Mark Maras

70 Z for sale. On a rotisserie. Everything goes, even the tools. Make offer, all or part.

My first transmission R&R, I couldn't get the car high enough to pull the trans and bellhousing from under the car in one piece. Ended up separating the trans and housing under the car and, of course, reassembling the two under the car. Kind of a PITA but doable.

Been doing bodywork on mine. I've been starting with an angle grinder and a really "mean and nasty" twisty wire brush on the rusty spots. Then I go over the whole panel with it. It will not only remove most of the rust but will also uncover any rusted spots under the paint that haven't blistered yet. If you need to go bare steel, don't increase the pressure just leave it on the offending spot a little longer. When satisfied that all rust and loose paint is gone, give it a very light coat of primer. Use a long sanding board with 80 grit to find the high spots. Deal with them, then a different color primer, sand with long board 180- 220 then fill. etc. This has been quite effective on most of my panels until I got to the cowl. I usually use the twisty wire brush to remove the paint an inch beyond any rust but the rust stains kept going. I used Citrustrip on it. The original paint and primer is very useful in leveling the panel and cheaper than primer. You can always take it to bare steel if it needs it.

Thanks. I'm ruling out a drive train problem as well as a serious fuel leak. Anyone, The one-way? valve in the filler cap. Could an intermittent malfunction in it cause the stall and no re-start condition? And if so could could the problem be fixed by loosening the cap and then starting the engine? Easy to check, the next time it won't restart. Just sittin and a thinkin.

ZCarSource has the tank you need. Already reconditioned.They will need a viable core from you to recondition later. I would ask them if this tank is, in their definition, a "viable core" or maybe this one and your original one would be acceptable as a core. Enough good parts for them to reassemble one tank. It's also possible that you have other old unused spare parts that they value as cores. I'd contact them. Nothing to lose.

Jai, More trivial clutch questions. RBs normal routine, After warming the engine, how difficult is it to shift into first gear? And does the car want to move even the slightest bit before releasing the clutch? With the clutch pedal fully depressed, then slowly lifting the pedal, at what height does the clutch start to engage or the rpms drop? Floor level? 1/4 up from floor? 1/2 way? etc. Trying to rule out a few things. Separating the chaff from the wheat.

Built across the channel, also comes with it.

That R & R that I described was using the rafters and a come-a-long. I just used a couple of 2x4x8's perpendicular to the rafters. Worked great. I also used the same method for a small block Chevy, no trans.The rafters groaned, a lot, but it did work. Yup, drive line is last but it's easier to install as you lift the rear of the trans into place. Start aligning mounts and installing loose bolts at the engine front & work your way back. The install is not that difficult. Well, at least when I was younger it wasn't difficult. The height of the car was always the problem in tight quarters for me. No vertical clearance? Hang the engine in the engine bay and then jack the car up to it. When I was 25 it was about a five hour job to get the car back on the street running. These days, probably twice as long. Regardless, if you can get the height of the car dialed in, there is a lot of room to work around the engine and trans.

I'm not familiar with 280s, so I'm going to ask some dumb questions. The fuel leak. It seems possible that the sender o-ring is leaking. That could account for the loss of fuel down to half tank, If it's not the o-ring tho, it may have lost more fuel if it sat longer. We don't know. Jai, Are you able to remove the r. rear wheel and take a look at that side of the tank? You may need to lay on your back with a flash light. Don't rely on the jack alone, not even for a few seconds. Most of the hose connections, as well as the fuel level sending unit, is on that side. If you're able, trace the wet spot forward and then up. At that point you'll be able to see where the fuel is coming from. EFI experts. Does tank pressure have anything to do with the fuel injection? My guess is no, but then, I still don't understand why all tanks aren't vented. Interesting question about the engine dying when the clutch is pushed in. Is there any noise or an increase or decrease in noise when pushing in the pedal? Or even a vibration in the pedal when pushing it in? At what temp. is the AAR-controlled high idle rpm suppose to "turn off" and what usually happens when it does. Is it possible it shut off at the same time Jai got in? Seems possible if she warmed the engine for a while.

You probably already know or suspect this but I think when all that rust is removed there's going to more holes and a very thin tank in places. That's just judging it from the outside. I recently removed the rust & paint from a cowl with one pin hole in it. Rust was all on the bottom side. Honestly it didn't look as bad as that tank. By the time it was down to bare steel I had fourteen pinholes to patch and weak sections. I'll repair the cowl but a tank would be a b----.

Jai Has RB, at any time recently, ran good, or at all, below the half tank level? Also, is this the first time you've noticed the fuel loss? IMO the possibility of fire is very low. The fuel loss appears to be on the right side, most tank connections are on that side, hot exhaust is on the left. That said, don't park the car in a closed garage with no air circulation.

That is the first wheel change in a Z, that I've seen, that looks "right". Thanks for sharing the machining pics. Great job on both.

I used a small floor jack on a creeper under the tail-shaft housing. It helped stabilize & adjust the rear of the trans as it was sliding into place. While the rear of the trans is still down a bit, slip the drive shaft into the trans. Align the drive-shaft with the rear-end flange with one hand and jack the trans up into position with the other hand. Everything will stay in place while installing fasteners.

Done it a few times. I always started with engine then the trans. working aft.

I questioned the six year rust too. He doesn't state the extent of of it. A daily driver in the winter on salted roads could certainly do some damage in six years. A lot of the undercoating on Zs cracks & loosens over time and can collect moisture in pockets. Floor pans are a good example. Probably what looked like a huge amount of rust back then, would be considered very repairable now. Also the extent of the rust is in the eye of the beholder.

Be very careful when you blow the pistons out of the cylinders. An aluminum hockey puck shot out of a cannon. They can do serious bodily harm. Voice of experience. Helped a friend adjust his bias on a wet paved street. I was observing from a dry garage with a beer. Time wise, it took two beers.

What are the symptoms of your clutch issue?

My 260 project came with a wheel similar to the one above. As soon as I sat in the car & grabbed the wheel, I knew it was going to be replaced by the one from my 71. IMO, the larger diam. wheel makes the car easier to turn at a creeping speed. A parking lot or parallel parking can be a bit of a struggle for older arms & shoulders. A Z interior just doesn't seem complete to me, unless it has a wooden wheel & shift knob. Love the look too.

Gaskets here too. (Cereal box) Use a paper punch for the holes. Either should work as long as it is sealed.

I'm curious. Was there a visual difference between the two kits? It seems to me that bleeding would account for the hard vs soft pedal.

Painting vs bodywork? IMO, painting is like drag racing. You get one shot to get it right. Bodywork is like road racing. If you don't get it right the first time, you can work on it until it is right.

^ Z PORN ^

Craigs' list Portland- Complete coil-over suspension, front and rear. Removed from a 77 280. $1000.00 If any one is interested, I can offer PIF help.

Thanks for "The rest of the story". More pieces to the puZZle. I love Z trivia but I fear turning into a Cliff Claven, unless it wins me a beer.

The calipers on my 71 are silver. Don't know if they were originally plated or not.