Mark Maras

Eastwood just announced a sale on goodies for treating rust.

If you need some parts, I have a usable disassembled late 71 door. Glass and lock linkage are gone. I believe I have everything else.

I agree with David. That float is set too lean. Bend the float tab so the float sits a bit closer to the lid. Install the lid, fire the engine up (no need to drive it), shut it down and pull the domes and pistons and look at the fuel level in the nozzles. Be sure to do the drop test on the pistons when it's reassembled to be sure nothing is binding. . I'd like to congratulate you. Good to see the parts in your hand rather than a mechanic's verbal description. Keep up the good work.

Update. There are some burned wires. Don't know which ones yet. Pete has tested the starter and says it needs to be replaced. Starter is on order and Jai will have it back tomorrow.

Cliff's got it right. The key is installed tilted just enough to allow the h-balancer to slide onto it easily. The key will rotate as the h-balancer is slid over the key. I think I'd use a dab of blue tread locker on the key but in reality the key can't come out once it's been installed.

All I heard was burned wire(s). Yesterday I asked Jai to tug on both ends of both battery cables to see if any were loose. She checked the solenoid wires too. She says they're all clean and tight. She's getting it towed to Pete's shop, her older mechanic friend who's worked on RB before. I'm still leaning toward a shorted wire. I doubt it's anything too serious.

Yahoo, you got it and it's as good as you hoped.

RedBird (Jai) has been having intermittent starting problems for a few days. I listened to an audio. It sounded like a low battery problem. Battery is about a year old. Starter engaged and barely rolled the engine over. A couple of times it started fine. The engine starts and runs fine with a push. Today when Jai tried to start RB at the gas station, smoke came from under the hood. Inspection by someone says the wires going to the starter are burned. My long distance guess is a bare wire short circuit down by the starter. Possibly intermittently bleeding enough elec. to ground to deprive the starter. Today the wire must have welded itself to the chassis. Thoughts from the Georgia gang?

Hope you get it. Whatever you pay, it'll be worth $5,000.00 more in a year.

If it's as clean and rust free as it appears, it will be a bargain at almost any price when compared to any Z that has rust and the costs involved in body repairs. Get the best one (body wise) you can afford. Prices are going up rapidly and the trend is now including 280's. I'd be shocked if one that clean didn't go well over 24K.

I don't know, I've wondered about that too. Saw it on a couple of TV shows. They appeared to degrease and lightly sand whatever finish is on the old vehicle. Usually it's a combination of paint and rust which is still rusty red color, not acid treated black. They knock off the loose stuff, get it smooth enough to paint and shoot it with clear to preserve the "patina". These were all cars and trucks that were from a time when the steel was thick, even the sheet metal. It took a long time for rust to do any substantial damage back then. They also had real steel bumpers that could take a bump. These were prior to 240 bumpers which should have been called denters.

A dust color choice would be nice. They're clear coating rusty surfaces, maybe dusty surfaces next.

Stop trying to set the floats by measuring them. You're getting focused on something that can be bypassed and ignored. Put away all types of measuring tools where you won't be tempted to use them. The 1/16" below the nozzle tops at 2 1/2 nozzle turns is the goal. The fuel level in the nozzles is the same as the fuel level in the float bowls. Get the fuel at 1/16" below the nozzle tops and the fuel level in the float bowls will be PERFECT. Even if you thought you had the floats set right by measuring something, to be sure they were correct, you'd pull the domes, pistons and check the fuel height in the nozzles 1/1/6",nozzles, 2 1/2, adjust nozzles, nozzles, floats, mixture, nozzles, 2 1/2, nozzles. Whoops. My LP is getting worn out and starting to skip. I'd hate to start sounding like a broken record.

Cliff (Siteunseen) recommends RTV. It will work just fine. Keep adjusting to get that 1/16". I predict that you're going to be so quick and so good at adjusting floats that you'll be the one giving advice in the future.

If the Heli-Coil is too long and interferes with the sealing surface, they are available in different lengths. I've fine tuned the length of them before installation in the past.

Go for it. You could also attach the G3 to the existing fuel pump filter. You can't have too many filters.

OMG. Someone frame post #29. This is the best news I've heard. says Mark hesitantly. Could we be getting close? I think I'm going to start celebrating.

Have you looked for a totally rusted out but reasonably complete 510 and join the two?

Thanks for the trip in the Way Back Machine. 1970, BST concert, in the Seattle Center. We got front row seats right in front of the horns, the stage was about 4' high and about twenty feet away.

4.3 p.s.i. won't supply any more gas to the carbs than 3.2. The carbs only take as much fuel as the engine can use. The needle valve in the float chamber shuts off the fuel when the fuel reaches the preset float height and only dribbles a tiny amount into the float chamber to keep the fuel at the preset float height while you're driving. Stumbling, popping and sputtering is NORMAL behavior in a cold engine with little to no choke, even in Panama. These symptoms could actually be a very good sign that your engine isn't running too rich. And if you're going to tell me that you didn't have to use the choke before, forget it. It ran like crap before. Two questions for you. Does the engine run and drive reasonably well when it's cold with the choke on? How does the engine performance feel when the engine is warm and the choke is off.

Don't adjust the idle. Use the choke when the engine is cold, That's what it's for.. Your description of a problem, ISN"T a problem. Does it run OK cold with the choke on?

Jalex, I'm curious about something. Who convinced you, or how did you convince yourself, that 3.2 p.s.i. isn't enough fuel pressure? We used to run an econo-rail dragster with a 327 c.i. V-8 Chevy and a Holley carb. with 3 p.s.i. Roughly twice the cubic inches as a Z and the 327 was always run at full throttle. There was never a fuel starvation problem.

IMHO, Absolutely perfect. Stance, height, offset, finish, you nailed them all. Can you give us more info about the wheels, tires, springs and shocks?

Step 1, Read post, # 31. Step 2, Put the calipers down. Step 3 , Floats installed, Remove the domes and pistons. Step 4, Using a flashlight, visually determine the fuel level in the nozzles. Step 5, Adjust the float tangs up or down until the fuel levels in the nozzles are 1/16" below the nozzle tops. Nozzles are 2 1/2 turns down during this procedure. Also, after each adjustment, move the floats up and down to ensure smooth operation, remove a little fuel from the bowls, reinstall the floats, crank the engine over or start it up for a few seconds to fill the float bowls to the new level. Recheck the fuel level in the nozzles.

No need to run the car for two minutes. In reality you just need to fill the float bowls to the new setting. if you're lowering the float setting be sure to remove some fuel from the bowls so they can refill to the new level. If you haven't readjusted the floats just pull the lids and measure with a caliper and readjust. I've not used the 10 turns down previously but here's my understanding of the 10 turns vs the 2 1/2 turns. 10 turns down should be an accurate method of setting the fuel height. My assumption is when the floats are reinstalled they displace the fuel raising the level to 2 1/2 turns down. Now for the big IF. If all floats displace the same amount of fuel, the fuel level will rise to 2 1/2 turns down in all float chambers. I doubt if all floats are equal, especially 45+ year old floats. The final goal, after using whatever method one chooses, is to visually check the fuel heights in the nozzles at 2 1/2 turns down.