Mark Maras

Grant83 What are your plans for the tank interior after cleaning? My tank was scrubbed with rock. It's nice & clean but prone to rust. ajmsforesters' oil treatment would work but raises several questions in my mind. The only cars I've heard of, that mix oil in the gas, have Wankel engines and they use 2-cycle oil but far less than a quart. After doing a little research, I have found that many restorers use POR 15 or RED-KOTE successfully as long as directions are carefully followed. I'm going to use one of these products to treat my tank. Has anyone, that has used these products, had any long term issues with them? I don't want to clean old sealer out of my tank in the future. Mark in Portland

PO of my 74 had a creative method for scrubbing the interior of the tank. He bought the car as a project, {still is} He pulled the tank, stripped it of all hardware, put in a "shovelfull" of clean crushed rock, sealed the holes and rolled it around the yard for a reported 4 hours. That probably included an hour of cleaning. I can verify the interior of the tank looks good and fuel system is clean.The engine runs good. I tend to believe his story. If nothing else he is creative. I'm now dealing with some of his less than successful ideas and probably will find more. Mark in Portland

Uni-Syns are cheap but it is possible to balance Sus by ear using a piece of hose and equalizing the pitch [note] of both carbs. I've done it succesfully but I was never sure I had it right until I dbl. checked the balance with a Uni-Syn. Mark in Portland

Jay, Thanks for that bit of info. My son's 12A RX7 is developing that same problem. Now I know where to look. Mark in Portland

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the club. Sounds like the front carb needs some attention.I don't know how knowledgable you are about SUs but there is plenty of info about them on this site. Do some research and then you will be able to diagnose the problem. Possible things to check; stuck nozzle in the choke-on position, float level, mixture wrong, etc. Do a complete tune-up before you attempt to balance the carbs and keep asking questions. The club members love to help. Mark in Portland

The short could be anywhere in that circuit, from the bulb sockets back to the power source including the ignition switch. Have you connected your ohm meter and wiggled the affected wire harness to see if the short circuit goes away? We will need to know what year you are working on to reference the wiring diagram. Mark in Portland

After following the previous suggestions, try lubricating the lock cylinder with graphite lock lube. I wouldn't use WD-40 or or any other penetrant on it. They can become sticky over time. Mark in Portland

Years ago I fought a high speed vibration in my 71. After replacing drive shaft & half-shaft u-joints as well as all the mounts, I finally took my drive shaft in to check the balance. Sure enough it was out of balance & ever so slightly bent. A retube & rebalance fixed it all. They couldn't balance the shaft with the cheap u-joints I installed. They had to installed Spicer u-joints to be able to balance it. No more vibration after that. Mark in Portland

Is the vibration relatable to wheel speed or drive shaft speed? Drive shaft speed is 3.5-4 times faster than wheel speed. In my experience, drive line vibration will sound and feel like an 800 lb. bumblebee attached to the car. Wheel vibration is much slower. You've felt it in an out of balance tire about 70mph. Half-shafts are wheel speed. Most high speed vibes will be found at the front of the drive-shaft or rear of the tranny. Mark in Portland

I'm not an expert on suspensions but I think you can achieve your wishes with bolt-ons. I upgraded a series I years ago. I dropped and stiffened the suspension with Mulholland springs, Bilnstein shocks and got what I wanted. Any coilover experts want to share their experience. Mark in Portland

Most suspension kits are indeed bolt on. Springs, shocks, sway bars & bushings are the standard items. Decide first how much you want to stiffen the ride and what height you want the car to be, then start asking questions. The throttle linkage pivot points should also be cleaned and lubed from the engine to the gas pedal.It's possible the P.O. Mickey-Moused the throttle linkage during the engine swap. Send Pics. Mark in Portland

Define sticking up & not laying down & what is your goal? Mark in Portland

sdaughtry We all like a little suspense, but an update would be greatly appreciated. Hoping to hear about the "Thrill of Victory" and what you discovered. Confession-This "Winter from Hell" has kept me from working on my Z. Any progress on a Z is good news. Mark in Portland

sdaughtry Assuming the NOS handle is identical to the old one, could the problem be the replacement door panel? I would remove the door panel and see if the handle will fit properly.Mark in Portland

conedodger What color are your plugs using an A.F. gauge? Mark in Portland

I doubt it, Looks like a removal tool only. I bought a tool back in the 70s that looked like a a pair of pliers They were flat in profile and had a groove that would barely grab a clip but they did work for stubborn clips. As I recall they were KW brand. I think that's the name. It was in a red blister pack. Oh hell, Now i have to dbl. chk. my memory, I'll see if I can find it for you. Mark in Portland Tool is probaly K-D not KW-Mark This is close to my old set. nationaltoolwarehouse.com Steck tools #STK21720 $18.00 I'll keep looking, Mark in Portland Got it, thetoolwarehouse.net Lisle tools Door handle clip removal pliers, #LIS35200 Mark in Portland

I've been thinking about those damned clips and I have a couple of more thoughts. Assuming that the clips are thin enough to fit in the groove in the shaft,[i would use the the originals], As i recall there is a beveled nylon washer between the handle & the panel. You may have to turn it around if it is taking up to much space or put a flat plastic washer in it's place. I'd probably make one of those. Mark in Portland

They definitely look lean to me. Richen it up until they are tan in color. If you can't get them tan we will need some info. Carbs or F.I.? How many miles on the plugs? Plug brand and #. Assuming you're using round tops, How many turns down are your mixture screws? The reason I ask is it will also give us an idea if your float levels are close. If this a F.I. system I will leave that to others who are more knowledgable than me. As always dbl. chk. the basics, valve adj., timing, etc. I'm hoping as the mixture gets richer the plug colors will even out. Mark in Portland

Another thought on installation. You might try installing the clip on the handle as mentioned before and wrap the installed clip with electrical tape just tight enough to hold the clip in place but still allow it to expand. Leave a long end on the tape so it can easily be removed. Mark in Portland

I've never tried the rag trick for installation. I think if you install the clip on the handle and hold it in place with a rag while you put the handle on, the rag may help hold the clip in place during installation. Let me know if it works, I'm always looking for new tricks. Mark in Portland

I have always installed the clip on the handle first. Allign the splines and give it a rap with your hand. Most of the time it goes on the first try. If it doesn't, watch out for a flying clip. Try ,try again. Mark in Portland

Zed Head Thanks for the correction about salt on the roads around Portland. I've lived here since 1970 and always "heard" that no salt is used. I guess they're splitting hairs and specifically talking about sodium chloride. Mark in Portland

grannyknot, I got the timing tab. Thanks again for your help and generousity. One more thing I can cross off the evergrowing to-do list. The repairs are going slower, this winter, than originally planned but being from Toronto you don't want to hear my petty rant about occaisional snow in Portland. I do miss not driving a Z in the snow, It was so much fun and they don't use salt on the roads here. Next year I'll be enjoying the snow from the inside of my Z. Mark in Portland

Typically if the ring gear is going bad, you'll hear a terrible noise. The fact that it occasionally works when you jump it tells me that there is an electrical problem in the car not the starter. Lack of full power to the solenoid on the starter could do it. I'd clean all elec. connections including grounds on that circuit and check for full voltage to the starter solenoid. Mark in Portland

I've never tried anything aftermarket but the problem probably lies in the stiffness & possibly the diameter. The stiffness would likely bind up the nozzles when the choke is used and cause them to stick and eventually wear. My only source for them has been Ztherapy. Go for the good ones. One less thing to worry about. Mark in Portland