Jeff G 78

Very cool. Thanks for the write-up and photos. Good luck with your motor.

That's a $500 car. Too many unknowns.

No. A used car dealer will tell you anything to move a car off the lot.

I cannot comment on any Z unless I know the underbody condition. The amount of rust changes everything.

I did exactly the same thing for my Toy 4x4 trans. I tapered the cut off ends though and then cut slots in them so I could back them out with a screwdriver after the trans was in place. I too pulled the yoke off a spare driveshaft and I always use that when I drop a trans. Some bailing wire hold the yoke tight to the trans so it doesn't fall off and leak fluid.

I paid that much back in 1995 to get my (now Lazeum's) '72 from Phoenix to Detroit.

Don't be afraid to travel to get a car. I have bought Z cars 200, 300, 800, 800, and 2000 miles from home in order to get what I wanted. Buy the best body you can get as everything else is easy. Rust and paint work is where the big repair $$ is.

Rare yes, but desirable and valuable, no. Do the swap.

Hard to say without looking at them closely. The first one needs a LOT of work, but if the underbody is clean, it might be worth ~$500. The second one might be a good car, or it might need a ton of work as well. $3500 sounds high unless the upper AND underbody are free of rust. The fact that it needs the fuel tank to be cleaned and sealed tells me that it has been sitting or has some level of rust. Inspect the car very well and post pics of the underbody before you pay $3500.

I've used both many times and the C clamp style works fine if the head is off already, but you will be sorry if you ever need to replace valve seals or decide to add performance springs and a cam. Pulling the head isn't fun and you'll pay for the KD3087 with one new head gasket. I found mine at Tooltopia.com pretty cheap.

The calipers were made by the hundreds of thousands while the spacers are machined one at a time. It's really rather simple manufacturing economics. As for upgrading, unless you have huge power and are road racing the car, the stock brakes work just fine. I put 1400 miles on my 260 in one endurance race last year and the brakes were plenty strong with little fade and minor wear. The only upgrades were to the pads, hoses and fluid. The rotors are at least 20 years old as are the calipers. I merely rebuilt the original calipers with a $7 seal kit.

Glad I don't live and drive anywhere near Kansas City. Dude, washers are NOT machined to a precise thickness or even flatness. If I remember right, the spacer thickness isn't a standard dimension. It's "near" 1/2", but it's a bit thicker or thinner (can't recall). They need to be perfect or the calipers will not work right.

You could always buy Randy's #797 with your payoff. It's not your #721, but she is pretty and you could grow to love her. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?45376-Yes-thats-me-on-EBay

I have never dealt with Hagerty, but I would ask the adjuster exactly what you asked us. They, better than anyone, should understand that there are a few parts worth keeping for your next Z. They might, however, offer you a buy-back. I totaled my wife's 4Runner in December when I hit a deer and I bought the wrecked truck back from State Farm. They said all or nothing as they wouldn't let me swap or take any individual parts. As much as it hurts to see your wrecked baby in the garage, a parts car is a huge benefit when building a new one. It looks like the hatch, rear bumper, rear suspension, much of the interior, the engine, trans, a few of the wheels, etc, etc are still good and can be reused.

To do the job with the head on, use the KD 3087 valve spring compressor. I also use the same one when the head is off. I simply bolt the head down to my workbench.

OH NO! Wow, I'm so sorry to see that. What are you going to do now? Hopefully you can pull what's left and build another Z. :cry:

Holy horsepower Batman!

Nice. I vaguely remember that, but it has been a while since I dropped a pump from an installed engine.

It sounds like they install the pump without the shaft for priming with a drill and then drop it again to reinstall the shaft. It makes sense.

I'll wait for someone else to chime in, because I don't have the answer. I would never attempt to turn the pump shaft while it is engaged. I don't pre-lube my engines with the pump. I simply fill the pump with oil and use a good quality pre lube on the bearings and valvetrain. I use the white Lubriplate grease.

Shaft has to go in with the pump from the bottom.

If it's working properly, leave it alone, but if you can't get it to work right with adjustments and you can't find a good replacement, take it off. I plugged mine and all is fine.

Bryce, can you retake the 2nd picture? It's too blurry to determine if there was a previous fracture. Use the macro function on your camera and get really close to the part.

"Tony D" says he can make flat tops out perform round tops. He is on this board, but it's easier to find him on zcar.com or hybridz.org. I too have a box of flat tops. I went with round tops for my 260Z race car.

Google translate to the rescue! The translation isn't perfect, but I can figure out most of the comments. Thanks for the link. The build looks great. I need to email Glenn one of these days. I haven't chatted with him in a few years. Does he still have the same email address as when you bought the car? BTW, sorry for the threadjack. We're done.