Waking the sleeping beast?

[nealkeith]

Also, I would turn the engine over a few times prior to installing the plugs. Just in case there was an abundance of fluid in the combustion chambers. This could save you some bent rods. Enjoy your new find! The second car I ever had was a 65 MGB. I love my 260Z, it's BIG FuN!

[mikemeade]

Well I got the car home! It looks pretty good, especially since it turns out that it hasn't ran in 10 years, not two like I thought. I'm working on the hood, but it is proving to be a real tough job. Escanlon, I pulled the bolts at the fron of the hood, and I pulled two at the bottom side of the latch. I am not getting any movement.... Do I need to do the ones on the top side of the latch? I'm having some insane trouble getting to those....

[EScanlon]

The Latch Pin attaches to the hood with a pair of 10mm bolts. When you remove these the hood will be free to move.

Since you're mentioning that you've removed a pair from the bottom of the latch, I'm wondering if the two you removed were for the latch mechanism which is attached to the body. If so, the pin is still secured to the latch and the hood won't be free to remove.

Let us know if you're still having trouble with that.

E

[mikemeade]

The Latch Pin attaches to the hood with a pair of 10mm bolts. When you remove these the hood will be free to move.

Since you're mentioning that you've removed a pair from the bottom of the latch, I'm wondering if the two you removed were for the latch mechanism which is attached to the body. If so, the pin is still secured to the latch and the hood won't be free to remove.

Let us know if you're still having trouble with that.

E

That sounds exactly like what I did. I'll have to spend some time tonight trying to get the other two bolts. I could get a wrench on one of them last night, but it was getting late, and I was tired from the trip to Boise and back. Thanks for the help!

Mike

[Carl Beck]

That sounds exactly like what I did. I'll have to spend some time tonight trying to get the other two bolts. I could get a wrench on one of them last night, but it was getting late, and I was tired from the trip to Boise and back. Thanks for the help!

Mike

Hi Mike:

If you can get to the bolts - why not just put a screwdriver into the bottom of the latch - and push the lever to open/release? I've never had to remove bolts - to open a hood with a broken hood release cable. Is something else jammed?

FWIW,

Carl B.

[mikemeade]

As far as I know, nothing is jammed, I just can't really see all that well in there, and this is my first Z. That image you attached is very helpful. I could get a wrench on the hood nuts with the very ends of my fingertips last night, but I was at the extreme limits of my reach. I'll have to see if I have any better luck with a screwdriver tonight.

Just so I am clear, it looks like I will need to push from the passenger side towards the drivers side?

[ChrisA]

Just so I am clear, it looks like I will need to push from the passenger side towards the drivers side?

Correct, having done it twice.

Chris A.

[Carl Beck]

It is also very helpful - if someone can stand up above and alternatively press down on the hood - and release - as you push the lever with the screwdriver blade - then they can grab the hood and pull up as it releases... Sometimes if you are by yourself - the hood still won't pop open like it should - even if you have moved the release lever far enough...

glad the diagram was helpful...

Carl B.

[theianmonster]

I want the wheels.

[mikemeade]

The hood is off! I tried the push on the lever thing, but it just wasn't working for me. I figured that I would give the two top nuts a try again, and it worked. I guess working in the dark with a flashlight while tired was not really the best way to approach the situation! Today I could easily see what I needed to get at, and removed the two bolts connecting the latch to the hood.

So far things look pretty good. The SUs slide with no problems at all, the sparkplugs cameout easy. The oil even looks to be a good color.

The previous owner drained the coolant from the block from below, so I am going to have to flush the cooling system to make sure there isn't much dirt in the system.

I'm off to the store to get ATF! I'm pretty excited. besides dirt, there isn't much bad about the car at all. That and the wasps nests that seem to be everywhere. I have removed about 10 dead nests, and I can see one that is alive.... I'll have to take care of that before they take care of me!

Oh, and the wheels stay. I love 'em too!

[mikemeade]

After working on the car for the evening, I can tell that this car has had some work. It looks like the car has a header and a glasspack muffler. The carbs look like they have been backdated to round top carbs too... I assume there is a perfomance advantage in that? There are some fog lights below the grille that look aftermarket, the way they mounted in there. (crappy)

The down side, is that I cleaned the interior. I am pretty sure that the owner told me the car hadn't run for ten years... Inside I found magazines, paperwork, reciepts, etc, and they were all dated 1990. I am pretty sure that this car hasn't ran in 16 years. Man, I thought that it would be easy to get the sucker running if it had only been two years, but 16... There is so much more that I think I have to do...

Tommorrow, I will try to take pictures, there are some more questions that I have that just make more sense with images.

Mike

[EScanlon]

Mike:

If you can, try to make it to PIR this Wednesday after 4:30pm for the Beaches Cruise-In.

Several of us in the PDX Area try to make it there weekly, and it will give you an opportunity to not only meet us but also ask questions that will help you in getting her running and looking good.

Our Z numbers are slowly growing, where it used to be only my 71 Gold 240, now we have as many as 5 of the early body style and even a couple of Z32's on occassion. Haven't seen a Z31 yet, but we recently did have a beautiful example of a 2+2 280. We've even had a couple of Roadster's show up.

Admission is $5 per car, or per person. Free Live Music, you can buy Food, Beer and Mixed Drinks as well. There's even Drag Racing gonig on in the background.

Hope to see you there.

Enrique