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I believe collectively we've invested well over $100 in terms of time and advice into this problem, which is the cost a tire shop quoted to remove the locknuts in the first place 😉

I'm the 55th poster on getting a keyed lug nut off. That has to be some kind of all-time record.

Official release tonight at ZCON. 8 Eastern

Got the passenger seat buttoned up and ready for final install.

I picked up a set of Konig Rewind 15 x 7, and BF Goodrich 225-45 ZR 15 summer only tires for my 72. Haven’t mounted them yet, but when I do I’ll post here how they fit.

@jalexquijano Do you have access to a borescope? It would be interesting to look at the cylinder walls of #4 as well as a wet, dry compression test before you consider pulling the head.

These plugs in the above photos to my eyes look surprisingly OK / perfect. Were they pulled after idling or normal driving? At the risk of adding any confusion - Referring to your photo which I edited below: if I knew nothing about your engine and saw this photo, I would have said you have an electrical issue on 4 (not firing strongly / consistently enough) and that your front carb is running leaner than your rear carb. But then also would be asking why 3 looks OK, given it’s on the same front carb. Don’t go pulling the head yet - I strongly agree with what has already been said about doing a wet / dry comp test again and share with us please.

If you are unsuccessful with Gorilla, you could take a 12 point socket that just slips over the un-splined part of the nut and mark where the splines are with a sharpie, or transfer with some plumbers putty. Then grind/file 9 slots to match the splines. Instant key. Of course the would be a once time use tool and care would need to be taken to not use excessive force.

So I got bored today. I got the new battery and decided that I didn't like how the new cables fit on it with the Nissan battery frame, so I got different cables. With the new cables installed, I pulled the plugs and removed the valve cover. I put a squirt of oil in each cylinder and bathed the cam lobes with oil. I then used the starter to turn the engine. It did not hesitate. Next I put some gas in each carburetor via the float vent using a 1 ounce syringe. I put a short spray of starting fluid into each carb and climbed behind the driver's seat.

If he can't, I can.

Jfa.series1 can probably help with that too

This evening was a short one. I replaced the sealing washers on the banjo fitting of the rear carb. After cranking the starter to run the fuel pump, I verified that it had no leaks, but then I noticed a little fuel on top of the float bowl on the front carb. After changing out the same washers on the front carb, I was ready for an attempt to balance the carburetors. I started with both at 2.5 turns down. I got the engine warm and checked the engine speed. It was about 650 RPM. I bumped up the idle screws and balanced the carburetors with an idle of 750. I then held the engine around 1000 RPM. The back carburetor was pulling according to my air flow meter, but the front didn't budge. I fiddled with the balance screw and a few other things, but nothing changed. I called a Z friend, and we went through a few things and decided that I should test the front damper. Just as I was about to hang up the phone, I noticed that the vacuum advance was still unplugged from when I was getting it out of the way earlier. Oops. Well, with the vacuum leak gone, the front carb seemed to respond MUCH better.

Those hoses actually are mounted inside the cabin under the corners of the dash. The is a screw clamp on the cowl part not shown in this pic. You can pull them off to make sure they are clear. They exit under the fender side like jfa's pic above.

In my opinion the Grand Funk version of this was fantastic, but in reality it was a cover song from the Animals. Here's the original version which is still very good... especially for 1966.

I wouldn't worry too much about the rise in heat after that much idling. The carbs don't need to be connected to the cooling system. The early four screw carbs had no cooling connection. I'd determine if the dampener has slipped first before buying one. You'll need to determine the exact position of TDC on #1 cyl. There are a number of ways of doing this. A M14-1.25 bolt screwed into the #1 spark plug hole (when the piston is down) will act as a piston stop. SLOWLY bring the piston up until it bumps the bolt. Mark the dampener at the timing tab TDC mark. Turn the engine the opposite direction (piston will go down and come back up) until the piston LIGHTLY bumps the bolt again. Mark the dampener at the TDC timing tab again. Actual TDC is halfway between your two marks which should be the same as the factory TDC mark on the dampener. That's a brief explanation. I'm sure there are plenty of videos on Youtube that explain it much better. I don't see how the #4 fouled plug can be balance tube related or carb related. That's why I'd do yet another dry, wet compression test. Don't ask why, it's an ugly subject and I sooo want to be wrong.

Can you post a picture from the side? A person can see the square shapes at the bottom but they don't look very deep. Sure does look more like a cap on a nut. Have you tried grabbing it with Vise-grips and pulling it off.

Can we get someone to upload photos after the event? Those of us who couldn't make it would love to watch from afar... 😉 Mike

I think you have received some good suggestions on how to proceed. It might be time to start trying them out. Please let us know which method worked for you. Good luck!

Yes and Yes. Car does run better and no backfire in 2nd and 3rd gear when lifting the gas pedal. The owner of the shop who assisted knows a good deal of mechanics and used to race car a modified 240z in the 80s with triple solex carburetors. He recommends the following: 1. The damper must be changed to determine if the timing is correct. 12 BTDC was recommended. 2. There is something going on in the balance tube which causes the 4th cylinder to turn out black compared to the other ones. Still to be determine swapping the vacuum hose to other port in the balance tube, if possible. 3. There is some slight play on the links that connect both carburetors together. He believes it should have no play and when you accelerate both carburetors should open exactly at the same time. Any recommendation on your behalf is highly appreciated. Regards, Jorge

Just changed but seals. Lets see the outcome. I did not noticed the seals broken.

Finally took the car to a friend's garage to change the valve seals on cylinder 4. He argues that its not oil but gasoline on the spark plug ring and that its due to the lack of vacuumn at such cylinder. This doesnt make much sense. Nevertheless, we will change the seal to see whats going on inside.

I mamed my dog from this.