jhm

The glovebox light....dang it, why didn't I think of that??

Sounds like the problem might be in the clock wiring and/or the glovebox courtesy light. If I recall correctly, the clock has separate hot and ground leads; but the glovebox light might use a body ground (i.e. the ground is accomplished through the light's metal chassis to the car's chassis.) Have you isolated and inspected those leads to ensure they're not shorting somewhere? Also, have you worked on the multi-switch recently (i.e. the main light switch on the steering column)? That's a pretty complex component, and it's not uncommon to have shorts in there periodically. Good luck with it.

Keep in mind that Bassett wheels generally use a 45 deg lug nut camfer and a 5/8" valve stem....semi-non standard sizing for these components. The lug nuts are the real pain. I've not had a lot of luck finding good 45 deg lugs in the 12x1.25 mm thread. (Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, and someone here can enlighten me. )

Don't know if you're considering steel wheels, but Diamond has the best prices that I've found. Bought some 15x10s from them this year for roughly $90 each (shipped). Looked for used wheels for a while, but hard to find large sizes used, so I gave up and bought new. Good luck with the search.

Looks good. For my money, Honda makes some of the nicest seats available and are readily available for very little money. Recommend moving this post to one of the existing "Seat swap" threads.

Thx for clarifying that, beermanpete. That's an interesting installation for the front hook....had not seen that previously. Good idea for an alternate mounting position!

Are you sure that there's nothing else wired into the cig lighter hot line? That's often used as a convenient 12V source for accessories like a stereo, electric fan controller, etc. Try pulling the fuse to see if anything else besides the cig lighter is affected. Also....not sure what alternator you're using, but I've seen cases where they can be wired improperly so as to draw current even when the ignition is 'off'. It doesn't affect their operation while the engine's running, but they run the battery down quickly after the engine's shut down. Good luck tracking down the culprit.

That sounds correct; however, I believe the front hooks may be the same for either application. I'd recommend calling to ZCC just to make sure. (As an FYI, I ordered the 280Z hooks for my late '74 260 and they're quite nice...very sturdy and fit fine.) P.S. If they're out of stock, these are nothing that you couldn't fab your self out of some decent flat bar and angle iron.

http://www.zccjdm.com/catalog.php/azcarbum/dt93256/Customized_240z_280z_Parts_

Regarding replacing your fusible links....pls see recent discussions on this topic in the "Ignition and Electrical" sub-forum, and good luck tracking down the culprit(s).

Agree completely, Jon. One thing the Z offers that most new cars don't is classical styling....and the fans always love seeing a 40-year old Datsun beat a bunch of high-priced, high-technology newer cars.

619kris, on 24 Jul 2013 - 01:04 AM, said: [[i don't know what dope means describing a car. I am old school. Is that a good thing?]] C'mon, man....get with the times! "Dope" means it's phat. Does that help?

My 260Z w/ SBC runs in the X Prepared class, which gives me a pretty stiff PAX handicap (i.e. I have to run a faster raw time to be competitive with cars in most other classes). Usually my main competition in XP comes from Shelby replicars. A couple things to keep in mind if auto-x is your main focus: 1) the V8 results in a heavier front end, which can be a liability on tight courses, given the Z's lack of power steering, and 2) the V8's torque and power will quickly highlight the lack of LSD if you're running the standard open diff R180 or R200. Don't get me wrong....I have a blast running my Z in a variety of HPDE, but if your main goal is to be competitive in auto-x, there are probably cheaper and easier ways to get there. Obviously, there are plenty of guys who have had great success in their Z cars (both with the straight-6 and V8s), but the cars have typically been highly modified, driven by very experienced and highly-skilled drivers. (Now I'll stand by for a wave of blast attacks from my fellow Z enthusiasts. )

Or get this part: http://arizonazcar.com/diffmount.html

There's been a few threads on this topic....here's one of them: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/82712-finally-replaced-the-fusible-links/?&p=783658&fromsearch=1&do=findComment&comment=783658 Good luck.

Glad to hear it might be working well for you, Mike. You should check out the next GripFest event at NCCAR this fall (Oct 26). Event info can be found at the "Grip Syndicate" website and FB page. It's a beautiful venue and a great event. Would love to see your car there (and you, of course, too! ) Hope the motor holds up ok.

Yep, working for me as well now. Thx, Dan....you da' man!

I'll second LanceVance's comments on eBay seats. If you're looking to avoid the high cost of new brand-name seats, you might be better off looking at some high-quality used OE or aftermarket seats. You'll get a better price and you can actually sit in them before laying out your hard-earned cash. I'm sure you've already seen them, but the 'seat' threads in this sub-forum that have some great info on various seat installations in all years of S30 -- I've referred back to them several times over the last couple of years. I'm a real tight-wad....for my money, it's hard to beat used Honda seats. They've got some really comfortable, supportive and stylish seats, even in their cheaper models. Good luck with whatever you decide and be sure to post your results in one of the "Seat" threads!

I've had great luck with "db electrical" starters. Their products, prices and customer service have been nothing short of excellent. I'm currently using this model on my mild SBC 350...I really like the fact that the housing supports the pinion vs the "open-style pinion" on many of the other aftermarket starters. http://www.db-starter-alternator.com/p-1319-new-chevy-305-350-454-mini-racing-pmgr-starter-ht-sdr0031-l.aspx Good luck and happy motoring!

Well, what the heck....might as well throw one of mine up too. Note the "HybridZ" sticker displayed prominently!!

Wow....a single-owner '71 240. Now THAT'S something you don't see too often! Hope you find HybridZ.org helpful and interesting.

Attached is the body electrical chapter from a 240 FSM. The full FSM for all year S30s can be found at "www.xenons30.com". Hope this helps. The gauges can be most easily reached after removing the center heating/vent controls. BE Body Electrical.pdf

Whatever you decide to do, Mike, I've really enjoyed (and learned a lot from) your build thread. And I agree with Matt.....it's pretty damn cool when a 40-year old "antique" Datsun beats a bunch of new, high-priced, high-tech cars at the track. Good luck with whatever direction you decide to pursue.