2ManyZs

I'd do it dry, if you use WD-40 or anything like that, the sand will just cake around the bolts and you'll lose the effectiveness of the sand. I've never tried it, but it sounds like a good idea, if you have a rock tumbler that is.... Could probably also use the tumblers used by shooter to clean used shell casings... they are fairly cheap in most shooting catalogs....take a while, but it should do the job.

Since it sat for so long, I would start with the radiator. Take it out and have it cleaned and pressure tested, it might not even be salvageable, but a good radiator shop sould be able to re-core it if necessary. Sediment, rust, corrosion are usually the first thing to worry about if the car has sat for that lenght of time. You can get new replacement radiators for as little as 150 or so for a stock 2 row core radiator up to a 4 row core for a little over 300, ust to give an idea of how much to spend on the old one before you give up and buy a new one. Personally, I usually go with either a 3 or 4 row since the Z's have a tendancy to run a bit hot anyways, costs a bit, but it's better and cheaper than warping a head. You say you checked the thermostat, but since they are so cheap, I'd just go a head and replace it and have a little extra piece of mind. After you repair/replace the radiator I would suggest a good flush of the entire cooling system as an added precaution, some of the same corrosion and sediment that ruin a radiator can alco block water passages in the block.

Not exactly sure which panel you are talking about.. but the only panel that is available is the floor pan itself... no other parts of the underside of the chassis are available as far as I know aft of the floor pans...:disappoin The outer rear quarters are rotted through, but what about the inner panel? It's available, but would be another tough job.... but if you had to take off the rockers and outer quarters anyways.... If you got it for 350, you wouldn't do bad as far as a parts car... depends on whether or not the mechanicals are in decent shape... Seems there should be something better in that area.. at least that isn't all rusted out.... salt air on the coast probably would have been kinda tough on the cars.. maybe you should start looking a little further inland? Oh, you'll either have to find a gas tank out of a parts car, or have that one repaired.. maybe Gas-Tank Renu?

Keep looking at it Nate... be sure the rust isn't in a place that repair panels are not available for... Outer rockers are one thing to replace, the inner rockers would have to be fabricated.... What's the firewall and under the battery tray look like? How about the radiator support and inner fenders? If you can, maybe take a look-see under the cowl and see if there is a lot of rust inside that could be a major PITA to fix. Oh,BTW, you spelled squirrel wrong...ya nut......

I've done business with MSA for almost as long as they have been in business. I've never had any trouble with them. Although, I will say, the service used to be a lot more personal before they got as large as they have. I used to be able to give them my name and all they would ask is which car I was buying parts for this time..... Seems since it was their computer error they should make good.... computer is only as accurate as the "person" operating it and if they did admit that it was their mistake, even if it was a computer mistake, they should have been the ones to re-route the shipment.

The worst part.... sanding, sanding and more sanding.. and then paint....:cross-eye Got to get the engine compartment painted so I can put the fuel and brake lines back on, then the suspension which is already done can be put back on. Then it's just getting rid of all the door dings and get the body ready to paint....:tapemouth

Yeah, that's the one that's taking me so long to put back on the road... Don't ya like how a PO had it painted? Didn't bother to take off the bumpers when they changed the color......:stupid:

Here's what the rear hooks on the early cars looks like. They are the same on both sides, unlike the front which has a hook on one side and a closed loop on the other. They are a mirror image of one another, so there is a right and a left. The later cars, used a closed loop similar to the one found on the front, it was an "L" shaped piece of flat stock with a closed loop. I think they changed to this type when they went to the larger bumpers... probably beginning with the 74 1/2 260 in the US. I use mine to pick up the chassis shell with an engine hoist so I could get the shell up high enough to work under... no problem as long as you don't have the running gear in the car....

Can't tell the original color by the VIN number, if you don't have the Paint Code sticker on the radiator support with the code number, you'll have to look under the dash, or under the carpeting to find out if the color has been changed. Anyplace that most people overlook painting when changing the color... most people don't do a complete chassis re-paint. Clunk could be u-joints, bad diff mounts, or bushings... you'll have to look everything over and eliminate the possibilities one by one. Shifter is loose probably due to bad bushings, you'll have to remover the center console, the shift boots, and the pin with the "C" clip on the shifter fulcrum to remove the shifter. There is a bushing on the ball end of the shifter where it goes into the shift rail and a two piece bushing where you removed the pin. Motorsport Auto has them as well as other suppliers, probably best to check with Midwest Z first so you can get a discount for being a member here....

neckcar????:devious: Careful now..... All that and no vented rotors?:devious:

I hope this is going to be an auto-X car and not do any road racing....or much street driving either...looks like it would be a kidney buster on the street.... Not trying to rain on your parade Steve, but a buddy of mine road raced his car with springs nearly as short and ended up riding around on the bumpstops most of the time..... only had about 2 inches of total suspsension travel.... I was always surprised that his springs never jumped off the perches.. of course, if he'd had an "off track excursion" it might have been different...

All I can say is geeez those springs are short... I see 280 hubs... you got something special in store?:devious:

At least you'll have more room to move things around in the EP car without the battery in the way...

You should only need a 14mm and a 17mm to do the valve if I remember right... sounds like someone along the way has overtightened the lock nut and it's started to round off. I'd replace it, but first you'll have to get it off. I wouldn't use an adjustable, better to use a good set of Vice-Grips or you run the risk of rounding it off even more with an adjustable. Or perhaps, it's your wrench that you are using that is spreading... a lot of the less expensive brands of wrenches have very weak open end jaws and will flex enough to cause a lot of rounded off nuts and bolts.

MSA also sells Zedd Findings floor pans, they are the best. Get the premium ones if you get them from MSA and they will be the same as if you got them from ZF... At least you aren't looking at hulks in Boofalo... hopefully the rust isn't that bad... What they would charge would all depend on how much of the prep work you do.. if you stripped th einterior and floor pans for them and had it all ready to just cut out, fit and then weld back in, you'd probably get it done for half what they would charge if they did all the work...I've heard people say anywhere up to 1K for a shop to replace them.. so it isn't cheap....

I recently crewed for my old race car.. OK, it's a 280 but it too would not rev past a certain RPM not matter what we did... ended up replacing the cap and rotor and the problem disappeared...:stupid: One thing we shouldn't have overlooked to begin with..... I agree also it could be a static timing, or vacuum advance problem as well....or, it could be the fuel pickup in the tank is getting clogged up with junk in the tank. Could be a combination of things, but wouldn't hurt to verify them all...

I know there are tabs on the drain "pockets" that the pins from the outside vent grill goes through, but I don't see how that could hold the drain in place. There has to be something somewhere in there to locate them and hold them in place.Of course, until I pull mine apart I can't answer your question...:stupid:

While it is runnign, have you checked that the two dead cylinders injectors are firing? Take a long screwdriver, place it on the metal retainer on the injector and put your ear to the end of it(like you would with a stethoscope) and see if you hear the injector clicking... if not, it's probably in the wiring to the injector. The plastic wiring ends that plug onto the injectors are famous for cracking or losing contact. You can buy replacements from MSA and a couple other suppliers luckily. Also, make sure the plug end is securely attached to the injector, the little wire clips sometimes will loosen if the plastic has cracked on the plug. I'd say it probably the electrical connection to the individual injectors that are the problem if the rest are working fine.....if you recently replaced the hoses, possibly you might have just loosened up a plug that was in bad shape to begin with.

In a word, nope... you can do a little with adding resistors to some of the sensors to control fuel mixture.. but not sure about what or how it's done...you'd have to get a book on the Bosch FI to find out how to do that..there is a book on the subject, called "How to Tune and Modify Bosche Fuel Injection" that covers a little of it.. but I let that book go with the race car... There used to be a little rheostat you could buy for the EFI 280's that was called a "fuel enrichment circuit" that mounted in the wiring off the temp sensors on the thermo housing.. but haven't seen one of those in years...

I think you are referring to a remote filter mount for the oil filter right? It's an adapter that fits where the filter mounts on the block with 2 lines up to another adapter where the filter is located? It's aftermarket... you can pick them up at most any parts store... makes it easier and less messy to change the oil. Some of today's cars are so hard to access the filter, that people use these so they can reach the filter and drain it without having oil run all over the frame, suspension etc.... Also, they make it easier to plumb lines to and from an oil cooler.

Slip yoke on the front.. all you need are the basic box end wrenches to pull the shaft.. better to take a good selection from 10mm all the way to 17mm just in case you find something else that needs "adjustment".. one second thought, better to take two of 14mm and 15mm.. I've seen some cars that had different sized nuts on the flanges...

Pull the interior panel off the hatch and see if the plastic drains are loose under the grilles on the hatch. It's possible the water is getting in through the grilles and if the drains are loose, they may be letting the water escape before it gets to the edge of the hatch where it is supposed to drain. Not sure how to fix them, I know the ones in mine are loose but I haven't taken the hatch off yet to paint it, and don't plan on messing with it until I remove the hatch itself and get it to where I can see what's going on. Sorry I can't offer a quick fix....

I know it's not an E-31.. but how often will you get the chance to buy a virgin head for a Z car anymore? I bid on one and it only went for $229, I would have bid again, but I already have enough parts... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2433412200&category=33617

Please tell me that battery isn't loose... :cross-eye

Uh Carl... how's the fluid going to get on the exhaust? Wrong side remember? I'd say it was acting as a ground....... which isn't any better than it having direct current involved....