cheney119

My 78 Z has been on the road for nearly 2 years, started with 37,000 to 53,000 miles now, most of this time it's been the only car I own. My next modification is a 1000 pound trailer hitch so I can fish more. I have a pontoon boat and bicycle (for transit back to car) to haul for floating local rivers here in Washington State. I'm buying a cool aluminum trailer with a cover that was originally for hauling model airplanes. So local salmon and steelhead be on notice; I'm comin' for you. The Z is a great daily driver, ok in snow, can be a rod buster for fishermen (close quarters). I did get stuck in the snow last year goofing off in bad weather, it was nip and tuck for a few minutes, I had to back over my chains and connect them, I don't recommend this, but it was that or triple A. As long as there are no kids in your equasion the car works just fine as a everyday car.

Yaa I'm ruling out the switch because I tore it apart and teeter switched by hand between high/low beams and nothing happened on low. But like you say there's something stopping the low beams. Black Dragon makes a heavy duty harness for $30 and draws directly from the battery. That would be an upgrade and a simple solution and take pressure off of what is probably still good switch. Any opinions or suggestions.

If you tear apart and operate by hand the teeter portion of the dimmer switch, the high beams work, but nothing from low beams. I disconnect the ground the high beams go out and reground on steering column and they come back on, nothing from low beams either way. Does anybody have any advice or suggestions? Is there only one ground for the switch? I have the service manual and that's what it looks like. The low beams went out with no warning and at the same time so I've ruled out the bulbs (perhaps too hastily). Honestly the switch is suprisingly easy to work on so if In doubt I say tear into it.

I had a bad right front signal so I've been reading all the posts on the turn signals. I replaced my signal switch, cleaned my emergency flasher contacts, I replaced the right signal (with one purchased from e-bay) I even went over to Napa and purchased 6 tiny files to clean the contacts and dielectric lubed them. But it all came to nothing. I was at a loss of what to try next and lo and behold the front right signal started working today out of bloody nowhere. It works perfectly signal light and flash. I suppose it just comes down to connections, but why today as opposed to three weeks ago. My advice to anyone else is to stick with the basics. Those connections are difficult to clean properly, it took 30 years to get them that dirty. Doug

I wish I had documented my recent 78z restoration as well as you did. The body was in pieces, no windows or windsheild. I had a clutch welded to the flywheel with rust, rust in the gas tank, bad air flow meter; now it's running as of September 17. All I need now is a title. Nothing shows you progress quite so well as these excellent pictures. It looks like you had a pretty good rig to start with.

No! There's no way you could achieve this with a just a roller. You would need a buffer with some polish and you'd have about $5000 left in your checking account.

Please allow me to retort. I suppose its a matter of preference. I didn't say terrible I said preferable. Life is full of choices and if you want a dash cover go for it. I have two dashes both with small 4 inch cracks on each of them and I'd prefer to repair them. The dashes are pretty low on my priority list though. Number one is the seats and number two is the butterscotch interior. Butterscotch is a seventies color and I'd perfer something else. Even Daeron refers to his plastic dash as tacky, his word not mine.

I only have one 4 inch crack, which is real shallow and narrow, in my 78 280z. I wonder how I might modify the techniques here and prehaps mask the windshield and do the job with the dash in place? This technique seems much preferable to the dash cover or astro turf junk I've seen available through vendors. Good Job!

I feel like if I had a cable at least I'd know if the clutch was working. It appears that I have a bad clutch and I should just take it to a pro. But that is just the easy way out; isn't it? I take it back about hydraulic clutchs; I replaced the clutch and the hydraulics were fine, I didn't have any experience. The car had been sitting in a garage for 15 plus years and the pressure plate was welded by rust to the flywheel and I had to chip it off with a putty knife. New clutch kit and machined flywheel and it shifts just fine. Now I'm getting the gas tank boiled and with some luck I'll be running.

It's better before you put the rubber in I had some trouble but I'm pretty impatient and this stuff requires a lot of it. The trick is getting the window centered; but it sucked right in. Go Mariners!

Hate to think that the hours of torment installing the $105 worth of ss trim were unnecessary. I thought it spreads the weatherstrip and helps form the seal and it was absolutely necessary. I live in western Washington state and 70 inches of rain fall is the norm here; the lower right hand corner, where I exited the cord, sort of has a gap which I will probably seal somehow (black weatherstrip adhesive probably) if it leaks. But honestly I anticipate leaks. Additionally; I used landline telephone cord for the lip pull and it worked very well.

I just did my rear hatch window and the trim requires a tool called a cotter pin puller. It looks like a screw driver but with a 90 degree hook with a point on the end and an angle on the bend. The thing works best from right to left as well. On the windsheild I will try to install the trim with the glass, but before it goes into the frame. This thread has been very helpful.