cjzeppy Posted August 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2012 Before the storm came in today I ran down and installed my shift knob courtesy or cl72wagon. Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted August 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2012 Made some huge progress this week. Attached the hardware for the rear driver drum brake, and bled the brakes. The pedal feels very firm and it stops the car which is always a plus. Also found a local radiator shop that had a OEM Radiator for my 510. $125 later and it was in my back seat of my car. Installed the new Radiator and found no leaks so far (although I did bend a few fins when I got caught on a bolt head from the crank pully). Also had an electrical issue with the headlights not working, but I think the high beams were turned on, so now they work.Hopefully this week I will get the rest of the electrical issues figured out, and then have some brave soul inspect the car without looking at the rust, and I'll be in business. Quote Link to comment
sedan20 Posted August 19, 2012 Report Share Posted August 19, 2012 i love the interior... those seats look great! Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted August 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2012 i love the interior... those seats look great! Thanks! Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted August 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 The past two nights I drove the car around the block to see if any other issues come up. So far nothing to report. I removed the carburetor to get soaked in cleaner, and installed on the weekend. If all goes well I should have the car at it's very first show on Sunday. Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted August 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 All of this work I've done to the car in the past month of ownership has finally paid off. I entered the car into a local car show, and took home first place. I will admit I was the only car in the "Nissan" category, but you have to show up to win, and I know that there are a lot of Silvias in the area that should of been there. What got me excited today was when people would come up to the car, and ask me "what is it?" It felt awesome to tell people the history that I know about the car, and what my plans are in the future. I just wanted to thank everyone who helped me solve my electrical and mechanical issues, and encouraging me to keep going when things looked bleak. Here's to you guys! 1 Quote Link to comment
skyblue Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 i was wondering what happened to LMS. great progress. and Congrats on winning 1st place. do you have any side shots of the car? 1 Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted August 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 i was wondering what happened to LMS. great progress. and Congrats on winning 1st place. do you have any side shots of the car? Thanks. I'll have to take some new pictures of the car since I can drive her a little further then before. lol 1 Quote Link to comment
qwik510 Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Congrats. I know it is a great feeling. Keep up the good work on the car. Quote Link to comment
screamer510 Posted September 2, 2012 Report Share Posted September 2, 2012 moar oics please same as my old yellow one gonna go cry now wonderful car Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted September 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2012 Took some time off from tinkering on the car, and soon starting the restoration. I'm currently looking for parts to buy, and in a few weeks I'll try to get a personal loan to fund everything. The best news of all is that I found a ka24 from a local guy on Craigslist (where else lol) whose selling the engine, transmission, and wiring harness for $250. The only issue is that after a compression test the head has a crack, but he told me he has a spare head and other parts in his garage he'll give me. Also looking at getting all new gauges, wheels and tires, and finish making my custom front coilovers out of the 280zx front struts, and installing my new 280zx brakes and hubs. Hopefully within the next couple of week she'll be getting moved to my step dad's garage where I will start to disassemble the car and start fixing some rust! Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted September 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2012 Went to show a friend the car, and after two weeks of sitting she started right up (after a few pumps on the gas pedal). Drove around the block a few times and it never stalled. Hoping to get the new heart transplant this week. 1 Quote Link to comment
schassisowner Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 There's a guy out in chambersburg that always has KA parts laying around.... i can get you his contact info if you want Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Ordered new side mirrors and they arrived this week. I drove the car around town this past week, and I'm still noticing a coolant issue. Installed a temp gauge to track what happens, and I also noticed a small coolant leak coming from the engine. Might just pull this one out and find a KA24de. Quote Link to comment
screamer510 Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Was she on eBay? I hope it was a different car... Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted September 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Was she on eBay? I hope it was a different car... My car? No. But she was on Craigslist! Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted October 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Haven't been active for over a month. I've been busy with work, buying a new daily driver, and doing side jobs (replacing door skins for a 80s dump truck). Looking to soon move the car to my step dad's garage for the winter, and hopefully rebuild the L20b. Looking for parts to get, so any information or links would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Another month has passed and not much progress. I had some issues with my old daily driver (95 Subaru Legacy), and had to trade her in on a new car (04 Subaru WRX). Also had issues with the new car so she went back to the dealership and I'm now driving my dads pos Ford Bronco. If you are not aware there is a hurricane coming towards my part of the country, so I wanted to move the car from behind my moms house to my step dad's garage a few blocks away. Now I will say that I waited until the last minute to move the car, but I had a bigger problem. The key cylinder locked up, and I snapped one of my two keys. So I had to call up my friend (previous owner) and help me hotwire the car (I did not damage any wiring). Finally I got the car running and drove her over to the garage. On the way there I did get a little sideways going around a turn, and that helped the frustration I had all night. Hopefully after the storm passes I will work on the car, and potentially start my engine swap. More details to come after the storm comes through. Quote Link to comment
mattyhacks71 Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Awesome I like that gauge! Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Awesome I like that gauge! haha thanks. It does work, but after 15-20 minutes at idle she was reading low temperatures. I'm suspecting that the piston rings are shot because when I took the car to work my boss could smell gas on the dipstick. Another reason why I want to ditch the L20 and find a KA24. Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted November 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Well I started removing the L20b in favor of a KA24 swap I found from a friend of a friend. I removed the upper rad hose, disconnected the fuel line, and also disconnected wires for the alternator, starter, distributor, and engine grounds. Hoping to have the engine out by the end of the weekend. Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted November 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Today was not what I expected to be. After church I ran to get a new up pipe for my WRX, then drove down to the next town over and got new 14x8" chrome wheels for the Datsun (now I can upgrade to 280zx brakes). After a few hours running around I finally got to work on taking the engine out. I disconnected and removed the driveshaft, assembled the engine hoist, and moved it into position. I ran into a snag when I realized the hydraulic ram would not life the hoist. I think all the fluids leaked out, so tomorrow I'll fill up the ram and try it again. I'm really excited to see this old engine out and stairing at a KA in the future. Quote Link to comment
qwik510 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Are you going to flare the car? 14" x 8" probably won't fit without flares or a lift kit to have it sit like a 4 x 4. Quote Link to comment
screamer510 Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 ^^^^^ agreed. Better test fit! Still love the car but wish you'd stay L series Dan Quote Link to comment
cjzeppy Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Are you going to flare the car? 14" x 8" probably won't fit without flares or a lift kit to have it sit like a 4 x 4. The front will be ok once I swap to the 280zx struts hubs and brakes. The rear I'm going to redo the custom coilovers so they sit higher and the wheels will fit. I don't think the 510s are 4x4.5 lug pattern, cause the new wheels won't fit onto the front hubs. Quote Link to comment
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