Iceman Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Post a picture. It might be a factory weld seam. I already painted over it. I didnt grind it all away because the weld looked pretty good in the area I saw. I think it's actually brazed, if that makes a difference. It looked kind of a brassy color. It didnt go all the way through because there was no sign of a weld or crack on the same spot in the engine compartment. I am putting new suspension on this weekend, so I can sand away the same area again and post up a pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrustnut Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I am the second owner of my 77Z, and the PO was an electrical engineer at TRW in California. He did quite a bit of "re-wiring" that after 13 years I have finally almost removed all of. He gave me the FSM when I bought the car, and going through the wiring diagrams he has all kinds of notes and extra circuits drawn in that I am just now understanding. I also think he used it as a weekend track car and actually had a few upgrades done to the suspension. He had a spare "race" engine he wanted to sell me for an extra 500.00. I don't remember much about the engine, other then I kick myself pretty regular for not picking it up. One of just a few "if I could do it over" moments. The only thing left the same now is the Einki rims and a plaque he made on the center console above the shifter with is initials on it. I think it's kind of the cars history, so I left it there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280zx 2by2 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 PO had one of the "la cucaracha" horn systems wired to an alarm system (that was cleverly hid under the dash and driver seat)... and instead of using a new power lead they rigged the power from the interior lights, didnt discover the alarm horn till i went to find out why my lights weren't so bright there was also a button rigged to the front valance, all i can guess is that it was to turn the alarm off... EDIT: Oh! and one of those respray over untreated rust and sell the car quickly paint jobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAG58 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Oh God, where do I start... The entire footwells of the car were made from fiberglass/easy foam. He didn't have an R200 moustache bar, so he drilled holes and forced it into place using the front mount to hold it there. Every possible seal had RTV on it, even the damn HG The wiring was all wrong. When it was "redone" he used indoor speaker wire for the world. Apparently it's cool to put 2-3 B+ lines into one switch. Why I do not know. The head was torqued to about 250 ftlbs. The bolts where throw-aways as was the head I found out. He couldn't press the U joints in far enough because he got a little pin stuck under the cap, so instead of doing it right he beat it in there and then didn't put the little c-clips on it. He apparently couldn't make the little cut in the front of the trans tunnel shifter hole so he just used a BFH to make it fit, sort of. The rust in the car was stright painted over, not prepped, not anything, just painted over. I'm sure there was more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayZee Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 My 280z was in need of a new master cylinder, the previous owner removed it (cutting the brake lines right off with a pair of side cutters) but it was ok cuz he had a replacement one in a box in the hatch (it was a junkyard pull 280zx master with a different bolt pattern) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam393 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Mines not too bad, poor prep job from who ever painted it before I got it, so you can see scratches and cracks under the clear coat, but its a good 10-footer. And, like a lot of other people, metal was just welded over the rusty floorboard instead of cutting it out and repairing it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reintr0ducing Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 PO didn't put the retaining nut to lock down the steering wheel. almost came out on my lap while i was driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garvice Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Wiring stereo using BP connectors (These are for houses, they have no place in vibration environments). Wiring splices by twisting wire together and taping. Cutting holes for speakers. Few others, but I can't remember at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryb Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 LOL...I think every early Z Ive ever seen had at least one if not both of these. Par for the course! Wiring stereo using BP connectors (These are for houses, they have no place in vibration environments).Wiring splices by twisting wire together and taping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrustnut Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Wiring stereo using BP connectors (These are for houses, they have no place in vibration environments). Wiring splices by twisting wire together and taping. If you look hard enough in the stock wiring looms you will find wires twisted around wires and black taped together. The STOCK power wire off the back of the alternator was like this! Gotta love the old imports! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_datto Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 "If you look hard enough in the stock wiring looms you will find wires twisted around wires and black taped together. The STOCK power wire off the back of the alternator was like this! Gotta love the old imports!" Yeah, there were a couple stock twisted together wires I have found on my '80zx which I found while freshening up the engine bay wiring with new wire tape & conduit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 What's the stupidest thing your previous owner did? Besides mounting a Wings West wrap around spoiler leaving HUGE holes to rust out which they did, installing fog lights under the front bumper, a Dale Earnhart "3" tag on the front bumper with Tec screws, driving it on the beach in Sarasota FL and packing the frame rails with sand, incorrectly fixing the hood where his lovely wife backed into it with a pick-up truck, installing a "Dial-A-Boost" boost controller, and smoking cigars in it making the interior smell like an old man with body odor all the time, He sold it to ME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srbigbutt Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Mines not too bad, poor prep job from who ever painted it before I got it, so you can see scratches and cracks under the clear coat, but its a good 10-footer. And, like a lot of other people, metal was just welded over the rusty floorboard instead of cutting it out and repairing it Sounds like my car! I couldn't beleive that they actually paid someone to paint it. Supposedly! But it looks good in pictures from far away. One thing that was annoying is that for some reason he decided to wire the fuel light and hazard switch behind the center console where the radio would go? hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 The steering had some play in it which I used as a negotiating point. I knew what it was all along. The steering wheel nut was way loose, and the wheel was even rocking around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight-280Z Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 1. When I bought the car, it had a wooden spoiler cut in the shape of the BRE spoiler and tried to paint it to match the car about a 1/2" thick all around either glued to the hatch or rivited to it (I think both). It was not sanded smooth or anything..just cut and then pasted it on there. 2. A broken shift knob that always popped off of the shifter over bumps or when I shift sometimes (the shifter ate the wood on the knob and filled the gaps on the threads) 3. Inside the CD player was Back Street Boys....Yes, you read right, Back Street Boys...I thought to myself "Are you F**KING serious?" It wasn't in there when I test drove the car. 4. A "new" alternator (it died the first week I had the car). 5. My left and right side markers face the opposite directions, they still do lol I'll fix it once I get my car back but i get the feeling all my side markers are LEFT side markers. 6. Reversed the left and right front turn signals so that they were in the wrong place and facing the wrong direction 7. For my overflow resevoir, it was a Antifreeze bottle (would of preferred a mini Heineken keg as the resevoir instead). 8. A garden hose as one of by pass hose for the engine. 9. Some cheapo steering wheel that the screws kept coming off every day and was super flimsy 10. 2 Bungee cord as the battery tie down he was missing the both battery holders top and bottom That's about all I can think of. I think #3 is the worst of them all.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAG58 Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Oh, I remember my favorite... When I first tried to drive the car, the lights in the speedo were wired in wrong, So when you turned the driving lights on it said the high beams were on, and only when your high beams were on could you see the 10-80 range in the speedo. But the 80-160 range was light, so what else do you need right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bevhills03 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 PO welded the rear quarter panel windows shut, making it look like a stingray and huge fender vents. When I cut the metal off the windows, it had cancer and had eaten through the metal... argh!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Well ill start off i thought i had the worst case ever of shitty past owners but you guys got some bad ones too... so when i got it, shoe laces were holding everything including the battery in place, the alternator lead wire was just twisted together and bare... and every last bit of wiring was just terrible. the gold speaker wire you can see is the wire for the fuel pump and i thought that was bad, then i found the lug nuts were standard, forced onto the studs. the rear struts were WELDED to the strut towers. they cut the cables to the footwell vents, welded the radiator to the core support. it was just a messy hell. lucky today its got a lot more love... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue72 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 MAG58's previous owner and mine must have been related. While reading his post I remembered that my PO had somehow stripped one of the cylinder head bolt holes. How does that even happen? The cylinder head bolt was just hanging out in its hole, loosely jangling around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 LIGHTS (as in headlights) were wired with Lamp Zip Cord (18 Gauge) or Speaker Wire, not sure which. Switch was undersized and self-tapping screwed to an otherwise fine, uncracked 73 Console. Apparently he had a roll of this wire, as it was used throughout the car for power wires, speaker wires, exhaust hanger, battery hold down, etc... Fusebox melted around fuse 'repaired' with JB Weld. Hot taps off fusebox were 'cut off the insulation and wrap the zip cord around it then use duct tape for insulation' style. Apparently he had a roll of duct tape, too, as any electrical work done used duct tape for insulation. Fuel line was in PO's words "undersized" so he replaced it with unsecured 3/8" copper line which was rubbing on the driveshaft, and halfway wrapped around it as well. Fuel Pump was from an EFI car, and PO couldn't get the 44PHH Mikuinis to run, disassembling them to the nth degree trying to figure out why the things 'poured gas out the barrels no matter what'... (This car was sold as a 'non runner' and took me about 45 minutes to get fired off, just about the time the PO walked into the hobby shop, heard it running, got a scowl on his face, did a 180 and stomped off...) Put 2+2 springs and the tall strut insulators on the back of the car for 'tire clearance'. Crossed the rear sidemarker light wires (the ONLY non-idiot proof bullet connectors on a 240 that I'm aware of!) so that the power went directly to ground, blowing the fuse immediately. Did something, to this day unknown, that makes the fuel gauge do strange stuff like creep up when the brake lights are on....or make it read correctly only when the brakes are on...or creep down only when the brakes are on. Self-Tapping Screws to hold exhaust hangers to body, to hold door panels on, to hold console in place, to hold carpeting in place, to hold tail light panels on the back of the car, to hold the bumper end brackets in place, and interior plastic trim in place. Installed standard rear bumper (guess with what!), regardless of the fact that it was cutting into the Porsche 930 style flares on the body. Left out the spacer on the LEFT T/C rod, so that when you applied the brakes the left wheel moved back in the wheel well and caused a HARD jerk to the left. Oh, and the best: He didn't like the way the brake lines crossed under the Master Cylinder, so he arbitrarily decided to 'straighten them out so they looked better' (I am not making this up, this was actually what he said)...resulting in a pedal that was 'light' and had no braking effect until about 1/2" from the floorboard when the brakes went from 'off' to 'on'---accompanied by the aforementioned movement of the left wheel rearwards, a loud CLUNK and pull hard to the left! Sometimes that wheel would actually totally lock. And there was probably more, but I've blacked it out... And that was just the first one that was a 'project'! Oh, and for Corzette and Stealth Z: THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ROGER PUFFER'S CAR AFTER HE SOLD IT (The Blue Flared 73 240Z with the Corvette Headlights in the Hood and covered headlight openings)! To this I could also add the PO discarded the cool Corvette Headlight hood, and the glassed-over buckets when he got the car. All this, in less than a year of working in earnest. It took me some time to straighten out all those kinks... Some time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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