EScanlon

That may be part of your problem. Grease + Rubber = Rotten Rubber Depending on the type of rubber and the type of grease. Ever heard of NOT using Vaseline on Rubber? That's because the petroleum jelly will attack the rubber and cause it to age/decompose/dissolve/bloat/rot in no time at all. Try it and see. E

Dave: They're worth about $10, but if you want, since I do want one kind of bad, I'll offer you $25. E

My cat hates you....:mad: Thanks to this, I splurted coffee, (did I say thanks for the mess?) everywhere. And when I say everywhere I mean...EVERYWHERE. So, unfortunately, the fine haired persian mix in front of me is understandably upset. :surprised You get to explain why she needed a bath. :lick: E P.S.: The Monitor will need cleaning, but you owe me a keyboard. I can't find the mouse....

John: I just recently upgraded two Roadster distributors to the Pertronix Ignitor and they are pretty simple. But unless you're going for a complete "concours" competition, most everybody accepts upgrading the stock point dizzy to the E12-80 module and dizzy without penalty. The Pertronix simply replaces the points, and now you have to route two wires out of the distributor to the coil. Their instructions say to NOT bypass the resistor and to wire the resistor IN-LINE, but the Z and the Roadster both shunt power to the coil directly on START mode and as such you'd never start the car following the Pertronix instructions since it would never be powered in that mode. The E12-80 Module Distributor is a straight forward swap, and it is an OEM dizzy. By the way, welcome to the club, hope to see you come spring and summer in some of the outings here in the Pac-NW. Hope this helps Enrique

How about pics of the rocker panels, the front and rear doglegs, the flat area just above the tail-lights and both rear wheel wells. That's just for starters, too early to declare it an easy rebuild, just from the shots of the floors, I'd bet that BOTH floors need replacing, you'll know once you get the tar-mat off. From the looks of the under fender shot of the battery tray...I'd gamble that the front fender doglegs are shot too. 2¢ E

Alternator, voltage regulator, and the connections between...good idea to have them checked. Switch near fuse box, could be the Antenna Switch. You don't mention if you rocked it up AND down or just on and off, i.e. 3 positions (up/center/down) versus 2 positions (on/off). It also would not be unusual for your antenna to not be working properly .... if it hasn't already been replaced with a manual antenn which wouldn't be electrically operated. FWIW E

Welcome to the club! IIRC your car was up for auction or for sale just recently, but IMO has excellent artwork under the hood. Looks sharp, bet it sounds sweet with those side pipes, what can you tell us about her? E

Don't laugh, but the way I found out about it was some years back when I was in the Air Force and we were working on the first Z I worked on. We were just connecting the battery "enough" to start the engine...i.e. just the positive and negative cables....and then spent several hours trying to decipher what we'd messed up such that NOTHING would work! Continuity checks, resistance checks, independent power would actuate stuff....the gamut went wild, after all we had several "mechanics" who were into this kind of stuff and several pieces of test equipment. It wasn't till I went to use the cigarette lighter since, after all they're "always" hot that we realized that it wasn't. So we caved in, hunted around and finally found someone with an electrical diagram (this was in 1987 and we couldn't just log on to the internet)...and found our answer. Hooked up that fusible link and VOILÁ the car worked again! That was a story to live down in the MWR garage for a few weeks until the next bonehead mistake...thankfully by someone else. E

Dave; If the fusible link by the starter blows, the COMPLETE electrical system in the car is rendered inactive. That's it, zip, nada, kaput, "She's Dead Jim!" Try it yourself. Go disconnect the fusible link and try any one of the items he's mentioned. None of them will work. The Positive pole of the battery connects directly to the Starter, the fusible link also connects to the same point. If the link blows, there is no other connection for the Positive pole of the battery that connects to the rest of the electrical system of the car. NONE, period. If there is, then it's a connection made by an IPO and not part of the car's standard electrical system. Heck, even your harnesses will not work if that fusible link blows even though they have a separate power connection to the + terminal. They use the car's electrical system via relays to be actuated. Cut the car's electrical and your relay's can't be actuated. Now, when Omega says the battery is "new", is he referring to a battery bought in the last few days...or back in October?....and the car hasn't been started since? If so, then even though there is some power left in the battery, it isn't enough to power the starter, the headlamps or any one of the higher amperage items. Granted the horn working can be deceptive, but even with that it is the battery that should be checked first. So Omega, go have the battery checked....even if it's brand spanking new. I've seen clerks grab batteries right off the shelf and presume that it's fully charged (it happened to me!) when it wasn't since it had been sitting on the shelf for several weeks (odd size battery). Once that's been addressed, and you know you have a fully charged battery, THEN start checking other items. The fuses are a good item to check, don't just visually check them though. Pull them, run a continuity check on them OUTSIDE of the fuse box, or simply replace with new ones. As far as connections....unless you've been working with the connections either directly or near them, then they're more than likely okay. They can go bad due to corrosion and general fatigue of items, but that's a long-shot. 2¢ E

Actually, I think that's a RED Hibiscus...but I'm not really into flowers and wish the darn thing would just get out of the way... ...OH!!!... YOU MEAN THE CAR! never mind.... E

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21508 2¢ E

Ditto! And all this just because the face plate doesn't match the one out of a 72.... E

Welcome to the site. As far as your question on the door panels, check out this thread: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=25007 Enrique

David; Did you heat over an actual door in order to get the curves right? Looks excellent, but as you pointed out those compound curves may be tricky without the "mold" of the actual door. What about the "cut" lines that your pattern showed? Was it difficult to close the space, and how did you "weld" those edges together? Thanks for sharing this. Enrique

Excellent, you'd be surprised how often just going back to "see" what exactly was done that the solution presents itself. Glad you got it done. Canby is definitely a go, working on getting both a Z and a Roadster...maybe two there, but will have to see. E

Bill are you sure you're getting power to the coil? The resistor, like in the Z, is there to reduce the voltage to the dizzy. If, as in the Z, you connect the wires to it incorrectly, you'll have power in the RUN, but not in the START modes or vice versa. Not familiar with the engine/dizzy out of the 620, but do know that the Roadster engine does have the dizzy rotating counter-clockwise. That alone would make a huge difference. I've installed Pertronix in both my Roadsters (67-1.6 and 68-2.0) and both fired right up right after doing so, so can't help you more than that. Victor Laury here is very knowledgeable about the Roadsters, but there are very few others. You may find more information available through the Roadster Mailing List or at 311s.org. Here's the link for the forums: http://www.311s.org/phpBB2/index.php You'll need to register for the site, but like here, there are a bunch of knowledgeable people there, and they will surely be able to help you more. HTH Enrique

CarFAX will not work for Early Z VIN #'s AFAIK. Not enough digits and cars are way too old for them to have been entered into their system. Additionally, from what a local "news" report says, most of their information is available from reports that were made voluntarily - if any. 2¢ E

AFAIK there is no starter RELAY, just a SOLENOID which is ON the starter. AFAIK the only relay that you would be hearing click on/off on the kick panel would be the ACCESSORY Relay which receives power when the Ignition Sw is in the RUN position and does not when the Ign Sw is in START. Have you checked your Ignition Switch itself? We have seen other guys post that the switch could rotate far enough to disconnect from the RUN contact, but not far enough to make proper contact with the START, and hence had the same problem you mention. You don't mention if you can actuate the starter via the method you described, while the key is in RUN, and have the engine start and stay running. So, I'll presume that it does. If it doesn't, then there might be other issues. But then, I've been wrong before. E

David; While your advice about removing gas fumes is well meant, the problem is that even overnight forced ventilation at pressure will STILL leave enough fumes to be problematic. However, using a wooden dowel will elimininate having any sparks...unless you leave nails in the dowel. Tony: If you have access to a STUD WELDER, which is used to attach pins to the metal which are then pulled on with a slide hammer. This is the same procedure that Dan mentioned in post #2, except that in order to eliminate the possibility of igniting the fumes in the tank, you simply fill the tank with water. The Stud Welder will work on the outside of the tank, allowing you to attach various studs in concentric circles around the dent. Then to pull the dent out you work from the outside of the dent, in to the center, pulling very gently on each stud as the metal will have been hardened by the quenching involved while welding the stud in place. All th is involves risk, is not easy for a beginner to do without the possibility of failure...either in the possibility of damaging the gas tank, or in hurting oneself. So, if it's really ... REALLY ... something to mess with, take precautions, or take it to the professionals. But be aware that sometimes the repair iis worse than the problem. The guys at Gas Tank Renu are good at restoring rusted and cracked tanks when there is little hope for the tank (and be aware of their very hard and rough looking finish), but may turn out to be way overkill for a dent. But as mentioned by David, if it isn't leaking at all, why mess with it? FWIW E

Don; I know you have a 77 280 "shaved" but could you post a picture of the panel you're referring to? If it's the one I'm thinking of, and I may be wrong, you're referring to literally a "shelf" of metal that protrudes straight out from the body and either goes under or meets the bumper. (Again, if I recall correctly.) If so, the biggest problem you'll encounter is that what you use will be very much determined by how much vibration that part gets during normal driving. While there are various compounds that work very well on other surfaces, when used in seams where two panels meet and vibrate out of sync with each other, you're going to have cracks develop in most filler materials. Your best bet may be to either braze or lead that seam if you truly want a seamless look. FWIW E

For my part, you're welcome. That's what this site, in my opinion, is all about. I'll defer to John on details of using the HVLP. My experience is limited and sketchy at best. I use the older LVHP systems where 25-30 psi were common for TOUCH UP guns,, and you'd routinely spray at 45-60 psi. The mix ratio you mention is consistent with what I would have reduced by, but AFAIK you do need to reduce further for HVLP. As far as sanding a single coat of paint, if you're correcting problems AND the coat is sufficiently thick enough to withstand sanding, then go for it. But unless you're planning on spending a LOT of time and money on it, I would have to gauge it by the amount of dirt you got into it. 2¢ E ====== Side note, related to topic but an aside to thread: HVLP = High Volume Low Pressure: Method of using a HIGH VOLUME of air, and low pressure in the paint container to force the paint into the air stream. The volume of air is at a LOW PRESSURE but moving quickly (due to the volume). This disperses the paint in larger droplets, and thereby minimizing the "mist" which is more commonly seen in LVHP. LVHP = Low Volume High Pressure: Now the HIGH PRESSURE rushes past the paint tube and syphons the paint out via VENTURI vacuum principle. The paint is dispersed by the force of the pressure being released literally yanking it out of the tube. Where HVLP does have better "mist" reduction properties, the liquid (paint) must be thin enough to be dispersed by the volume of air. LVHP on the other hand, uses the rush of the pressure in the air stream to literally suck the paint out of the paint supply tube (venturi). Where HVLP doesn't atomize the paint into tiny droplets of paint, LVHP does. This is where the "mist" associated with painting comes from. This is also the cause of paint dust everywhere after a paint job, and the biggest reason for requiring a steady stream of filtered air INTO the paint booth and extensive filtering of the air OUT of the paint booth. HVLP on the other hand, uses larger droplets and lower pressures to coat the car. These larger droplets are less prone to staying in the air as "mist". This is a very simple explanation, but as I've said, my experience with HVLP is minimal; please chime in with your explanation. ============

I agree. No sign of dry-line, mottling consistent with a single stage paint but not too excessive. Color appears consistent and even...I'd give it a passing grade for sure. Now when you go painting the exterior surfaces, scuff up to the edge, but don't get fanatical about it. Then when you mask, mask just INSIDE that edge so that there is a space for it to blend in smoothly without leaving a paint ridge. E

HOW and WHERE people search on e-Bay has more to do with this than you might think. If you search for =240Z= (between equal signs) in "ALL CATEGORIES" will yield 917 items. Then search for =240 Z= also in all categories and 100 is all you'll get. Change those SAME searches to "e-Bay Motors" ONLY and now the first gets 739 and the second gets 75 items. Granted those are pretty straight forward results, but jiust that separation alone will be enough that some buyers will never see some items (many people have "favorite" searches that they use and re-use). Then consider the hundreds of other words that people use to search for items for their cars. Throw in that not all sellers will use the same "key" words and ..... FWIW E

What kind of RPM's are you experiencing while on the road? You mention that it's an automatic, could your transmission fluid be low? How about dirty and needing changing? To me that may help isolate the problem from a poorly running engine to a transmission that's needing more rpm's for the mile. I also have an automatic and I find that at 2,000 rpm I'm running @ 30 mph or thereabouts. It takes 3,500 rpm to go 60-70 (been a couple of weeks, I'll have to drive her tomorrow and re-post), but if you're consistently running over 3,500 @ those speeds, then I would bet you have a transmission problem. Not being the mechanic some of these other guys are, you might wait to see what they think about this possibility. E

Take a look at post #8 You'll have to ask Beandip as to how well it's lasted. E http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15516