Mark Maras

I've not tried any of the HF welders but assuming they're capable of doing the job, I question your choice of a flux core welder.The sheet metal on Z's is very thin. A flux core weld isn't as precise as hard wire. There is a lot more smoke to prevent good vision, (even on a spot weld), the weld is left with slag on it that doesn't conduct elec. very well and you'll be left with a lot of splatter to clean up. Hard wire, on the other hand will allow smaller, more precise welds on thin steel. CO2-Argonne mix is expensive but is the easiest to weld with and will leave you with the least amount of clean up (no slag) and little splatter. I use straight CO2. Quite cheap, not quite as good as the mix and leaves just a little splatter to clean up. I've got quite a bit of experience with both types and while flux core is good for some things, rusty THIN sheet metal in tight places isn't one of them. Also invest in an auto-darkening hood. You'll need it to start small welds in the right place.

@Redwing Update, I have the latch assy. out of a late 71 in reasonably good condition. (I'll refrain from bring up Series #s) Anyway, the rods, the latch and the inner door latch handle were pulled as an assy. I seem to remember that the inner push-pull lock changed location at some point in time. I'm assuming that was just a change in the linkage rod attached to the latch. My question is will the 71 assy. work on Jai's early 76? Assuming that one could swap out the linkage rods for the push-pull lock. I know that @S30Driver has worked on doors recently and I seem to remember that @Zup is a door Guru. Anyone else? Thanks.

To anyone, Were the latches the same throughout the years? I'm assuming we're talking about the piece on the door.

Kind of a shot in the dark but the fact that it will start but not run leaves me wondering if this could be ignition switch related. There was a thread just a few weeks back that described the same symptom. It's quite common for them to fail in this way.

IMO, since Series One and Two seems to be virtually useless when trying to pin down what parts the car was built with, I humbly suggest that the year and early or late as a designation would be better. It works for most of the years and better describes the build.

If the sheet metal was hot and sprayed with water which is likely, I'm betting the panels are warped.

Pull the plugs and check the color. That will give you an idea of the fuel to air mixture on the carbs. Another easier way to check the float levels is, pull the suction chambers (domes), pull the pistons, (be careful with the needles, I always set my pistons on the cowl with the needles sticking thru a cowl slot). With the mixture screws 2 1/2 turns down the fuel level should be about 1/16" below the top of the brass nozzle the needles fit into.

Never heard of the Z mech. pump putting out that much pressure. Not saying it's not true, probably just my ignorance. IMO, I'd put a regulator on it. 3 psi is enough pressure to get fuel to the float bowl. If an engine is starving for fuel at 3 psi, it's got a fuel volume problem not a pressure problem. In the long run, the extra pressure could cause premature failure of the needle and seat valve. Not a good scenario when the carbs sit above the exhaust manifold. One other thought. It's possible that extra fuel pressure could raise the boiling point of the fuel and help a heat soak problem.

I think you may be correct. looks like a broken hinge. Try lifting the door as described by Dave WM above and see if the rusty gap in the hinge closes up. It may be easier to lift the door using the window frame with the window down. Also the door will likely close if you can lift it while closing it. Anyone out there have one?

Yup, 38397. Sorry about that.

If the hinge bushings need replacing, my Z notes refer to Dorman part 338397. It's a door hinge pin and bushing kit. O'Reilly's can order them. About $6.00.

We always referred to them as synchro dogs.

Don't know what would keep the door from closing the last half inch. Try lifting the door when it's open to see if the hinges are worn or loose or close it slowly and check the vertical alignment (gaps) of the door. If the key won't go into the lock, a locksmith would be able to remove, repair and replace it. It might be cheaper than buying another lock.

Will the key turn the lock but won't unlock the door or does the key not turn? If the key won't turn it may be quicker and possibly cheaper to take RB to a locksmith and let him remove, repair and reinstall the lock. BUT, before doing that, have you tried lubing (not oil) the lock with a product like Lock Ease? It's a graphite lock fluid.

Poor job of fitting that early hatch. My skeptical mind wonders if the rear had been damaged and that was the reason for the hatch and bumper changes. Hard to believe anyone would go to the trouble of replacing the hatch and bumpers to do a half-a$$ed job of making it look a couple of years older. The owner may have found early parts for the alleged repair and went with those. Throw in a couple of early C pillar emblems and voila, the year transformation? is complete.

The hesitation (engine lacking power) that you experienced before you corrected the mixture with the choke is a good lean mixture indicator. You can gradually close the choke as the engine warms up. If you close the choke too far before the engine is warm enough, the engine will lack pulling power. IMO, the exact symptom that you described and cured with the choke in post #1. Remember to pull the plugs when you think you're close to the right mixture. I'm sure you're very good at this by now. Watch for plug #s 1, 2 & 3 being a different shade of brown than 4, 5 & 6. That would indicate that 1 carb is running richer or leaner than the other. We can deal with that if it occurs. Just part of the fine tuning process. Let us know what effect the 1/8th turn has.

If the outside temperature has dropped, it's likely that the mixture is a bit on the lean side. In that case, you just need to richen up the mixture screws a bit. I'd try an 1/8 turn, drive it, and see if it improves. IMO, this is good news. You've finally got it leaned out and now just have to fine tune the mixture. I'd pull the plugs and take a look at them before and after the mixture adjustment. I doubt that this new problem has anything to do with the pump. 3-3 1/2 PSI seems to be a good pressure to run. I wouldn't go past 4 PSI. Don't know the minimum PSI, It depends on the engine load but I'm betting that the engine would idle with as little as 2 1/2 PSI. If your pump wasn't putting out enough fuel, adding choke wouldn't affect the mixture.

@Redwing has a 76.

Are the carbs the original flat top Hitachi SU's that came on the 74's or have they been changed to the earlier round tops?

Learned something new. zKars is correct about plates warping in old batterys. It happens when the electrolyte level drops below the tops of the plates leaving room for hydrogen gas at the top. The vibration of starting the engine probably caused the warped plates to get close enough to each other to cause a spark.

The electrolyte in a charging battery breaks down and emits Hyd. gas. Likely the closed battery access flap and a closed hood allowed the gas to accumulate under the hood until there was a spark under the hood. I blew up a 12v battery in a generator welder some years ago. The battery was enclosed but somehow a spark from my welding found it's way inside. The result sounded much like yours. Time to break out the baking soda and water.

Curious if the diameter at the base of the sheet metal groove is 7/8" on both of them? In other words, does the new one just larger diameter flanges?

Ditto to all of the above. Some car and engine history would be helpful too..

@siteunseen, as long as you've brought up sweet sounding hybrids, I thought about your lawnmower when I saw this. You might want to upgrade. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=838645199628824&id=838631229630221

Home Depot has a water activated fiberglass wrap (PowerWrap) made for plumbing leaks. I've not used it on floorboards but it did work great on iron pipe.