Took the '71 for it's first drive!

[HuD 91gt]

Well, today was the day I finally got to drive my Z. I was able to get a day permit to drive the vehicle to an inspection facility. I have imported the vehicle from the US (Yes, i'm Canadian Eh). I got them to take a look over the vehicle and give me a heads up on what I need to do to get the vehicle in a passing condition. It was nice to see the car up on the hoist. Overall they were really impressed with how clean the car was underneath which was great to hear. Obviously I took advantage of the day, and stopped for an impromptu photo shoot. I thought a theme of "coming out of the barn" was a good idea. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

The list they gave me was….

Rack boots, 4 tires, front brake hoses, strut rod bushings (I'm going to guess these are the TC rod bushings?), struts, fuel vapour hose, power steering belt, broken exhaust stud, wrong battery, a brake light, and license plate light.

Overall the drive was great! Unfortunately mostly in Vancouver traffic. A little play in the steering. I was hoping for a little more oomph, but I think the 3 speed automatic really steals some of the power. I'm at a crossroads whether I want to swap in a 5 speed, or keep it all original. The paint job, and redone interior, and rear sway gives makes me hear a little voice on my shoulder telling me to swap it out and go to the dark side. I mean, it is my car and I should enjoy it after all.

Anyhow, once again. Enjoy the shots.

Edited June 2, 2014 by HuD 91gt

[rossiz]

beautiful car!

is the side stripe a two-tone paint or a decal?

[Mikes Z car]

HuD 91gt,

That is a very nice story and thank you for taking the time to type that in and share it!

Mike

[jfa.series1]

Nice looking car and not a bad list from the inspection shop. It sounds like they do a pretty good job. The "power steering belt" is probably the smog pump belt - no PS on these cars. When you do the struts, go ahead and replace the rear brake hoses so you know they are all in good shape. Strut rod bushings = T/C rod bushings.

[rossiz]

when you replace the t/c bushings, you can do a simple, inexpensive upgrade to a ball & socket type bushing joint - black dragon sells the kit for ~$30 and it's a simple plug-n-play option. reduces the vertical drag on your suspension.

[HuD 91gt]

beautiful car!

is the side stripe a two-tone paint or a decal?

It is the paint. I had wished it was a decal at first, but i'm beginning to like it.

That's funny, I didn't even think twice when he told me power steering belt. Ha. I've got two in there, one must be for the air conditioning as well. I'll make sure to order a full set of stainless brake hoses, they were on the list anyway. I should also go for new pads. The backs seem to lock up first. They are either just old, or the callipers aren't working correctly.

The T/C bushing upgrade is already on it's way

I've searched high and low, but which bushings are the ones to keep rubber? I'm thinking steering rack bushing are probably best to stay stock. Any other suggestions? Thanks for the kind words!

[240260280z]

The hockey puck bushing on the back side of the frame mount for the t/c bushing is the rubber one (the ball and socket goes on the front side of this frame mount location). The poly bushings placed here and over-tightened have broken t/c rods.

The rack bushings should be poly for minimal slop as well as the big hockey-puck coupler in the steering column near the brake booster.

[Travel'n Man]

Enjoy the ride!

[HuD 91gt]

Thanks for the advice Blue. Any other's you'd recommend that won't make the ride too harsh?

For the experienced eye, does this vehicle look like it's the stock height? I find the ride quite stiff, a little more jarring then my BMW 325i with Bilstein adjustable coil over suspension in my daily driver. Since I've found upgraded sway bars, I can only assume some of the other bits and pieces have been tinkered with in the past.

Edited June 3, 2014 by HuD 91gt

[jfa.series1]

Be cautious on installing too much in the way of poly bushings. Poly rack bushings are about all you are going to find now. OE's are NLA and the aftermarket Beck Arnley rubber bushings are also pretty much chicken teeth now (I scored some about a year ago). The changes you have underway will get you a very crisp steering feel and the T/C kit will add a bit of road feedback. Poly bushings for your front or rear control arms will certainly add to ride harshness and noise - been there/done that and retreated back to new stock rubber. Your new struts will almost certainly be gas-filled and will firm up the ride so consider sticking with your stock springs.

[siteunseen]

Your's looks good to me. Here's some pictures of mine with 14s and then 16s. Blue did the comparison photo shop shot for me. The 16s raised it up pretty good so I took them off and went back to 14s with hub caps. The aluminium slots need polishing.

I should add, my main reason for taking the 16s off is my struts a worn out and it rides too high.

Edited June 3, 2014 by siteunseen

[HuD 91gt]

Your's looks good to me. Here's some pictures of mine with 14s and then 16s. Blue did the comparison photo shop shot for me. The 16s raised it up pretty good so I took them off and went back to 14s with hub caps. The aluminium slots need polishing.

I should add, my main reason for taking the 16s off is my struts a worn out and it rides too high.

Silly question, but I assume yours is stock height? I'd say ours look pretty similar.