Round tops: Update and questions!

[Alan O]

You do beautiful work and this thread on the Swap has been a road map for my conversion. My project has slowed a bit as I purchased a 72 Air Box on Ebay and now I am glass beading and painting it. The original owner forgot to put the Wing Studs and adapter nuts to mount it so now I have to wait for another Fedex shipment. Those parts are a rarity.

The linkage and documentation is fantastic!

Thanks for the credit. It's nice to be recognized.

Alan

[g9m3c]

You do beautiful work and this thread on the Swap has been a road map for my conversion. My project has slowed a bit as I purchased a 72 Air Box on Ebay and now I am glass beading and painting it. The original owner forgot to put the Wing Studs and adapter nuts to mount it so now I have to wait for another Fedex shipment. Those parts are a rarity.

The linkage and documentation is fantastic!

Thanks for the credit. It's nice to be recognized.

Alan

Thanks a lot!

[g9m3c]

Alright, a little update here.

A couple weeks ago, I took the car on its first trip after the round top conversion. I drove up to my parents' house, which is about 65-70 miles north of Tuscaloosa. The trip up there was great. The car was running perfectly, the weather was great, and traffic on my way out of the city was my only complaint. That night, I was visiting a few friends and took one of them on a little cruise around town in it. About 20 minutes later or so, I notice water droplets on the windshield, but I didn't think it was raining. I pull over and open the hood to feel hot little drops of water stinging my arms. Well crap. That's not good. I took him back and drove home. The next morning, my dad and I looked at the Z, trying to find the leak (pour). Turns out, it's the water pump. Either the seal or my mounting gasket. I want to believe it's just the gasket because, if I remember correctly, none of the bolts were in good shape and I even think I was missing one. I planned on swapping them out soon after we put the top end back together, but I never got around to it. I'm hoping the gasket just finally blew out or something. However, the best we could tell, the water was running out from the pulley, which would mean a seal leak. That sucks because this pump doesn't even have 300 miles on it yet. The place I bought it from was independently owned, and recently burned to the ground, so my warranty on it is no good. :mad:

So, I ordered a few things. I bought a new water pump bolt kit and hood-cowl seal from MSA. I also bought a new water pump gasket, as well as a new pump. I'll return what I don't use. (hopefully the pump ) I also boguht a new pulley stud kit at work.

Hopefully, it will be repaired by Friday. I leave on a family vacation to Pigeon Forge, TN on Sunday and will be gone through the 13th. I plan on bringing the car back to Tuscaloosa afterwards.

I'll be in Pigeon Forge for the last part of the Fall Grand Rod Run, and will be there all weekend for Shades of the Past. Anyone else going to that show?

[Travel'n Man]

Excellent thread..........great work and information!! Beautiful carbs - mine are working great, but don't have the sparkle:ermm:

[Diseazd]

Grant....Where did you buy your brass metric drain plugs? NAPA doesn't carry them any more.Looking good! Guy

[g9m3c]

Grant....Where did you buy your brass metric drain plugs? NAPA doesn't carry them any more.Looking good! Guy

Are you talking about the ones I used in my balance tube, or the ones in my exhaust manifold? The brass ones in my balance tube are actually plated steel. They are inverted flare thread. Just tell the guy at the parts store you need some IF plugs. Now the ones in my exhaust manifold are zinc plated steel metric drain plugs. These should definitely be easily obtainable at any parts store. The one in my t-stat housing ended up being regular NPT thread. Go figure.

[g9m3c]

It's fixed!

Minor outpatient surgery....

(still haven't washed this thing since it sat all those months ) Excuse the soon to be demolished shack we just inherited.

The culprit....

Front water pump seal; the weep holes were dry and unstained.

New pump installed with new mounting bolts, fan studs, and painted pulley.

I also noticed something today that caught my attention. My fan has a very slight wobble. It's hardly noticeable, but it possibly might have contributed to this pump going out so soon. I would have expected to see more of a wobble if that's what caused it, though. Oh well, time will tell. If it happens again, it'll be getting e-fans.