Mark Maras

How long does it have to sit and cool down? before it will start again?

I'd install the 5-speed and SAVE and LABEL EVERYTHING that is removed in the swap. Easy for the next owner to put it back to orig if that is their goal. I'm betting that the next owner will leave the 5-speed in and he or she will have the seed (auto. spare parts) to start the ever growing stash of parts that goes with owning a Z.

Take some pics of the inside. Hopefully there's nothing more than a little clean oil.

If it's OEM, someone will buy it.

The black canister looks like a fancy catch can.

Where does the "somewhere else" lead to? Just want to be sure someone hasn't plugged the end.

Thanks everyone. When I think about being 68- Nope, really, I can't imagine being 68. Wasn't even used to being 67 before. Must be someone else. Can't be me. And yet the calendar says it's true. I'm an old fart now. Oh yeah, my once virile body (which has since gone bad) reminds me now and then of it's age. The mind however refuses to believe. My Dad chuckled when he shared with me (at the age of ninety) that he still was twenty one in his mind when he saw a good looking young woman. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. BTW Cliff, No worries, I've always been a lover not a fighter. And technically it's 9 3/4. Maturity is highly overrated. Stay young. Thanks again Mark

Another option? One intrepid fellow back in the early 1900's had a problem with water in his alcohol fuel. He ran the alcohol fuel through a canister of calcium carbide. The water in the fuel reacted with the calcium carbide making acetylene gas, which he piped into the air intake. It worked so well that he had to introduce more water into the fuel to raise the octane level. But that only increased the acetylene. BTW, the early engines were called explosion engines. Some even tried gunpowder.

Oregon's farmers are in their glory days. Keep Oregon green.

A few moth balls will prevent rodents from moving in.

That floor would usually be described as "surface rust". Technically, not a lie. Just not the whole truth.

Does the clutch pedal feel normal when it's depressed. In other words, nice and smooth all the way to the floor? Also, You mentioned it usually stalls on a downshift. What other times has it happened?

We've run this problem up the flag pole in the past. It's not uncommon. First and foremost be sure the clutch is releasing all the way. If the clutch pedal releases and engages the clutch down close to floor, the hydraulics may be suspect. If hydraulics can be ruled out, the next suspected cause and or cure could be gear oil. Many opinions on which one is best. In my notes from the last conversation, I have A/C Delco Friction Modified Gear Oil (recommended by @Zup) as the one that I'm going to try next. I'd try that before the dreaded trans tear down. Let us know the results if you try it.

How much farther are you turning the mixture wheels past 2.65 to get the plugs to foul. It sounds like you're making progress. 2.65 is in the ballpark. Personally, i'd start leaning it out a little more (2.5, then 2.375, 2.25 etc.) to see the results. How do your plugs look at 2.65? Any particular reason that your mechanic hasn't set the valves yet, hot or cold? I rarely ever set the valves when the engine was cold unless the valve train had been apart. The warm valve setting is the final step.

If your Miata is reliable, it will be your daily driver. At least for a while.

When the CB antenna was pointed out, I assumed your handle would have been "JayBird".

I missed the CB antenna. It really dates the pictures. That was a big antenna to be on a car. Powerful CB to back it up?

I'm thinking lightweight parts. Early ash trays would be a great place to start.

Yup. That's what I was thinking. BUT if one did score a lot of parts and sold a few, the beer could be a business expense. Even a years worth of beer (or whatever) would be a minor expense when compared to the value of trailers full of parts. Especially anywhere east of the Rocky Mts. BTW, I had been fairly successful in ignoring the "voices" lately. This conversation has brought forth yet another bout of SchiZophrenia in me. I do miss the thrill of seeking Z treasure.

I've never tried that. It's possible that a short case would break the ice. Might be best to find out what he drinks on the first trip and leverage your way in with beer (or whatever) on the second trip. Beware of establishing a precedent. As long as you keep coming back, he's getting free beer.

Having some past success with this type of challenge, I've found that it's a two step process. The first is building trust, common ground and friendship, if possible. The usual hoarder has been harassed by family, neighbors, city and the county. In spite of all that , he holds on to his goodies. Understand that he has an emotional attachment to his collection. Very few people have ever admired his collection. That's the key. Don't mention buying anything at this point in time but finding out if there's anything he needs is always a good idea. Money doesn't usually have much influence on hoarders. You're there to admire his collection and listen to him share all his plans for everything he has. No need to remind him that five lifetimes wouldn't be enough. He knows that. You will also want to share your projects with him too. He'll start to see your need for parts before you bring it up. Second step is to get him to understand that he would feel good seeing some of his stash on the road. Use his emotional attachment in your favor. Money may have some influence on this but it usually isn't the deciding factor. He has to FEEL that his parts will be going to a better home than he can provide. He also deep down is afraid that all his stash will be tossed upon his demise and he doesn't want that to happen. The situation is similar to owning a valuable (to me, anyway) part that I don't want to get rid of but if a friend needed it I'd let him have it. Don't rush either of these two steps. Deal in truth. Trust and friendship must be built up to have success. I wish I lived closer and could join the "bring out your dead" team. I love looking at collections of "vintage tin" and talking with the collectors. Best of luck.

Perhaps I've over simplified the pcv system in my own mind. Thought it was to relieve excess pressure in the crankcase and under the valve cover caused by leaking piston rings (usually the culprit). In the old days the oily air was vented out of the crankcase down towards the road.. Later a catch can was added to catch the oil. No pcv valves back then. I believe pcv valves were added when the crankcase vapor was plumbed back into the air intake to be burned. I assumed that the size of the valve was related to cubic inch displacement, and a vertical pcv didn't need a spring. I don't doubt that some of these assumptions could use some tweaking but what I really don't understand is how the pcv system can affect engine vacuum. Being old school, (carbs) I'm picturing the pcv leading into the back of the air filter. Were some of these systems plumbed into the intake manifold? That's the only way I can think of that would affect engine vacuum. We used to pull the oil cap (and pcv valve) when the engine was running to check for excess crank case pressure when looking at used cars. Thanks in advance for schooling me.

That's my gut feeling too. @gwri8 Previously you said that RedBird shut down as if the key was turned off. No stutter or misfiring from the engine. When it restarted did it run fine? @Redwing Is there any regularity in the dying. I'm thinking that it's occurred often enough that you may be getting a feel for when it will happen? Does it ALWAYS occur when the engine is warm? Or when it's been raining?

Thanks for the advice. Jai should be very satisfied with the Exedy 06009. Sounds like a better product for very little more cost. I'll pass the recommendation on to Jai if she doesn't see this.

My guess is coolant. Coolant in a(?) cylinder could account for the strange sound when trying to start it. Especially after it's been sitting. After it has set overnight, I'd pull all the spark plugs and turn it over with the starter. I'm betting that at least one cylinder will spit coolant out of the spark plug hole. You may find coolant running out as soon as the plug is removed.