hmsports

You can remove the float covers with the carbs on the car - they just need to be kind of jiggled/twisted/worked around a bit since they knock up against the carbs - at least on some models. Also make sure that the little pin that holds the float on doesn't fall out and get lost. One other thing to be careful of is not to rip the float gasket. I've tried the grose jets before and didn't care for them. I've always had good luck with the stock ones - so I can't tell you the going price or even where to get them. I know I'm going to get blasted by those who don't like them, but I will recommend Victoria British for their carburator rebuild kit. At only $12.95 per carb, you get a new jet with seat, new float gasket, new fuel hose and miscellaneous other gaskets. Or you can get a kit from MSA for about $70. Let me know if this works.

Jeremiah, You might want to check the jets in the float tops to make sure they are not sticking which would either stop all fuel from entering the float or maybe letting some in - this could explain why you are running ok at low RPM and then starving the engine at higher RPM. When you whacked the float, it may have unstuck it. Should be able to take them out and clean them. Not sure about the amp jump. Could just be that your battery is getting old and/or your regulator needs to be adjusted/replaced. Check that your alternator is charging correctly and that your voltage regulator is working right too. Hope that helps a little. Rick

Fred, I'm not sure that you would see that much of a difference on a Z car. Having a wider tire does put a little bit more tire patch on the road surface, but that also lowers the weight per square inch - or centimeter on your side of the pond :-) This can make for a car that may have a tendency to oversteer - which isn't all that bad if you like to drive hard and steer the car with the throttle. In my opinion puting a wider tire up front would cause an understeer condition which is definately bad - and it may cause the steering to be a bit more laborous. Best bet - stay with 15x7 or 15x8 on all four corners. For what it's worth... Rick

If you are wanting to avoid dullness and flakes, stay off the Honda and Mustang web sites....

Why not buy all three? It depends on what you want... If you are a purist, go for the original 72. If you just want to whoop up on 'macho' cars, go for the tripple webber - nothing like pulling up to one of those tricked out cars with a so-so looking car and then tearing them up. If the $3200 car is pretty clean, it may be worth saving some money from the $5K car and you can have some fun cleaning/fixing it up - personalizing it. I'm sure which ever way you go you'll have a ball. Good luck.

I missed last weekend's races here in St. Louis. Hoping to have my ITS 72-240 ready for August. There's no feeling like a four wheel drift at over 100mph as you blow the doors off a mazda or porche!

Another thing to check is to make sure the carbs are in sync.

ZmeFly, Thanks for the link for Nismo. I didn't know about them and yes, you are right about VB knowing nothing, but they do have some good prices. Rick

If the holes you describe are truly small and can just be patched by buying some sheet metal from the hardware store and having them welded in, you are looking at a MUCH cheaper, faster and less invasive job. The rigidity of the floor will be fine too.

The 4.11 will give you a great hole-shot and lots of quickness up to speed... but you will sacrifice top end and you will spend a lot more time at higher RPM while driving down the freeway - the five speed will help with this a bit. I'm not sure you will notice a huge difference just by changing the carbs and intake manifold. The header and exhaust will make the biggest actual HP difference. Try to follow a couple of rules... try to get about a total of 126" total exhaust length - measured from the header flange to the end of the tailpipe. Also, make sure to have 9" of tailpipe after the muffler to help smooth the flow. I know you want a nice throaty sound to your car but about the best exhaust you can do is to get a stepped header from Rallye/Sport in Colorado (about $450 call Jeff Winter at 303-427-0510). This is a very tuned system that is a six-into-two (2-1/2") stepped design. Flowmaster makes a Y-collector that terminates to a 3" tailpipe. MSA has a six-into-one (2-1/2") header for about $150 which would be fine for a street machine instead. Either way, try to keep the tailpipe as straight as possible - which I know is just about impossible once you get to the back of the car - anyway, flowmaster also makes some great mufflers that are pretty cheap and sound deep. Just my four cents worth.

You might want to pop the valve cover off and see if the clips holding the #2 and #4 rocker arms has come undone and the rocker arms may be laying there. I've had this happen a few times because of either missing a shift and over revving or if your valve springs are old and soft. Rick

Exhaust Gas Temperatures are a great way (probably the best) to check for correct mixture and optimal carburator setup. The temps you are experiencing are about 50 degrees hotter than what I ususally run at 6500rpm while racing. You may want to richen things up just a tad to get things down around 1300-1350 degrees. Number one and six are the correct cylinders to check EGT on also. Hope this helps some.

Koni makes several great adjustable struts.

I build custom brake cooling shrouds for ITS Z cars if you want to cool them even better than just aiming the hoses at the caliper and rotor (this has a tendency to warp the rotors) Brake Cooling Shrouds

You can contact ZBarn. They have the worlds largest Z salvage yard. I spoke with them a few months back and they have a pretty good selection of stuff - they might be able to help out. 1-800-247-2793 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm M-F Eastern Time) Fax 1-865-983-0414 Email sales@zbarn.com

Welcome to the wonderful world of SU carbs. Once you get them figured out, you will be happy with them... As far as the mixture nuts on the bottom. First, make sure to turn them both in ALL the way closed. Then, turn them out 2 1/2 turns. Make sure the valves are adjusted, the timing is correct and the carbs are synched. Then to adjust the mixture with the nuts... ...with the air cleaner off and the engine running at idle (and at temp), cover one of the carbs' intake horn with the palm of your hand (some guys will lift the piston all the way open instead - I've always just used my hand). This will cut off any fuel/air to that bank of cylinders. The engine should run on the other bank of three cylinders pretty smoothly. With your hand still in place, adjust the idle mixture nut on the OTHER carb. If the engine is loping, it is too lean so open it up a bit. If it is running smooth and fast, slowly close it down to where it just wants to die (starts loping). Adjust it back out about an 1/8 turn or so. Once that one is adjusted, remove your hand and rev the engine (at least 2500 rpm) to get things back to normal with both banks. Repeat on the other carb. This is a pretty easy and reliable way. Good luck.

Motorsport Auto - 800-633-6331 - has several different styles

The purple stuff is probably anti-squeal spray. Don't use it on an ITS car. It's used on street cars to keep the brake pads from moving around during braking causing them to squeal. As far as the caliper pins, that's all there is to them. I'm not sure the type of clips you have, but because of the need to often bleed your brakes - I do them usually once each race day between practice/qualifying and the race usually - make sure you use something that is easy to remove and reusable. I use this style: I make sure to push the clip all the way in to the large loop. I don't like to rely on it holding on the little loop like they are designed (I hope that made sense). As far as bleeding the front calipers... check out my post under the thread titled: Brake Bleeding - Do it yourself. BTW - I tried some porterfield's last year and didn't care for them much. They were mushy and faded quickly. I've had pretty good luck with the Hawk pads over the last couple of years. The Performance Friction pads are about the best for the Z car but you can't get them any more.

Nigel, Victoria Britsh (800-255-0088) sells a set of no-lead harndened valve seats and premium valve guides (total of about $160) which will allow you to run unleaded fuel. You can rebuild your head with these and should be ready to go.

There are kits you can buy (or have fabricated) where tabs are welded to the header and then the y-collector to hook heavy springs on to hold things together all while allowing for expansion/twisting.

I may have some between my '71 and '72 if you can use any from a '72. I know I don't have a complete set but will check tonight. I may have a front bumper too. I think it has a slight kink but I'm sure it could be easily rubber-hammered out.

James, Yes, being too rich can cause many ill effects such as poor gas mileage and fouled plugs. Here is a simplified picture of a tapered needle: Make sure the taper is 'aimed' at the incoming air. Also, make sure the needle is properly mounted at shoulder level. You may need to adjust the mixture nuts on the bottom of the carbs at idle to help with the low RPM richness.

If you hit downtown St. Louis at the 44/55/70 merge during the week, I'll buy you lunch!

James, The shaved, or tapered needles allow more fuel to enter the carburator which will provide more horsepower in a properly built up engine. There has been a lot of tuning and dyno time on needles to find the best taper. The floats are pretty insignificant as long as they are properly adjusted and you don't have too much or too little fuel pressure.

Mike, Check out the seats available from Corbeau. Here is a link to a place in the UK. I have a source here in St. Louis but I'm sure you could find many others. They are pretty reasonable and sturdy. Many options are available. http://www.corbeau-seats.co.uk/road.htm Good luck. Rick