I took my 76 out this weekend for a break in drive on the new ZZ4 and had some difficulty when I tryed to start it up after a short drive. I noticed that the engine was pretty hot even though the water tempature gage never got over 200 degrees. Even the air cleanner top was hot to the toutch. I assume the aluminum engines are running hot but is that normal?

It could be that the carb is getting hot enough to boil the fuel out of the float bowl.  I had a similar problem with "The Toy" where the carb was too hot to touch.  My fix was to get a Mr. Gasket kit that had alternating spacers of aluminum and fiber-type material.  I put enough of them between the carb and the intake manifold to where I still have some clearance between the air cleaner and the hood.  I did have to fabricate a longer link for the choke but after gettting those spacers in place the carb is no longer too hot to touch and hot starts are nolonger an issue.

Thanks Jim! That sounds like it may be exactely the issue. I will look into getting some insulated spacers. Maybe I can find a single gasket of some sort that will work......... 

Norsky is right.  Insulating the carb is usually a good first try.  You might also find  a sheet of aluminum that is several inches bigger than the carb base.  High performance shops carry them. Use it as one of the alternating layers, and it will help even more.  And it looks cool!

Good Luck
Larry