MikeW

Does the clock pull enough current to cause this test light to glow?

Get a multimeter and set it to the maximum amps setting; for most cheap meters that will be 10A. With everything switched off remove a battery cable and measure the drain between the cable and the battery. That will give you the total drain; the only thing that should be drawing current at this point is the clock but if there's another draw you'll be able to measure it. To figure out which specific circuit is the problem put the battery cable back and go to the fuse box. Pull each fuse out one at a time and replace it with the leads from the ammeter. The total draw through each of the fuses should add up to what you saw previously at the battery.

Here's a gallery image that clearly shows the difference: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/data/500/medium/PDR_2085.JPG

No, that's actually correct. The control arms are the same on each side so one one them has to be mounted upside-down compared to the other. Sag is more likely caused by a worn out spring.

I recall having this problem 20+ years ago and I think the problem was a improper ground. What was happening is that one headlight was actually grounded through the other headlight which was effectively causing too much resistance hence the dim light. I wish I could remember better but it's been a long time.

I don't know how common it is but I'd be surprised if the cam bolt came loose. My vote is still for a blockage somewhere. The good news is that you will get to the bottom of this and it will be a relatively easy fix.

All you have to do is remove the fuel pump and look in the hole to see if the bolt is loose. The fuel pump arm rides on a offset cylinder. You should be able to verify that the cylinder is rotating with the engine. If it is loose and therefore spinning freely you will have to remove the valve cover to fix it.

To test both the pump and for a clog between the tank and the pump just run a fuel hose from the suction side of the pump straight into a fresh gas can and crank the engine over. If the pump is working it will fairly quickly empty the can (it will send fuel via the return line back to the tank). If all goes well the car will fire right up in which case I'd say you've got a clog. If the fuel gets pumped but the car doesn't start then you're back to a problem between the pump and the carbs. If fuel doesn't get pumped then you've either got a problem with the pump or a clog on the other side of the pump.

That would be Cold Springs, Nevada, although it's right on the California border so the owner may live across the state line.

I didn't realize Hector was a racer; I only knew him as an artist. It was neat watching a big blob of red moving around in your rear-view mirror. Which finger were you pointing at him near the end?

So is it possible that a weak spark would be less than that? I always figured that a spark was way higher.

I'd be careful about changing too many things at once. I don't think that a Pertronix will partially fail. It's solid-state so unless there's a problem with the magnet on the distributor shaft it seems to me that it's either going to work or not. I also think that a coil will fail dramatically (such as if you accidentally leave the ignition on overnight). I keep going back to the fact that the engine runs with starting fluid which really makes me think that you're at least getting a spark and at the right time. If there's any truth to the speculation that starting fluid is somehow easier to ignite with a poor spark then a simple thing to try is to get a feel for how strong the spark is. You can pull off a plug wire and hold it near the block to see how far the spark will jump. Alternatively, I have a simple and cheap tool like this that allows you to see the spark without even removing the plug.

Welcome to the club. The tachometer is actually electrical in nature. The speedometer/odometer is the one which has a cable running to it. Having things break is simply the nature of old cars. I suspect the Chevelle is no different. Whether you should fix things or sell the car to someone else gets to the core of owning an old car and whether or not it's right for you. The things you've mentioned so far are fairly minor and the car is still drivable which puts you in better shape than a lot of people trying to fix up an old car. The temperature sensor attaches into the thermostat housing. Follow the upper radiator hose from the radiator to the thermostat housing.

The "polish with buffer" part is where the greatest variance is. There are many different polishes with different amounts of abrasive. Another thing you didn't mention is wet sanding. You might try some 1500 or 2000 grit wet paper on some of the trouble areas to see what a difference that would make. With all of the above I'd start with the least aggressive option and go to more aggressive only as needed.

Strangely enough I had never heard the name Kalitta until last month when one of the Kalitta Air 747's had an aborted takeoff and subsequent breakup in Brussels. It was only then that I researched the airline online and found the drag racing connection.

Ok, if there's fuel in the bowls then that hopefully eliminates the filter, the banjo filters on the carbs themselves, and the check valves that the floats operate. I'd next carefully remove the rubber hoses from the bottom of the bowls and make sure they're not clogged/cracked/disintegrating.

It's odd to me that both carbs would get clogged at exactly the same time. The engine will actually run (terribly) on only 3 cylinders. My vote is something upstream. By far the most likely candidate is a clogged fuel filter. Mine gets clogged frequently due to rust debris in the tank. I know you said that the carbs are getting plenty of fuel but unless you took the float bowl covers off I'm not sure how you know that.

Does it run at all with the starting fluid or does it just sputter. Back when I was resurrecting my car from years of non-use it would actually run as long as I kept spraying in the starting fluid. I would die a few seconds after I stopped. In my case it was gas that had gone bad and fresh fuel got it going. If it won't even run with starting fluid then I'd suspect that it's not getting a spark - at least not at the right time.

I'd start with the basics and go from there. Before even messing with the carbs you want to make sure everything is in tune: timing, points gap, plugs, plug gaps, cap, rotor, etc. It's normal to need the choke on until the engine warms up so I'm not sure how long "awhile" is. If you do have to start messing with the carbs I'd try adjusting them before thinking about a rebuild. Get the Ztherapy video or find some of the great directions available on this site. It may be that the mixture is off on one or both carbs. You said you already checked the choke cables but I'd verify that both are moving the same amount and using the full length of travel.

The idiot couldn't even paste a proper URL for the third link. I think this site might need some extra restrictions that make it harder for spammers to sign up. I'd also like to see more admins who can quickly just delete such users and their posts. There are plenty of long time users to this site who visit frequently and post Z content whom I'd be perfectly comfortable giving such privileges.

As long as the red indicator is floating somewhere in the middle that's good enough. You're just trying to make sure that each carb flows the same, not somehow trying to measure the airflow and calibrate it to a specific setting.

I doubt it. I suspect that a 280ZX switch is completely different but I have not experience with them.

Higher octane does not provide increased performance if your car does not pre-detonate on lower octane. Higher octane means that the fuel/air mixture is harder to ignite.

The green strap could be a detached seat bottom cushion strap. If you can post a picture that would help with the identification.

Even though I watched some of those as a kid one in particular still cracks me up when I think about it. Tim Conway was dressed up as a football referee and about to make the penalty call to the television camera. The sound isn't working and you see (but not hear) him talking as he fiddles with the audio transmitter on his belt. While his mouth is moving but still with no sound you suddenly hear him say "amn thing on?" I wish I could find it on youtube as it's been probably 30 years.