Triumph26

Thanks. I just realized I have failed miserably to post much more since this past summer. I replaced all the belts and a couple hoses as well as the water pump, changed all fluids etc. and was able to drive the Z reliably a fair amount this summer, mostly just to town to run errands and such. I'm a little frustrated by the car really needing new tires and not having the money to put them on it yet. Unfortunately real life and house bills have put the new wheels and tires I want on the back burner. That said, I was able to drive it with enough vigor to totally get why people loved these cars, and still do. I can remember dad driving the Z pretty hard more than once, and I completely get why. I'm looking forward to a few sensible upgrades to make it more drivable, but for the moment I'm just happy it runs well and is able to be driven. It's swaddled in my garage right now, but I started it last weekend just to let it run awhile along with my Triumph Sprint 1050. The Z started immediately (it was only 30 degrees) which made me very happy as you could imagine. I spent some time that night going through records for it. I also have a couple dealership handout/ads for the car that I will post pictures of soon. Super cool. I'm hoping to build a little board for them to take to Canby with me this summer.

Good info guys thanks. That link to EBC was enlightening. I've used EBC pads on my bikes for years.

Thanks guys. I'm going to take the wheels off tomorrow (I hope) and go through the front brakes to see if Dolomite's suggestions are the case. Lord knows how old the brake pads are, so replacing them may be in the cards. I have a vacuum tool so changing out the brake fluid is pretty easily done. If the problem persists after going through them, I'll look into having the rotors turned or possibly replacing them.

The Z is running and driving well now, minus a few niggles. I replaced her belts today with fancy new ones, and I took her to the weekly meeting of the local sports car group. Met Exit64 (who I'd actually met before through a mutual friend...). His car is sweet, check out his plate. Way cool. Good time. On the drive home (as it was getting dark) the Z's headlights intermittently cut out. Exciting stuff! I just turned on the old school fog lights and all was well. 99% sure it's the switch.

Welcome. I'm new here too, but this place is an amazing resource. Lots of helpful folks here.

I have a question about my front disk brakes, bear with me here. Brakes work great when cold. The Z stops straight with no brake fade/pulling etc. But once the car (and brakes) is warm, I get pretty bad pulsing under medium to hard braking. Seems to be more on the passenger side. By "bad pulsing" I mean that I can feel it significantly in the steering wheel. The car pulls to the right slightly too. My first thought is that the rotor is warped. But wouldn't that show the symptoms cold too? I don't know if or when these rotors have been turned, although brand new (OEM) rotors are only about $50 ea. Thoughts?

I'd just go to your local station and ask to speak to a patrol officer. They can run the VIN and find out if the reg is current/state of issue etc. I'd tell them your story and hope I got a car guy who wants to help a guy out. They may tell you to pound sand, but I bet a cop is more likely to help than a harried DMV employee (insert mental image of Marge Simpson's sisters). Best of luck.

The dealership idea is great! Thanks for the help.

Another thought is to go to your local LE agency with the VIN and ask them to run it. Don't expect them to give you a registered owner's info,but they should be able to tell you when it was last registered and if it was scrapped. They will likely have better info than DMV and a better handle on what's legal to disclose.

Now that the Z is back on the road I'm attending to some other issues. My driver's seat is original and in good shape except 2 little holes. Which will be two big holes soon. Neither is on a seam. I remember a sled mechanic when I used to work for a ski area who used a black shoe goo type product that worked awesome on the snowmobile seats. Anyone have anything to recommend?

Good advice dgi. The tires are servicable, but at least ten years old. The brakes were rebuilt in 2012, and are good. Yes, the "propeller shaft" is what is at issue. The vibration that I'd felt before is all but gone. I can feel it most under somewhat hard acceleration in 2nd. Next project is an oil change and greasing every fitting I can find.

I got the car back today from my mechanic. He replaced the other three u joints on the half shaft/axles, and the rear one on the driveline. It's pretty clear to me that the differential was never moved back. It's something I'd like to do, but I'm not really sure how to go about it. my mechanic says that the driveline is pretty shot, and he had trouble getting the joints to fit securely. He also thinks it's bent a little bit. He tightened all the bolts on the 2 piece rims as well. I didn't even know they were two piece rims. End result it that I drove the car today and it had almost no vibration. I want to replace the driveline, but I'm not sure if I should just replace it with the same (early) 240 or? Any input is appreciated. Additionally, I'm going to be looking into new wheels. The original EMPI magnesium wheels are cool, but I want to put a more modern wheel on the car along with new tires.

Finally got the Z car home today. Took it on a nice drive around the valley.

Fredges, beautiful truck! I'm a former VWphile myself. My first car was a '73 super beetle, second was a '68 standard beetle. Your story made me laugh. I think a lot of us have been there. Wishing we'd brought a buddy, but wanting to involve wifey in the whole thing since purchasing a vehicle like this IS kind of selfish. I have a similar tale about a '64 Ford F250 I bought a couple years ago. She up and left me there, drove home in the FJ cruiser with my man purse inside. Inside the man purse? My wallet and cell phone. haha awesome. That truck made it thought. Thanks for the tale.