Ed

Depending on what grind cam you get, and your car's application (street or autocross) the higher compression would be better.

For a rust bucket basket case, $300 max! If he wants more move on. You can pickup a complete running car in bad shape but running for about $400-500. Good luck.

You should be able to use either head on the F54 block from the 82. If memory serves me tonight you should have a N42 head on your 77. The N42 has square exhaust ports. I can't remember what head is on the 82:stupid: (P79?) but I'm sure it has the round exhaust ports. So you should keep the exhaust manifold of whatever head your going to use. Another difference is the combustion chamber size. The N42 will give you a higher compression about 10.3:1. If you keep the original head I think you will be around 8.5:1. Personally I would do what Will suggested and drop the whole thing in, EFI, intake and exhaust manifold, distributor, the whole ball of wax. Alot less work for about the same performance. Ed

Hey Bill, Sorry about that, I wonder if it was the same punks? I keep asking myself why Z stuff? Anyway hope the cops can help you out. Be safe in whatever you decide to do.:bandit: Ed

Is a larger brake booster better? In my 72 it's about 8" in diameter and in my 73 it's about 10" in diameter.

As the car stands right now and given your description I would tend to agree that 5k is a little high. Is the reputable Z-car specialist going to fix the rust? How big are the holes on the inner fender? I would think that if there is rust there then there HAS to be rust elsewhere. Does the floorpan have "new" undercoating? What about the rear hatch? Has it been replaced with a later hatch?

I think your asking for an agrivated afternoon if you don't take out the exhaust. I did it once with the headers still on and even that got in the way. Do it right and remove the exhaust. You will be glad you did.

Depending on where you get it from. Drain the unit first. Inspect the drain plug. There is a magnet attached to the plug that should have all the metal "shavings" attached to it. Wipe it with your finger and then rub the residue between your finger and thumb. It should feel smooth almost like toothpaste. This is normal wear. Anything else like chunks of metal or coarse shavings would indicate an abused tranny.

You should be able to drop a 5 speed from any year Z up to 83. Should be a direct bolt on. Not sure about the driveshaft though. The tranny has a filler and drain plug just like the diff. Drain on the bottom and fill on the passenger side. No dipstick. And it does not share engine oil, it uses 80wt gear oil. :classic:

The time has come for me to strip and re-paint the my brake booster (the one on the firewall). I was wondering what to do about the decal. If I remove it with a heat gun will it go back with no problems? I don't want to mask it off cuz that just looks tacky. Has anyone removed a decal and reapplied it? Any suggestions? Thanks

Good to see someone actually putting his jack stands in the correct place! Even a piece of wood to protect the metal:D , Nice!

There is a rubber seal on the output shaft that seals the shaft to the bore. Your seal is no good. You can buy just the seal and replace it yourself. Make sure you clean the bore completely. If you have any corrosion on the bore face then you will need to get a new slave cylinder. I would recommend getting a new slave cylinder to be on the safe side.

Kind of unrelated but since your giving your girl a tune-up you should replace all the fluids too (radiator, tranny, diff).:classic:

MSA has a "kit" that includes NGk spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor, points (where applicable), and condenser (where applicable). Ed

This head has definately been "played" with. Both the intake and exhaust have been polished, the area around the valve has been unshrouded and smoothed out. To guess the chamber cc would be wrong since the chamber has been altered. The only way to calculate the chamber cc now would be to measure it again. Find a piece of clear plexiglass that would fit over the entire chamber a 4x4 inch piece would be enough. Drill a 1/4 inch hole in the center. Useing one of those chemistry set glass beakers(sp), one that has measures in ml. Fill it with 50ml. of water. Install the valves with one spring for some tension and a spark plug. Carefully pour the water into the chamber through the hole in the plexyglass. Subtract the difference to find your chamber cc. Nice work by the way. Too bad they didn't replace the intake valve seat while all that work was being done.

My turn to Edit: What James did was wrong. And he should burn in HELL.

The bouncing amp guage could be a problem with the Voltage Regulator, start by replacing it (especially if it's 30 yrs old). Have the alternator checked out or replace it if it's over 10 yrs old. How does the battery look? Is there any corroded build up on the terminals? Check your wireing especially at the connectors make sure they are all clean. It could also be your switch (the one on the steering column). Do a search and you should be able to come up with some more info on this. I remember a member here sucessfully taking his switch appart and fixing it. Good luck.

One difference that I can tell right off the bat is the factory restored ones had all it's bolts, lines, and engine hardware either replated or replaced with new. Like the fuel line for instance. You can tell that it's probably the original 30yr old line. I'm sure there would be many other differences but from what this guy describes about this car I would say it is worth the 10k he wants. Here is a pic of a factory engine:

Carl, not 100% sure but my 72 is the 110 with the black interior and as far as I can tell it is original.

Thats a nice looking car! Does anyone know what that decal is on the passenger side strut tower in the engine bay?

There are alot of good tools out there. It's all personal preference. Just make sure you get a lifetime guarantee with them. Usually you start with the basics, Metric and standard open end wrenches and a basic socket set in the 3/8 size.

I invested a cool $2,500 back in 1998 for a california car with very little rust. Since then I have put a lot more then my wife needs to know (close to 10,000):tapemouth. As she is right now all torn apart she should be worth atleast 15K (not that I'd ever see that). I think we should all simultaniously increase the value of our cars by $10,000. Bang! Let's call it a historical increase in value. With good Zed's so hard to find now a days it's time. We need to show the world that a Zed is not just junk but a historical piece of art!

I'm at the stage now where I'm wondering the same thing. Now the floors I will be stripping and doing the POR thing but elsewhere it seems like I will be wasteing my time. I'm thinking that if there is no sign of any rust in the area and the original paint looks intact, leave it. As I was stripping the undercoating off of the bottom I noticed that the original paint/primer was still in great condition. So why strip? Oh, and on the replacing the nuts/bolts thing by making a trip to the hardware store, good luck. I have been to every hardware store in 50 miles and if I'm lucky I will find one maybe two bolts. I have had better luck cleaning the original bolt and taking it to the platers. So start looking now for a good bolt supplier. Good luck on your restoration. Oh, and make a rotisserie. You will be glad you did.

I got it out and blew through it. It seemed pretty clean to me. No obstructions of any kind. I don't know what it is. Does anyone else's leak?

I believe you will have to get an estimate for your repairs at a body shop. Which will probably be only to replace and paint your fender. Now you can just take the check and do it yourself. Pick up a fender at a junk yard and do the rest yourself. Unfortunately I don't think that check is going to provide you with much. If you get lucky you could find a fender that already matches your current paint color.