KDMatt

The uneven wear is definitely an alignment issue. The bouncing/wobbling, on the other hand, will be helped by a proper alignment. I know it made a big difference in my car's freeway driveability.

Wow! I admire you for taking on a task like that! My only suggestion I can give you is that if you suspect the car may still be in Tenessee, see if you can find a Z-car club for Tenessee (if there is one... and I would hope there is). You might get lucky! Keep us updated!... and no, regrettably, the Z in my possession although silver, is not yours. Mine was originally sold in Oklahoma... then made its way up to Kansas, and finally here to MN about 14 years ago.

My 155 pc Craftsman "Mechanic's" set has yet to lack a wrench/socket I've needed for my 280.

Seeing as no one else has responded yet I suppose I could chime in here. It might help others to know what kind of car we're talking about to begin with. With a name like ZXJuiced, my assumption is that we're talking about a 280ZX? When you say the RPM's "just drop off" do you mean that the car simply acts as though you've turned it off and it shuts down smoothly, or do you mean that it sort of staggers, briefly fighting for life before dying down? ... Either condition I think could suggest a different source for the problem.

A couple more pics that got put up on the ZOOM forums: http://img233.imageshack.us/my.php?image=z58qv.jpg http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=z41ru.jpg

It's too bad you couldn't have made it, but I understand that getting to Brooklyn Park is sort of a trek for you... that and the rain I'm sure made you a bit more hesitant to drive, eh? You probably would have had the nicest car there though!

Well I voted for it, and one thing that influenced my decision was that the bumpers and ends were pristine. Owning a 76 myself I understand what a PITA it is to locate, pay for (big $$), and a replace all of those rubber pieces. He was also one of the few owners that had actually taken some time to clean and polish his engine bay.

I recently had the opportunity to attend my first Z-car show as a proud owner. :classic: The Z-Owners of Minnesota (ZOOM) had their yearly meeting yesterday during the day, and I have to say it was extremely refreshing to talk to some like-minded people in person for a change! Attendance, I'm told, was at a record low (it had rained a little bit earlier, so a lot of folks were timid about driving their cars out, as to be expected), but there were still enough owners and fans to talk to to make the trip worth it... ... and of course the car dealership that hosts the event every year (Morrie's Nissan) is never hesitant to let us hang out there seeing as it may just help convince some mid-life crisis rich guy that he needs a new 350z. Here are some pictures from the event that are on the ZOOM forum right now. They were taken by owner "Ryan" who's 280ZX actually took second place in our vote for nicest car. http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=z35zb.jpg I think this red Z32 might have gotten 3rd place for audience pick. In the background you see, from left to right. z30 (I didn't get a chance to meet the owner... it was very nice and original), my 76, the 81 ZX Turbo owned by the guy who organizes a lot of the events, the 82 (?) ZX that got second place for audience pick ... a random maroon z32... and a 10th anniversary ZX... On the right (the blue 280z) is one of the two cars that sported a baby seat! http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=z29te.jpg Nice red 240 that belongs to one of the presidents/owners of the ZOOM club. http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=z15do.jpg '76 2+2 that was voted as the favorite of the show... The owner's other Z (a 77) is in the background.

Okay, I'll give that a shot. I was unaware that there was simply a connector I could pull some place... ... and yeah the cold start isn't that big of a deal to me since I really only drive the Z in warm weather... the coldest it gets when I need it is like 55/60 ... you know... fall/early spring etc. Also, at the ZOOM show today, a guy in a ZX offered the idea that perhaps one of my injectors could be leaking, so that while the car is parked a small excess of fuel is accumulating in the cylinder. Eh?

Hrm... okeydoke. Thanks you guys! I'll see if there's someone with a multimeter at the ZOOM show today... I don't have one yet... :sleep:

Interesting, seemingly intermittent challenge I'm having with the Z. I can already tell that I'm burning a bit of oil when the car is completely cold, so my natural assumption is valve seals. However, I've noticed a new quirk. If I drive the car and get it warmed up to normal operating temp. (i.e 180/190 degrees Fahrenheit) then let it sit for a period of time (i.e. going to work, park the car for 4 hours), when I get back in and start it up I can smell the distinct aroma of gasoline. This is accompanied by what looks like gray smoke coming out the back until the car begins to reach 110/120 degrees. After this time the smell of gasoline is gone, as is the gray exhaust. This DOES NOT happen when the car is completely cold (like say I drove home from work, and let it sit overnight). When completely cold all I notice is a bit of burning oil (blueish smoke instead of gray) and nothing more. I know the gray indicates a "rich" condition in the fuel mixture, but this goes away after the engine is warmed up. My initial assumption is that cold-start valve thing that helps everything get going when the engine is cold has gone sorta screwy. I'd appreciate some kind of a basic overview of what the cold-start valve does, how it does what it does, and how I can go about fixing and/or replacing it. Also, anyone else who would like to diagnose my Z's condition is, as always, more than welcome to. (Just realized this will perhaps be better placed in the Fuel Injection forum. Could a mod please move this there when you have the chance? TY)

Oh c'mon, the steering in an old Z isn't that hard! I can make lane changes with only a couple of fingers if I really wanted to! :stupid:

To be honest, I'm going to say that I don't really mind the other incarnations of Z-cars, first-generation is, naturally, my favorite, but I like the other Z's as cars and don't really mentally link them together as part of a lineage. For example, I like the Z31 300zx, but I don't look at it as related to my S30. Maybe it's just my way of easing the "pain," but I think, standalone, every generation is a great car. I mean Nissan could have made a lot more crap than they did. So what we're left with are different cars that appeal to different people for different reasons. I think, that as Nissan fans, we have some of the most variety when it comes to inter-generational design appeal. I see a lot of cheaply riced-out Z31s; they're the perfect "kid-car," (why I never ended up considering one, I don't know). Then there's the 280ZX... the kind of car I want my dad to have when he retires. I don't think you can honestly stamp a "better" or "worse" label on different generations. The face of the Z is "changing," as is its appeal. With each change they make they add things that make the cars more appealing to some, and at the same time subtract things that would make the cars appealing to others. Granted, yes, the spirit of the original 240Z is long-gone on the Nissan production line, but this isn't unique to Z's ... It's fair to say that every single production car has become watered down in the last 30 years; there was no way around it. I'm sure somewhere there's an old-school Honda enthusiast griping because his once economically viewed company has evolved into a kid's racing pipe-dream company. :laugh: End ramble.

I think someone needs to call in a maid to wipe up all of this drool! Spectacular find Arne!

Great! Thanks!

'Making some nice progress man. I loved that someone decided to make a Pac-man face on the window!

The urge? My initial conclusion is that a designer at Nissan has attempted to discreetly copy the 350z but add enough awkward changes so as to hope nobody can see the resemblance. If they clean up the lines a bit though, it could be better. IMHO, it might also be in their best interests to change the name. "Urge" does not make me think of what will drive me to the grocery store... "Urge" makes me think of what currently 'drives' me to the bathroom several times each day.

Thanks for the help Dave, Zak. Part of my question also has to do with the function of those fender-signal lights... are they identical in function to the turn-signals that face front? I just want to make sure that when I get 'em wired up I know they're working correctly.

Hey folks, can somebody help me out? Earlier today as I was working inside the wheel-wells replacing my bumper ends I noticed that someone (probably the crazy 2nd P/O) had completely, cleanly, "snipped" all of the wires from the yellow side-marker lights on the front-end of my car. Can somebody please find me the correct diagram for this and/or tell me where everything should connect to?... Oh, and it might be helpful to know what gauge wire to use. Thanks!

You also may want to consider "local" car listing sites that work by zipcode. For example, I found my 280z on carsoup.com, 'might be worth looking into if you're in a close enough zip. You can also try autotrader.com, cars.com or beepbeep.com ... Be careful though, sometimes these sites don't have "280z" listed as a Datsun model, though they often have 280zx, which is a different car. Be aware of this. Furthermore, if there's a local Z-owners club for your state or province, you could also try seeing if they have any "private" classifieds for their members. Good luck!

Man that's gorgeous! Even that engine bay looks pristine. What kind of mileage are we talking about here? Are you planning on reproducing the Black Pearl special appearance stuff?

Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not completely dejected to the old-school bumpers that are on the car currently... That said, however, it's been difficult for me to really get "attached" to them seeing as my bumper ends are still sagging off. :laugh: Besides, one of the things I love about the design of these old-school Z's is how the rear end curves and tucks up underneath, with the fatter 280z bumpers that's almost impossible to see! :knockedou

Well maybe he didn't see it, but I did Stephen. Thank you.

Great info! So... if my tranny has reverse lock-out, you're saying there's no way it's a 77/78 first-gen 5-speed and could only have come from a ZX? At least if I understand you correctly when you say it's a "later mod."

Fantastic info you guys! 280z1975: Thanks for linking me to that other thread. I somehow missed that one when I was searching last night. LBO730: Thanks for the info, though it would be nice to see some detailed pictures of the trouble spots you describe. Baracu: Awesome link... that's exactly what I'd like to do I think. Placement looks good... Hell it's another silver '76 Z... what more could I ask for? '