Ed

What can I say, I learned this "fix" from the Mechanics that service our fleet at work. They are always having the "Check Engine" light come on in the Ford Expeditions. The fix.....tape. Oh well .

Pull your plugs after the car has sat overnight. They should be the same dark copper or dark grey color. And they should be dry. Sounds like maybe your valve seals are shot. Oil leaks down into the combustion chamber and fouls your plugs. It runs fine after all the oil burns off. Speaking of burning oil. How much oil does your engine use, do you have to add a quart every 1,000 miles or so?

you should save that money for the speeding ticket. Sounds like you're already burning rubber.

My Z is lowered also (not 3 inches maybe 2) my header seems to be bottoming out. Down where the header ends and the rest of the exhaust starts. Usually tall speedbumps or driveways will scrape a little. The rest of my exhaust doesn't touch. I have 2 1/2 pipes. It was custom made so it fits pretty tight. If you bought a kit that bolts together it won't fit as snug. Take it to a muffler shop and see if they can tighten it up. Good luck.

I had a fiberglass air dam once. When ever I would accidently run into a side walk or other unmovable object my air dam would take the beating. It slowly got trashed, small cracks then bigger ones then finally it was just falling apart. I went to the urathane air dam and it is more flexable. It is more forgiving that the fiberglass ones (go urathane). But like smg1404 said you have to support the dam underneath. High speed will make the dam flex and fold under. Motorsports has a good variety try them. I believe most of there dams will bolt on.

Here is a quick fix for any annoying dash light. All you need some black electrical tape and a pair of scissors. Cut a piece of tape the same size as the light. Place the tape over the light.:classic: Call it a Mickey Mouse fix.

I hope you are not planning to do this in just 3 days. You should be able to do the tear down in one day but, experiance has it that you will always find something that needs to be replaced that you will not have. Then you will be stuck waiting for parts. Last thing you want to do is use the old parts just to get it back together. Then you will just have to do the work twice. Get as many new parts as you can predict you will need. If you don't need it then you can always return them for a refund. Good luck. And Enjoy:classic:

I had a similar problem once. I would fill the radiator and after a couple of weeks it would be low again. It slowly got worse and I eventually found out that I had a warped head. The coolant was slowly leaking between cylinder #3&4. My exhaust was mostly steam and the car wasn't running properly. I hope this isn't what has happened to you.

I thought I was the only one who would peek out the window at night just to check her out!

Whew, I made it. Had one flat on my trailer but all in all a pretty good trip. My car is still on the trailer until I find a house. So I won't be driving her anymore this year:cry:

Well guys I'm on my way. I'll be leaving South Carolina 10/3. Going to NY via Washington D.C. Then Paterson NJ. And finally Niagara Falls! (Road trip!). If you see me on the road give me a honk. My Z will be trailered:cry: I've got too much stuff to drive it. :cry:

You could probably pick up a 5 speed at a junk yard, I paid $100 bucks for the entire wrecked car. Engine, 5 sp, R-200, A/C, and the power windows.:classic: If you only need something for 4 months you could probably pick up a 4 sp cheaper.

I agree, sounds like U joints.

Could a bad spindle pin be the coulprit to a "clunk" noise in my rear end? It happens only when I hit a bump and only on the drivers side.

Good thing you have experiance on your side!:classic:

The car looks pretty nice. Like 2ManyZs said check her out well. Make sure the bondo wasn't put there to cover up rust, specially on the doors. If she is in as good a shape as she looks I think I would pay the 5k. I would first try 4k and work with the dealer to get a better deal. The under dash on the passenger side is the heater fan. It says "Mr. Z" in yellow paint because it came from a junk yard. This is how many junk yards mark their parts in case of an exchange or something.

Hats off to you. That takes alot of courage to purchase a "rolling shell". I can't even begin to imagine what that must be like. It's like a big puzzle. 10,000 pieces.

California currently has a law exempting 73 and older cars from having to be smogged.

Yes.

Motorsports in California has them in there catalog. I don't know if they actually have them. About $75 U.S. zcarparts.com

WOW, 4-6 months eh? I might be able to get a complete restoration in that time. maybe. Z-ya

You never mentioned what the interior looks like. Hope you have a good time with her!

Hey Guys, I'm getting ready to move up to your neck of the woods. I'm curious, how long does this hibernation period last? I was going to take advantage of the hibernation period to work on my car. I figured since it's going to be sitting for a while why not work on it.

I'm sure the stock ignition is no problem if you run a stock engine. But what if you upgrade the engine. I mean a F54 with flat top pistons N42 head. 10:1 compression. Would stock still cut it?

If you upgrade the ignition from points to electronic should you replace the coil as well? Is the stock coil from a 240 points type ignition not for 12v?