83 Datsun 280zx, car sat for a good deal of time. As i get it up and running, i'm having problems that frankly a novice like me has no clue about. When i put a new battery in it, the rear lights stayed on all the time. I finally had to take the rear lamp fuse out, but i do not have any brake lights. Is this a symptom of a bad brake light switch? Thanks for your help.

 

Yep... brake light switch. The common solution is to tape a penny to the switch / pedal arm. Search... this has been discussed many times.

 

I used a nut and bolt that fit in the hole of the brake pedal. I adjusted the bolt to the correct height where the lights would work properly and tightened the nut down. No tape to get old and fall off when the glue dries out.

Gotta do my clutch pedal next so my cruise control will work.

 

FYI, I have had the penny method last about 10 years without touching it before I finally sold the car. I like the bolt idea, but you would spend more money on the hardware then what those little plastic stops cost.

 

I've had this Z for 15+ years and plan on having it much more than that. I had the stuff in my garage, threw it in there and bingo!