BoldUlysses

Thanks for the input. I'll see what I can find. The threads on the plugs I have are really close. I may just use them since there's not going to be anything in the manifold galleries anyway. Good discussion. So earlier Zs had a "bypass line;" it just didn't go through the manifolds? Looks like I need a peek until the hoods of some of the local guys' '71s and '70s. The consensus seems to be that the thermostat needs to have a small (~1/4") hole in it to circulate coolant to avoid hot spots in the head. I just replaced the thermostat, and I remember it had a small hole in it already with a kind of one-way check valve: I'll pull off the thermostat cover tonight and make sure the check valve allows coolant to flow in the correct direction (from the radiator into the engine?). If so, I'll button things up and call it a day.

So my 7/72 build 240 has the coolant passages in the E88 manifolds to warm up the carbs. Seeing as how this car will never see temperatures below, say, 50°, I'd like to block them off and clean up the engine bay. To that end, I've removed the hoses and the pipe that goes around the back of the cylinder head. On the spark plug side of the block, I've capped the Y-pipe outlet with a rubber plug. Today I bought a set of brass screws to plug the intake manifold and t-stat housing ports. The (generally knowledgeable) counter guy at CarQuest seemed to think it was an SAE thread size; however, they don't seem to fit. Questions: 1. Will I damage my engine by tying off the system? I suppose all the coolant will be flowing through the heater core now as opposed to being split off at the Y-pipe. 2. Does anyone know the thread size/pitch for the manifold passages? I'm going to go back tomorrow and it'd be helpful to have a number to reference. Thanks!

Man...I need to get my car's balance tube ground down. I hate all the extra bumps and bosses from the removed emissions stuff. The whole setup looks awesome!

Good idea. Done. Bump for new poll!

I echo the thanks for a great site, Mike. I'm an "immigrant" of sorts from another Z forum, and this is a good place to be. Back when I owned a Volvo 940, I was on the Turbobricks forum. They finance the site by bundling additional forum perks (custom user title, pictures in sigs, etc) with a paid membership. Just an idea.

Right; but you didn't leave the compressed air hooked up the whole time, did you? I was just thinking about leaving the wires in the whole time, as you suggested, but only blowing compressed air in for the first, say, 6-7 hours or so.

POR-15 recommends 4 days before putting fuel in, so I'm going to give it that. Good to know about the lack of a screen/sock as well. I like the thick wire + compressed air trick. How long did you leave the compressed air hooked up? Thanks!

Understood. I'll just fill the bowls and call it a day, then. Thanks! Now to figure out how to apply the fuel tank sealer without clogging the tank intake screen/sock (if there is one)... Sigh. Onward.

Plan to do that, but won't the car just stumble and die until the lines, pump and fuel filter are filled? The objective is to avoid any break in fuel supply.

Getting ready to start the car in the next week or so. I want to give the engine its best shot to fire up on the first dozen or so cranks. That said, what's the best way to prime the fuel system with my (new) mechanical pump? Can I remove the valve cover and actuate the pump lever by hand until fuel makes its way to the carbs? Or is there a better/easier way?

I used to own a BMW 635CSi with a prominent badge on its trunklid. I was against debadging altogether on the grounds that "It's one of the classic/storied BMWs and I should proudly display that!" until somebody pointed out that really, the folks who know cars will know what it is without the badge, and I know what it is, and why clutter up the outside of the car to advertise that fact? Kinda feel the same about the Z. The way I see it, there will always be knuckleheads out there who will mistake it for something else even WITH the badge (likely 'cause they're not close enough to the car to see it), so I'd rather just clean up the outside. So I'm really leaning toward not reinstalling the trunklid emblems. As for the others, as mentioned, they're design elements and work with the car's lines, so they'll stay.

This. I run a blog with Google Adsense and chances are the forum admins have absolutely no control over what's being displayed beyond basic settings like text only, text/image, or image only. If we had a random forum visitor that Google had detected had visited a lot of say, gardening-related sites, there would be gardening-related ads shown in that space. 'Tis how it works.

Would you do it? If so, how far would you take it? Still in the process of getting my Z running, but thinking ahead to the eventual body restoration, and which badges I'll reinstall after the paintwork is done. - The front roundel's definitely going back on. - I like the fender "Datsun" badges because they provide a visual "reference point" for the lower part of the fender. - The "Z" vents in the C-pillars will stay. They're alright. - The hatch I'm not so sure. I like identifying the car as a 240 beyond just the bumpers, but it just seems kind of busy and fussy. I might leave that off.

Buncha guys from my local group are headed to this. Y'all have fun! My Z's in pieces...

Carl— Thanks for clearing that up. Good tips, Steve. I'll look up your thread. LEDs aren't really considered by the BMW world because of the cars' self-monitoring systems—if resistance in a circuit drops too low (either by a light out or installing LEDs), a dash warning trips on. But our Zs don't have that "protection." Good to know. I might do that just to get the car running. Will definitely replace the fusebox in the long run. . The OE fusebox is trashed, cover melted, etc... Good points about the temper, though.

I was going to ask about that but I didn't want to pepper you guys with too many questions. Awesome—I'll look into that for sure. Why would the fuse terminal get so hot if I didn't have a wiring issue? Heat = too much current = short somewhere. Right?

Removed the condenser, compressor, etc, some time ago and just cut the lines leading into the cabin. This weekend I finally ripped out the evaporator. Was dealer-installed. You pay shipping and it's yours. Additional question: Was there some sort of block-off plate for the air inlet to the blower motor if A/C wasn't present? For the life of me I can't find the parts diagram that shows the A/C system...

It's been this way for some time (back when the car was last driving—in '04). Now I'm finally addressing it. The dash/parking lights wouldn't come on, and the culprit was the fuse you see. The metal part wasn't broken, but the left end was corroded and melted, which caused the break. I replaced it with a new one, and immediately smelled burning and the terminal area was too hot to touch. Do I have a short somewhere in the dash/parking light circuit? If so are there any typical places to look? I can fix mechanical stuff, but electrics are a bit of a black art to me. Hence the reason I'm restoring a Z and not something with Lucas electrics.

Hey over here, Brandon. I didn't know you sold the 510??? But maybe that's old news... Stunning E21!

Bump. Been doing a lot of searching and most folks say the consensus is that it's a crapshoot which length MC piston you'll get when ordering. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason with respect to the model year of Z. The standard "fix" is to reuse the old MC piston, but mine is long gone. Looks like I'll just have to call the parts guy and have them measure the rod and make sure it's 3/4" or so longer than the one I have. Wish there was some way to tell conclusively which one I'd get when ordering, though.

Well, the Z's not going to be my daily, which helps with both concerns about door dings and tire wear. Weekends and occasional commutes to work will be its main functions. I do want to lower it around an inch, though.

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, my original MC is long gone, so that's no longer an option... As mentioned, some years back I replaced it with the shorter piston unit and drove it like that for a while before the car was parked. Now I want to get the RIGHT part.

Back in the day I bought a clutch MC from my FLAPS whose piston was too short. The pedal was never able to return to the stop and the clutch never felt like it was totally disengaging. My car is a 7/72 build, right on the cusp for some changes so maybe I think I ordered the wrong one? Anyways, which do I need? Can I order, say, a '71 or a '73/'74 just to be safe? As information, I'm ordering the MC, slave and lines as a set. Thanks.

Stunning! There's no more beautiful engine (and yes, that includes our L2Xs).

Gorgeous E34! The M-pars and M-sport mirrors really set it off. Are you over on Bimmerforums? Your username looks vaguely familiar...