Zed Head

There are a few other things you can check without taking it apart. The roll pins that hold the shift fork to the shaft. Sometimes they can wear or break or wallow out their holes. Make sure the forks are tight on the shafts. I looked at your video but didn't see the oil gutter. If it's gone the reverse gear or maybe the idler will get dry. Check the straight cut reverse gears for chips. They don't really matter but it gives an idea of abuse. The gutter is a mmysterious thing, it's only shown in the 4 speed drawing but it exists on all of them. It's a trough that catches oil and transfers it through the adapter plate.

I thought you said that the first head was cracked. Now the second head is cracked also? Or is it warped? Is it a used head, or a reconditioned head? Don't know. Seems like he would have checked the second head before installing it.

Timing... Be careful with the oil gutter on the other side. It gets bent often.

@Mark Maras and @EuroDat and @zKars probably know for sure. I can't remember what might be holding the back half on. I'm pretty sure though that you can get the front half off without removing the back half. If you wanted to split that case off of the adapter plate while you're waiting. It might be that you need to rotate the shift lever to get the reverse lockout mechanism free on the back case. That was the "spring thing' that you removed. Look inside the hole and you might see what's getting hung up.

I looked back and found your old thread about the different head. Not really sure what you're saying here, but it sounds like you think that you have a leak at the head gasket. There are several other ways to get coolant in the oil. It might be that your other head was not actually cracked, if coolant in the oil is why you thought that it was. If you've had two heads that do the same thing the problem might be with the block, or the timing chain cover. The water pump passages can corrode and leak in to the crankcase.

The ECU opens all of the injectors at the same time, and they're grounded through only two transistors. So, unlikely to be the cause of misfires. There are many other potential causes of misfire. Describe more about what you mean and there might be some ideas. Here's a list if you decide to get another ECU anyway.

Sorry to hear about your Dad Cliff, January was not too long ago. Seems like forever with the 'rona going on. Mine just turned 90. What year is that El Camino? The old ones are better than the new anyway. Post a picture. Probably has a 350 in it? Those small blocks are known to flatten cam lobes. Lots of popping back through the intake when you give it gas.

Getting these things to run well is just a collection of small things. Crank open the idle speed screw and let it run and warm up while you check things. A piece of water hose is a good directional antenna for your ear. If it has oil and water it will probably be fine no matter how bad it runs. They're pretty tough engines. Watch oil pressure and temperature. Check your timing. Rev the engine and see if timing advances. You can spend hours doing "stuff". I used to have a 6 foot piece of flexible plastic drainpipe that I put over the exhaust pipe and ran under the garage door.

Lastly, finally, one more, sometimes an ignition module can put out a spark that is only strong enough for starting fluid. Make sure you have a strong spark.

Finally, don't forget that all air entering the intake system must pass through the AFM. The PCV system needs to be intact, all of the hoses need to be connected, and the big hoses at the AFM need to be hole free. The engine crankcase has to be completely sealed, no little air filters on the valve cover either. Any extra air can make the mixture too lean.

Could the injectors and their hoses still have old bad fuel in them? Looks like you cleaned the tank and have had the pump running. But if you look at how the rail is set up the injectors and their hoses are dead zones as the new fuel passes by them. Don't know how long you've been trying but it might be that you just need to get some good fresh gasoline down to the injectors.

Also, your title says "no pulse" but you said that you can hear them click when you "ground them through the coil". I assume that means you're grounding the coil negative with the key on and every third spark makes the injectors click. But maybe it means something else. That would mean that the ECU is working as it should and Pin 1 is connected.

Measure from the rocker panels to the ground, front and back. There's nothing dramatic in your picture. Try lifting the back end up by hand also, I had a strut that would stick. And, if you find that you only need 1/2 inch try new struts first. The gas struts will raise the car by about 1/2 inch.

Everything that you have done looks right. Very thorough. The one thing that is missing is an actual fuel pressure number. You can have squirting at 2 psi, which might not be enough to keep the engine running. It is also possible to connect the hoses to the rail backward. This will give pressure between the rail and the filter/pump but no fuel flow through the rail. I would confirm that the hoses are connected correctly and measure fuel pressure. If the rail is connected backward you'll get maximum pressure from the pump, about 90 psi. if it's aftermarket, but no fuel to the injectors. On the 78 model the easy way to get power to the pump is to disconnect the oil pump sensor and turn the key to Run. The pump will get power. It's a flaw in the system design but convenient for testing.

That was good. I posted a Twitter link to somebody mimicking Boris Johnson along the same lines, somewhere back there. Go to work, don't go to work... Can't find it now though. This seems relevant, below, overall. Something for everybody. "Per capita relative to what". So exposed... https://www.merriam-webster.com/news-trend-watch/trump-there8217s-many-per-capitas-20200521

Might consider that if the rears are sagged a lot, the fronts might be sagged a little. So there will still be a mismatch. There's always used springs too. @zKars

I'm confused. Is it a 400Z or a 480Z? 480 would actually be interesting. I can't think of any vehicles or vehicle parts with 480 in the name. 400 is common. Pontiac 400, Turbo 400, YZ400, etc. 480Z.

I was going to say earlier that "400" is just cooler looking than "370" and that's why they were developing a new model. Now it looks like they really did just pick 400 from thin air. What if the engine only makes 398 HP? I assume that that car is actually going to look more like this picture than the bottom picture.

The external storage bin?

Polar opposite? Over-exaggeration ruins your attempted effect. Cheetahs aren't known for leaping.

Looks familiar... https://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrolet-corvette-c8-2020-car-of-the-year/

It's a crap shoot out there, with loaded dice. Be careful what you think you believe. Leading the world in testing. Right... https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/05/cdc-and-states-are-misreporting-covid-19-test-data-pennsylvania-georgia-texas/611935/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/united-states-built-worlds-leading-coronavirus-testing-system/

Yes, at the slave cylinder. Pretty easy. Take the dust boot off first though, if it's full of fluid then your slave cylinder seal is bad. You can peel the boot off by hand, Fluid might squirt out if it's in there so watch your eyes.

What will they be taking pictures of? How much will you be paying? I've found that putting the information out from the beginning gets a better response. Like "inquire inside" on a For Sale sign. You know they want too much money, so you never inquire. Just tell what you're looking for and what it's worth to you. With everything slowed down some people are looking for any good reason to go do something.. Good luck.

I just added to the 1977 block. Looks like it could be interesting. Wikipedia has citations. Is theer any way to add citations? They could link to the Download area. For example, comments about carb heat soak or vapor lock could link to the 73-74 carb mod document.