Zed Head

Doomed, we're all doomed....

Discussions crop up occasionally about parts sources and the quality of said parts. Thought I'd start a thread to collect information on parts made in USA. I'll start with a Duralast PCV valve from Autozone. Feel free to add other parts from other places. I've seen a few parts Hecho in Mexico in the past, I think they were motor mounts. Anyway, maybe a trend will pop up, hopefully identifying where to get good parts, for good prices. Supposedly, the manufacturing pendulum is swinging back to the states. A potential downside though, is that we might realize that crap can come from anywhere.

Change is happening! I got interested in PCV valves, decided to check out prices, and picked up some inexpensive Autozone valves, one for my 76 280Z. And surprise, surprise, they're made in USA. $2.99, on the low side for parts store prices. No idea on quality, it looks fine, but who can really tell if their PCV valve is in-tune. I'm surprised that there are so many varieties, they have the same outer body, but different applications. The internal spring rate is different, I assume. We should start a Made in USA thread just to see what's out there.

It's more about being disingenuous than outright lies. Like the "youtube" link takes you to the Firsttrade web site, not a video. It's the key to being a successful used car salesman. No direct ties to the misinformation. Here's a very small lie though - "Every nut and bolt either new or re-plated!" (rusty nuts on the steering rack u-clamp) $29,500, Reserve not met...

No offense intended, but this thread reminded me...

Yes, over the top and attached to the body. There should be a metal clip on the side of the tunnel to hold the cable up, back by where it connects to the transmission, and probably one more on its way along the firewall. The cable stays in place when removing the engine and transmission.

It works! Looks good. Thanks. But...can you do the same for the quoted text?

Isn't 863 a '70? He says he knows the value but doesn't set a price...............

90 invested does not mean 90 returned. This is why car restoration is not a viable business unless you have a deal with Discovery channel. Just trying out some fonts...

$25,400, reserve not met. Something's not right. http://www.ebay.com/itm/281487585612?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D281487585612%26_rdc%3D1

If the outer bushings aren't loose/worn, you might just leave them alone. You can remove the locking pin and the end nuts and see how tight the spindle pin is before making a decision. They slide right out for some people.

Any thoughts on when some changes might happen? I know that you're losing viewing time from me, just because of the hard to read font. The site used to be pleasing just to look at and browse, now other sites are more pleasing. This one has lost a lot. In addition to the small washed out font, the actual size of the useful content has been reduce by about 20%, with the big empty bar on the side. I'm effectively looking at a smaller monitor. Used to be 15", now it's 12". Edit - the brown and gray color scheme is depressing also. A bigger, thicker, darker font everywhere; full width when a thread is opened; and more color on the page would be the first three things I would do . Soon.

You're either joking with the forum or you don't really have much idea what those parts are. Post a picture of what you're working with if you can. If you have an ignition module then you don't have points. What year car is it?

I'm fairly sure that I've read that the ZX crossmember is flipped when you install the T5 in place of the 71B. Search around for instructions on swapping in to a ZX and you might see something. You'll need a custom length propeller shaft also. Many seem to think that the T5 doesn't really offer much over the 71B. "T5" is a buzz term that sounds like a strong transmission, but really there were tens or hundreds of variations,some strong, some weak. FS5R90A is the correct way to identify it. Here's a good link describing the various transmissions. The 71B seems to handle about the same power, according to various threads I've seen. http://www.az-zbum.com/information.transmission.shtml

Apparently the company has been around for quite a while. Just not in the Z world. http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c1s-and-c2s-for-sale-wanted/1512401-first-trade-registry-on-ebay.html

This part of the eBay listing is just total made-up BS. Who do you report them to if they violate the code? Themselves. Beware. H.) Code of Ethics - National/International Association of First Trade Registry. Click on the ME icon. On the positive side - it is a nice-looking car. Isn't it odd though, that he doesn't post the VIN? I found the dash VIN in one of the pictures. I don't know where the other ones are for the early cars. The pictures , by the way, show that whoever took them is a big-game hunter. Lots of dead animal heads. Looks like HLS30-02631

Everything about the style of that eBay listing says "guard your wallet". If the car is that good it would sell itself. Dennis-the-Marketing-Guy's efforts actually reduce the value of the car. I can't imagine being that guy. Weird. http://www.ebay.com/itm/281487585612?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D281487585612%26_rdc%3D1 Edit - went with 14 Bold on the font using the Full Editor.

Looks interesting but the guy seems like a shyster. He contradicts himself. Looks like a car dealer to me. Just because you're not licensed doesn't mean you're not. I SPECIALIZE IN "NERVOUS" INTERNET BUYERS!! Call Dennis - Marketing Guy THIS IS NOT AN AUTO DEALER AD

Replay with Quote seems to be broken now also. You're at opposite ends of the "way to do things" spectrum. Good end - I checked the idle throttle switch and full throttle switch at the ECU Not so good - I haven't checked the timing with a timing light, but I have twisted the distributor cap back and forth You might spend a lot of time tuning the engine only to find that it's worn out. That's what I did with my first engine. The valve seals were bad and it sucked a lot of oil and generated a lot of blow-by. But I knew a lot by the time I got through trying to perfect it. You can't go wrong by giving the engine a complete tune-up. The first item in the chapter is valve lash. It doesn't change much over time, but when it's off it has a big effect.

32 psi is not low for idle. It's actually a little bit high. Maybe not because of the FPR or pump, but because intake vacuum is low due to poor running. The FPR drops pressure to offset intake vacuum. Disconnect the vacuum line from the bottom of the FPR when measuring base fuel pressure. you should get ~36-37 psi. The engine probably keeps running with the filler cap off because it's running rich. On the TPS test, make sure that the TPS isn't indicating full throttle all of the time. There's a test in the FSM. You can do it at the ECU connection. Set your probes and move the throttle blade. For 77 there are three state - idle, WOT, and neither of those. You might be stuck on WOT. Then there's the basics of a tune-up - ignition timing, valve lash, air filter. Each little thing will make it run better. If the engine has been neglected, the small things can add up.

Since the temperature for failure is so low, apparently, you might try the opposite of the typical ignition module over-heat test. Instead of cooling the module, heat it up. Start the car, let it run, and blow hot air on the module with a heat gun or hair dryer. If it is the module, the engine should start running poorly or die pretty quickly. Looks like you're almost there. If it's not the module, and you're still getting spark when it dies, then that leaves the injection circuit. Maybe the ECU. Probably best to hope it's the module.

The site's acting weird and won't let me add to my last post so...I was going to add that the reason you don't get a spark is because the current through the coil is never shut off. That's also why the coil gets hot. Current flow is stuck on for some reason. Disconnecting the module will be informative. It does look a lot like a bad module.

The coil got hot just because the key was On? That would be short circuit somewhere after the negative post of the coil. The module could very well be shorted internally. That would heat up the coil and kill the spark, with the key On. Try disconnecting the blue and brown wire from the module and see if the coil still gets hot. If the coil only gets hot when the key is on and the module is connected but not when the module is disconnected that's a sign the the module is shorted/bad. Make sure though, that the blue wire is not shorted to ground anywhere on the way between the module and coil. That would cause the same symptoms.

I almost mentioned the GM HEI also. But I think that 1983 used the E12-92 module, as opposed to E12-80, which has a timing advance circuit, for emission purposes. Kind of like the dual point/pickup Z engines, controlled by a "thermo switch". It's doable, but he'd lose the advance circuit. Probably not a big deal but something to consider. Might be worth the $20 and time though, to just wire in an HEI module to confirm that the stock module is bad, then decide whether or not to spend the $100+ to get the replacement. If it's not the module, he's only out the $20.

Looks like Rockauto has one for ~$85. But with the ZX distributors there are other things that tend to break, like the stator magnet, or the pickup coil, or the bushings in the distributor (which can break the magnet). You might be wasting your money assuming it's the module. Have you checked the distributor for damage? Might be better off to just get a complete distributor. Also on Rockauto for not much more. In Post 30 you didn't mention if the key was on. With the remote starter you can turn the motor but not get spark if the key isn't on. Do the test with the wire first, that will tell you if the the parts after the module are working. Tapping the wire, you will be doing essentially what the module does.