Aaron's 75 280Z

[Aaron Datsun]

So I tried taking my car to work today, but it kept dying. I traced it down to the wiring harness going into the relay board was getting jostled and not seating well. I am tired of the relay board sitting in the engine bay like it is. My goal is to take the relay board out of the engine bay (farther away from the turbo) and clean up the wiring, because lets be honest here, my wiring was pretty ugly. So before shots are below I hope to remove that disgusting wiring mess. And wish me luck.

 

[Aaron Datsun]

Progress is slow, because I am being very methodical.

 

I am going to replace my battery terminal clamps as well. I am making progress. I am running a good chunk of the wiring along the intake, along the fuel rail. I found a long chunk of very nice wiring loom with like 10 wires bundled together that I will be using as best I can to keep everything tidy. I will not be sealing all the solders up until after I see the car start (learned that lesson the hard way.) I also added terminals to the power and ground for the relay board so I no longer have to de-solder when I need to remove it. Picture dump below.

 

 

The relay board cleaned up

 

 

Megasquirt itself

 

 

The new location for the relay board

[Aaron Datsun]

More progress over the past couple days. I made a mounting plate for the relay board to make sure it stays in its place. After I did that I kept running wires. I am about to be on my weekend (I work a weird schedule) and should hopefully get it running again in the next few days. I ordered the Ron Tyler Differential mount, but Paypal pre-filled my permanent address, and I forgot to check, so it ended up at my parents. So I was going to do that in the next few weeks, but that will have to wait until I pick it up when I see my parents in October. I think the engine bay is going to look much nicer here in a few days! It has been going well I haven't had to much trouble, but I am trying to be very methodical and label everything! Here are some photos of the progress, I forgot to get a picture of the finished wiring in the wheel wells I will try and get that tomorrow.

Added some spade connectors to my relay board for easy removal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two out of three of my little helpers!

[Aaron Datsun]

Things are still moving on the wire project. I didn't like the way the new harness area was looking. So I ran the wires under the relay board, and will clean up the harnesses behind it tomorrow. I got it all hooked up today except the electric fan relay, I will do that tomorrow, and clean up all the wiring. I am pretty pumped for the engine bay to look clean! Pictures below.
 

I didn't like the way this looked.

 

So I changed it to this.

 

 

New quick connect battery terminals I really like them, but need to clean up the wiring before I say I am done with them.

[Aaron Datsun]

Alright I finished it almost today. I got it back running completely hooked up the fan relay, all that is left is a bit of tidying on the drivers side and taking it for some test drives. This has been a satisfying project and done on the cheap since I was mainly extending wires. I hope you guys enjoy, next will be the Ron Tyler Differential mount.The one wire that remains is the tach signal for the gauge I will get that hooked up tomorrow.

 

 

How she sits in the garage.

 

 

Look at all this space that was being taken up!

 

Battery is as tidy as it is going to get.

 

Under the dash doesn't look to bad.

 

 

Comparison of how it was and how it is now.

Before:

 

After:

[Aaron Datsun]

I put it all back together, but the pictures will have to wait, it started up and started driving yesterday morning and the dash lights were very dim, well somehow I have a wire that is shorted or pulling way to much current and de-soldered itself from the light switch so I have found the wire, and am trying to figure out what it runs. I have the FSM but can't quite tell why it is important. So burnt wires aside it is running great (as long as the dash lights aren't on)

[Aaron Datsun]

So I found the short a while back on the dash lights I had hooked up two wires that were not to be hooked up. I got a new camera and I am using the time lapse to better capture the work I do on the car.
 

 

Timelapse of the first day of my working on the Z this time. I have a Ron Tyler Diff mount as well as a lightened flywheel to add. What was accomplished in order

- Removed Exhaust

- Removed Heat Shield

- Removed Front Differential Mount

- Removed Drive Shaft

- Drained Transmission Fluid

 

Video was a time lapse shot with a CamOne Infinity with a picture taken every 10 Seconds, and the video was converted at 6 FPS so in essence it is one minute per second. I hope you enjoy I will hopefully be updating daily. Until this portion of the project is done. There is no audio and I don't want to add music because that usually just annoys someone.

 

First I have to clean the garage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fRD3knMhX8

 

Then the work commences

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Noyyaos3SPE

[darrel]

video is still uploading, so we will go with this first to kill some time.

 

 

[Aaron Datsun]

Today I lost a few pieces and banged up my finger a bit. It was a good day got a bit accomplished. I am not in a rush as the car really won't be going out much more this winter. A reminder I still have a lightened flywheel to install, the differential mount was changed today!

What I did today

- Removed remainder of old differential mount

- Installed Ron Tyler Diff mount

- Removed the Starter

- Removed the bolts holding the trans to the Engine

- Removed Trans Tunnel Mounts

- Removed Shifter (and attempted to bend it more towards driver)

- Removed Rear Sway Bar (going to try it for a bit without it)

- Removed Clutch Slave Cylinder

- Removed Speedo Cable.

 

 

Timelapse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gohAMiBcDo&feature=youtu.be

[Aaron Datsun]

I got the transmission off today! I smashed only 1 finger! I got the clutch off too. I am going to attempt to clean the transmission off before I put her back in. Since winter is pretty much here I am not in a huge rush to get this stuff done.

What I did:

- Removed Transmission

- Removed Clutch

- Learned my air impact gun isn't up to snuff!

 

I am going to research how to get the flywheel off, and I am going to look at clutches because mine seems to be getting a little low on surface material.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVtjCfSHmy8

[darrel]

breaker bar and a pry bar placed between a couple of the other bolts.

 

Or you can make a bracket that can bolt to one of the holes in the block and made so it engages the teeth of the flywheel.

[BlackBird620]

Impact wrench air or electric work fine I used an electric will take a bit of letting the impact hammer on it

[darrel]

I do have an electric impact wrench you can borrow. Shouldn't take too long.

 

email me tonight and I can see if I can bring it with me in the morning.

[Aaron Datsun]

Darrel, Dang I didn't read this last night! I will still shoot you an email.

 

I need a cheater bar that fits under the car! I have the flywheel secure with an 11mm wrench, but still don't have enough leverage. SO I started cleaning the underside of the car, as well as parts I took off. I don't have any gas left in my gas jug so I have to go buy some more that will help me clean up all these parts. I am also going to try and pick up some engine de-greaser to help with the cleaning as well. I removed probably a pound or more of caked on oil/dirt today! What I did:

- Failed to remove flywheel (I didn't try that hard, but I smashed my hand and gave up)

- Started cleaning off the caked on oil from the under side of the car 

- Started cleaning transmission

- Started cleaning heat shield

 

Specs photos shot with the timelapse feature of CamOne Infinity action camera. 1 picture per 5 seconds, stitched together at 6 frames per second or 30 seconds is 1 second.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7akf2WMvoY

[Aaron Datsun]

Sorry I didn't get great pictures but here is the before and after on the transmission. It isn't supposed to be show-room clean, but I don't want it to be disgusting either.

 

Before: 

 

After

[Aaron Datsun]

A better picture of how the transmission turned out.

The video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jP4XX6VCME

[Aaron Datsun]

Woot!

 

Got the flywheel off today! I borrowed a impact wrench (Thanks Blake Batts), it still didn't get it off, so I remembered I had a torque ratchet (Also from Blake Batts) that was pretty long and just used my huge guns to break those things loose.

 

It went OK today. I am shedding5 lbs of weight with the new flywheel I haven't ever driven a car with a lightened flywheel and I have been driving this car for over 10 years so I am interested to see how this goes.

 

- Removed Flywheel

- Weighed them 23.2-18.2 that is 5.1 pounds difference I am interested to see if it is noticeable.

 

[Aaron Datsun]

Alright another day, and some more cleaning

 

I cleaned some more on the trans, I also picked up all of the loctite and new flywheel bolts

What I did today:

- Picked up Flywheel Bolts

- Picked up gear oil

- Picked up Loctite

- Cleaned on the transmission

- Finished scraping the underside

 

The goal was never to completely clean the underside, but to remove some of the caked on crap right around the transmission to make it not so disgusting down there.

 

CamOne Infinity, 1 picture per 5 seconds

 

 

[uieluck]

Aaron, love the oics/videos, you've been to my garage. Now I know what you're working with. I feel your pain on the cleaning bit, I gotta do cleaning and gonna install a heater system for the winter. I've been working on the 620, but there are gonna be some major changes coming. Got any extra tranny's sitting around? Hahah! The Z is looking groovy.

[Aaron Datsun]

I have a 5 speed in a parts car back in Kansas but that is a bit of a drive. I need to get the clutch alignment tool, I am probably gonna grab that today, unfortunately I work a weird schedule and my days off are over after today so usually very little gets accomplished after a work day.

 

I saw I never posted the video on the track, so here it is.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uy20mTKeEE

[Aaron Datsun]

Question are people actually liking these timelapses or are they annoying? I love them so I am gonna keep doing them, but I don't necessarily have to post them here.

 

Again I did some cleaning on the Transmission. What I got done today.

 

- Finished Cleaning Trans and a few assorted parts

- Installed Flywheel

- Installed Clutch

 

All the flywheel bolts were installed with red Loctite, and the clutch bolts were done with blue Loctite. Today was a tedious day, but I am very close to putting the trans back in and then it should go back together quite quickly after that. I am glad that the transmission is finally clean and the clutch and flywheel are back on the car.

Before!

 

 

After!

 

The Timelapse you all know and love!

[Aaron Datsun]

11/29/13

I tried to make a cradle to allow me to pick up my transmission it didn't work. This took place over a couple days, I cleaned some parts and painted them, most importantly I got the transmission back on.

What I did.

- Re-installed transmission

- Grumbled under my breath about that transmission a lot!

 

12/1/13

Today I put a lot of the extra bits back on the transmission. I didn't get it all captured as my camera died.

What I did

- Installed transmission mount (It took a very long time)

- Installed driveshaft

- Filled transmission with fluid.

- Re attached the Speedometer cable.

 

I got some pictures to attach as well in the next few days. I have a set of triple webers (40s) on a cannon intake if anyone is interested let me know $1,000 shipped OBO

 

[Aaron Datsun]

I made the comment on another forum, there has never been another car that I just constantly love to tinker with and work on. Here is what I did in the past couple days.

 

I got the car back on the ground today, and even took it for a spin!

What I did:

- Installed Rear brace

- Installed Heat Shield

- Installed Exhaust

- Installed Starter

- Installed Shifter and shifter boots

- Put it back on the ground

 

I took it for a little spin, but didn't record it. I have a strict don't make a video leaving my house rule to put on the internet. It isn't that I don't like you internet people I just know there be some crazies out there.

 

What is on the to do list now? Glad you asked.

To Do:

- Transmission to Crossmember bushings (I found them while digging through stuff, don't know why I didn't do this when I did the bushings a year ago.)

- Find/make a new shift boot. I have a sewing machine (Well my wife does) and I think I am tired of seeing that hole in my console is getting old.

- Still looking at a big break kit for the front. I upgraded once, but I don't think it sheds heat well enough.

 

The weather is getting nasty here, like highs of 18 or 19 so I am going to stay inside for a bit.

 

Timelapse below.

 

The video of the first start

[Aaron Datsun]

Some pictures from the process.

 

The rear crossmember mount out.

 

The rear crossmember getting stripped

 

Painting the transmounts and rear crossmember mount.

 

The underside after installing the transmission crossmember. I think it looks much better under there now.

Ron Tyler mount.

 

Ebrake as tight as I can get it and it still has to come to the highest click to work.

THe transmission. The picture shows all of the imperfections, but man this transmission is so much cleaner now!

[darrel]

I took it for a little spin, but didn't record it. I have a strict don't make a video leaving my house rule to put on the internet. It isn't that I don't like you internet people I just know there be some crazies out there.

So, that's why you moved.