rdefabri

Figured it out - the slider assembly that attaches to the back of the HCP was bent slightly. Bent it back and voila! It works fine, and no bulge!

Right - got you. The slider assembly is completely attached. I seriously think that I may have altered one of the bends in the wire back there. I tugged at it, and the top slider is now hard to move - it's not sliding freely

I posted a different thread on this - I've (finally) got my OEM radio in. I used the method described in this thread of removing the console and moving the fuse box - works fine. However, to reinstall the radio face plate and ensure no further damage to my HCP (cracked be me in haste as noted earlier in this thread) I removed it with cables attached. I still have a bulge now that it's reinstalled, which may have been from the previous hasty effort to remove it without cable detachment. Could I have "un-bent" (is that a word?) the Z-bend? For some reason a) the HCP has a bulge and the top slider is REALLLLLY stiff. I am sure I screwed something up. Sorry for posting this on a separate thread, but it was consistent with the info here.

Mike, Thanks for the reply! You may be right about the center vent - maybe old age has me forgetting. On the heater panel - well, I already removed and reattached without removing the cables. Are you saying I have to remove the cables from the firewall to try to eliminate the bulge? I suspect I bent something that's not going back into place. But I am not certain removing them will rectify.

Still working my install of the OEM radio in my '72. One thing that's vexed me has been re-installation of the heater panel (with cables still attached). As radio install did not require me to remove the heater / vent cables, I was able to pull them out slightly. Problem is that now when I screw the heater panel back in, there's a "bulge" right where the controls are. This actually led to a crack in my heater panel (my stupid fault), and the top slide is very difficult to move left/right. I see no obstruction, so that's not the issue. Is it possible that cables themselves are causing the resistance? Should I post pics? Also, the air outlet vent now rotates 360 degrees - I thought it should only be 180 degrees. Perhaps I reinstalled it incorrectly? (Rhetorical question - obviously with the bulge something is wrong!) Anyone experience something similar?

Whew! Thanks for clarifying this - I was sure you didn't need to prop open the SU's, but when I saw the other posts, I was second guessing myself!

I have one of the center console mounted units - I believe it was made by "Frigid-King" or "Frigi-King". It's an eyesore that I am in process of removing. Here's a view of the "ARA" unit / evaporator (much better as it's dash mounted): http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-ARA-DATSUN-240Z-DASH-AC-AIR-CONDITIONER-EVAPORATOR_W0QQitemZ310119084889QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090129?IMSfp=TL0901291210009r33806

Exactly - As I mentioned, I play a bunch of instruments, few things would make me happier than to see my kids follow in my footsteps. Yet no matter how much I jam or play for them, they aren't interested. I think the reason is they can't interact with me. They know tunes from the Beatles and The Beach Boys, and I can play those and the Jonas Brothers (one of their faves), but there's no desire for them to sing or tap their feet. With Rock Band, they CAN interact. The drum part of the game is literally like a teacher - you can learn to play on a basic level with it. The whole experience of "jamming" with friends and family has now got them asking for real instruments...to me, it's almost educational and a fantastic tool to get them more into music.

Nice! Too bad we Wii players can't jam with PS3 and 360 players - that would be a trip. Let There Be Rock is a lot of fun on RB2!!!!

Arne, This is good advice - so I should only connect 1 speaker / pair to my OEM radio? I do NOT want to damage it - I got it for a great price and I'd hate to hunt for another one. FWIW

Maybe the question should be - how many are left? I agree, it's sort of the "red-headed" stepchild of the breed, and I would be more inclined to mod the 260 over a 240, but given it's 1 year run is it somewhat "exclusive"?

Yea man, I can rip out some tunes. I have an Ibanez, but it's fine for the task. I also have a keyboard, but I am a little less Clapton, more Beach Boys. I also do VH, AC/DC, and a little Danzig amongst others. Seriously, as a person that plays the real thing, this is a great game to get someone not musically inclined interested. My kids yawn when I jam on my guitar or keys, but they're always up for RB...probably because they can participate. Now my 5 year old daughter wants a real drum set (my first instrument ), so I am stoked!

Dude - it's SOOOOO worth it! You have an option - buy the Rock Band 1 game with the instruments. The game isn't all that, but you can find it cheap. Then use those instruments with RB2 (which will cost you $50 - they are fully compatible). If you can get RB1 w/ instruments for $70 and the RB2 game for $50, you saved yourself $60.

Great party game, for sure! With RB2 Wii, we have online play - play with others or against, etc. Nice to see how you rank against the world!

Looks great - I'll have to do something like that myself

On a different thread, another CZC member mentioned he plays Guitar Hero. I have to admit, I am quite addicted to playing Rock Band 2 on my family's Wii (Rock Band 1 was a gift for my 40th b-day, RB2 was my Christmas gift) - in fact, I'm pretty good at it (can do expert on drums and bass most songs). Anyone else here play it? Don't be bashful...

Some good points here. I'd agree with madkaw though, you can do enough to this car with head work and carbs. I don't know the 260Z as much, but a few posters on various Z boards have taken a modded E88 (shaved, larger valves, notched piston bores) or N42 (already larger valves, but shaved and notched) on a stock bore L24. You'd want a hotter cam and minimally a refreshed (if not bored) set of SUs. Slap in a better rear end (3.90 or 4.11) and you'll have a nice speedster. Now, depending on how "hot" you make the head / cam, I've seen "claims" ofanywhere from 14.5 to 15.5 seconds in the 1/4 mile. I put claim in quotes as I've not seen hard proof of the times, but 160 rwhp in a 2,300 lb. car is going to be zippy. Check out Classic Motorsports 240Z - essentially a stock L24 with a Sunbelt Performance head that generated 200HP at the crank (roughly 170 at the wheels) - certainly that car boogies, likely more than enough to satisfy most tastes. Otherwise, I'd go with Carl - buy a modern used car like a Honda S2000. You can get one for $15K or less and it will perform better than most anything you could do to a 260Z (short of a L28ET, but still requires some mods IMHO). I fret over this quite a bit as I have thought about bumping the power in my Z for years. Yet, I own a 2000 Lexus GS400 (300HP V8) that would smoke anything I could do to it on my budget - so why bother? These cars are wonderful time capsules that are meant to be enjoyed as they once were. If you have the scratch, anything can be done. Head over to Youtube and check out "Turbo240Z" (heavily modded L28ET) or "ZRedBaron" (3.1L stroker) and you'll get an idea. Bring your wallet.

Antenna is original - your pic and the wires lead me to believe so. I am intrigued - it's one speaker? Why does the interior have speaker "holes" in the panels on both sides? Mine's a '72, I thought the '71 and prior had only 1 speaker? FWIW - neither side has any speaker brackets, no evidence of them being there. Seeing how shoddy the workmanship was, I am surprised it / they were removed.

Arne, Thanks - that's the unit I have. Only issue is the ball at the end was cut off - not sure why. You can tell it was cut off as the edge is crimped with a clean shear. I wonder if that's easy to replace... Dave - Guitar Hero, huh? My family is hooked on Rock Band 2 - similar, except it adds drums and vocals. At 40 years old, I can play on "expert" level bass, vocals, and drums (I play "real" guitar and drums). My eldest daughter is 8 and the progression she's making is amazing - already medium on guitar. My 5 year old daughter is a pip singing "Eye of the Tiger" - great family and party game. We even play online, but it's limited to only Wii users. I thank you guys again - all your help is really appreciated and alleviates my stress (seeing your baby in pieces can do that!)

Confirmed some things as I pulled off all the interior panels in the back. The antenna and the speaker wires. More questions though - what does the original power antenna look like? I believe what's in there is stock, but not sure as I had a second antenna come with the car (non-powered). Also, where do the speakers mount? Another how-not-to-install-your-aftermarket-radio 101 - my car has aftermarket speakers in a home built cabinet that replaces the back interior panel. While great for preventing fumes from getting into the cabin, it's not original and looks like sh*t if you ask me. I am thinking I can take the aftermarket speakers and mount them where the OEM speakers were. One problem - there's no where for them to mount! I see no brackets or any evidence there were speakers there - any ideas? I suppose this is better than having to weld new floors, but this shoddy workmanship bugs me. Thanks in advance!

Nothing can't be overcome with $$$, time, and patience! My 240Z is in good shape structurally, but crappy in other areas. For example, I have a half-assed aftermarket stereo install. I am attempting to install an OEM radio, and I now have half my dash out and half the rear interior bits. Broken pop-rivets, bad wiring, and non-original stuff have me almost panicked...that and remembering where I put the screw or nut to hold whatever...you get the idea. Truth be told, it's part of the fun and a little bit of escape from the real world. When you get a thumbs up or a "cool car" from a passer-by, you'll know it was all worth it.

Dumb q - eyebrowing is recommended when putting larger valves (say either in E31 / E88 or using an N42 head) in a head on the L24. What about simply shaving the head to increase compression? Assume I took an E88 head, shaved / shimmed .080", hotter cam - do I need to notch the block? I am thinking no, but shimming is only done to the cam towers - wouldn't the shaving effectively make the valves .080" closer to the block / pistons?

Dave, Thanks much! The "blowing of the amp" thing scares me...but I will proceed with caution. I am slowly starting to figure some of it out. As you noted, it's a rat's nest!!!

Ok, I had a look and here's what I found: Coming out of the radio: Behind the "tune" switch, there are 3 wires that terminate at a 3-prong connector: Blue / White; Blue; and Blue / Red. I believe the "tune" switch controls the antenna up/down? Back of the radio, there is: - one Red / Blue wire - a paired set - Gray; Gray / Blue - a single Blue wire that terminates at a 3 prong connector. Coming out of the connector (not connected to the radio) is a Gray and a Gray / Blue wire From the back of the car: - 2 pairs of wires: Green and Green / Blue; Gray and Gray / Blue - I believe these pairs are for the speakers? There are also some other miscellaneous wires - a clear wire, a black wire...not sure what they are, but this is most of it. Any ideas? Sorry if this sounds stupid, I really know squat when it comes to electrical stuff

Will - you are a gentleman, thank you. Whatever you might have and are willing to part with, I'd take. Give me an idea of the price and I'll paypal you, but I am not picky about chrome/no chrome. How does it attach to the console? Screws or adhesive?