Jeff G 78

My '78 won't get much attention this year as long as everything keeps working well. What I will work on a lot more is my '74 LeMons Z. It needs struts, bushings, some wiring cleanup, and carb/ignition work. The car ran great early in its first race for a while and then picked up a high RPM miss which kept getting worse and worse throughout the 24 hour race. By the end it was barely running. It free revs cleanly and only struggles under load. It is tough to diagnose since the car isn't street legal, so I can't easily reproduce the problem at home.

95% for me. I got Canada's best seller wrong. I thought it was the same as our #1. I also needed a second clue on the Corolla.

Yep. Look at your carpet and you will see tiny bits of plastic debris that used to be the button that the switch contacted when the pedal was at rest. As a quick (or permanent) fix, simply replace the button with a small bolt and nut. You can either buy a new plastic button at the dealer, or leave the bolt and nut. Mine has been a bolt for years. Other than non-originality, it works perfect.

Yep, like Guy said, if your Z does not have a spray bar, you must use an internally oiled camshaft. They can be identified by the oil holes in the lobes. If you do have a spray bar, you can use either style cam, but if you have a weak oiling system, your pump might not be able to support internal and external cam oiling. With a tight bottom end and a turbo oil pump, using a spray bar with an internally oiled cam is fine. An alternative is to use an internally oiled cam and buy the MSA block off plates for the towers. They are cheap and eliminate the spray bar. Given the choice, I like the spray bar, but it needs to be in good shape.

If you are only replacing the cam and leaving the springs alone, you can simply use a large flat blade screwdriver to remove the rockers. After you remove the springs at the adjuster end of the rockers, pry the valve spring caps down with the tip of the screwdriver while the shaft of the screwdriver is against the cast part of the cam - NOT the lobe. It's very easy with stock springs. Once removed, lay each rocker out on a clean towel or board in order so they can be reinstalled the same way they were. You will have to turn the cam such that the lobes are up while you remove the rockers. Once all the rockers are removed, set the engine to #1 TDC and wedge the chain before removing the gear and cam retainer plate. The manual can be downloaded from xenons30.com. It doesn't matter what year manual you download as the base engine disassembly is more or less the same.

I used an Optima in the stock location with my own hold down bracket. It works great. Search my name and optima and you will find pics and a dimentioned CAD drawing.

Yes, the cam can be replaced with the head on the car. You do NOT remove the towers. What you need to do is remove the trans mount and lower the rear of the engine. This points the cam up enough to slide it out the front and clear the radiator support. You will need to remove the hood and radiator as well as loosen the fuel rail and move it up or down to clear the cam path. It isn't easy, but beats removing the head, manifolds, etc.

Yep, you have cracked vacuum hoses. Cut a small piece off, take it to an auto parts store and buy enough to do the whole underhood and interior. I think it takes about 12' if I remember right. Until you replace them, reach up under the dash allthe way to the firewall with your right hand while in the driver's seat and you will feel the vacuum diaphram. There is a rod on the bottom that you can push up with your finger. Once up, the air will divert to the floor or defrost depending on HVAC lever position.

Another word of caution about the smell. If you have a gas, forced air furnace, you need to keep the use of all chemicals to an absolute minimum. The solvents will quickly make the whole house smell like an old service station. If your work area is anywhere near the furnace or gas water heater, it will be even worse. Keep a window or two open and turn the heat down so the furnace doesn't fire while you spray. This applies to all automotive chemicals like carb/brake cleaner, WD-40, gasoline, PB Blaster, etc.

If you don't have the Factory Service Manual, you can download it free here http://www.xenons30.com/index.html Be sure to ask lots of questions here if you are not 100% sure about something. You will have an answer within hours if not minutes and you can save yourself a lot of problems later. Good luck!

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/TB/70-1041 It's even on sale!