conedodger

'70 something Chevrolet Vega Wagon. I was an undergraduate in Minnesota and it was my winter beater. It started throwing off clutch cables ever week. I just had to make it through the semester so at $40 something a pop plus a half hour under the car I would change them as fast as they would break. Turned out the body was rusted and cracked and it would flex and snap the line. Got the car for free but with all those clutch cables...

My diff doesn't clunk but since it is a Z, it will... Count me in:classic:

It's done with an ohm meter. I haven't done it in years but this could be your problem at idle. Remove your EGR and clean it up too. The water temperature sensor sends a resistence signal as well and if it is all gummed up it could tell the ECU your engine is running hot, causing a rich condition.

The final Trackmasters Event of the year is Friday the 18th at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway... This event is short about 20 entries at this point in time and is looking like a great opportunity to attend a very lightly attended event. That means more track time for you and plenty of good instruction if you are new... If Trackmasters doesn't make their break even number, they are going to open up registration to a motorcycle group which will cut down on track time etc... Registration is $210 or $215 if you use Paypal. See the Trackmasters Racing website to register.

17 years ago when I left Minnesota I would have said that Fall is a terrible time to sell and suicide as far as the potential price you could get is concerned. People are thinking about battening down the hatches and getting ready for winter to blow in. Now, we have the internet and sites like this. There are several ways of listing it and as long as you stay firm on your price you may well get what you want or need from it. Good luck!

There is really alot to the bushing replacement that is important to consider. It has been mentioned that the black graphite is better than the red poly and this is true for a couple reasons. One, the graphite lubricates and gets rid of squeeks and two, they can be honed to 'fit' them to the application. Suspension travel is extremely important and can be the cause of the harshness that some complain of. If the suspension binds, and this can happen with any of the commonly available bushings you have limited suspension travel and the bump gets transmitted to the driver. I am not generally a big fan of rubber bushings but they do restore the original ride feel. The red poly bushings tend to gall when you try to fit them. Get the graphite!

Mine seem fine. I had them tuned on a dyno with EGT, CHT, and exhaust gas analyzer. Runs very nicely. With no chokes though, they can be a bit bitchy on cool mornings like today.

A guy I know from the Porsche world rolled a Porsche 914-6 at the Targa 2 years ago. It was basically end-over-end and most would have walked away from the carcass and gotten a lift home. They hammered it back out and were back in the race. The car is now fixed and at least outwardly looks great...

Tried a little WD-40 this morning and it appeared to work. I will get after it with a vengence on Monday... My next free moment...

Beandip is correct but I would go even further. Check with your painter to see how long you should let that paint cure before covering it, washing it, polishing etc... I waited 3 weeks. I actually use a 2 Porsche 911 covers. One is soft and more of a dust cover, the other is weatherproof. I put the weatherproof one over the softer one.

There is a good shop in Palo Alto that specializes in Porsche restoration paint but does collision too. Scott something or other... I will get you a name soon. Yeaman Autobody is the name... Scott Yeaman is the owner.

There is no wax on the paint at all... I painted it a year or so back and I have been reassembling as I get the new interior stuff. That way the paint can fully cure. Outside, with the exception of the tape it looks like a new car. Inside, not so much... I have a new dash with new instruments, new seat covers, new carpet, new vinyl interior plastic, new everything except door panels which I will get from MSA or CDM.

Someone (and yes, I know who) thought it would be cute to leave me a note that said "drive me" on the door of my Z under the car cover with packing tape to attach it. Now, I have packing tape VERY adhered to the paint on my passenger door. I tried adhesive remover and that got some of it but I still have about 3 square inches that just will not come off... How about a heat gun? I am at a loss. What do you guys think?

Brilliant! Shower curtain... I went to the autobody supply store today and they had dum -dum, the black gooey stuff you stick it on with but no vapor barrier. I will get a shower curtain tomorrow... Brilliant and simple! Not to mention cheap...

Thank you Will. That is a good reminder. Post edited. I stand corrected. My apologies...

I guess I could check the date by figuring out when the last game at Metropolitan Stadium was played. It was a game between the Vikings and the Cowboys and the Metrodome was going to be their new stadium the next year. The Cowboys won and the fans had begun dismantling the stadium for souveniers. Seats were being cut out from under people! I had a first date with a gal and wanted to impress her. I didn't normally drive my Z in the winter at all but I had polished it all up and since the roads were clear, I thought I would drive her. It was cold that day. You Minnesota guys know what I mean but most of the rest of you cannot even imagine what -35 F is like. Especially if you are sitting still. Believe me, with the performance that Tammy Kramer was putting on that day, no one had any reason to stand up and cheer. Oh, did I say Tammy? I guess I meant Tommy. After the game, we went out to the parking lot and she started right up. But then the unexpected happened. Well, unexpected for me anyway... The defroster didn't defrost and the heater didn't heat. I was stuck in the traffic leaving the stadium trying to get on to the Crosstown and she started to overheat. The thermostat had frozen and the head warped from the heat. We managed to get to a restaurant on Lyndale just across the Freeway and we ordered food while waiting for the tow truck and my friend to come get us. Somehow, she went out with me again. In fact we went out for more than a year... I threw the gal back but I still have the car!

I have put these in without removing the steering rack. Not difficult at all. Basically, when you turn your steering wheel with the rubber insulator in place some deflection takes place. Put in the urathane and any steering input is transmitted more quickly because there is no deflection that would have occured with the rubber. It has no effect on the alignment. What I am sure Reddie73 is refering to is that if the wheels encounter something that forces them to turn - the wheels turn the steering wheel. Some of that is mitigated by the rubber insulator.

Ahhh.... I have seen that. I didn't like it. Try and imagine the GMish Rally stripes from the 70's. This looks really good on the cars and I have seen some V8 conversions use it as a 'hint' to the guy they just street raced as to why they got their asses waxed! Your idea is a Mopar graphic and it clutters the long sexy lines of the car.

Not sure what you mean. I have seen yellow cars with the Rally stripes ala GM cars like the '70's Camaro and Chevelle. This looks good. I have also seen the ZAP model from '77.

Sometimes the choir wants to hear the sermon. The question really wasn't who do you disagree with - it was what Z's if any would you put in your museum. So there is no wrong answer. I really admired Carl Sagan. That is why I find his 914 to be interesting. If Paul Newman owned and drove a street Z, I would love to see it. Remember, it is my museum. Some of you wouldn't get past the security guard... ever.

That can be done with hand tools. I own lots of air tools and find I mostly use hand tools. I would consider replacing the clutch and pressure plate as you have the engine out and it is easier than driving it 2K miles and having it go bad. Resurfacing the flywheel is not a bad idea either. Flywheels require a torque wrench but not an air torque wrench. Torque them to spec not as tight as you can...

I voted for low vin Z cars and racing history cars. It wasn't a choice but if a famous person owned a Z and it could be found and restored that might be a choice I would make as well. The attached pic isn't a Z but it is an example of what I might find interesting as a museum patron. Carl Sagan with his 914...

Again, I will have to disagree, in a way... Yes, the people who designed and built these cars intended them to be driven and enjoyed. But that was then. Perhaps they imagined the greatness they created perhaps not, more likely they were just pleased with their success but didn't imagine a following almost 40 years later. Sure, they intended that they be driven and enjoyed but if you could ask them now they might have a different opinion - this is now. I would go so far as to say probably have a much different opinion. If I build something today that is intended to be used but later it becomes historically important I would want it preserved in a museum. There are plenty of them being driven and enjoyed and this one is important historically as are probably most of the vin# under 100 no matter where they landed in the world. The owner should do what he wants with it because he owns it but I would hope that one day it ended up in the Datsun Heritage Museum as it would be a worthwhile exhibit. Am I biased? Yes probably as I was an early contributor but I think I would have a hard time just driving around in a car that was the very first of any pedigree. I would want to make sure nothing bad happened to it as you can never replace the first of anything. The guy who designed the Chrysler K car did so with the intention that it be driven and (ok, maybe not enjoyed) but your point of view reduces the Z to that level. It isn't even close. It changed everything and the lowest vin# sold should be destined for preservation of some kind.

On this I would have to disagree. Yes the first 100 cars are special but the lowest VIN registered in the US not any more special? Just another low-vin conversation piece? Well, after all - we are here to converse about these cars so to trivialize that is to trivialize this... I would say that while the first 100 are special, a car like the 13th is important, perhaps historically so. It should be restored and put in a museum. Perhaps your perspective is different owning the 26th but from where me and most of the others here are standing, this is a very important car. My car is a 73 and it sold in high volumes because of the popularity of this car...

Probably the lowest VIN# Z sold to the public in the US...