Captain Obvious

Well as luck would have it, I just may be able to make it to Austin after all. No promises, but my Z buddy Gary (who went to Toronto with me) and I have been hatching a plan for us both to go... My wife (with the prospect of getting rid of me for almost a week), has offered to use her frequent flier miles to get me a plane ticket. And in an incredible stroke of good luck, Gary has a brother who lives in Austin who says he would put he and I up for the duration. So there is still plenty of time for this whole thing to fall apart, but I might just make it! Things to do before the trip: Make sure my wife gets me a round trip ticket. Practice my Y'alls. Figure out how to keep Cliff and Gary apart, because the two of them together is probably trouble. Listen to Degüello and Tres Hombres at full volume. At least twice. Pack my suit and sunscreen for Hippie Hollow.

Haha!! I see what you did there.

I want to be done with it too. In fact, I'm so sick of the heater core stuff that I've been working on an alternative for my 77. I didn't mention it before because the project isn't done yet, but I just jumper the gun and started a thread about it. http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/56726-heater-core-alternative-escort-core-into-260280/ Unfortunately, I have no 240 experience and no idea if something like this would work on your 240. Want to send me a 240 heater box for experimentation?

This past spring the heater core in my 77 was leaking, so I bought a NOS aftermarket heater core off ebay as a replacement. I pressure tested it on the bench before installation and everything looked fine, so I put it in. Unfortunately, joy was short lived and by the end of the summer, the new one that I just put in was leaking. Again. Direct drop in cores are getting hard to find, and are expensive, so I started messing around with alternatives. I've been reluctant to mention it because the project isn't done and until the T's are dotted and the I's are crossed, there's the chance that something will come up that kills the whole idea. However, I'm going to jump the gun a little and mention it here just in case other 260/280 owners are getting ready to drop cash on a new heater core. Heater core for a 91-02 Ford Escort SOHC (not the ZX2). The heater core is aluminum, and the one I got was Spectra Premium P/N 94741. So with the caveat that there is still the chance that I'll run into an insurmountable detail and this may not really work for some reason, here's a teaser of something I've been working on. The box is done and has been sitting on the bench for a couple of weeks. I'm going to pull my dash this off season to finish the work, but here is where I am right now. And I have no idea if this idea would even work for the 240's, but this is what I've got. Aluminum heater core for a Escort with a layer of foam around the outside for a snug fit: Build a little shelf for the Escort core to sit on. Since the Escort core is a little thinner, it allowed me to move the core up a little so it doesn't interfere with the floor duct control linkages at the bottom of the heater box (like the stock one does). Aluminum angle material screwed into place as a lower support shelf: Escort core in place before putting on the access panel cover. Can't see it in the pic, but it's resting on the new aluminum shelf on the far side: With access cover in place and tubes poking through new holes I cut in the cover. Tape over the original holes so air doesn't come out where it's not supposed to. There's also another support shelf on the inside of the cover as well and if you look carefully, you can see the heads of the screws that hold the shelf in place: I need to pull the dash to finish the project and figure out how to make the hoses work, but I'm confident I should be able to figure something out. I'll post more pics of that process when I get the dash pulled.

Well the project looks great, and I'm really looking forward to testing out those bottle openers.

Nice. I often find it's the little things like that which really add to driving satisfaction.

I've always been curious about the CA inspection... With a car this old, how do they verify the visual inspection? Is there a reference picture in an old greasy notebook somewhere they compare to or what?

I just went through this last spring. I bought a NOS aftermarket heater core off ebay to replace my leaker. But before I put the replacement in. I pressure tested it on the bench. I would run it higher than the release pressure on the cap, but I wouldn't take it over about 20 psi. Over 20 and you start to bulge the end caps out. I think if you keep it in the high teens, you should be OK. As for my heater core saga... The NOS replacement held pressure overnight on the bench, so I swapped it into position in the car. Drove like that this past summer, and by the end of the summer, the new one that I just put in was leaking. Farqing bastages.

OK... You have just crossed over into the realm of waaaaaay too much time on your hands. You spend all summer working outside, so in the winter you're bored out of your skull with cabin fever?

Yeah. Pics or it didn't happen. Have you ever tried using stone knives and bearskins?

Cool. I wouldn't have thought they rolled stuff that small either. Thanks for the link!

Yup, like that. I would go a little more with the bulge. Essentially do what you can try to recreate the shape of the bulges on the original fuel and coolant lines. Out of curiosity, does anyone know what process was used to form the original bulges? Were they hydro-formed?

My local far east supermarket has on the shelf in the meat dept "Beef for stir-fly". I was gonna say something, but didn't want to risk pissing someone off. Nice work on the radio stuff. I gotta ask though... Couldn't you have come up with something a little less conductive than building that whole thing on a piece of sheet metal? I know the stock radio chassis is sheet metal too, but didn't they at least put a piece of insulating material in there between the back of the board and the chassis?

My PO did the same thing with the slight single outward flare on the fuel lines and it was a pain in the tuchus. Difficult to get the rubber started over the flare, and cut up the inside of the tube over time. What I found worked a lot better was partially formed bubble flare. Do step one of a bubble flare, but don't push it out quite as far. Just enough to get a bulge that will keep the hose clamp from slipping off.

Well after digging into the MSDS literature for this stuff, I think I learned something interesting... The Marine Weld in the little tubes (they call it the twin tubs) looks to be the exact same stuff as the regular JB Weld. Same color, same strength, same MSDS. But the Marine Weld PUTTY is a different animal. So if you're all running out to purchase a blister pak of the twin tube version of Marine Weld thinking that it's going to be different than regular JB Weld, then you're in for a surprise. This stuff appears to be the same as regular JB Weld: But the putty form is different.

I met both of you, and am friends with both. The commutative property suggests that you and he are friends even if you haven't met.

Wow! You must have wanted to get the heck out of the garage something fierce!! You went from pink into purple.

In theory, a gasket is never required at that location, because there should never be brake fluid at that seam in the first place. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you've got a master cylinder problem.

Wait, wait, wait... So is that a Tree Forty or a Tree Sixty?

You're not worthy.

Haha!! That's awesome! Did it miss the front suspension cross member, or is the steering rack growing right through it?

Cool. If I'd have slathered that stuff on, I'd need to add some additional dash mounting points to support the weight. I'm picturing a cable from the clock up to the rear view mirror mounting screws...

Dash continues to look good. Buttload of work, but looks good! So how does the weight of the dash compare to the original? Noticeable increase?

If you're looking for a performance mod, I would pull the stock 2.7 liter v6 and drop in a 2.8 liter in-line 6-cylinder. Nissan made a nice torquey 2.8 that fits very well Only other suggestion would be to put aftermarket wheels on it. As for the hood being turbo or not... They used the same vented hood on all versions in 83. I don't know my ZX's enough to tell if that's an 83, but if it is, then that's the stock hood regardless if it's turbo or not.

Glad to help! I've used those trailers a grand total of thrice now. Once, as the apprentice, helping jfa.series1. Once, as the teacher, hauling my sons new car home. Once, as the supervisor, hauling my buddy's 260Z to the paint shop. Those hold down strap system is pretty sweet.