Oiluj

FWIW, mine had the "exact" symtoms you describe. Took off the manifolds and the leak path was obvious, a dark line on the block from the exhaust port up beyond the gasket edge line on the head.

I was thinking of doing the bolt drilling thing, then silver solder a nipple into the hole. Should work.

If it is your ehaust gasket, welcome to the club! I have the manifolds off and will be putting them back on over the holiday... The bad news: You can re-torque the manifold nuts to spec without worry, but it's unlikely to solve the problem. In my experience, once an exhaust gasket is breached, they don't usually re-seal. The good news: If you gather all the parts in advance, it only takes a few hours to ghange-out the the manifolds. Let us know how it works out.

Jerry, Here's my process: 1) Estimate project time 2) Multiply by 1.5 3) Add 15% and I'm pretty close. Of course, thats for projects where I don't run in to "big" problems... Julio

Nice! Gonna have to try making a couple of those. Good thing to do while my manifolds are off.

Very nice looking car. If I win the lottery, I'd buy one...

Yup. After posting I saw the date... Do I feel stupid!

fuzze, I like the quote: "I didn't know much when I was young , but I sure learned a lot along the way". I've always felt it was good to try learning / doing things myself._ Those that "can do", will survive the coming zombie apocolypes... I'm impressed! Stitch welding sheet metal well is an art. I suck at welding and wouldn't trust my welds for anything important... -Similar for bodywork. I'm slow, but I have done it before with acceptable results. I'm a living example of the following statement: "Good Judgement comes from Experience, and Experience often comes from Bad Judgement" _

There are a number of engineers on the board. Goes well with owning a 40 year old car running. One of us even works for NASA! (not me). In my new job I'm developing & improving mfg processes/mfg automation in the medical device/pharma industry. It's a nice change, but similar to Leon's comment, I kinda miss doing instrument design work. It involved not just mechanical design, but also applied physics. At least I still get to do some micro-fluidics...

Stay safe. Hopefully it's over and the recovery can begin.

My 2 cents, keep it original color and enjoy the car. But it's your car, so do what you want. It's going to be a beauty either way!

Holy Cow!__Didn't think a little statement like "rotational inertia" could have generated so much discussion

I have a set of red panels in decent shape, but they may need painting for sun fade at the top. Won't be able to open the box and take pics until next week. PM me if interested.

When complete, your car will be an excellent "specimen". More work than I was willing to do, and I applaud you for it!

Nice Post! I dis-assembled my neighbor's broken assembly. Sadly, the nylon spring cover was cracked, and the spring broken and cracked in another location. I have no idea how, but it looked like water had gotten into the mechanism.

I understand your frustration. I had my share of warped head issues when rebuilding the engine on my 1st Z many years ago. After spending a bunch of money trying to fix it, I ended-up having to find a replacement head in a junkyard. As an engineer, djwarner's post (above) sounds like a reasonable approach to diagnosing the problem.

I agree with posts above. 2-1/2" is more than adequate. I'm an older guy. I know it's a "style" thing, but to my eye, a megaphone exhaust on a classic Z looks high-schoolish / "ricer-boy" silly... Rest of the car in the pic looks pretty nice though.

I protest! _ Florida is too far away for me to attend. Great pics. Looks like a great event and a fun time. Really do wish it was closer!

Never had them on my car, but I liked the flower decals, they "fit" the times. In some ways, I kinda miss the culture from those days, but not everything! And the flowers off-set the exhaust emissions...

I agree about the MGB. Market-wise, the MGA is a different animal, but pretty much the same mechanically. My MGA was very reliable, but they do require more maintenance than a modern car, (or for that matter even a 240Z). I didn't make much money on mine, but had I waited four more years, I would have gotten more for it than I have in my Z. Just hate when I miss a market timing opportunity... Oh well, at least I have my Z!

What eveybody said above about British roadsters is right. Fewer numbers and classic roadster looks make a difference. MGA prices have doubled in in the last five years. My MGA was a great summer cruiser, but they 240Z drives drives so much better.

I agree with zKars, but before you took it apart, did it sit level? Did it exhibit any strange handling? Unlikely it was done for no reason.

I fully understand the reasoning, but it just "bugs me" that common, dealer installed options like A/C, rear shades, door strips, dual mirrors would automatically result in a points deduction. Sure I "get it", but if all the U.S. dealers carried the parts and installed them... I remember seeing brand new 240Z's on the showroon floor with sunshades installed. It's how many left the showroom... I'm out of the game anyway, and non of this applies to my car, but it seems a bit unrealistic... I'd be willing to bet there are a few "pre-war" cars shown at Pebble Beach with dealer options on them that are considered "stock".

Whoa! Think I'll check mine...

The roof is spot-welded to the body, then the groove filled with lead. The best fix, (that I know of), is expensive, but works well. That is to remove the lead and bead-weld the joints, which minimizes flex between the panels. After the bead-weld, just fill the remaining groove with modern filler before applying new paint.