jboulukos

I recently obtained a factory Datsun/Nissan spacer and on the genuine parts box it is called "Insulator." The part has a somewhat soft top and bottom so I did not use a gasket above or below it. My configuration from bottom to top: manifold heat shield "insulator" aka phenolic spacer carburetor I believe the "horn" (cylinder extending from one of the holes) faces downward into the manifold. Agreed, its certainly confusing. They seem to have omitted this area from the service manual (I have 1978). Seems like a very important spot because without appropriate parts, the carb may get too hot and/or a vacuum leak can occur. Lets see if anyone can shed more light on this. Here's a view of the saucer installed. Again, no gaskets.

great! Here's a few more: 1. The service manual says to pack the inside space/cavity of the hub with grease. On youtube, I've seen people lightly coat the inner walls of the hub with grease. Would you recommend I pack more grease inside the hub (as per service manual) instead of the light coating i gave it? 2. This 15 degrees statement I don't quite follow..."Install the adjusting cap and tighten up to 15 degrees or until grooves are aligned with holes in spindle." How can this cap be tightened? I just placed it on making sure the holes for the cotter pin were available. The cap seems to be slightly oblong as if it was pinched on to the spindle. 3. The inner wheel bearing seals are to be installed with the flat side outward and the side with the small channel inward. Correct?

Did you adjust valve lash with a feeler gauge?

Alright, I completed the driver's side front brake. New caliper, new rotor, new pads and new hardware. Also cleaned the hub and bearings, repacked the bearings, lightly greased the spindle and inner hub and added a new inner grease seal. Repacking went well, The new grease I purchased looked like the color of peanut butter (definitely not as cool as the jade green) The caliper bolts were loosened with a 10-12 inch long socket wrench, no room for the long lever torqure wrench. I think the PB blaster was the trick...leaving it settle in there for 3 days. I cleaned the original Tokico yoke and put the new rebuilt caliper on. Then bled the brake letting all the air out from the new caliper. The brake line nut started stripping while using my 10mm flare wrench so I loosened with a vice grip and then continued with the flare wrench. Got in the car, pumped the brake a few times. A few more finishing questions: 1. Copper washers (2) came with both rebuilt calipers. Are these washers used on this type of caliper? Seems like the brake line screws right into the caliper without any washers needed. 2. Should the inner wheel bearing seal be attached to the bearing itself? or does the inner wheel bearing end up butting up against the seal once the spindle nut is fastened? 3. Some videos on youtube recommend putting threadlocker onto the caliper bolts before torquing. Would you recommend this? 4. After the cotter pin, there is a wavy metal cover over the spindle nut. Should this cover be on tight when the cotter pin is in? Is it the cotter pin that holds the cover tight or should this cover be pinched or twisted some way prior to the cotter pin insertion? 5. The order of the outer hub parts goes as follows: outer wheel bearing with smaller/tapered side in first, washer, spindle nut, curvy spindle cover, cotter pin, dust cap. Correct? 6. After replacing everything and just before putting the wheel back on, I spun the hub and the pads were rubbing/touching the rotor. Then after putting on the wheel and lug nuts, it spun freely. Is this normal?

Today the driver's side brake line nut started stripping out with me using the 10 mm flare nut wrench (and slow sustained force to try to break it) so I loosened it with a vice grip and then continued with the flare nut wrench. Thanks. I bet the original stripped one on the passenger side can be salvaged. Vice grip loosen it and then vice grip tighten it. Right on. I also got the caliper mounting bolts to loosen. I think waiting 3 days after spraying PB blaster made all the difference.

A few more questions: 1. Are there rear wheel bearings? Are they same as the fronts? 2. I've watched a couple videos and the spindle nut is usually not on tight or is easily loosened with plyers. Do I really need to get a spindle socket? If so, is it a regular looking 27mm socket or is it a special shape for the spindle nut? 3. Are the grease seals only for the inner side?

would an air tool zip it right off? I don't really know anyone with air powered tools.

Oh the "Thai massage" technique? First off, the socket requires an extension. Then the steering linkage gets in the way when using a long lever arm/torque wrench/breaker bar. One could press it with a foot however with the extension, the wrench requires being held directly perpendicular or it will just angle off (socket to extension to wrench has many pivot points). Great suggestion though. I'm definitely going to give it a few more tries. The calipers have been on since 2009.

Today I pulled the car onto the ramps and tried to loosen the caliper mounting bolts after spraying them again with PB blaster. They wouldn't budge. I may just take them to a mechanic to have them loosened but I think it will be hard to find someone willing to do it here. I examined the grease in the hub. Definitely looks chocolatey! (see images below) Spindle nuts sold on RockAuto for 1978 B210 are 27mm and that is how I came up with the size. I'm liking the drum brake overhaul much better than the disc brake overhaul so far. Here I thought the front discs would be simple and fast.

great explanation and more questions: 1. What size hexagonal socket do I need? 27mm? Is this for the spindle nut? 2. Where do you purchase that large a size socket? 3. What should normal wheel bearings look like upon inspection? Should I just replace them if they aren't costly? 4. How do you "pack" a bearing with grease? "How much grease is needed for both front wheels? 5. What are "grease seats?" Is that the only name for them? Can they be ordered on RockAuto? Thanks for specifics. None of these questions are dumb since I've never done this before. I don't want to fub anything up. John

So in order to remove the rotor, the wheel hub needs to be pulled off as well. Do I need to take off the small hub cap, and cotter pin and loosen the wheel bearing lock nut? Also, while I have the brake line off, what can I do to block the brake line to prevent fluid loss?

Found a guy on craigslist with some parts so I obtained another fuel pump. I cleaned it up with a green scuff pad, q-tips dipped in bourbon and some water. It came out pretty clean and the diaphragms look intact. the valve assembly is functional as well. Is anything needed prior to reassembly? Is a gas resistant sealer required on the diaphragms? If so, what is it called and where can it be purchased? Also, I could not remove the pivot pin so I just lightly cleaned out the cavity with a q-tip.

To re-flare the chopped off end... I need a flare tool? and the new fitting? Can I plug the passenger brake line hose with something for a couple hours while I make this repair? Do I need to remove the spindle nut to remove the wheel hub?

Thanks for the info. I have ordered a flare nut wrench and will definitely use that on the drivers side brake line. For the caliper mounting nuts, I will spray the PB blaster and leave it on for a day or so. I don't have a torch though but I'll try to whack it with a hammer. A few more questions: What size brake line is on the 1978 B210? (3/16?) If I cut off the striped fitting, wouldn't I need to extend the brake line an inch or two for it to be back to normal length? Is it easier to go to NAPA and purchase a pre-made brake line with fittings on both sides? After finding the 10mm brake line nut stripped, I use some plyers to try to loosen it. In the process, I put a small crease in the brake line adjacent to the nut, however no brake fluid is leaking. Also, and after the caliper is removed, can you explain how to remove the wheel hub in order to get the rotor off? Thanks for the help.

I'm in the process of overhauling the front brakes with calipers, pads and rotors. I started to remove the pads and attempted removal of the caliper mounting bolts (17mm socket) however they did not budge. I also noticed the original metal nut, on brake line from passenger caliper to brake hose, to be completely striped. This certainly halted my progress. So here are my questions: 1. passenger metal brake line: How can i remove it if it is striped? (get someone to torch it off?) Can I replace it with a small rubber brake line from rockauto, or is it important that it is metal (possibly due to the brake fluid temp rising during use?)? Should I try to obtain an original from a parts car? 2. caliper mounting bolts: How can I get them to budge? I used PB Blaster spray and a long torque wrench. I was thinking of driving the car up on the ramps in order to try to get some leverage from underneath. Any thoughts? 3. caliper pin spring: There is a spring around the caliper pin that lays between the pads. The spring is long and it is difficult to pinch it into place. Is there a tool or a trick to this? Stripped and dented passenger from brake line spring between the lower caliper pin

Hey Mike. Can diaphragms still be purchased from Nissan? I was thinking about doing a rebuild/clean of my Kyosan Denki fuel pump. Also, I want to replace the fuel line rubber tubing. How do I determine the gauge?

Hello All. I just replaced the rear drums, shoes and hardware on my B-210. Both rear brake lines were completely bled. Upon finishing and testing, the instrument cluster brake warning light was on. I rechecked the master cylinder reservoir and topped off the fluid. That fixed the warning light. I then went back and forth on the driveway testing out the brakes. They felt somewhat improved although I understand the rear brakes account for a less percentage of overall braking power with the front brakes being more significant. I then tried the parking brake. It felt a bit weak. It works however it does not currently allow the car to remain stopped upon placing the car in drive (car will move at idle in drive), as it did prior to the brake job. How do I get the parking break to be stronger? The 1978 owner's manual says there should be 6-7 upward clicks to engage the parking break. Mine pretty much goes all the way up and not much resistance is felt. Do I need to readjust it? If so, how? I rechecked all components of the brakes...shoes are on the wheel cylinders and springs are all correct. The brake adjuster wheel is connected appropriately as well. I adjusted the brakes in order to perceive slight resistance while pressing the drum inward and turning the wheel.

I was under the car changing my oil and I started looking around at the undercarriage. I happened to come across a rusted out frame rail on the driver's side and wanted to post pictures to discuss my options for repair. The passenger side looks fine however the drivers side has an area that is rusted out and obviously weakened approximately 12-16 inches in length. The sides of the rail are strong. I imagine the repair consists of cutting out the rusted and weakened metal and welding in a new piece. Has anyone had experience with this? Is there significant danger in driving? driver's side rail driver's side view #2 passenger's side rail

Awesome

Can you post details and pics on the front and rear suspension work/upgrades? I'd love to see what can be done.

Rotors are fairly inexpensive and may be cheaper than actually having them turned.

Awesome! Can you elaborate on your brake job? New drums/shoes? Did you replace the drum hardware? springs, etc... What did you do to the front brakes? How is the outcome? Keep up the good work!

Fantastic. Just found a few good videos on bench bleeding the master cylinder. I'll pick up a bench bleed kit. A few questions: -after bench bleeding the new master cylinder, how do I remove the old master cylinder without making a mess with the fluid?

Sweet. I'll look it up. So basically bleed each brake line first, then change out the master cylinder? Then go back to each brake and change the components and bleed again?

I'm going to ask for layman specifics. Explain "bench" bleed por favor. Do I need 2 jackstands even? Or just jack up each tire as I go from one to another?