Duke Posted March 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Here are the pictures as promised. I changes a few things around from the last time it was in. I added a heat shield for the dizzy as well as wrapping it in heat shielding. This has solved the hard starting problem that I was having when the car was hot. I also moved the breather tank because it was rubbing the fuel line in the old position. I made a bracket to hold that and a coolant puke tank. For that I had to resort back to my bike racing roots and used a water bottle and bottle cage. I also took a little video of it running. Keep in mind that the carbs are pretty far from being good. The pilot jets and the pump jets are both to small, so it stutters a bit when you get on it. I haven't really opened it up because the engine is still breaking in, but once you get to the mains, it really opens up. Here is a final picture of the stance change from the suspension mods. The keen eye will see that the wheels have been pulled forward in the wheel wells a bit. I'm not sure if I could run any more caster without modding the fenders more. It does make me wonder what it would look like if I moved the wheel wells forward 3/4". Maybe a future project. 1 Quote Link to comment
bonvo Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 duke that thing sounds bad ass a little ricey out back but mean up front good to see it running after the issues you were having i hope you can keep them rear wheels planted :D 1 Quote Link to comment
rusty510 Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 damn thats clean! nice work man. oh yeah what kind of radiator is that? Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 COngrats Duke! That is one clean bean right there!!!! Quote Link to comment
69FJWagon Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Duke...thats F'n awesome sounds good, looks good and probably drives good sounds like its ready for some autocrossing next weekend :D congrats on all your hard work paying off Clayton Quote Link to comment
Icehouse Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 That's great Duke! Sounds awesome too. Did you put a camera mount on your roll bar? :D That would be a sweet vid! Since I'm states away and can't really go for a ride :( Quote Link to comment
Pacific coast Datsun Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 Clean work all around Duke. Love the stance & sound:D Quote Link to comment
Duke Posted March 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 Thanks guys. I just drove it up to Chico, which is about a 3 hour drive. Ran great the whole way. I had a little trouble with the throttle not returning late in the drive, but I think an extra return spring should solve that. I'm just stoked that I made it! Really need a new tranny though. Clayton, I wish I could come and auto-x with you next weekend. Funds are low right now though, and I don't really want to push the tranny that is in there right now, so I'm gonna have to pass. Would have been fun to be out there together though. Jeff, I'll give you a ride at Canby! :) Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 The throttle cable at the firewall looks like it's making a pretty tight bend...maybe it's just the picture. Can you rotate the elbow at the carbs so that it slacks a bit more at the firewall? Quote Link to comment
Icehouse Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 Jeff, I'll give you a ride at Canby! :) Yeah!!! Are you going to do the auto-xing they are setting up? I will most likely be driving my truck so I think auto-xing is out of the question. It would be cool to watch the pro's out there :D Quote Link to comment
Duke Posted March 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 The throttle cable at the firewall looks like it's making a pretty tight bend...maybe it's just the picture. Can you rotate the elbow at the carbs so that it slacks a bit more at the firewall? Yeah, in that picture the bend is pretty tight. Somehow the throttle cable had made it's way behind the motor. I moved it after that so it makes a smooth "S" bend to the linkage. I run it like that to keep it away from the heat of the headers, but maybe I need to just run a straight "C" type bend to the linkage. Yeah!!! Are you going to do the auto-xing they are setting up? I will most likely be driving my truck so I think auto-xing is out of the question. It would be cool to watch the pro's out there :D I'm planning on it. I'll just have to see how the car is doing. And I'm no where near a pro, but I will let you watch me anyway. Quote Link to comment
Duke Posted June 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 After messing with the engine and transmission for so long on this (see my other thread on the noise the engine is making) I felt like I needed to make something. I had been running the car without air horns and I knew that this was holding me back a bit in terms of total performance. My dad had some extra flared tubing from the horns on his roadster so I used that to make a set of my own. I'm very pleased with how they turned out, and they definitely add to the great intake sound that you get with side drafts. Disregard the messy wiring...that should get cleaned up soon. Now if I could only figure out the rattle in the engine and find a good transmission I would be set. Quote Link to comment
yellowdatsun Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Sweet, your engine bay is the same color as mine. I like the dove grey color. What would it cost me for you to make me a set of door panels like that. I have plenty of tools, but can't roll the sweet bead in it like that. Quote Link to comment
RatRod25 Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Dam man, car looks excellent!! :thumbsup: Sounds sicks too!! Quote Link to comment
sssr20det510 Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Is this car completly done, hasn't been updated in forever Quote Link to comment
Duke Posted April 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Is this car completly done, hasn't been updated in forever I must have missed this when you posted this. I'm pretty sure the car will never be "done." I have just been driving it recently (it's my only car :D ) so it has been getting a good deal of use. The engine spun a rod bearing back in November so that required a rebuild, and I "upgraded" to a newer 240sx transmission from the NAPS-Z one that was on there. This "upgrade" ended up being a bit of a headache as the first transmission that I put in there was totally shot, sounded like a box full of rocks. I was able to get another which is better, but I'm still going to have it rebuild this summer so I can have a totally silent transmission. Also, the trans swap required modifying the tranny tunnel, crossmember, and exhaust which was a bit of a pain. I'm almost done with school for the year and I have another round of modifications planned for the summer. I'm going to be doing a new exhaust system (maybe with a new header), new adjustable rear crossmember, new short front struts with new camber plates, converting over to crank fire ignition, etc... So yeah, there will hopefully be some interesting updates in the future, but for now I'm just trying to enjoy it and take stock of all the little things that I will need to modify. Quote Link to comment
JDM510 Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 i love the way you plan your builds... sounds like this car is going to jsut get better with age, like a fine wine :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment
Duke Posted August 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 Well, despite the lack of updates I have actually been working on the car! I have just completed the rear suspension rebuild which included a set of Byron's brackets, some new bushings and springs (actually one spring cut in half to make two), a rework of my rear wheel well design, and some clearancing of the body for more suspension travel. Nothing to special, but form the initial drive, it has improved the feel of the car greatly. It is much less twitchy at the limit and the handling is much more confidence inspiring. Here are some pictures of the progress...as I said, it is nothing to ground breaking. Clearanced the lip for extra travel, also new springs (1200#). Byron's brackets, beautifully engineered and made setup a breeze. Reinforced mustache bar with new bushings which I modified to mount the diff higher (I couldn't get black :( ). Also a little dash modification that I did quite a while ago, but that I really like. There is a tranny rebuild and some strut shortening on the way. I'm just enjoying driving it right now though, it just fees so damn good to drive a Datsun again! Quote Link to comment
greengo Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 :cool: nice ride... Quote Link to comment
Duke Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 As much as I have been enjoying driving my car lately, there were some things nagging at me that I had to take care of once I got the chance. Winter break from school was just the opportunity I needed. The main problem was the bad bearings in the transmission. Anything above 3000 RPM would yield noises that indicated the transmission was on its way out. So it was out with the transmission to have it rebuilt. Many people may have bought a used transmission but I had been there, done that, with bad results. I want something that I KNOW is good. So it is currently at the shop being rebuilt with new bearings and syncros. Because of the engine setback in my car, it is nearly impossible to pull the transmission without pulling the engine. While they both were out, I hoped to remedy this. The main problem was that the engine couldn't lean back far enough to allow the transmission to come out. I needed a little more room so I shaved back the seam at the rear of the engine bay and relocated the brake and clutch lines to sit flush against the firewall. Hopefully this will make it not necessary to pull the whole thing as a unit in the future. While the engine was out I also decided to change my camber plate setup. I was able to use my newly learned CNC experience to make some 1/4" steel camber plates that I welded to the strut tower. I chose to do it this way because I feel it is not only stronger than a bolt in aluminum setup, but also lighter and cleaner looking. Having the engine out also was the perfect opportunity to finally start my crank fire ignition install. I turned down the crank pulley almost a year ago to accept the trigger wheel, I just need to get it mounted and make a mount for the VR sensor. Yes, the sensor mount it 1/2" aluminum. I may seem like overkill, but I DO NOT want this part to vibrate at all. I also recently shortened a set of struts for rabbit inserts. In addition to this I used a set of weld on coilover sleeves, because the aluminum ones that I previously had rattled badly. The new found suspension travel is marvelous, my car feels so much more stable on rough corners now that it isn't contacting the bumpstops on large bumps. In the picture I have the springs wound all the way down because I was checking clearances throughout the suspension travel. At full bump, the T/C rod was contacting the body, so I bent the pinch weld up to give it clearance. I have a few more modifications that I am in the middle of that I will be updating with soon hopefully. Quote Link to comment
Wide14u Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 this is so nice :D Quote Link to comment
blueridgespeed Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 I see that the lateral end of the T/C rod appears to be stock. The threaded tube section is self-explanatory. What did you use for the ends? Are they a hotrod part or a OE part for something? I once remember reading of modifying some Volvo parts but figured that'd be a part-search nightmare so I left it alone. How do the T/C rods seem to work? They tolerate the (lowered) angle of course, but I'm wondering if the difference over the rubber (or poly) bushings is noticable. Quote Link to comment
dspeirn Posted January 6, 2011 Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 dude all the work on this car i sick. do you know the color code on the engine bay? is it the datsun 518 gray? Quote Link to comment
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