EScanlon

Excellent, you've overcome the bulk of the problems. Now to answer your next set of questions: Did you re-solder the connections or just re-tape? I'll presume re-solder, if so make sure you cleaned up whatever rosin may have splattered around. As far as the R. Window Defrost, it isn't unusual to have lost one of the "wires" going across the window (or up & down). They're literally "painted" on and years of window cleaning have undoubtedly taken it's toll. Last item first, the Temp Sensor's wire is Yellow with a White stripe. The only full Yellow wire in the engine bay goes beween the Alternator and the V. Regulator. The B/W and the G/W connected to the Resistor are part of the power circuit TO the Coil THROUGH the Tach's sensing unit FROM the Ignition Switch when it is in RUN mode. Once you install an electronic dizzy, you can remove the resistor and join the two wires together. The resistor reduces the voltage in the circuit to 6v in order to NOT fry the points. Until you can remove the points after switching the dizzy, don't get rid of this, but be aware of what it does. The B/W wire going to the coil is the RETURN of the power circuit to the Coil THROUGH the Tach's Sensor. It is correct at the + end of the coil. Black wire from Coil - to Dist is correct. But that "extra" wire does have me questioning "Where?". In the dash area or in the engine bay? Same for that Black/Green wire. I've looked right and left in the engine bay diagram and in fact all over the car's diagram and I can't find a single instance of a Black wire with a Green Stripe. Now a Green wire with a Black Stripe is used in several places. Might you have reversed the sequence? Or is the wire dirty? Lastly, the temp sensor being bad would only cause the temp gauge to read wrong or not at all. HTH Enrique

I do have two diagrams for the 73, one AT the other MT, both showing the Acc. Relay as only having 3 Blue wires going to it. The ground for the coil is showing terminating at the outline of the relay...and I presume that implies it grounds to the case. Since the Acc. Relay HAS to close the circuit to ground in order to provide power is why it HAS to be grounded via it's mounting screw. All the other diagrams show 4 wires to the relay in the colors Stephen pointed out. I didn't pay much attention to the wire color differences AT the relay ( that is, wiring not part of the actual harness) as that's always been difficult to pin down. The schematic and harness will match, but individual components won't necessarily show the same colors as what they connect to on the harness. FWIW E

Chuck: The Accessory Relay DOES have 4 wires. Your fourth wire is the one that "grounds" to the case, and without the relay being mounted with a sheet metal screw to the metal on the kick panel, you're not going to get it to work...period. That you've got 3 BLACK wires, whereas the schematic for a 73 show 3 BLUE wires may be a case of a replacement part. Check the colors of the wires on the connector that it connects to and see if they are the colors Stephen mentioned. But aside from that, the accessory relay for your car ONLY powers the Heater Fan. The Rear Window Defroster has it's own relay, which also receives power from the same wire that powers the Accessory Relay, but they're independent of each other, otherwise. Since you've nominally traced the problem to your Comb. Switch by wiggling and causing the fault, check for the following: a loose wire at the solder joints on the switches themselves; disconnect and clean off the bullet plugs on the bullet connectors and ensure they're a tight fit; do the same for the multiple wire connectors. While you're doing that check for loose wires and obvious signs of melted / scorched wires. FWIW E

The ammeter works via the current flowing through it. The other instruments receive power through a Yellow/Red wire coming off the Flasher fuse. They ground through a common Black wire to ALL /MOST of the car's electrical components. Check those connections first. E

Derek: What are the chances of your doing the same for a 3/4 view from the back? This would be an excellent way to exchange ideas on two-tone paint jobs, pin striping, annotate known trouble / rust etc. Thanks for this pic, and hoping to see the rear view one also. E

Tony: You apparently already know what you want and know everything there is to know about painting cars and have tons of experience in painting with various types of paints, guns and techniques. So why the lame arguments with those of us who, unlike you, have only painted a few dozen cars? So go ahead, "save" your money, and find yourself re-doing your car; whether it may be because the paint didn't adhere, reacted with the base, has fish-eye, has dry line or orange peel, or..... After all, you started this job by "stripping the car to the metal" because "everybody knows" thIs is the only way to get a good paint job. Right? Do what you will. After all, the only reason we're trying to advise you is to help you save money. Sorry about that. FWIW E

SEE? I told you Bill would ....

OH SURE! Tease us with a blurred image that might be a Datsun Rampant Lion or a PEUGEOT and expect this group (well, me!) to just... Tell you what Stephen, since you've banished that lapel pin to the garage, what if you send it up here to Vancouver, where I can pin it on my hat! By the way, it's a LION in both of those logos. The GRIFFIN has a BEAK and WINGS! See the following pics... E

What you are looking for is called "Flexible Bumper & Plastic Patch"; kind of an obvious name, and the last can I saw had in fact been made by the "Bondo" manufacturing brand group, under the Mar-Hyde brand. So since you don't like that stuff...you're out of luck. Marson is another brand, that also produces a flexible filler, but most body shops also call it "bondo". Maybe because it IS manufactured by Bondo. So again, you're SOOL. "Bondo" as a product has been around for so long that it has become part of the body-man's lexicon as a "genericized trademark". In fact, IIRC, Bondo brand was one of the FIRST body filler replacements for the Lead Solder technique which is difficult to master and more noxious to people than Bondo is. That's why it's name is synonymous with body filler...regardless of who manufactures it. Additionally, the Bondo company has bought up many smaller companies...that still produce body filler under their original name...simply to get away from the perceived "bondo crap" stigma of people who don't know how to use it properly. Look at the problem's you've had, and imagine that you had sold the car immediately after "fixing" it. When your "repair" started showing it's weakness due to bondo being used improperly, the new owner would be calling YOU an IPO and bitching about the "bondo crap" you stuck him with. So since you don't like Bondo, go get a bunch of bubble gum, start chewing and as the flavor wears out, stick it on the car and while it's still soft blend it smooth. Anyone who has ever looked under the seats at a public school will attest to how hard gum gets with time...until you try to remove it. Then it gets flexible as heck. With time you'll have filled in the cracks with a flexible substance that you can be sure will remain flexible...all the while flapping your jaw about the "Bondo crap" you avoided. Don't take offense, I don't mean this as a personal attack. It is just incredibly difficult to try to help people who have this misconception of the product, and object when you mention you would use it on their car. Bondo used properly, is no more problematic than using paint stripper...again, when used properly and knowledgeably. But like paint stripper, if used improperly...it can be a real nightmare. FWIW E

Other than the standard "hamburger" Datsun hood emblem, there wasn't anything that resembles a gun sight. Why not post a picture? It would help us envision what you are talking about, and might make Bill jealous. As far as the 8-track, don't just discard it. Believe it or not, if it's operational, you might be able to sell it. 2¢ E

Tomohawk: Are you sure you saw the same video the rest of us did? Whether it was staged or not, if we follow the premise of the film it's a fair representation of the anger and fear of having a large king cab pick-up throbbing behind a small car, accelerating hard, braking late and generally making obvious threatening moves. (Anyone driven their Z in traffic lately? Or how about a Roadster?) The BMW effects a left turn, and the pick up does too, zooming up at a high rate of acceleration, in my view and supported by the dialogue, to intimidate the driver of the BMW. When the BMW driver effects a U-turn to get away, the pick-up driver uses that as a reason to pump his and his companion's anger up. The pick up driver then follows obviously to "teach this boy a lesson". When the dead end is reached and the p-u driver pulls out a BAT, his intent is to intimidate...and let's not forget that he has two other idiots with him. You call that "basically no reason"? After all that happened, once the hick took one step towards me with the bat, I'd have done more than just point the gun and take the hick's keys...I'd have taken their truck and left it with the engine running in a bad part of town. 2¢ E

Those brackets appear to mirror the OEM ones, that would make them fit the 5-1/4" speaker. As far as mounting, the speaker mounts behind the bracket, and as Bart pointed out doesn't allow for much projection there. E

Carol: The best process will be decided more by your budget than anything else. What one person would consider absolutely necessary someone else might feel is only on a case by case basis. If you have unlimited funds, then ... complete disassembly, dipping the shell in an acid bath to remove all the old paint and sealants, then dipping it in again but to pickle the metal to avoid future rust, reolacing all old rubber, and most plastic, vinyl and even glass...... this would be just the beginning. You can see how laborious and expensive it can quickly become. Conversely, you might have some simple surface rust issues that were compounded when the rust crept under the paint ... OR ... the rust inside the car has finally eaten it's way through the metal and has caused the paint to bubble. Either one of these repairs can be done and the cost / quality will be strongly affected by how much and how long you want to work at it. As David pointed out, take some pictures and post them. That is the best beginning step towards doing it right. Enrique

Tomohawk, you're muddling the issue. The Rear Defog switch DOES have a light..on the lower section of the center console...as evidenced by Stephen's picture. What it didn't have was an INTERNAL light inside the switch housing, as the Hazard Light Switch does. As to why it had one and not the other, well you could argue it either way. The Hazard Switch is normally only required when you're parked on the side of the road or in the breakdown lane. When that happens, you might flick on the hazards and remove your key ... shutting down most lights (except for Headlamps and Brake). I'd be willing to bet that the light inside the Hazard Switch is a very small light either LED or BULB, but in the 2-3 watt range...just enough to light up but not enough to really draw amperage. The Rear Defog and the Seat Belt lamps are OPERATIONAL indicators that would be needed when the car was being operated...and as such would need to be big and bright. E

One other suggestion, take off the aluminum sills until you are DONE with the interior. You still have the seats, dash and a few other items that can ding that soft aluminum very easily...not what you want, as they'll get scuffed up soon enough anyhow. Same thing goes for the fuse box, mount it AFTER the dash is in place, otherwise as you put it in position it's likely to take a hit from the support legs. E

Looking nice Mike. Don't forget to get a small tub of Plumber's Putty to use to make the "gasket" for the Fresh Air Vent and Blower Housing where it mounts and "connects" to the Cowl Bucket Vent Opening. It will seal, stay pliant, and not get affected by heat or moisture and best of all... doesn't smell. E

Kick panels are on the sides of the foot area. That's just a standard term. E

The cautions regarding tape etc. still apply though! Be careful, she looks too good to scratch it... E

Bill; Take a look at the original pic, and you'll see that it only applies to the 260 and later dashes. E

The Front Bumper is the one you'll need to be careful with. That's the one that can be a real bear if you're not careful, and the suggestion to have a helper is a good one. The Rear one, is made from 3 pieces and as such, you can assemble it on the car. The Two cap screws that hold each bumper side extension can be left slightly loose. This allows you to spread the ends out and minimize the risk of scratching the body as you align and mount it. Once you have the bolts started on the bumper bracket to the body, then follow up with the side piece bolts (don't forget the rubber sleeves or in their place, rubber washers). Then it's just a matter of slowly snugging the mounting bolts down and aligning the bumper to the body. Once you've got it centered and aligned, then tighten the side pieces to the center piece. If you are also installing the rubber guard strips, then the only one or two you leave lose are the ones right on top of the center piece. Tighten them down once you've mounted the bumper. FWIW E

The radio bracket is visible in both dashes on the zhome picture.

Arne makes a good point, I was going off memory (it's been a few years since I disassembled a Series I car) and since the picture posted by moonpup is from a 73.... I recalled that my car had the bracket on the dash I installed, but wasn't sure on the dash I removed. NWCubsman's also had the bracket so, to make sure I couldn't for a fact state that he SHOULD have that bracket. Thanks for the confirmation Arne. Phil, any chance you could take a digital pic of the radio opening as you look at it from the center console? E

Mike here's also another option: They're called Jack or Well nuts, basicaly a rubber rivet with a nut inside. The additional factor of sealing the wheel well from the engine compartment as well as providing a rubber surface to cushion the tray: Also look at the top of the second document. Those are the "nut-zerts" (may have been the trade name way back when). Basically the upper portion of the rivet collapses and grips the sheet metal, leaving the lower portion of the rivet tube for the nut. We used to use these all the time to mount mirrors. E 63jacknut.pdf 64rivet.pdf

In the FWIW dept. I think a7dz's solution to be the best solution for you with only a minor modification. Jon's would involve cutting, metal fabrication and welding and re-painting to effect, which at the stage of your restoration may be several steps backward. Jim's is ideal in that it uses a basically stock tray, that instead of being welded in place is bolted in place. Where he welded the nuts to secure it to the back side of the fender, you could use nut-serts. Nut-serts are like a rivet with a nut on the end. That way you would get the advantage of the removeable tray without the disadvantage of having to re-build your fender well. 2¢ E

Hey Mike, there's this HUGE smudge on that windshield....and with everything else looking so nice, let me swap you one of mine.....it's pretty much ok, except for just one or two sand pits....but NO SMUDGES!!! Looking good Jedi! E