Pop's Z

I second this. I have dealt with Dave for his headlight harness, parking light harness, and rebuilt switches. First class work and an honest man. Thanks dave. Cheers, Mike

Xenn, if you have a 280ZX dizzy check the ignition module. They can be affected by heat soak. I always carry a spare just in case. The module came on a variety of Datsun cars so next time you are at the junkyard pick up a few for spares. Cheers, Mike

bacarl, before you do anything else, please get rid of those old tires. They can be dangerous. Get some new ones at Tire Rack. Even tires for a minivan are better than the 25 year old tires on your car. I have the ball&socket tension rod set-up and there is a fair amount of road shock felt in the wheel. It was the same when I had the all poly stuff, too. The best thing for you might be with the stock rubber. They are still available and easy to change out. Probably the ball joints and tie rod ends could stand to be replaced along with the steering rack bushings and sway bar bushings, too. You are beginning to find what I did on my 70K mile car: all the suspension pieces will need to be replaced sooner or later, but you won't believe the difference in the car's handling after you do the work...fantastic! Cheers, Mike

Short answer...yes. I did this (see my signature) and they work just fine with a little fine tuning. Cheers, Mike

Speaking as a retired firefighter, be very careful with the mounting brackets. Most household brackets are not designed for cars and will become a dangerous missile in an accident. I have a 2 1/2# ABC extinguisher by Kidde that is 13 3/4" long and fits in the storage locker behind the pasenger. It is not that easy to get to, but in a wreck or roll-over it won't come loose and become a dangerous flying object either. And guys, take your dry powder extinguishers out once a year and shake them up to prevent the powder from caking and being a big disappointment when you squeeze the trigger. Also check the pressure gauge at the same time. It's easy to ignore the extinguisher until you need it. CO2 extinguishers would be less messy, but are hard to find in a small enough package, and they displace O2 so setting them off inside the car could be problematical. Cheers, Mike

Look for posts by "zsondabrain". Dave did a writeup on this very subject. Cheers, Mike

Also, be sure to connect the wires together that were on the ballast resistor. If you don't the car will not start. I assume you removed the ballast resistor when you added the new distributor. Cheers, Mike

In answer to your question about the center caps...They fit with no issues clearing the dust caps on the front hubs. I'm running RBs (15") with no clearance issues on a lowered car (Eibachs) and 205/60-15 Potenzas. Cheers, Mike

FWIW, the VIN plate on the door is not the "real" VIN plate. That's on the dash. I've removed both and reattached both with no one in authority a.) being the wiser and 2.) seeming to care, but I live in Colorado, and the licensing agency did not require any visual inspection of my car. Use the right size rivets and no one will ever know. Just my 2 cents. Cheers, Mike

Hi Andy, I have the three-row in my 240 w/ ZX motor and it runs right in the middle of the gauge. 180* thermostat. Cheers, Mike

Or barring buying new, why not reuse the old ones? That's what I did...worked perfectly. Cheers, Mike

FWIW, I have the fiberglass version of that "spook". My car is lower than stock (see my sig). The "spook" is only about 3-4 inches above the pavement. Yes, you will scrape it on speed bumps, and dips, but the real killers are the concrete stoppers in parking spaces. Right after I installed my "spook" I ran over one right in front of a bunch of other Z guys...very noisy, and embarrassing, but no real damage. You just have to become aware that you have this thing hanging down and adjust your driving accordingly. They do make a difference at speeds of 80 mph and above...you can feel the steering get a bit heavier instead of becoming lighter at speed. Also if you ever need a roll-back tow truck it makes for interesting discussions with the tow truck operator (ask me how I know). They do look very retro-cool though. As far as installation goes on my '73 there were three tapped holes in the radiator support that I used to bolt it on plus drilling two more in the turn signal valences...measure three times before drilling holes in your "spook" and your valences. Cheers, Mike

Oi James, The mind/memory is a terrible thing to lose, eh? Have you heated the garage? I hope to see your zed up and running when next we return to Godzone. Winter here 10" snow on the ground with more on the way. Fortunately my zed is snug and warm in a heated garage. Sigh...Spring should come sometime. Cheers, Mike

Hi David welcome to the best zcar forum. If you are concerned about the ride quality you might consider staying away from Tokiko struts and springs. They are very firm. I went with Eibach progressive springs and KYB struts. The ride is firm, but not harsh like my friend's car w/ the Tokikos. As far as rattles go search them out and fix them. The plastic finishers in the back (there are 5) held in with plastic pins can be a real source of squeaks and rattles. Get a pair of strut tower braces which will stiffen the body up a bit. Look into insulating the cockpit with sound-deadening material...many have done this and there are various threads about it. I used "Q-Pads" and commercial duct insulation and my car is pretty quiet. Take the car to a good A/C shop and get the system checked over. You may not need a new compressor and a conversion to R134 is not very expensive. Texas heat requires a good working A/C. Good advice on 5spds...try to find a 280ZX one. You will appreciate the o/d 5th gear. Good luck and keep asking questions. That's how we all learned about these great cars. FWIW, my wife loves my car...she calls it "the acceptable mistress". Cheers, Mike

Hi Deb, Losing someone you care so much about is very hard. You have my deepest sympathies. I never met Enrique, but he was so giving with his knowledge that he saved me so much aggravation while restoring my zed that I felt I knew him. It's that way on this site...you meet people here that you consider your friends. That's what Enrique was ...a friend to all of us in the Z community. He will be missed, but remembered whenever we drive our old Datsuns. Peace. Cheers, Mike

Hi all, I was shocked by the death at a relatively young age of our friend Enrique Escanlon. When I went to add my sympathies etc. the thread had been closed. Why? Were there snarky comments? It seems wrong to close the thread without letting more of us write our thoughts about a guy who helped a lot of us. Would one of the admins please address this issue? I would appreciate it. He was a terrific guy who I never met except here, and he saved me so much agro working on my zed. I wish I had thanked him. Peace E. Cheers, Mike

Hi Dave, Nice to see your "smiling face" on here once again...missed ya'. BTW my power windows work just fine, also. Thanks for the motivation to get 'er done. Cheers, Mike

Fwiw, Leon is right. I have an '83 ZX F54 flat top block w/ an N42 head with 10.5-1 comp. ratio, but w/o the stage 2 Delta cam, massaged chambers and ports, and a header the higher comp. would not be very effective. With those mods the car is very lively. The only drawback is the need for 91 octane fuel...no real hardship for me as the car is not a daily driver. Cheers, Mike

Make sure the cap and the dash are warm...direct sunlight is helpful, and a heat gun used very carefully can be a useful, also. Cheers, Mike

FWIW, I have the Eibach/KYB combo and it works just fine. Ditto what John said. Cheers, Mike

Re: "The '79 ZX dizzy won't work with the '73 tach." I don't know where that info comes from, but my '73 tach works perfectly with my '79 ZX dizzy w. the 12-80 module...just sayin' Cheers, Mike

Yes he is, Brian. He lives in Yeppoon, Qld, Oz. He hasn't posted here for a long time now, but he and his wife visited us here in Colorado last summer, and we have kept up an email correspondence since. I have his email address if you need it. Cheers, Mike

FWIW, I have this spring/strut combo and I haven't experienced any bouncy ride. Your struts maybe worn out even though the miles are low. Bouncy means no shock dampening. Cheers, Mike

Hi Jacob, No, the VintageAir system is not designed specifically for the 240Z. You will have to come up with a mount for the compressor and do some fabricating to mount the evaporator and the condensor. If you are not real mechanically able it would be a difficult job. Check Zcars posts on this site as he did a great write up on installing a VintageAir system in a 280Z. Another visitor to this site who I know personally Kenz240z installed a VintageAir system in his 240Z. He might be able to give you some hints. It was easier to do this project with the dash. console, and seats removed from the car. It took me about a month to do, but now that I know what to do it could be done in about a week. I can't stress enough that this is a difficult, but rewarding job. Cheers, Mike

Hi Jacob. Do some searching on the site here Look in the forums) and you will find all of the answers to your questions. Bottom line: the old factory systems weren't all that effective unless it is a 260/280 system. A system like VintageAir (which replaces the heater assembly) works much better. I had the old-style system in my '73 back in '75 and it was marginal at best. In my current '73 I have a system from HotRodAir (since gone out of business, but very similar to VintageAir) and it works very well. Cheers, Mike