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O bachan - 1972 Bluebird DX 4dr granny car


carterb

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I am curious if you were able to see any contaminates in the fuel. We have to look for that kind of thing at work from time to time.  Sometimes we see 2 cars towed in that filled up at the same station!

 

I can send you some info on a way to test for the amount of water suspended in the fuel. The 10% methanol allows it to hide the presence of water quite a bit. In a nutshell, you need a clear measuring container. Add a known amount of water to the fuel that will exceed its ability to suspend the water in solution. Shake it up and allow it to separate the water/gasoline. Compare the amount of water to what you added and voila! you know if there was water in suspension.

 

If I saw some indication of separation in the carb window I might be tempted.  We'll see.  The carb rebuild kit hasn't shown up yet and I'm too chicken to start taking stuff apart before I have new gaskets.

 

--carter

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Time flew by this Summer didn't it?  Granny spent all of it waiting patiently in the garage for me to make time for the carb rebuild.  Bruiser has been getting me back and forth from work in the meantime but finally, time was found over the last few days to start playing with carb.

 

First step, get that thing off the motor.

 

large.59adf1587e4a5_08272017grannycarbre

 

check!

 

Next step, figure out what to do with it.

 

large.59adf169d8d55_08272017grannycarbre

 

check.

 

Next step, apply carb rebuild kit.

 

large.59adf176884b3_08272017grannycarbre

 

seems simple enough...  :confused:

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I started by hosing down the carb in carb cleaner.  (appropriate don't you think?!)

Then after studying the Haynes and Nissan FSM I figured my problem must be a clogged slow jet, idle circuit, or ???

 

I thought I might get lucky at first as when I looked into the float bowl I could see what appeared to be a broken spring:

 

large.59adf18371c1b_09022017grannycarbre

 

But it was just stretched a little.

 

large.59adf18d20703_09022017grannycarbre

 

Which was just as well because there was not a replacement spring in the kit anyway.

 

I tore down the carb as far as I dare, applied compressed air to as many ports as I could find, replaced all the gaskets I could reach, and put it all back together.

 

large.59adf1941f17c_09022017grannycarbre

 

In the process, I found that the primary side is very different from the manuals. 

 

large.59adf19c32efb_09022017grannycarbre

 

They both showed the primary side being very close in design to the secondary side - with just a smaller throat to the venturi.  But the primary side on this carb doesn't even have a throat like that.  Instead it has a bulb supported by a little arm and the perimeter of the bulb has little orifices in it.  Still a 2bl Hitachi downdraft but must be a later carb design.  Maybe from an L18?

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After getting it all back together I attempted to start it up only to find my battery was dead.  Dead dead.  Won't take a charge dead. 

 

Fine, I borrowed the battery from Cooper.  Dead.  Awesome.  That's what I get for driving Bruiser all summer and ignoring my other cars.  Cooper's battery took enough of a charge that I was able to start the car and verify that all the work I did yeilded no positive results (except a nice clean looking carb that doesn't work) so I went to the garage and grabbed all the parts necessary to switch to SU's.

 

Dave Carroll came over last night though and I told him I really wanted to give it one last chance.  He recommended two "fixes".

 

One : screw in the idle mixture screw counting the turns.  Then turn it all the way out, then back to the original setting.  If there was something blocking the seat, this may clear it up.

 

Two : "99 cent tune up".  With the car running, blip the throttle at the carb and while the revs  are still high - put your palm over the top of the carb.  This applies full vacuum to every orifice in the carb and sometimes cleans out some gunk.

 

Sounds reasonable.  Needed a new battery first though which I got this morning.

 

I turned up the idle speed screw so it would stay running and then started to play.  First with the idle mixture screw.  No result.  Then the 99 cent tune up.  No result.  Well okay that's a lie.  There was a result.  It freaked me out as it felt like it was going to suck my hand into the motor and he wasn't kidding when he said you'd end up with a palm full of gasoline!  I did this two or three times but got no joy.

 

Finally, the last thing I could think of, was to remove the idle mixture screw and apply 90psi to that port.  I did it to all the other ports and jets while I had the carb apart but not that one.  One quick blast created a nice little shower out the top of the carb and a lot of bubbling in the float bowl.  I did a second shot for good measure with the same result.

 

I put the adjuster screw back in and the car fired right up with a much higher idle than before.  I backed off the idle speed screw to where it was and the car settled down into a nice smooth slow idle.  Success!!!

 

I couldn't wait to put everything back together and go for a test drive.

 

It was awesome to be back on the road again.  Next step was a quick wash to remove 2 months of dust.

 

large.59adf1a61e472_09042016grannybackon

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Public service announcement:

 

250lb springs plus 13" tires plus bench seat (trampoline) = bouncy bouncy bouncy!

 

I turned the shocks up as stiff as they would go so the car is nearly solid now except for the tires and seat.  It is way better but the ride is still, um, entertaining...

 

1b3609b66d8c257dcf1b0666a4c70b1e--tigger

 

I am going to put on a set of 14" wheels/tires and see what that does.  If the bench seat is just too bouncy I may have to soften everything back up and get back that OEM Cadillac ride it had before I lowered it.  For now at least, the bench seat needs to stay.  I have other canyon carvers.

 

--carter

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Thanks for the kind comments!

 

It drives MUCH better now with the shorter stiffer sidewalls but still there is too much spring for a driver suspended on a bench seat.

I will probably drop the rates down to make the suspension more compliant.

200lb/in has worked really well in my other cars so I'll start there.

 

Dropping a rear crossmember off at the sand blaster today to start an adjustable rear end to correct the overly-negative camber.

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Are you going with weld on brackets? Slotting?

 

I'm curious, I just bought Byron's brackets but I need the instructions on how to mount.

 

Byron's brackets.

I am doing one for Cooper and my kid's 510 "greengo" at the same time.

I will take photos along the way.

Hopefully by the third one I'll know what I'm doing!  : )

 

large.59b86c170bad5_09122017rearcrossmem

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Byron's brackets.

I am doing one for Cooper and my kid's 510 "greengo" at the same time.

I will take photos along the way.

Hopefully by the third one I'll know what I'm doing! 

 

 

I would very much appreciate this. Did your brackets come with install instructions? Got mine second hand.

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Well...

 

Granny got caught in an Avalanche last night...

 

We were at a 4 way stop and the lady to our right turned left into our lane and smacked Granny HARD pushing us backwards 10-15 feet or so down the hill.  She literally drove right through us.  I don't think she hit the brakes 'till she was below us on the hill.

 

The damage is ugly.

 

All people involved are okay, my son and his friend in the back seat got a good bump.  Corey hit his nose on his knee and Yi Long hit his left temple on the B pillar giving him a pretty good goose egg.

 

Here's my car:  Corey and Yi surveying the damage.

 

large.59bd3ec3ef275_09152017GrannyinanAv

 

There is damage!

 

large.59bd3eced17b1_09152017GrannyinanAv

 

Here's the Avalanche:

 

large.59bd3e94c2439_09152017GrannyinanAv

 

Behind that missing chunk of plastic bumper cap is the blunt end of a 5,800lb battering ram!

 

I'll add more later.

 

Please don't fill the thread with ill thoughts toward the other driver.  She wasn't drunk, she wasn't texting, she was just not "there" for the 10 seconds it takes to make a turn at an intersection and this is the unfortunate consequence.  Could have been worse.  Happy it wasn't.

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Maybe it's something about avalanches. Few years back an avalanche backed in to my wife's protege5 wagon, then proceeded to push it about 20 feet before stopping. Crushed the headlight all the way to the strut tower on one side.

 

Sad that granny took a beating. I hope she's a Betty White grade tough old broad and comes back swinging soon.

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Such a strange experience, being in the front seat watching this unfold.  It was almost like watching a movie.  A 3d movie of course.  It happened so fast but in slow motion at the same time.  It's amazing how fast the brain processes what is happening.  I think I was mostly frozen in disbelief that this massive hunk of steel was being driven straight into my car and than BAM!  What a terrible sound.  And then the realization of what just happened. 

 

large.59bd9a3f2193c_09152017grannycrash.

 

After collecting my thoughts and finding the engine still running with one foot still on the clutch and one on the brake.  Fortunately no one was behind me when she collided with me and there was still a gap so I coasted backwads to the shoulder and got out to make sure the kids were alright.  She had taken a spot on the shoulder on the other side of the road and was getting out of her truck.  We both asked each other if we were okay and everyone was.  That's good.

 

Then I surprised myself by asking a question (mind you I was still in disbelief) "What were you watching"? I asked.  I was actually just curious how she could have completely missed the fact that she drove into the oncoming lane and into a parked car.  But I'm afraid must have been received offensively because she immediately jumped to the defense and asked "Where were you?!  Were you moving?!!"  Okay.  We shouldn't talk anymore.  Adrenaline injection cycle was in full swing and I could feel myself shaking a bit.

 

I checked on the kids again, took a few pictures and started getting the usual papers ready for the information exchange.  She lost a big chunk of bumper cover and an entire inner fender liner which were sitting in my lane at the point of impact, along with the shattered dreams of my left side headlights, front turn signals, and left side marker light - also the fog light bezel.

 

large.59bd3e68859b4_09152017GrannyinanAv

 

She called 911 so we both hung out and waited for the officer to arrive.  He parked on her side but came and talked to me first after making sure all parties were okay.  I gave him a brief statement and he collected my paperwork.  He then spent several minutes with her, combined our information into a report and gave us each a copy.  Then he asked if I needed a tow truck.  I said there was no fluid leaking and the car still runs so I will pull into the parking lot on the other side of the intersection and check my available turning radius before heading home (which is only about a mile away) after which he said I was free to leave.

 

large.59bd3f091d3f7_09152017GrannyinanAv

 

The kids and I got back in the car and we pulled back into traffic, across the intersection, and to the park entrance only to find that I had almost no ability to turn right at all.  After a couple of reverse lefts, I was able to get pointed right and found a safe parking spot.  Then I ran back down to tell the officer I would need assistance after all.  He called a tow truck and I waited up at the park.  He was still with the lady.  I don't know if she ended up needing a tow or if her air bag went off or what.

 

The kids had homework so I sent them packing since it was still light out while I waited for the tow truck and watched the sun set.  By now I was feeling queasy.  I would later find out that this was from all the unspent adrenaline my body had manufactured.  What an awful feeling if you've never experienced it before.

 

large.59bd3f107f649_09152017GrannyinanAv

 

Look how much the side marker light hole got ripped open!

 

large.59bd3f1b604b1_09152017GrannyinanAv

 

Funny what survived and what didn't:

 

large.59bd3f214f54c_09152017GrannyinanAv

 

The officer showed back up on foot for I don't even remember why.  I asked why he didn't bring his cruiser and he said he didn't realize I was that far away.  : )

 

He went away again and after a short wait, the tow truck driver showed up, followed by the officer.  This time in his car.  The tow truck driver "Perry" hopped out of his truck.  Looked at Granny for a bit.  Looked at me.  And said "need a hug"?  Which he proceeded to extend in the nice safe manly side to side style that we tend to do.  

 

I told him that if he's allowed to, I'd appreciate it if he could pull the bumper and fender out from the wheel well so I could turn right and then it would be easy to drive home.  He started with a 6' breaker bar but then got the winch and made quick work of it.  Sheering the left two bumper bolts in the process.

 

large.59bd3f3051c8a_09152017GrannyinanAv

 

Afterwards he offered "do you know of Garage Autohero?"  He might be able to help you out.  "Yep.  That's Ray Stonehocker's shop." I replied.  "I just saw him Wednesday."  Turns out the tow truck driver used to drift S13's and Ray did some work on his cars.  I don't care how far we fling satellites into space.  It's a small world!

 

I checked to make sure I still had headlights and the officer said "Don't worry about it.  If you get stopped, just tell them I said it was okay to drive home".  Well I s'pose that's cool but it was dark so I wanted headlights for vision, not for legality.  I said "what are they going to do?  Give me a repair ticket?  Where do I start?"

 

We said our goodbyes and I headed home and parked Granny in the driveway.

 

When I came inside the house I see Yi with an ice bag on his head.  "What's going on?"  I ask.  "I hit my head on the car" he said and showed me a big goose egg on his left temple.  Corey offers that he hit his nose on his knee and thought in the moment that it may have been broken.  I had to explain to the kids what "okay" means when someone asks you if you are okay after a car wreck.  *rolls eyes*

 

Anyway.  I spent the rest of the evening reeling from my adrenaline inflicted stomach ache followed by a nice case of insomnia that allowed me only about 3 hours of sleep last night.

 

The event is now over.  Time for recovery.  It will be interesting to see how I am treated by insurance.  Fortunately she had insurance so it shouldn't be complicated but still I am down a Datsun now and of course there is the rebuild ahead.  We'll see where it lands on the priority list.  My guess is Granny will be off the road for a while.  A real shame too because we were having such a good time driving home on a beautiful late summer afternoon before being crushed by an Avalanche...

 

Better go finish that brake swap on Cooper.

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