2ManyZs

I wish I had a shop in Memphis, 500 to 600 for a clutch job? Yikes!!:eek:

Without being able to see the actual damage and rust in the car it's kinda hard to put an estimate on it. I would say anywhere from $1500 up to $2500 (US funds), depending on the severity of the rust. It looks like a very original car from the outside so that is a big plus. It could go higher, it's just hard to judge from one picture. Hope I don't offend you with my guesstimate, but from a distance it looks great, it's how it looks under close inspection that will determine it's actual value. A lot of it will depend on who is making the offer, it is possible it could go for a lot higher than my guess. Sorry, with only one picture I'm merely guessing. If it were a 70 or 71 it would have a little more value as the production figures for the 72 and later cars is much higher than the earlier ones.

Seats will fit just fine with no problems. Dash will fit but there are some minor differences that will have to be addressed. Such as some of the wiring connectors for the gauges and harness may not be compatible. The easiest way might be to re-use the 240 gauges and just use the 260 dashboard shell. You may run into a few little things to be worked out but it shouldn't be too difficult to make it work OK.

Well, as usual my memory failed me when I made that last post. I found a new t/c kit in my shop so I read the directions and sure enough I have it bass-ackwards! It is the Plastic or delrin socket you want to sandwich the t/c rod mount NOT the aluminum cup. So the order is rubber boot, 12mm flat washer, aluminum cup, plastic socket then the opposite on the backside. I can scan the directions if you want and send you a copy. In the directions it says to bolt it to the control arm last but I find it a lot easier to tighten the mounting nut if you bolt it to the control arm then tighten the mounting nut.

In my opinion $7,500 is a bit too high. For one thing it is not all original, and the floor repair might be OK but if it were truly to be considered a well cared for car it should have been done right with a true replacement floor pan. Also with the engine being modified and a 5 speed it brings the value down some too, but yet some people might buy the car and turn around and do the same mdifications. The A/C dryer is not much of problem. Change the dryer and charge it. If that is the only problem with the A/C. The car might be worth it if you really wanted a Z-car bad enough. It's hard to judge. One person might say it's outragiously high and another might write out a check without thinking about it. It all boils down to what you want, and how much you are willing to pay. You will ultimately have to make the final decision.

To lower a car by 1 to 2 inches all you have to do is buy a set of lowering springs although you will lose a little bit of your suspension travel and most springs are a bit stiffer than stock. There are progressive rate springs available that will not sacrifice as much of your ride comfort. As to what size 15 inch wheel and tire you should be able to use a 15x7 (zero offset)with a 225/50 tire with little problem. Anything wider than that and you will need to be careful with the wheel offset to prevent rubbing. I'm just using that as an example, you can fit quite a bit wider tires with a lower profile but you must be very careful when choosing your wheels to get the proper offset.This just gives you a general idea.

Well, if you can't get a set off a car someone is parting out you can get new ones from Motorsport Auto. They are a bit expensive, about 50.00 to 60.00 dollars each, each of them is a different price upper and lower (don't know why the big price difference). They list the same part number for 70-75. Any hinge from 70 to at least 75 should work although the series one cars had a different hinge (hold open detent) so all I can say is good luck. Check thru the For Sale forum here, you may find a set on a car that is being parted out.

Actually I touched on that in my first post by telling him to get his pressure checked with a mechanical gauge to find out the exact pressure variation. I never have trusted the electric gauges and probably never will. There are just too many things that can mess up an electric gauge. Sending units, electrical connections, wiring problems, gauge problems etc. So the best advice is get your pressure verified accurately before you do anything. Once you have established how much if any pressure drop you may be experiencing then move on to some of the other ideas. I would start at the oil pump first and proceed from there.

Well Daniel, I can't find the instructions so I'll try to do this by memory. After you remove the t/c rod mounting nut at the frame mount unbolt it from the control arm and remove it altogether. If your kit has the rubber boot put this on the rod first, then the delrin bushing, then the aluminum cup. (I believe there should be a large flat washer that goes on before the delrin bushing), put the rod into the frame mount and reverse the order. You want the aluminum cup to sandwich the frame mount with the flat against the frame. Put your nut on and then mount it back to the control arm before you tighten it up. The gauge has an opening of 2 1/4 inches, so all you need to do it tighten the mounting nut until you have 2 1/4 inches (outside measurement) between the flat washers. You should notice an improvement in your steering response since you are getting rid of any control arm movement. And it should help any wandering under braking (if you have any) so hope that helps. Have fun! And go get dirty!

I won't be easy if they don't make them any more. Did you check out their web-site? It's www.americanracing.com Click on passenger car wheels and it is on the second page. They have one called the Vortex that look quite a bit like these except they don't have as many spokes. And the Vortex are available in 4x4.50 lug pattern in 14x6 or 15x7's for $100 dollars or less manufacturers list price! Not too bad! BTW, didn't I say the BBS wheels would be expensive?????

In IT the update/backdate rule applies to the specific model line. I'm not sure but I think SP would be the same way. For instance, later 280's cam with a 5 speed so any year 280 can use a 5 speed but not 240's or 260's. Also R-180's were used from the factory on later 280's so any year 280 can use either a 180 or 200. Subsequently since 260's came with either carbs or fuel injection either is legal, but most people went with carbs. Hope that helps explain the u/b rule a little better. And yes, in IT you can remove the undercoating but according to John you can't for SP unless it is an IT car which wouldn't be allowed to use SP prep rules such as the 15 inch wheels which are not allowed in IT.

The end links I believe should be pretty close to the same. About the only difference I have heard of is the bushings on some kits evidently are thicker requiring longer links. Most of them I have seen are just a long bolt with a sleeve to separate the bushings and washers. I'll get out to the shop tomorrow and see if I can find those instructions and the gauge.

Just my simple thought here. Yes, I think we should at least count the hits the site has on a daily basis or however you want to do it. Running tally, daily, monthly whatever. I think everyone who comes to this site should be counted as a participant. I don't, however, think we should make them register as members (unless they want to), is this a possibility? Many times there are 3 to 4 times the number of guest on the site compared to members. Just knowing how many people view the site on a daily basis would be what a potential sponsor would want to know up front. I don't think we should require them to register as members for the simple reason we now have over 1,000 members but only about half of them are active members. Why do we need to have them register if they are not willing to be active members? In fact of the 500 or so active members there are really only 100 or so who participate on a regular basis. Sorry, my fingers are getting tired......

You won't notice so much of a difference in steering but it will help any of the little shakes you get under braking. I did so many other things to mine when I changed mine over it would be impossible to tell you what the difference is. Somewhere in my tool box I have a gauge and the instruction. I'll try to look for them and if nothing else I'll give you a copy in a PM or post. Just have to find them first. The gauge is nothing more than a thin piece of aluminum to measure the distance beltween the mounting washers to gauge the pre-load on the bushings. Can't help you on the sway bar, sorry.

I got to thinking that there is another possibility. It could be a combination of the oil that you are using along with a worn oil pump. Or it is possible that the pressure spring in the pump is to the point that when it gets hot that it is losing tension and therefore letting your pressure drop. It is possible to replace just the spring with a stiffer one for more pressure, however, if your engine is one with high mileage it may be best to go ahead and replace the whole pump to cure your problem. Just another idea you might want to keep in mind and check out. I will tell you this though, changing an oil pump can be a maddening experience. It is not an easy job on a L series. Read your service manual before you decide whether or not you want to tackle this, it can get a little complicated.

Whatever you do don't buy those glasspacks some people are so hip to sell you. They are junk, and they end up being a straight pipe when the fiberglass packing burns out. Go with a "turbo-type" muffler for the best flow and sound. It's hard to say what is good since music to one mans ear is sometimes noise to another. You could try the Supertrapp muffler. It has plates you take off or add on to "tune" the muffler to the sound level you want. They aren't much more expensive than the better turbo mufflers on the market and they give you the benefit of being adjustable. The main thing about the header debate is this. If you really want one, don't skimp, buy the absolute best there is(normally the most expensive)and you shouldn't have as many problems. Some headers I have seen had such sloppy welding around the flanges they had 1/4 of the opening full of slag. Get done grinding them out and flat again and you've ground thru the weld and gone into the pipe. Break out the mig and re-weld it and start all over again. I have had fairly good luck with the MSA header as long as you file the flanges around the port to make sure it is flat. Will you miss it if you don't have a header? Probably not. A friend of mine had a 73 with a stock manifold with MSA's 2 1/2 inch exhaust and it sounded just as good as any car with a header and the same exhaust.

I think 15's or 16's will be the easiest to find. You should find a fairly decent selection of wheels in those sizes. 17's are probably a bit much and you'll have a really hard time finding them to fit a Z. Simply because they won't have any four lug bolt patterns to fit. It isn't so much the offset that is the problem most of the time, it's the bolt pattern. Not only that but I hope you realize how much a 17 inch wheel and tire will cost over a decent set of 15 inch, you are talking a large price difference. Not only that but I think 17 inch wheels and tires are going to be really hard to fit without a lot of rubbing problems. I believe you will run into suspension as well as fender clearance problems.

Well, if it is running and in fairly decent mechanical shape and just needs mostly cosmetic work it could be anywhere from a low of $1,000 up to more than you want to spend. A genuine rust bucket parts car could be worth 500 if it had a lot of original parts. How much is he asking?? That's the main question.

While the oil you are using could be a major factor (what weight are you using?) it could also be a sign of something more serious. I recommend putting a mechanical gauge on it and finding out EXACTLY what kind of oil pressure drop you are experiencing. I'm not trying to scare you but it could be a sign of an impending problem, you may have a bearing on the verge of going bad. If this happens it could cause major problems. After you find out what kind of oil pressure drop you are experiencing you could try a little heavier weight of oil to see what difference that does. But in the end I believe you may find you are on the road to a mechanical breakdown. How many miles are on the engine? If you are up in the 70,000 or above I would advise you to check this out carefully. If the oil pressure is dropping 10 to 20 psi I believe you have an internal problem that will require your attention very soon. It could be just one bearing or all of them. Take your time and check it thoroughly.

What a shame. The most important thing is that although the car may be gone you are still here. Anyone walking away from that should be thankful. Cars can be replaced, people can't. Looks like you have everything you need to start another project. You have have everything you put into this car and the good health to be able to do it. Sorry for your loss but it could have been much worse.

Yeah, that is sweet. Yes, they do look like a BBS wheel, but there are quite a few that look very similar. I have seen some like this before but I can't remember what brand they are. They look like 15's or 16's. That may be why the car looks like it sits a little low. Sit's pretty good if you ask me.