I swore I was done with big restorations for.a couple of years. I was even going to simplify things around here and get rid of one long term project (remember the 73 I have, I mean, had, for sale? Yeah that one). 

Well along the way of selling the Z, one of the potential buyers says to me, "I'm interested in talking to you about buying your Z, but want to mention I have an older Z that I've been sitting on for a few years. Maybe you'd be interested in looking at it?" So I ask a couple of important questions like "What's older mean?" And "whats the VIN".  Took hime a while to go to it, an read the VIN's.  One he says reads 25401 or something and the other says 03798. Ok, now you got my interest.

Ok, I bet you already know where this story is going. Yes I went to see it, yes it followed me home. The VIN is 3798, 5/70 build date. Rusty old dog, few things missing, but hey, it has a cool sun roof! (See other recent thread about SEMA and Sun Roofs and being cool).

 

Well I didn't make to the Edmonton show with the Z. Just ran out of time on Saturday solving a little ignition problem. Took the 510, had fun.

Today I worked through the ignition problem. Very interesting problem and solution. I had an intermittent spark miss as you apply throttle under load, getting worst as the RPM's rise.

Long story short, it boiled down to bad connections. Even though I used brand new spade connector crimps with brand new terminals and a pro crimper to connect to various spades on the ballest resistor and terminal strips on the coil terminals, they were making poor connections when pushed onto the terminals. The fix was stop using them and go to soldered on ring terminals on the coil posts, and soldering on wires to the ballast resistor to completely remove the use of the spade connectors. They seem to press on tightly, but if you wiggle them once all the way one, they are NOT tightly connected. And they get worse each time you disconnect them.

These are terminals purchased from Vintage Connections. They sell two qualities of the female 1/4" spade connectors. One are made of thin brass, the other is much thicker and stiffer, BUT they latch SO tightly that you pretty much can't push a 4 or more terminal connector together with pliers. The thinner ones are great, BUT if you mate them more than once or twice, they FM side loosen up and the connection goes to pot. Both have their issues.

Along the way I also discovered two, yes two bad NEW mechanical fuel pumps. At one point I was wondering about fuel volumes under load and if that maybe part of the "missing" problem, ie going lean. I had installed one of these "tin can" style replacements that I foolishly bought a while ago, when I first got this thing running again. Maybe it is as bad as they say, I think. So I recently bought a GMB brand pump that looks like the original, so I put it on. 

It worked for about 10 min of test and tune driving. Suddenly the car wouldn't restart. As I was in the throws of solving ignition problems, I was about to light a fire under it all, wonder WTH could possibly be wrong now. It usually starts instantly with the slightless touch of the key.

So I take a hose off of one carb, and crank the motor. Not even a dribble. You've GOT to be kidding me. Take the hose off the pump outlet. Still not even a dribble. So I put the tin can back on. I leave the hose off to see what it is doing. Well it's dribbling, but sure as hell not pumping properly. Ok, that's it, off it comes, both go in the scrap metal bin, and I pull out my NOS Kyoto or whatever pump I've been hoarding and bolt that on. OMG that thing pumps like a freaking fire hose. I'm still stinking of gas from the bombardment.  So, DO NOT use that tin can thing (didn't we already know that?) and don't bother with the $37 GMB pump, it's trash too. I'll have to take it apart and see what ripped.

So today's lesson? Even when you have a bunch of NEW parts, no matter how carefully installed, don't trust nothing.

And now I can go for a decent little toodle around town this evening and get some proving miles on this thing and GET IT SOLD.  

Edited July 31, 20186 yr by zKars

Congrats on the fault finding Jim! It must have been those free popsicles in Edmonton that got the diagnostic juices flowing!

Edited July 31, 20186 yr by wheee!

So I finally got to take this thing for decent drive last night. Other than a loose fuel inlet fitting on the fancy kyosanki thingy fuel pump that stopped me for a few minutes to figure out (sucking air is apparently not a good thing), this thing is freaking amazing!

I rarely get to drive a bone stock, far from new L24 in a bone stock chassis,, but I have to tell you, this thing is not slow or boring.  Torquey as hell! It's not my stroker, but its quiet and smooth and very well behaved.   Well the Maxtor 185/75-14 tires make cornering a bit of a squeal and howl affair, but they spin real easy off a stop light which totally makes up for the cornering drama!

Then there's that slightly crunchy 2-3 shift, that slightly wobbly A-Type trans stick feel, and the stock AM/FM radio blasting tinny tunes through a single speaker in the back, and I'm in old man heaven!  Ahhhhhh

I am totally not trying to sell it, I am actually quite surprised with how fun this old clunker is to drive. Maybe having a mostly stock 240 with body work you don't care about, isn't such a bad thing after all. 

 

8 hours ago, zKars said:

I rarely get to drive a bone stock, far from new L24 in a bone stock chassis,, but I have to tell you, this thing is not slow or boring.

It's been pointed out by many that it can be a lot more fun -- on public roads, not a racetrack -- driving a low-limit car at its maximum, rather than being frustrated or intimidated by a high-capability that can't be used to its capacity.  An MG-B or TR4 driven to their (meager) limits can be just as entertaining as diving into an off-ramp at 80mph in a performance car while only using 80% of the car's real capability.  Fat tires look great, but they don't necessarily add enjoyment.

Good news. The car is now sold to a friend that is going to restore it to OEM glory. It will live again. 

Mutual acquaintance?

Not sure if you know him. I'll PM you his name. He's not a member here.

3 hours ago, zKars said:

Good news. The car is now sold to a friend that is going to restore it to OEM glory. It will live again. 

Great news, now I can stop feeling guilty.