2ManyZs

After talking to Burt in the chatroom last night, we have concluded it's a loose battery cable, bad battery cables and possibly a battery problem in a nutshell. Still a possibility of a bad alternator and regulator, but until he gets new cables it's hard to tell.

No problem Rolf. Yes, that's a white 240 under that pile of snow....:cross-eye It's a storm to be remembered, that's for sure. It started Friday and is still flurrying. We have somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 inches. One town not far from here got 35 and another has 37 all in one storm.:tapemouth The really bad part is we are expecting warmer temps starting tomorrow and by the end of the week the temps are goin gto be in the 50's with thunderstorms possible by next weekend. Next will be the flooding we usually have after a big snow storm like this... I've got heat in the garage as well, just don't fell like shoveling a path to the door, I've shoveled enough this weekend....

The "rear differential mount member installation nut" torque is 7.5 to 9.5 kg-m or 54.2 to 68.7 ft-lbs. I'd go the same with either type of bushing...

Sounds like a hell of a deal, doesn't look too bad either... As long as there are no "hidden rust surprises" I'd jump on it!:cheeky: Only thing I'm not sure about is the T-5 Borg Warner, they weren't known as the best shifting trannies. But hey, it's in there and you can alway find a 5 speed ZX tranny later... Maybe your "accident" may have worked out in your favor. The parts on this one are worth the purchase price.

First things to check are the suspension bushings on the control arms, mustache bar, and perhaps the diff mount. You should also check the mounting nuts on top of the strut housing to make sure they are tight. Something else to check would be the gland nut on top of the strut cartridge to make sure that is still in place( just look through the spring coils) as they have been known to loosen or strip if the suspension has been bottoming out. More than one bad bushing can cause the noise but since you say it affects the handling, I'm inclined to look towards the strut mount, the control arm bushings or the strut cartridge gland nut. Take a good look at all the mounting points to make sure all the bolts are tight as well.

Hey, you didn't even give me enough time to get the pool going....:cross-eye At least it isn't yellow....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2403902583&category=6775

$499.00 Buy it Now price is not bad for a set of springs and strut cartridges.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2403568107&category=33590

It's usually a good idea to replace both at the same time for one reason. If one of them has detiorated to the point it needs to be replaced, then the other is not going to be in any better shape. Think of it this way, you would normally replace all the spark plugs at the same time, not the just one or two that are showing wear right? Or replacing the brakes pads on one side of the car and not the other. Replacing all components in a system ensures you don't have a weak link that is going to cause trouble later... The kit from VB probably only has new seals for the piston and a dust boot. No reason you can just use the kit, but most people prefer new over rebuilt for longevity, or replacing with new and rebuilding the old for a spare is never a bad idea.

I'd say keep going with the 280. You say you've already spent 3K on it and it isn't done, which means you'd be lucky to sell it for half that in it's unfinished state. If you buy the 240 for 2K that means you are out 3500 and have to start at the very beginning again. You'd end up spending 6K fixing the 240 if you go the same route you are going now, which means you have then spent 9500 and you'll have just as hard a time selling the 240 for your investment as the 280. Changing cars in the middle of a resto doesn't make much sense when you think of it in terms of time lost as well as the money you could end up losing. A good 280 done right will bring as good a price as a shoddy job on a 240. So do it right and either enjoy the car, or sell it and then start another project... A nice 280 recently went for almost as much a one of the Z store resto's on Ebay, so it is not so much the car as the quality of the car. Unless perhaps it's a 280Zx....

Yes the control arm will drop down as far as you need it to if you unbolt the sway bar end link and the steering arm that the strut is bolted to. You got someone who can step on the brake while you try to take the lug nuts off? Or didn't you think of that yet?

Can you jack up the car with a bottle jack under the frame rail? You should be able to remove the tire then and take the two mounting bolts out of the bottom of the strut? This will let you drop the control arm enough that you can get to the mounting nut on the ball joint and replace the joint. You will only need to disconnect the sway bar end link and then the two large bolts that connect the strut housing to the steering arm and you can swing the control arm down and work on it from there. Two more bolts out of the ball joint mount and you're almost done.

Welllllll, that was my point... No sense in polishing the valves if you aren't going to do the complete job. Head and intake come before the valves, so if the head and intake are stock, the valves have no need for polishing. A good port matching should be one of the first things to be done IMO. If you decided to do a complete head and intake polishing later, then the valves would need a bit of attention to complete the package.

Well, it can be done, but on a mostly stock engine anything other than just a good cleaning is going to be a waste of time and money. You could have them "swirl polished" but it won't do much good unless you did a lot of work on the head and intake ports. The swirl polishing is supposed to give the incoming air a swirling motion as it enters the combustion chamber thereby filling the combustion chamber completely for a better air/fuel charge. Unless you had the head ported and polished and the intake polished or perhaps Extrude Honed you won't realize any benefit by just doing the valves. One thing you should do is to lap the valves to get the best seal at the valve seats. I'd like to see how much benefit you could gain having the head and intake Extrude Honed. Wonder if anyone has ever done a before/after dyno test on an L-series after having the head and intake Extrude Honed to see if it really does what it claims. It probably doesn't do much more than a good machinist could do, but it sure is less labor intensive and should be quite a bit more economical....

Well Dan, believe it or not the cruise control can actually floor the throttle if you have wheel spin. I have had it happen in an older 85-87Chevy's (I know, figures for GM) but it will do it. The older cars with the vacuum canisters connected to the cruise control will do it even quicker than the newer cruise controls. I haven't had it happen lately, but I don't see how the newer ones are any different. It is not as noticeable with a vehicle with a LSD as it is with one with an open rear, one wheel spins, and the cruise will then increase the throttle before you can react. :cross-eye It doesn't happen as often in the rain as it will if you hit a patch of black ice or an icy bridge. I've had it happen in a tractor trailer hitting a overpass that was freezing over, increases the "pucker factor" even more when you are beginning to jackknife, and have no control over the throttle.

I've had it happen to me once or twice....:stupid: I guess I never learned my lesson the first time... I had it happen last summer pulling the camper with the Ram. Cummins with high torque + rain+ towing a 8K plus pound trailer= wheelspin, usually when you least expect it. Hit a spot that had a little standing water and had my hands full for a minute.... I've also had a full size Chevy Blazer cause me to do donuts on an ice and snow covered interstate just because I was in overdrive (30-35mph)and the automatic suddenly downshifted out of overdrive. That's one reason I will never own another automatic:angry:

Egad, that is not good. But as long as you are OK, well, there is always another car to tinker with. Look on the bright side, you live on the "left coast" where Z's are plentiful.....and usually a lot cheaper than here on the east coast. Can it be fixed?

If you are talking about the cylinder that bolts on the outside of the bellhousing that operates the clutch fork, yes they are the same. The proper term for it is slave cylinder, and they are quite cheap and easy to find, so you will have no problem finding a new one. MSA, VB, and probably even your local Napa, Advance, Pep Boys can get you one with no trouble, probably no more than 25 bucks.

Saw one recently on Ebay for $ 250US, so they are not that cheap....:disappoin There are not many of them in working condition for the first reason, and a lot of them got thrown into a box or into a dumpster when a previous owner decided to put an aftermarket radio in. So, to answer your question, yes, they are becoming scarce and finding a very good, working example if you want to do a proper original restoration is not going to be easy. You might end up paying a good sized sum for a perfect original radio, it all depends on who is selling, and if you are bidding on it on Ebay or the like.

If you want the book, use the Bookstore in the Main Menu. It will link you to Amazon.com and it does help support the site...... You can find nearly all the books ever written on the Z in there..

Never saw one lose a blade, but I have seen them break where they attach to the mounting plate to the fan clutch though.... either way the result isn't a good one.:disappoin

Not sure, but I think the trans has to come out through interior tunnel on these early MG's as well. Notice the missing trans tunnel in the foot pedal pic? If he re-wired it to get rid of the electrical problems that were the downfall of these cars, I'd say this would make a real cool cruiser...

Yeesh, talk about wishing my "minds eye" was blind.... Zlish, did you really have to do that?:cross-eye :sick:

Cool, a dependable British sports car...... That is a pretty interesting swap..:cheeky:

I'd just like to have the parts he has.... car would be a bonus if it is repairable....:cross-eye