New To All Of This

johnymd

Club Member
Although we have different views on when to drive our cars I think the key is to regularly cavity wax/oil everywhere you can to allow you to use the car whenever you want. I’m fortunate to have a ramp so spray with a cavity oil at least every year and allow it to drip out of all the joints. I focus on all box sections and sill sections plus any seams I feel water can get into.

Great colour by the way.
 

Barricade

Forum User
Although we have different views on when to drive our cars I think the key is to regularly cavity wax/oil everywhere you can to allow you to use the car whenever you want. I’m fortunate to have a ramp so spray with a cavity oil at least every year and allow it to drip out of all the joints. I focus on all box sections and sill sections plus any seams I feel water can get into.

Great colour by the way.

I've seen a few companies offer a 'map' highlighting the areas you need to inject cavity wax into. Are these worth securing, or is it pretty obvious once you are under there?
 

Barricade

Forum User
My humble advice would be to live with the car / drive it round for a while and she will talk to you!

You may end up buying all the bits and then deciding to change the colour and have to take it all off again! Or you may drive and find that you want to sort out the mechanical side first / extract more power and that would take your time and resources.

Make a list of all the items you need, take your time and don’t just part with cash as soon as you see parts come up. Try to get a feel for quality and prices and ask this forum, as people are often very decent at parting with hard to find items at a reasonable price.

I personally really like that green - especially of it’s fresh paint that is done well. If you plan to regularly use the car you’ll probably want to refresh the paintwork in 10 years anyway ;)

Read up on the mods - it doesn’t take a lot to extract the first few extra ponies: better leads, properly gapped plugs, electronic dizzy, coil, decent header /exhaust, well tuned carbs / Mix / timing, setting valve lash, loosing emissions kit etc. If you want to go further, then welcome to the rabbit hole of modified engines that you can pour your pension contributions into :D. Let’s face it, you won’t be enjoying it when your hip goes and your back hurts so you may as well cash the pension now!!

For example, my modified L28 engine built by experts (and not me!!), while producing about 78% more BHP than the one that I replaced, keeps the 70s soul of the car but turns the volume up on the enjoyment factor, without being a handful. There are others that run 300 or more BHP with turbos and engine swaps - but I feel that’s probably not where you are going.

One of the things of love about the Z scene is that most of these cars were modified very early in their lives and no two cars are the same. There is of course a place for the hallowed stock / concourse cars that you wouldn’t dream of hooning around a track or country roads!

Few things immediately need sorting in order to drive her around and get anything sensible back. Speedo cable would be nice, find and fix the reason for the intense fumes in the car when driving around. Oh and an interior. But they are all things that would likely stay regardless of the future direction of the car. I've got a lot more learning to do, each topic introduces yet more depth :)
 

Paul_S

Club Member
Fumes in the car is often down to the rubber gaskets around the rear lights being old and cracked. Also, any rubber seals around the hatch.

You can get replacements from the US (same as UK models) - Precision make them if you can't buy originals any longer.
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Few things immediately need sorting in order to drive her around and get anything sensible back. Speedo cable would be nice, find and fix the reason for the intense fumes in the car when driving around. Oh and an interior. But they are all things that would likely stay regardless of the future direction of the car. I've got a lot more learning to do, each topic introduces yet more depth :)

On the fume front, the “specialist” told me “some cars just do that” and they don’t know why. Not a statement I found acceptable.

So here’s a whistle stop guide:

The rear of the car creates a vacuum so any holes or poorly fitting seals can pull exhaust gasses in particularly if you open the windows and create negative pressure inside the cabin!


Make sure you have the two bungs at the bottom of the tailgate / boot lid. If you are missing the rectangular panel on the inside, then that sucks it in through those holes and the lock mechanism so find or make a panel for it.

Then check your boot rubber strips visually and by shutting a piece of A4 paper between them you can give it the “pull” test. If the rubber is not grabbing the paper and creating resistance then you know you have an air gap and can re-seat or replace them as required.

Rear lights have a thick gasket and they can go with age, so check them.

Any hole not plugged in the boot floor at the rear most part of the car will do it - so get a set of assorted bungs from Ebay if required. If you look behind the panel covering the brake lights you will find a hole for the fuel tank breather piping etc. All those need blocking up.

I also used wide masking tape to tape up each bit of the boot, drove about and removed one bit at a time until I found the culprits.

In fact does yours have the boot inner and outer rubber weather strips?

Doing all this mine is 95% fume free now. The other 5% is the lock mechanism I haven’t fully dealt with.
 

Barricade

Forum User
On the fume front, the “specialist” told me “some cars just do that” and they don’t know why. Not a statement I found acceptable.

So here’s a whistle stop guide:

This is fantastic, thank you!! I needed a new boot seal anyway as this was torn but will set off investigating the other things you mention.
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
You’re most welcome and good luck - it really isn’t rocket science, but very satisfying when fixed. Especially when you can enjoy that straight 6 warble with the windows down.

One last thought - just buy a full weather kit from MSA. I did it piece meal but with hindsight I should have just done all of them including windscreen and window rubbers etc - at the very least the kit is more cost effective and you have rubber at your disposal for all areas you may need.


https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic03a01/34-2000
 

Barricade

Forum User
You’re most welcome and good luck - it really isn’t rocket science, but very satisfying when fixed. Especially when you can enjoy that straight 6 warble with the windows down.

One last thought - just buy a full weather kit from MSA. I did it piece meal but with hindsight I should have just done all of them including windscreen and window rubbers etc - at the very least the kit is more cost effective and you have rubber at your disposal for all areas you may need.


https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic03a01/34-2000

Ahhh this is PERFECT! I was looking at all the window rubbers and they've definitely passed their best. Thanks so much - already TONS of value from joining the club :driving:. One day I might have something to offer in return...
 
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