Project Dajiban

[Skib]

4 minutes ago, Duncan said:

 

There was a user on here (Ericwaslike) and he had a 521 truck with purple wheels.  Someone asked him why he had purple wheels, and his answer was "because fuck you, that's why"

 

One of my all time favorite snippy answers to a stupid question, ever...

 

 

 

Lol he painted those at my old shop on his way to Canby, I need to dig cuz I have pics somewhere 😂

[dimlight65]

6 hours ago, ]2eDeYe said:

All caught up, the exhaust was killing me lol. 😄

Imagine how I was feeling!

[]2eDeYe]

1 hour ago, dimlight65 said:

Imagine how I was feeling!

 

 

Oh I have been there, that's what makes it 😄

[EDM620]

On 9/3/2022 at 2:41 PM, dimlight65 said:

legible red decal straight on the paint

Me thinks there be a pun in that!

[dimlight65]

9 hours ago, EDM620 said:

Me thinks there be a pun in that!

Unintentional, but now I see it.

[dimlight65]

The Dajiban drives!  With a manual transmission!

 

First, we bled the clutch.  You have all seen/done that, no pictures are necessary.  It "worked" in that we could start the engine, depress the clutch, and snick it into gear.  The wheels, however, started turning immediately.  We decided that the pushrod was too short.  So I lengthened it.  Again, no pictures.  With a little tweaking to the pushrod, we got it so it would drop into gear smooth as butter with the engine running.

 

THEN...

 

 

 

We put it on the ground!  The tuck is just about perfect

 

 

 

I took it around the block (John has video) and it was magnificent!  First is just a tiny bit more "Granny Gear" than I had hoped, but it ought to accelerate like a scalded dog!

 

Then, while I wasn't looking, John put a couple coats of paint on the dognouse...

 

 

 

In preparation for the sticker bombing to come

 

 

[datsunfreak]

4 hours ago, dimlight65 said:

The Dajiban drives!  With a manual transmission!

 

I took it around the block (John has video) and it was magnificent! 

 

Pulling out of the shop and headed down the road...

 

 

 

 

Coming back in...

 

 

[EDM620]

Now that's gratifying!

[dimlight65]

On 9/5/2022 at 3:13 PM, dimlight65 said:

In preparation for the sticker bombing to come

 

KA-BOOOOM!  Sticker Bomb!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[datsunfreak]

We also got the passenger seat remounted, got the seat covers permanently attached, and took it on another little test hoon. You can really feel the 4.10 rear gears now, as you have to shift it early and often, but it should still be good on the highway. We will find out on Saturday, as we have a slightly longer hoon planned. 👍

[dimlight65]

After a gentle drive to get $50 worth of gas (half a tank), I drove about ten more miles while slightly increasing the hoon.  A blat up onto the freeway proved that it is going to be cruisible.  We then took it to go to lunch.

 

 

 

I posted a video of John driving it over on the Instant Grams.  Go listen to the zorst and marvel at our handiwork.

[Duncan]

1 hour ago, dimlight65 said:

 

I posted a video of John driving it over on the Instant Grams.  Go listen to the zorst and marvel at our handiwork.

 

It sounds really good when it opens up a bit.  I need a van or a truck to haul crap around.  Whenever i don't have one, it sucks!

 

Anyway, nice job on the Daji 👍

[datsunfreak]

23 hours ago, Duncan said:

 

It sounds really good when it opens up a bit. 

 

I was trying to see how quietly I could get it to be at cruise. But then had to keep opening it up to pick up the pace to get to a higher state of cruise. 😄

 

It does surprisingly well on the freeway, better than I expected. The RPMs at certain speeds will be similar in the Galaxie, so I am at least less worried about that now. 👍

[dimlight65]

I was watching the revs in the Smart today and noticed that first and fifth are very similar in both vehicles.  The "problem" is that the 318ci V8 has "too much" torque for that low of an overall first gear ratio.  It just thinks it is revving free, whereas the little 55ci I3 in the Smart actually has to do a little work to shift the car's weight.  (Van: Braap! shift.  Smart: BraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaPshhhhh!* shift.)  Fifth gears are similar as well so the van might seem a little screamie at freeway speeds, whereas the Smart is just zinging along happy as a clam.  I think it will be livable once I get used to it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Turbo blowoff valve enloudener!

Edited September 11, 2022 by dimlight65

[dimlight65]

So I went by Brumbaugh's and scrounged some carpet remnants.  My plan was to just cover the area between the seats and around the shifter, but the leftovers were just about perfect to cover the floor when the BOFA is retracted.  So...

 

 

 

 

 

Also, I drove it home tonight and will drive it to work tomorrow and Friday.  It is nowhere near as "screamie" on the freeway as I had feared it would be, and it pulls like a freight train in whatever gear you're in!  There is a slight vibration that I don't like very much, but hopefully it isn't serious.

[Duncan]

I would imagine the carpet makes it a bit quieter inside.  I know it's mostly helped the ones I've owned in the past.

 

It looks good in there 👍

 

 

 

[datsunfreak]

18 hours ago, dimlight65 said:

Also, I drove it home tonight...

 

Gratuitous nighttime sexy shot...

 

[dimlight65]

On 9/14/2022 at 9:19 PM, dimlight65 said:

There is a slight vibration that I don't like very much, but hopefully it isn't serious.

I am beginning to suspect that the vibration is the concrete of Interstate 20 at Bryant Irvin Road because I felt it in the Smart on the  way home today.

[dimlight65]

On 9/3/2022 at 3:41 PM, dimlight65 said:

 

Ok, so when I bought the purple GPS speedo, I bought purple LED lights for the other gauges as well.  The oil and volt gauges lit up nicely, the fuel and temp gauges... not so much.  Today I removed the cluster again and tested the bulbs.  Once they were installed with the correct polarity, they worked.  So, now I have a fully purple dash cluster... except for the tach... and the HVAC controls (which still don't work and may get deleted out of spite).  

[datsunfreak]

23 hours ago, dimlight65 said:

now I have a fully purple dash cluster... except for the tach... 

 

May be time to crack that open and see if the bulb is swappable...  😁

[dimlight65]

So, "someone" broke the air dam on the van last week.  We decided to buy another one and mount it a little further back in an attempt to get a better approach angle.  John is not going to be happy that I'm posting these photos because it looked a lot better half an hour later.  Oh well.

 

 

 

 

One might also notice that we repainted the yellow headlights and turn signals.

[dimlight65]

Took it to a car show at the railroad yesterday.  Decided to run a garden hose and wet rag over the outside.  While it's not "clean" it is cleaner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[]2eDeYe]

Looks great, nicely done/ 

[dimlight65]

Drove it home tonight.

 

At Mexican Inn for dinner

 

 

In my driveway

 

 

[datsunfreak]

Also, one more time for my own amusement...  😄