spotfitz

I've said it before when someone posts about melting head/running/ light switchs. Check the hazard switch. I just went through this with my '77. It was set up just like my early '74, factory wiring that is (I now have relays on the '74). The previous owner of the '77 had wired a toggle switch up for the running lights and once I pulled the head/running/ light switch apart I could see why. The plastic nubber with the spring had melted to the point it wouldn't throw the switch. I switched the nubbers around to see what else was wrong in the circuit. I had running lights, but the switch started getting hot and the fuse was getting very hot. I pulled the hazard switch apart, as this was the problem with my '74, and cleaned the connections. I no longer had hot switch or fuse, but I didn't have another nubber to replace the melted one. Got a another switch and cleaning it first everything was golden, until one night I lost my head lights. I had power everywhere needed it seemed, including to the head light itself, but no lights. After chasing/tracing all the wires it turned out the high/low beam switch had gone out. Got another and haven't had any problems since.(knock on wood) Hope this helps

I think I can safely state, "fried rice" or is that burnt rice

I must admit, that was a very informative site. Thanks for the link. I will definitely use it in the near future.

What time was this! I was just going through your neighborhood yesterday at about 10 am. I was just working in Magnolia the last two days. I shot through again today headed back home. I should have put out a post that I was going to be in Arkansas! I would have loved to not only meet Jesse, but to meet you aswell.

Scott, I have uploaded a pic of the turn signal switch assembly. The #1 arrow is pointing to the little lever that touches the back of the steering wheel. The #2 arrow is pointing to the little "nubber"(for lack of a better word) that protrudes out of the side that rests against the steering shaft. The nubber must be in it's receiver nitch for everything to bolt up properly. This is usually easy to determine. If turn signal switch and head light switch come completely together above and below the shaft when screwing them together, your in the receiver nitch. The lever(#1) needs to be greased and touching the metal ring on the back of the steering wheel. You may have to lightly bend the lever or tighten your steering wheel more for it to touch. Pressing the horn pad just connects ground, completing the circuit between power to horn to ground(switch). Hope this helps.

Along with the grounds, as suggested by Tim, try cleaning the contacts in the hazard light switch. I have found this switch to be most of my running/brake light problems.

Terry, I just now realized you live in Arkansas. I will be in Magnolia next Tuesday 10/7. I have no clue how close that is to little rock(which I have been to aswell), but would love the chance to see your blue oval Z if I had a chance. email, pm or something. I would hate myself for not trying. PS. You are very right about the small details that bring a design together.

Hazard light switch for the running lights and high/low head light switch for the head lights. Cleaning the hazard light switch is cake. If your real careful you can clean the high/low switch, or just replace it. Real easy to break the plate the contacts are on, especially putting it back in. I just went through this process on my '77 just this last week. Had no problems fixing my '74.

Way to go man! Great to hear it's finally coming together. I want a ride when I can get it. Maybe we'll meet up for lunch again. This time I'll let you buy.

You also might want to check your high/low beam switch. I lost lights in my '77 one night and thought it was the head light switch. After pulling it apart and cleaning the connections, I still had no head lights. I then moved onto the hazard switch. That was my problem in my '74. Still no luck. I then moved to the high/low switch. Presto. Very corroded. Got another and lights work fine now. This was in the last 2 days. Hope it helps

And thee shall not be me

With everything installed/stock, in my '77 it appears to be 5 3/4" to the outside edge of the water pump pulley bolts(which sticks out the furthest) to the radiator support.

Damn! Can you say "crumple zone". Glad to hear you made it out alright.

If it is a urethane air dam, you need to have a flexing additive added to the primer and paint or the paint will crack.

If you do run into the shifter hitting the trans tunnel once you have the 5 speed in, don't cut the metal. Put the 4 speed shifter in the 5 speed and it will work fine. I had to do this when putting an '82 tranny in my '74. Bolt in afair. You shouldn't have a problem with this though.

Using a blaster coil, or any high output coil, with the ballast resistor basically turns the coil into any over the counter coil because the resistor limits the power the coil receives, except during start up where the resistor is bypassed and the coil gets all 12V, depending on the condition of your charging system. Because of the bypass you will see that the points may not last as long due to the start up voltage that it will be seeing now. It should help with start up, but thats about all it will help while still using the resistor, which is highly recommended while using a points/breaker setup.

I have always dreamed of owning a DeTomaso Pantera gts. I got to see one at a Z car show acouple years ago(the owner is in the Dallas Club I think) and about drooled all over it, since I haven't seen one in so long. I once lived close to a guy that actually had 2. One was red and the other black. The black one was his weekend driver and the other was just for car shows. To have that kind of money , some day... The exhaust on those things are so cool looking and damn do they sound great. I'm not much of a ford person either, but I wouldn't change a thing with that car.

I thinkTim is right. Those calipers look exactly like what I have('82-'83 280ZX) and the brackets look just like all the pictures of the "famous" maxima brackets. The rotors appear to be 280ZX(of the same year) but redrilled for 5 lug.

I second Tomohawks statements. I had a steering coupler let go one day on a car I had(I bought it for $600). I just pulled off a major roadway(speed limit of 55), turned left and started going straight, when suddenly the car started going into the oncoming lane. Luckily, no one was coming at the time. I went straight into a parking lot where I stopped. The coupler just came loose. The clamp down, just like on our Z's, wasn't tight and it allowed the steering to just spin. I had some tools with me so it wasn't a big deal, but if someone would have been coming at the time, tools wouldn't have helped. Especially at 60mph! Needless to say, the suspension is Always the first thing I check with any used car I buy, before driving it for any extended period of time. Suspension first(including brakes), then get it running reliably. If you'll notice, I recently picked up a '77 and I plan to turn it into a daily driver. The first thing I did after driving it home very slowly was check all the brakes and suspension out. One bad brake line. I flushed the system after checking everything else out, suspension wise. I drove it for several days before parking it again. Now I have to fix the other mechanical problems(engine related). It's always better safe then sorry when it comes to suspension/brakes.

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Pit/8344/z-engine.jpg Copy/Paste this and see if this is what you have. If it is then the ones you say in the vic brit and MSA catelogs is what you need for the housings you have. If you need to get an original air filter housing then check ebay to find one for your particular carbs.

Can we have a recount, by hand, from Florida please?

Where in Texas will you be relocating? BTW, excellent numbers.

I have always been a firm believer in a jackstand, but I also go one step further and throw an old tire w/ rim under each side of the car just under the doors. In the case of an accidental tipped stand the car will land on the tire and usually not body parts, unless there between the car and the tire. Don't bother to ask how I know that one.

I had replaced all the vent lines and weatherstripping in the rear of my '74 and nolonger had the exhaust smell. I then put a 3 piece rear spoiler on it and got the exhaust smell again. The '74 is now down and getting ready for paint, but I'm hoping that once I get it back from paint jail and go turbo that the new exhaust system will take care of the problem. I'll be running 3" to the dynomax turbo muffler, which is 3" in and 3" out. I'm HOPING I won't have to put a tip on it, but if I do it will point down to help rid the exhaust smell. Check back in about 2 years. lol SO, some spoilers can actually be more of a cause then a cure.

I've tried to log out and then back in on several occasions and it does work sometimes, but not all the time. I'm hoping someone can figure this out.