edekalil Posted December 14, 2016 Report Share Posted December 14, 2016 Very nice. Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted December 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 The most annoying part of building a car is waiting... I have literally done it for years. But sometimes there simply is no other choice. We are still waiting for a lot of parts to come in, but I did manage to get my nubby little paws on this bad boy: Any guesses? That's right its time to Disco with my Disco Potato! Then it was time to test fit my $20 mock-up center console.... Guess what? It fits! Now I just need to find an e-brake that will work with it. Decisions, decisions.... Then it was time to look at the parts rack and dream... Until next time my precious baby! 2 Quote Link to comment
edekalil Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 Nice. I always wanted to have a car with a turbo. 2 Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted January 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2017 Long time, no update, I know.... I had to take a little time away from working on the car to focus on some business. But, that doesn't mean that the shop hasn't been moving along. It just means my quasi lady @ss has not been posting. I managed to get a bunch of parts in. An auto power roll bar with removal cross bar is in, but was delivered to the shop. Also, these goodies were dropped off: NOS Lock Set New carpet. Black and high quality loop. A potentially useful or not useful at all Datsun Sunny badge. Unlikely it will fit, but worth a shot. Some 1600 SSS badges. Again, may or may not use them.... Dapper Lighter 575s with LEDs And a nice little Nissan Skyline GTR Red Start Button 1 Quote Link to comment
toylet Posted January 21, 2017 Report Share Posted January 21, 2017 where did you get the carpet kit from?looks real nice! Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted January 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2017 where did you get the carpet kit from?looks real nice! A guy from the east coast on eBay. They carpet showed up and surprised the hell out of me. The cost was negligible and it had insulation/padding pre cut on the bottom. Message me and I will try and find the seller name. Got a chance to make a visit to the shop today. I was really torn on the idea of a fuel cell versus a custom tank in the stock location. Obviously, you can quickly see what option we settled on... A short while later and there was a hole in the pit of my stomach and in the rear of Project Miracle Whip. I really hesitated, but since we are going to hide the battery and the fuse box in the space where the original fuel tank went it made the most logical choice easy. This view was what I was most concerned with. It will take building a false floor in the trunk and some creative panels, but this could look aesthetic pleasing even though we don't have room for groceries anymore... Test fitting the fuel filler neck, obviously not the tubing we will use, but just getting some perspective... Then it was time to talk shop and play with the toys.... Finally got to see the Autopower Roll Bar... Swapped out the 370z start button with a GTR red start button using the OEM 370z bezel.. I didn't take a picture of the TurboSmart goodies, but I did take a picture of this... lol no idea why... Then we wrapped up sending power to the instrument cluster for no other reason than we could! 2 Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted January 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 And, I'm baaaaaaaaaack. I miss the old days when there use to be a lot more commentary and interaction. Is it just me or did the rise of Instagram kill the social impact found on these forums? Anyway, I digress. First order of business was a swap for part with none other than my favorite Datsun savior the510keeper. Loaded up the truck on a super rainy day and headed to Left Coast Datsun. 1968 Datsun 4 door interior, front windshield, gas tank and spare tire pan in flawless condition. Swap was made, but since it was raining enough to warrant my 35" tires there were no handoff photos taken. But here was some of the goodies James blessed me with. NOS eyebrow trim, NOS upper hood trim and new to me trunk springs. Didn't bother to tell James, but the NOS windshield trim he sold me got damaged when we test fit the 1969 Canadian dash. So I sourced a new replacement from my favorite Australian Datsun team over at Datsport. While I was at it, Baz and Tracy provided me a much needed r200 Mustache Bar with polyureathane bushings. 1 Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted January 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 Argh!!! Why don't things ever go as planned? Mock up of the transmission tunnel cut for the SR20DET transmission to be covered by the Datsport cover just didn't feel right. Great product, but just not going to hep me accomplish what I needed to with the S13 center mount cable e-brake lever. Photos courtesy of Nick & Jen over at 5523 Motorsport, clearly I am not this talented. From the top everything looked great: But from other angles, not so good.... So again Nick and Jen shot me an email and we got started on Plan B... After the initial cut was made, it was time to start fabricating. I have to give Nick credit, this was just pure sexy work.. Left side nub gap: Right side nub gap: Reverse light wiring gap: Next up will be some welding to shore up the fabrication work and then the S13 e-brake handle will be test fit. It is looking like we will need to mount it higher than a direct transmission tunnel mount so that it sits correctly with the Lancer center console. More to come soon... 2 Quote Link to comment
petercscherer Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 I just came across this build today, really impressive project! I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for updates!~Peter 1 Quote Link to comment
Draker Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 I'm always checking in, but don't comment. Love all the pictures and rad parts. Always jelly. Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 :thumbup: Quote Link to comment
Laecaon Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 Im with Draker, I always read this thread. Im not a huge fan of Ratsun anymore, but I stick around for a few threads like this one. The work being done to your car is impressive as always. I think this car will have a really nice style to it when its all "done." 1 Quote Link to comment
heywier427 Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 Was there a reason the Datsport cover did not fit? Was it purely your e-brake setup? Whats your setup, and whats the hindrance? And like all said above, we are here :) Quote Link to comment
Trophy24 Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 I too am interested in your thoughts on the datsport cover fitment issues. Quote Link to comment
Josh K. Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 Atleast someone is getting work done :) Love the build. Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted January 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 Damn! Talk about some love! Thank you everyone for all the kind words and motivation. I went from feeling alone to being surrounded by Datsun family. That's super cool. Let me start by saying that I really like Baz and Tracy. I am running a lot of their product. But, it is hard to make universal applications for 50 year old cars, not to mention applications in which you are merging new technology. Nick and Jen could not stomach a scissor jack widening of the hole. I have too much OCD for that as well. So we just decided to make a more precise cut. I'm also running the Lancer console and the e-brake like I mentioned . So things are going to be tight. Precision is key and a less wide opening would make my life easier. Long answer, I know. So basically I'm anal retentive. Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted January 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 Ps anyone know any good floating rear disks? I have Nissan Sentra GTR rotors and they are too heavy... Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted February 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Another Saturday at the shop checking on Project Miracle Whip.... Center mounted e-brake is fabricated and welded in. Yes, that is from an s13..... It looks a little "drifty" from this angle, but we just used this one to mock up. It was actually in a drift car and was modified. The final version will not do this lol... Keen eyes should note that the Autopower Rollcage is in... Welded in actually, just thought that it was the smartest and safest option... Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted February 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 We also managed to swap out the throttle linkage to s13 too. Wilwood pedals are coming in soon for brake and clutch pedal. An unnecessary and gratuitous cage shot inside the car... Then it was seat placement and height test fit time. I am going to go with NRG Carbon Fiber seats since I could not find a vintage one for a reasonable price. Really wanted AutoLook, but just can't pay that for it. I'm also super tall and they didn't look too comfortable or practical... Next was a quick suspension mock-up. Good news, everything fits. Bad news, brakes are going to have to go. At least new pistons for the front and a rear mounted rotor. Not to mention the bracket didn't line up. ARGH!!!! I'm also 90% sure I am going to pull the trigger on an MR2 manual rack and pinion conversion. It would actually be relatively cost effective as I need to refurbish my steering box... Anyway, let's check on the progress of the fuel cell and the false floor... Here you can see the basket is removable for when life calls for chaos... Basket in.. Fuel cell in... I also made the executive decision that the hinges suck painted. Going to strip them, plate pieces of them, refurbish them and then have them painted matte black... just seems a better long term strategy.. Until next time.... 5 Quote Link to comment
Draker Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Wow.. what an update! You've been busy. 1 Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted February 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Wow.. what an update! You've been busy. Thanks Draker! It hasn't been a cheap couple of weeks. Fabrication isn't cheap and I just don't have the time or skill to do it quickly. 1 Quote Link to comment
SteadFast Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 Just curious on the polyureathane bushings for the mustache bar, do the washers have the same OD as the bushing's OD? Quote Link to comment
frank88 Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 This is a truly inspirational tread so thanks for posting. I have enjoyed reading it all and I'm sure will refer to it again in the future. Please post some Vids when you've finished! 1 Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted May 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 Been doing a lot of traveling lately, but rest assured, the project continues. Project Miracle Whip is like a lot of projects here and things tend to change once the reality of installing them gets close. This post will require a little more input from you. I have so many questions and I do care about the community's thoughts. Pictures and comments to follow.... I was going to recover carbon fiber NRG seats and use 4-point harnesses; however, these bad boys arrived damaged and went back to the shipper. It was a blessing in disguise though. I'm 6'5" and about 220 pounds these days, so large seats don't fit right. Bolsters really shouldn't be larger than 24" for proper fitment. I really wanted carbon backed buckets, but that might not be a reality. Anyone have a line on vintage Recaro LS seats I can have recovered? One disappointment gave way to another sad moment. We found some rust on the firewall. But, we made lemonade. We decided to go with a Willwood pedal setup and a custom firewall heat shielding. We are going to cover the aluminum panels in gold heat shield. I don't have pictures of it, but we ditched the Datsport SR20DET kit and went with a JB crossmember and Techno Toy Tuning steering bits. I already had their coilovers, so it kind of made sense. Plus, we are going the MR2 manual rack and pinion conversion. That gave way to a custom steering column too. We went super high end on that piece. Good news is that the 1968 (and 1969) Canadian dash had the key on the dash and not the column. Then it was time to deal with the jacked up red color of powder coat on the valve cover and air plenum. That proved to be a massive pain to get off. It took a miracle, but Jen and Nick got it done. In my 6 years of working on this project, my style has grown to be much more understated. No more blue and red Greddy bits, went with a gunmetal. All the red? Gone. In its place, a nice dull black. Yay! Since parts were going to powder, we stripped all the shine nonsense and matched the colors to the rest of the parts. Black and gunmetal... 1 Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted May 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 The engine is almost ready for final assembly, so I knew I needed to get moving on some detail work... So I picked up a 350MM Deep Corn Nardi in triple black..... Went with the perforated leather... sexy right? Then, those of you who follow the build know that I did the unthinkable. I tore apart my grill to restore it. Well, I didn't completely destroy it. Who would have thought? So, I have been tossing around the ideal of carbon fiber bolt on fender flares. I just haven't seen a well executed 4 door with them. But it would allow me to go much wider on the tires and perhaps a five lug conversion. I know this is a pretty intense topic, but i want opinions and thoughts. I do have immaculate sheet metal and it would be a bold move. I'm very conflicted. 1 Quote Link to comment
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