trykflyr

Really Really pretty!!! I had a 74 260 while stationed in Europe. Didn't look anywhere that hot tho. That speedo really means the 160 it says. Gotta love the Autobahn! Welcome and enjoy!!!

I'm using a product called Rust-Prep by Autotech. Comes in 16 oz spray bottles from the local auto/aircraft/marine paint supply shop. I have to remove the loose stuff before using it and then just spray or brush it onto the surface. It creates a zinc phosphate surface ready for priming. I've used similar stuff on aluminum, but it was a 4 step acid etch-rinse-conversion coat- rinse process. This appears to be working really well and ran me about 10 bucks. I don't know what Lower 48 pricing would be, but we're usually quite a bit higher.

It's been awhile since I've played with the 260, but I think there's 2 fusible links. If one's fried, there'd be no power to the fuse block. Has he checked for power at the fuse block to ground? From the post, it sounds like he has no power to the distribution system. The gages and the trouble lite work when hotwired to the battery. Was the battery disco'd before he took out the dash? A straight short to ground may have roached the link....

Thanks for the welcome. I should have taken a few before I ripped it down to individual molecules. As soon as I get the garage cleaned up a bit, I'll take a few and post em.

Drove several cars with fender mirrors in England while stationed there for 9 years. They take a little getting used to but they're great. You can see just fine, the mirror's inside the wiper arc, and the weather didn't seem to affect them much. As long as you cleaned them off before you drove, they stayed clean. They're forward of the front tire spray. Like that right hand drive as well. Had a left hand drive 260 the last trip over. it was a real pain to try and pass anyone. Had to get way out in the oncoming lane to see around the tractor and sugar beet trailer that was holding me up.

I figure since i'm on here and picking the brains of the z-gurus, I oughta at least hello. I'm Paul. Live in North pole, Alaska (really) and have found my third Z. Surprisingly, I've found 3 others here in slightly worse shape. I'm working on getting one of the 3 for parts. I've had a 72 240, a 74 260, and now have the 76 280 i'm working to get back on the road. this is my first foray into the EFI world and am seriously digging thru the troubleshooting trees. Thanks to all who've been so helpful!

YAY!!! Thanks! I was thinking maybe part of an autostart system. they're real common here, but I couldn't find any of the other bits that would go with an autostart. I can probably pull that ugly thing without any issues i imagine.

Again I come to the mountain for help. Any of you gurus have any idea what this is and why it's here? The chain on the inboard side goes to the throttle linkage just forward of the firewall at the upper joint. The vacuum lines come from the manifold (tee'd off another line) and goes to a switch on the brake pedal. I think that's an interlock switch to keep the engine from starting without the clutch being depressed. I can't find it in any of the manuals I have......

I've repaired cruched hoods on 2 of my z's. Tried the rivet gun and dolly-hammer-it-back-into-shape and fill with bondo. If it's really out of line, it's probably not only pushed down but twisted as well. There's no good fix for it with out a jig. It's possible to repair it. If you have access to air, you can use a rivet gun as opposed to an air hammer. The blows are softer and it's easier to control. Go to your local small general aviation airfield and find a maintenance shop or a parts store. They'll point you in the right direction for finding a gun. Get the basic shape as close as you can using the gun and a dolly, then try tapping with a smaller hammer backed up by a shot bag. I use a bag made out of an old welding jacket sleeve filled with a bag of lead shot from the local reloading shop. It allows the metal to bend without deforming too badly. As long as the dent isn't creased, you should be ok. You'll have to fill the low spots and sand your butt off to get it shaped right. It'll look good for a while, but will eventually crack at the filler. Temporary fix at best until you can get a replacement that isn't banged up. Hate to say it, but you're probably better off finding a replacement hood.

Rather than soldering on new connectors, is it possible to splice in replacements? It doesn't look like resistance is a factor in the circuitry and polarity can be kept straight. I've seen my soldering and think using staggered small barrel splices would give me a better result. I'm not looking for true restoration here, just a reliable daily driver.

You're my hero! I have access to a harness, just wasn't looking forward to yanking it out and replacing it.

Anyone know if there's a way to replace just the injector connectors on the harness or do I have to snake the whole thing out and replace the entire harness? I have 2 cracked female side connectors and neither will stay on solidly. Thanks!!

cool beans. thought it might be, but wasn't sure. haven't heard of one since I dealt with the carbs.. thanks, Steve. as always, you're s wealth of information.

Anyone have any idea what this part is and what it does? The white "cap" has what appears to be a vacuum nipple that's been broken off, but I can't find a line that would go to it. The part's just downstream of the AFM outlet boot, about even with the throttle body. It's linked to the throttle rod and sounds like there's a diaphragm inside when the throttle linkage is rotated.

Mike, I have access to a 75 280 that may still have those pieces. I pulled the ones off my 76 and they're still good. if I have the 75's, I'd be happy to ship them your way if they're usable. I'll go look this week and let ya know.

As lonetreesteve said, you can get kits a lot of places. If you're not comfortable doing the work (upholstery's an art, even with a kit), get a kit, pull the seats, and take them to a shop. They'll charge ya labor, but they'll do the job right. You might want to get kits for both seats so the colors match better. Sound deadener under the floor is great. It reduces heat as well. Just make sure you don't put it down permanently. You're going to want to be able to look at the floorboards regularly to check for the dreaded rust. I've used adhesive backed Velcro strips along the edges of the underlayment to hold it in place while in use. Makes it easy to pull up for inspections. Use the normal methods for holding the carpeting down.

thanks again. I've found some stuff at the local audio place that might work. I'll do the homework on all this and figure out what to put where when I start rebuilding the innards in March. We use gravel on the roads here instead of salt. It's too cold for salt to work and anything that may melt will refreeze in seconds anyway. Good for the rockerpanels, bad for the windshields!! Come April, it sounds like someone threw 10 lbs of rocks in a dryer when you drive. Thick undercoating is a big plus!

Thanks, all. I get to drive it about 4 months. I haven't got this one running right yet, I have about 9 months of winter coming to get it hammered out. Gotta do something during the cold and dark......

As I gutted my project 76 280, about 90% of the sound deadener/ heat shielding came off the floorboards (NO RUST!! YAY!!!!!), tranny tunnel and deck. Anyone know of a decent replacement material available? This stuff looks like truck bed Rhino lining without the grit. I was thinking of just adhereing some heavyweight rubberized sheet to the steel and covering that with insulating foam under the carpet.....

If you're going to bend that extra length, be SURE to use a tubing bender so you don't kink the line. Any sharp kink will cause problems and if you try to straighten it, you'll crack the line. A method for very short runs and tight bends is to fill the line with fluid, cap the ends, and then bend it by hand. You're essentially bending a solid rod and the tubing walls won't collapse. It's pretty astonishing how tight a bend you can actually get using this method. I've used it to bend aluminum hydraullic tubing in systems running 3000 psi and 30 gpm. Learned it in Battle Damage Repair school in the Air Force.

Rigid tools puts out an inexpensive, like 230-250 bucks, digital borescope used for looking into plumbing and closed spaces. It's way cheaper than a normal borescope and the 2 x 3 viewing screen is easier on the eyes. The head is about 1/2 inch in diameter, but should fit thru most, if not all spark plug holes. You can't really direct the head at all, but it comes with a mirror attachment and a magnet attachment. Great for finding the screw you just dropped into the cylinder..... I've used the high dollar scopes to inspect the innards of jet engines and the real cheapies to look at turbine wastegates on recip round and flat motors during my years as an aircraft mechanic. These are a good mid range scope. Any decent hardware or plumbing shop should be abale to get them.

important safety tip! don't use cheap hoses. Thanx!

Thanx for the help, one and all! I probably am overthinking this. Blame it on my anal aviation mechanic upbringing....or my ex wife. gotta blame her for something besides my empty wallet! Looking at the system and what it's doing, I'm thinking I'm needin a new AFM. Any one have any ideas where to find one??

Darrel's right. It's the flame arrestor. I'm looking at things restricting airflow or telling the fuel regulator bad info at this point. I have all the fuel going into the cyl's I could want. I metered the AFM and it's electrically open after a few degrees of flap travel. Without a troubleshooting tree or a schematic handy (they're on the way) I'm not sure of what the queertrons should be doing when. Any ideas on fuel scheduling to the injectors? Unmetered air should cause a lean condition right? I'm thinking the AFM is telling the system there's way too much air flowing. I don't think the cold start injector could dump that much raw fuel into all 6 jugs.

thanks...just kinda threw me. don't remember seeing it in my other z's. but then I didn't have the running trouble with them either...