Sven

I didn't notice til the very end it was right hand drive. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Okay, POS is running! After seeing a main relay mentioned, I searched through r3vlimited.com to find out where it was. I found and checked out the main relay. I bashed it but good. Okay, maybe not bashed. We'll call them happy, "I hate you damn car!" love taps. Ignition key turned and let the electrons loose like it's supposed to. Car started. The relay must have been stuck. Putting a relay in the K5 was immaterial, so I guess my car doesn't use this socket. FYI: The main relay is the largest of an L-shaped block of three relays forward of the DS strut tower (the 3 relays are the main relay, fuel pump relay, and O2 sensor heater relay). You'd think the manual would have mentioned these slightly important relays, if any at all. It's frustrating to waste time on a beater car that you're selling for peanuts... Yee friggin' haw. Crisis over. Thanks for the assistance, it helped with my troubleshooting. After you posted, I started checking that circuit out, because it definitely fit the bill, and seems to be a common problem area. It just didn't turn out to be the problem.

My 1984 BMW 318i will not start. Hell, when I turn the key nothing happens. No idiot lights, no fan, no radio. No juice whatsoever to anything. The battery is charged (@13V), and I’ve checked across the terminals. Not corroded, good connection. The car “circuit†is complete – positive lead on DMM to batt, negative to block/head/frame. I pulled all the fuses. Everything checked out. Do the early E30’s still have fusible links? Where the hell are they? I’ve traced the positive cable and its branches yet can find nothing. Is there some sort of Über-relay on these things? Location? The manual only lists fuses, and doesn’t even tell what relays are what. Hmm, K1 is K1 relay. @#$!ing thanks, BMW manual writers. I started pulling relays and checking them, but it’s a crap shoot without knowing what does what. It’s maddening that this car ran before parked, now I have buyers coming over and it won’t start. Non-running tends to hurt resale value. I need to move, and this is holding me up. The car hasn’t been started in several months before this, and it’s been parked in the garage. I haven’t found much of anything about this on das interweb, which surprises me because millions of these cars were made. I can find FSM's and wiring diagrams for any model year Z... but not this super common BMW. Every time I started this car, it had to be jumped from sitting. I jump-started it with my SuperDuty, all 130a and 2 batteries of electrical fury. So…pretty much worst case scenario there. Maybe something fried. What should I be looking at? Keep in mind I want to spend as little as possible, because I’m selling this car for almost nothing. Any help is greatly appreciated. Another note to aid diagnosis: this car has the battery near the passenger firewall, not in the trunk. __________________

Boodlefoof, I came across this and immediately thought of your car and windshield issues: Shields Glass It is fairly affordable. There is a category for "240z", but it points to 240sx... maybe they make S30 pieces too. It says to call for other Nissan models.

It's been discussed before. The 4.3 V6 is essentially a small block with 2 cylinders lopped off.

OTM, I really like that first one. I picked this one up a few months ago from Hong Kong. It even has little baby Wats... also note unfortunate caved in roof. (shaky pics -I'm sick and drugged)

Now if some non car-type person you worked with came in to work saying they just saw an indy car on the freeway, we'd all just probably roll our eyes and assume they just saw an Ariel Atom or Lotus 7 replica... That's awesome. It's really a shame it just has a small block chevy. I'd still take it in a heartbeat. (ha ha... hello?)

This is a much better tale than the usual, "Guess what, my new car is really swiss cheese" threads. Glad to see you found out before you bought. Sucks about the plane ride, though. I discovered 2 months into owning my 260 that my framerails and floorboards had brazed in tin covered in undercoating. That $$$ucked.

The other point I forgot to mention about slide valves is progressive throttle response. Butterfly valves are pretty much logarithmic in their opening (cracked open, little more open, little more, then BAAM WFO...). A slide/gate valve maintains flow velocity better through it's range of operation, compared to a butterfly. I imagine part throttle metering is improved. This is probably what Elji is getting at with the "efficiency" statement. They also do not have the flow disturbances of throttle plate and shaft. My old roommate (RIP), used to wax poetic about slide valve racing carbs he used on bikes. The throttle response is right there- right now. I never rode any of these bikes, but they certainly seemed to rev quicker when cracking the throttle.

Usually the point is to use slide valve carbs for throttle reponse. I can't imagine there being any difference, other than cool factor, if you used normal butterfly type carbs. I've been curious about this one for a while. It sure looks cool. Is there a performance advantage? It's the the thing to do in Japan, but so is putting 195 tires on 9" rims...

This is big stuff man. Damned exciting news! Finally, something to take the place of the biggest Datsun gray area. I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one willing to pitch in on the cost of tunnel time. It would be fantastic to see which spoilers and airdams helped or hurt. Likewise with items like the Pantera hatch. Trickier issues would be things like flushing the drip rails. Who ever heard of quick release drip rails? It would be wise to start lining up people to contribute parts to test. I would be willing to lend my brand new whaletail for testing. (Hell, I may never use it anyway) Your place in the annals of Datsun history will definitely be secured if you can pull this off.

The "bunch of parts" included are probably worth more than the car itself. -G-nose with glass light covers -432 style grill -Trust Headers and exhaust -Triple Mikunis -The impossible to find wheels If I wasn't moving, I'd be bidding on it. I'd love to see somebody here pick that up. I bet there some other hidden gems that come along with it.

A few years ago Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords ran an article in which they tested flywheels, steel vs Aluminum. The idea was to look into the myth that a heavier flywheel is better for a drag racing launch (this is beyond anecdotal, it's just my memory). IIRC they got a 3 tenths 1/4 mi improvement from changing to the alum flywheel, on an almost stock Mustang. Sorry, but I have those magazines packed, or I'd dig it out (I'm moving).

Subaru Impreza or Miata are the best fits, but Mustang/T-bird has been done successfully also. Search man!

That ZISISIT kit is actually an old kit made in the 80's. Some old Z books I have mention it. It used to be called the ZRE. It mimics a Ferrari 308 in all the little details, never mind that it is a totally different car... In defense of it's styling, this was when Magnum PI was huge. People tried to make everything into a Ferrari then; Fieros, Camaros, mini trucks, radio flyer wagons- it didn't matter.

Yeah, that's already been posted in another thread. Waaaayyyyy too much money.

I know of a 2003 SRT-4 drivetrainwith 52k miles for $1500, $1200 this week. It's a local pickup in NM, if anyone is interested.