EScanlon

The shower curtain material IS a bit thicker than the standard door liner, but since I figured I would ~never~ (yeah, right) again have to get inside the door, I figured what the heck. Actually, many of us myself included, will probably diassemble and re-assemble our doors in order to adjust locks, etc many more times than most people. I wanted somthing that was durable enough to accept being removed and replaced several times. Rope caulk is one way to hold it on, or you can duct tape it. (remember the intent is to be able to remove it months or years down the road. Thanks for the kind words! Enrique

Good ideas to check with the rechromer. They have a wealth of experience that should play in your favor. The biggest problem with a hit of this type is that when you re-stress the metal back into shape, sometimes the chrome cracks and begins to peel. That's why a rechromer would know how to best straighten, rechrome and polish to make it look the best. However, having seen this hit on several Z's, I would have you check the hatch area floor to ensure that there has been NO buckliing (lifting, bowing, no longer level). The bumpers are mounted onto the rear valance which has L brackets welded to it and tacked to the floor of the hatch. With the hit you have (apparently a forward and downward smack, essentially the last of the nose down of braking), the force to those L brackets has been UP and to the FRONT. After checking the hatch area, crawl underneath with a flashlight and look at the back of the valance. What appears as no damage in the hatch, may be a crumpled bumper support below. Just my 2¢ Enrique

I've got one to beat all of that. Go to your local hardware store or home furnishings store and buy one of the cheapest shower curtains you can find. It should be a milky white or white plastic. Total Cost for enough material to do both doors, behind the rear area dog legs as well as behind the cargo area plastic panels (bet you hadn't thought of those areas!) (just make sure you don't cover up the true VENT holes above the struts, nor the holes into the plenum behind the plastic, so that the vents will still operate)===$3.00 plus glue which I already had on hand. Enrique

Don't forget that the mechanism was also designed to NOT let the doors open from the inside when the doors are locked. Although it sounds foolish, remember back in those days, they were more concerned with people accidentally opening the door when the car was moving. Any of you recall the old style handles used to open the door? Some of those were as massive and protruded AS MUCH or MORE than a window crank. I remember one car, either the '65 Galaxie 500 or the '61 Impala, that had a FLAT handle in front of the armrest. If you pulled up on the flat handle the door would open. Great, except that it was real easy to hit it with your knee. Does anyone recall what year seat belts became mandatory in vehicles in the USA? I'm not positive, but 68 is what I recall. So, although there were changes in the MANNER in which the door lock mechanism was OPERATED, the basic FUNCTION was not. That would explain why some of us were still stuck with the old mechanisms which would not allow the door to be latched before closing. 2¢ Enrique

Your Hood Latch Pin is either mis-aligned with the Receiver OR it has been shortened too much and will not allow the secondary latch work. All you are latching to is to the SAFETY latch. Granted, if it's working properly at this point, you won't have the hood suddenly want to open, but it isn't as secure, safe or aerodynamic, and it doesn't look worth a damn. Compare how deep the pin has to enter the mechanism, with how far it raises from the hood to see if it is a short pin that is the problem. If it's an alignment problem, easy fast fix: Loosen the receiver plate, push the hood down so it will move it to where it needs to be, open hood carefully so as not to move the plate, tighten. Last item it could be: The hood release cable, is it free from binding, kinks and has NOT been shortened in a jury-rigged repair? If yes to any of these, then fix, or replace. 2¢ Enrique

I'll wager that it's the flap gasket inside the heater box that has come loose from the flap and is now flopping around and closing off those two vents. Fast explanation of the system: The Vent Flap located at the firewall either allows air in from the vent in the Cowling bucket or not. If not, it recirculates from the cabin. This then feeds into the fan motor housing which sends the volume of air into the plenum of the heater. Inside the heater there is a second flapper valve that either directs the air THROUGH the heater core, or out the top to the center and eyeball vents. (Note, this is why it is impossible to get warm air out the center or eyeball vents.) There is a third set of flapper valves that either release the now warmed air out into the "room" or cabin, or allow it to be forced out the defrost tubes. Both flapper valves have a foam backed "leatherette" gasket pad that is glued to the face of the metal flap. When in the closed position, the flanges of the opening push against the foam gasket and seal off the air. After 30 years, either the foam backing or the adhesive holding it down will have corroded off the leatherette gasket. The two "doors" at the bottom of the heater box usually only had foam insulation which died very soon, so not too many people have seen them. In your case, I think it may be that the gasket has separated completely and flops around closing the two openings you mentioned. The fix? Well, there are those that claim that they can remove the heater control box without removing the dash, and those of us who think they're either 2 ft tall, or are triple jointed. Since I am not a slim slender ballerina, I have to remove the dash. Once the dash is out, pinch off the Water Lines in and out, being careful not to spill and remove the heater box, disassemble and glue down the gasket or repair as needed. Sorry, this is the ONLY way I know to fix something inside the heater box. One note, if you do remove the dash, do yourself a HUGE favor and do the following: Take the time to disconnect, and reconnect electrical connectors. Just this simple act can sometimes eliminate potential circuitry problems. Remove, inspect and replace any and all instrument illumination bulbs. Why not? It's a bear to get to them otherwise, and if any of them look dark, now's the time to replace and get brighter gauges out of it. Wash out all the HVAC tubes with some grease cutting soap, if in the U.S. I recommend DAWN. Inspect for cracks and repair accordingly. Just this step alone will make your car smell 1000% better. Before replacing the dash, take a look at the firewall. Just below the windshield you'll note two rubber plugs. One on either side of the center line. Make sure those plugs are there and in good condition. Believe it or not, lack of these will cause you to get intermittent splashes of water into the cabin, and they are one of the hardest to diagnose as the culprit of the strange puddle that shows up after driving hard in a rain storm. Take a look at your Fresh Air Vents. They should operate cleanly and with no major effort on your part. Lastly, take a look at the condition of the rubber elbows and kick panel rubber bushings they go through. You might just find a leak about to happen. Remember, these tubes DRAIN the cowl bucket area. If the hose leading to the exterior is shot, the water just flows onto your feet. Anyhow, hope some of this helps. Enrique Scanlon

First off, welcome to the club. You mention that the left "eyeball" looses the air to it when the fan is on medium, I presume on High as well. What about the center vent? A note of explanation here: The 240Z ventilation system, when on the VENT position, will only blow air through the two "eyeball" and the center vent. In order to get air out through the defrost or floor vents the heater must be set to HEAT. I'm not sure about the A/C operation, but I presume that it would do it in the VENT position. (I've never owned one.) Now, that you are hearing a noise and then the left vent is cut off, I think points directly to something loose inside the heater box that is in turn blocking the left tube. Either that or something in the left tube. That is the reason I am asking about the center vent. You should almost be able to see directly into the plenum that divides the air between the center and side vents. 2¢ Enrique

That bolt hole is what secures the bottom outside edge of your dash to the car's frame. That you have a "scuff" mark roughly rectangular in shape that surrounds that bolt hole tells me that the support that you can just start to see through the bolt hole, should be BELOW the dash and not above it. As far as the fresh air vents, they are held to the kick panel (way up there closest to the firewall and cowl bucket corner by three screws. It is easiest to reach them with the dash out, but it isn't totally impossible to do it with the dash in place, just be ready for some yoga calisthenics. Once out of the car you can check to make sure the plastic sleeve is still intact and not broken, and that the cable that operates the flap is operational. Enrique

Unfotunately they are "Flat Tops". For the most part, they are disdained due to the difficulty in getting them properly tuned. Enrique

CAUTION: If you took out a SECURED loan, i.e. the title of the Z in lien of the loan, then you MUST buy the Z or be in default of the loan. If on the other hand you took out a SIGNATURE loan, then it's on your honor to pay it back. 2¢ Enrique

The knobs he's referring to are the Fresh Air Vent Controls. Enrique

Before you loosen anything, look at the hinge mount area of the hood / fender from underneath the hood. Note which bolts you will not be able to get a socket on and which ones you can. Note that the bolts you will be loosening are the ones that actually bolt the hinge to the fender support and NOT the ones attaching the hinge to the hood. Now, open the hood and loosen the ones you cannot get to with the hood closed. Next, close the hood and loosen the final bolts that you could get to from before. You should have no problem accessing them from behind the grille. At this point the hood will shift downwards a bit, carefully press down just a few inches behind the leading edge, right above the hinge support area. As you push down, keep an eye on the front leading edge to the edge of the sugarscoops. Try to press on both sides of the hood, evenly and simultaneously so that both edges of the hood align well with the sides of the fenders. Once you've aligned it as best as possible, tighten down the bolts you loosened last, open the hood carefully and tighten the remainder. By doing it this way, you avoid a possible forward shift of the hinges that can cause you to have to adjust the hood forward / backward. 2¢ Enrique

Carl: That's the good one. Later editions of the book, one with the same cover and others with the red cover I mention and "color pictures" have been edited and some important chapters are left out. I forget which chapters specifically, but I seem to remember that the whole BODY section was gone, as well as the internal diagrams of some of the systems (Heater, Individual wiring connectors). Unfortunately, people haven't caught on to how good this book is. 2¢ Enrique

If you do a general comparison between the Haynes, the Chilton's the EARLY Clymers (the one with the blue background cover and NOT the red cover with the same picture inset) WITH the Factory Shop Manual for your early Z/s, you'll find that the Clymer's has a ton of diagrams / pictures that are exactly as in the FSM, whereas the other books do NOT. Now, that and a few other things are what made me like the book more than the other three which I also have. Where the FSM tends to be very specific to that year, the Haynes and the Chiltons are so general as to be vague for the most part. The Clymer's literally plagiarized the FSM, but they did expand on a few items. If I already owned the FSM, I wouldn't buy this. If on the other hand I had no other books, I would get this one first as it is usually MUCH cheaper than an FSM. 2¢ Enrique

For the 240Z this is the closest to the original Factory Shop Manual out there, other than the actual FSM. Lots of information only found in the FSM, not only diagrams of wiring CONNECTORS, but also where the tubing goes for the defrost, etc. In my opinion, this is a MUCH better book than the Chiltons and Haynes. Enrique Scanlon

Check this article out. I wrote it some time back, but it covers how to adjust your doors for ease of operation. Enrique Scanlon http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12484

As far as I know, this was one of the beginning "fixes" to compensate for the vapor lock problem the cars started to exhibit. By closing off the path above the radiator, more air was forced through the radiator itself. Other mods included the fan shroud and the "splash pan" which goes on the bottom of the car. 2¢ Enrique

Is this the original antenna? If so, and you are operating it up and down by the original switch, then it isn't the antenna that needs grounding. It may be the radio that needs an improved ground. As far as your touching it and getting better reception, that's not a problem with grounding, that's your body acting as a better radio wave receiver and then enhancing the antenna's current operation. In the older AM/FM radios there was an adjustment that had to be made to the RADIO to best utilize the antenna. In later model (75-78) radios there was a screw that was accessed from the faceplate of the cassette or 8 track player. The plain AM/FM radios were "tuned" by a screw accessed from the outside of the case. This procedure was similar to the SWR setting on CB radios. Find the access hole to the screw. Sometimes it was marked with an arrow, other times with a symbol that resembled a ground symbol but if memory serves, the symbol is "upside down" and the "arrow" shaped portion looks more like a triple crossed T. Turn on your radio and elevate the antenna. Find a radio station about the middle of the dial, and as distant as you would normally be to the stations you DO listen to. Then once you've tuned the DIAL to the best reception you can get, then start adjusting the antenna trim screw. You will note that as you turn the reception will get worse, then improve to the "best" then reduce again. The trim screw is actually a potentiometer that doesn't screw out and in as a regular assembly screw. This allows you to turn it either left or right. Be advised that if you tune in a very poor reception area, whether because of reflected signals (buildings, hills, or other obstructions) or because of distance, that it will be very tricky to actually improve the reception. Hope this helps. Enrique

The two relays on a 73 go on the upper part of the kick panel, just to the back of the fresh air vent handle ends on the back side. In fact, it's easiest to remove the fresh air vent controls in order to remove / install them. Enrique

The stuff I prefer is simply called "Aircraft Stripper" I forget who it is made by. There are various other strippers out there. From what I've read of the POR one, it sounds as though it would do the job real well. I've also used JASCO and it worked well. As far as whether or not to use one that contains MEK, it is a caustic solution, meaning if left on your skin too long it will cause a chemical burn. But then again you weren't planning on applying it in your bathing suit were you? In my experience, the different strippers all work at varying degrees of effectiveness. Which one to use is a matter of personal preference. The key thing to remember, regardless of which type you use, is to work small sections at a time. This way you won't have stripper drying on you while you work one area. Next, put all your scrappings into a disposable container. I use old cans of thinner and stripper with the tops cut off. Dump the soft stripped paint in there, let it stand for a couple days and the MEK and other solvents will have evaporated and the paint will once again be hard. That way you can just throw the can in the garbage. The last thing to find out and know, is how to neutralize the stripper. Whether it is water, or lacquer thinner or ..... it's important to know. You want to quickly wipe off and neutralize any stripper that falls on areas that you don't want stripped or would be ruined with contact with the stripper. Good examples of NO strip items: ANY rubber or plastic item, SEAMS!, caulking, and of course any vinyl items. Enrique

The clock hands will pull straight off the shaft. As a suggestion, turn the clock's hands to 12:00 before you remove them. I don't know that it makes a difference after you put the hands back on and don't have them aligned, but why take the chance? Enrique

Swapping clock innards is a simple task. There are a couple of screws holding the face plate and bezel to the canister, then you remove the clock handles to remove the back face plate. The next step involves removing the hold down nuts on the back of the canister, pushing the wiring grommet into the canister and feeding the wires through. Should take you no more than 15 minutes AFTER it's out of the car. Now getting it out of the car..... That's another story. Enrique

Unless someone has a pair that they'll let you have, the only way to get them is to buy a new handle from an OEM vendor such as Chloe at Midwest. Enrique

Quirky economic law in action. No demand equals no production for sale. While many of us are looking for and buyiing NOS parts, there are many vendors who have painfully obtained reproductions or very close to identical substitutes. The problem then becomes that the "fear" factor of buying non-OEM parts sets in, and people don't buy it, or expect to get it for a fraction of what it's worth. If someone were to begin manufacturing the Chrome HL Covers they would hope to gain back their investment in time, materials and hopefully make a profit. But what happens? The manufacturer is hoping to catch onto some of those $600 / set sales, but the buyers want them back at the OLD OEM price of $120 each or LESS. At that price it may take as many as 200 sales before the books are balanced. Many of those original OEM prices were based on a large markup of course, but also on the massive numbers that they were buying in order to outfit the original car. So although the price as a replacement part may be 2 times what it's worth it nevertheless is 5 times cheaper than when they are manufactured 10 at a time. Competitive pricing doesn't step in until there is more than ONE manufacturer making them. Nissan isn't going to be interested in maintaining an inventory of parts for older cars, their interest is in selling NEW cars. They'll maintain a parts inventory for those vehicles that are deemed "current" or no older than ... More popular models (based on their measure of popularity = TOTAL NUMBER SOLD) will have their inventories retained longer, but as their number dwindle due to age and rust, there is less and less reason to maintain an inventory. It is the aftermarket provider that we must turn to. Remember how popular the Model T was? Well you can still find parts, but not OEM parts. Same with many other vehicles. Yes, there are some items that are used in various models, and those will be the ones that will be produced first, as well as retained longer by the car manufacturer. But when it comes to the specialized, hard to find, very limited number parts, then you either pay the price now, or hope that others do so and you can buy it later, hopefully for not too much more. 2¢ Enrique

You can also buy those replacement rubber caps for your battery leads. They act as an insulating shroud to prevent that sudden shock from a bounce. However, the BEST safeguard is to make sure that your battery tie down is solidly mounted and that the battery will NOT move in any direction. 2¢ Enrique