assembly

Under construction, literally! The little girl on the home page is now 15! When this page is done, I'll be out driving my car while you check this out! But for now, check out the progress.

It's all coming together! The Painless wiring harness actually was fairly painless. I used a universal 18 circuit harness. Each wire is labeled and sections are bundled depending on its location in the car. I used GM style, Weatherpack sealed connectors throughout the car. There are some specific items that take a little figuring out. I dumped the Nissan alternator for a one-wire GM unit which greatly simplified that part. Also, the new harness wasn't wired for a headlight relay. So, I scrounged up a relay from the old 300ZX harness and solved that issue. I'm using LED bulds, which require a special flasher, and I like their appearance. An Optima battery is installed in the trunk in a custom billet aluminum housing. All of the car, except for seats, power windows and door panels, is complete. The learning curve has been steep at times but I have enjoyed the process. I'm sure I'll enjoy the finished car even more.

The windshield was purchased new from Nissan. I had the frame rails chromed at Superior Chrome. The moulding is from Dean at Datsunparts.com. A web search came up with instructions on installing the windshield. Trimming the pieces is not an exact science but does take some time and thought. After the frame was finished, I glued the frame-to-body weatherstrip to the bottom and held it in place with tape overnight. I installed the windshield on the car after the dash was installed. Mounting the frame to the body is straightforward but does take some adjusting to match up nicely with the door vent frame.

The bare dash was blasted and painted. Then, I used a carbon laminate from ALSA Corp., to cover it. Autometer Phantom, white-faced gauges were chosen. The speedo is electrical and will be drived by the stock 300ZX unit. I prewired the dash with automotive multi-pin connectors so I wouldn't have to do that much wiring on by back once it was installed. A new dash cover from Datsunparts.com was then installed. I'm using green LED turn signal indicators along with a matching blue indicator for the high beam headlights. The radio and center console will have the matching carbon laminate.

I have several gas caps to restore. The first issue is how to get the lock cylinder out. 1st, remove everything from the back of the cap to expose the cylinder. Inside the cylinder is a spring loaded lock ring. Take a small screwdriver and compress the lock ring flush with the cylinder. While holding the ring in, push the cylinder out of the cap. To get the pieces chromed seperately, I drilled out the little malled end of the lock cover post and removed the cover. Be careful to catch the small spring in there! To assemble, I flattened out the cover post and tapped it for a machine screw for a more secure fastening. If your cover is missing, Dean @ datsunparts.com sells a great kit with a cover that is already tapped out and includes all the necessary parts.

I refinished the center console with new vinyl and fresh chrome. No need for an ashtray, so I turned it into my power window switch location. Inside the console is an Ipod interface unit that connects to the Alpine head unit. The stereo also has a Sirius satellite interface installed under the dash. I found a carbon shift knob to match the dash carbon. It ties things in nicely. The stick is moved forward 2 to 3" due to the addition of the Z car 5spd. I moved the radio to the top of the console. I built a small pocket and installed it in the middle with the stock lighter on the left and the washer pump on the right. The washer pump has been converted to an electric switch operating a standard washer pump in the reservoir. The alarm light is located at the bottom center of the console.