"Zeke"- '72 510 2Dr

[Tedman]

Finished up the remote filter install today and it turned out real nice. Started by removing the oil filter nipple from the engine block using the jam nuts, and then decided to try the nipple from my spare L20B before trying to grind this one shorter. It's a good thing, too, because it worked perfectly!  Even though it measured out slightly longer than the one that was in there, it threaded farther into the block and allowed the BRE adapter to seal. Here's the steel remote adapter thingee threaded onto the replacement filter nipple.  It now sits close enough to the block for the cast aluminum BRE remote adapter to properly seal against the oil filter sealing boss.

 

With that issue resolved, I cleaned everything up with brake cleaner and installed the whole setup for real. Filled up the filter with oil and spun that on, then fired up the engine. Ran it in the driveway for 10 minutes and no leaks!  Stoked!  Here's a few pics of the final install. Too bad the heater hose somewhat obscures the cool BRE casting.  

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye messy oil changes!

[Tedman]

A little off topic from Zeke but major props to Mr. BigTanker for selling me his Datsun dealer plate frame.  I've been keeping an eye out for this plate frame for many years as this was the dealership where my SR 510 was originally sold. I bought the car from the original owner back in 1984 with full documentation from new, including the warranty booklet showing the selling dealer, Gillilan Datsun in Inglewood CA. Also included in the deal was the plastic Datsun Man insert. Stoked! The frame is hanging on the wall in my garage for now since the car is kind of buried in the corner of my garage, but I'll mount it next time I dig the car out. 

 

Page from Warranty booklet showing selling dealer stamp:

 

I haven't posted much about this car on Ratsun but it's been with me since '84, and after a couple of L20Bs and an L18 it currently sports an Autech Version S15 SR20DE/6-speed conversion that we did in 2001. Wheels are 15x7 magnesium Wats.  Lots of memories of canyon runs, autocrosses, track days, trips to Shasta, and rally events tied up in this car over the years. 

 

 

 

Fully functional S15 gauge cluster:

 

 

Now I need to find a Downey Datsun plate frame for Zeke...

Edited January 28, 2019 by Tedman

[mrbigtanker]

I am glad your happy. Love your cars and remind me later on the that Datsun warranty card.

[Tedman]

Preparing to have my 4.38 R160 Diff rebuilt so I can re-install it in Zeke. Ordered new bearings and seals and received them today.

Had to get the side seals from Subaru but otherwise went with OEM parts. Hoping to drop everything off to my mechanic early next week...

 

[Tedman]

Looking forward to getting my diff back on Monday.  The shop told me the ring and pinion were shot. I had some difficulty with that diagnosis at first, as the 4.38 R&P was installed new in ~1990 and only used for 10 years, but then again, the gears were definitely whining, and it has seen a lot of track use, so I guess I'm not entirely surprised. So now it has a new Subaru 4.44 R&P to go along with the new bearings and seals. I'll be getting the used parts back, so it will be interesting to see what the gears look like. 

 

On a totally different subject, I do like my steering wheel, but it's not trimmed in leather, and the rim is a little on the thin side. So I ordered a leather wheel cover from Wheelskins. Problem solved. Although it was a PITA to stitch (I think I spent about 2 1/2 hrs) it turned out real nice and the grip is nice and beefy now.  

 

 

Although the rim looks kinda fat in the pics, it's about the same diameter as my very first aftermarket wheel (also a Formuling France) that I had installed on my 2nd 510 back in '83. This dash pic brings back lots of memories. That's the same horn button in both wheels.

 

[Tedman]

Got my R160 LSD diff back this week with new OEM bearings, seals, and a new 4.44 Subaru R&P.  I couldn't see anything obviously wrong with the old 4.38 R&P,  but both side bearing races and one of the pinion shaft bearing races showed areas of localized pitting in darkened areas that looked like corrosion imprints of the roller bearings. Probably didn't help that the diff had been  sitting in a crate in my garage, still full of old gear oil, for 15+ years. There was no discoloration of the gears or bearings, so it doesn't look like anything got hot, which is good. Here's a boring pic of rebuilt diff:

 

Good thing I bought a new breather because I accidentally broke the old one while removing the open 3.90 diff this afternoon.

 

I got to talking about gear oil with my mechanic and he tells me they used to have a problem with gear noise in the Z diffs, and that Nissan issued a service bulletin to change the gear oil from 75W-90 to 75W-140.  The thicker oil helped reduce the gear noise. That prompted me to look at the gear oil spec in the 510 FSM, and I learned that 75W-140 is recommended for high temperature (>104 deg F) operation.  I had always run Redline 75W-90, but realize now that I probably should have been running 75W-140 given that it was an LSD (which generates more heat than an open diff) and I ran many a track day at Willow Springs when the ambient temp was high 90s/low 100s. 

 

So, I went online to check out 140 weight Redline and found that they now sell an intermediate weight 75W-110 that seems like a good compromise for a car running a clutch pack LSD that might see an occasional track day in high ambient temps without going to a thick 140 weight that will just add unnecessary parasitic drag in road driving. So that's what I'm going to run in this dif from now on. Also added 1/2 bottle of GM friction modifier for smoothLSD operation.

 

 

This afternoon I pulled the open 3.90 diff and installed the rebuilt 4.44 LSD. Haven't taken it on a test drive yet. I still need to change back to the 23t speedo pinion gear to keep the speedo/odo close to accurate, but looking forward to that snappiness through the gears that was missing with the 3.90 gears. 

[datzenmike]

I hear ya on that. I went from 3.70 to 4.11 and it was the best thing I have ever done for my 710. It just wakes everything up. I can roll along in town in 5th if level and no hurry, drive around corners in 3rd, on the highway sometimes I don't need to down shift to pass, just floor it. A 4.11 is about an 11% difference so 5th is about the same as 4th in the old 4 speed but I have 5 gears now.    

[Tedman]

4.38 worked real good with the 280ZX 5-speed. Great 1st through 4th acceleration and with the tall 0.75-ish 5th gear, cruise RPM on the freeway was the same as a stock 3.9 with a more standard 0.85 5th. The 4.44 is only 1.4% steeper than the 4.38, so shouldn't be much of a hit to freeway cruise RPM.

[datzenmike]

This is because the ZX uses a closer ratio 3.062 first gear transmission and you will need higher 4.444s to compensate. My transmission is a 3.321 first  mid ratio so 4.11s do the job. The difference in close and mid is 8.5% and I have one but it would remove 8.5% from my 11% gain. And the 5th is too high for me. I mean it would be great on trip but not so usable around town. The ZX has a 25.5% overdrive, my mid ratio is half that.

[Tedman]

Oh yeah, man, this 4.44 is way more fun around town.  Took the car for a short drive this afternoon after swapping in the 23t speedo pinion. It somewhat reminds me of driving my SR car with the  4.11/6-speed.  Lots of shifting, but shifting is fun!  Gonna have to get re-acquainted with cruising on the freeway at 3500-4000 RPM, but at least the diff is way quieter than before it was rebuilt. I think it's even a little quieter than the stock 3.9 open diff I had temporarily installed, though the extra revs makes it a wash. Anyway, stoked to put that job behind me!  

 

PS- Two thumbs up on the Wheelskins steering wheel cover! Major tactile improvement. I guess I can stop looking at new steering wheels now...though if I ever came across a vintage Racemark wheel in good condition for the right price...

 

[Tedman]

Gear chart with current gearing in Zeke:

 

Gear ratios:

3.062, 1.858, 1.308, 1.00,  0.773

[datzenmike]

24 minutes ago, Tedman said:

 

Gear ratios:

3.062, 1.858, 1.308, 1.00,  0.773

 

% change into next gear

39.3 2nd

29.6 3rd

23.5 4th

22.7 5th

[Tedman]

Zeke about to plunge into the Corkscrew, Laguna Seca, Aug 2018.  I don't think I've posted this one yet, but if so, sorry, it's worth a repost. This was a frame grab from my GoPro video recorded during the Datsun/Nissan parade laps.

 

 

[Abe Froman]

Edited February 24, 2019 by Abe Froman

[mrbigtanker]

Looking good.

[Tedman]

Took Zeke out to Willow Springs today to watch the VARA vintage races. Made it into a canyon run on the way out rather than taking the freeway. Hit Little Tujunga, Bouquet, Spunky, and Francisquito canyons- Lots of road re-construction vehicles on Tujunga, and thick fog on Spunky and Francisquito, but otherwise a good drive. The diff didn't fall out, so I must've tightened all the bolts, and it doesn't whine anymore, so those new bearings are doing their job. This was the first road trip with the new 4.44 gears (had 4.38s), and for a while there I was wishing I had opted for 4.11s instead, though I eventually I got re-acclimated to cruising at higher RPM, and it was all good in the twisties. And tons of golden poppies blooming across the desert floor!  

 

At the track there were quite a few 510s racing in the B Sedan group, maybe 8-10?  I didn't count, or take pics for that matter.  I also saw a couple of other 510 street cars there as well.  They ran a memorial race for Wayne McAtee (RIP) who was a long time west coast 510 vintage B Sedan racer and had recently passed away.  Troy Ermish won the race but had to fend off a very fast Mazda RX3 in the early laps.  Taz Harvey now runs McAtee's old car #51, so they sent him around on a lap of remembrance before the start of the race, and then the car was granted an honorary pole position. Taz took 'er into the lead at Turn 1 and led the first lap as I remember.  I think he ended up on the podium in 3rd. It was fun to watch. Here's the cool event poster that they were giving away:

 

Met up with a few long time 510'ers at the track and ran into a few more people I hadn't seen in a long time. Always fun to wander the paddock.  We ended up at the Budweiser Balcony on the hill where you can see the entire track. Great view, but cold and windy!  Well, cold for SoCal anyway. High today was maybe 62F, but there was a massive wind chill!  Typical for early spring at Willow Springs.  

 

Drive home was uneventful, took the freeway all the way. A few sprinkles of rain in a few places, massive traffic at the 405/10 interchange, more traffic by LAX. Typical Saturday LA.  In traffic I came up on an E30 BMW 325is, tastefully modified. As I approached in the adjacent lane, the driver put his window down and started waving out the window then out came his phone.  When his lane started moving again he caught back up and passed, and while pointing to my car he mouthed "I have one too".   Thumbs up, bro.

 

I had gassed up in Rosamond before heading home and reset the trip odometer.  The speedo was reading about 10% fast (which I confirmed with an app on my phone) but I was curious as to the accuracy of the odometer. I already have a 23t pinion gear in the trans- can't go any higher. It was pretty close to dead nuts on the odometer with the 4.38 gear and 205/60-13 tires. With the taller 195/60-14 tires and shorter 4.44 gearing I calculated that it should theoretically be essentially the same as the 4.38 205/60-13 setup. Turns out Google Maps says I covered 108 miles on my drive home. Zeke's odometer says it was only 103 miles. So I cut a few apexes on the way home... 

 

Edited March 24, 2019 by Tedman

[DARIN 510]

Hey Tedman I found out the dealer still sells the steering box filler plug in case you still needed one. And it does thread all the way down. Just do it carefully though. Oh and I found a set of NOS Ngk wire set 😁

just picked this up today 4/10/2019. Steering box plug filler vent. Fits Datsun 510 and other Datsuns. Part number 48060-23100. $8.80 each https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts/nissan-plug-filler~48060-23100.html 

 

[Tedman]

Thanks for the tip, Darin!  Just ordered one and a spare.  

[Tedman]

On 4/12/2019 at 5:53 PM, Tedman said:

Thanks for the tip, Darin!  Just ordered one and a spare.  

 

Well, just got a message from nissanpartsdeal.com - " The ordered part(s) have been discontinued (no longer available) and/or is backordered with no ETA date by the manufacture."  Bummer. 

[DARIN 510]

I purchased mine from the dealer. They ordered them from they’re main warehouse I think or Tennessee. But I asked them. They said they are still available. Warehouse had plenty in stock. Web site must be fucking up. 

[Tedman]

On 4/15/2019 at 8:46 PM, DARIN 510 said:

I purchased mine from the dealer. They ordered them from they’re main warehouse I think or Tennessee. But I asked them. They said they are still available. Warehouse had plenty in stock. Web site must be fucking up. 

 

Guess I'll have to try the dealer, then. Kind of a PITA since it's two trips- one to order, another to pickup. 

[hobospyder]

1 hour ago, Tedman said:

 

Guess I'll have to try the dealer, then. Kind of a PITA since it's two trips- one to order, another to pickup. 

why not call and have them order and then only go in to pick up?

[Tedman]

I've never been a fan of eliminating the PCV system, but the Mikuni manifold (like most L-series Mikuni/Weber dual sidedraft manifolds) provides no provision for a PCV.  Love the carb setup from a performance standpoint, but would rather not vent the crankcase to the atmosphere. It's smelly, not good for the atmosphere, and not good for the engine either.  PCV removes harmful blowby vapors from the crankcase that would otherwise condense and contaminate the oil. Downside of PCV is that the blowby vapors somewhat dilute the intake charge with oily residue that can reduce the effective octane and contribute to buildup on the intake valves and combustion chamber.  In a healthy engine the positives should far outweigh the negatives, though. Since I would put my engine in the healthy category with a reasonable compression ratio, I decided to try and implement a PCV system.

 

There's three plugged ports available in my Mikuni manifold. Two small ports, one between runners 1/2 and one between runners 3/4, and a larger one in runner 4. I presume the latter is for a  vacuum assist power brake canister if so equipped.

 

In the stock L16 intake manifold, the PCV valve threads into the intake manifold under the stock downdraft carb and is exposed to vacuum from each intake runner, which is probably ideal since all four cylinders would share in burning the crankcase gases.  One could connect the PCV to a junction joining the two small ports in the Mikuni intake, and that may ultimately be the way to go, but I decided to first try using the larger port in the #4 runner since I found a fitting with the correct threads from a stock L16 intake manifold that I had on hand, and it was much easier to plumb. Probably not ideal since most of the crankcase gases will be burned by the #4 cylinder (#3 will also get some), but I'm hoping the benefits will outweigh this drawback. If the #4 sparkplug ends up looking ugly, I'll consider running the PCV to all four cylinders, but for now, this is how I'm doing it. 

 

Here's the block breather I was running. The hose was cut down from a stock 510 PCV hose a long time ago. 

 

The metal block PCV tube is ~1" OD and the stock PCV hose reduces to ~ 5/8" to fit the PCV valve. The stock 510 hose is NLA, but a 240Z hose is still available and has a similar 90 degree bend with the same reduction in ID.

 

Here's the manifold port in the #4 intake runner that I will use (slot head plug). You can also see the smaller 3/4 port below it in the photo (allen head plug).  The #4 port in the Mikuni manifold is BSP thread like the ports in the stock 510 manifold. I presume that the smaller ports are also BSP, not NPT, though I haven't verified this.

 

Here's the fitting I cannibalized from the L16 intake manifold. I'll have to cap the smaller nipple for now. I'll consider removing it if everything works as planned.

 

I also bought a new PCV valve.

 

Here's the PCV hose with valve that I cobbled together from the 240Z  hose which I sectioned. I used the 90 degree reducing section plus a 4" straight section.  I had the metal elbow leftover from the SR20 conversion on my other '72, so I used that with some nylon reinforced tubing I also had left over from that conversion. After I shot this photo and installed everything I realized that the PCV valve was backwards (!), so that has since been corrected.

 

This shot shows the hose setup as installed at the block PCV pipe end.

 

View from above, kinda blurry but you can see where the tube comes out from under the rear of carb heat shield and air cleaner relative to the firewall.

 

The fitting installed into #4 intake port with hose attached and small nipple capped off.

 

I ran the car in the driveway and it seems to run just fine, so I don't think there's any vacuum leaks. I did notice that the hose to the intake manifold has a "pulse".  This weekend I plan to go for an extended test drive to see how it runs and get a plug reading. I think ultimately the PCV should be tied into all four intake runners, but it will be interesting to see how well it works off the #4 port. 

 

 

Edited April 20, 2019 by Tedman

[Tedman]

44 minutes ago, hobospyder said:

why not call and have them order and then only go in to pick up?

You'd think, but for some reason I have it in my mind that you have to make parts orders in person at this dealership. Will have to call and see. Thanks.

[hobospyder]

8 minutes ago, Tedman said:

You'd think, but for some reason I have it in my mind that you have to make parts orders in person at this dealership. Will have to call and see. Thanks.

yeah i just don't like talking on the phone so i always end up going in myself, always get asked why i didn't call first