mlc240z

48, but i think buying the Z took about 20-30 years off how i feel! bart

i agree with jmortensen, in my experience, it's always been a 'growl' or moan that can change with speed and/or disappear with changes in direction. definite thump that matches speed could be a separated steel belt (defect) even on new tires. try swapping tires to see if the sound follows the tire, this would indicate a bad/defective tire. unfortunately, new doesn't always mean good.

you should 'tech article' this. body work is something i've rarely tried and definitely have never mastered. great info, enrique. thanks, bart

driver's side

got the 2 longer hoses going into the engine compartment from MSA, inlet $8.57, outlet $9.68 (engine compartment reducer hose about $2.40). the small pre-bent heater core to control valve hose (MSA wanted $18) was picked up from local parts store. counter guy matched bend, just had to cut to length ($5-$6).

anybody seen or used this before? http://www.brighterideas.com/ this site's downloads section has a few demo movies. with all the old, corroded connections on a Z this sounds like an effective diagnostic tool. a little pricey but should save a hell of a lot of time if you're chasing down electrical gremlins. bart

i can vouch for Dave's (zs-ondabrain) harness. definitely well thought-out, a pro fabrication job and a perfect fit. massive improvement to the lights. well worth the money, plus he's a hell of a nice guy to talk to and is available to answer any install questions. he was supposed to be working on a solution for cars other than the 240z. try PM'ing him to check progress. bart

c'mon, any east coaster knows it takes at least 2 seasons to FULLY decompose a car!!!

LICKABLE!!! i love it, but i nearly spit out a mouthful laughing. sorry i don't have any info for you but i had to express my appreciation for a good laugh. thanks, bart

i never use dielectric inside the cap. it doesn't conduct electricity. although a ford i once had, manual stated to put 1/8" coating on rotor tip and inside the cap plug terminals (never on center terminal). that was a 1979 with a 'hi energy' coil, though. the only place i use it is inside the wire boots. prevents them from sticking to the plugs and cap and helps to prevent spark leakage. i don't think grease on the sparkplug contacts is a good idea (see sentence #2) and its a waste on the threads. use anti-seize if anything. bart

1 stupid thing, are you sure both headlights have a good low beam, not blown? i know it's dumb, but check it first before you chase an electric gremlin. after you verify good low beam filaments, i'd check the switch. there's a good tech tip here to clean switch and swap the two rocker contacts to restore your switch. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17688 hope this helps. bart

i used to own a '72 camaro (i did love that car) that i installed a kill switch on. i had it wired with a switch between the + terminal of the coil and ground, effectively killing the coil. it would crank forever but since the ignition was grounded out, it would never get a spark and start. even if the sb (scumbag) accessed the ignition switch and tried to start from there, or turned ignition switch on and tried to jump the starter, still wouldn't start. wire was not at coil (too obvious and easily ripped out) but tapped in and buried further up the line going to the dizzy so they would have to take the time to try to trace the wire (if they could figure out what was up). probably wouldn't work for the serious sb thief, but definitely would stop joyriding sb's (yea, i really hate thieves :tapemouth:tapemouth:tapemouth). no electronics on the '72 camaro so i don't know if this would fry any computers or other more modern components on newer Z's, but i was going to do the same thing on my '71Z. has anyone tried this or can anyone see a problem with this approach on a Z? just want to make sure this will work and not interfere with/screw up anything that is specific and unique to the Z. thanks, bart

good for you!! sounds like a great find. us 'east coasters' have to stick together.

nice to know they're still available. PO's can be real jackasses!!

hls30... EXCELLENT post and find of that article. just read something similar in 'Grassroots Motorsports' magazine pg.119. blows some common misconceptions about brakes out of the water.

HLS30-31306

ya got me interested! my 5/71 titled 1971 240 HLS30-31306 has: Engine block P30 1408a (drivers side) Engine casting 039190 (matches data plate L24 on strut tower) Head E31, intake E46, 3 screw SU's. i think the 1408a would definitely indicate 1971, April 8th the 'a' is anyone's guess. just add it to the database.

you don't have to remove the dash, just blower motor to gain access. it is a lot easier to go the whole nine yards and remove heater control console panel and then the entire heater box. it started with my needing to replace the heater valve, and i wound up replacing everything (heater hoses, core, grommets and valve). it's not difficult, just a major PITA and i figured since i was halfway there anyway, i'd rather put everything fresh and not have to do it ever again. plan on devoting at least 4 hours for a quick job, 8 hours or more depending on how thorough you want to be. i also lubed all the heater cables, washed out the ducts and took apart/lubed/repainted/reweatherstripped the heater control unit and heater box. this took a bit longer than just replacing parts. get a FSM or haynes/clymer/chilton manual, they're pretty accurate and complete in the description of the job. take your time, try not to rush and keep telling yourself that no matter how impatient you get, it will still take the same amount of time. if you can accept that, the aggravation factor can be kept pretty low. not a hard job, just tedious.

this might help, but i don't know if it's a definitive guide. http://www.zparts.com/zptech/articles/trans_swap%20parts/4tobear_specs1.html

thank you, pity is appreciated.

i have never been impressed by chilton. i much prefer the hayne's or clymer manual. Courtesy's FSM is also a great idea. you can load it on a laptop and take it with you.

i'll definitely second the vote on Wick Humble's 'How to Restore' book. He has a ton of the 'stupid' little things you can forget about when you're putting it all back together. probably one of the best $20 bills i spent so far (with the ZTherapy videos). bart

camera unavailable, so sorry no pics. wheel well liner is another accurate description. pass side goes from below headlight, up and around to about the midpoint of the top of tire. screws holding it in are of course frozen. i figured i could just rip it out and replace with oem parts, but have been unable to locate reasonably priced replacement. if i can't find elsewhere, i'll be more careful and try to finesse it out and keep what i've got. thanks bart

i'm starting to install the headlight relay harness i just got (thanks Dave) and was wondering about the front fender liner. extremely thin 'hammered' sheet metal. passenger side seems mostly intact, driver's side looks to have been hacked in half. i'll have to remove to change harness and headlight bulbs. has anybody come up with a good alternative (other materials, other year Z's) or am i worrying about nothing?

power fluctuation from bad diode i can understand. but the growl/hum (bearing moan) noise would point me to a bad bearing possibly slowing down the rotation or heat buildup leading to power drop. spin test might narrow it down or eliminate bearing as a suspect.