mlc240z

i put anti-seize on the tube and greased the hell out of everything else.

Hide your keys!! Check out the look in his eyes, he's setting you up. "Fix it up for ME, Dad".

assuming struts on a '71 are basically similar to yours...... just replace with a new set of struts. pick up a set of spring compressors. relatively cheap (~30) if this is a one-shot deal. buy the better quality ones if you'll be doing more than once. (hint:buy the better ones, after you see how easy they are, you'll do all your cars yourself;)). i found the compressors with the thinner 'fingers' that grab the coils are a little easier to get on and off. for the gland nut, i used a large pipe wrench to loosen. I didn't worry about chewing it up since the new struts came with their own new gland nuts. and that's about it tool-wise. on the fronts you might want to order the bearings that sit on the top of both assemblies. cheap and as long as you're there anyway, an easy replacement. also make sure to have new bump stops, another while you're at it.

now that is VERY NICE! Well Done

along the same lines, how about the marks from mildew and the mildew itself? car is garaged now (don't know about the PO), but wanted to make sure it won't reoccur. with a black interior, i used a very mild bleach solution and simple green to clean/kill the mildew (seemed to work well) but wanted to know if anyone has a better idea.

like chicken? Sorry. could it have been just condensation in the exhaust pipe from the swing in outside temps? what was the volume of smoke?

i think it has to do with the color of the car. my PO had painted the rusty bumpers the same silver as the car. just looked kind of blah. hope to re-chrome in the future but blew the bucks on the bumper rubbers. the black is just enough of a difference to make the bumpers stand out. well, for me at least.

ordered and installed the Trico 11-601 pump today. got it from Amazon.com ($22). the pump body is a direct replacement, virtually the same even down to the wire placement. comes with 2 male spade connectors, have to change the ground wire terminal to hook up. also, had to switch the hose routing. unless i had the damn thing reversed (VERY likely) from the last time i tried to rebuild it:stupid:. pissers work like new.