Captain Obvious

Got any pics of what you did?

Sounds like something that would happen to me. Measure once, cut twice, I always say! In any event, glad you got it together. Another crisis averted. And I bet that after being compressed for a while, the next time you have to mess with the bar (if there is a next time) it'll be a lot easier since the bushings will take some compression set.

Seeing as how it was in the context of the strut work, I'm positive they meant collapsing one coil (to lower the car).

Yeah, I'd just get some longer bolts and call it a day. And I don't see any problem with that. I'm not a suspension guy, but I don't see it as a particularly strenuous application. The bushings will deform and limit the force on those bolts. You guys fighting and struggling to get the nut started and pre-squishing stuff with wood blocks and jacks... What's the point? Haha! Is it really worth the fight? Just get some longer bolts! My car came from my PO with new links. I have no idea where he got them, but the bolts are plenty long enough. I've got maybe a half inch of threads I have to traverse before the nut even contacts the back of the washer. Once the nut is tight, I've got maybe an inch of threaded length sticking out the back of the nut. And so what? As for the lengths front vs rear, I've had all mine off for suspension work, but I didn't compare lengths of anything between front and rear. I just kept everything with the end of the car they came from. I can tell you though that my rear bolts are plenty long as well.

So you don't even have the fourth bushing or washer on and it looks like that? Yeah, something's not right. About the possibility that you mixed up front and rear... You could just compare bolt and spacer lengths from the two baggies. Maybe they got the wrong parts in the bags? If it's not a parts mix-up between the two bags, then your thought about just getting a longer bolt is probably the simplest solution. So where did you get the kit? Do they have anything to say about the problem?

Haha! Thanks for the laugh. Reaffirms that I'm not the only one that does stupid crap like that even when I know better! Ever have someone else helping you and watching over your shoulder and tell them "Never do this." as your doing this? Glad you got to the bottom of the problem!

Excellent! So with the aluminum trim bezel not restricting the needle, what happens when you short the yellow to the black at the tank? Time for another beer! Hey, I really like working with you!! !!

Haha!! Glad you came up with the reference! I was starting to think that I threw that one out there and it was going to go completely unaccounted for! Was that three hours of bouncing off the front and rear of the cars parked in line with you?

Phew. Good. Been a while since I looked into any of this and I was hoping I was remembering it right! At the risk of going off the geek end, here's a pretty good description (I think) of how the gauge works. It's not a Z (Jeep I think), but I believe the principals are the same: The new Gauge Page

I was wondering this same thing myself. I've heard about others cutting a slot in the brake line bracket to allow the hard line to slip through the slot so you don't have to open the fluid part of the system to get the caliper off the strut, but I've never seen pics of such a modification. I was hoping that someone who has done this would chime in with their experiences?

I don't think the yellow is supposed to have a steady supply. I think the blinking is part of the way the gauge works. There is a bi-metallic strip in the gauge (kinda like your thermostat in your house) that makes and breaks the current to the sender as the strip is heated and cooled. If you ground the yellow wire back at the sender, the gauge should read F. But it won't happen immediately. The gauge response is pretty slow. Ground it and wait thirty seconds and then look at the gauge maybe?

Is that the Morris that's in constant danger by being crushed by a piano?

If there's no vacuum advance at idle, it's operating exactly as designed. It's known as a "ported" vacuum signal and it's supposed to peak right off idle at light cruise pedal position. Here's some discussion and theory about such things: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/electrical-s30/44790-ignition-timing-theory-port-source-vs-manifold-source.html

The device inside the red box is called your anti-backfire valve. It has three ports: Clean air IN from the air cleaner by way of the air pump. That's the largish hose on the left. Clear air OUT to the manifold when called for. That's the largish hose on the right. Control vacuum line, That's the small line that goes to the balance tube. The device's function is that when manifold vacuum gets very high (as sensed by the control line on the balance tube) the valve will open and allow air to pass through the valve into the balance tube. It's function is to dilute an overly rich mixture that occurs under high RPM deceleration conditions. See manual EC (emissions control) section.

The reason the manuals don't match your car is that someone has already converted your car from the original flat top carbs to one of the earlier years with the round tops. You'll need to use the earlier manual for the carbs and the 73 for everything else. As for the round thing near the carb... Can you be a little more descriptive? What direction is "in front"?

I wouldn't worry about the height yet. No glass or seats or anything else in the interior for that matter. What about gas tank and differential? Spare tire? I'm thinking you're going to be adding hundreds of pounds before your done, so I wouldn't worry until you have it loaded and then see where you're at.

Did you verify that the bushings are completely down in the receiving grooves on the rack? When I did my poly, the bushings were not a very good fit and I had to shave down the inside corners on the bushings to get them to sit well against the rack. Here's the details if you haven't seen it already: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/suspension-steering-s30/51640-steering-rack-disassembly-refurb.html Does the slit in the bushing close up before you clamp it? Remember, the bushings are supposed to be tight as that's what keeps the rack locked in place. There's not supposed to be any play and the poly should be compressed some upon assy, but if those bushings don't fit down in the slots right, there will be too much crush and the bushings will deform in directions you don't want.

I'm not so sure it's that easy. There were other changes made between 77 and 78 with respect to the fuel pump control and FI control relays. The 77 uses the dual relay above your left knee, while the 78 uses separate relays over on the bracket by the battery. The one that used to hold the voltage regulator. I'm not sure which harness those relays connect to... The main engine bay harness, or the engine bay harness.

Ewwwwwwww! Nasty! You ever figure out where the water was getting in?

The flow of suggestions and ideas is clearly bidirectional! No oops there! :laugh:

Edited... Just re-read your post and what I think is a typo threw me for a loop. You meant to say that the harness has no such connector nor (any?) cut wires, right? If that's the case, then I'm with the rest of the crowd. You got one from a 78, not a 77.

The "SAE 30R6" code number is also an indication. That 30R6 is not rated for FI. For the pressure side, you want "SAE 30R9". Here's some info from Goodyear Fuel Hose | Goodyear® Engineered Products :: The 30R6 and 30R7 are fine for the return side since they're under no significant pressure, but the pressure side needs to be rated for FI. BTW - Yikes! :paranoid:

Well you do know that some of this is your fault, right? I was just trying to get a spare in there that worked, but then you go and tell me about how you lowered your wood deck floor for more room. Now I have to do that too. I was happy with just a reliable spare before you went and did that!!

Lenny, Was just thinking about you today and wondering when you might start to find time in the shop again. So you say that Bob's AFM has an offset that would make his car run rich? Couple questions... First, you're talking about an offset in the "airflow to resistance curve" right? Bob's takes less air than normal to move the vane? (Mechanically speaking, he's got a spring loose?) Second, you've measured enough AFM's to be able to spot an outlier? If so, that's fantastic! That means you've got enough data to identify what "normal" looks like???

I have no doubt the final parts were chosen based on test results. In fact, I guarantee it. Look at the resistors below the burned diode. See those metal stands with the resistors soldered to them? Notice how most of them have two resistors soldered to each stand (putting the two resistors in parallel)? Notice how one of them is always a significantly higher value (order of magnitude) than the other? The reason for that is... You put the lower value in place and then tweak the value down a little more by soldering a higher value resistor in parallel with the first based on test results. The lower value is "standard" and is probably the same on all the ECUs of the same generation, but I bet the higher value resistors change from one ECU to the next as determined on a test fixture at the factory.