted to properly document what model they found them on. 2¢ Enrique

Excellent point Camo. I've also noticed the amount of "cross-posting" that happens. I'm sure that both groups would benefit. While the Z has a lot of qualities/problems/quirks that span many different models and countries, the K car is pretty much limited to your part of the world. And if I have this not quite right, let's not pick nits. I'll forward it to Mike, and see what he says. E

I recently had this done on one of my cars. As I watched the mechanic do so, AFTER he had gotten the crank to move at all, he would rotate one way until it stopped, then he'd rotate the other again until it stopped. Each time he'd push just a small bit. It took him a couple of hours of doing this one tiny bit at a time before he was able to get a full rotation out of it. Then again, this engine had only sat for a couple of years. And it was running well, when I shut it off the last time. E

Jim (a7dz) said it, with the spark plugs removed and the ATF having been allowed to sit in each of the cylinders, try turning the 27mm bolt one way and then the other. Do NOT get in a hurry about this. Apply some pressure, but do NOT torque to 9,000 ft-lbs. All you will succeed in doing is either breaking the bolt loose or worse yet scoring the cylinders, deforming parts from over torquing, or even breaking something. The trick is to try to rotate one way, then the other in SMALL but FIRM strokes. This will eventually cause the pistons to break loose and once again slide. If this simply does NOT work, then you may have a bigger problem. E

From what I recall, the basic simple adjustment is to pull up on the handle and release several times until the brakes grip at 7 "clicks" or so. Of course, this presumes the system is working properly and the shoes aren't so far gone as to not allow for adjustment. This is what the FSM refers to as "automatic adjustment", except YOU are doing it "manually". E

YES! and the Fuel lines, and the Emergency Brake mechanism. Not to mention the car metal's propensity to rust...especially when you add a hole and fill it with a dissimilar metal. Far better to attach the snaps to the carpet than to the metal. If the carpet is properly affixed to the car and the jute below it (or whatever you have for sound deadening or padding) then that's sufficient to hold the cover in place. When you find the snaps, you'll find various styes amongst others. One is the screw on method, another is the rivet method. You can also find the sew-on kind, but that would be more of a problem unless you're handy wiht a needle and thread. The screw on method requires a hole as you were mentioning. The other style, the rivet, usually has or you can buy a simple rivet gun. I've seen both the style that requires a separate rivet gun like you would use to rivet two pieces of metal with separate rivets, and the style that has the rivet built into the corresponding half of the snap that goes BENEATH the material. This half will usually have a deformable rivet head that gets forced through the fabric, and through the upper half of the rivet, then you press both together with a small tool (usually enclosed with the snap set, or available cheaply) and you use a hammer and small anvil to deform the rivet. Ask the person at the counter and they should be able to help you out, as they are common for Blue Jean repair. In fact, you might check and see if your blue-jean sized rivet would work, and that would give you a size to look for. Did a quick search and here's a link to show you the second style: http://www.umei.com/snap-buttons/snap-buttons.htm 2¢ E

Take a note from Ed and don't start drilling holes and driving screws into the transmission tunnel. E

I agree and disagree with Will. I agree in that I don't know that I would add a trailer hitch or any kind of hitch to the back of the car, not only for the reasons Will cited, but also for the fact that the sheet metal wasn't designed with those stresses in mind. Add to that the car's willingness to lift it's front end at speed (with the OEM valances), it's weight distribution ratio, and you can see why it wasn't commonly done by anyone. But I disagree in that a trailer with little or no tongue weight would be okay. There are still the acceleration/deceleration and turning stresses to take into consideration. All of those would pull the hitch's mounting points in ways the sheet metal wasn't configured for. Add to that that the metal is 30+ years old and as we know here, it isn't known for it's ability to fight rust, or to fight a sudden impact of any sort, and you're asking a lot. If the car had more substantial metal framework in the rear that could be easily attached to, such as the mounting points for the rear end and the shock absorbers for the rear bumpers, then you might be able to use a Class I hitch. But the hitches that I've seen on Z's and pop up once in a while on e-Bay, only bolt to the Spare Tire Pan, to the rear valance AND the bumper...and even then they tend to distort the back of the car. Don't forget that tongue weight is only a measure of how much pressure DOWN the trailer is exerting on the hitch, a 5,000 pound trailer properly balanced could exert as little as 100 pounds, but it's the startup and braking that would make that combination deadly. Want to try towing a vehicle TWICE the rated weight of your car....and having to stop it in an emergency? Can you say...SPLAT? Top that with most people's tendency to overload and underestimate tongue weights and you have a DOUBLY serious recipe for disaster. Just my 2¢ E

Randy, Is that the AM only radio? That's important because the AM-FM (aside from the dial) also has the antenna switch re-located to above the tuning knob. E

My mistake on the 280's. It's been a while since I last worked on one, and I didn't address the interior then. E

Bart said it, the original transmission tunnel covering was the diamond vinyl. It had the male snaps attached to it. You can buy snaps at fabric stores as kits. There are the sew in style as well as the hammer-rivet style. It all depends on how you want to attach them. However, since you don't currently have the snaps in there at all, what's wrong with your Dad's idea? The velcro could be added to the e-boot easily and the other end attached to the carpet you already have on the tunnel. Just be careful that the "hook" side of the velcro gets attached to the e-boot, and the soft fuzzy side to the tunnel. Otherwise, if the boot should come off whether partially or completely, the "hooks" will be exposed and any unsuspecting knit type of clothing will be snagged. If your girlfriend's favorite slacks get ruined by that velcro, you'll be repairing more than the car. FWIW E

Speaking with regards to my car and others that I know of...pretty normal. E

I posted a link to this thread on the "Yet another E-Bay scam?" thread: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?p=200774#post200774 Reiterating what I posted there, I think that information that allows members to avoid being scammed is always welcome...unsolicited or not. However, reports on vehicles's mechanical, structural and bodywork condition would have to depend on the poster's knowledge and experience. Not trying to say that only the experts should post their opinion, but rather that there are items that I, personally wouldn't want to even attempt to interpret for someone else. I've got years of experience in a body shop back many years ago, and have since kept my hand in it by working on cars as a hobby. Even when I worked in the body shop, we wouldn't make decisions on frame damage....that belonged to the frame shop. Additionally, we would always have all or almost all of the mechanical (grease) work performed before we began the body work. Again, whether the engine or drive train or brakes needed work....that's the mechanic's responsibility. When Gary and I went to check on vehicles here in the Portland area for other members, we went as a team to ensure that between the two of us we could give a better and more informed evaluation. Even then, we would caution that this was our OPINION. Mike's point is very important. Many people in an effort to be helpful, interpret the factual data. While this interpretation may be due in part to stereotypical evaluation, the problem is greatly exacerbated when you start assigning intent. Making claims about someone's intent can be misguided and inflammatory and bluntly, unless you have telepathy, ESP or some other para-normal method of knowing....can be YOU voicing YOUR worst fears. Suddenly a poorly repaired fender, a fresh coat of undercoating, even a freshly detailed vehicle all have hidden EVIL intent...and all to defraud the buyer and not a seller's intent to maximize his selling price. This can also apply to the price a seller is asking. This can be subjective to the nth degree. West Coast buyers wouldn't pay what East Coast buyers accept as "normal" and the reverse situation would have East Coast buyers marveling at the bargains, while driving prices up in the west. Give your opinion, but back it up with facts. Conjecture is the first part of the recipe for fiction, and is a synonym with surmise and guess. FWIW E

From what's been presented, I would agree that it is a scam by someone trying to phish some money out of an unsuspecting Z-Car lover. This goes to show the value of a "watermark" on the pictures in the original Ad, as I'm sure this would have made it much more difficult to pull off the scam. This also ties in Onuthin's post regarding ethics. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?p=200772#post200772 That post shows that there is a valid reason for people to peruse and even caution others about questionable and outright fraudulent ads. Especially when it can be noted that they are scams, as this one certainly needs to be. However, with regards to Onuthin's ethics post, and I'll just mention it here, the experience and knowledge of whomever would be out inspecting cars for sale would be a key indicator as to how much weight to assign a negative condition report. This thread is more about the duplicate and false e-bay auction. E

Nope, but you might consider making a donation to the Club Site to help fund the server upgrade! If the information you've received here has saved you time and money, put a few dollars back into it to help EVERYONE. It's not nice to brag about that...look at our members in Colorado! The Temperature sender operates on resistance. Before you start tearing the car down and addressing fictitious gremlins verify that it is indeed NOT heating up. The gauge's inaccuracy may be the bigger gremlin here than the engine NOT heating up. You don't mention whether you're getting heat out of the Heater, so.... There will no doubt be some discussion here by some of the more mechanical guru's, but these are some basics: To verify the Temperature sender's operation, first remove the cap from the radiator and with a mechanic's type thermometer (not your Mom's Turkey Spike) put it into the water/Anti-Freeze mix. (DO NOT WARM UP THE ENGINE FIRST AND THEN OPEN THE RADIATOR...THAT IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS AND COULD CAUSE SERIOUS SCALDING!) Start the car and once it's running smoothly let off the Choke. Observe the water flowing in the radiator and check the temperature. At the temperature that you notice a marked increase in the water swirling around the opening make a note. That's the rating for your Thermostat Valve. That is the temperature at which the valve opens and allows the coolant to flow through the radiator to be cooled. Allow to run for a small amount of time and keep track of the temperature. This will give you an idea as to the cooling properties of your non-pressurized radiator. It's not usually necessary to run for a long period of time. Compare the temperature you note at each step with what you see inside the car on the car's gauge. If there is a large difference, you can replace the sender on the engine and see if that rectifies the reading. The gauge has adjustment's on it, but it would definitely be a trial and error as there are no established procedures nor bench marks as to how to proceed. Additionally, usually just replacing the sender eliminates the erroneous readings. Don't forget that the gauge is not a rated measurement instrument...it's an approximation based on resistance and not designed to be interpreted as being a calibrated gauge. Hope this helps. Enrique