=Enigma=

Have you tried the local Nissan dealer yet, or the local auto parts store? Another option would be to call the guys at http://www.courtesyparts.com. They don't show fusible links for the 280Zx on their website but I bet they can get them for you.

Based on everything you describe, it sounds like your mechanic is providing you with good info. Since the ballast resistor is probably going to be cheaper to replace than the ihnition switch, I would start there. I recommend doing a seach here on the board to look for alternative to stock, depending on availablilty and pricing.

Hey there. Nice car. Regarding the overheating, I'd start checking all the usual stuff. Coolant level, radiator cap, thermostat, blocked hoses. The heater not working may be related to the cooling problem. It is possible that the heater lines are clogged preventing water from properly circulating through the system. Anyway, I have never diagnosed a cooling system on a Z. I suggest using the SEARCH function as I am sure this has already been covered many times. The SEARCH feature is you friend. Get to know it well. Cheers,

I thought a thought but the thought I thought wasn't the thought I thought I thought.:lick:

We're up above $3.10/gal here in the Bay Area. That's the cheapest I could find yesterday. What a bunch of crap. Greedy ****ing oil companies.

It's a fairly standard part. Just go to any parts store and have them look up a replacement. If not, you can always grab one from the junk yard out of a car with electronic ignition. When I converted my original 240Z dizzy to a 280ZX dizzy, I grabbed a coil and bracket from a 1980 Datsun B210 with elec ignition. It cost me $3 and worked like a charm. Someone who understands and can articulate the differences between coils designed for points vs. elec ignitions should probably chime in here. As I understand it the difference is basically in the amount of resistance, with the elec ign coils and high performance coils having less resistance. Supposedly this can be a problem in a points based system for reason I don't fully understand, and a desired thing in a high perf application.

Is there something special about the 280ZX coil or are you go for authenticity? If not just go grab an MSD or a Pertronix Flame Thrower coil and be done with it.

The PO of my 73 had the conversion to SUs done and the springs are simply attached to the heat shield in a crease or gap in the shield. As krispy said, I don't think it's that big a deal. Drill some holes if you want.

Thanks for the MSD unit Dave. It's working great. Combined with the new Blaster II coil the car idles much smoother and starts up easier. I'm surprised you didn't notice and/or mention that the headlight harness is not installed yet. That comes next.

Montoya, you are in fact correct. I always thought the first measurement was the bolt head size. But after doing a little research, I see that I misunderstood the notation of fastener sizes. Thanks for the correction. And I didn't think you were ragging on me. I seldom take anything personally. Life is way too short for that. http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Default.aspx

Here's a link to the thread with the install pics. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?p=171512

Ok, here's a picture of the finished install along with the bracket I made. I didn't take any pics during the install, sorry. I got the idea for the bracket from a picture I saw on somebody's website. I think his name was Jason and he's got a nice blue 73' 240Z. I made my braket a little different that his mostly because I couldn't really see how the back side of his braket was made. That and it looked like he had a custom battery tray which it mouted to and I don't, so I made my own design. Maybe he'll chime in.... Click the image to go to my gallery and see the rest.

Hurts like a bitch huh. I can laugh now that I have done it to myself. I think I actually bruised or cracked the bone in my knuckle. It took a long time to heal up. ROFL ROFL

The ballast resistor would certainly reduce the voltage to the points. That's it's job. If it is bad it could potentially redice the voltage by more than it should, or possible not reduce it at all. Should be easy enough to check.

Actually, most bolt shaft diameters DO coincide with the head size in that there is a standard ratio that is normally used. That is not to say that there are not exceptions, but they would be just that.

gogriz91, you should really fix that exhaust problem. I had a buddy who had an exhaust leak that he didn't even know about(could smell anything0, and it put him in the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning. He had been feeling run down and sick for several weeks before he finally decided it was more than the flu. A little oxygen treatment and some pills and he was on his way top recovery. Turns out he had a hole in the muffler of his VW van and the fumes were leaking into the car via a small hole in the rear hatch area. Sound familiar?

What does that figure out to in US dollars? Anyone?

That way too funny! "Don't throw down my fenders or I'll have to throw down on you." I love the cute little lion in the place of breaking glass. What's the deal with that?

Everything that imhoppy says is basically true, however the body and most of the runing gear are the same from 70-78 with a few minor exceptions. The part about the carbs is also true if you it still has the stock flat top Hitachi/SU carbs that were used in the 260's and the 73 240Z. However many of these have already been swapped out by previous owners to the earlier 70-72 model round top(dome) SU carbs. Another difference is that half way through the year(1974) they swapped out the bumpers for larger 5mph impact bumpers to meet U.S restrictions so you probably won't see these. These same larger bumpers found their way onto the 280Zs. The real things you want to consider are what your goals are for the car and how much $$$ it will take to get the car to the point you want it. If you are looking to build a nice driver and don't care about a full, accurate restoration or the resale value, then there's nothing wrong with the 260Z IMHO. However if you intend to do a full restore, and want recoup even a fraction of the money invested, I'd go with an early 240Z. However, you rarely get back what you invested, so whatever you chose to do, enjoy the car cause that's the only "profit" you will get. For more info on the history, differences, value, etc., check out www.zhome.com

Those are both very nice looking Zs. I assume you are selling the stocker in the foreground?

New plug wires fixed this limited rev problem for me but it sounds like you already replaced those? On a seperate note, I also bought a reman 280ZX dizzy on eBay for $79 which came with an e-12-80 IGN module. I have been happy with it until yesterday when I noticed that the dizzy wobbles just a little bit while the car is running. I'm assuming this means the dizzy shaft is slightly bent. :mad:

M8 sounds a bit small for a part taking on so much stress unless you have 4 per side. Just to be clear, my bolts are M12(head) x 1.25(thread pitch) x 20mm (length) CL8(strength) Hex Bolt and there are two per side. VicBrit show the same part for 240, 260 & 280Z's. Sounds like yours may have been replaced at some point. Hopefully the thread or shaft diameter is the same as normal M12 or this may be your problem. It's even possible someone replaced them with non-metric parts or had to re-thread the hole. Many sway bar mounting brackets come with 1/2" bolts. I found a 1/2" bolt used for one of my motor mounts rather than the usual M12 x 1.25 x 25mm(I think). Check if the other working bolts fit properly in the problem mounting point. If so just pick up a matching one at the HW store. If not, you may need to clean up the threads with a an appropriate tap. Sorry, you;re simply gonna have to get under the car

The bolts that mount the front sway bar to the body of the car on my 73' are M12 x 1.25 x 20mm hex bolts. Hope that helps.

As I understood it, the job of the ballast resistor is to reduce(roughly half) the the voltage leading to the points to prevent them from geting fryed. 12volts / 2 = 6 volts. Minus a little voltage loss somewhere in the wires leading to the ballast resistor would put you in that 5 volt range you're seeing. If you're not using a points based dizzy, I'd simply bypass or remove the ballast resistor. Otherwise, check the voltage at both sides of the resistor with the key in the ON position. This should tell you how much voltage is making it to the resistor and how much is being let through. If it's less than your required 8 volts, and I would think it would be, you'll need to bypass the resistor.

Could be as simple as a bad cap, rotor, corroded connections at the cap, or bad plug wires? My old plug wires were leaking all over the place and the car wouldn't rev past a certain RPM. New plug wires fixed that problem. However, these sorts of problems normally don't exhibit at low RPMs, or under no load conditions. As for the dizzy cap, check if you can see any noticable carbon tracking in the inside of the cap. Ionized particles carbon will build up inside the cap and create a track for electricity to follow. The track can lead from one secondary terminal to another or to the body of the dizzy and ground. This occurs more frequently where there is crack in the cap but if there is enough carbon build up a crack is not needed.