EScanlon

emphasis mineEXACTLY! Simple rule of thumb: If it pertains to the old thread and it adds or clarifies part of the subject matter.... post to the old thread. Starting a new thread should be your last resort before posting a "How do I... " question. These cars are close to 40 years old, as such, there isn't much that has not been covered, discovered, and recovered during that time frame. Those who rebel at old posts being dug up as new, are usually doing so because the "new" post was more along the lines of "Me too!" and not "I found a work-around." There will always be new posts. That's what keeps this site fresh. Otherwise this discussion forum becomes more of a dead archive site as other noteable Z sites are, with limited and rare updates and changes. Everyone inputs here unlike other sites. It's easy to post clarifications, corrections and updates here, on some of those other sites, the errors are still there and efforts to correct, clarify and update are moot. The main result is that this site is the most popular as far as Z sites go, thanks to it's member's contributions. My 2¢ E

The reason you get hundreds of results for a single topic is because people insist on starting their OWN thread rather than searching and posting to an older thread. That you are getting "hundreds" of instances says you are using a common term that is in all those threads. That tells you that you can specify MORE terms to narrow the search until you reduce the number of returns to a more manageable level. But it will still take time to read and determine if it's applicable to your situation. Sometimes sifting through the information is what will allow you to learn about a subject so that your next search will be that much more successful. Learning how to search, as mentioned, can be important too. There are, literally, VOLUMES of information here. Granted, finding where to buy items is a fluctuating result. I can remember some excellent e-Bay vendors that are no longer in business, and some that are still in business that I would NOT recommend now but with whom I had good dealings then. You've been given good choices, but as has been mentioned, it's hard to tell you where to get all the individual items you are searching for if you haven't specifically asked for them. ------------------ And some parts are simply unobtainable. They're now only available from donor cars. Not your fault, nor ours; sadly, it's also not what most of us would want. Until someone steps up to the plate and plunks down some cash to reproduce those parts.... it's simply not going to get better. That's because after plunking down some reproduction investment cash, people aren't willing to repay what it took to get it back into production. Everyone wants them cheap, and they want them new and they want them fast. If you can figure out how to do all that... then please do so, the rest of us need parts also. 2¢ E

The main bonding agent in Bondo (which is a trademark name) and Fiberglass (which is often misnamed/misunderstood) is Polyester Resin. Bondo and other plastic body fillers have Talc as the primary ingredient and the resin as the secondary, there are other additives for flexibility etc. Fiberglass by itself is the glass strand that is most commonly used in home insulation. In most automotive use and reference, the name refers to the application of fiberglass cloth or strand mat that is saturated on application with Polyester Resin without the talc (although there is a variation sometimes referred to as "Gorilla Hair"; "Gorilla Snot", "Tiger Strand" "DuraGlas" etc.; which uses Bondo and fiberglass strand). One use for this is to build very strong and lightweight panels in hard to stamp or reproduce shapes (vis a vis the original Z sugarscoops). Other times it's for it's strength/weight ratio which is excellent (replacement body panels). Many race cars use it. With the introduction of "micro-sphere" glass bubbles which have been introduced as part of the bulking agent in Bondo to reduce it's weight per volume additional trade names have been introduced. These plastic body fillers go by the name Ultra-Glass; Feather Weight or other name that exhorts it's "light" weight or glass sphere content. This can give rise to much confusion, as this thread shows. The confusion between Bondo and Fiberglass is common, due to the similarity of use in reproducing automobile body lines and contours as well as their ease of use and general availability. With the introduction of the glass microspheres the confusion gets worse because people who use the glass sphere product proclaim that they aren't using Bondo (which they are) and mistakenly allude to using Fiberglass when they aren't using any glass strand product. The main "argument" between Bondo and Fiberglass is that Bondo is known to absorbe moisture over time, whereas the fiberglass mat/strand and resin generally does not. As such, bodymen will deny using Bondo when queried and proclaim to only use fiberglass simply to satisfy the self-avowed expert. In actual use however, Bondo and other plastic body fillers are very easy to shape and sand. By adding fiberglass strand it gets more difficult, but the strength of the repair goes up. Fiberglass resin and strand alone (no bondo) is extremely hard to sand compared to bondo. I would question any bodyman insisting he only uses fiberglass resin/strand instead of bondo for general bodywork. Each has its use and application method. What you heard as "glass" may have just referred to one of the lightweight bodyfillers. Regardless of the above; as Arne mentioned it may be lack of work or, as you pointed out distance to a major urban center that is driving his price. The only way to ascertain his skill and value is to examine one of his prior jobs, if possible and again if possible, talk to the owner. But be careful as to how you ask, he may look at it as your being distrustful and in turn affect his response. For $2500 you may be getting the bare bones (presuming there isn't any bodywork to be done) or a heck of a deal if there is. If there IS bodywork to be done, which your remarks prompting the main thread here point to, then you may be opening up a major can of deception or looking a gift horse in the mouth. The guy may just need the work or he's looking to get your car into "paint shop prison". Only you can discern that difference. FWIW E

Swap the Fuel Gauge between the two. Make one good gauge out of two bad ones. E

Before you assume that the "other" like connector IS the one that mates to this, check the wiring diagram. You may avoid a problem. Saridout recently put up a FREE color diagram which shows the wire colors you are looking for. http://sridout.com/datsun/76circuit_COLOR.pdf Just because it's the "only" connector in the area does NOT guarantee it's the one you should be connecting it to, and going to lengths to fashion some sort of McGyver solution.... well, as Jeff Foxworthy says... "here's your sign". Determine what that "other" connector goes to first, and if it IS for the wiper washer motor, then decide whether you need to change connectors. 2¢ E

Mark; The whole lock needs to come off the steering column and then the locksmith can replace the cylinder. Look on the left side of the bracket that holds the ignition lock assembly, you may have to remove the combination switch halves to get good access to it. You should see a total of 4 (four) round head items that look like rivets. They aren't, they're screws with twist-off heads. (This presumes they have not been removed/molested since installation at the factory.) If they are truly unmolested, you'll need to either cut a notch in them to use a straight edge screwdriver, or using a pin punch and punching on the side of the screw head, rotate the screw counter-clockwise until you can grip it with a pair of pliers. A Dremel tool with a small cutting wheel comes in very handy if you're trying to notch the remaining screw head. Once you've removed all four screws, the ignition lock assembly will come off the steering column. After you have had it serviced/repaired at the locksmith, just use plain old screws to attach. The twist-off screws originally were a security device to prevent the lock mechanism from being removed from the steering column. FWIW E

Windshield / Hatch glass rubber: Mount the rubber onto the glass, then the metal weatherstrip, then using the "rope trick" mount to the car. A dab of sealant on the rubber to the glass, or rubber to car won't hurt but if the rubber is good and pliable then it should conform easily and you may be able to get away without it. To help make the rubber easy to handle, soak it in a tub of hot water (not boiling) and keep it there so it will be warm and pliable until you mount it onto the glass, then work expediently. There are those who would insist on the sealant, but IME it's oftentimes proved to be more problematic on installation than not. The rope trick is simple. Use a 3/8" cotton cord, wrap it all the way around the rubber channel that will grip the lip of the car, ending with the rope in the middle of one of the long sides. For the windshield, with the dash IN wrap so you end on the lower edge, with the dash OUT go for the upper (personal preference). Remember, where the rope wrap ENDS is where you begin to get the rubber to START lapping the metal seam. Hatch is your preference, biggest decision is whether you want to mount it with the hatch ON or OFF the car. Quarter window seals: The LARGE lip goes to the outside of the car, the smaller to the inside. When you start mounting these, try to keep it nice and even; i.e. don't push in the rear in first, then the front. Use a dash of lubricant: a drop or two of dishwashing liquid in an ounce or two of water, wipe it onto the paint surface to ease compressing the seal. A bit more soap won't hurt and it will eventually dry out. Once you get the glass / frame in deep enough, start your screws from the inside. Get the rear ones on just threaded and then the front ones. Once all of them are in place, tighten evenly all the way around. Door window felt: (the one in the channel) make sure you don't get any grease or adhesive on the INSIDE of the channel, that's where your glass pane slides through. If you got the good felt set, it should have a couple of channels routed through it's length, THAT side is the inside. When you fold in the sides, the notches (channels) will allow the remaining felt in the grooved channel to fold over the "base" of the "U" that it will become. Apply your adhesive liberally to the METAL frame, and just a light skin coat on the felt. Start applying it from the base of the RUBBER window weatherstrip and then down. The rubber window weatherstrip also needs to be inserted into the metal frame. Same process here, avoid the INSIDE of the rubber at all costs... you've been warned. Apply adhesive liberally to the INSIDE of the METAL frame and just a light skin coat on the rubber but JUST on the base, not on the sides of it. A little on the sides isn't bad, but if you're not careful you'll end up with it smearing on the metal and then onto your sleeve/arm later. Pinch the rubber closed and begin inserting into the METAL frame AT the corner. If you bought the previously cut weatherstriping it should have the corner pre-cut for you. If not,then NOTCH the corner to make a proper 90 bend... ask your woodworking buddies for help if you're not sure. Keep the rubber pinched and using a paint stirrer stick or some other blunt straight edge, push it down into the metal. Make sure you bottom it out to get good contact. If you push it down far enough you'll clear the sides of the metal. To make sure that it's in place properly, insert your glass pane into the metal channel and leave it for a while to ensure that it cures properly formed. Hope that helps; E

Distributor's Vacuum Advance Plate. Remove your Dist Cap and disconnect the vacuum hose going to the carbs at the carbs. Suck on the hose, you should see the distributor's point plate advance and when you release the vacuum you've created with your mouth (or a vacuum pump if you're squeamish), it should slide back to it's prior position. If it doesn't advance, or it's spotty jerky on the return leg, then you may have lost the little bearings inside the roller plate. Remove the old, replace with a new. If you're careful you won't even need to adjust the timing. FWIW E

I'll let someone else decipher your prior post. But in reply to your last one, if the wire you jiggled crossed or short circuited a circuit that isn't protected by a fuse specifically, it would probably cause the fusible link to blow if there is a MAJOR current draw because of the short. Oil pressure switches are pretty much bullet proof, but they CAN go bad. Granted, it's a simple resistance switch and failure is an extreme possibility but by your statement, simply "jiggling" the wire connected to it shouldn't have had this major a result. Before you go boning up on how to use a multimeter, use a plain old set of eyes to examine the wiring and connections. If, as you describe, the car has been performing flawlessly, then you may have a problem that is easily detected by simple observation. My 2¢ E

The wire you mention going to the Oil Pressure switch may have NOT been for that purpose. You may have been inadvertently connecting one of the + connections to the alternator directly to the oil pressure switch and thereby grounded the battery's + post via that wire. That would cause both the fusible link and other wires to melt. Was that wire ALREADY connected to the oil pressure switch, or did you just see it loose and thereby connected it? But, you definitely melted the Fusible Link, that IS what they're supposed to do when faced with a major short. You do NOT want to replace it with plain old wire... unless you want to burn up the car. FWIW E

Frankie; You might also take your long distance driving into consideration. You're currently moving from Indiana to Oregon via Denver and LA... lots of miles, lots of altitude changes, lots of .... Get my drift? Distance alone, from Indiana to Oregon is roughly 2300 or so miles (2500 from Oscoda, Michigan to Vancouver, Wa... personal experience and odometer from Ryder Rental) and you've detoured to Minnesota, Denver, Arizona (Grand Canyon) and now Vegas and LA. You've put a LOT of miles, in a very short time period (even with your layover in Minnesota). Changing the oil won't hurt, but I'm not sure you need to be over-cautious either. 2¢ E

I think his original thinking went along the lines of the Toyota Supra (front end) or the Knight Rider Firebird. The rear end looks like it was modeled after an amalgam between a Chevy Camaro late 70's and the tail end from the Corvette in Corvette Summer. The interior is decidedly unique. I would replace those monster speakers in the back with a spare tire woofer and a couple of directional 3-way's on top of the struts. The hatch treatment was considered a bit drastic, even back in the day, but was modeled after the Ford Pantera (if memory serves, if not please correct me). The spoiler is a different addition, but interestingly it fits in with his overal theme. The body kit (side skirts, front and rear air-dam) is generic enough to either actually be an aftermarket kit, or an adaptation / copy of one. The same applies to the wheel flairs. While his overall theme seems coherent, he does attempt too much too quick. The dash is a good example of poor planning/execution. All in all it looks as though it was either a) I bet you we could make a real cool car... or the car's a rust bucket, let's cut out the rust and see what we can make it into. E

Underline mine. I agree. I find it hypocritical that many of the same people that constantly advise new members to do with their own cars as they see fit, would have a hard time, if not accepting this, at least not vilifying it. One man's modification is another man's bastardization. That you don't like it is fair... once you start proletizing against it, be prepared for others to denigrate YOUR changes to your car. Didn't everyone drool over "Blue Oval Z"? What about those vehicles with rear fender flares, or the recent vote poll on spoilers. All of those are examples of modifications, some of which might be repugnant to some people, and some which are especially appealing. Yes, there exist examples of bad results and hundreds more of half-assed results that ended up poorly. But everyone wants to make their car their "own" and whether it's fuzzy dice off your mirror, or speaker enclosures in the rear of the car, or LED tail-lights, SOME people will find those mods distasteful and others will find them pleasing. Whether you are a "purist" or a wild customization modifiier, at least discuss it without resorting to caustic vernacular. Might I suggest that instead of denigrating what you hate about this car, find ways of changing/improving it so that it would be appealing to more people. 2¢ E

Is it about 7/8" in diameter, with a small spot weld or remnant of a pin on the back? If so, it's a hat / lapel / jacket enamel pin. I have two, not in that style, that could be considered "cousins" except that the "Z" is proper and not this different font. FWIW E

You guys haven't by chance accidentally put your wallet/paycheck/checkbook etc. on the center console, have you? Believe this or not; if you've done that, the car KNOWS you have money. Period. Don't laugh.... it gets worse. I'll let others, disbelievers at first, who now, do NOT do that, and rarely have problems. It's been discussed before. Do NOT rest, even for a moment, ANY KIND OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT on the center console. FWIW, my 2¢ E

Interesting, as that concurs with what I've gleaned from various sources. So, if we were to "invert" the rule; a Fairlady Z (240/260 as well) would denote a JDM car specifically, which basically says that you can't call it a Fairlady just because it's Right Hand Drive, and it additionally specifies that a LEFT hand drive Fairlady is essentially non-existent. Would that be fair to say? Thanks for your input. E

Alan has already responded that the L denoted Luxe / Luxury, but there is another misconception within this statement, or so it seems to me. That is that a Left hand drive vehicle is or could be a Fairlady. This may be too simplistic, but from what I've read/heard the only true Fairlady Z's are those that are RIGHT hand drive and Japanese Domestic Market sales. Alan, could you elaborate/clarify this? Simply put, does the name "Fairlady Z" denote a JDM Z exclusively? (RHD would be inherent in the JDM) Alternatively, were there Fairlady Z's available for sale outside of Japan? Lastly, were ANY Fairlady Z's Left Hand Drive? I ask this, because the Sports (SP/SR 311 series) (aka Roadster) ALSO has this conumdrum afoot. (The "Roadster" was also badged as a Fairlady in Japan, and there have been discussions as to the validity of a LHD Fairlady SPL-311.) Thanks for the pictures, they were quite entertaining. E

I knew that EFI used higher pressure, which is why I qualified it to carburated cars. I just didn't note the original poster's car. Oops, E

I've heard that for the carburated cars, the Mazda Rotary Engine pump will work fine. It puts out 3-5 psi, from what I've heard. Don't have the specifics though. Give Beandip a PM and he should be able to give you more details. FWIW E

Linkee no workee (disregard, it works now) Note aside, there's a program running that changes text case, regardless of how it was input. E

I don't know what tools you have available to you, nor if some of the names I will use will "translate". When I had this same problem on my 71 refresh years ago (8 or so), I used a DREMEL tool with it's cable attachment in conjuction with a needle nose VISE-GRIP. (I used caps on the brand names that have become accepted as identifying the tool. I'll presume you know them by such, or if not you can look them up by those names.) The Dremel was used to grind out the indent in the screw head to ease the introduction of a drill bit. Then I replaced the grinding stone attachment with a drill bit until the screw head was removed. The Vise-Grips were used to grasp the screw head while I ground and drilled. That was the procedure on the hard to reach screws (the lower and extreme outside). The easier to reach ones, I was able to grind off the screw head with a 4" Grinder and a cut-off wheel disk. I also tried the Dremel with cut off wheels, but ended up chewing up a lot of wheels and little progress, your results could differ. In both cases, while the screw head WILL get very hot, try to minimize the length of time you grind so that it won't melt the plastic base of the light. I wish there were an easier way, but there isn't. Sadly, with the fuel vapor hoses, the supports for the tail-lamp plastic cover and the hatch shelf overhang.... it's a very tight fit. Hope this helps. Enrique

Save yourself some time, you may have a simple bad connector. Go to the front right of the car, remove the connector going TO the quarter light, then do a continuity check on the three wires going to it. The colors for the wire on the car's side of the connection are GB-Green/Black; GL-Green/Blue and B-Black. Check continuity between the B wire and the other two. Both should get a tone. If they do not, then you have one bad connection going to the bulb housing. While this is the bass-ackwards way of checking for a light out, it's because often you can't see how good a connection one of the solder poles on the bulb is making because the other solder pole has bottomed out... until you check upstream electrically. You've then checked the bulb and it's connections. What about your right turn dash indicator, does it stay on continuously or does it flash as it should? Does it flash at all? If this is the case, then check your wiring at the Hazard Switch. FWIW E

Rick; The "pin grabber" clips you are referring to are commonly known as "Barrel Clips". A good automotive trim store will have them in various sizes, depths and thickness of metal to apply to. Even Lowe's and Home Depot's specialty fastener section has them as well as True Value. They're not impossible to locate. However, as has been mentioned, those are NOT the correct ones for the hatch grill in the 70. On a separate note, for those who decide to pursue new barrel clips for their emblems: The barrel is sized according to the hole in the sheet metal of the car as well as how thick the sheet metal is. Additionally, some badge/emblem pins are either a bit oversized because they are new or have been shaved down by repeated insertion/removal from the car. The end result is that it is difficult to "eyeball" a replacement. If you have one from your car that you can check measurements on, you'll be miles ahead. If you do not, then use a drill bit to ascertain the exact size of the hole you will be inserting the barrel clip into (they insert from the outside of the car). Next, get a good idea as to how thick the metal is. This is generally NOT a problem or consideration as car sheet metal is pretty much generic, but there ARE clips made to be used on frame members where the metal is considerably thicker, avoid those. Lastly, examine your emblem pin, it may have been thinned down previously. If it has been seriously undersized, it may be difficult/impossible to find a good barrel clip that will fit the hole in the sheet metal and still accept a thin pin and GRIP it. For some pins it's easier to use stamped sheet metal nuts that will thread onto the pin, or use some Goop on the back side. The barrel clip, while it can be inserted by putting it on the emblem pin and then inserting into the sheet metal, will tend to get over-compressed and then bite even deeper into the emblem pin making future removal difficult. While it will definitely help to ensure that your emblem does not fly off, it will probably cause you to lose a pin if you ever DO remove the emblem. Try inserting the barrel clip first, then inserting the emblem pin. One important note, the barrel clip tends to grip the metal both inside and outside surfaces by "biting" into it with small sharp points. The clips themselves WILL rust eventually, as well as cause problems on the sheet metal of the car. You could go crazy trying to figure out a way to avoid this, but it's the way they work. If you want to minimize and possibly avoid this problem, you can dab a little bit of clear nail polish into the barrel clip just before you insert the emblem's pins. Silicone (plain) would work as well, but it grips stronger than the polish. Don't use Goop unless you NEVER plan on removing that emblem. As a last note, and this is a "detailer" trick. If you find yourself wishing you could remove your emblems so you could wax the paint around, and in between the letters/symbols of the emblem, then IF you can reach the backside of the sheet metal, (as with hoods/fenders), get some Silicone Tubing as used by the R/C modelers. This tubing will grip the pin snugly and will be removeable so you can remove your emblem, wax your car, and replace the emblem quickly and neatly, thereby avoiding those unsightly wax clumps/detritus around your emblem's edges. FWIW E

Sadly no, you're not the only one that has had their share of "fun" with those. You might get a grip on them, and see if by "tightening" them just a tad, you might break the screw loose from the nut and can then remove the screw normally. It's not impossible to remove them, just a regular Pain In The Arse (PITA). E

What you see turning from the outside, are acorn nuts. The sides of their individual pockets in the light housings are supposed to hold them fast while you insert/remove the screws that hold the light in place. Unfortunately, sometimes the nuts get corroded in place on the screw and you have your result, a spinning nut that is stronger than the surrounding plastic which is supposed to hold it firm. If the condition of your light gaskets is such that there isn't anything to save, then peel off the rubber around the nut and insert a flat tipped screwdriver, or if you have a long needle nose pair of pliers use it to grip the nut with them. Then you can, hopefully, unscrew the lights from the body. The nuts are encased in the plastic, which might mean you will have to remove them once you have the lights out. It's tricky, but you can do it. HTH E