EScanlon

Just a couple of thoughts on the "bullet" points I picked out from your reply: Yes, many of the articles will be "beginner" stuff. Most of your readers will not have been actively involved in car mechanics when the car was new and therefore will need that beginning stuff. As far as "everything" being documented... I beg to differ on two counts. If that were the case, then someone someplace would say "look it up in .... book or magazine", and also some of the issues we're dealing with today are as a result of the AGE of the vehicle and therefore would not have been an item to address in the 70's and 80's. Regarding Typo's, yes they occur and also differences in opinion which to some will be as blatant an error as if you said get a STANDARD took kit to work on the Z. However, if you limit the amount of detail on some of these articles you won't run into the problem of detail nit-picking. There are items that it would be ludicrous to detail and others where it's critical. Head bolt torque specifications are critical, tightening bumper bolts on the other hand is not (and I don't wish to quibble about the "meaning" of TIGHTEN). In my opinion that many people don't know much about their car is one of the most important services that your magazine fulfills. Sometimes it takes a simple straight forward article in a magazine to trigger a person into researching and finding out more. That's where the books come in. As you pointed out, you can't re-build an engine for an article without it becoming a permanent fixture for a couple of years, but you can gloss over it and give the book references you use to back up what you did. Mechanically apt people look at your magazine in order to see what others have done. They know or at least should realize, that those with less aptitude NEED those basic items pointed out. As you pointed out, 80% (by your estimation) of the questions asked on the forums are "basic", yet they seem to come up time and time again. If a mechanically able person is using your magazine as STUDY material, it's so that he can "improve" upon your design. As far as taking something from a website: I don't imagine that you would literally cut and paste the thread. I'm suggesting that you check out the Technical Articles section of this site and others and see WHAT has been posted, give it a brush-up to correct items that may have changed due to time and / or experience and publish them for those people who don't cruise the net. Heck, use it as a publicity plug for the website and you might generate some revenue, or site the various websites as contributing sources and let them get new members. Lastly, since you are doing a project car, why not publish a request for submissions on wanted items to cover and if possible suggestions? You mentioned the carpet kit and sound deadening. If you buy a carpet kit from one of the vendors it's as simple as emptying water from a glass, but if you are planning on doing your own CUSTOM install... now you're talking an article. As far as sound deadening, there are many ideas as to what's basic, what's required and what's a no-no. Check out the sites, you might find that the article(s) literally write themselves. And to close, that's a possibility right there, what about you hosting a story submittal forum here. You could use it to "seed" your writers or maybe you'll find one of the posters with the right kind of skills to submit it. Enrique

The buzzer for the Key-In Switch is a very small piezo type buzzer. Mine was cream colored and about 3/4 to an inch in diameter and only about 3/8" or so tall. It had a pair of wings with holes for mounting. Normally it's mounted on the steering column support frame. Take a look at your ignition lock and see if there is a square opening near the top where the key goes in just below the bezel with the text. If the hole is there, then that ignition lock was CAPABLE of receiving the switch. If the hole is NOT there, then that's a completely different story. The wiring according to the wiring diagram (at least on the 71 240) was a Red and a Black wire going to the switch at the lock and a Red (direct connect to switch) and Yellow pair to the buzzer. The whole thing was connected in parallel to the dome light circuitry. Hope this helps. Enrique

Then from the picture Chris posted: "he steering lock is combined with the ignition switch to a single unit which contains warning buzzer microswitch for reminding the drive to lock the steering. The microswitch is connected to a warning buzzer." Mine only operates when the door is OPENED and the key is still in the lock, regardless of whether the steering wheel is locked by the ignition lock or not. The translation from the FSM may have mistaken UNLATCHED i.e. opened; with unlocked, but the picture text doesn't "compute", unless there was a separate switch that we're presuming is the same as this one. Hmm, carchaelogy...... Enrique

This is perfectly understandable. Simple economics at work, and if you add more 240 items, it would be hard to offer the 350 advertisers a justification for the price of their ads. To state it a bit more plainly, 350 advertisers won't advertise in a 240 magazine, or vice versa. Maintaining the balance is going to be hard specifically because of the lack of 240 advertisers. Even if you went by % of total ad $, the 350 would still win out. But sometimes it seems as though the only items about the 240-260-280 and the Z31 are the ads. Suggesting that you allocate a given amount for each (240 / 260 / 280 and the 2+2's, 300 Z31 and Z32) of the models would be almost impossible to maintain fairly. But if you address "general" type issues while using one of those vehicles you'll help "correct" that imbalance. No argument that you have had some excellent articles, and undoubtedly they'll continue and hopefully improve in quantity. Quality need not be that major of an issue if you put smaller articles in. The fuel vent hose article that was in one of the first issues is a classic. Sadly, you wrote it in such a manner that anything further on the topic will appear to be a "repeat". Then again, that's the excellence in your articles working against you. You peruse this forum on occasion (I presume), so you can readily see that there are a myriad of "small" topics that, when illustrated or narrated in a magazine format would allow you to fill that small chunk of your magazine that could be devoted to the "early" cars. Surely one of your editing staff has the skill to "ghost" write from the topics posed on the web. Single uncomplicated articles can be derived without having to relate it all to a thesis on the subject. As an example, address the "simple" items that are so mundane that everyone ignores them BUT they tend to be the most asked about. Ideas like the "Hand Throttle or Cruise Control" with regards to the Series I; "Adding an aftermarket stereo" could encompass several of the models, "Paint Care: Clay or Polish?" applies to ALL. Any one of these, coupled with a few pictures could SURELY be a page or two, especially if you target the advertiser for the article. While I laud your intent to maintain a high standard of editorial excellence, don't forget that by limiting yourself to only the most "perfect" of articles, you limit your resources. I'll be looking forward to your write ups, but I'll disagree on the "nothing" clause of your statement. 2¢ Enrique

The other style did not have that hood, and the wires just led in directly into the switch which is located at the "top" of the cylinder housing. That is, the wires are almost where the bezel meets the cylinder. Carl; in the one you discuss that Rick pictured, could that hood have been for a lamp? Enrique

The beeper is actually a buzzer. Kat's is referring to the Key-In Reminder Buzzer Switch which is located in the ignition lock cylinder. Apparently there were two different style locking mechanisms and one had the location of the switch in the center of the key cylinder. Enrique

Maybe it's your search criteria that's limiting your "findings". Instead of being confrontational, and downright RUDE, you might re-phrase your comments to: "Geez, I've not been able to find it on e-bay, could someone help me find one?". Instead of forging a "problem" that is only problematic to YOU. Besides, having already been given the information as to it's availability from Courtesy, why would you be worried if someone wants to buy it for less? Go buy it from Courtesy, or wait "in the fullness of time" to buy it cheaper on e-Bay. Sorry, but your reality check seems to have failed. Enrique

You haven't mentioned what year car you have, so trying to tell you where to find the connection etc within the car's dash harness is going to take a bit. FYI, the 3 bulbs that illuminate the HCP, are simply tied into the same circuit as the rest of the instrumentation lighting. Look for a Blue / Red wire, that is a Blue wire with a Red stripe. The HCP's lighting harness was separate and had a connector to tie into the dash's harness, but without knowing if your car IS a 73 or HAS a 73 dash and harness, I can only recommend how to hook it up. The bulb sockets are the same kind as the ones in the rest of the instruments, that is a single element bayonet 3W bulb. I don't recall if each of the sockets also had a ground wire attached to it, or if it grounded through the metal plate that the bulbs fit into, and the plate was then grounded via a wire on the harness to the car's ground. In either case, all 3 bulbs were connected via a pair of common wires to the harness, which in turn connected to the car's instrumentation lighting (so the dimmer rheostat controlled them as well). Find a donor Z dash and get the bulb sockets from it, wire together and then connect to your dash. As far as your clock, you can fix it, and if you're careful it will last a long while. I fixed a pair of these a couple of years ago and they're still working great. I even went the extra step to calibrate it and now it only gains 1-2 minutes a day. Not a chronometer but definitely much better than not working. Open the clock housing by removing the two screws holding the face bezel in place. Next gently lift off the clock hands, and carefully remove the face. Below it you should find a black washer and a spring tripod washer. Make sure you don't loose these. Once these are off you can address the main problem with the clock. From the back of the case, remove the 3 nuts that hold the clock mechanism inside the case. Once this is done, carefully force the wire and the rubber boot that powers it, INTO the case, and then do the same thing for the connector. If your connector boot (not the one at the case, but the one where the clock connects to the harness) is pliable enough, gently straighten it out and fold in the heat crimped plastic wings so that it will fit through the hole in the case. At this point you should be able to remove the clock mechanism from the metal case. Take a minute to clean out any dust or gunk inside the case, and if you want it to be brighter, paint it with a WHITE paint, the green lens on the bulb housing will still illuminate the inside as green, but it will be MUCH brighter when you have the lights on. Be careful not to smear the bulb housing. Set this aside to dry. Now, looking at the clock mechanism. You'll note a little motor on the back side of the mechanism. Get a bottle of sewing machine oil and a long enough needle and apply a small drop (by small, I mean minuscule) to the motor housing and the associated pivot points. You can power it up right away, although personally I let this soak for a bit. Usually the length of time to let the paint dry in the case is sufficient, or overnight. Next, to ensure that it's working, you can either re-assemble and plug in, or you can provide power to the clock via a 12v power supply. It doesn't require a large current as the motor just winds the spring enough to keep the clock going. If everything is working correctly, you should hear and see the motor wind and you'll notice the pendulum gear begin to oscillate back and forth. I then re-assemble the clock and to ensure it doesn't conk out, I leave it plugged into the power supply for a while. If you want at this point you could calibrate the clock, except for one thing. Most power supplies supply 12.0v DC, while in the car you will be working with 12.8v to 13.5v depending on the condition of your battery and connections. To get it "perfect" you would need to match the voltage in your car. This takes a l o n g time, so leaving it in the car would be a problem, unless you don't mind having it dangling off on the side for days-weeks. So, if you don't mind it running a bit fast (as mine does), just hook it up to your power supply continuously for a few days. The procedure is simple. Once the clock is functioning properly, set the time to match a KNOWN good clock. Whether it's your wrist watch, a house clock, digital or analog it doesn't matter. You're just going to be using it to compare what the car clock is doing in relation to that one. After 24 hours or thereabouts as it doesn't matter whether you check every 2 hours or 200 hours, compare the time on both pieces. If the car clock shows 12:30 and your reference is 12:00, the car clock is fast, the opposite would be a slow mechanism. On the back of the clock housing, you'll notice a hole, usually with a milky white plug inserted into it, with markings around it ( + | | | - ). Remove the plug, and inserting a small straight screwdriver into this hole, you'll find a screw in there. Give it a gentle twist in the direction you need to adjust the clock. If fast, tweak the screw by a DEGREE or two (360° in a complete revolution) in the - direction. If slow, in the +. Be careful not to over-adjust, a small adjustment of a degree can be as much / little as 10 minutes per 12 hours or less, so by doing small adjustments you won't swing erratically all over the place. Reset the car clock to coincide with the reference clock. Recheck the two clocks again in another day or so, and repeat the adjustment until they coincide with each other, or you are satisfied with the amount of disparity. Hope this helps. Enrique By the way, I'm up here in Vancouver WA, so if you need help give a PM and we can see if we can get together.

Are you asking a question? If so, maybe Tomohawk can help you, as he's familiar with the 280, but on the 240 they weren't illuminated EXCEPT for the 73. Enrique

Richard: I'm sure there will be additional replies, but here's the gist of it: The 70 and 71 (Series I console with the Hand Throttle Option) had the Choke Handle paddle that was slightly offset to the left from the mounting stalk. This was due to the Hand Throttle lever being right next to the Choke Lever. The Hand Throttle Handle was in turn offset to the right. Look at the picture from the e-Bay auction for the picture: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7967794399&category=46102&sspagename=WDVW The Late 71 and up (Series II console) had the one with the paddle centered over the stalk. Look at the picture from Courtesy Nissan: http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=18415-S30 If your Series I console did NOT have the Hand Throttle, OR you're not concerned with originality, you could use the later one without problem. (I've also heard that some of the Series I console vehicles were equipped with this handle after they discontinued the Hand Throttle, but I can't verify that.) AFAIK, the difference between the two is minimal. IIRC, it's in the depth of the insert into the stalk. The set screw's are the same also. This is the basic information. Now, if you do a bit of searching on the site, you'll discover a neat (and long) discussion regarding the "roundness" or "squareness" of the paddle as regards to the originality or applicability to different years & series. The points listed therein are of interest to the purists who want the "CORRECT" one for their year / series of car. 2¢ Enrique

And if you can't get the good cardboard, but want something that will hold up, you can get some of that border edging in a roll that gets used on lawns. That and a handful of sheet metal screws and you're set.... Or you can do like a car that's running around Vancouver lately, get some of the sheet metal used for rain gutters on houses, and pop rivet it to the bottom of the bumpers and rocker panels. Don't forget to cut out a hole for the exhaust pipe. (This car DOES exist, I've seen it a couple of times and unfortunately have not had my camera with me. When I finally do capture it on film, you guys will be "ecstatic" over the look! :stupid: ) This works best and cheapest if your car is white, otherwise you'll have to spend a couple bucks on a can of matching rattle can paint. E

Kats: If possible let us know in advance what city or what date you will be arriving at. Then, if we can, we can meet you and take you to those boneyards that hold the best promise. I'm in Vancouver Washington, with Portland PDX Int'l Airport being the closest international airport. After that, it's Seattle (don't know the code), but that is 3.5 hours away. I'm sure that other members are close to the San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles airports. If nothing else, we'll invite you to dinner or if time permits a beer or two (your flying times being the deciding factor). Enrique

The "L" analogy may need a bit more clarification. Think of that "L" as lying down on it's upright (vertical) post, and the bottom (horizontal) leg as having an insert groove in it. The groove is what gets put onto the metal lip and glued. The part that's "lying down" gets glued into the bottom of the "gutter". The piece looks somewhat like this (in profile) gutter ___|¯| interior The side pieces are flat on all edges, whereas the piece that goes across the top has a bulb (round tube) on the tip of the grooved part that gets glued onto the metal. The piece looks somewhat like this (in profile) gutter ___|º| interior (Sorry about the legs showing past the bulb. The bulb actually is an added piece to the side gasket piece.) As far as the louvers, typically they were either mounted onto hinges that were screwed onto the upper part of the hatch metal above the window, and latched below the window with slide bolt mechanisms. Or they had the base of the hinges inserted underneath the rubber and above the glass. This inserted metal was flat with a pair of minor hooks elevated to grip the rubber, and only went in as far as the glass did. To remove these all you have to do is use a 1-2" scraper to insert between the metal and the rubber, lifting the rubber off the hooks and then slide the metal out. (check to make sure they didn't also glue the metal to the glass). A very few hinge set-ups actually had a metal clip that clipped onto the glass and then the rubber seal went around it, but these were the very rarest. This metal was actually a U clip, with one of the "legs" being longer so that it extended past the glass rubber molding and then the hinge was attached at that point. Unfortunately, the ONLY way to remove these clips from the window is to remove the glass from the car and the rubber from around the glass. Hope this helps Enrique

With that being the case (one wire per direction) then by "standard" troubleshooting by providing juice to either wire should actuate the motor (the case being what's grounding the circuit). Again, I caution in that without a schematic, and prior experience of working on the 32, all I can suggest are "ballpark" procedures. Enrique

I don't have the schematics for a z32 of any year so I can't cite specifics. However, the motor is either grounded through the case and then each wire is to provide power in ONE direction, opposite from the other. Or the wires are, as you said, one positive one negative with the switch acting as an inverter. Lastly, if the motor is out of the door, see if you can rotate by hand. If the motor is seized, no amount of electricity is going to free it up to operate your window. Also, the problem COULD be in the window mechanism and not the motor. HTH Enrique

I think that rusty triangle thing in front IS a towbar, or a rust divining tool. Sad that it is in such poor condition, but I'll be the first to say that I'm glad he's trying to sell it to someone who will try to fix it or use it for parts. No, it isn't in the condition that any of us would consider "barely acceptable" but that's cause we've all been "edumacated" as to the problems and solutions. I do think his putting a reserve against it is ludicrous....what did the boneyard offer more? 2¢ Enrique

That's what I've heard as well. Or at least that the cost of doing so. What about ALCOHOL? You know that works as you see it in auto racing all the time. In certain parts of the country, during winter the gas has a percentage of alcohol in it. Although the "cost" of this has been ballyhooed somewhat, it's mostly because it's easier to refine oil than to distill alcohol. Lastly, the natural gas conversion has been around for years. I recall using natural gas taxis all over Spain in the late 60's. The biggest problem to any of this is that there aren't enough people willing to accept the changes, pay for the modifications and accept the limitations to make it a viable alternative. Whether it needs to be profitable, or the cost of gas needs to rise so high that it becomes cheaper, is irrelevant, as long as people aren't willing to use the technology. Enrique Enrique

Tom: The motor in your picture is the one with the relay for the intermittent wiper option. That little Z box is the relay that allows the intermittent function. If I vaguely recall, these came from the factory already preset with the park function, and the only way to change it was to open the gearbox (that big round piece behind the Z box in your picture) and physically moving the gear over a notch or two with regards to the worm gear. That is, open cover, lift round gear (which is attached to shaft) and then rotate it only one tooth or two of the round gear. I don't recall if the spiral of the worm gear makes contact on every tooth or if it skips one (i.e. the round moves 2 teeth per "tooth" of the worm). I may be completely off base on this one as it has been literally a couple of decades since I dealt with one. The adjustment that Carl is referring to is on the earlier non-intermittent wiper motors. These had a physical switch which came through the back of the gear box and kept a pair of reed contacts open as long as it wasn't parked. By rotating the housing which held them in place, you would change at what position in the rotation the switch closed. As far as a moisture bag, any of the different year bags should work. Hope this helps. Enrique

That's the exact reason why I post my "clarifications". Not to be argumentative, nor to denote myself as some sort of guru or wizard. Simply that many of our fellow Z lovers would have to endure that same trial and error/ experience that I have or others have had. If these posts allow ONE member to avoid the dog poopoo on the sidewalk, then they will have served their purpose. Remember, all of us had to learn what we now know about the Z from someone and/or someplace. It behooves those of us who have Z's that are in any condition - good or bad, whether by our actions or those of others to advise others as to what to avoid. That's just the giving part of the "Golden Rule". The other part is in receiving...how others then share their experiences, pitfalls, and solutions. I posted a bit about repairing and adjusting the Wipers, then Bambikiller posted some excellent posts with pictures regarding disassembly. I remember some posts regarding electrical problems and upgrades needed on the electrical system, I've chimed in and in turn was able to buy an excellent upgrade relay system for the headlights from Zs-ondabrain. That's what's so important about this club, at least to me. Remember, we all get something for what we give. In a very cynical way you might say that every altruistic motive has a selfish motivation behind it. Here, with the Z's, hopefully by giving our best, we'll receive others best. So, now ... group hug and back to enjoying the Z. (and if that's too much "fluff" for you......PFFFFFFT!!!) Enrique

That yellow haze is the pulverized seat foam dust. Seat foam tends to deteriorate over time and the little "bubbles" in the foam break and those pieces of the "bubble shell" are what's being expelled. You might look into having the seat foam replaced. 2¢ Enrique

Be very careful when polishing plastic as it doesn't take much friction heat before the temperature / pressure is enough to deform the surface. Voice of experience here. Higher RPM's need an ultra fine touch as they'll literally burn through the surface in record time. Ever heard of burning through the paint when polishing it? Enrique

The generic term for Prep-Solâ„¢ is Wax and Grease Remover. Whether you use this or any other brand, the intent is to dissolve whatever wax, grease or protecting film that has been previously applied to the surface. If the overspray occurred after that film was applied, then the paint should be removed readily. If on the other hand the paint spray went onto the plastic without any protective film, then more than likely the paint solvent will have allowed the paint to adhere to the plastic, and the W&G remover will only clean the surrounding surface and the overspray. If the paint is not firmly attached to the plastic, it MAY scrub / wipe off. W&G Remover is generally accepted as harmless to all plastics and paints, but that's not always the case. Some flexible plastics will be dried out by it, as well as rubber and silicone compounds. Contact time will also affect whether the material being treated is harmed. Usually, you apply the W&G Remover with a moistened cloth and then wipe it off with a clean dry cloth. (The teaching method used in body shops is the "Karate Kid" movie scene "Wax On- Wax Off", where each hand does one action.) If additional treatments are needed the procedure is still the same and not a soak and wait method. Next, don't confuse LACQUER THINNER with MINERAL SPIRITS, aka Paint Thinner. Mineral Spirits are used to thin oil based paints used in homes, but not on cars (except for the really creative). While a simple wipe with Mineral Spirits will remove oil based paints while they're still wet, once the paint is dry it will take a good rubbing to remove it. Lacquer thinner on the other hand, is a true SOLVENT. It's primary use is to thin lacquer paints for air spray equipment, as the viscosity of paint straight out of the can will not allow the paint to be atomized evenly. On dried paint, it will dissolve lacquer based paints and on enamel paints will attack them such that they'll lift and wrinkle. There are different thinners for use in different temperatures as well as humidity levels. For what we are suggesting here, the typical inexpensive thinner available at most hardware stores, is strong enough to remove the paint without being overly aggressive on the plastic / rubber. Clear plastic is a very touchy material. If handled incorrectly you can seriously marr it's surface so that you will actually render it unuseable. Thinner on the clear lenses on the instruments is a definite no-no, as it will have it's surface softened and will marr with the slightest touch. Brasso, toothpaste, and other polishes have a very small amount of grit in them in order to "scrub" the surface they are used to polish. While you can have some success using these products, you should be extremely careful with them as any scratches or imperfections will have to be polished out. In my opinion, to clean the clear plastic on the instruments, if they have any stains or paint on them, try that product used to remove price sticker glue or Goof-Off. Both of these have very mild ingredients and in my use have not harmed clear plastic. But the original question was on the front turn signal lenses. Both the front and rear lenses (if OEM) are of a plastic that is unaffected by lacquer thinner. This is from personal experience, as I bought a couple lenses that had paint on them but were otherwise in good condition. The plastic used on these is of a type that is not readily harmed by the thinner. Then again, we're not recommending you SOAK them in it, just a lightly moistened cloth and a light wipe. Rubber, on the other hand, reacts very diffently to solvents than plastic. If you have paint overspray on your rubber, you will find that to remove the paint you might loose that shiny smooth finish from the mold. The best way I've found to remove paint from rubber is to flex the rubber to crack and loosen any of the paint and then use a good rubber cleaner. Hope this helps. Enrique

Not necessarily. Some plastics are "burnt" by UV rays and there is no fix for that. If the surface of the plastic has a chalky feel, or if the clear lens has acquired a milky-yellowish color, then it has been damaged by the UV rays. No amount of polishing will remove that color as it is IN the plastic. Polishing only affects the surface. 2¢ Enrique

I would try some Wax and Grease Remover first. You might be able to remove the bulk of it, especially if the lenses ever got waxed before the overspray happened. Then for whatever was left, I would use the lacquer thinner mentioned above. You would have to soak the lenses in lacquer thinner for a while before I would be concerned as to what would happen. As far as cracking or starring it....not from the lacquer thinner, at least in my experience. With American car lenses I would warn you away from using lacquer thinner, but not with the Z's lenses. 2¢ Enrique

Ed: CSI on TV is a nice interesting show. But that's about all it is. Don't be led to believe that it's that easy to prove anything. Even if you could get a mass spectrometer match of the paint on his vehicle and the paint rubbed off on your car, then you would have to find a judge that would accept that as irrefutable proof. Then again, how much do you think this would cost? The $500 deductible will seem C H E A P in the final tally. As far as finding a witness, that's probably the best suggestion. If you can find a witness that's the way to go, and then maybe the police will file charges. But since the police have not cited him, there technically is "no case" and they won't be pursuing it further. But the next part is definitely NOT a good idea. In fact, in my opinion, what you're suggesting could lead to big trouble. Don't go confront him. He'll have ample cause to call the police and have you charged with harassment and intimidation. Besides, what if it turns out he meets you at the door with a Doberman and a loaded .45? As I said before, chalk it up to a life experience. Picking at the "scab" will only result in a long lasting injury and a scar. 2¢ Enrique P.S.: Thanks for the praise Will, but I must humbly state that all I'm doing is regurgitating the kicks in the a$$ and thumps on the head that I've received over the years. If it helps a fellow Z owner from stepping on the dog poopoo that I smeared before them, then I've done my Scout's Good Deed for the day.