RPMS

Lone, I just re-read your post, and realized that I wrote a "war and peace" length reply to a question you didn't ask!

quote: Originally posted by chevsun: Nion- I would like to top my 377 with those valve covers. I could not find them on e-bay. Do you have an address or phone #. thanks Steve Look HERE

Last time I checked, AAA Small Car World in Fort Worth only wanted something like $150 a pair for leather seats. They part out a LOT of European iron ,and I'll bet they see a couple of Porsche 911 seats every week. Looking at the eBay pics, those Porsche seats look like they have a good, low bun height, and IIRC, 911's aren't known for being wide cars, so I'll bet they're pretty narrow. Sounds like a good candidate for a Z, to me! Maybe I'll give AAA a call next week and see if they have any in stock...

Heya, Kevin. The real issue here is, what do you want to do with the car? My advice for someone wanting a concours winner is VERY different than someone who wants a good looking, long lasting daily driver. If you want to restore and show your Z and only the best will do, then you need to do as Lone suggests and find another car. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, there are too many solid Z's to waste time restoring this one to 100 point condition. Sorry. If you want a good looking daily driver, there's hope. The rust you show on your website is a carbon copy of the rust I found on mine, except that you haven't discovered it all yet. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if your doorsills look like that on the top, I'd be shocked if the sheetmetal under the doors hasn't rusted through and been repaired when the car was repainted the first time. Speaking as someone who has just gone through this little bit of Hell, let me assure you that you haven't stopped finding rust yet. Your frame rails can be easily repaired with box sections of sheetmetal, and if you're planning on sticking in a V8, you may eventually wish to do this anyway. The door sills are the least of your worries, since they can be repaired with sheetmetal. They'e going to be covered over with carpet and trim, so you don't have to be neat, just structural. The areas around the hatch are of minimal worry, judging by your pictures. Strip the old paint off, re-sand it, and paint over it again. The battery tray isn't as bad as it looks. You've got a lot of peeling paint and a bit of bubbling metal, but otherwise it looks sound. Again, strip and repaint. The rust on the fender lips is a standard item on old cars, and will probably reappear unless you strip off all the undercoating, eliminate the rust on both sides of the metal, and re-weatherproof it within an inch of it's life. It's not difficult to fix cosmetically, if you're a professional bodyman. (If you're a novice like me, it will take you days of sanding/reapplying/sanding/reapplying to get the body filler to properly blend into the compound curve of the fender lip!) what kind of bothers me most, oddly, is the perforation near the hood hinge. Why did it choose that spot to rust? Is the rearmost headlight bucket attachment point (sorry, can't think of the correct term!) on the other side of that? It's going to be visible whenever you lift the hood, but it doesn't really do a lot structurally (I think). You *might* could fix it with a large repair patch which follows the outline of the panel, cutting holes where the hood hinge bolts have to pass through. That would end up looking like a stiffener, and since nobody sees both sides at once, only a dedicated Z nut would know that something was odd. In any case, nothing you've shown me makes me think that this car isn't still a good candidate for a daily driver. And you COULD get it back to concourse condition, but you'd sure pay far more to do that than you would to buy another rust-free body. It all depends on what you want to do with it, how attached you are to it, and how much money you have to spend. Good luck!

If those are Recaro seats, they're like none I've ever seen before. Maybe this guy that's selling Recarro seats wears a Rollex, too?

Wow, that's a lot of good info! I've never liked crimp connectors, because no matter what I do, it seems that they come loose over time. I suppose I need a $250,000 government crimper to do the job right! My Radio Shack special doesn't impress me with it's abilities. I have never heard of soldering hardening a metal, but I guess it's possible. If NASA crimps, they must know something about it that I don't, which is not surprising. When I solder, I do it in a slightly different manner than recommended in all the books. I strip the wire and dip it in liquid flux, then I tin both wires. Then I put the two wires side by side with 1/4 inch of overlap, and join them with a molten solder blob. Usually the excess solder drops away, leaving a smooth joint that has yet to fail me. I think what I'll try is coating the connection with Home Depot goo, then covering it with heat shrink tubing to make it neat and tidy. Best of both worlds. But you're right, Evan - if everything is neatly loomed, why bother making it so neat? I guess it's like wearing clean underwear in case you get in an accident. You don't want the emergency workers to see Hershey streaks while you're bleeding all over the place, do you? Blkmgk had a great idea with the shrinking, waterproof connectors. A sales rep came by our company years ago demonstrating those things. They took a 10" length of 14 gauge wire and looped it so one end stuck in each side of a butt connector. After heating it with a match, it shrank so tightly that NOBODY in the office could rip it loose. And we had some BIG guys who tried! Truly amazing stuff. Too bad they were something like $2.50 each!

Hmm... Lots of little message icons to choose from now! When I install the BMW fusebox to replace the inadequate stock one, I'm going to be using some of the stock wiring. Is there a way to make completely waterproof splices? I'm fond of heat shrink tubing, but I'm not sure that would do the job. Any suggestions?

My last junkyard expedition was to find a suitable fusebox for my 260. The best one I found was out of a 1988 or so 3-series BMW. If I'm remembering correctly, it's wired for something like 9 relays and 22 blade-type fuses. Fully loaded with relays, it cost me 15 bucks. Add in the cost of a few rolls of different colored wire, shrink wrap, and connectors, and I'm looking at about $100. It measures about 8 x 8 x 6, so it'll probably have to reside in the engine compartment. But it's got a water resistant cover, so that probably won't be much of an issue. I don't plan on completely rewiring the car, though. Low amperage stuff like taillights and instrument lighting will work just fine with existing wires that have been re-routed to the new fusebox. I'll run new heavier gauge wires for the high amp stuff, like the stereo and lighting, though. And everything in the future that I add (power locks, alarm system, etc) will get to have its own circuit! The way I see it, $100 for the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your electrical system is robust is WELL worth the money. I've had far more electrical problems out of Z's than I have mechanical. When I finally get that project started, I'll write it up so you can see if it's worth the effort to you. [ November 06, 2001: Message edited by: RPMS ]

Oh, yeah - the hood scoop! I barely even saw it! Tell me again why they call it the Subtle Z? Yeah, exactly. Functional, but it doesn't draw the eye away from the lines of the car. I've gotta go get my eyes checked!

Thanks, guys! Not needing a gasket means that I can start buttoning this puppy up tonight. Idaho, what would a stud kit do for me? I'm ignorant of these things...

Pete writes: quote Heya, Pete. My understanding is that Clevite now makes a bearing specifically for the small journal crank to big journal block swap. It's thicker, so doesn't require a spacer. It seems that would be the easiest, best way to go. quote That's the plan. Of course, a lot can change in six months! The Hot Rod article on the AFR site mentioned Wayne's Engines in Riverside, CA. I haven't heard about one in Ventura doing the same thing. Could you tell me something more about that? Might save me some legwork! And Ara writes: quote: Well, my buddy wasn't as much help as I had hoped. All I got for you was that both your block and heads were 350s used between 80-95.

STOP IT! You're making me embarass myself at work! I usually LOATHE the way flares look on a Z, but those are definitely the exception. If I ever decide to put wider fenders on my Z, those are the way I'll go!

Thanks for the info, Ratfink. (man, it sounds odd, addressing a friend that way!) If I found a 327 crank, I'd definitely grab it for my de-stroked 400 project. Weren't they all forged cranks?

Howdy, Jon! It sounds like you're trying to accomplish the same thing I am in your car - making it a street sleeper that won't scare off the prey! Good luck, and please keep us updated on your car, and send pictures when you get it!

Heya, guys. My oil pump didn't come with a gasket, and there wasn't one included with the gasket kit. Is there supposed to be one between the pump and the block? My assembly manual doesn't say one way or the other. Thanks!

quote Absolutely right! I hope I didn't rain on your parade, or anything. Sometimes when you're kicking around an idea that nobody else thinks will work, you hit on something that's absolute magic! I applaud you for letting us in on your thought processes, and for giving us all permission to make comments. Most folks don't have the ego strength to do that, you know.

quote Absolutely right! I hope I didn't rain on your parade, or anything. Sometimes when you're kicking around an idea that nobody else thinks will work, you hit on something that's absolute magic! I applaud you for letting us in on your thought processes.

Man, that would be great! Let me know if you can find anything out. I hate dealing with a mystery motor, but this one was so cheap that I just about couldn't go wrong.

Call me a weenie (Is that like calling me a cab?) but I un-prefer the look with the nostrils. When I pulled up pic #1, the first thing I said to myself was, "Damn, that's a CLEAN looking Z!" Putting holes in the nose took some of that away FOR ME. Others might think it looks kick ass and drool over it. If it were me (and it's not) I'd go for the LT-1 type hood bulge with an opening in the rear. Make it subtle enough that people ask, "Did it come that way from the factory???" But that's just my way of doing things. I like the elements of a car to blend together, but some folks prefer a more aggressive, less polished look. To each his own! Kudos, by the way, for your Photoshop skills!

Ross, I don't think I'd mess with having it fixed, personally. If you have one leak that's getting worse, it's a sure sign that cracked metal is separating somewhere in there. If they weld up one set of holes, there's nothing that guarantees that another set won't open up later. Then you're back where you started, and you're out the money you spent getting it repaired. I'd suggest that if you have $5.00 in your pocket, you have nothing to lose by trying to fix it yourself. Clean it off, epoxy it, have it pressure tested, then start saving your pennies for a new one, because your radiator will almost certainly start leaking again from a different crack soon. If you've got $50 in your pocket, buy a 3-core 260 or 280 radiator as Dave suggests, have it pressure tested, and stick that puppy in there. We're entering the winter season, so you don't need tremendous cooling capacity for another six months anyway. By the time hot weather rolls around again, you'll have saved the money for another aluminum radiator. That's my take on it.

The build sheet that came along with the engine listed the following information: Rebuild date 4/1/01 Piston: Badger PS67, .04 over Rings: Hastings E251X Con Rods: Production Crankshaft: Production Main Bearings: King MS-909 20 Rod Bearings: King CR-663 20 Cam: Clevite 274 I don't think it's anything more than a standard economy rebuild, especially considering the Badger pistons. I'm not sure what the 274 after the Clevite cam refers to, though. Duration? While this engine is still out of the car, it would be a perfect time to stab a new cam in there should I choose to do so. If I could get a bit more performance for around a hundred bucks, is there a cam with a mild performance grind I should consider? Thanks for all your help! Although I've been turning wrenches for twenty years, this car is my first experience with pushrod V8 engines, and I'm a bit clueless.

Thanks for the information, Idaho. I haven't measured the ports yet, but I will if you think that will help identify things. It's a two bolt block, incidentally. I looked through the holes in the intake valley, and I couldn't see anything that looked different from regular hydraulic lifters. Is the difference between a flat and roller lifter blatantly obvious when looking at them this way? Regarding intakes - For this engine, I was planning on using the stock aluminum intake and Q-jet from a 1984 Camaro. Do you see any problems using this setup? I've heard that I might have to hog out the center boltholes in a pre-1986 manifold to get it the bolts aligned properly. I guess it would be pointless to guess at what sort of horsepower this engine might produce, since the dress is completely different than stock. No fuel injection, minimal emissions controls, no catalytic converter, etc. I should probably just throw the thing in there and see what my G-Tech says about RWHP! Anyway, thanks for the info. If you have anything else that you think might be helpful, I'm eager to hear it!

I dunno about you guys, but I just attacked mine with a regular claw hammer. I was sick and tired of hearing the scrape and rub of tires in the back on my BMW, so I just took the tire off and started whanging away. (Don't ask me why I did something so rash, because I have absolutely no idea!) The visible sheetmetal will take an astonishing amount of abuse without distorting. The fender lips are now completely rolled, with no visible damage to the outside.

quote: Originally posted by RPMS: If you're going through all this trouble, you might as well remove ALL the undercoating while you're at it. It would be a shame to do all this work, then have the remaining undercoating trap water and rust through in a couple of years. Try CAREFULLY spraying diesel fuel on the undercoating (using an old windex bottle, or something) and waiting 30 minutes before scraping with a putty knife. Then remove anything that's left with turpentine on a rag. It worked well for me.

If you're going through all this trouble, you might as well remove ALL the undercoating while you're at it. It would be a shame to do all this work, then have the remaining undercoating trap water and rust through in a couple of years. Try spraying diesel fuel on the undercoating and waiting 5 minutes before scraping with a putty knife. Then remove anything that's left with turpentine on a rag. It worked well for me.