Rajiv writes:
> - he and his cousin have done a lot of engine work. I don't know
> much about engines (yet!) but here goes:
> - he made some mods. so it doesn't use the Z-S carb -- 'though
> I don't know what he uses
The only standard conversions are to a Weber or to twin SUs. I think either
conversion requires a new manifold, and neither are legal in California. Don't
know the status of such changes in Toronto.
> - uses 20W30 oil
Why? 20W50 is the recommended oil. This may not make much difference,
depending
on the temperature when using the oil, etc.
> - he has removed all emission-control equipment from the
> engine compartment (gulp. can he still sell it legally?)
> But shouldn't most of it cat. conv. etc. be under the car?
In California, it isn't legal to sell a car with the ec eqpt missing, and the
onus is on the seller to provide that eqpt. On the '79 the main emission
control equipment is an air pump, which feeds to an "air manifold" (a four
pronged tube mounted into the head just above the spark plugs) and into the
gulp valve (a non-descript cylinder near the carb). The manifold and the
pump are about $75 apiece to replace, and you can forget getting used ones.
The pump mounts on a bracket which is part of the thermostat housing. This
may be difficult to find. Otherwise they aren't difficult to install.
> - Oil pressure gauge reads between 90 and 100psi (is that possible??)
I don't think the stock gauge even goes that high. My MGB maxes at about
50 psi when cold, normally around 30 or so when warm. 90-100 would be very
high.
> The next day, I went back, and without his knowledge, looked at the under-
> carriage, and found traces of rust -- spots, mind you, not holes. However,
> it was obvious that body work had been done in the area under both doors.
> Also, the door was about 2 mm above the panel at one end, and about 4 mm at
> the other end. Does this mean that the car is sagging in the middle (as one
> respondent to my enquiry warned)?
Sounds bad. One tip is to use a magnet to determine what's steel and what's
bondo. I didn't do that when purchasing my car and missed a spot on one of the
rear body panels. (But that was the least of my mistakes.)
> He's asking $4,000 for it and some misc. parts. Is it worth it?
No. $4K is more in line for a car in very good to nearly mint condition,
I would say. Perhaps you are talking Canadian dollars?
I think you'd want to think twice before buying this car. If you still want
to know about that VIN number, I think I can get that info from the Hayne's
manual. Let me know via e-mail and I'll try and find it for you.
-- Scott Turner
PS. Roger - if I had the barn/garage set-up that you have, of course I would
have finished my steering wheel conversion by now...
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