Warning! - WIAT can strike you

[Victor Laury]

My car is no longer running. It's now just a big pile of pieces. Why? Cause the dreaded WIAT syndrome has struck hard.


I reported last week that my brake booster went south, and started working on that.


WIAT hits


Last year I bought spray cans of color matched paint for the engine compartment, So If I'm going to take the booster off, "While I'm At It", I might as well disassemble the rest of the engine compartment for painting.


"While I'm At It" - It's time to address the battery area rust


"While I'm At It" - Might as well replace these brake lines'


"While I'm At It" - this engine room harness needs some cleaning up


Now my once beautiful car is spread out like a fish fillet. Careful you all, WIAT could strike you next!

[e_racer1999]

hahahah! i'm waiting until i get another car before i even THINK about any project.....

[Fun_in_my_z]

Tell me about it.While im ate it ill. Buy somne new rim. Oh i need tires for them two....

[hls30.com]

I hear imported beer is a contributing factor-any truth to that Victor?
Will

[sblake01]

Wouldn't that be 'WIAI'?

[Arne]

Originally Posted by hls30.com

I hear imported beer is a contributing factor-any truth to that Victor?
Will

In my case, it's homebrew...

[zman525]

my problem is a little bit more extreme. its more like hmm looks like i need a truck, mioght aswell save a boatlaod of money on it, buy an old one to restore so hear i am with a Zed and a Truck to restore ... whats to come next.

[26th-Z]

Yea! While I was at it, I bought another car!!! Why not restore two while I'm at it? Yea...no problem.

[mlc240z]

definitely related to the IMAW's.

as long as i have the heater box out to replace the valve, I Might As Well boil out the heater core.

as long as i have the heater core out, I Might As Well clean and paint the box and replace all the gaskets and relube the hinges and control cables and replace all the hoses etc etc etc..........

if it's your daily driver, these diseases can be fatal.

if it's your toy, you take the time and just smile as you're doing it.

[280z1975]

Originally Posted by mlc240z

....

if it's your daily driver, these diseases can be fatal.

... .

I have the same fear, so that is why I am doing they IMAW while I still have a DD to use. I have 7 weeks to get the Z ready before I move and my fiancee takes over my DD as her own. I am lucky in the fact that my job is pretty low key for the next 3 months and I have time to work on my Z each day.

It's down to the frame, suspension and the engine at the moment, but as soon as i finish the interior and inside of the car I will be over the hill and can finally see the end of the tunnel.

BTW, IMAW and WIAT (or WIAI) should be a registered problem for car-o-files and have it's own support groups

[kenz240z]

It's too late for me, but fortunately I survived. Bought my Z for $300, and the WIAI and IMAW bug hit hard. At least I'm done now (mostly!). All it took was time & money, lotsa money! I've kept all the receipts, but I am afraid to add everything up. Might put me in a coma or something due to shock...

[beandip]

Yep , this is the infection . I was just going to replace the ring gear on the flywheel and WIAI , I figured it would be a good time to detail the engine and engine bay . Well almost 3 years later I now have new floors , paint , engine , wireing replaced . But she is back on the road . This is why I tell new Bs to drive the car for a while and do the safety things first and enjoy the ride befor diveing in on a redo.

[a7dz]

I was just going to replace the right wheel well arch and paint mine. I now have more money in parts than I paid for this car in the 70's.

I was bit by if you don't have time to do it right when will you ever have time to do it over bug. It is very closely related to the other two we are talking about.

I like Beandip and Escalon say to the new guys make it safe and drive it. Then decide what to do with it. Having owned this one over thirty years made that an easy decision for me. Plus the complete backing from my wife really helps.

[sblake01]

26th, I like your new avitar. I have two of those in my garage. (not for sale) I actually found them at the junkyard for 10 bucks each about six or seven years ago. While some have have matching Zs, I just have matching valve covers.

[=Enigma=]

I am infected bad! I knew I needed to replace the bushings and shocks so I thought IMAW go ahead and replace the springs WIAT. Since I had to take off the transverse links to replace the bushings, I thought IMAW paint them too. And since all that would look too pretty when done IMAW go ahead and paint the rear link crossmember and supports. Once those came off I figured IMAW drop the diff, moustache bar and front diff mount and paint those. Since I have to paint the half-shafts IMAW replace the u-joints WIAT. Since I went that far IMAW go ahead and pack the wheel bearings. Because I have all the struts off, IMAW rebuild and paint the calipers. Because I decided to do that, I better rebuild rear wheel cylinders. And since I seem to be on the road of rebuilding the brake system, IMAW replace the rubber brake hoses with braided lines. Since I'm going this far IMAW rebuild the MC and refresh all the brake hard lines. And since I am refreshing all the brake hard lines IMAW do the fuel lines too. Due ot the fact that I'm refreshing the brake and fuel hard lines, IMAW refresh the clutch hard lines too. And finally, since I am refreshing all the other hydraulic systems, IMAW replace the clutch hose and rebuild the slave cylinder. During all that I managed to swap out the old dizzy for '81 dizzy and WIAT I cleaned up the engine compartment by removing all the smog related components I could. Did I mention that WIAT I spent a $hi7load of $$$?

[280z1975]

Originally Posted by beandip

.... This is why I tell new Bs to drive the car for a while and do the safety things first and enjoy the ride befor diveing in on a redo.

umm, I drove it like 4 miles from the mechanic to home after I got it running ... does that count?

At least every once in a while I will start her up to hear the car purr ... one nice advantage to keeping the engine in tact while doing the work. Also handy for moving it around.

[Arne]

This isn't my first project car, but about the fourth. I typically do most of the mechanical first, IOW, get it drivable. Then I tear it all apart the second time to make it nice. So I guess I do the "make it safe" first thing too.

[nwcubsman]

Vic, how did I catch it from you way up here in Oregon. Was just going to change the wife's struts and springs in back before Thanskgiving. Next thing I know, WIAT, she's getting pretty upset asking for her car back for Christmas. Ah! a cheap Christmas you say, well after new rear breaks, wheel bearings,, wheel cylinders, stub axels, seals, companion flanges, shot blasted and POR 15 on the transverse links, strut housings, front diff mount, new bushings, it was a little more time and money than planned. BTW, she got it back the 2nd week of January! Vic, it must be all your fault. !

Sounds like we all have been bit at one time or another. Good thread!

[panchovisa]

I'm going on 2 and a half years now to replace a bum fuel pump (and assorted "details").

[Fun_in_my_z]

I just found another Z. Going to go drag it home. Was planing to art it out. But she is rust. Evan the battery tray. Turbo 5 speed car. Its not locked up but it wont start.

Only 400 bucks for it.

[EScanlon]

Originally Posted by nwcubsman

Vic, how did I catch it from you way up here in Oregon. ...snip... Vic, it must be all your fault. !

Sounds like we all have been bit at one time or another. Good thread!

Brian:

In one word.....Beandip.

He infected you.

Me?

I'm a carrier.

E

[chefjono]

Bought a California silver '77 this spring with no rust, but it had been crunched on the passenger door.
Insurance wouldn't cover it in that condition, so I bought a new door from Oregon, got it put on and painted.
While I was at it.....
Had the torn seats restored nicely, ripped out all the carpet, new dash cap...
While I was at it.... might as well put in sound and heat insulation, detail the engine, wrap a new leather cover on the steering wheel, replace the shift boots, fix the brakes, fix the loose shift linkage......
So a few thousand later and it still doesn't have a license plate, and this is with a car with, I swear, no rust issues.....
But it's all good and should be on the road, looking spiffy, next week.
But while I am at it.......

[zbane]

Originally Posted by nwcubsman

Vic, how did I catch it from you way up here in Oregon.

Sounds like we all have been bit at one time or another. Good thread!

The diseases have infected all of us. I don't think the diseases are limited to Z owners, though. My father was infected by a particularly strong strand from MG ownership, just like others on this site.
As far as I can tell, there seems to be some sort of mold (or a similar self replicating pathogen) in the driver seat that causes addiction. While there may be some in the passenger seat, it is of a lesser potency, explaining why spouses have a lower tolerance for spending (higher tolerance against infection/addiction) on Z restoration/maintainence items.
This mold gets stronger with age, explaining why new car owners generally don't display the WIAI and IMAW symptoms.
There are support groups for those affected, though. This site, and sites dedicated to other makes, should be considered therapy.
Do not fret, you are not alone. Car shows, swap meets and boneyards attract the infected.
I realise that there is no cure for this disease (addiction), I can live with that. Besides, there are worse things to be addicted to.
david

[madkaw]

Unfortunetly almost every project I tackle around the house or on the car is plagued with WIAT. Typical explanations are;

1.I will want to do that eventually anyway
2.It will need to done soon anyway
3. What's another hundred bucks
4. That old part doesn't look right next to that refurbished part
5. it would be safer

My car only needed a good valve job to keep it on the road but it looks like this now

[=Enigma=]

Originally Posted by madkaw

My car only needed a good valve job to keep it on the road but it looks like this now

That's one hell of a valve job there Steve.