BTF/PTM

I'm gonna give the z some fresh calipers since I have no idea if/when they've ever been rebuilt or replaced and in my opinion it's cheap insurance ($80 for the pair from Napa). Does anyone know what type the mount bolts are? As with the seat belts, it makes good sense to update the mounting hardware for safety reasons as well. Thanks

Sounds like you're right, once a battery no longer holds a charge it's pretty much a paper weight.

I understand what you mean, Skyhook, this is exactly why I've never liked engines that require valve lash to be checked hot (the Toyota RE22 engine is another example). I also completely understand that having the lash adjusters move even slightly could severely damage the valve train, but the converse is that over tightening those set nuts stretches and eventually damages the adjusting screws. I snugged the set nuts down as firmly as I could by hand, I'm going to do a final cold check of all 12 valves just for peace of mind and I'll give each set nut another tug to make sure they're all tight.

I just finished setting valve lash on my car's L28 today. I followed the FSM spec, 0.007 intake and 0.010 exhaust, set with engine cold. Took me several re-checks to finally get all 12 valves to be happy, I'd set them and rotate the cam back around (using the crank bolt) to recheck and a couple would be loose or tight so I'd have to set them again. Here are some questions I came up with. 1) almost all of the 17mm set nuts felt ridiculously overtightened when I first broke them loose, took my whole body weight and in a couple cases I even had to use a cheater pipe on the wrench. The other engines I've set valve lash on all used the same "one hand tight" spec on the set nuts, basically as tight as one wrist could pull it. Is this applicable to our cars as well? 2) is rechecking with the engine heated up really needed? I've never heard of doing this until working on this particular beast. I'll certainly do it if it serves a purpose, just seems redundant. 3) in this case the engine was stone cold, hadn't been run in days so I knew it was cold. For future reference, how long does it take these engines to go from just-been-running temp down to cold?

Roger that, grommet is in place facing nose up. For anyone who reads this later, make sure to lube the grommet with penetrating oil or maybe WD-40. The cables slide through nice n easy that way.

What part is stripped? The regulator is just a few pieces of stamped steel welded/pinned together. Would probably be less cost and work to locate another regulator that works than to refurb your existing ones. I haven't seen new-old-stock ones anywhere, but used ones are around.

This is for anyone interested. I'm in process of getting both doors working ship-shape, and I learned yesterday that putting washers between the door and the lower bolt of the front window guide rail (the metal piece that the big plastic slider on the window glass holder rides in) does wonders to realign the window. I was having just about every problem possible; window was cocking forward as it rolled up, window would stick on a roller and jolt as it moved up or down, window would just flat out jam in mid-travel, window would be angled way out and miss the chrome door sash completely, the works. By experimenting with different groups of washers placed between that front guide rail and the door sheet metal and then threading in the lower rail bolt, I was able to fix every one of the problems. Tightened up the regulator slop, put the window at the proper angle so it slides cleanly into the chrome sash, and somehow it even leveled out the window almost perfectly so it guides itself perfectly against the seal and seats firmly without the slightest fight. I ended up with three washers total, I'd guess about 3/16" worth of material. Pain in the arse to slide them in place, but it really did the trick. I don't know if this means the old regulator assembly is just old and loose, or if the plastic sliders are worn, or whatever else. Just know it worked, so if you're having problems with the window motion give it a shot.

I'm replacing the choke cable firewall grommet, the old one has long since rotted out. It's got a snout on it. Does the snout point into the engine bay, or into the cabin? Thanks

My ammeter hovers just past the center mark on the positive side. I haven't had to drive with the lights on yet, I'll do some checking tomorrow while I'm tinkering.

^unfortunately the heater control was already gone, I asked about that first. I didn't actually think he'd tell me the dash was uncracked, soon as he told me it was intact I went for it. I guess it's a trade-off of him being in Wisconsin; cars may not rust in the west, but the sun doesn't get as many opportunities to torture plastic/rubber/vinyl in the midwest with the seasonal changes.

Great, thanks for the tips! I'll let him know to be careful and to use a ton of bubble wrap and peanuts in the packing. Realistically, even if it does develop a crack or two in shipping it will look worlds better than the one in the car, but there's no reason to risk it.

Steve, This is a great tip. I have to reglue my own head liner, the PO had it replaced but the glue failed so it dropped. What type of adhesive do I need to stick it back up again?

My lil brother found an uncracked dash in a parts yard (he's a car guy too, early 80's VW's are his thing), it's in a 11/71 car. Will this part swap into my 5/72 car?

This is just a curiosity. When did each fiscal year roll into the next model year? Would an 11/71 car be considered a '72?

Thanks!! I'm a mechanical engineer by trade, so the math explanation makes good sense. I'll pick up a square, some chalk and some plumb bob stuff and give it a stab. Never done anything this in depth on a chassis before. I'll keep updates coming.

Thanks, everyone, glad I'm not the only one to think it's weird. Rather than start a new thread, I'll ask here. I've got the car up on Jack stands now, sorta studying the suspension and the service manual. The PO installed a R200, so I'm reasonably certain things got tweeked during reassembly. Hopefully nothing is bent. All that said, I know from reading the manual that a lot of the bolts need to be torqued under vehicle load and I lack equipment to do that. Is there anyone in southern California who might be willing to help me diagnose and fix the problem correctly? I don't just want to pay a shop to do it, I wanna help and learn from it as well. My symptoms are similar to other posts, the left rear has a ton of toe in and negative camber and the right rear isn't so bad but it's also off a bit. Definitely gonna scuff away the new tires if I don't get it fixed, and the slight dog track is getting old. Thanks again, everyone.

Crap, and I broke it...dangit, now I'm gonna need a second alternator to put out a full One Point Twenty One Jigawatts.

Well, I guess that's good news and bad news. I'll have more opportunities to dig through the suspension tomorrow when I bleed all four brakes.

I don't know what this lil guy is or what he does. One of the prongs broke when I was cleaning it, but I was still able to attach it to the new alternator (MSA internally regulated) the same way it was attached to the old one. Is it needed? http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q27/AwwsChwA/z%20parts/?action=view&current=brokenprong.jpg

So I think I figured out why the car dog-tracks a bit. I got a good look at the suspension while the car was getting new tires put on today. Maybe this is the way it's supposed to be and I need to look elsewhere, but it definitely looks like someone at some point needed to replace the left rear LCA and ended up using an inverted right-side one instead. If those two arms have camber and toe designed into their angles, that would definitely explain why the left side is funky. image one, the right side with control arm apparently right-side-up http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q27/AwwsChwA/z%20parts/?action=view&current=rightLCA.jpg image two, the left side with what looks like a right-side LCA inverted http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q27/AwwsChwA/z%20parts/?action=view&current=leftLCA.jpg image three, a poor attempt at a full underside view of the two control arms. http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q27/AwwsChwA/z%20parts/?action=view&current=bothLCAs.jpg Am I correct, or is this actually the way the cars were built?

So I installed the MSA 60-amp alternator and voltage regulator bypass today. It was a huge pain in the arse fighting the incredibly stiff formerly rubber boot that goes over the positive connection, but other than that it was easy. So I fired it up and all of a sudden the engine bay light and interior dome lights were bright as could be. They'd never been on before, apparently the switches were always active (and the engine bay light was flipped on) but didn't have enough juice to operate. Good times.

Should the latch mechanism be bent like this? It's a pretty beefy chunk of metal so I can't see how it could have gotten a warp that wasn't supposed to be there. http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q27/AwwsChwA/z%20parts/?action=view&current=hoodlatch.jpg

Got grade 8 bolts, case-hardened washers, fresh lock washers and fresh fiber washers for the top two shoulder strap bolts. The folks at the hardware place were pretty puzzled when I walked in and plunked a seatbelt assembly on their counter

Just heard one of those songs that rarely comes on the radio, and every time it does I wish I knew what it was so I could download it. It's an 80's song that's loosely related to David Bowie's "Space Oddity" in that it's about Major Tom being out in space. The chorus is: 4, 3, 2, 1 [can't remember the two words that fit on this line...dangit!!] drifting, falling floating weightless coming home

What's the difference? My '72 currently has 3-screw SU's on its L28, and the second engine I have (F54/P90) has 4-screw SU's on it. Oh, and I'm referring to the number of screws holding the domes in place.