Karl’s First Mklll
This car I brought around 1990, to replace my V6 powered
Mklll Zodiac. I sold the Zodiac only to realise 2 days later it was one of the
biggest mistakes I had made. So, went out and brought the first Z car I could
find!
The car was found on the outskirts of Dunedin, where it was
sitting in a front yard. The car appeared very sound with very little rust and
the only obvious mods being extractors (which are common over here in NZ) and
the side indicators had been lowered and replaced with small orange lights
under the front bumper. This look I didn't mind. I noticed a tight circle of
3-drilled holes in the centre of the roof, but never found out whether the car
had been a Taxi etc.
The car ran like a pig and was very gutless, but none the
less I handed the money over (around $1,000) and drove the car 50miles to where
I was living in South Otago. On closer inspection with more time, I noticed the
leads and firing order were all to hell, among other things. The rear doors
were just about seized shut from lack of use. A month after putting
the change of ownership through, I got a nice letter from the Post Office,
saying the number plates were dead and that it was illegal to use the car
unless I re-registered with new plates for a total price of around $350! It
turned out a few owners back; someone had just walked into a Post Office and
claimed they were never sent a renewal form, so they wrote out a new form
on the spot. The Post Office told me their employee should never had done this,
but that nothing could be done, "please give us $350" (plus they said
I had their sympathy!). As you can guess, I was between a rock and a hard place
after hitting dead ends chasing up other owners and getting no where. It’s hard
to spend money like that on a car that won't make it go any better etc.
At that stage I was working part time at an auto dismantler, so had the chance and parts to tinker on the car over time. I installed bucket seats and made my own floor change as well as lowering the front by an inch to match the rear. I then installed 14inch rims with new rubber. Plans were made for a new motor with the head reconditioned with NOS oversize stem valves etc and fresh pistons, rings, bearings, Mkll oil pump and crank, and Mklll Zodiac intake and carb. I finished off with a Kelford stage2 cam with new followers. The timing chain was a replacement MG one off the shelf.
After running in, I treated the motor with Slick 50
(which I use to do with all my engines) and then used the car as a test
bed for different induction systems, ignitions and exhausts etc. I was now working
full time in Dunedin and travelling to Balclutha in the weekends, which gave me
lots of open road use. I was very lucky to locate an early Berry and Chung
(B/C) intake manifold which could hold 3 down draft or 2 down draft Zephyr
carburettors at a time. I installed this with 3 reconditioned Mklll carbs and
matching stage3 cam. This made a huge difference to the car. I have always felt
the stock Zephyr motor is undercarbed from the factory and the triple carbs
proved it with over 28 mpg and awesome grunt off the line to 7500rpm! The only
downside was clutch slip and a bad flooding condition at idle, later traced to
a fuel tank fill of junk. Later I passed the system on as it was really
meant to be under the bonnet of a Mkll or a boat and I had to fabricate low air
cleaners to suit. I replaced the system with a staged Weber 2 barrel and
manifold as made up in Two Barrel
One quiet Saturday at my favourite dismantlers, I lined up
a MKll (206E) bell housing to a 3ltr Capri gearbox and found them to be a
perfect bolt together match! At a later date, I installed the complete box with
the help of a friend and used a different throw out bearing and pilot bearing
as well as a Hillman Avenger station wagon drive shaft. The reason to use this
shaft was that by replacing the ends with a Zephyr diff flange and gearbox
yoke, no drive shaft cutting was involved, with all the universals being of the
same size! This swap made for a excellent like butter floor change.
Sadly one wet night, while doing what all young males get
up to, I lost control of the car, cleanly cutting a light pole off at the
ground. 3 of the mag wheels were destroyed in the following collision. Luckily
no one was hurt but the car was past being salvageable. However, on a good
note, it donated many parts to my next car, helping to get that project up and
running and my hurt pride restored. Looking back, I probably owe my life to the
strength of that car, or the story could have well been different.