Mark Maras

Thanks for the pics. I like the looks of those BD rails as a cap. I'm going to extend the rail back. I may add a brace between the rear seats mounts and anchor the end of the rail there. The sloped front section is in good shape but I'm going to reinforce it anyway. "WHILE I'M IN THERE"

74 260. Sept. 73 build date. History, Two P.O.s attempted to get it back on the road. Neither had any success. Engine didn't run. It does now. Outside shell was sound. Painted flat black. Seemed reasonably complete judging by the boxes full of removed parts. Spare engine(actually the original). 5 speed, 92,000 on the odometer. $1350.00 I tried to tell myself no, wait for a better one, spend a little more money, you know, logical things. But it appeared that if I didn't try, the car was headed for the great PiknPul in the sky. What was I to do. Certainly not the logical thing. Rusted out areas; battery tray, fender well below it, 6" strip of the firewall too, rear cover under the hatch, spare tire well, floor boards & rear support rails. So far. I'm about to install new ZF floors & rear rails. Charlies rails are about 6" longer than the originals. Great quality too. I was going to bend the front up & section it into the sloping rail. Instead is there any reason why the rail can't be slid back & used full length? The rear of the rail would be between the rear seat mounts instead of 2 1/2" behind the front seat mount. The front section that slopes up appears to be sound.

A quick Google search references a British SU needle, possibly a Jag.

907Series1Z Absolutely. The chance to spend time with another Z owner is always a treat. BTW I have three ea. 4 screw SUs that are not being used. 1 front & 2 rears. We need to talk. I'll PM you. Mark

I think I'd go looking for a poor or bad ground. I have used a 2'-3' piece of elec. wire with alligator clips on each end to add a ground to suspect circuits. Quick & easy way to complete a circuit, then find the bad ground or add a new one.

Throttle shaft for sure. If it is unusable because of wear, the carb body that it came from will also be worn. ZT machines the body & uses sealed throttle shaft bearings. Better than new.

At last a documentary about Zs. There is a tv show that is called Z Nation, (sci-fi, haven't watched it, no Zs) that makes my heart skip a beat when I see it on the listings. I thought the feeling would diminish after time but nooo. Could my wife is correct, in that I need help? I think I need more parts.

And she even said please.

Sweet. All the FSM's in one place. You've done everyone a great service. Thank you.

Anyone know if the second year rally Z driver, J Todt, is the J. Todt from F1 Ferrari or a relative? Just curious.

Zcars No, the Rajah clips don't thread onto the plug, they are a push on pull off. They do grip the threads & sound like a zipper when they are being removed.

That's exactly how I would repair it.

In the dim recesses of my late sixties-early seventies memory, I remember Rajah Clips. There was one model that gripped the threaded portion of the plug, not the cap. We used them in drag racing. A very useful item when your plug wires are exposed to the air rush.

On my early 74 the pads on the tall section are 1/2"-9/16". The pads on the lower section are 1/4"-5/16" thick.

I just ordered one. Grab one fast, 3 remaining.

If you don't anticipate removing the pan soon, I'd use both.

Welcome You don't say if the car has been driven or was in hibernation for a while. As far as fumes, tail light gaskets & the hatch seal are likely culprits. IMO, fix the steering & suspension before you go looking for more HP. Suspension upgrades such as shocks, springs, heavier sway bars, new bushings etc. will give you more driving pleasure than more HP. When you do start tweaking the HP, a good handling car will make it more fun & safer.

I love a good mystery. How long did it take to go from the first symptom to dying? Was a compression check done prior to the failure? What is the source of the strange puffing sound when cranking the engine? I'm looking for another piece to the puzzle.

I've rebuilt calipers with no problems (well maybe one) in the far past. The hardest part was getting the pistons out. I didn't have a compressor at the time so I took the calipers to the gas station to blow out the pistons. The first piston popped right out but the second piston remained due to escaping air out of the first cylinder. My first (and worst) idea was to block the escaping air with my hand. The second piston did come out. With a loud bang, it blew into the back of my hand. I had to finish the brake job the next day. I would suggest if any pistons won't come out with air, find a shop with a pneumatic grease gun. That will push them out.

The easiest way of testing for valve leakage after lapping is to install the springs, tip the head so the ports are up and pour solvent into the ports. Then watcht the combustion chamber for leaks. Works great!

A few years ago my son bought an 81 RX 7 with no title. The car could be returned if we couldn't title it. Originally a Washington car that needed an Oregon title. Started in Oregon DMV. They wouldn't issue a title until we had a Wash. title. To get that, we had to find the last owner and get a notarized release or he had to go to DMV and fill out the proper forms. We got lucky and found an envelope, under the seat, with a name on it. That person remembered a friend from the past that had an RX 7. Got a name. Eventually found the owner in Richland, Wash. Sent him a few dollars to offset the misery of a DMV trip. Voila. In no time at all (four months) we purchased a new Wash. title and immediately surrendered it to Oregon so we could purchase an Oregon title. Titling that car was a major PITA and a bit more money than anticipated. Put ALL your efforts into getting a title first.

Fantastic idea. Whenever I have set float levels, I have never been absolutely sure that they were right. Love the simplicity of it. Red Green would be proud.

Thanks for the Z pics fix. Beautiful cars, great music and ending that brought an instant smile.

Cheap u-joints and or excess clearance can affect the balance. If you installed quality u-joints, the problem is probably lateral movement as described by EuroDat in #2. In my experience, driveline vibrations have occured at higher speeds, 80 mph + and the front joint has been the cause. With the car on stands, grab the front of the shaft and try to move it horiz. and vert while watching the u-joint. There should be NO visible movement other than rotational. I've not encountered a balance problem with OEM or a quality brand. Spicer has been my choice and was recommended by our local primo drive line shop.

Automatic or not, That appears to be an excellent 280. It likely has seen little rain (Az.car) and judging by the dashboard, it has seen little sun. IMO you won't get hurt trading it for your Impala. Even if the Impala is worth a little more today, (questionable) in a very short time a good Z is going to be worth a lot more. If driving the automatic sucks, convert it to a stick & save all the parts. The next owner, should there be one, will have his or her choice of trannys. A positive selling point.