[GT75Z]

I have a 75Z car. I want to update/upgrade some components on my car for a 2000 mile roadtrip. I have mostly used MSA for my parts but I am comparing Rock Auto parts to MSA. They are a good bit cheaper. I am mainly talking things from radiator, brakes, hoses, and other smallish items. I have pretty much decided I will buy performance brakes from MSA but other things I am not sure of. I hesitate trying them so I am curious what your experiences have been.

 

[chaseincats]

Before going down the upgrade route, replace anything that (1) needs replacing (2) may need to be replaced (3) things that will strand you if they break. Priority 1 is getting there and back without a breakdown, you know?

That said, regarding casual upgrades to your brakes, id say get steel braided brake lines instead of the standard rubber ones.

 

[GT75Z]

The brakes for me are a biggie. I have a very slow minor leak and honestly, I don't totally trust them. I would like to upgrade to performance brakes as well as I may be doing some track day activities.
Beyond that, I am doing hoses and belts and I will be making a decision on the radiator over the next month or so.
And yes, braided brake lines are on the list.
Thanks,
GT75Z

 

[chaseincats]

The brakes for me are a biggie. I have a very slow minor leak and honestly, I don't totally trust them. I would like to upgrade to performance brakes as well as I may be doing some track day activities.
Beyond that, I am doing hoses and belts and I will be making a decision on the radiator over the next month or so.
And yes, braided brake lines are on the list.
Thanks,
GT75Z

Gotcha. I'd also recommend changing your brake/clutch hydraulics - when those go you're stranded and they cost next to nothing to replace and doing all 4 of those will take MAYBE 45 minutes total.

• Brake master - ~$20
• Clutch master - ~$20
• Clutch hose - ~$10
• Clutch slave - ~$10

 

[GT75Z]

Gotcha. I'd also recommend changing your brake/clutch hydraulics - when those go you're stranded and they cost next to nothing to replace and doing all 4 of those will take MAYBE 45 minutes total.

• Brake master - ~$20
• Clutch master - ~$20
• Clutch hose - ~$10
• Clutch slave - ~$10

Thanks Chaseincats, I wasn't going to do that but it is a darn good idea.
Just this morning I realized that my windshield wipers are very weak. Anyone know how hard it is to replace the motor?

Thanks,
GT75Z

 

[chaseincats]

Thanks Chaseincats, I wasn't going to do that but it is a darn good idea.
Just this morning I realized that my windshield wipers are very weak. Anyone know how hard it is to replace the motor?

Thanks,
GT75Z

I've never tried it but the FSM will tell you how. I'd recommend going for the honda windshield motor upgrade if you're going to do that - it's quicker I believe. Be sure to change your wiper blades.

Before you buy/swap your wiper motor, try cleaning its connector - it might just be dirty to the point of not sending full current to the wiper motor.

 

[bificus]

Rain X just in case.

 

[GT75Z]

Yeah, I haven't looked at the FSM yet but hoped it would give me a clue. Yes, I did figure once I had access to the motor and linkage, I would try to clean and lubricate it and it might be fine.

Thanks, GT75Z

 

[chaseincats]

get new wiper blades too

 

[zmanofwashington]

You should definitely pull your wiper linkage out completely. Take apart the wiper pivots, clean and lube them with synthetic grease and then install new boots on them. The pivots are the part that the wiper arm bolts to. On your wipers you should have 2 very distinct speeds. If not the motor needs an overhaul. I do that and can restore your motor to good as new if it's repairable. One thing that causes failure in wiper motors is a low output from the alternator at idle. All z's have a 15-25 amp output at idle on a good day. My high output alternators can produce 60 amps at idle, 125 amps at peak and they are a plug'n'play unit that kicks in at 550 rpm. As far as pulling your wiper motor, it's not that hard to do. After pulling the windshield cowling be sure to squirt some penetrant on the screws that hold the wiper pivots to the body and let them soak for awhile. Try not to break them and when you reinstall, always use anti-sieze on them.
As far as Rock Auto goes, some of their parts are good, and some of their parts are pure garbage. Prices are usually cheaper but not always. Quality should be your first concern, price should be your second concern. I offer special discount pricing to zcar.com users. Just let me know you use this forum whenever you buy something from me and I'll automatically apply a discount. It varies from 5% to 30% depending on the part. As far as a radiator goes, RA sells Spectre rads and they're really low quality. I won't sell them. For a 75 I sell an aluminum 3 row core radiator for 249.95 and I give a 25% discount on that part to zcar.com users which comes to 183.95. I can put together a brake package for you using quality parts and can build the kit anyway that I want. For quotes contact me directly at [email protected] For braided brake lines, I can't touch the price at MSA. They have some good stuff, some cool stuff, and a few things that aren't the greatest. They do have quite a few things that I can't touch their price, but on some things I can beat their price, and some days I can beat their quality too. I never go the less expensive route if I have to sacrifice quality. How often can you find a place that gives a fair amount of free tech support only to users of this forum, always sells good quality parts, sometimes has the best price, and the only person you deal with there is a Z technician with over 4 decades of working on z's. Sorry about the horn blowing but you all need to know. Z man of Washington

 

[chaseincats]

zman of washington is definitely a good resource and i agree with all of the above except for one thing. The radiators that came on our cars work fine - it will be cheaper, period correct, and work at least as well as an aluminum radiator to simply have it repaired (if it even needs repairing). I took mine to a local shop that works on classic car radiators (because mine was leaking) and they got it going good as new for $75. I drove to Zcon and back in 100 degree weather WITH the AC on and never got above the middle on the temp gauge. the radiator is 42 years old.