seattlejester

Hopefully I can use some help by then (finals end on the 12th for me ). I just have this sneaking suspicion that the rocker bars are going block the door handle and end up trapping me in the car. We'll have to see once the door is all rebuilt and such. Still stuck on steering rack, will have to call some places and see if they can help, or else I'll just weld a huge bar to it and try breaking it free. Question of the day, where would I source the little white piece that holds the bar to the lock? Managed to break one pulling it out. You can see what I'm referring to in this ebay add. It's the little white nubin type thing. link

Mine in progress, I have to say that I wish I had the option instead of having my decision made for me. But I must say, if you are going with the delete, the car really needs to lowered. Preferably with flares . Love the color Philly!

First pic looked like it was drooling bits out of it's mouth, it's looking much better! And I must say, fine color choice.

Facet fuel pumps makes the another of the type your dad is talking about. And at ~30 or so they are very affordable and very commonly used for SU powered vehicles. From what I gather, they are fairly reliable to boot. From the gentlemen I spoke to, he stated that if the pump sees more than a certain psi, (I think 4 in my case) it shuts off/ or more likely is unable to push any more until the pressure difference is lowered. I'm unregulating it in hopes that my engine will be efficient enough to be using the extra psi of fuel.

With gas prices as they are and will be, I think I would have seriously considered an electric motor swap of some sort.

The house that the car is stored at is finally going under construction, which meant I had to move everything into the garage. Fenders 4x diffs 2x transmissions Doors Hatch Windshield Roll bars Drill Press Press 8 Rims with tires 4 Tires All the interior Dash Fuel tank Odds and Ends Also meant I had to move the rear suspension and the engines out of the way and move all the garbage to make room for all this. So did about a a literal ton of moving today, probably going to conk out tonight. Managed to start putting in the studs, wasn't sure of the final torque and didn't want to strip the new studs, so only partially pulled in. Will post the easiest procedure to accomplish this as soon as I find the final torque setting for the studs. Struts all ready for new hardware posted above. Just need to decide on an oil and make sure I have the correct o-rings for the shock and knuckle and bump stop for the spring perch. And since all the parts had to go in the garage, decided to start putting the stuff that will go into the car...into the car . Scratched a bit putting it in by myself. May need to come out as one of the bolt holes is difficult to line up, and the rear braces don't fit very well with the additonal thickness of the paint. Will also have to decide if I'll be keeping the rocker bars after the doors are finished. Onto the epic repair. How I wish I had taken a picture of how bad it was. There were layers of steel missing, inch long cracks, pitting, holes, and you could push the metal easily with your pinky! I mean you can see all the new steel that went in, take off maybe a 1/4 inch from the border and you have how much metal was added. The history of the car plot thickens as well. So the green door is just sheet metal on the inside, while the white door is a full brown with a layer of white on top (brown most likely being a primer of sorts). I'm leaning towards that being the factory door as the key fits into the lock, although the lock won't turn. Also found two hatch locks among the little tidbits I received with the car, so leaning towards the hatch not being an original item. And this is of course combined with the E31 head, which shouldn't have come on my late '71. Not a real problem, but a continual source of entertainment!

billseph, that's great news! omakz, I still need the weatherstrip kit and an engine rebuild, not to mention I haven't looked at the rear which could present quite a few problems. Hopefully rolling by the end of the month, wishfully driving my May.

Sorry folks, battery was out on my phone so no pics today. So the 71 model came with castle nuts with a lock groove instead of the point lock nut as shown on atlantic z car. Fenders: Off of a blue car, which sported the chrome trim along the fender line. As my car does not have this, I filled in the holes and ground them down, the bottoms look pretty darn rusty, but at this point and time I don't think I have time to deal with it. They are waiting wipe down with a lint free cloth and primer/paint/clear. Hatch: Taped off. Need to tape off glass on other side just in case of over spray, and acquire new lock (more on this). Doors: So since the first day when I rolled down the windows, I haven't been able to get them up. And since I'm on the doors I figured I'd take a look. Turns out the spring had unsprung itself on one door, causing it to drop the regulator and disengage the gear. The other side suffered from just plain old being friction stuck due to old grease. Lookw like the unsprung spring side also lost the roller as that was found in the bottom of the door. Managed to pull those out and found.....one door is green, and the other brown! I really wish I had taken pictures, as the brown door was so rusty near the hinge that the sheet holding the 3 nuts at the bottom moved freely back and forth, as in you could grab the nut from the back and bend the sheet. Without the top 2 bolts, I think the door would have just fallen off the car! There were cracks, pitting, and holes, it was so bad that the thought of throwing it away and looking for another door. But I figured with all I'd been through, I could try and fix it. And....I did (really really wish I had pictures, it was an absolutely epic fix). Front struts are painted, so I should be able to get the front put together (minus the steering rack). Locks: So...I had forgotten this till now, but when I bought the car, the owner informed me the key only worked for the ignition (now I know why parts from many cars). Having 2 of the family cars broken into in the last year (in the safest city in the state...), I figure I need some theft prevention. Now the doors are pretty easy and cheap to source, but it doesn't look like many places sell the the hatch or all three for a decent price. I've heard of having locks rekeyed, anyone have experience? I figure I'd drop by the local lock smith and see what they say. Actual makeup of the car thus far.... Blue fenders Brown Door Green Door Unknown hatch (not original though) White Chassis

Wow, thanks! I find myself doing the same thing with some other peoples builds, luckily I have no textbooks this quarter . Felt like a little kid unwrapping a huge present today. White really looks great! Even if it's painted by a monkey. Really made a stupid error where I really didn't have enough room on the passenger side to get a good spray pattern lots of runs, blah blah blah. Truthfully it looks horrendous, but white is white, and I have to get the car mostly together within a week. Cleared and undercoated for now, will hopefully be able to move it away from the wall and fixed at a later date... Onto the hub. The seal gave me trouble as I really didn't know what it looked like. Ended up taking a wire brush and sanding the rubber away turns out it's a metal ring with a rubber insert. Second hub was super easy with the press, everything just popped out. The bearings looked unfazed so I popped them out with a brass drift and will clean and reuse. Will have to go an acquire new seals. Hubs were cleaned and painted with high temp, I have extended studs waiting to be pressed in once the paint dries. Ran out of brake clean to clean the struts so I should have the struts cleaned and painted. Snags as of now... Stuck tie rods on steering rack. Not sure if the 71 model came with lock nuts? Waiting on inner hub seals. Need to order weatherstrip. Need to order front air dam.

Went to a friends house (the guy I go to when I'm stuck) and we tried to pull the nuts off the tie rods for the steering rack. Heated it red hot with oxy-acetylene to no avail, even using a flare wrench and a BFH no give, so that will have to be dropped off at the professionals (any recommendations?). We did manage to pop off the gland nut, which I learned is called a castle nut (circle with 4 square grooves) and should require an adjustable castle nut wrench, but a 6$ pipe wrench and a jack handle will do . Got a chance to look at the hub/rotor combo in the day, should be pretty easy to pop it out now that I know what pieces should be moving. Finally got a chance to open some of my boxes I've been storing in my room. All that for just one strut, doesn't even include the camber plates up top. If the bearings check out, and the seal comes and cotter pin are sourced, should be able to have the fronts finished, and hopefully the rears aren't too bad.

Looks great!

Thanks for the tips guys! I ended up using the chisel method on the first hub since the hub was pretty well frozen, plus it was the first how to technique I found. Will have to do a once over to make sure I didn't hurt anything, seeing as how they are cast, it should have cracked if it suffered too much damage. I'll have to try using my press for the second one. I'm pretty sure I have a brass punch for the bearings so that's good news. Looks like I'm off to buy a pipe wrench and bearing press tomorrow

TheMission: Yea, I think I'm just not cut out for paint, at least without a dedicated area with controlled air flow and dedicated equipment. Your cars always look great, now I know your secret . Basically I think there was too much acetone in my paint, so the parts I sanded down to get level, would leave an edge, letting the acetone pick up the edge. Trying to get that off, led to sanding, which left deep scratches, blah blah blah. Basically wanted one even coat to put on the car before I cleared it for the meantime. Don't ask me why this came to mind, but decided a roller would be a good idea. Figured if I could get enough paint on the car, I could sand it smooth. Left a bumpy finish that I wasn't happy with. but just stopped by and looks like gravity took it's toll and everything is flattening down. Since the car was drying I decided to work on the suspension a bit. Had a little trouble separating the hub from the brake rotor. And couldn't figure out how to get the bearings out, so called it a night. Will look up and hopefully tackle it sometime next week. 2 more weeks of school! And had a question for ya'll. The strut cartridge is held in place by a huge nut, the problem is that mine isn't hexagonal like I've seen on other cars, it's actually a circle with 4 square indents. Anyone know the proper tool to use?

If you've left your line open to the elements something could have crawled into it. Other than that, the Z is old, and sitting, so the rubber line may have corroded. Basically when the line is off the caliper, if it's dripping fluid when your pumping on the brakes, sounds like the line is clogged. If fluid is coming out freely before the caliper, sounds like a seized piston or corroded caliper.

I am one s***y painter is what i've found out. One more attempt to fix, then I give up. Just going to be cleared until I have the money to have it done.

Congrats on your decision. On my statement, I'd think quite a bit safer if you tune out rear brake bias. Granted this would be with the assumption you're not overloading your fronts. My thoughts and conclusions ive arrived at on this subject: Even if one wheel is turning at the same rate causing slippage going around a wet bend, you still have grip (as long as you have a tire with tread), so as long as your not ripping on the gas or driving too fast for the conditions, its not all too bad. And you do learn what angle/locations you start to slip at. And at some points the welded diff is much preferred to open, such as when you have one or more wheels in the air (some people's driveways/neighborhoods). An open is almost useless in some places I park wheb i deliver like gravel lots, or sometimes partially in the grass, you end up either digging yourself a hole or shooting gravel straight up into the air. Now I'm with you all, if you can afford it buy the LSD, all the benefits almost none of the risk. But know that the subaru diff for example costs anywhere from 100-250 used and requires fairly expensive conversion axles. And I know that some LSD like the nismo 1.5 way LSD still exhibit the same characteristics as a welded diff (low torque locking, I.e. chirping during slow turns locking on decel). You can get a junkyard diff welded for under a 100. Granted not having to try and explain to the police officer why you ended up in someone's driveway may be worth the cost difference.

To cut down on the danger factor you can install a rear proportioning valve and cut down on the line pressure when it's raining, making the car brake more with the front making the locked rear less of a problem. A local friend does this, and he's also been dailying his car for 3 years or so in seattle weather.

Decided to take the plunge, see you guys in a week.

I'm with sideways on this one, the car is fairly balanced high 40's to/low 50's depending on driver weight and fuel on board. The strangeness you get into is that the L engine is cast iron, so running an SR would actually push the bias to the rear, but with the extra metal in the front (oil cooler, intercooler, intercooler piping, etc) it can bring the car back to the original state, although you are hanging more weight in front of the front axle. KA is another very affordable swap. And there is a V2, motorcylce engine, harley's come to mind. That would put you at mid engine in wheel base if that's what you were looking for, granted the weight distribution would be off, and you could potentially pop a wheely but the v twin probably won't get anywhere near enough hp. There's even a V4 found in one of the alfa romeo vehicles

THanks for the easy to follow diagram, if you don't mind a questiom--what's the little grey object in the lower left?

18 may be overkill, 20 is easily bendable by hand to get the correct contours. Plus it's factory thickness. On the other hand, 18 is thicker and will resist blow thru and warping. Granted it's not much help if you blow thru the sheet metal underneath. Stay away from anything higher than 20, and there really isn't any need for anything lower than 18.

The subframe is for you to decide... If you like how the sx rear was setup, want to spend the time and money, willing to cut up your chassis, want/need the widened track; go for it. The track coilovers specs will be too much without bracing the front.

I believe that's part of the door jam, as the rocker is the panel under it. I had that exact same spot, from what I traced, it was poorly installed weatherstripping on the body. Bought a sheet of 20 gauge at the local metal supplier, like 20$ for 10 square feet or something. Cut it out with a set of husky 2x metal snips. Bent it with my fingers. Welded it in.

I salute you for recognizing that rust holes indicate just the tip of the iceberg! Your off to a great start, not underestimating the project is a good place to be. There is a line between taking it to a shop and having it done right and laughably overpaying. The problem is, with the Z costing what it is, most shops will take you towards the later. The way I see it, if you come out on top after counting the money for tools and the time you spent multiplied by your hourly wage, it's worth doing it yourself. Ideally, if you had the money, you would have the car blasted and primered so you can go about cutting out the bad metal. But from what I gather I would think compartmentalizing would be beneficial for your self. Do little things in preparation for the big task. Stripping the car: *All you need is a basic set of hand tools, sturdy jack, jack stands/wood cribs, and a helping hand. You can literally get the car down to it's bare bones in about a week, taking it easy. Prep metal repair: *Buy a wire wheel or bowl attachment for a an angle grinder or power drill and attack the rusted areas. *Mark off bad pitted/thin metal with tape/permanent marker and find out all the spots that will need to be replaced. *Take the area around the spot in question down to bare metal so new metal can be welded in with ease after the bad metal is removed. It would probably cost 50$ or so for the parts, and you can spend many hours removing rust and finding problem areas. After you ID all these spots it will be easier to determine if this is a job you can learn how to do, or if it would be better to take it to a shop, or if it's a job you will have to do yourself. Prep for paint: *Buy paintstripper and strip portions down to bare metal. *Buy a hammer and an assortment of dollies to straighten out dents. *Buy brake clean/alcohol and clean up the area. *Buy etch primer and spray it on straight clean bare metal. Paint shops will end up blocking/sanding the car before paint anyways, so a layer of primer will keep the car from prematurely rusting before it goes to the shop. And it will also give you a chance to inspect the car underneath the paint. On the DIY front: A sandblaster can be had for ~100$ and sand costs next to nothing. The only downfall is that it does get everywhere so if space is limited it will be a problem. A welder can be had for ~500$ and can always be sold once you finish (if it is a name brand). Alternatively, if you befriend a welder, I'd be surprised if they asked for much more than consumables and a reasonable hourly fee. A decent compressor and paint gun can be had for ~400$. This opens many doors as a compressor gives you access to air tools. On the take it to a shop front: Sandblasting/media blasting quotes I have been given/heard: 1$/minute, 500$ from a shop specializing in blasting large containers, 200$ from a garage mechanic, 2000$ for sandblasting and primering all surfaces inside and out. Welding: 80-200$ an hour, 1000-2000$ for floors and rails depending on condition. Painting: really does range, from 400$ macco jobs, to full out 8000$ professional jobs using specially formulated colors and brand specific primers and scratch healing clear coat. Your choice as to how much you want to learn, if you make more an hour doing your day job, no reason to spend time learning a skill that pays less, right?

Well they would help more compared to your brakes right now But in general they have a smaller piston and thus less stopping power. Plus they wouldn't fit your brackets from what I gather. Most japanese cars use the 10x1.0mm metric bubble flare, so the fittings should be fine. Sell the sx caliper and pads, and have your stock ones rebuilt, can't be more than 30-40 a side.