Silky's L20B Goon Build

[I'm BLUE]

Nice info Laecaon (spelled right everytime lol)

 

Old tech Assembly lube mix = 50% STP/ 50% regular motor oil ... mix in a cup thoroughly ,,, apply and be happy !

 

If you've never installed Pistons w/rings in a bore ...

It's always helpful to have a helper the first time ...

one guy holds it tight in it's spot ...

other guy knocks in with mallet/block of wood quickly with a good blow or two ! ...

Takes a feel

Make absolute sure your oil rings do not "overlap" on the ends or it will be a smoker in that cylinder !

Stagger the rings very carefully and tripple check before compressing :)

 

Looks like you're well on your way ,,, nice work :)

[wayno]

I used this block for my LZ23 build, it was an unknown block but I took the chance, no issues concerning them cracks so far, here are a bunch of photos of the cracks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have probably 5000 miles on it so far.

[Sealik]

I wasn't referring to just the cracks on the deck which are a given in some engines....maybe the block cracked over a winter from lack of antifreeze.????....etc...etc....who knows

 

But.....since Jrock says all the fluids looked pretty good....and it was running, then good to go

For me...my Z22 had low miles, but with no history. There was no way I was going to dump a vast amount of dollars into it without the machinist checking it out...ie .... magnaflux

 

 

no it was all good thats why i went ahead the vally and fluids all looked pretty good

[jrock4224]

keep the flow master get a resonator ....post a vid so i can decide if the i will break into my flowmaster stash for my goon....i have heard flowmasters ona l series and i knew i would have to run something n conjunction to take the rasp out...LAECAON provided some good info there ......to be fair i still have tristins name spelled incorrectly in my phone..... i giggle everytime he texts me and think man i gotta fix that ....

[Tristin]

...to be fair i still have tristins name spelled incorrectly in my phone..... i giggle everytime he texts me and think man i gotta fix that ....

 

With your phone being so old, I didn't even know it had a contact book.

[Sealik]

keep the flow master get a resonator ....post a vid so i can decide if the i will break into my flowmaster stash for my goon....i have heard flowmasters ona l series and i knew i would have to run something n conjunction to take the rasp out...

 

 

Supertrapp muff ................?

 

EDIT

 

eerrrrr.....wait...I have one... :w00t:

Cold engine....revved to 3ish...sounds most excellent at 6+

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqyXHiPEk3w

[jrock4224]

my mazda b 2200 in high school...(pretty much same as one i have now only no bags......) i ran dual super traps looked cool hated the sound .....sound like a lawn moar with the sharts...they were stainless and i was so pissed i flat sided both of them dragging them on the ground....not a big super trap buzz fan...the 521 my friend just got sounds pretty good with a imitation flowmaster and cherry bomb like piece... took some of the rasp out ...

 

 

i wonder what that 510 would sound like withthe difussers

[Silky_Johnson]

I used this block for my LZ23 build, it was an unknown block but I took the chance, no issues concerning them cracks so far, here are a bunch of photos of the cracks.

 

 

This is pretty much what I've got. Not that big of a deal. I had to wait an extra day for the shop to get parts, so I am picking everything up tonight. I'll take pictures of my crack... the cracks in my block sometime soon.

[Silky_Johnson]

Supertrapp muff ................?

 

EDIT

 

eerrrrr.....wait...I have one... :w00t:

Cold engine....revved to 3ish...sounds most excellent at 6+

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqyXHiPEk3w

 

Supertrapp would be cool. One of the guys I go dirt-biking with has a Supertrapp on his Honda XR400. It sounds pretty awesome.

 

The Flowmaster sounds cool when it's idling, but at revs it's just too loud and too high pitched. When I was at the muffler shop having the PO's tail pipe hack job fixed, the muffler guy recommended not getting a glass pack put in. He said it would cause backfiring, but I'm thinking it was BS. After reading through some other threads, I think a resonator before the muffler is probably the way to go. And it's cheaper than a Supertrapp.

[Eagle_Adam]

NismoDr has a super trap on his 610 with an L20, might ask him if he has and vid's of it if you wanna know ahead of time.

[jrock4224]

i agree silky a idling flowmaster sounds sick... but hit the gas and it becomes a little too raspy...was thinking ... i know the risk of sounding ghey... a street bike silencer can on the end...just try it for the sounds ...maybe not rock it ..but try it...just something to take the ring ding dings out of the note...maybe a vance and hines carbon fiber can with stainless rolled tip would lok okay...but i would want it barely to be seen... not shin kicking it everytime i walk around the back...

[Sealik]

i wonder what that 510 would sound like withthe difussers

 

You noticed....was thinking the same thing.

Checked it out a while back.....a little too expensive to find out

The trapp came with the 510................ and most likely wouldn't buy one

[Silky_Johnson]

Has anyone here had any luck ordering from Nissanparts.cc? I placed an order for lash pads on September 1st, and I haven't received any communications since the initial order confirmation. I even sent them an email using their website contact form a couple of days ago, and I have yet to receive a reply. The phone number on their website puts you through to an answering machine. It's been almost three weeks, so I'm starting to get worried. Is this normal?

[Sealik]

Pfffftt....3 weeks?

Took them 6 weeks to ship the wrong shit to me... :lol:

Not a good experience with them at all....very poor customer service

 

That said...they shouldn't fuck up a lash pad order..but....now if it was for springs/retainers....roll the dice

[jrock4224]

nissan parts is n my back yard.....i liked them, but i ordered some 521 parts that never showed .. i paid for them when i ordered them ......called they reordered them ...paid again even though i had already .. .parts never showed second time.. called them and told them to keep my money....but before that i had good luck sourcing parts through them...i agree with sealik ...since they were in my literally back yard i used them early on and they seemed ok, but something happened and now i dont go there i even boycotted there show due to a business relationship they took advantage of.... my feelings are if your a drifter or wanna run there logo in huge letters across your car ... u might get somewhere ... but as for the datsun stuff... they really bait and switched us to the importance of our business....I hear there forsale anyway....theres like no cars on there lot compared to the rest of the automall....im sure russell m on here wouldnt share my sentiment but to be fair he wasnt there through my issues...

 

as for the parts i wanted, came on here found some one with the parts and ironically the parts, when they arrived, originated from the local datsun dealership in olympia....before the were nissan parts cc....so i felt good...worse case silky i can go over there and do a couple of donuts in there flot for u ... i figure i owe those spineless bastards..

[screamer510]

Here are some threads where I got excellent advice while attempting the same thing:

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/38169-redratsun/page__st__40

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/38905-l20-rebuild-questions/

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/43858-engine-break-in/

 

This was my 4th engine rebuild, first one dealing with boring. I bought the $5 ring pliers from HF and they worked pretty well for what they were. Use a good quality spring compressor and make sure the rod bolts are lined up properly with the crank journals before tapping it home! I use STP as assembly lube, just goop it everywhere! Clean and paint everything before reinstalling it into the goon. No sense spending the time and money and not making it look good too!

 

My advice: take your time, label everything and remember where you put it for storage, take your time, think about what and why you are doing what you're doing, and memorize either Hainz's video or the L20 FSM posted earlier.

 

Nothing beats the feeling of starting an engine that you've had your hands all over for the first time.

 

Good luck and HAVE FUN!!

 

Dan

[Laecaon]

Nothing beats the feeling of starting an engine that you've had your hands all over for the first time.

 

Yea, when my motor started first bump of the starter, I was amazed! I didnt even have the car idling for 30 seconds til I pulled it out of the garage and down the street; gotta break in those rings!

[Sealik]

Has anyone here had any luck ordering from Nissanparts.cc?

 

 

RussellM......a member here on Ratsun is the guy at Nissanparts.cc that orders the parts...had many 'conversations' with him

PM him.....tell him there is a growing throng of dissatisfied Datsun owners out there......... :lol:

 

What size of pads did you buy?....errrr....wanting to buy?

[jrock4224]

sounds like he bought already he is just in rustina mode.....waiting :geek:

[Silky_Johnson]

Thanks for the info Dan, as well as everybody else's help and encouragement. I'm going to start assembly tomorrow, and I can't hardly wait. I got a coat of primer and paint on the block last night. I'm hoping I can do two more coasts of paint tonight.

 

Re: the Nissanparts.cc lash pads, I'm just going to wait until it gets ridiculous before I do something about it. I think I ordered 4 .230 pads and 4 .240 pads. It's been so long, I can't remember!

 

In a worst case scenario, I think I can get it running with good rocker geometry without the new pads, and here's why. I put two sets of .015'' cam tower shims to account for the .030'' surfaced from the head. When I bolted up the head with the shims installed, the cam timing was actually barely advanced with the cam sprocket on the #2 setting. Without the shims, the wipe pattern was consistently more toward the valve side. With the shims, it put the wipe pattern more toward the spark plug side, but not off of the rockers. I figure that I can just take one set of shims out and it'll center things up enough for the time being. We'll see. If the pads come in, then I won't have to mess around with any of this.

 

On a funny note, I had a dream last night that I was building the engine, and (in my dream) the 510 water inlet that attaches to the timing cover wouldn't fit on the L20B timing cover! I was so depressed. In my dream, I was trying to line things up and there were huge gaping holes. It wasn't even close... I couldn't even get the bolt holes to line up. Don't worry, I didn't have to check in the morning. I realized (realised for the Canucks) it was a dream. I know they interchange just fine. :thumbup:

[Silky_Johnson]

Okay, I'm long overdo for an update. Pictures will come later. I have been feverishly working to get this done, because the loaner truck has a massive coolant leak. I am expecting an eminent breakdown, so I've got to get my goon roadworthy.

 

The engine is in the car, so Saturday is going to be my first startup on the newly rebuilt L20B. I have done all of my research on how to drive during the first 50 miles, i.e. no constant speeds, full throttle accelerations, engine braking, no lugging the engine, etc.

 

I do have one question about the initial startup. I'm running Mikuni carbs and I have always used the starter circuit (choke) on cold startups. I've read some things that may suggest that this is a bad idea on the maiden voyage? What's your opinion? I'm afraid I won't be able to get this thing going without draining the battery if I don't use the choke.

 

Oics to come. And I learned that installing a long block with the transmission already in the car is definitely a two person job. That was a little more gnarly than I expected.

[jrock4224]

my break in rule ... drive it like u normally would....drive it like u stole it...lol...

[Laecaon]

Ive done it a couple of times. Its annoying. But really the only problem is getting the tranny shaft to go into the motor.

 

On the other hand, I installed engine/tranny/driveshaft as one piece once...

[Silky_Johnson]

RUNNING

 

Pictures do the talking. I'll go in chronological order. I ended up just getting everything done without having to embarrass myself here. Word to the wise: Factory Service Manual and Hainz's video.

 

First, Here's the block back from the shop. I started painting an assembling before I took any pictures:

 

 

 

Here are the typical cracks in the L20B water passages:

 

 

 

Honing was included in the price of boring out the cylinders, so I didn't have to do it myself:

 

 

I didn't get any pictures of installing the crank. Once you know your bearing clearances are fine, you just lube it up and bolt it down according to torque specs. Here are a couple of pictures on how to check crank end play. It doesn't take much force to get it over to one side:

 

 

Then, you check it with a feeler gauge:

 

 

 

I'm going to split up posts. Next one will be piston rings.

[Silky_Johnson]

Clackamas Auto Parts in Oregon City did such an awesome job boring out the cylinders that I didn't have to mess around with ring gaps. I of course checked all of them, but I didn't have to make any adjustments. First off, put the piston ring in the cylinder. Keep it level forcing it down with a piston.

 

 

 

Then get out the feeler gauges, and measure clearances according to the FSM:

 

 

Like I said, mine checked out without any adjustment. Keep track of piston rings and keep them in order. If you are measuring the gap on Cylinder No. 1, that ring must be installed on piston No. 1.

 

Next is installing the piston rings on the pistons. Make sure that you get them on right side up. The top side is marked by the gap. None of my pictures showed it very well, but there is writing on there.

 

 

Piston ring pliers worked only okay. But I managed to get the job done with them. The main thing is keeping the ring level.

 

 

With the notch in the piston facing away from you, I clocked in the top ring at 1:30, the second ring at 7:30 (180 degrees away from each other), and the oil ring things were clocked in at 9:30ish and 11:30ish. The main thing is staggering the rings, keeping the top two rings 180 away from each other, and making sure that no gap is at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, or 9:00.

 

Forcing the pistons into the cylinders was interesting. What I learned is that you don't want to "ease" it in. Compress the rings as tight as possible without busting the tool, get everything lined up, and then push the piston down there as fast as possible with the handle of a hammer. Bolting up the rods was easy as well. Here's a photo with the pistons installed:

 

 

I'm not going to get into timing components here. Watch the Hainz video.