Red 71 4dr - Carbed KA24DE

[datzenmike]

If a counter bearing 4th being quiet would eliminate that but 4th noisy and 5th quiet points to the main shaft.

[demo243]

21 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

If a counter bearing 4th being quiet would eliminate that but 4th noisy and 5th quiet points to the main shaft.

Definitely considering a rebuild. Need to find a spare I can use for the time being. Hate having the car down too long. 
 

Also eventually would like to swap a 71c into the Z so picking up another one would be fine.

 

i actually have a second SR 71c in the basement but dont feel like swapping the bell housing again. Still need to figure out why the slip yoke wouldn’t go all the way into the SR trans I just swapped the bell housing on.

[demo243]

Im still here! 

 

510 has actually seen a bit of love and use this fall! Its been really fun driving it again. The biggest news being I finally bit the bullet and got some Mass Plates for it - it was frustratingly annoying getting it ready for Mass Safety Inspection, but ultimately we passed! One little hiccup with the reverse lights since the current transmission is not a big fan of reverse... especially when the car is off. 

A few other updates- 

 

Replaced the old cracked front turn signals with some Thailand specials- added amber bulbs for the clear portions. Also put an amber bulb back in the blank hi-beam spot. 
 

 

Ive also slowly been "softening" the car up to make it a bit more enjoyable driving around the street. This means I swapped in a rubber trans mount and engine mounts. Ultimately I would like to swap in my "old" stock engine mounts, but that poses an issue of it shifts the engine forward 1/4-1/2" which may not work with the current exhaust. So I threw these rubber pucks in instead of the poly. Still vibrates a lot but is a little smoother. Seems like the rubber mounts helped with the transmission noise as well. Its still there and annoying but a little bit more livable... 
 

 

Just a cool shot poking out of the garage 

 

Finished up my clear filter covers as well. Unfortunately Ive had some issues with them cracking around the center mount hole. Tried using a rubber cone washer on both sides to allow for some expansion but still cracked... Will live them for now...
 

 

And the biggest news---- Picked up some fresh kicks!! 
 

No they aren't real... Another set of Rotas for me - 15x7 +20 OS Mesh. Hard to argue with the cost and weight of them. I did consider a set of Hayashi Racing wheels or real SSR MK 2/3s but lead times and potential import tariffs didn't make sense. These are going to be my shoulder season (Fall/Spring) and Winter storage wheels. I mounted up some 195/50R15 Toyo Extensa HP IIs - this way I have a "all season" tire to deal with the cold winters but should still handle the performance driving well too. Had to drop to the 195 instead of the 205 to clear the inner hump the 4 doors have in the back. Haven't had a chance to drive them yet though as I decided to replace the fuel sender and some soft lines at the same time... Hopefully get it out this weekend. 

Also added a proper solid mounted side mirror. Its not exactly what I wanted, but was able to mount to the existing holes in the door and seems to function well enough. 
 

Ive got a new muffler to get welded up as well to hopefully quiet it down a little bit, but haven't gotten to the exhaust shop yet... I think Im going to try and open up the exhaust hole in the crossmember before I do so they can finish the exhaust in full 2.5" tube. TBD... 

[iceman510]

Do those new turn signals not have the angled rear surface?  They stick out so far on the outboard side.

[demo243]

9 minutes ago, iceman510 said:

Do those new turn signals not have the angled rear surface?  They stick out so far on the outboard side.

Ill have to double check - but no I don't think they are angled on the back. Its been a while since I actually installed them so don't really remember. 

Looking it up quickly though, it looks like the NOS ones actually have a short angled section on the outside edge of the light that tucks it back into the body. 
 

Good question... 

Doesn't bother me much but they do stick out a bit.

[datzenmike]

Bit of a stretch but any chance each are on the wrong side?

[ggzilla]

4 hours ago, iceman510 said:

Do those new turn signals not have the angled rear surface?  They stick out so far on the outboard side.

 

You mean the turn signals below the headlights? If they were on the wrong side, they would be upside-down i think

[demo243]

I don't think they would fit in backwards.

Looked back at some old photos and looks like it does stick out just as much with my old lenses- haven't had a chance to check the garage yet. 

 

[iceman510]

The housing of the OE is angled.  I have mine out of my race car, so I can't look at them at the moment.  Maybe they do stick out some normally.  

 

These below on eBay look like the housing is tapered (better word than angled).

 

[datsunfreak]

They are sticking out the correct amount for that year range. 👍

 

68/69s do sit more flush, but this is where these belong. 

[datsunfreak]

Probably just more noticeable on a bumperless car?

 

Here's the stockest one I could find. You can see it sticks out about 1/2" at least...

 

[iceman510]

On 11/5/2025 at 4:05 PM, datsunfreak said:

 68/69s do sit more flush, but this is where these belong. 

 

Maybe that is what i am remembering.  I have a 69, a 70 and a 73.  Only the 69 has the lights in currently.  Thanks John.

[DARIN 510]

Yes 70-73 marker lights do stick out. 68-69 tuck back a little. First time I encountered this I thought something was off as well. But my 510 before that one was a 69 so that was all I had at the time.

[demo243]

Not much to update... just dealing with fuel leak from the return line on the tank. 

 

I had been having issues with the fuel gauge so I grabbed a new sending unit from Z car depot, pumped all the gas out of the tank and put that in. While the tank was empty I decided to replace a few soft lines that were getting hard. I also decided to replace the plug that was capping the return port on the tank. This has been capped with some rubber cap for years- and never been a problem.... - but I worried that the rubber and gas would eventually catch up and leak... So I decided to use the bolt in the fuel line trick. Well long and short of it is that trick didn't work.... and it leaked fuel all over the back seat area of the car.

The proper thing to do here would actually be to run a return line - Im sure my Mikunis would be happy with that! Although not truly needed as they are not hanging over the header like they are on an L.

In the mean time a grabbed a Viton fuel safe 5/16 cap but it is very thin and short. I think I am going to to run a second larger cap over it- but the only ones I can find are silicone coolant caps, which are technically not fuel safe.... 

The other option is to convert the 5/16 bar to a AN fitting and then cap that. Considering this as well...
 

Im hoping the Viton cap will seal it enough that I don't have to worry about the silicone covering it. And then whenever I get around to working on the rear crossmember (enlarged exhaust hole and adjustment brackets) I can run a return line while the crossmember is off the car.

TBD

 

Anyone got an already modified rear crossmember they are willing to part with?

I have a spare one with arms but it would be easier to find one already modded. 

Its starting to get pretty cold here in the Northeast so the car will be in hibernation mode soon.

Edited November 18, 2025 by demo243

[datsunfreak]

21 hours ago, demo243 said:

While the tank was empty I decided to replace a few soft lines that were getting hard. I also decided to replace the plug that was capping the return port on the tank. This has been capped with some rubber cap for years- and never been a problem.... - but I worried that the rubber and gas would eventually catch up and leak...

 

FWIW, on the last few of these I have done, I ran a hose from the return line on the tank up and T'ed it into the vent line on top of the tank. 

 

The stock cap always leaked, and back in the day there was a TSB (silent recall) to have the techs put another, bigger cap over the top of the stock cap to "fix" the issue. 😄

[demo243]

11 minutes ago, datsunfreak said:

 

FWIW, on the last few of these I have done, I ran a hose from the return line on the tank up and T'ed it into the vent line on top of the tank. 

 

The stock cap always leaked, and back in the day there was a TSB (silent recall) to have the techs put another, bigger cap over the top of the stock cap to "fix" the issue. 😄

I actually thought of that last night- thinking I might do that. I just don’t trust the caps.

 

My car definitely had that double cap. I thought I saved it… but can’t find it.

 

But anyway I’m thinking T it into the vent line might be best as suggested.

 

 

[iceman510]

2 hours ago, datsunfreak said:

The stock cap always leaked, and back in the day there was a TSB (silent recall) to have the techs put another, bigger cap over the top of the stock cap to "fix" the issue. 😄

 

So this wasn't an actual recall, just a TSB?  Actual recalls are supposed to be lifetime (but probably practically limited to about 10-15 years).  It would be loads of fun to go to a Nissan dealer and ask for the recall for the fuel line to be performed on your car.  🤣

[demo243]

47 minutes ago, iceman510 said:

 

It would be loads of fun to go to a Nissan dealer and ask for the recall for the fuel line to be performed on your car.  🤣

🤣

 

I don’t think my local Nissan dealer would even know what the car was!

 

I rolled by a few months back in my 240z and pulled in to get a shot of it next to the new Z and was getting side eyed by the sales guys…. No wave, no thumbs up, nothing…. Never any excitement from the parts guys either! I know it’s not a requirement to be a Nissan fan boy to work there… but come on it’s history! 
 

My best Nissan dealer story though is I took my kid with me to pick up some parts - he was about 3 - we walk in and there is a big Frontier picture on the wall, he stops, points, and yells “hey dad a Tacoma!” 🤣🤣

Edited November 19, 2025 by demo243

[datzenmike]

The old local Nissan had a great parts counter guy. I was looking for a pilot bushing and we spent over an hour cross checking for a $5 part. He was into it and we went up in the rafters for an old FSM and he let me photo copy the wiring diagrams. 

 

The dealership moved out of town and the next time I went there the parts guy was a woman... 

... I was looking for a speedometer pinion. Told her what I wanted, what it was for ('76 710) and gave her the part number. Next thing out of her mouth was "What's the VIN number?" Christ don't they teach these people anything??????? Told her this was before VINs. Couldn't find the part number and dealing with someone that can only operate if they have a VIN I gave up, never went back. 

[datsunfreak]

On 11/19/2025 at 10:30 AM, iceman510 said:

 

So this wasn't an actual recall, just a TSB?  Actual recalls are supposed to be lifetime (but probably practically limited to about 10-15 years). 

 

Since this is technically an emissions issue, it should be covered for the life of the vehicle. 😄

 

My buddy Charlie who worked at a Datsun dealer back in the early 70s said it was a TSB, not a full recall. Any customer who came in claiming to smell a faint whiff of fuel got the extra cap put on. 

 

[demo243]

On 11/19/2025 at 9:21 AM, datsunfreak said:

 

FWIW, on the last few of these I have done, I ran a hose from the return line on the tank up and T'ed it into the vent line on top of the tank. 

Good call on running it back up to the tank! 
 

One of the issues I’ve had with this car is that the tank is just vented to the ground- charcoal canister long gone before I got it- this cause overflow issues with a fresh tank and warm weather it would just puke out the vent.

 

I recently T’ed the tank vent back into the vent coming off the filler neck but hadn’t had a chance to “test” it. The tank vent was still very close in height to the vent to ground line and I was afraid it would still leak. 
 

What I have done now is add a T a few inches off the 16mm port off the tank which goes to a second T a few inches from that. The small tank vent and the return port are connected to that second T. The 16mm hose then connects up to the filler neck, and the small port off that connector piece runs down through my roll over ball valve and to the ground. Now if the gas expands and liquid comes out either the small tank vent or return it should go down the other line or will dump into the 16mm line and back into the tank. The port off the 16mm connector at the filler neck is now the highest point and the vent to ground. 
 

I think that’s the best I can have it till a run a return line for the carbs some day and then I can just tie the small tank vent directly into the 16mm line T.

 

We will see! Going to try and get out there tomorrow or Sunday and fill it back up and run it.

 

[demo243]

Snuck out for a drive this afternoon. It was cold - even snowed on me! Was good to get out. Car is feeling good! Snapped some shots - cause did you really drive your Datsun if you didn't take a couple photos? Really starting to dig these mesh wheels. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[datsunfreak]

On 11/21/2025 at 4:41 PM, demo243 said:

One of the issues I’ve had with this car is that the tank is just vented to the ground- charcoal canister long gone before I got it-

 

 

I think the factory bit was just some sort of condensation/expansion tank? Some of these cars predate mandated charcoal canisters. Never have cracked one open, though...  😄

 

I have had good luck adding modern ones. Usually something cheap and compact like this VW unit. Just run that vent line that goes to the ground over to this, mounted somewhere under the car.

 

Cuts way down on the stink in the garage, too. 😉

[datzenmike]

... and don't fill the tank all the way up to the gas cap to leave room for expansion. 

[demo243]

5 hours ago, datsunfreak said:

 

I think the factory bit was just some sort of condensation/expansion tank? Some of these cars predate mandated charcoal canisters. Never have cracked one open, though...  😄

 

I have had good luck adding modern ones. Usually something cheap and compact like this VW unit. Just run that vent line that goes to the ground over to this, mounted somewhere under the car.

 

Cuts way down on the stink in the garage, too. 😉

 

Definitely got to check those out. Would be a nice addition to both cars.