2ManyZs

I understand about the pics Alan. Are there any Japanese web-sites with any pics that you could share with us?

Just proves that there really IS a sucker born every minute.....:stupid: Got to admit it doesn't look too bad for a ZX. ROFL Some people just have more dollars than cents or is that sense?

EZ-E it sounds like you may have the rear carb just a bit too rich compared to the front one. By the color you describe it sounds like the front carb is just about right on judging by the plug color. Alpha, you compression sounds OK. Remember, you can't really compare one engine to another if they have different heads, perhaps different piston types, bore size(one may have been bored during a rebuild), and the head may have been shaved. If you see more than 10% difference between any tow cylinders then you are getting near time for engine work. 150-155 compression is excellent, I don't think you will get much more than 160psi without doing some engine mods...

Sorry Ed, you don't want that kind of advise from me, I'm single....:cross-eye :cheeky:

I think if some of us knew where to look there would be a lot of interest in the history of the Z's that raced abroad, not only the Japanese cars but also in Europe. I know I have tried to search for info but usually end up with only the US history, which most of us already know about. Alan, do you have any links you could share?

Sounds to me like he was actually going to build a race car out of it, no interior, and the springs being too stiff for the street? Sounds like the beginning of a good project if you can find no rust on the chassis and have plenty of time and resources to finish the job.

Not to mention the large tool box to arrange all the tools so you can quickly find them.... Or plenty of cabinet space or drawer space to arrange the ones that won't fit in the tool box, then there is where to put all the parts..... See? One bay of the garage is already full, so hopefully you have enough room to actually get the car inside and have room to work on it. :stupid: XYZ are you getting the idea you can never have enough tools??? BTW, one thing that wasn't mentioned yet is a small work bench mount drill press and a large assortment of drill bits.......

We know it happens, but did ya have to tell us?

I'm not too good with the ZX's, but I don't think there is a clutch interlock switch on yours, I believe they may not have started that till later, perhaps 84 and later.

If it is the urethane air dam, I believe it's the part number 50-1411 that MSA carries.

Ok, now ya went and done it, made me jealous......:cross-eye Great looking Z and a roadster for those days when you just have to go "topless" too. Guess I need to go back to work in the shop...

Yup, that's the way I did mine. Much less work if you mount the cell low enough to get everything under the floor board. Only time that would not be possible is if you were using a 16 or 18 gallon cell for enduro's. 12 gallon or less should be able to be mounted completely under the floor. BTW, the lower you mount the cell, the lower the center of gravity, and if possible, try to mount it just off center towards the passengers side. It may help to balance the car by offsetting the weight of the driver.

All years of the Z had a hydraulic clutch. Check your master cylinder level and then if that is full check your system for leaks. You will find the master cylinder under the hood behind the windshield washer reservoir, at least I think the reservoir is in the same place that it is on earlier cars.. If the fluid is low re-fill it and then check to see if it is leaking, if no leaks, hopefully the clutch will now work OK. If not, then you either need a new master cylinder and/or slave cylinder or the clutch is shot itself....

Uh well, I put a new gasket on mine since it had to be stored outside. Didn't want any chance of having a floor full of water.........:cross-eye

If you can't find a new one, try contacting Andy Russell at emailus@zcarsofarizona.com He recently had a very nice used one on Ebay, perhaps he has another. Not a new one, but the one he had up for auction was almost as nice..

Or if you prefer you could always get a new windshield gasket and put it back the way the original was mounted. It's sometimes a two-person job to put a windshield in with a new gasket, but it's not that difficult if you have the right tools to do the job. In fact, I think if you do a search you might find a thread all about it, seems like we gave kmack some ideas on how to put his back in after he painted his car...

Take a look here. http://www.zdriver.com/articles/full_article.php?ID=11 You will only need the bracket that mounts the caliper to the hub. Just wish I could remember where I saw it that you could use the Maxima bracket to mount the caliper. Or maybe I'm just losing it........:cross-eye

Someone just posted a link to I think it was the Georgia Z club that had an excellent write up on the ZX rear caliper swap. I thought I had saved it in my favorites but can't seem to find it now.:stupid: I think they recommended the later 82 calipers as well. It seems to me that it has something to do with the parking brake actuator on the later calipers that works bettr than the earlier ones with the stock 240 cable arrangement. I think you need the Maxima brackets to bolt them up to the hub, something else to look for while in the junkyard.. I'll look some more for the link and post it as soon as I find it...

Look under Performance/Racing and you will find their performance systems. Part number is 15-6024 or 15-6304 for your car (page 51 in their new catalog). They have the stock systems as well. With the performance turbo exhaust system there is no center muffler, only a turbo muffler at the rear. Most aftermarket systems have no provisions for catalytic converters or the pre-muffler(resonator).

Motorsport Auto has a fairly decent 2 1/2 inch system that can be used with headers or the stock manifold. They now offer it in aluminized tubing as well. I think it's about 150 for the basic system and around 200 for the aluminized. Probably a bit cheaper than a custom system at a good muffler shop, but won't fit quite like a custom system. There are others that sell them, but I've used the MSA system on a couple cars with satisfactory results.

If you spend too much time in the garage and too much money tinkering on the Z, maybe something like this will take her mind off it....

Sorry to have missed this question before. If you are using the mounting clamps that may have come with the sway bar, are they a completely flat plate? I have seen these with some sway bars, and that could be causing the movement of the bushing. If you still have them, try the stock clamps and see if they help any, they have a groove in them and if I remember right, they have a bit of a flange along both sides.... Hope that helps, if you still have the stock ones that is...

If I remember correctly I also had a hard time getting the bolts out of my 75 280 when I was stripping it to race. I ended up using an impact to break them loose, and I do believe they may have had some thread lock on them of some sort.....but that was in 89 so I may be wrong. Never remember seeing any that were left hand thread...

I just bought a set of new outside door handles from Andy Russell, $86 for the pair. Contact him at emailus@zcarsofarizona.com or you can call him at (480)816-8668

Did someone say TOOLS? Hmm, Tim Taylor flashback..... Socket sets: deep well, shallow well, 3/8 drive, 1/2 in. drive. 6 point! Don't mess with 12 point sockets unless you like rounded off bolt heads.... Wrenches: combination open end and box end. 6 point box end, see reason above.... The best screwdrivers you can afford, don't skimp on these or you'll be drilling a lot of stripped screws, and we all no how many a Z has. Punch and chisel set, ball peen hammers in a couple differnet sizes The best set of easy out's and/or a set of left hand drill bits. Definately the 10mm line wrench. Can chain tool, clutch alignment tool, head bolt tool, valve adjustment tool, any special service tools for the Z you can afford Air compressor is nice, along with a 3/8 and 1/2 inch impact, air chisel (for those darn comtrol arm bushings), small rotary cut off tool and sanders if you plan on doing body work.... But most of all a very large garage to fit all the tools into, if you get into the tools like some of us, you might need to move out the car so you have room to buy more tools.....:stupid: That's a good start..... good luck, it's taken almost 22 years of tinkering on cars for me to collect nearly all the tools I want, and the list of tools I still want is not complete....