rossiz

@ gnosez: beautiful car - love the look, but i'm thinking of something a little different, maybe send the twins through the valence w/an escutcheon trim ring, kinda like i've seen on old jags/corvettes/mustangs. the concept is evolving the more i look at what other folks have done. lots of great inspiration out there. @ mark: yes, now that the bugs are getting worked out and the car is starting/running really well, it's time to move on to other more fun projects. i think it's becoming obvious that the goal really isn't to "finish" but to enjoy the build/re-build... if i didn't want projects, i could have happily bought a new car. actually, i was originally looking at the new scion frs/subaru brz before i bought the z, and i caught myself thinking about how i would re-do the front end, re-do the rear end, re-make the grille, all to give it a more "classic/old-school" look... so i figured why not just start w/a classic?? way more fun!

great topic - can i shamelessly piggyback onto this, and broaden it a little? my 78 280 doesn't have a/c and i was wondering if anyone has come up with an efficient, modern retrofit, maybe something from another small car that could drop in? i'd run it in the summer and pull the belt off in the cooler months, wire in a switch in the dash and have it be otherwise invisible.

already leaned it out a few teeth and it's running well. interestingly, plugs for 1 & 2 are showing slightly lean, while 5 & 6 are slightly rich, and 3 & 4 look good - i'm thinking my injectors are not providing a balanced flow. been wanting to replace them, as they are original and the engine was running really dirty before i got it (stuck pcv valve and lots of nasty crud going into the manifold). but of course when i replace the injectors, i might as well do that fuel rail i've been thinking about, and while i'm in there it'll be time to pull the manifold and clean it up and new gasket, then of course while i have the intake off, it makes sense to pull the exhaust manifold and replace the broken studs, which of course would be the time to install that 6-1 header, and with the new exhaust outlet it only follows that the dual-exhaust system gets done, which means cutting out the spare tire well and moving the tank over, and modifying the rear valence panel... hmmm... sounds like fun!

how 'bout some of these: 1. terrible leaky doors: door seals around windows put in backwards 2. ace hardware crimps all over the wire harness 3. kept a rock in the car to chock the wheel at stop (no e-brake cable) 4. filled egr port w/jb weld because egr base was cracked 5. block heaters put in place of freeze plugs, wired with a 220 dryer cable to a 4-gang surface mount commercial outlet box which was sheet-metal screwed to engine bay 6. broken antenna mast wrapped in duct tape (inside the interior body panel - actually replaced the body panel, rivets and all after this "repair")

HA!! i have looked, touched, sniffed and listened to no avail, but even though they look delicious i'm reticent to ingest anything that is randomly excreted from my vehicle... call me squeamish, i'm good.

ever since i got the car, i've had these "things" falling out of my heater vent from time to time - usually land on my left foot and roll around on the carpet. they look like big cheerios, sort of a hardened oatmeal consistency, crumble to dust if you aren't careful picking them up. they are about 3/4" or so in diameter, and there have been probably 8 or 10 of them that have plunked out over the past few months, more at first, now only rarely. one fell out this afternoon and i have no idea what they are. could a mysterious gremlin be living in my hvac system and pooping out these things?? or are they dead tribbles??

adjusted valves last weekend and the gasket tore a bit, so needed to go back in to replace it. we used the "cold" spec when adjusting, but the engine was still a little warm and i went back for a quick check while i was in there. got the engine right up to good & hot then got my feeler gauge handy. turns out 7 of the 12 were tight, so i spent 10 min. w/the crowsfoot and torque wrench and now she's all good. prior to the valve adjust i got some low compression readings, and was wondering about the condition of the cylinders. ordered an inexpensive wifi borescope online and it had just arrived, so i poked around inside the spark plug holes and took a few pictures. it was pretty cool to be able to see the piston tops and i was excited to see that the cross-hatch pattern was still visible on the cylinder walls on a +35 yr old engine with 148K miles on it! it's not a professional grade tool, but you can clearly see the dished pistons and the carbon patterns. the camera head is a little big, so there's limited mobility once it's in the hole, but i'm happy for $70. in celebration i decided to treat her to a little valve cover polish - a half hour of sanding and a few minutes on the wheel and presto! shiny bits :} only problem is now that manifold is suddenly looking shabby by comparison...

no cars worth posting - other than the z of course... built 43 one a while back: custom frame, bodywork, exhaust, gsxr front end, ducati ds1000 engine and supersport swing arm. pulled off the efi and set up an msd ignition off the layshaft pulley, then fit a pair of flatslide carbs on it. 335 lbs with a full tank of gas - it has an intense desire to rotate about its rear axle in the first 3 gears... 42 is a slightly less extensive build, donor bike was 2006 ducati sport classic, custom fairing, exhaust, gsxr front end, seat/tail and a few other bits. this one is my touring rig - have another seat that will accommodate my wife. we do 1,000 - 2,000 mile trips every summer. great fun!

nice! looks super clean. i remember having soooo much fun in my mom's '74 mg midget back in high school - the little car effect: felt like you were doing 80 all the time, even when you were doing 40 ;}

the bcdd is pretty simple - the cover pops off and you will see the contacts. the housing has 2 screws in slotted holes, so you can loosen the screws and twist the housing back/forth to adjust exactly when the little plastic cam profile opens/closes the contacts. set the revs to ~1200 and twist/adjust until the off-idle contacts just open. the wot adjustment is locked to the plastic cam profile, so it's really just the off-idle adjustment that needs done. oh, and i forgot a few other "creature comforts" - i wired a usb port in the ashtray (perfect place to hold the iphone) and an aux input for the stereo in the center blank-off plate between the seatbelt light and the flasher light.

@ blue: aw shucks... @ zeros: anytime. @ obvious: i will be in philly for my nephew's graduation in a couple of weeks - coffee?? @ mark: DD for sure - and my daughter is coming around... the cool factor is slowly winning over the "adventure" aspect (read as: we may need to walk home) @ cone: small children and woodland creatures beware - the z is on the prowl. creature comforts are pretty basic - put in a set of seat heaters when i re-upholstered the seats, a ton of sound mat in the floor/roof + mass-back carpet to keep it quiet, and a decent little stereo. just trying to civilize the DD as much as possible to maximize the "jekyll & hyde" effect

first off, i have to say it's really great to have such a committed (and knowledgeable) group of z enthusiasts to help out - thanks to all for the thoughtful replies. second, a big thanks to philip (blue) for taking the time to come and lay hand to spanner for the afternoon! turns out by some stroke of great fortune, he was in seattle on business and had a free afternoon (go figure!) so he came by yesterday and we tore into the z. it was so great to have someone so completely familiar with these cars - he really knows his way around the engine bay. interestingly the whirring has resolved itself - could it have been something on the clutch that re-seated/burned back in with a bit more use? the world may never know... there is now a light whistling noise that appears right around 3k rpms under load in first and second - not sure if it's tranny or exhaust leak, but it doesn't seem to be affecting operation and you really have to listen for it. on friday i had done a bunch of compression tests (cold, hot, squirt of oil to help rings) and the results were quite disappointing: cold: 150, 135, 125, 135, 130, 140 Hot: 150, 135, 130, 135, 138, 140 oil: 150, 140, 135, 135, 140, 150 philip walked me through a valve adjustment, which was shockingly easy. i can't believe how simple and robust the top end is on this engine. the whole thing was done in 20 min. and several valves were out of spec. i can see doing this regularly as it really is a no-brainer. i'm used to doing valves on a ducati desmo (bucket shims, dual lobes per valve, tiny, tight clearances, working upside down, etc.) and this is really a walk in the park. anyone with a pair of combi-wrenches, a feeler gauge and a crowsfoot for final torque can knock this out in a half hour on their first try. the good news: after the valves were back in spec the new compression numbers were: 170, 161, 150, 160, 160, 160 :classic: i believe #3 has an issue with rings or valve seal, but at 150 i'm not too worried for the time being. i'm going to pick up or make a spring compressor and then replace all the seals at some point. we then sorted the distributor timing, revised some mis-matched vacuum lines, tuned the AFM, adjusted the BCDD setpoints, cleaned a few ground connections and did a few test runs. the z is running quite strong now, enough so that mr. blue left a couple of nice black stripes at the stop sign near my house we then grabbed a celebratory bite to eat and geeked out about crazy mod ideas and all sorts of projects we have hatching in the background. all in all, an awesome weekend!

i will put her up on jack stands so i can listen from underneath and try working the clutch to see if there's any change. just out of curiosity - is there anything up top under the valve cover that could be injured and whining?

Only revved up to 55K. Popped the clutch a little hard between 1st & 2nd and something felt funny - like something let go... Then I turned off the key and coasted to a stop to read the plugs. When I started her back up the noise was there, and I figured it was the alt.

not the distributor, can't be the water pump (no belt, it wasn't turning) i found this exploded view and i'm just scratching my head about what could be making this happen - nothing LOOKS like it would do that.

also - i tried using my handy-dandy new mechanic's stethoscope, and while it's cool to listen to the injectors clicking, the valve train and whatnot, i couldn't seem to get any reading on the whirring sound. tried all over the engine, front to back, including the clutch bell housing, nothing conclusive. i have a new water pump coming ($30, easy job, prob. not a bad idea to do that anyways)

so i ran it without the belt and it still makes the whirring sound - easier to pick it out with no fan noise. the pitch of the sound follows revs and it's got me mighty worried. the whole thing started after i did a high-rev shift from 1st to 2nd and i definitely felt an "event" in the engine - not any kind of horrific clunk or anything, but definitely something that made me think "wtf just happened??" then the alternator issues ensued, so i figured the alt blew up and that was that. sounds to me like it's coming from the mid/back of the engine bay - could it be clutch related? oddly, the car seems to be down on power - kind of feels a little wheezy/breathless. doesn't really feel like the clutch is slipping though... i took this video to capture the sound - don't watch, just listen (you'll get seasick as i move the phone all around the engine bay to try and pinpoint where it's coming from)

mjr45 - sorry i didn't see your question, been otherwise occupied w/different z issues ;} i filed the rolled lip all the way around - took off maybe 1/32" of material is all to get down to the retainer. 5 min. job glad you found a solution that's working for you though! Geoff

@ Blue: i live in magnolia - by discovery park, commute to the east side for work. are you visiting? your avatar shows canada... let me know if you have the time/inclination to meet up, as i'd be happy to buy you a cup of coffee and ask a few questions

thanks for the replies - a little clarification: - the whirring/whining sound started right after the second big "load test", accompanied by the alternator acting up (original belt tension) - new alternator, new belt, (new tension) the sound is still there and i'm pretty sure it's NOT coming from the new alternator - no AC, only belt is going around crank/fan/alt - noise seems to be coming from mid-to-rear of engine, not up front my big concern is how the power seems to have dropped - not sure what i may have done to my poor little z... i will pick up a stethoscope from HF on the way home and run it w/out any belt (fan noise is distracting anyway) to try and better locate noise

monday afternoon i was fiddling with the AFM to lean out the mixture - my wife was driving behind me and said the car smelled very rich and was "making smoke" when i would accelerate. popped plugs - a little dark, some oil on a couple of them, leaned out the AFM via the spring wheel/gear by 4 teeth, took it up the street to a long gradual hill for a load test. from stop i punched it up to 5K in first, then second up to 5K then clutch in, turn off key, coast to stop, check plugs, lean out some more. did this twice - on the second time, i revved to 5,500 and the brake light came on (odd) right before i turned off the key. when i started her up, there was a strange whining/whirring sound - thought it might be the alternator. the charge gauge started acting a little erratic and a couple of my relays were buzzing (the one under the passenger seat, and one up under passenger footwell). i took out the crusty, 35 yr. old alt. and figured i'd take it apart to see if it needed some TLC - it basically disintegrated in my hands. so, new alt. and belt went in last night and refreshed the connections. she started fine and charge gauge looks normal (all the way to right), but i still have that strange whirring/whining sound, almost seems like it's coming from my valve cover area... quick test drive and she feels down on power, a little breathless, and i hear a high-pitch almost whistling sound inside the cabin. i'm worried i damaged something on the load tests... any thoughts? i'm afraid to take her to work this morning for fear it might be a tow truck home, and i certainly don't want to have a major catastrophe if i need to replace a part before it grenades inside the engine. just when she was starting to run really well, go figure. thanks in advance, geoff

thanks for this link - i've been looking for this stuff for a while, looks like they have it all!

so what i discovered is a weakness in the relay design that actually can cause it to lose connection at the contacts if the spade is flexed at all. the spades are held in a plastic base, which is flexible. the other end of the spades (inside the box) are the stationary contacts - this is where the problem is. the gap between the stationary contacts (spades) and the moving contacts (the ones pulled by the solenoid) is fairly precise, as the solenoid throw is quite short. if there is any sideways pressure on the spade, it pivots about the plastic base and the contact gap changes. with my relays, the moving contacts had such a close tolerance to the two static contacts that a fairly light push would open the gap enough to break the connection. i figured this out by fiddling with the brand new relay with the cover off and the engine running - i was able to pinpoint the exact spade that flexed causing the engine to die. since there are 6 fairly thick wires going to the plug, they are pretty stiff when bundled/taped together and if they aren't bent so the plug attaches to the relay straight on, there's some "spring back" to the wire bundle and in my case it was pulling just enough to cause the relay to be intermittent. to ZCurves: it's the EFI relay - located in the engine bay under the fusible links. i moved all my relays to inside the cabin, on the firewall under the fan on the passenger side to get them out of the elements. it works great, but the space is a bit tighter than the stock location so my wires were a little bit contorted - hence the strain on the plug and subsequent issues. i'm not sure if this would be an issue in the stock location unless the wires get messed with/pulled on for some reason. to FW: i shall take full responsibility for this problem, as i did the re-wire - so the car gets a pass this time i will take back my previous rant (well, at least some of it) and keep an open mind about the EFI system. for now it seems to be functioning pretty well. i still plan on replacing the injectors and fuel rail when i put in a header, hopefully later this summer when cash allows. this should clean up the engine bay and hopefully reduce the hot-start issue. thanks again to all for the prompt and helpful replies. Geoff

Mike, Thanks for the reply - no worries, take care of yourself and get healthy. Let us know when you/your partners are ready to get back into it and I'm sure there will be a few orders coming your way to get things rolling again. Geoff