EScanlon

Geez Bill, what next? A rag for a gas-cap? Or better yet, Duct Tape and plastic for a windshield? Or are you hoping to be the next example of "not wearing your seat belt" at the local Driver's Ed class? There are old fools, and bold fools, but you rarely see an old bold fool. 2¢ Enrique

Ok, let's all admit it. At one time or another, somewhere or someplace, we've exceeded the speed limit. Maybe by just a mile or two, or because of speedometer error (let's not forget THAT debacle), or ..., but on an ABSOLUTE scale, we've exceeded it. If you've passed someone on a stretch of highway, you more than likely did. If you stepped on the gas at a yellow light, you almost asuredly did. When you finally drove out of the traffic clump and found clear highway ahead, you probably speed up, maybe not to the extent of shattering the speed limit, but surely encroaching upon it. So as far as "wirgins", I don't think that not having had a ticket (sorry Rick), means you've never "speeded". The difference is in getting caught. But everyone seems to agree (hopefully) on one topic: emphasis mine.It's the idiot who chooses to drive 20-30 miles/hour faster than the traffic he's driving through. The one that weaves in and out of all 3 lanes looking for that "pole" position. The one that swerves into your lane in front of you, and his curb-feelers nearly scratch your eyes out. Those are the ones that, when seen, get stopped readily. Sometimes, even though you're not doing the above, you get stopped. If you act dumb or stupid, they'll nail you. If you act responsible, many times they'll warn you and let you go. But one thing is very important to remember. If you get warned several times, because you "talked" your way out of it, the cops will eventually catch on (they DO talk amongst themselves) and the next time you'll get nailed hard. So be careful out there. There are areas where you can "punch it" and get the kick out of the car, without endangering yourself and everyone else, and the likelihood of a ticket is small. Also, remember WHERE the traps are, and don't ignore them. 2¢ Enrique

Kats is restoring a LHD Z to the American Export Spec because in Japan that is the rarest of the rare. (From what I've been given to understand.) Sort of like a true blue JDM Fairlady in the U.S.. As far as the Datsun emblems, IIRC they had "Fairlady" where we have "Datsun". Enrique

Well, I didn't mean to scare people with my comments. I have it on my car, and like many other things, it's only dangerous if you don't know what it can do. But to answer your question: Yes, you can almost FLOOR the pedal. That's one of the major drawbacks, there isn't a limit to how high, nor how to quickly disconnect it. Additionally, it takes a very careful hand to get it to function as a CC, since it's dependent on the throttle pedal position and not on speed. That means that on uphills you'll loose speed and on downhills you'll gain it real quick. For plain old Iowa / Nebraska style driving, you could literally set it at the Mississippi and shut it off as you enter Omaha. In a manual car, if you push the clutch in, if you have it set, it will freely accelerate the engine. If you press on the brake it will continue to accelerate against your braking. An automatic will only have it if it's been custom adapted to work. (Mine is that way, hence the detail on the accelerator pedal links.) Hope this helps. Enrique

OK Carl, you win! We both are posting at the same time, except it takes me longer. I'll wait till you're done...... E

JDM refers to the Japanese DOMESTIC Market. That's the market WITHIN their country. As to these items being JDM, could be, but then again Ronco, Popeel (sic), are USDM (here in the states), you decide whether that's enough of an added value for the item. In different terms, it may be that these seats are SOLD in Japan's home market, but are they selling them here because they were deemed good / bad sales items? In reference to the Z, we use to denote those items which Datsun chose to make available as options or accessories WITHIN Japan, and not readily available outside Japan. What this e-bayer may be trying to do, is latch on to those folks who are more concerned with the provenance of their item rather than it's worth. Are you building a racer? That may be more a "bling-bling" type item for the cruiser or park and show gang. i.e. it's not really a racing seat, it just LOOKS like one. 2¢ Enrique P.S.: Check out the shipping! $150 U.S. AND Private Feedback score!

I knew that. In talking with a couple of friends who are police officers, one of the common threads is how people hate to be addressed by them, yet welcome them when they're in trouble. Unfortunately they don't get a hundredth of the amount of thanks they should receive. I make it a point to personally thank any police, sheriff, fireman, and ambulance personnel I run into. They get to see the underside of civilization and aren't appreciated for what they do. A neighbor of mine was a Sheriff's Deputy, and whenever I'd see him leaving for work in his supervisor's cruiser (unmarked Grand Marquis), I'd bid him a good day by saying, "I hope you have an extremely BORING day!". Remember that when a cop has a boring day, it means that nothing criminal went on. 2¢ Enrique

Good job in doing the research first. I'm not sure why you feel you need to use epoxy primer in addition to the POR. The POR lists that it is best when applied directly to properly cleaned and prepped metal (degreased and etched with their acid) and not on top of another coating. If you are wanting to paint the floors with color, then follow the POR instructions and you'll find that you can spray your color directly on top of the almost set (finger drag sticky) POR, therefore eliminating the need for the primer. As far as the color of the seat support rails, mine and all the other ones that I recall were black. It may be that they were sprayed black after the body color was applied and that's why you see some of the original color below the black. Insulation, you don't specify whether it's the SOUND insulation or the HEAT insulation you are referring to, so here's a bit on both. Sound insulation is mostly the original tar-paper that was applied incorrectly at the factory. The purpose of this is to diminish the vibration in the metal which transmits sound into the passenger cabin. Depending on your money reserves, you can buy various types of this material. Dynamat, Brown Bread and Q-Pads are just a few of the types available. Dynamat and Brown Bread have different formulations as well as thicknesses. Q-Pad is basically the same tar-paper as was applied originally, except that it comes in 1 sq. ft. square pieces. Depending on the level of sound attenuation you want / require is how to decide which one. However, remember that the floor pan will be below a carpet and presumably a floor mat, so a thick coating would not necessarily yield additional sound attenuation. You want to stay away from anything that may absorb moisture, and any of the really soft ones. Remember you'll be putting your feet and your passengers on it. If it is too soft, or delicate, it will get ripped to shreds. As far as Heat insulation, this primarily gets applied to the transmission tunnel and the firewall. In this case, you can apply some Q-Pads BELOW the heat insulation and then use a commonly available 1/2" or thicker (depending on your needs) thermal bat. Or you could buy a dual purpose material. The key to this material is that it gives you a layer of air cells between you and the metal that's getting hot due to exhaust, engine heat, transmission heat, etc. Again stay away from anything that would HOLD the moisture in. The Heat insulation for the most part will be very porous, but you don't want anything that would retain the moisture. Hope this helps. Enrique

Laughing at what? That you got caught or that you don't like cops? Like Carl said, if you can't pay, don't play. It is possible to go fast without getting busted for speeding. The trick is to not be so damn blatant that they notice you. As far as not liking cops, wait till you NEED one, and then remind yourself that you hate cops. Disliking them because they gave you a ticket instead of a warning, well heck, you KNOW you deserved it, be mad at yourself not them. Remember the eleventh commandment. 2¢ Enrique

Many of the people that ask about the Hand Throttle, have been misinformed about it's use as a Cruise Control. Since this is a common misunderstanding, and that this site (along with others) is seen as an "authoritative" site for information regarding the Z, it is important to make sure that the information we post here is correct. That's the main reason for jumping so boisterously on it's being used as such. Unfortunately, there aren't that many folks in the U.S. that are familiar with a Choke lever (I don't want to CHOKE it I want to START it!) let alone how to use a Hand Throttle (Once the engine is started, you don't need to continue choking it, all you need to do is throttle it up to warm it up and keep it going.). 2¢ Enrique

The "little thingy" that you connect to, it also must connect to the engine in order to maintain the throttle. It also needs to have a sensor of some sort, whether vacuum or magnetic sensor that would read the rpm's of one of the engine components. 2¢ Enrique

Only the very early Z's with the EARLY console, (Ash Tray is the Fuse Area Cover), did you find the slot for the Hand Throttle Lever. The Hand Throttle was for maintaining a higher RPM than a regular idle once you got the engine started with the Choke. AFAIK, the Choke does not adjust the idle speed, although it may seem so from the extra rich mixture causing the engine to rev a bit faster. This is NOT a Cruise Control, and the main reason DEALERS were disconnecting it was because Americans insist on using it as such. IT HAS NO DISCONNECT. Only by MANUALLY pushing the lever back do you allow the engine to rev back down. If you step on the brake, the engine will CONTINUE to rev high due to the setting on the Hand Throttle. Would you unplug the Brake or Clutch pedal disconnect wiring, and then use the Cruise Control? That's what would be happening UNTIL you pushed the lever back. That's also the reason the Hand Throttle was never installed on an Automatic transmission, because of the liability and danger involved. So, if this is why you want the lever functional, do yourself a favor, disconnect the extra lever, and the knob, also the cable and sell them to someone who won't be using it as such. You'll probably earn more than enough to buy an aftermarket cruise control with the proper safety features built in. Now one reason you wouldn't have the little bracket for the Hand Throttle is if you have an Automatic car. The Automatic Throttle Pedal had the Kick-Down Switch plate on the stem of the Pedal Linkage instead of the prong for the hand throttle. If your car is an Automatic and does not have the Kick Down Switch plate on the stem, then it's been replaced with a later manual pedal, unless you DO have the prong. All of the Early Z's, with manual transmissions had the little prong above the top bend in the Accelerator Pedal Linkage. If yours doesn't, and it's a manual transmission, then it's been replaced with a later model. Another reason could be is that you don't have the Hand Throttle Cable in the housing, and don't have the little nylon bushing that holds it to the Throttle Pedal. That bushing is what holds the cable to the prong, while allowing the pedal to move back and forth without binding the cable. When you pull back on the Hand Throttle, it shortens the cable and pulls back on the throttle linkage. You will actually see the foot pedal move. FWIW Enrique

I'll know in 24 hours if they're mine. Will, I would still want to know how much yours are going to be. I just need one set ASAP. Enrique

Bruce Palmer provided a link for additional info and pre-registration form: http://www.geowrite.net/ Hope to see you all there. Enrique

Well, don't know what happened to the poll. So someone must have gotten rowdy. The sale ended at $860.00US plus shipping. Don't know who had the closest guess. Enrique

Ten questions????????

I think this is going to be your biggest obstacle. (Young Male (under 25), Single) + Sports Car (280Z) = BIG PAYOUTS That's the way the insurance companies look at it. You may argue that you're the choir boy of safe driving, but the insurance companies will still look at their actuarial tables and quote you according to those figures. Those figures are there because for the most part, young males tend to be more daring than older ones, more aggressive and more subject to over-extending their driving abilities. Translated into everyday terms, the insurance companies KNOW that young males will get more tickets and into more accidents than older drivers. They charge accordingly. Do yourself a favor. Have your parents check how much it would cost to add you to their policy driving THEIR cars. Then ask them to check the cost if you were driving the Z. Then check how much it would cost you ALONE to be insured. I think you'll quickly come to realize that paying an extra 75 or more a month may be the biggest deterrent to owning the Z. Don't get us wrong. We would love it if you would buy the Z. You've found us, and you would bring another Z back "into the fold" so to speak. But the reality of the costs involved still apply. Add to the insurance costs, the need for maintenance and repairs. Before long, I think that the total package may be a bit overwhelming to your budget. Now if money is NOT an issue, then go buy it. Take it to a good mechanic and have him fix all of the safety items first (brakes, steering, suspension, engine) then address the bodywork. I think you'll then find that the Z can be VERY reliable, but like a thoroughbred horse, you can't ignore the "little" things. 2¢ Enrique

Sean: You just lived through what we've been posting here for the past few years. Enrique

Tomo, you ALWAYS imply that others should try your ideas. You post your idea as if it were a complete concept that's been thoroughly debugged when in fact you're just spitting out whatever you just regurgitated. Every single time you chime in with one of your new Goldberg ideas, you suggest that they try it to fix their problem. You're right as far as anybody being welcome to try, that's just personal choice. The biggest problem however, is that your solutions sometimes are not only NOT thought out, but defy physics, gravity and all known methods of production. When people entertain your thought with serious discussion, it becomes apparent that YOU have no idea on how to get it to work. That's not being helpful. Sometimes the best help you can be is to simply NOT get involved. As far as asking what has been done, that's not what you ask. You ask: That does not say: "Has anybody relocated their temp sensor from the AFM? And if so, where did you put it and why?" When people DO answer, you then denigrate what they did because it isn't what you would have done, regardless of the fact that you have yet to do it. So, back to the original post, go try it. Don't bother asking what others have done, you seem to know all the answers before the questions are posed. Share with us your successes and not your pipe dreams. Maybe like your solution for the Hatch Release mechanism we could all learn how to totally re-engineer the car. Enrique P.S. I've YET to see anything about any item that you've posted here, that was successful. If you invented a new type of tiddly-wink, I don't know about it, but then again it's not something I would have done research on.

Unfortunately, that is the part of the Z that is the MOST prone for twisting off bolts. The Headlight Buckets (aka Sugar Scoops) have the screw part of the stud exposed to the grime and moisture in the wheel well area. Supposedly originally there were thread caps (little plastic / rubber caps), but I've never seen one still on the car and unfortunately the threads are rusted. Additionally, they're really small nuts and bolts in the headlight area. Bet you also had a hard time on the lower fender bolts just in front of the doors. When I've been really worried about twisting off a screw or bolt, I've used a penetrating oil, and then instead of trying to unscrew it in one sitting, I'll loosen by one degree or two, then tighten, keeping this cycle up, so that the oil can work it's way in. It doesn't always work, and sometimes the loosening and tightening is just the twisting in small scale. You can use heat, but be EXTREMELY careful. Especially if you've used penetrating oil. You do NOT want a fire in there. Wish I had better news for you. Enrique

You're forgetting the original timeline. The relays were arrived at after several other methods of re-routing the flow THROUGH the combination switch were tried and failed. The Relays were a logical choice, but the problem was in how to install and actuate them without major changes to the electrical system in the car. Most cars manufactured now use the relay method, but it is an integral part of their circuitry. What Dave did was to formulate an idea : Incorporate the Relay System so that it plugs right into the existing wire harness. Then he did his research : checked what value of relay and fuses and connectors would be required. And lastly, made it available. I bought two for my cars. You keep asking other people to attempt your ideas, but haven't yet posted a single one that YOU have tried and succeeded at. Maybe it's because you haven't been able to communicate the idea well. So, like my prior post.....go do it. Polish your idea, do your research and then experiment until you succeed. Until you do that, expect others to be not only skeptical but downright incredulous at your ideas. Too often it seems that you propose an outlandish idea without any supporting THOUGHT let alone facts. Then when everyone ballyhoo's it, you claim to be too busy to try it yourself. Maybe if you didn't try to reach so far with your ideas you might actually come up with one that would be credible to others and maybe even work well. Stop trying to re-invent the wheel. It really doesn't get more round, nor will changing it's shape make it better. 2¢ Enrique

Don't see why not. Give it a try and then let the rest of us know how it worked or didn't. The best way to find out if your ideas hold water is to go try them out, especially when your ideas seem to go against the grain of common thought. E

This is a portion of the Northwest Z Club's e-mail announcement regarding the Blue Lake meet: Blue Lake Event will be at Clackamas County Fairgrounds in Canby. The new location is 4 times the size of Blue Lake. It will be a 2-day event. The name of this event will be changed to NW All Datsun/Nissan Meet. It will be a Peoples Choice awards again this year. The dates for the event are June 11 and 12, 2005. Like last year, there will be no alcohol or pets at the event. Saturday a swamp meet and cruise through Silver Creek Falls is planned. There will be a picnic lunch at the falls or the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds will be locked at 10pm. They are still working out all the logistics with the fairgrounds. If you want to camp, there is a $10 charge; there are limited hookups. The fairgrounds will be locked at 10 p.m. nightly. Vendors Area â€â€œ Northwest Z is interested in a booth. There will be small charge, $10/day or $20/weekend.

That's the color it originally was. Ideally it should still be there and gloss up after the clear poly gets applied, but in some cases, due to friction wear and sunlight it fades. After sanding the old varnish off, those people applied a stain to revive the color. Don't know how well it works but their comments have been favorable, so I presume the "wood" takes a stain properly. 2¢ Enrique

Blue Lake is the Annual Northwest Nissan/Datsun Owners Club get together / show at Blue Lake,Oregon. Last year it was so big that they didn't have room for all the cars. So, this year they are moving it, I'll have to get back to you with the details. Suffice it to say that people from as far south as Klamath Falls and as far East as Spokane and north Seattle come there for the day. This year it's going to be a 2 day event to allow more people to come. 2 years ago, I won 2nd Best L Engine which is an excellent testament to my mechanic. Matt Anderson of M.B. Anderson, is my mechanic. He's on 99th Street just a couple of blocks East of Highway 99 in Vancouver. He's not the cheapest, but he is the recognized BEST in the Vancouver and Portland area as far as Datsun / Nissan. Even the dealers send him problematic cases. He works by appointment only. Call him at 360-573-7314 to speak to him and determine when he can work with you. Note: He works on STOCK Datsun / Nissan. I'm not sure of the extent of "allowable" modifications he will work with, I do know that Weber Carbs are not part of his warranty. When I first bought my car, it had Webers. Matt said he'd tune them, but that he wouldn't stand behind them due to their problems. He recommended I return to the SU's. I did so about 3 years ago and haven't had a single problem since. 2¢ Enrique