jimzdat

Holy crap!--I almost hate to admit I live in Tennessee with an idiot like that. I am only an hour away, maybe I should go down there and him, just to make myself feel better

When I bought my Grant wheel for my 76, the local Auto Zone had to special order the grant hub adapter--not a normal stock item. I am going to be using a GM column in my car, so my adapter just became useless to me--I'd be willing to sell it for cheap, make a reasonable offer and it can be yours. (I'm keeping the wheel) For that matter, make me a reasonable offer on a 280 steering column with Grant hub and wiper/light/turn signal switches on it and that can be yours Jim

and I can't believe you posted this in 12 different forums, just to show us a car that has been around for awhile--on ebay, no less. One post would have been sufficient

Or you can go high tech and get electric cutouts: Quicktime Performance A little pricey, but neat as heck!

For info on the mufflers: Supertrapp As far as good info about them.....well....they are nice and shiny chunks of pipe when you get the box open...not too hard to install...good for annoying the living daylights out of your neighbors when you have to leave for work at 4 AM

Well, if you're working on a early Z, I found the easiest way to do it was remove the window--take off the chrome upper frame, then remove the chrome "windowsill" trim--4 screws hold the window to the regulator, then it just slides out of the door. Once you get the window out, you should be able to use a long flat screwdriver to pop the linkage off the handle, then a 8mm socket and a long extension to get the 2 nuts off the back of the handle--of course, reverse steps for reassembly Jim

Loud is an understatement--I had the twice pipes on my car for a few years; get used to shouting at passengers to be heard. I ended up ordering a Supertrapp from Jegs, and had a local shop just run straight pipe from the collector back, and weld the muffler on--MUCH quieter, plus I could adjust the muffler. The Supertrapp was around $80, and the muffler shop charged me $100 (under the table, cash only, no warranty, forgot to put in one of those catalytic doohickeys when they worked on it:) ) Jim

Yep, the guy is on the board (cborden) and the company is now Z Car Creations www.zcarcreations.com He actually had 2 copies of the manual, one had searchable PDF files, and cost a little more. I provided the donor manual for the '76 version, and the CD I got is excellent--you can go right to the section you need, and print out just what you want--no more greasy smudges in your books It also comes with a bunch of old Z commercials for your viewing pleasure

Hey Owen--measure the hole for the horn button (if you have the wheel already)--according to the Painless catalog I've got, it says: The Painless RF center fits most aftermarket wheels. (Grant, Lacarra, Billet Specialties, etc) the hole for the horn button in these wheels measures 3 3/16ths. The 3 1/2 inches and 4 1/2 inches referred to in the product description refer to the outside diameter of the RF center. The 4 1/2 version will cover the perimnieter bolt holes, while the 3 1/2 will not. Then they also have the one for use with 5-hole Grant wheels. So maybe it will work with your wheel?

Craig runs Z Car Creations from home, so he may be out of town or something--The last time I was at his site (it's been a while) he was no longer selling the Maxi fuse conversions, but did have the wiring instructions up--I was going to just use the wiring instructions and setup my own fuse block--if you search online for "MAXI fuse blocks", you should come up with something--try places like www.mcmaster.com or www.newark.com. I know I had found some before, but then threw out all the info, since I threw out the idea of leaving my car stock. Good luck, Jim

I just sold off 2 of my engines--a leaky L28 went for $100, and my L28 that was rebuilt (had about 10K miles on it, tall cam, etc) went for $250 Of course these are ebay prices, might find someone willing to pay more, but don't count on it. I also sold a 5 speed for $200, plus $50 just for shipping. The engines were sold to people that I met halfway from their houses, so we worked out delivery.

I've got a 7th edition, same story--self published, no ISBN. The authors name is Mike Knell, but I think you're gonna be out of luck at the library. FWIW, I got mine for 20 bucks on ebay

With the top off of the float bowl, flip it up side down, and let the float tang just barely rest on the needle valve--then measure the space between the bowl lid and the float (measure opposite the pivot point)--if I remember right it should be ~9/16" If you're interested, I have a copy of the "Just SU" tape from ZTherapy that I won't be neeiding anymore--watched it once--15 bucks, including shipping

I saw one of these engines with a T5 behind it on ebay a few months ago, so I guess it could be done. You might want to check out www.clubgp.com --go to the forums area, and read about some of the problems going on about mods, just for good measure--there are now a few reprogrammed PCM's, new pulleys, etc for those motors--but it seems like one of the weak points is #3 piston--a lot of people frying that one for some reason-only applies to modded motors so far, but if you're gonna put it in a Z, it's not like you're gonna leave it stock either

Most AC systems feed 12 volts to the compressor clutch--maybe tap off of that so when the compressor runs so do fans? I know there are a few other switches integrated into the AC system--maybe use the feed off of one of those?

One "old-school" method is to fill the unit up with water, then take an old 10-speed innertube; cut it opposite the valve stem--clamp one end onto either side of the heater core, the use your handy-dandy air pump to inflate the tube--put about 10-15 psi on it and check for leaks. Works for radiators too, but you usually have to use a big BMX tire tube for the bigger hose fittings. Can't tell you for sure yet if it'll work with the 350, but I see no reason why it shouldnt

Sounds like float levels are set way off, or you've got a float/needle valve assembly that is stuck, and not shutting off the fuel supply--a 5 psi pump should be OK, at least mine seems to work fine. Pull the tops off of the fuel bowls; make sure there is nothing causing the needle valves to stick (if you can get rebuild kits, just replace them--ideally with Grose jets from ztherapy) then make sure your floats are set to ~9/16"--put it back together, and see what you get. Remember, the float level must be below the top of the nozzle in the base of the carb body--draw an "imaginary" line horizontal across the bottom of the carb throat--if the fuel level in the bowl is above that line, it's just gonna run out the nozzle and onto the ground.

Old-n-broke--just the name is enough to bring back nightmares worked on her too many times when I was there. Can't blame you for looking forward to shore duty I was a GSM myself, so I know how you feel about sea duty. Good luck on the 327--I miss having all the nice DIY boneyards out there--moved out here and they've never heard of that concept. I am currently in the "save up the bucks to buy an LTI/T56 combo" phase, so I've been spending a lot of time doing body work myself. Good luck, Jim

You'll never see that happen--SU carbs have no accellerator pump--you can pump the throttle all day long, and never flood it. It also does no good to pump the pedal when trying to start it--just pull the choke back and crank it--if anything, put a little pressure on the pedal and hold it, that's about it

Only problem with that, Z-tard, is that it's an Allison 501-K17--a single speed gas turbine--you're gonna need one heck of a reduction gear since it runs at 13,821 RPM BTW, which ship you on? I was on the Callaghan (DDG-994) and the Acadia (AD-42) during my time down there--plus a few years at SIMA If you want to see a turbine that might be doable, check out the "squirt" project at www.gas-turbines.com

You're on the right track--when you open the throttle with the engine not running, the butterflies will open, and thats it--when it's running, the vacuum will cause the pistons to rise, pulling the needle up out of the nozzle to allow fuel flow (to quote Scott Bruning: "a SU carb is nothing but a controlled fuel leak") The only time you should get any movement from the nozzles is when you pull the choke cable--it'll move the nozzle down to richen the mixture a bit--the choke linkage should also bump the butterflies open a little If you havent already-I would seriously consider getting the SU videotape from www.ztherapy.com--I ordered it when I had my carbs redone, and it was the best 15 bucks I ever spent for a tuning tool

If you've got the original "flat top" carbs, then yes, when you pull the choke lever, the butterfly should close. As far as the pic for the cable, sorry--I put earlier carbs on mine. If you're not worried about originality, I would check ebay for a set of 70-72 carbs--they will fix 99.99% of the problems you are having, and you can usually find a set for under $200

Actually, we (as a group) would need more info to help you with lash pads--there's a lot of variables that go into proper selection (cam specs, etc)-IIRC, there are a bajillion different options for those things. As far as the SU tuning goes, step 1 is get yourself a UniSyn carb synchronizer (either MSA or your local VW shop-about $30) if you don't already have one. Step 2 is find someone local that knows them and can pass on some hands on training; or go to www.ztherapy.com and order the 4 hour "Just SU" videotape--Scott did a hell of job putting together everything you need to get your car running right Probably a lot more info we could pass on, just a few pionts I can think of for right now Jim

Might want to check the websites for the Dept of Transportation in each state you'll be going thru--I did that when I moved cross country, just to see what road conditions were like--If you got AAA, they can crank out a "triptik" in a short time that highlights bad areas too. Another thing to keep in mind is bypassing major cities--if you take the 40, for instance, you can save much heartache and traffic by taking the 440 around nashville instead of plowing straight thru--adds a few miles, but much easier in the long run. Biggest problem I've run into going northern routes is inevitably you get stuck in an area where they require chains--not bad if you're prepared-but have you ever tried to find chains for a U-Haul truck in the middle of BFE? Good luck FWIW, I live right on the I-40 here in TN, and it's nice and clear--no storms lately or expected. Good luck on your trip--hope it goes smoothly for you

There is only one inlet per carb, located on the side of the fuel bowl (held on with a "Banjo" fitting) The nipple that sticks straight up out of the top of the bowl is the vent, and should be connected to the back of the air cleaner--if you plug that fitting, the car will not run due to the fact that SU's require some way of getting air into the fuel bowl so that fuel can flow out the bottom and into the nozzle assembly