SteveJ

I unboxed the induction heater. It's about the same size as the ones in the videos I have seen on YouTube. No photos right now since the site won't allow uploads. I'll try linking pictures. It did come with the case in the earlier photo. And of course, I had to play with it. I put an old bolt in the vise, and in about 30 seconds, it got to around 450 degrees. The manual says not to run it for more than 2 minutes at a time. The mass of the control arm might limit the temperature rise with that time constraint. It may take a few cycles to heat it sufficiently. The unit should not be turned on unless it can transfer energy to ferrous material. That should be an issue for removing fasteners, and most body parts are ferrous. I'm looking forward to experimenting.

Why do you say that, Mike? I have used them for many years without issues.

Actually with the black on the rocker panels, the unpainted air dam works. Besides, it leaves more money for parts and tools.

I appreciate the offer, Charles. I'll see if I can rehabilitate my old puller first. I might have some time soon to test that tachometer for you, too. I bought this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PD8ZSXZ I liked that it had a carrying case and a good variety of elements. I'll take some photos if/when it arrives. The poor Amazon driver is having a long day.

We certainly did have fun. Join the Iron City Z Club if you haven't already so you can keep up-to-date on Z activities in your area. In October is ZNationals, hosted by Z1 Motorsports. I'll be hanging out at track day at Atlanta Motorsports Park. The show location is about a 2 hour drive for you. https://www.znationals.com/

I was getting errors yesterday. Are you seeing something like what I described? I have the old ZCD spindle pin puller. It failed the first time I tried it, but I'm going to replace their threaded rod with a different threaded rod that will allow me to use a coupling nut on the spindle pin. I'm also planning on chasing the threads on the spindle pins before using the puller. I'm thinking that the induction heater could come in handy for other Z car repairs, too.

I'm hoping my friend will come through on his offer to film it for me, but failing that, I do have tripods and other ways of capturing the video. I don't really have the space in my garage for, as my friend calls it, "the blue wrench." That's one of the things that made me curious...that and seeing how easily MAPP gas could set old grease on fire. In this video, they claim they got the block up to 600C where they were holding the heater. I'm hoping that similar results in the control arms will help convince them they shouldn't keep holding onto the spindle pins.

The 3 ohm coil wouldn't drop the voltage for the ignition. I do agree that the "13 volts is enough" line isn't exactly right. You are correct that it similar to the Pertronix I. It would work for a lot of people, too.

Why are you concerned with dimming the bulbs? I haven't found a need to dim the gauge bulbs in any car I've driven since I can't remember when. If you REALLY want to be able to dim the lights, you can use a PWM or search for dimmable LEDs. Just throwing in brighter incandescent bulbs can give you other issues. The power for the dash lights comes from the same circuit as the running lights. It's not difficult to burn up the connector on the headlight switch for that circuit. You need to minimize the current flowing through it to extend it's life.

Yep, I'm sure there is. I wasn't paying close enough attention to the link after I copy the wrong part number and pasted into ebay. Thanks for catching that!

Max McCroskey at Resurrected Classics told me about this ignition at the ZCON People's Choice Show. It's like the Pertronix but at a much lower cost. Hot Spark Ignition for Hitachi They even offer volume pricing. It's cheap enough to order a couple of extra to keep as spares. https://www.ebay.com/itm/323788985736 Disclaimer: I have not used the Hot Spark ignition, and I have not installed it on anybody's car. I cannot speak to the quality or reliability of it.

As I resigned myself that I can no longer put off attacking the spindle pins, I came across a tool that I hope will alleviate some of the pain. It's an inductive heater, and I also purchased some longer elements that I believe will allow me to wrap around the control arm. I need to order the spindle pins from MSA today. I get to use the gift certificate I won at ZCON courtesy of @wal280z providing me with his raffle tickets. By the way, Wayne, I will probably repurpose the Amazon box for the heater to pack your backpack and ZCON goodies.

As I resigned myself that I can no longer put off attacking the spindle pins, I came across a tool that I hope will alleviate some of the pain. It's an inductive heater, and I also purchased some longer elements that I believe will allow me to wrap around the control arm. I need to order the spindle pins from MSA today. I get to use the gift certificate I won at ZCON courtesy of @wal280z providing me with his raffle tickets. By the way, Wayne, I will probably repurpose the Amazon box for the heater to pack your backpack and ZCON goodies.

Okay, so this happened yesterday, but it's still within 24 hours... After performing well all last week at ZCON 2022, she deserved her spa day. And all done, ready to go for the next drive/cruise/car meet.

Let me ask around.

And for the folks thinking about flying to California for 2023, I can't remember where the host hotel will be, but I'm betting you'll be better off booking a flight to Ontario International Airport. If the hotel is toward Riverside/San Bernardino, you don't want to fly into LAX and drive across town.

The ZCON 2023 website won't be live for a little while. Here's the Group Z website: https://groupz.com/

If you choose the wrong one, you'll be a couple of thousand miles from the convention site.

Group Z is going to host in Ontario, CA.

There was a last-second contest for ZCON to win a ride with Chris Forsberg at the Little Talladega track day today, and I was one of the winners. Chris and Alex Jagger were driving an Altima drift car and an Infiniti car with each taking 3 people at a time. The drift track was pretty abrasive, requiring them to change the rear tires after each lap. My turn was near the end, and they used up the last mounted tires just before my group. However, one of the crew members took some tires to the local Walmart to get them mounted. While we were waiting (and the window to run the drift cars was closing), we were offered a ride in Alex's car with the opportunity to ride with Chris if the tires came back in time. We couldn't turn down the 2-for-1 special. All I can say is "WOW!" That was a blast. Here's the video. If you EVER have the chance to ride with a professional drifter, DO IT!

No, it was a fan that blew air through the cooler. The ice would be melted in about 20 minutes. I wasn't willing to try your suggestion of swapping out to dry ice.

I'm going to start talking with Nostalgic AC when I get back from ZCON. My tolerance for no AC is getting depleted, especially with these mid-summer ZCONs.

Well, I can't explain why your steering column wasn't grounded well enough but, but it sure sounds like you solved the problem.

Have you noticed a pattern when the ammeter is swinging? The alternator is possibly losing excitation. It could be an intermittent connection on the battery sense or a failing voltage regulator. Can you disconnect the voltage regulator and take some clear photos of the pins in the connectors in the engine harness and on the voltage regulator?

I already asked in a PM, so I call dibs!