EScanlon

Since your Mom's a member of AAA you might find that she can: a) sponsor your membership into AAA, which is an old archaic term now in disuse, but ... sometimes ... it's good for a discount for either you or her. (It used to be, years ago, that you were sponsored by an existing member in order to join. When I joined (76) the salesperson who "sponsored" me was an existing member, wasn't that convenient.) add you to her membership, which if you are already on her insurance would make the most sense. This option can be very inexpensive and cheaper than buying your own membership. This is what a lot of parents with children drivers do as long as the kids are on their insurance. As far as locking your keys IN the car and IN the ignition, believe me when I tell you that you are NOT ALONE. My first wife did it with the car .... RUNNING! Heck, I did that once also: Michigan winter shortly after a minor blizzard/ice storm, was warming the car up and had the defroster going and by force of habit .... locked the darn door and swung it shut... tried to catch it and ended up with my finger mashed. Had to call my wife at 12:30 AM to come rescue me and then had to clear her through security (I was in the Air Force at the time). My present day wife also did the same thing with the SPARE keys in the ignition... after having forgotten her purse with HER set of keys at a nightclub the night before when she was out with "the girls"... luckily a cop came by and got us "jimmied" open. I'm sure others have similar stories, so before we hijack this thread too far, if people want to tell their story then I suggest that Khrystina take the fall (yes, we won't soon forget!) and start that thread. You can title it something like "OMG, I have CRS when it comes to keys!" Glad it worked out. Enrique

Stephen; After you're done bashing the new member, you might update your information... didn't you finally buy a car? Or should we treat you in the same backhanded manner as you are treating Khrystina? Text Lingo may be an irritant to many of us; and Khrystina for the benefit of the older, more set in their ways members which we all eventually become, remember that it gets confusing when we try to decipher it. Texting evolved due to the charges cell phone companies were charging for the amount of data transmitted, a shorter message cost less. Nowdays, it's minutes and not data or it was as of my last cell phone bill although I don't text and hated getting e-mails from the provider (cingular) only to be charged for receiving them. Language continually evolves, otherwise it becomes a "dead" language due to lack of adaptation. Which is why some languages adopt terms from other languages. Some folks can't use contractions properly, others never speak without them. Some folks need a spell checker due to learning deficiencies and sometimes impairments (dyslexia, etc.). Texting may change language, but it does come at a cost. Many kids nowdays find it hard to believe they have to know how to write properly to get higher paying jobs. Bashing those who can't recognize the difference between "they're", "their" and "there" seems "a tad bit overkill", wouldn't you agree? Then we get into local colloquialisms, Fellahs instead of Fellows, bubbler instead of drinking fountain, etc.. Part of the reason this board is such an excellent source of information is that we try not to bash people for the minor differences in their written text. Otherwise our international members would be unduly harassed, as well as some of our US members. All that aside, check her prior posts and gallery and you'll see that Khrystina is a new owner, and is still doing the research that you started earlier this year (May or so...). Khrystina, to unlock the door, you'll need a "jimmy bar". If you are a member of AAA, or have good relations with a police officer or locksmith, unlocking the door is a matter of minutes. You'll have to prove the car is yours, hopefully your ownership papers aren't all locked in the glove compartment, but it's extremely simple and quick. Once you have the car open you can address the ignition switch removal as explained above. FWIW

Look at: 1) Sect 121-4, items: 55 & 56, the Hatch Duct and Drain Tubes. 2) Sect 123-1, item 3, the Boot-Floor Shift Lever 3) Sect 110-1, item 9, the Windshield The first example does not show any superseded items, but it IS listed. They're the internal items for the Series I hatch drain tube and duct. Not used in any later model. The second example shows the first boot and the item that supersedes it with the proper reference to the first boot, yet no use referencing "up to" nor "from". Third example shows the tinted and non tinted windshield, again no "up to" nor "from" dates. There is a reference to the tinted having superseded the non-tinted. If your reasoning applies, then all the original items would also have been omitted from the 79 update. But here are a few more tidbits: Wick Humble, How to Restore your Datsun Z Car, page 167: W. Humble, ibid. illustration page 167: Illustration points to items 13, 14 and 15 which would be the weatherstrip being discussed, but only 13 and 14 are identified as Weatherstrip, inner and outer respectively. Item 15 is not identified. Illustration is courtesy of Motorsport Auto. W. Humble, ibid. photograph page 167: Picture shows adhesive being applied. Caption begins: "Hatch weatherstrip is made up of three pieces. Side pieces are in place, taped until solidly adhered..." W. Humble, ibid. photographs top of page 169: Left photo clearly shows the side weatherstrip as NOT having the bulb. The right hand photo also shows it but it is hard to discern the lack of the bulb due to the indent of the metal rail. The photos on page 168 show the same side strip with the same difficulty in detail. W. Humble, ibid. Parts Illustrations pages 223 & 230: Both of these however, show a Single outer weatherstrip. The first illustration is for Z's up to 7-73 and the second is after 8-73. The first illustration seems to be the one from the microfiche, except that it does not show the side weatherstrips. In pinning down Wick's car to a year or VIN, the photo of his window sticker says: HL530- 03547 (W. Humble, ibid. illustration page 200), which places it well before my vin of 43274, (except mine does say HLS30) so presumably it's earlier than a transition 71 mfg 9-71. At a WAG I would say it is a 70 Series I, which is supported by the picture on page 192. Is it conclusive one way or the other? Hard to say. FWIW E

My car had the 3 piece, it's a 71. It's possible that it got changed, but the microfiche agrees with what I had. My car being a "transition" car may have been changed, but when I ordered the replacement I was told that the "newer" one was the one piece. See Section 121-5 Parts 60 & 61, it doesn't show superseded part numbers, nor a use after date. FWIW E

Don't sell the Z. Use the GTI at college for the next few years, and once you're in graduate school, if you decide to do that, or graduated THEN pull the Z out. The GTI will fit right at home with all the undergrads and even some of the upper-classmen. So take your parents advice and use the GTI at college. That car has enough "coolness" factor to get you into enough trouble on it's own without using a Z. The Z would either be seen as a "sports car" or as a "rich-boy's" toy.... neither of which would be a good thing to have in college because your roommates, dormmates and just about everyone else would egg you on to do increasingly stupid things. If it wasn't perceived as that, the ignoramuses might perceive it as an old clunker and in turn abuse it. You've put in a lot of effort on this car, and so has your Dad. Dont throw all that away. In a few years time, if and when you move off-campus and can park the Z in a protected area, THEN swap your Dad. Heck, you might consider swapping your Dad for the interim and see if he gets enthused enough to put in some "improvements"... (hint-hint). As far as insurance, put the Z into "storage" insurance, and you'll find the price drop down to a few dollars a month, extremely affordable. Transfer your insurance to the VW, or work out a deal with your Dad. Take our word for this, or in a few years you'll be saying... I should have listened to you guys. 2¢ E

Taking a WAG between the BR and the Tach.... I'll say the Tach. If the BR were intermittent,whole ignition circuit would be disrupted ... as in no juice to the coil, let alone through the tach for it to sense RPM's. The Tach, over time is known to fail just from the age of the components ... and poor wiring. If the coil loop that the tach uses to sense the RPMs is loose, with the vibration it is quite possible to "mis-read". But that's a very long shot. More than likely the Tach's internal circuitry (resistor, capacitor, etc.) is beginning to fail and at 5500 / 6000 RPM it's starting to "overheat" and no longer senses accurately. FWIW E

Mike: MSA = MotorSport Auto They're one of our sponsors. Click on the ad-link in the front page (usually between the Top News Stories and the Latest Gallery Uploads), it helps the club if you use the link provided rather than going there directly. They have an on-line catalog as well as providing you with a CD when you order. If you choose to call, let them know you found the information about them on this site. E

Excellent point Peter, and reminds me of what I did when I installed mine. (I used the single piece rather than the 3 piece. I had plenty of material, since my source was very generous when he cut it. However, not wanting to end up being short on one side or the other, I laid the strip down between the hinge pockets and made a small mark with a Sharpie pen on both the gasket and the metal edge it would be gluing to. I did this at the weep hole plug and the projected "ends". Then when I was ready to glue down, I just aligned the marks. I wasn't perfectly aligned, but I did have excess material so I could "fudge" a bit. I ended up trimming on both ends, which was my intent. FWIW E

Mat's point is very valid. With ANY rubber product, take it out of the package and let it lay for as long as you can in order to eliminate package bends. Soak it in hot water and the majority of stubborn bends will also "relax". When gluing use a strong adhesive and RTFI... Read The F***king Instructions. Even Super Weatherstrip Adhesive recommends that BOTH surfaces be coated with a thin coat and allowed to dry, THEN re apply a thin... repeat THIN ... coat on ONE piece and then bond together.... NOT apply a major goop and hope it sticks. Not that that is what Mat did, it's just that it is a common mistake. With the adhesive applied properly, I've seen NEW weatherstrip TEAR within days of being installed. The nutshell is don't expect the adhesive glue to hold the rubber down.... it won't. The adhesive's job is to make sure it doesn't shift or move. 2¢ E

The 3 piece unit is more "correct" for the earlier cars. It's 3 pieces are: the top section which has a "bulb" or tubular section affixed to the top of the flanged edge of the gasket.; the two side pieces resemble the top piece without the "bulb" or tube. The 1 piece is just the top piece (above) extended to both sides. There are those who feel that this one piece with bulb design seals the hatch better than the other. FWIW E

First try the LEAST aggressive solution ... soap and water. It may not remove all (or any) but then again it may. Next, follow up with either a cleaner/ conditioner for vinyl or plastic OR plain old mineral spirits (which is also known as paint thinner, just be sure it isn't LACQUER paint thinner). I've even used Denatured Alcohol. If it still persists, then with extreme care and for very short lengths of time, I would start with a rag that's very lightly moistened with lacquer thinner (to dissolve the paint). You may lift some of the panel paint / dye, but that's why you're being extremely careful. HTH E

I emphasized a couple lines in your post. If you're planning on clear coating a single stage paint, you enter into the same precautions / time frame as a two-stage paint. That is, same manufacturer and (usually) clear coated within a given time frame / temp range / cure time. Clear coating a metallic paint will change it's appearance. I wouldn't do this on the car, I would shoot a test panel so you don't have to start all over again. I don't know where you got a figure of 150% cured. Cured is like being alive, either you are or you aren't. Paint cure is something that doesn't happen at a specific point after being painted. That's part of the reason why you're not supposed to touch the surface for a given amount of time, nor wash it, nor wax it, nor exert a bunch of pressure onto it. Sometimes it's a matter of hours or days or even months. The ambient temperature during that time frame (plus exposure to sun) will affect that. Polishing and the like will depend on how much paint and how evenly it was applied. Some paints can be "buffed" others can be very difficult to work with. Sanding between coats of the same paint is an older technique typically used with Lacquer paint. Most paints in use nowdays are Enamels and the cure time before you can sand and re-coat comes into play. The sanding between coats was an old technique to smooth the paint finish and also to affect the overall look (candy paint, some special effects). A second and subsequent coats of paint are dependent on several factors. The paint type, the temperature, the thickness and method of application of the first coat, some painters shoot a light "mist" coat then follow it up with a "color" coat and finish with a "double-wet" for gloss and smoothness. Feathering in the new paint over the old will depend on the type of "mask" if any you use. If you're going to shoot the repair area without masking the surrounding paint, your technique will play into it. The amount of "cleanup" or work required to integrate the new paint into the old will depend on how "messy" you were. BUT: All of this changes with spray can paint. Spray can paint typically is mixed to a very thin viscosity. Thin enough that you almost have to work hard to get a run or a sag....except that once you DO get the run or sag..... you can't use any of the spray gun techniques to try to recover from it. Spray can paint is also formulated to spray, and cure very quickly.... quickly enough that it can be a problem due to the solvents used in it. I've seen fisheye, crazing and lifting occur from using a spray can paint over an older paint.... even when it should have been compatible. And then that's the other rub; is the spray can paint going to work with the older paint without lifting, crazing or otherwise causing problems with the older paint. Typically spray can paint can be recovered (2nd coat +) within minutes (5-12) of the first coat. Enamel usually requires 20-45, Lacquer was 15-25. So, since you're not looking to do more than a temp job, just take care and shoot it carefully. You may encounter problems, but you've already stated you're looking to re-paint it later. If on the other and you're saying that you are looking for this to last a while (meaning more than a few months), then get a proper mix of the paint from your local auto paint store, and shoot it with the help of your body guy. As you can see, there is a TON of information to at least get familiar with. But, Hope This Helped. E

It could also be as simple as the Tach wiring connector being loose. Although that wouldn't account for the 5 minute run time. Or the Resistor starting to fail. That could account for the 5 minute run time, except that since you've had to tow the car home a couple of times, the resistor would presumably have cooled down enough to re-connect (presumably). See if Arne's suggestion helps. E

Fusible Link? Don't recall if the 260 had more than one, but in the 240's there is ONE fusible link between the Starter and the wire harness. If that ONE fusible link blows, the whole electrical system is dead. He mentions power at the starter, but I'm wondering how he's measuring that. FWIW E

Guy's car is a 72, which can make a difference. Stephen's advice regarding the glove box removal is what the FSM calls for on the 70-73 models. That's not necessarily the "prettiest" method as you're left wondering if you have to mangle it like a bit of origami to get it in and out. (And possibly it was an origami fan that wrote that bit of the FSM.) The method described by MEZZ is halfway there, but you don't have to disconnect the air box and hoses. Essentially, you DO remove the Heater Control Panel, but it only involves disconnecting the Heater Control Cables AT their connection point (3 @ the Heater and 1 @ the Fresh Air Flapper Valve), removing the radio hold down screws on the side of the radio, and the map light (you disconnect the Heater Fan Switch once you have it partly out), and then reaching UP. An alternative method, if your hands are small enough and you're nimble enough with your fingers, is to get an 8mm wrench/socket and snake your hand up to the gauge from the passenger side footwell, and undo the one bolt holding the gauge in place ... or simply seating the light socket firmly in place then. This has been described a couple of other times, so search under Heater Control Panel and removal. HTH E

Conjecture Based on Hearsay: At one time, purportedly with just the number of your plates, they could do a search through DMV records and in turn get your information. That and "a friend of a friend" could do the DMV search for you etc. Is it possible? Maybe. FWIW E

Usually people check the date plate on the driver's door jamb, there you'll see the manufacture date stamped on the plate. You can also check www.zhome.com and gauge the production date based on the production sheets there. If that still doesn't answer the question, post your VIN and someone is bound to have one near enough to give you a good idea. FWIW E

To answer you Max, since the 78's tach starts using different sensing circuitry than the early tachs, it is plausible to think that you're not suffering from the same heat induced problems that can and have failed other tachs. Capacitors (if 25 year old electronics course doesn't fail me) are devices to both store and control current by filtering it. They are in essence two pieces of conducting material separated by a thin permeable NON-conducting material. That the separating material is non-conducting and permeable is what allows capacitors to filter certain frequencies from the current. As they age, whether due to natural chemical breakdown or due to heat induced breakdown, that property of filtering or storing current breaks down as well. Commonly, people have reported that their tach suddenly "pegs out" and won't return to normal until after a period of cooling. Other times, it's intermittent operation with increasing periods of non-function while still wavering all over the scale. My electronics wiz friend, on being told the symptoms, summarily mentioned "failing capacitor" and promised to look at one that had failed in the manner mentioned, in the hopes of repairing it. (You'd be surprised how long it took to get a tach whose failure cause could be ascertained.) That's where the project stands. And Tar, if you hit 88mph, make sure you're buckled in and doing it on a stretch of highway that isn't densely packed, and look out for the smokeys. FWIW E

Per their instructions these are the 3 products: First is N° 17 Clear Plastic Cleaner - Removes Fine Scratches from Clear Plastics; followed by: N° 10 Clear Plastic Polish - Creates brilliant optic clarity on all clear plastics; and then: N° 18 Clear Plastic Detailer - Safely removes surface residue and enhance optical clarity. Although, depending on the condition of the plastic, you might use them in descending order and then repeat number 18 (i.e. 18, 17, 10, 18). I did that on my tail-light lenses and the results are stunning. This is perfect for all smooth finish plastic pieces also. I recently "restored" some black plastic knobs for my 67 Roadster to a mirror bright finish. N°17 is like a very fine powder rubbing compound. N°10 takes that a step further and it's like polishing with 2% milk. N°18 is a clear spray, but it does give plenty of reflective shine on dark plastics and seems to remove light cloudiness. FWIW E

How does it relate to ambient temperature? I'll wager that the higher the temp is, the more prone it is to failure. That points to one of the capacitors beginning to fail. E

Meguiar's plastic polish is even better when you patiently and carefully use all 3 steps! 2¢ E

I've been using and recommending Sylvania 53BP's for a number of years. FWIW E

They'll fit. This thread is about the Bumper Guards, as labeled within this thread, or Overriders per Nissan's part CD, not to be confused with the tubular bumper Guards offered as an aftermarket accessory (that is commonly referred to as an overrider) which in the front mounted up above the overriders (guards in this thread), which are sometimes called "bumperettes". (The rear overrider bar mounted to the bumper and not the "guards".) But to fit the 71 bumpers you'll probably have to change the mounts (front) and do some modification to the rear bumper or mounts depending if you have the shock absorber mount there. There is lots more info if you do a search for the "early style bumper" or Series I. FWIW E

Electrical failure internally. I've not been able to get with my electronic hobbyist friend to determine how and if one can be fixed... our schedules just haven't coincided. At this point, it might be easiest to replace it, although the supply is starting to get thin. FWIW E

Brian: When I replaced the original speaker in my car (the old one's diaphragm had nearly disintegrated), I was able to pick up a pair of 5-1/4" from Radio Shack. Sadly, Radio Shack no longer carries speakers ... except for the computer or laptop ones. (And a very few ceiling mounts for PA's). Mike's suggestion is good, as it may be the only way of getting better speakers instead of the original 5-1/8". The only problem I see with the MSA speaker box is that it replaces your tail-light plastic surround. That makes it difficult to pop in and out for a car show (supposing you want to appear original). But you can find 6x9 speakers to fit that box that won't overpower the OEM radio. Even if they're 8 ohm you can wire them in parallel and reduce the resistance so that the radio can handle it. Just make sure you're not dealing with 50 watt speakers. Again, 10-20 watt are more than sufficient. Another approach is what I did, which was to buy a pair of 5-1/4" and mount them behind the plastic panels on the side. I had to fabricate the right hand speaker mount, but it's just the mirror reverse of the left. You can find both the 6x9 and the 5-1/4, low power speakers at JCW, and most electronic shops. That they're not overpriced "hi-fi" units won't matter as the radio isn't a hi-fi stereo. FWIW E