280z – Page 7 – the DAILY DATSUN

April 9, 2013April 8, 2013

Blinker Blinks Again!

Always seems like something’s funky w/ the electrics… first it was the 280z’s headlights, then the wipers.

For a little while, the right turn signal was pretty intermittent. Left worked dandy, but the right… Every time I used the right turn signal, it would blink on and off reeeall slow. Additionally, when the either the parking or headlights were on, the turn signal would just stay on.

Symptom:

No lights on – right signal blink on / off real slow (function correct, speed incorrect)
Parking lights on – right signal blinks on / off real slow, sometimes not at all (function / speed incorrect)
All lights on – right signal blinks on /off real slow (function / speed incorrect)

Of course, the first step would be to replace the bulb, but that didn’t do anything. Upon replacing, the socket look fairly corroded. But when jiggling the socket wire.. there’s the problem!

Yah! Now i can tell everyone i’m turning Right.

Before / After wiring to housing:

Before / after cleaning the socket. A rolled up a scour pad works like magic.

March 23, 2013

Event: Datsloco – 8th Annual 2013

What? It’s already been a year since the last Datsloco Event?

Well, not exactly – the last Datsloco was in Oct. 2012. THIS year it’s going to be May 4th – height of da summer!

Datsloco
May 4th, 2013; 8am – 3pm
934 Perimeter Dr., Manteca, CA 95337

From the Craigslist post:

We will be selling datsun cars as well as parts. Admission is free and only $10 for a selling spot. May 4th from 8am to 3pm at 934 perimeter dr manteca ca 95337. Come one or come all, bring your rides and lets see if we can fill this place up like we did last year. Come out and have fun and meet car enthusiasts like yourself. This will be mainly datsuns and nissans but other makes are welcomed to join us. See u all there. For more info u can call or text me at 209-298-513zero. Sorry no burnouts and no alcohol allowed. I WILL NOT BE COOKING THIS TIME DUE TO LOCATION. SORRY

FREE Admission, $10 fee if you are selling parts.

What: datsun nissan event When: may 4th from 8am to 3pm Where: 934 perimeter dr manteca ca 95337 Why: cuz we enjoy “doing it in a datsun” For more info call or text me at 2o9298513o datsloco

Yep, dats loco.

March 11, 2013

Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir install

Shortly after getting the windshield wipers to work on the 280z, it was only natural that I test the washer fluid. It wasn’t any surprise that after pressing that button, nothing happened – not even the hum of its motor. I thought maybe it was a bad contact like the wipers…and turn signals…and everything else.

But popping the hood revealed:

huh – no windshield washer reservoir AT ALL!

I tussled with a guy on CL wanting $300 (then dropping to $100) for a used one… and then decided to go with a new one from eBay, $52 shipped. Of course it wasn’t OEM for the 280z and required a bit of modification. Here we go!

The Mitsuba Electric model came with a bunch of goodies needed for a full install, but since I already had the jets and T-junctions in place, i just needed the reservoir, motor and hose.

Here’s a pic of the placement. Notice the original washer tank would have slid into the metal bracket. The Mitsuba also has a slot of its own.

So I made a bracket out of some spare metal i had around – measured twice, cut once.

Daily-Datsun-280z-windshield-washer-reservoir-motor (4)

Viola! It tapers so that the narrow end fits in the car slot, and the wider end fits into the washer reservoir.

Bending into shape

And it kinda came out like the drawing!

Test fit on the car chassis. You’ll notice in this pic that the gaps are smaller than above to prevent sliding while in either slots. Side view:

Top view:

Test fit on the bottle. Not too bad here.

Test fit with both in the car.

The 280z has a special connector for the washer motor that doesn’t coincide with the Mitsuba’s. Fortunately, the blue/red wires correspond, and I assumed that the other was the ground.

Quick electric test before making any wiring commitments… haha! We have squirting! This was fun; it was like a mini-water gun.

Hooked up the hose, tucked it alongside the other wires, and it install is completed.

Now when the windshield gets dusty, there’s no more need to hang out the window to wipe it off with a little spit (j/k!).

March 4, 2013

Front bumper!

I had some time this weekend to finally put on that front bumper.

I bought a bumper on CL a while back, and while it isn’t in perfect condition (dent in front), it’ll do for now. On with the install! (and lots of pics)
You’ll need:
– bolts that held in the 280z bumper shocks
– nuts that held on the 280z bumper to the shocks
– 14mm socket wrench
– drill w/ a bit between 1/2″ and 3/8″ bit (if you’re going to drill the 2nd hole into the frame)

A few posts ago, I was ~~cleaning up~~ whipping into shape those stainless steel Z bumper brackets in order to put a 240z bumper on a 280z. Now that they’re ready to go, it’s time to fit the bumper.

After some finagling, I figured out how the brackets should go and attached to the car frame. Here’s a diagram:
240zBumperBrackets
Note: the brackets point outward and positioned so that the slots are on the lower half. You can see where the existing hole lines up.

However, the bumper guards didn’t exactly line up! Ugh – off by an 1/4″ on both sides. So for now, off they go, until I can figure something out (because I do like them!).

A quick dry fit – not too bad. From the bird’s eye view, you can really see that dent. Eh, we’ll roll with it for now!

Okay, so the bumper isn’t show room, but I at least want to clean out some rust and polish that chrome up. But first, and little straightening.

The inside was fairly rusted so i took to it with a drill wire brush attachment, primed with rust enamel and finished it with good ol truck bed lining black. At least it’ll look super clean should anyone take a peek.

Daily-Datsun-240z-bumper (19)

0000 (quadruple zero) steel wool is the way to go for cleaning up chrome. Anything more coarse will just leave scratches. Here’s what looks to be some oxidation and left over gray paint over-spray from the previous owner. Cleaned up nicely with the 0000 steel wool and polished with Mother’s chrome / mag polish. And now i can see the reflection of the car.

Another example of cleaning on the license plate tabs.

Daily-Datsun-240z-bumper (9) Daily-Datsun-240z-bumper (8)

Mount and screw with the existing bolts / nuts from the 280z bumper… viola!

Overall, not too bad of a fitment. The brackets (if i may say once again) are a little less than desirable, so be prepared to modify them to get the right fit. At stock, the brackets are pretty much maxed out, pushing right up against the frame of the car, so I won’t be able to move the bumper back any further. There are additional bolts that help keep the bumper in plain with the ground, and they barely meet up. If you notice from the passenger side picture, the bumper tip and hole into the body don’t quite match up (which could also be in part to the dented bumper). I’ll figure something out, but for now, I’m happy.

Next up will be drilling some holes in the frame for the 2nd slot in the bumper bracket; give it some some extra stability.

But for now, another 240z bumper has been installed on another 280z, and all is looking good in the Z world.

February 24, 2013

240z bumper brackets on a 280z

I love the look of the simple, streamlined bumpers of the 240z (and used on 1/2 of the series of 260z’s) over the heavy and thick bumpers of the 280z. Just check those out!

As the mid-70’s emission standards crushed down on the carburetor’d engines of the day and gave way to fuel efficiency (see, not all change is bad), safety standards tightened it’s seat belt and created a war on unsafe aesthetics. Thus, Datsun had to change it’s more or less cosmetically thin bumper for a safe, unwieldy hunk of steel that people today still loathe. Nearly 20lbs of loathing.

If you remember back in March, my brother and I removed the bumpers and increased gas mileage.

Well they’ve been off ever since because the brackets I got from ebay..were less than satisfactory. I’ve already mentioned that correspondence with their maker, v8-240z, was non-existent. But even worse, when I finally got around to test mounting the brackets… the bolts didn’t fit in the holes.

Wait, what? Yep, the original bolts do not fit in ANY of the mangled, burred, half-ass hand-drilled holes. Awesome.

Time to break out that Dremel. The grinding stone attachment worked wonders and allowed me to clean up those unsightly edges to something relatively straight.

You can see the top slot is the one currently being widened / cleaned up. The bottom slot is actually 1/2 cleaned up by me and doesn’t really show the maker’s work in all its wavy glory, but you get the idea.

Had them done in 10 mins. Now to mount…

January 23, 2013

Zpotted: Convertible Z

I headed over to St. John’s last week and scored a parking spot next to a convertible 350Z. Never really compared the convertible version to the 280z, so of course I snapped a few shots. With the convertible top, it looks like a much more compact cabin. Most 350z driver’s i’ve encountered aren’t really into the older Z’s, just from my experience – but just in case i posted the DailyDatsun.com print out in the passenger window :] Cheers from St. John’s!

January 16, 2013

Arg! Door ding!

Yep – got a door ding. sooo unhappy.

Parked in an asian market next to a guy opening his doors of a green Explorer. We wanted to get to his rear passenger side door while i was getting out… he waited. I went into the market. When i left the market, he was still parked next to me. It’s not until i got home that i noticed it.. right above the door handle. Now every morning, this dime-sized shy of a paint chip glares back at me. arg.

Well, better brush up on my painting skills.

January 7, 2013

Time to get a little Dats-loco!

Datsloco comes back in 2013 for it’s 8th Annual Datsun & Nissan Carshow and Swap Meet!

We got a brief chance to check out the end of the Datsloco fest last year and it was a hoot meeting all the great people and their cars there. This year the 8th Annual Datsloco event will be held on May 4th, 2013 in Manteca, CA. Here’s a map, and additional info. Get that car prep’d and ready!

From the Craigslist post:

Its that time again to mark your calendars and get all the datsun families together for our 8th annual swapmeet/show n shine. We have had such a great turn out every year,so lets make this one even bigger

FREE Admission, $10 fee if you are selling parts.

What: datsun nissan event When: may 4th from 8am to 3pm Where: 934 perimeter dr manteca ca 95337 Why: cuz we enjoy “doing it in a datsun” For more info call or text me at 2o9298513o datsloco

And that’s Datsloco.

December 31, 2012

New Digs – Part 3: New Shoes: Final

Well it’s the end of the year and i best wrap this segment up!

Back in January (whoa), i was talkin about some new wheels, which would ultimately mean new tires. Well, I’ve decided to keep the Nissan 280zx Iron Cross wheels on, and just go w/ new rubber. It was certainly the right timing because the two fronts were going bald like racing slicks, rain is coming down, and…it was Christmas. Yep, Mom and Dad got me new tires! woohoo! :]

We went with a nice set of Falken Sincera SN-828 (195/70R-14). It’ll be the first time having Falkens on anything as we’ve been pretty loyal to Yokohamas on all our toys. But they’ve been great so far – handling has been so much better, lighter steering (especially for non-powered steering), great in the rain, and quiet. So yep, two thumbs up and happy!

Maybe later when we’ve cruised out the 50,000 mile warranty on these puppies I’ll think about getting some new wheels – till then, I’m happy the car is on the road, safer and better.

December 6, 2012

Yellow Doppelgangers

I’m an avid craigslist watcher – about 4-5 times a day I’ll be on there looking for Datsuns. In the past month or so, there’s been huge spike in Z cars in the Bay Area. Everything from $875 (sold by the time this was posted) to nearly $40k (see below), daily drivers, barn finds, weekend track stars, show cars, you name it. Two of which caught my eye – these two yellow Z’s. I had to do a double take on the first one because my work garage looks exactly like the pictures, I thought someone was selling it from under me. The $40k version looks like it’s been severely Hulk’d. Which one would you pick? Enjoy!

Datsun 280z – $5350 (mountain view)

1976 Datsun 280z manual transmission
– new fuel injectors. all replaced. OEM
– new ignition coil and ballast
– new alternator
– new fuel pump

the engine runs great, has never had any problems. the body is in excellent shape. she is sweet and sexy, nice and lovely.

**1971 HIGHLY MODIFIED 600HP 240Z** – $39500 (dublin / pleasanton / livermore)

600 (NORMALLY ASPIRATED) HP OF PURE FUN!! READY FOR A FUN DAY AT THE TRACK OR ON THE STREET. HAS WON NUMEROUS CAR SHOWS INCLUDING SEVERAL GOODGUYS AWARDS.

“Complete, detailed AD with ALL specifications and Photo Gallery at:
http://zcartrader.com/wp/?auto=1971-datsun-240z-v-8

Daily-Datsun-CL-yellow-280z-600hp-121205-2

Just a note, these links may not work after a while because it’s either sold or too old on Craigslist.