peterc

Just out of curiosity, why not just replace it? I can't see a repair being cheaper?

Cleaning out the tank removed the existing rust, but as you have already discovered, doesn't prevent it from reforming. Whatever protective coating that was on the metal originally has long since gone, so any humid air entering the tank during fill-ups condences, restarting the rusting process anew. Most people will reline the tank after having it cleaned to prevent rust issues from re-occuring. There are several products out there that will do the job. Several club members have used and recommend POR's gas tank relining product, and I'm sure others will chime in with their recommendations. Regardless of which one you choose, be sure to clean the filter on the fuel pump itself (this could very well be your problem if it wasn't cleaned previously), and "blow" out the fuel lines, including the fuel rail, with compressed air to remove last vestiges of rust from the system. Replace the fuel filters one more time, and at the very least you can eliminate this as the source of youe problem. And by the way, shame on you for even thinking that you need a working heater in Georgia, . "Ottawa...nine months of winter...three months of tough sledding". Cheers, p

Welcome aboard. Awesome car. Details? History/ Do you do your own maintenance?

Can't think of any way to tell if/where any leaks are without running some liquid through it. You don't have to hook up the rad hoses though. Connect a larger funnel to a 5 foot length of heater hose connected to the inlet side of the heater core. Make sure that the heater control lever is in the ON position (opens the valve allowing water into the core). Slowly pour plain water into the funnel (held overhead). Gravity will force the water through the heater core and out the outlet side into the engine bay, onto the ground. You should be able to isolate where the core is leaking inside the cabin without making too big of a mess. And it will be an easier cleanup than a water/antifreeze spill. Likely suspects for leak inside the cabin are cracked hoses or the inlet valve itself. Good luck p

Stephen, I think he's referring to the injector holder (bottom center). I think these adaptors varied in size depending on application, so the same injectors could be used by different car manufacturers.

Could be one has been replaced. Are they both metal or fibreglass, or a combination?

angle grinder?

I don't think that you will be happy using that head with two broken manifold studs. Sooner of later exhaust leaks will develop. The stock exhaust manifold is pretty solid, so may resist leaking for a longer period of time, but a header will allow blow-by fairly quickly...at least in my experience, . Replaced a stock exhaust manifold (broken manifold/downpipe studs) with a header, with engine in-vehicle. Unable to access one of the inner manifold bolts and it leaked right from the get-go. The car's in the garage for the winter, and Im pulling the engine this spring to over-haul it so no big deal. But pretty frustrating to replace one exhaust leak (header/downpipe) with another (engine/header) . Good luck p

David I may be mistaken but I think that the heat-shield on the '79 is different from the '83. I know where all the intake/exhaust bolts are located but could not access them with the heat-shield in place. Couldn't wrench them from below, and couldn't snake even a 1/4" drive socket extension past the heat-shield. My hat is off to you for managing to remove them without first removing the heat-shield. What did you use? p

No, no, no! ONLY hit the towers straight down from the top, just like you were hammering a nail. Hitting them any other way could result in damage to the cam/tower. A sharp rap to the top of a semi-torqued tower will vibrate it into the correct position. Remember, you only have to do this IF you find the cam harder to turn (bind) as you're torqueing down one of the towers. p

You can't access the nuts/bolts necessary to remove the manifolds without first removing the heat shield. Believe me, I've tried. If they won't loosen off you're only option is to break off the heads of the heat shield retaining bolts. Which means that you will have to ream out the broken studs in order to be able to re-attach the heat shield later. A combination of cold chisel, dremel tool and lots and lots of swearing worked for me. If you're lucky some of the bolts will ratchet out and you should be able to salvage the heat shield. Good luck, p

It will/should not "spin", as in rotate freely without you turning it. The tolerances are too tight to allow for that. The way I do it is to insert the cam (well lubed!!) with the towers totally untightened. Untightened, the towers will not cause any binding when you rotate the cam. Rotating it with one hand will provide a benchmark for how easily it should rotate once the towers are torqued down. Continue to rotate the cam as you torque down each tower one at a time. If the cam starts to turn LESS freely, then that particular tower is beginning to bind the cam. You can either loosen off that tower and try re-torquing, OR you can give the offending tower a sharp rap with a hammer, or two or three as needed, , until the cam again turns freely. Personally I prefer the second option. Loosening and retightening the tower normally yields the same results...binding. The tower will tend to reseat itself in the same position as last time, which isn't what you want. On the other hand, a good "smack" with a hammer will vibrate a semi-torqued tower into the desired position. Plus, it's much more emotionally satisfying, . Hope this helps. p Repeat this with each tower, and at the end of the day your cam should be rotating as freely as it was before you began torquing.

If it were my car, I'd clear-coat it and carry a big mirror with me everywhere I went, . The dents just add character, exactly what you'd expect from a real road warrior. The fact that they're totally rust-free would absolutely amaze anyone from these parts. p

As you can see from the previous replies, the only real issue surrounding the removal of the cam towers is preventing/resolving any "binding" issues on re-installation. When I did my first head, way back when, I read "somewhere" about an easy way to eliminate any binding. Reinstall the cam towers and cam as described above, ensuring that the towers are in the right sequence. Torque the first (front) tower to about 10lb-ft. If you rotate the cam as you're torquing it down you'll notice if it starts binding. If you do encounter any binding give the top of the that cam tower a sharp rap with a hammer. You may have to hit it more than once, and harder than you think reasonable but it works like a charm and will NOT harm the tower or cam. The sudden shock helps properly seat the tower. When it's moving freely again retorque to 12lb-ft and move on to the second tower and repeat the sequence til all are done. It's easy to accidentally over-torque the cam towers so be carefull. You don't want to strip threads on a head. I know, I know, hitting the towers with a hammer sounds completely whack but there was a reason the older manuals recommended "not" removing them. They can be a royal PITA to reinstall and you definitely DON'T want your cam binding. This method allows you to remove/replace the towers with a minimum of frustration. Hope this helps. p

Zedyone_kenobi. Doesn't the hospital get mad at you for parking your Zed in their operating room? . BTW, are you a transplanted Canuk? Or was 240 Zee already taken?

Do you have a stethoscope? If not , a long screwriver or 3/8" ratchet extension will do. Being VERY CAREFULL, touch the various suspects; alternator, water pump, associated pullies, etc. with the motor running. You will quickly determine the source of the squeal, or at least eliminate the innocent.

Air conditioning by Mother Nature.

It all comes down to wants and needs. Carl's estimate for a proper restoration is very reasonable. In fact, you can find people on this site that have invested far more in their projects. However, if your first priority is to be able to drive the car, sooner rather than later, (isn't that why we love Z's in the first place?) then I'd be more inclined to follow Will's advise. Get it running, so you know what you're dealng with, then plan your restoration one step at a time. By keeping your "projects" small and managable, you can still drive the car as your restoration continues. Plus, as you become more familiar with the car you may wind up changing your original plans. p

Try tightening it a little. Sounds perverse, but all you want to do is break the seal. And any rounding will occur on the "tightening" edges of the plug, not the "un-tightening " edges. Works really well with screws and bolts as well. cheers, p

IMO if your going to make the swap, wait til you have a 5 speed. Unless your current 4 speed is shot, as Arne mentioned, you won't see enough of a difference to make it worthwhile. The cutting of the tunnel required is minimal, about an inch or so, if I recall correctly, and to the front. You don't even have to remove the metal, just bend it back out of the way. That way, if, in a future life, you want to do a completely anal-retentive restoration, you can just fold it back and weld it up. It'll be our little secret, . cheers, p

I've met Charlie a few times and purchased parts from him (not floor pans). He's friendly, knowledgable, fair and honest. Never heard of anyone having a bad experience dealing with him. Cheers, p

Plastic tent pegs are exactly the right size and length for holding the tensioner in place, and unlike wood, won't splinter.

How long has the car sat? What color is the smoke? When I started my '83 for the first time (after sitting in a farmer's field for 6 years), it blew white smoke for half an hour. Turns out it was just burning off six years of rain water in the muffler, . Bluish smoke indicates oil. Since the compression seems fine, most likely culprit would be dried out valve stem seals. Not unusual if the car has sat for an extended period of time. Lucas makes an oil additive that will soften them up until you're ready to do a rebuild. Or you can replace them, without doing a rebuild (check forums). cheers p

Sounds like the ballast resistor. It's that white ceramic thing about the size of a Mars bar located beside the coil. Either you've detached a wire or its burnt out. Check the connections between it and the dizzy. Easy fix either way.

Great ad. Did anyone notice how they hyphenated his name? New-Man, . He will be missed by many. cheers p