Mark Maras

How in the world are you inspired (motivated) by rust. Please share your secret with us. I get depressed when I have to deal with it. Why do I feel like I've climbed a mountain of rusty scrap metal to ask for wisdom from the sage at the top?

Not impossible to find but very spendy. If it's a clean break, epoxy might be the answer.

Thanks, That explains why I had no problems with mine.

I experienced the same symptoms once. Car wouldn't go over 45mph on flat ground. Less on a hill but would rev to 6000 rpm just fine. A partially clogged filter was the culprit. The engine uses a lot more fuel under load.

Chickenman or anyone else, were the 70 & 71s plagued with vapor lock and or percolation as much as the later SUs? Having driven an early 71 for years and never had a problem with it, It seems to me, every time they "updated" the SUs the problem became worse. Any truth in this theory?

As I recall, your floors came from Charlie. Looked on ZF's site to compare 240 and 280 pans. A lot of difference. I've only dealt with ZF 240 pans. Mine needed a lot of massaging on the tunnel side. The outboard side is vertical and welds to the rockers. They were too wide too. (better than too narrow) I fit mine from the inside. Seat mounts were out. I measured from the outboard side of the floor to the bottom of the inboard radius about every two inches. Drew a corresponding line on the new floor to match the orig bottom of the radius. Bending them to fit was a PITA. I bent them cold. If I EVER do it again I'll heat them with a flame. Pulled the overlaps together with sheet metal screws and started cutting both pieces at once. Got a good amount of it cut in place, some places had to be cut separately. That said 240 pans don't have the holes near the sides. To get the floors oriented in the proper location, I think you'll have to massage both sides.

Ready to cancel the BRE request yet?

The only solution I'm aware of to pretreat the overlaps is weld-thru primer or zinc-rich primer. Theoretically, one could galvanize the overlaps with a flame (before and after welding) and just enough heat (around 420f) to rub a zinc strip on them. I doubt any of these areas would be affected by the heat. (Zinc strips are avail. at your local welding supply store.) The overlaps would probably last longer than everything else. There is also the possibility of taking your preformed floors and rails to a galvanizer before assembly. Yes, I'm obsessed with zinc. 40+ years fabricating and welding galv. steel. Zinc is still the best bang for your buck when it comes to protecting steel, especially around salt.

I like it better in the gun metal gray. The tribute paint is nice but I think the gray would appeal to a greater number of buyers.

Don't be afraid to adjust the mixture screws. They're the mixture fine tune on SUs. I'd start by dropping both 1/4 turn and check the plugs again in a few miles. Light tan is what you're looking for.

Interesting thought. I'll put that card up my sleeve. Could be useful.

Yeah, I feel like i've already shown most of my cards. (Lesson learned) However, he is a "used car salesman" and their goal is to move cars and they LOVE cash. He already knew he had something special before I "appraised them". What I don't know (yet) is why he still has them. (240 & 280). He's interested in talking more about them. I think there is some middle ground to be found concerning the price. Could also be that he just wants more info about the current market. I'll know more in a few days.

If you're going to pull the main harness from the area above the right rear tire, attach a line (fish tape) to the end first. You'll have a way to pull the harness back thru the body when you reassemble it.

Haven't forgotten the Deliverance Z. New priority. Discovered a 70 Z. Stored 30 years. Haven't been inside or under the hood yet but can't find any serious rust anywhere on the outside, even the floor pans. The dash is uncracked. Might be a cap but I doubt it. Original US alum. slotted wheels. This one looks really good. Got into a conversation with the owner about Zs. The conversation was about escalating prices. When we finished that subject, he drops the bombshell on me. "I have two Zs. A 240 and a 280. Neither have run in years." Me and my big mouth. I may have added thousands of dollars to the price. This one is going to be a long tough negotiation. He is a used car dealer.

Flames erupting from the rear. I like his sense of humor.

What are ya gonna do? Some people just won't play by the rules. They'll just take their Z and go home.

So is the kid on the front porch with the banjo. It's the others you have to worry about.

I remember somewhere in the orig. info using hydrogen peroxide (h2-o2) vs h2o and alum. Anyone know how or if an extra oxygen molecule could affect this process?

That's a nice collection. I wouldn't hesitate talking to him. I've found collectors love to show their "projects" to fellow collectors (I think some of us qualify) and talk about all the cars and their plans to finish them.(Most of us can relate). Personally, I've found the more intimidating the the property looks, the better the chance of discovering a keeper. This guy's collection is a great example. And the Spokane area is a lot drier than the West side of the Cascades. Wish I was closer. The VIN number would determine if this is worth pursuing. Who knows. It might be a very early RUNNING Z with repairable rust AND he says he has everything to repair it. (panels?). IF, it's complete and original with a very low VIN, $2500.00 may be a good price to the right person. Top of the pic. Is that a 1st. Gen. RX7?

I ran many brands of pads over the years. Most were cheap, some were better quality. Little to no difference in wet braking. IMO The problem of wet brakes isn't caused by pads. It is caused by old piston "o-rings" and or stuck pistons. The o-ring seals are actually a squarish configuration with the outer edge angled. This angle allows the pads to retract just a bit when the brakes are released but still contact the rotor to wipe away water. Time for a caliper rebuild. Not a difficult process with one exception. I was able to blow my pistons out with air. Take care. The pistons will come out like they are shot out of a cannon. I was careless the first time and my Z sat for a few days while my hand healed. If they won't come out with air, a pneumatic grease gun is the answer. I used brake fluid and a Scotch Brite pad to clean things up.The o-ring seals are directional. Be sure the new ones are oriented correctly.

A VIN would be more convincing than 54th Z. Seems like he is more focused on selling the car based on the ID he has bestowed upon it rather than the actual car.

Everything wrong with this car is typical of all unrestored Zs. The one thing that affects the value the most isn't mentioned in the list. What condition is the body in? Rust is the enemy. Any rust you can easily see is just the tip of the iceberg. Mechanical work on a Z is a walk in the park compared to "rustoration". If the body is sound, it would certainly be worth $2000.00. It could also be worth as little as $500.00 if it needs a lot of rust repair. Choose wisely. Many people have become overwhelmed when they opened up their Z and realized the amount of rust in a it. It's hard to stay motivated when you keep finding more and more rust.

You might want to recheck the oil pump-distributor shaft for proper orientation w- the No. 1 cyl. on TDC compression stroke. If you can't advance the dist. enough, the shaft may be off one tooth.

Before you give up on any (frozen, rusty, crusty) fuel sender, soak it in 100% CLR for 24-36 hours. I've done two. One frozen, one just plain ugly. Both look good and are usable now.