Jeff G 78

I've never seen that failure, though I did have to swap my 260 trans after the case cracked where the rear seal seats. I had a dif break in a race and the vibrations must have cracked the case. The internals are fine, so I'll use it for parts if needed.

Yes, your valve timing is off and you need to re-time it. Pull the front cover and start over with the crank and cam marks pointing straight up. Download the FSM if you haven't already done so.

check over on http://www.hybridz.org. It is a fairly common conversion and you should be able to find what you need there.

Was the price added in your edit? If not, I missed it this morning. That's WAY too much for that car. I have rebuilt my whole '78 from the ground up and it's pretty much rust-free. I'd be lucky to get $5k for it and that's with $1000 worth of Panasports! Based of the condition you described, it's a $500 - $1500 car in Michigan depending on the real rust situation. We'd all love to get top dollar out of our cars, but the truth is that they aren't really worth much unless they are super low VIN series 1 cars in 100% original condition. Tell him that he can leave the car in the barn forever, or sell it to you for a fair price so you can bring the car back to life.

Let me know if you need help deciding. I have looked at a lot of S30s over the last 25+ years and can help you understand the condition better. PM me if you need my cell #.

Where in Michigan are you located? Like Z train said, horse barns have dirt floors, but they also have acidic air from the horse urine. Inspect the underside closely. Be sure to look at the TC mount area and under the battery. The fuel tank is likely full of rust and dried fuel after three years, so at best, the car will need some TLC. I doubt it will start with the old fuel.

Like Steve said, 77/78 panels will NOT fit, but 75/76 panels should work.

I couldn't tell Jon. He mentioned inner fender wells and rolling the lips, so ??? mark81, we need more info before we can assist you.

What year Z mark81? Are you talking front or rear or both? More info always helps. My '78 had big rub issues in the back and I had to trim the lips to solve the issue. This isn't a rip on you specifically, but I always read people talk about lowered cars or sagging springs CAUSING rubbing. That is simply not true. The suspension MUST be able to go through its complete travel with no rubbing. Otherwise, you are just adding a Band-Aid and some day it WILL rub if the right bump or dip is hit. The only way to ensure you have proper clearance is to remove the springs and run the suspension through its complete travel. When the tires clear everything, you are safe. Check out this thread and scroll down to my response. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35079&highlight=lip

I have a set of Libre copies that I've had in storage since 1986. They are only 5.5" wide, so I pulled them off a car I bought and have never used them since. If anybody is looking for a set, let me know.

Sweet. Thanks Ron.

Ron, We have done two races and lots of track days without a fuel gauge, so it's not a huge deal. It's one of those things that is low on the priority list, but would be nice to have. I'll take a look at the doc you attached, thanks. BTW, I would still like to get the spare dizzy grommet from you at some point. No rush. EDIT: I just read the document. It sounds like the only real change that affects me is the outlet pipe size, which isn't a big deal. I'm thinking Blue's photos might be of an early 260 rather than a late 260. What do they mean when they say "reserve tank"? Are they talking about the vapor tank?

The more I compare Blue's pics to my pics, I see lots of strange differences between two "1974.5" tanks. For one, the wall's mounting ears are reversed. My tank's ears are folded towards the filler neck and his are folded away from the neck. Also, there are no flow gaps at the bottom of his and there is no hole through the wall for the return line outlet. Are these really both '74.5 tanks???

Blue, That's why I asked. If that is a late 74 tank and mine is a late 74 tank, why are they different? This is one of the things that bugs me about owning a 260. Parts all over the car seem to change randomly throughout the model year. All of the hoses and the tank appeared to be original when I got the car and it had been parked for 15 years or so before that, so I doubt the tank was ever changed.

Hey Blue, what is the fist picture? It looks like a vent nipple at the opposite end from the filler neck. My late 74 vents are both in the back wall. Otherwise, the inside looks fairly close to mine. Here's the inside of my 260 tank after POR15. Here's the outside. You can see the vent hose hanging off the back.

Even after doing the POR15 treatment on my late 260 tank, I still have issues on the race track. I'm pretty sure the pickup screen is clogged and I can't get to it or even see it, so I went to my parts stash at my dad's house in Ohio and found a tank that I've had for close to 20 years. The tanks is very clean inside, so hopefully I can use it in my '74 with round top SUs. The tank came with a parts car I bought way back when, so I don't know what year it is. The 260 tank is still in the car, so I can't compare them side by side yet, but from pictures I took a few years ago, here are my observations. On the outside, it looks about like my '74 tank. The sender is in the front and the large and small vents are stacked on the back wall. The only external difference is that the drain is near the big end, while my '74 tank's drain is in the center. The inside looks similar to my '74, but has a shorter divider wall and I can see the top of a cylindrical baffle around the pickup. I'm guessing it's a '75 tank due to the baffle, but I need to know for sure so I can locate the proper sending unit. The sender that was in it is slightly different than the one from the '74, but still has the same nailhead-style wiring terminals. If it is from a '75, is there any issue with using a FI tank in a carbed car?

Go to http://xenons30.com and download the FSM. There you will find the wiring diagram plus everything else you need to know about your Z.

I think (it was many years ago) I did speak with an agent and he said that driving to work is a no no. The agent was a Z owner and I believe I found him through the old IZCC mailing list. I really should try again. I wouldn't ever try to deceive them, so I would be very honest about my needs. If they say no, I will stick with State Farm and hope I never need to file a claim.

Stephen, I was back and forth on switching the "and" to a "but". It does sound better your way. Otherwise, we think alike.

Carl, I think it was a simple grammar issue. Move a few words and it makes sense. It was unfortunate that he wrecked his Z and had to file a claim. Unfortunately, I had to file a tough claim with them and they were beyond helpful at every turn.

Even though my street Z is always garaged, never gets driven in the rain, and accumulates only about 3000 miles per summer, most of the miles I put on it are to and from work. If I don't drive it to work, it rarely gets driven. Per their rules, I don't qualify for Hagerty. :disappoin My Z is nowhere near as nice as most of your cars, but it is rust-free and has cost me a lot of money to build. I simply don't have the $5000 or so to get it stripped and painted. All of my extra money goes to racing my 260.

Wow John, what a pain. I can't imagine running a business and putting up with that type of customer. Good luck Tomohawk. I hope they step up to the plate and somehow make it right.

Yep, parts car. Post pics of the rest of the car. With that much rust at the TC mount, there is bound to be bad rust everywhere else too. Could you rebuild it and put it back on the road? SURE, but why? Chances are very good that you would spend a ton of time and money before giving up on the project. I'd rather see the parts live on than an unsafe car on the road, or an unfinished project that never emerges from your garage.

I had a setup very much identical to that on my current '78 and did not hit. Either the timing is off a few teeth, or the head has been milled.

Now you're playing dirty. You KNOW my Z is still hibernating.