EScanlon

Check my gallery, my car has a set of the OEM. The installation instruction sheet I received with mine, was more of a pictogram than a detailed instruction sheet. I'll describe it as I interpreted them, corrected by my experience: (This is what I learned the hard way.) Locate the Plexiglass cover onto the sugar scoop, to determine the position it best fits. Make notations on the fender through the holes in the plexiglass, identifying the 4 screw hole locations. When adjusting the plastic, look at the way that the edges touch or don't touch the sugar scoop. Use masking tape to "tack" the pieces in place while you make minor adjustments. Look at the position of the bend at the nose, and how it meets the bend as well as the curve on the side. Ideally, it will fit very nicely ALL the way around with even edges overlapping the edge of the sugar scoop. Do this same fit with the metal trim piece, to determine it's fit to the car. If you wanted you could mark the trim holes also, but the plastic will not accept the pressure of the trim if the holes DO NOT MATCH. (I cracked mine. :stupid: ) Place the corresponding metal trim piece and determine if the screw holes in the trim are in line with the marks on the sugar scoop. If everything lines up well (there's not much room for error here.), then do a final fit with the trim AND the plexiglass. This is to make absolutely sure that BOTH sets of holes match. Take care not to scratch the plexiglass by moving the trim excessively. If everything is ok, then proceed to mounting the screw plates. Important Note: If you do NOT fit these well, and try to use the old tighten the screw and it will "gunch" it into position, you can almost guarantee that one of the plexiglass covers will crack. The picture shows that once you've marked these holes, that you should place the rectangular screw plates directly over the holes, and then mark the two mounting holes for those screw plates on the fender. If you are using a fibreglass sugar scoop, you drill the center hole (the one that actually retains the trim ring and the cover) only deep enough so that the screw won't bottom out, but not THROUGH the material. In metal, you'll go right through. The screw plate mounting holes are drilled next, and depending on whether it's fibreglass or metal, you adjust the diameter of the drill bit. In fibreglass you don't want to stress the material by drilling out a smaller hole than the screw shank, nor so large that the thread is only barely into the metal. The ideal would be just slightly larger than the actual center of the screw (the distance between the innermost points of the thread), and small enough that at least 2/3 of the thread BITES into the material. In sheet metal, my rule of thumb is to split the difference. That is, roughly halfway between those two. Others may have differences of opinion and if so please post. The screws that hold the screw plates onto the sugar scoop are beveled heads that fit flush with the top of the screw plate. Don't loose these. For some reason, they are an "odd" head diameter and you won't easily find replacements. Once you have the 4 Trim Retainer Screw Plates mounted on the car place the trim ring and the cover onto the car and use the stainless screws provided to install it. That's it. As a note to those who would be interested in a variation of the procedure. I wanted to be able to remove the covers completely for the car, for those times when I would be polishing or waxing. Additionally, I didn't want the screw plates on TOP of the sugarscoop where they would provide a hazard to my applicator sponge or polisher pad. Since I have metal scoops, I decided to mount the screw plates underneath the sheet metal of the scoop. Since this would be a very tedious mount and install, if you had to hold the screw plates from below, I epoxied the screw plates to the underside of the sheet metal. (be sure to use a small amount of release agent on the screw if you choose to use the screw to hold the plate in place.) Now, other than the holes in the sugarscoop (and only 4 through the metal, instead of 12), you wouldn't readily note that I had had the covers on the car. Additionally, filling 4 holes, should I ever decide to do without the covers, would be far easier and faster than filling 12. Additionally, in order to preclude scratches and dirt from seeping into the headlight opening, I added a 1/16th thick layer of closed cell foam BELOW the plastic cover, such that the trim ring hides it. There's also a 1/8th layer ABOVE the plastic that is compressed by the trim ring as it presses the clear cover down. Between these two pieces of foam, and the rubber ring I applied around the headlight, the space in front of the headlight bulbs has stayed dirt and moisture free even in the rain in the Pac. NW. Aftermarket Headlight Cover Install: The commonly available set of headlight covers available for this car, require a bit of tricky manipulation. At least in my book. The trick to mounting these, is that in order to get a very good fit, you need to make sure the gasket that fits around the edge of the clear cover, and the edge of the sugarscoop meet properly. If you don't, you'll have all sorts of gunk inside the headlight area, which will require continual maintenance. The problem with locating this, is that in order to mount the covers, you fasten a set of "L" brackets with screws through the cover. The other side of the "L", has a section of double stick emblem tape. Locating these and in turn afixing them to the sugar scoop so that they don't fall off can be an exercise in futility. The easiest (though complicated) method I've seen to ensuring a good snug and weatherproof seal to these covers, was to remove the sugar scoop from the car and after locating the plastic and seal in the desired location, to work THROUGH the headlight bulb opening into this area to affix the double stick tape. Lastly, after removing the headlight covers for final cleaning, the L brackets will be stuck to the scoop with the tape, If you want to avoid further problems, drill a hole for a sheet metal screw and your problems will be over. Unfortunately, one of the "pluses" of these covers, is that they tout that you don't need to drill holes in the sugar scoop. That's right, if you don't mind buying double stick foam tape by the roll, and replacing it every so many days, hours, ..... Get my drift? After a while, the original locations are lost, and you then have a poorly fit cover that can literally get ripped off the car by a high gust of wind. Additionally, you find that TONS of gunk gets past the "seal". Hope this helps, sorry if my bias shows. Enrique

I believe that everybody who posts / reads here is using English, and whether you use the Australian, English, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, or the United States' version of the English language, you can't have something that does not exist. Do you see my point about defying the basic tenets of ....everything? You don't say what you mean, you give yourself the option of denying everything you said because what you write isn't interpreted correctly. Huh? "I believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant" is a FUNNY statement, but as a way of life? If everyone is afraid to ask those questions, WHO asked YOU? If nobody asks the question, it's probably because they've discovered that it's easier to sit back, be quiet and learn, and THEN propose new methods and procedures which would then be ON TOPIC and PLAUSIBLE. Or then again, maybe they've heard the saying " It's better to be quiet and thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all possible doubt.". Tomy, I think you may indeed have an intelligent viewpoint, if you would only learn some of the basics first. The problem is that you are a legend... ONLY in your own mind. The only legend you are promoting here is the one of club bufoon, but I disagree with that. I think you're grossly over qualified for the position. PFFFT! (Not even a short burst of flatulence.) Enrique

Really? Geez, my numismatic collection either just shot up several thousand percent, or devaluated to next to nothing. I have at least 30 or 40 U.S. Treasury $2 bills. I'm sure others have some and more people remember them. Funny what you don't know. That may be, mis-information is exactly what we try to AVOID on this site. I've requested correction to my posts whenever I'm not entirely sure about something. I also DO NOT post to subjects I know nothing about. Maybe if you followed the same logic, you wouldn't be posting on EVERY topic that comes up. As far as other people's capabilities, if they are in fact CAPABLE, it becomes apparent in just a few posts. If they are incapable, they usually try to learn from the various posts that are offered and not try to "figure out" a "better" solution based on their ignorance. I do care about those that do know, and it is the main reason that buffoons who don't know must be stomped on, in order that those who come here to learn aren't misguided by them. It is a rare post where you don't come up with a new method to negate the laws of physics. The main thrust of all this is to advise you to use the intelligence you claim to have to realize that you are way off topic on most of your suggestions. Either that or you aren't presenting them in such a manner as to make them plausible. Usually however, it is just pipe-dreams that you put down and very little actual physical research has been done to support those pipe-dreams is presented. So, either put on another layer on your AFBD or quit "shooting the sh!t" with a mouthfull of diarrhea. And I hope you also have a nice day. Enrique

Actually, no problem is created since there is no misunderstanding. It's YOUR misunderstanding that has caused the problem. And so you won't obfuscate and ignorige it, it's TOMYCHICKEN that's misunderstanding the basic function in REPAIRING automobiles. If repairing were "PARTS REPLACING" then he could find a job working at the dealers that specialize in this, but he still won't understand the basic concept of repair. Tomy, by your logic (if that's not an oxymoron), you should replace and upgrade ALL parts associated with the part that failed, since, they're all as old as the part that failed. Well then, just replace the car. You ASSUME that by replacing with "upgrades" you won't have further problems that may in fact exacerbate other parts into failure. That's a MAJOR misunderstanding, that DOES create a problem. Now the only "repair" possible in your book is to transmogrify a 240 into a 350. The problem is, that if we WANTED a 350 instead of a 240 we'd just sell and trade our cars to "upgrade" properly, per your "logic". Unfortunately, this has been tried with TOMYCHICKEN and all we get are more squawks and promises of another rotten egg. We get a lot of stink, but no product. The reason it's easy to presume that your response is in fact UNREASONABLE, is that you'd be batting less than 100% for us to question that presumption. I've yet to see the post regarding repairs where you didn't suggest "upgrading" in some warped method that everyone ballyhooed. Your upgrades almost always involve re-engineering the vehicle. Your input would be much more appreciated if you weren't so pathetically off base every time. Why not stick to what you DO know, and leave the "hypothetical" to those who can breathe with their mouth shut. Go watch Monster Garage or Junkyard Wars for the type of engineering you suggest. $2 Enrique

Michael: As far as the dimension on your plan go, I don't know that 6' to the Depth of the garage would do you a whole heck of a lot of good with that stairway there. As the design overview shows, with an external measurement of 30 (your mod) you'd loose at least a foot from the thickness of the walls, add to that the nominal width of 3.5' of the staircase, and an "oops" factor to the walls and back of the car (for parking it so that the garage door doesn't hit it) and you could easily loose another 1.5', which nulifies your additional room. But you would end up with 6' INSIDE more. Problem with this is that, in my experience 6' is barely enough room to set up tools and start removing / replacing items. But that's my experience. Garden equipment is also another pain, 6' to store these means that there will be an AWFUL amount of shuffling to pull out the lawnmower, or the edger, or the.... you get my drift? Then to have this be a COMMON area between the two, and you'll quickly wish you had done something different. Although the width seems ok, unfortunately by the time you put in your tool boxes and other paraphernelia that eventually ends up on the wall of any garage, you might find yourself pulling one car out to work on the other. Also, the height of the work area at 97" is in my opinion, terribly low. Not only will it be impossible to have any overhead storage, but you're not going to be putting a larger vehicle up on stands without careful checking of clearance. Don't forget that the overhead door will likely hang down about 8-10" BELOW the ceiling and you are looking at only 87" in USEABLE height. (item height without being affected by the garage doors) You were once talking about a rotisserie, not in this garage. How about a lift? You'd be better off using Jack Stands for the available height. Put your garden equipment outside in one of those inexpensive metal or plastic sheds. Increase the height in the garage to at least 9' USEABLE if not 10'. Put the stairway outside, unless you are planning on making it into the "office" part of the garage. Even then, what can you do in the UPSTAIRS office that you would need to have it IN the garage? Have one of the bays have a pit underneath with metal grate cover. That way you aren't worried about driving into it, but can yet access it quickly. Have Air and Water connections available IN the pit, and put a good size drain in there (even if it has to be a sump pump). This way you can wash the car, or the underneath quickly and easily. Just my 2¢ Enrique

This deserves repeating. DON'T THROW MONEY AWAY ON STUPID THINGS, such as speeding tickets and raised insurance rates. Bill, Don't be defensive, nor angry about all this ribbing. Hopefully next time the old lead-foot disease hits you, you'll remember it and save yourself a ticket. If you insist on going fast, go out on the back roads, CRUISE the road first to learn where it goes to, how it moves, and most importantly what hazards are involved, including danger and surveillance areas. Once you've done that, you'll find that you can indeed go out and "blow the cobwebs out", without getting penalized, but get some seat belts installed. Going fast around a left hand turn is no fun if you slide over the console. We old farts, wrinklies, or whatever you want to call us, have usually been there and done that. We all bear the scars of our failures. If you think you can take on a grizzly bear that's kicked the heck out of the rest of us, go ahead, but don't complain when you acquire your own scars. Or, listen to us golden oldies when we tell you that there's dog poop on the sidewalk and DON'T step in it, or ignore us and put up with the stench. Enrique

Huge bank account? Nope, not here. But to address the point you make about having to spend money, if you'll recall way back when you did NOT have a car, we all advised that it wasn't a car that would NOT require money to maintain. A 30+ year old car is going to require maintenance, TLC, and attention to the "little things". That means spending the money. As far as replacing things, that's what you do, but not having seat belts and then speeding? Seems to me that you're spending more money and time zipping around and breaking things, and not addressing those safety items which will allow you to enjoy the car for a LONG time. Isn't this the 3rd or 4th incident with this car since you got it....less than 6 months ago? And you STILL don't have seat belts? What were you waiting for, a seat belt ticket at $200 a pop? Just my 2¢ Enrique

Well I did say my neighbor was a Supervisor, from that I figured you'd see that he wasn't a spring chicken. That's why to him a good day was one where you did NOT have to go for the "chase". Danger is a thrill only when you are wired that way, to others when you get past the thrill, it's only danger and is something to avoid. So whatever his original motivation for joining the police, after 20+ years, he just wanted to survive to retirement. Not that he would shun danger when it came at him, but he didn't go stir it up. For what it's worth, he'd always chuckle along with me. Enrique

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

1) Interesting choice of color for RENO. Bet you just love hopping in wearing shorts. Then again, if you have A/C then your mileage must be like....nothing. As far as repairs, you're right, they'd be cheap, but why waste the money? No one would really look twice. Hope you didn't spray Flat Black over Primer....ah, but you're in Reno, so no rain. As far as the Hipari, don't you need special tires? It would seem to me that you would have to seriously over-inflate the tires to overcome the cupping in the center of the tread from spreading the sidewalls out. 1¢ (not worth the full 2) 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