Mark Maras

A circuit breaker, got mine at NAPA less than $10.00, that replaces the fuse in the circuit being powered up will ensure there will be no over heated wiring issues. They are usually too tall to use the fuse block cover but they are great insurance while you're testing. Mark in Portland

The first thing I do when a new piece of vintage tin shows up, is to get a service-repair manual & start reading. Should you choose to have a mech. do the work, your new knowledge will help both of you. You may also find that many of these upcoming repairs, even the electrical, are very easy to understand and can be done at home. These early Zs were not a complex car at all & most repairs are doable with basic tools. The manuals will also warn you when you're getting in over your head. As always, you have this incredible group of knowledgable well wishers to help in any way possible. Enjoy your toy. Mark in Portland

Hi Dan I'm curious about the chrome that had been replaced by rust on the ashtray. Do you have a method for restoring it? Great job on your Z. After hearing about the problems in your dash, I'm going to pull mine and go through it. Got my L26 running but the only power I have to the dash is the map light & it's dim. Electrical is next. Mark in Portland

The symptoms point to trouble in the trans tail-shaft & possibly the reverse idler gear if the u-joints look good. Since you already want a 5-speed this would be an excellant time for one. Otherwise you'll be opening up your 4-speed to find the trouble. Mark in Portland

A couple of questions; Has the clunk gotten worse over time? Is there any high speed vibration? Is it difficult to shift into reverse? I don't recall any movement in mine but it has been close to 40 years since I had one apart. Mark in Portland

The question that arises in my mind is, how much does it cost to ship a Z to NZ? I imagine a left hand drive there would be as desirable as a right hand drive here.

Dennis How about some pics. of you and your Z in the nice weather? Then we all can be envious of your location. Rain & snow predicted for this weekend in Portland. At least we can look forward to nice weather here about mid June. It usually shows up right after our Rose Festival ends! Mark in Portland

Do you still have vibrations? I realize that most of them were eliminated with the diff. change but it sounds as if you still have some remaining. If you discover the reason for the driveline vibration, we'd all appreciate knowing for future reference. Mark in Portland

Just a hunch, the studs on my L26 stick out 1 1/4". Hope it helps.

Yeah. I agree. I'm leaving mine on my 260. I thought about changing it but I'm trying not to get caught up in the " as long as I'm here I should". When I really thought about it, that is so far down my list of to-dos that it may never get done. It's a long list. But for those who truly have Z fever it doesn't matter, It's a labor of love with huge rewards that few understand. Mark in Portland

It's a return line. According to some of the threads I've read it can be eliminated if you use a fuel pressure regulator. 3 1/2 lbs. seems to be what everyone runs on SUs. Mark in Portland

Looking back at your original description of the problem, I've never had a vibration that was horrendous or changed with applied power except the front of the drive shaft. Slack in the rear of the drive shaft will give you clunks but not a horrendous vibration. Here's my suggestion- With the car safely secured in the air, trans in neutral, hand brake off, crawl under the car, grab the drive shaft near the front yoke and push, pull and twist in all directions and try to see any movement then rotate it and do it again. There should be NO MOVEMENT except rotational. It only takes a few thousanths of an inch to give you a terrible vibration that will change with power application. Other possibilities-the u-joints that were installed will not balance. The front yoke was damaged during u-joint installation or not installed in the same position in relation to the drive shaft. The old c-clip was used on the new u-joint. The drive shaft is bent.Another club member, a while back, said that he had found a problem with the out-put shaft in the rear of his automatic. By your description this doesn't sound like it is relatable to wheel speed. I've had some severe wheel vibrations but they pale in comparison to drive shaft vibrations because the drive shaft turns about 4 times faster than the wheels and axles. Mark in Portland

I'm surprised it's not iron fortified and rusty red.

If you have adjustable rods on the master and slave cylinder, my 260 does, adjust the slave cylnder until you have about an 1/8-1/4" freeplay. Push hard on the end of the release lever, you'll feel it. The freeplay insures that the release bearing won't ride the pressure plate at all times. Next adjustment is the master cylinder, under the dashboard. Set it to the pedal engagement height of your preference. This is the point that there is no more freeplay and the release bearing is touching the pressure plate. I don't remember nor did I look to see if there is a pedal height adj,, there probably is no need to change this. Mark in Portland PS You could also skip all this and just move your seat back a notch.

Grant 83 - At this point in time, it will cost little to nothing to try the shake, rattle & roll method of scrubbing the tank. If the coating is as loose as it sounds you might be pleasantly surprised. Mikes Z Car--- I agree, but I can't help but wonder how much visible blue smoke you'll get with that ratio of oil to gas to say nothing of black oily plugs. It would probably help lube the cylinder walls though. Any 2 cycle fans have an opinion? Mark in Portland

Grant83 What are your plans for the tank interior after cleaning? My tank was scrubbed with rock. It's nice & clean but prone to rust. ajmsforesters' oil treatment would work but raises several questions in my mind. The only cars I've heard of, that mix oil in the gas, have Wankel engines and they use 2-cycle oil but far less than a quart. After doing a little research, I have found that many restorers use POR 15 or RED-KOTE successfully as long as directions are carefully followed. I'm going to use one of these products to treat my tank. Has anyone, that has used these products, had any long term issues with them? I don't want to clean old sealer out of my tank in the future. Mark in Portland

PO of my 74 had a creative method for scrubbing the interior of the tank. He bought the car as a project, {still is} He pulled the tank, stripped it of all hardware, put in a "shovelfull" of clean crushed rock, sealed the holes and rolled it around the yard for a reported 4 hours. That probably included an hour of cleaning. I can verify the interior of the tank looks good and fuel system is clean.The engine runs good. I tend to believe his story. If nothing else he is creative. I'm now dealing with some of his less than successful ideas and probably will find more. Mark in Portland

Uni-Syns are cheap but it is possible to balance Sus by ear using a piece of hose and equalizing the pitch [note] of both carbs. I've done it succesfully but I was never sure I had it right until I dbl. checked the balance with a Uni-Syn. Mark in Portland

Jay, Thanks for that bit of info. My son's 12A RX7 is developing that same problem. Now I know where to look. Mark in Portland

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the club. Sounds like the front carb needs some attention.I don't know how knowledgable you are about SUs but there is plenty of info about them on this site. Do some research and then you will be able to diagnose the problem. Possible things to check; stuck nozzle in the choke-on position, float level, mixture wrong, etc. Do a complete tune-up before you attempt to balance the carbs and keep asking questions. The club members love to help. Mark in Portland

The short could be anywhere in that circuit, from the bulb sockets back to the power source including the ignition switch. Have you connected your ohm meter and wiggled the affected wire harness to see if the short circuit goes away? We will need to know what year you are working on to reference the wiring diagram. Mark in Portland

After following the previous suggestions, try lubricating the lock cylinder with graphite lock lube. I wouldn't use WD-40 or or any other penetrant on it. They can become sticky over time. Mark in Portland

Years ago I fought a high speed vibration in my 71. After replacing drive shaft & half-shaft u-joints as well as all the mounts, I finally took my drive shaft in to check the balance. Sure enough it was out of balance & ever so slightly bent. A retube & rebalance fixed it all. They couldn't balance the shaft with the cheap u-joints I installed. They had to installed Spicer u-joints to be able to balance it. No more vibration after that. Mark in Portland

Is the vibration relatable to wheel speed or drive shaft speed? Drive shaft speed is 3.5-4 times faster than wheel speed. In my experience, drive line vibration will sound and feel like an 800 lb. bumblebee attached to the car. Wheel vibration is much slower. You've felt it in an out of balance tire about 70mph. Half-shafts are wheel speed. Most high speed vibes will be found at the front of the drive-shaft or rear of the tranny. Mark in Portland

I'm not an expert on suspensions but I think you can achieve your wishes with bolt-ons. I upgraded a series I years ago. I dropped and stiffened the suspension with Mulholland springs, Bilnstein shocks and got what I wanted. Any coilover experts want to share their experience. Mark in Portland