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Orange Whip - '78 620


demo243

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You adjust the rear brake shoes? The star wheel if it’s a manual adjuster.

 

i had a 510 with out a emergency switch and my turn signals didn’t work right.so I ohmed out one in another car which provides a short to power the turn signals.so I shorted by making a jumper.but I’m sure my emergency didn’t work as if the switch was in stalled I’m sure pulling the switch would complete the circuit for the emergency lights.

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44 minutes ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

You adjust the rear brake shoes? The star wheel if it’s a manual adjuster.

 

i had a 510 with out a emergency switch and my turn signals didn’t work right.so I ohmed out one in another car which provides a short to power the turn signals.so I shorted by making a jumper.but I’m sure my emergency didn’t work as if the switch was in stalled I’m sure pulling the switch would complete the circuit for the emergency lights.

Yea adjusted the rear drums which helped 

 

The turns on my 510 work... but I dont have hazards...

 

Truck has both turns and hazards.. but it's not canceling correctly...

 

I have complicated it in both vehicles as I have rewired them both with a new fuse panel from american auto wire.

 

I have a toggle in the 510 ready for the hazards but haven't figured out how to run the wiring...

 

In the 620 I kept the stock hi/low/left/right and hazard switch... but it's still not working 

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I looked back at my wiring... 

 

Dark Green + Black/Red are tied into the front turn signals and the dash indicators same as the diagrams... Light green + black/red are tied into the rears and spliced together after the hazard and turn switch. Flasher power in is seperate to both the hazards and turn signals since my fuse panel allows for it - both tied in through the blue wires... there is an aditional power wire that I had to both--- red and green--- but i pulled it and it seems it doesnt do anything.... tried looping the two green wires in the hazard switch and that didnt help either.... 

 

Not sure where to go with clearing up the rear tail light issue... according to my test light it stems from the switch... but could be in part of my wiring... 

 

hope that all makes sense...

 

 

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Had a quick thought ....

You mentioned a battery drain issue....

And I know both your vehicles have a ka swap..... did you have to do the alternator swap pig tail to eliminate the external voltage regulator?

Or is all that irrelevant with the new wiring? Are you tieing into any original wiring at all?

Just wondering if your activating the choke relay accidentally..... the choke relay ends up with constant power after the external regulator is deleted...

I had to disconnect mine or I believe you just need to change the activation input to the relay from battery power to ignition ...

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1 hour ago, Crashtd420 said:

Had a quick thought ....

You mentioned a battery drain issue....

And I know both your vehicles have a ka swap..... did you have to do the alternator swap pig tail to eliminate the external voltage regulator?

Or is all that irrelevant with the new wiring? Are you tieing into any original wiring at all?

Just wondering if your activating the choke relay accidentally..... the choke relay ends up with constant power after the external regulator is deleted...

I had to disconnect mine or I believe you just need to change the activation input to the relay from battery power to ignition ...

 

Both a running full new wiring harnesses so the external regulator is removed, along with choke relay and what not. The KA alternator does has a two prong plug, and I believe the wiring of that plug is part of my problem. When I did a drain test, when I unplugged that 2 prong plug the light dimmed considerably.

 

Need to do some more digging on the Alt wiring. Charges fine, but it is obviously drawing power when off. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not much going on with the truck right now...

Didn't get the 510 down to CT to store it there for the winter... so its back in the garage and the truck is outside in the snow... bummed but oh well...

49190242327_86bf7fa1e3_c.jpg20191204_175609 by devon M, on Flickr

I did pick up a new turn signal stalk from ebay. Gotta figure out the new wiring colors... havent had a chance to play around with it yet. 

 

49190048036_f3a89aa243_c.jpg20191201_132451 by devon M, on Flickr

Supposed to get some pretty good rain this week so that should wash most the salt off the roads. Might try to get the truck registered this coming weekend. We'll see...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not much to update... winter in new england means snow... Poor truck is stuck outside under a cover--- which I guess I need to get a nicer one as the floor was wet after the last melt so the cover isnt waterproof... and neither is the truck hahahah

Dove into the new turn signal stalk... but I dont think it will work... It needs to be opened up a bit to fit on the column... no big deal... but the bigger issue is it seems that it is not designed to split the brake and turn signals like the stock '78 is... thats an issue. In a brief moment of brilliance... or stupidity... I got the idea of maybe using one of those trailer light conversion blocks??? Run the brake signal from the brake switch into the box as well as the left and right signals from the turn signal stalk. Then run the left and right output out of the box into the rear harness... I guess the only catch would be the hazard, but those should be able to splice into the left and right signal outputs. Will be some splicing but its possible? 

I guess I need to spend a little more time figuring out why both tail lights are flashing when the turn signal is turned on to either side... and why the brake over rides it either way--- all this is what lead me to believe it was an issue with the turn signal switch.... 

Anyone got a '78 or '79 turn signal switch in good condition they are willing to part with????

Still need to figure out the tach signal as well.... tried using the yellow/red signal wire from the ECU, but didn't work. I guess I'll need to track down the negative from the coil and run that direct to the tach.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Its got plates! 

49330029238_2af7be8f08_c.jpg20200104_191012 by devon M, on Flickr

Was a long Saturday but hauled it down to CT to get it registered and plated. Ended up not really needing to haul it down... but that is another long story... 

 

For some reason I have been digging this shot of it on the trailer... not sure why...

 

49330539306_d153497998_c.jpg20200104_193316 by devon M, on Flickr

 

Its running pretty rough right now... not sure if it was just the cold wet weather or what... also either running really rich or burning some oil... was leaving these nice marks on the drive way from idling... open headed only pointing right at the ground so not really sure... 

 

49330718337_7e0f517ceb_c.jpg20200104_141849 by devon M, on Flickr

 

Also figured out where the water is seeping into the cab that killed the floor boards-- atleast on the driver side

 

49330029913_db5f26d57f_c.jpg20200104_141951 by devon M, on Flickr

 

Passenger side is a little wet as well... but haven't tracked it down yet... 

Still a bunch of work before its road worthy... Alignment and exhaust are needed... and still having trouble with the brakes... might have to try replacing the master.... I have bleed 10 times including the load sensing valve... gonna try and adjust the drums again and see if that helps as well.... 

 

Gotta get the tach sorted out--- took it for a quick spin down the rode and felt like it was short power... but it was so loud I could have only been reving it to 2 maybe 3k... I don't know how those hot rod guys do it with open headers!?!?!?

Get ready for some real Ratsun shit too with a temp exhaust! Ive had a 2.5" straight through muffler kicking around for a while... ordered up a few random exhuast parts to clamp together a shorty exhaust system just to try and quiet it down a little bit while I get everything sorted before it gets to the exhaust shop.

 

One more for shits and giggles... it looks good wet! Need to buff and wax it soon.

 

49330496111_d7dcf1642a_c.jpg20200104_142714 by devon M, on Flickr

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Came home early from skiing this weekend due to some unusually warm temps... 65 in January?!?!?

 

Ready for some Ratsun Shit? 

 

Temporary exhaust until I get it aligned and to the exhuast shop- only cost a few bucks so worth it to me... 

 

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Hangs really low... forgot to grab a photo of it on the ground... Ill grab one tomorrow. Actually like the sound of it! who knows what muffler it is though... picked it up randomly years ago.

Truck is running rich as SHIT! Literally dripping fuel out of the exhaust... Ill post something up in the KA thread to see what if anyone has any thoughts.

 

This was the darkest plug

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This was the lightest plug

 

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As I said... dripping raw fuel out of the exhaust

 

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Also grabbed some shots of the coil wiring--- need to work through this to pick out the best place to grab the negative signal for the tach 

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28 minutes ago, WAGON JON said:

Great build so far. Do you have a O2 sensor fitted?

 

Thanks 

 

I do but that could be part of the problem... it's got a 1 wire 02 on the 4th runner on the header. Could not figure out if it was a 1 or 3 wire or where the original harness plug was... so I threw the 1 wire on there and connected it right to the ecu.

 

The weird thing is I didnt run soooo rich when I first got it running. Only after i ran it out of gas did it start running as rich as it is

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So we had a nice day in New England so I figured I would get out there and do some work....

Adjusted the drums a bit tighter which helped the brake pedal... but still not right. Pick up a vacuum bleeder to try that to see if I can pull any more of the crud and air out of the lines.

 

Then decided to look into the rich condition a bit. Plugging and unplugging the MAF didnt seem to make a difference... but it was literally dripping out of the exhaust.... 

 

I had a whole plant... but then decided I would pull the injectors.... Yea... pulled the first, no problem... pulled the second and the filter got stuck.... pulled the third and well shit--- the oring, plastic tip  and spacer above the oring got stuck in the hole.... tried to carefully grab them, was able to catch the oring... but both plastic pieces fell in...

Well shit. Went to orielly and grabbed a grabber tool and went fishing--- no luck... turned it over with the starter a few times and didnt hear anything crunch... so at this point I think Im gonna just get some new injectors, fire it up, and hope the plastic pieces get blown out the exhaust..... 

Bugger.... 

Starting to really think about throwing carbs on this KA... but that adds alot of cost to this build....

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Stole some time this afternoon... picked up one of those cheap wifi camera things so I could see down into the intake and block without removing everything... glad I did! Was able to find the larger of the plastic pieces and snag it with one of those claw things... still missing a smaller piece of plastic... but no where to be seen...

 

Then I got the new injectors installed--- just picked up some refurb'ed ones off ebay from someone with good reviews , cost 80 for all 4 instead of 80 for one...--- plugged everything back in and fired it up! 

 

Little bit of smoke... but slowly started to clear up... and actually stopped dripping... so definitely running better. Maybe I got a clogged injector?

 

Also figured out which wire to use off the coil to tap into for the tack - tapped into the green and black wire off the coil and hooked it up to the coil - spot on the tach and it works!!!! Still hacked as a test... but will work for now till it warms up.

 

Up next is alignment and exhaust... actually still need too get the brakes dialed... they are still soft...

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3 hours ago, Eric said:

you probably had a clogged up injector, i had the exact same thing on my sr20, had the injectors cleaned and running sweet now. 

Would make sense since the issue started after I ran it out of gas and who knows what is in that tank.... which reminds me I need to check the fuel filter too

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Stole a few more hours today. Put it up and put a vacuum on the brake lines-it's better, actually driveable... but still not 100%- I think I was pulling air through the bleeder threads, need to pull them and tape them...

 

Got my license plate light working too.

 

Just need the alignment and then I can drive it more then up and down the street--- which means I can get it down to the exhaust shop.

 

Hopefully alignment this week-  well see if the weather cooperates....

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It was cold and windy today... but I braved it and did a quick ghetto alignment
 

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I'll check it again when it gets warmer... but it was about an 1" toe'ed in before and now its about 3/16ths toe'ed in - much closer to spec.

With the toe alignment done it was time to drive her! 

A few laps around the block to get the steering wheel as straight as possible... and I was off!

Took it to the gas station to fill her up with some good Shell 93

 

Then off to Tractor Supply - I think Im going to pick up a Stall Mat to use as a Bed Mat. Took a look today but didnt buy.
 

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Then stopped on my way home to grab some brewskies
 

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Definitely going to be a fun truck! 

Next stop is definitely the exhaust shop! I think I am partially deaf now from the hacked exhaust dumping underneath the driver seat....

Ran into a slight issue with it studdering... right around 2k rpm when at partial throttle it bogged down and nearly died... then it got pretty hot--- nearly 220.... seams like the same problem I had on the 510 which is that the thermostat on the KA is in a terrible place requiring the hot coolant to back track out to it to open.... instead of being forced against it by the water pump.... Will probably relocated the thermostat to the upper rad hose at some point like I did on the 510, its just much more consistent when it opens...

 

Still needs some brake love too... it quickly builds pressure with one pump, and will stop even without pumping it... but not as good as I would like... Thinking about pulling the booster and going with a 15/16th 280zx master --- same as I have on the 510. I know it takes more effort... but as soon as your on the pedal your on the brakes, and the feedback is much better... we'll see....
 

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Hard Parked for now! 

Hopefully exhaust Saturday... then I am going to rip the shit out of this truck ALL THE TIME! 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got the exhaust done today. It was 10 degrees when I left this morning to drive down to the exhaust shop.... one of those mornings where I really wished I left the heater in....

 

Truck was off the lift by the time I got back to the shop... but pics to come this weekend hopefully!

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Spent some good time driving it today!  This thing is pretty fun to drive!

 

Up to ~65 miles on it I think - Although I need to check the speedo against a measured mile... Seems to be pretty close based on the phone GPS though.

 

For some details on the exhaust--- running the Megan Racing Shorty header. Had the local exhaust shop fab everything else up beyond that--- 2.5" tubing all the way; 4" Magnaflow Round Muffler; unknown resonator/muffler thing.... The shop did a nice job, used an angled flange to get it around the torsion bar, then back up under the truck, added a 2 bolt flange to make it easy to take on and off, then the magnaflow, then my unknown muffler, then a turned down tip to dump behind the bumper. Overall really happy with the sound! Sounds good, louder at high RPMs but not so loud that I need ear plugs.... and quiet enough down low that the wife is happy--- and probably my neighbors too....

 

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Cut the bumpstops in half today as well since it was basically riding on them... definitely helped. No photos of that though... 

 

Had a small fuel leak pointed out to me by the exhaust shop--- looks to just be a old hose clamp on the line at the upper back of the tank. Easy fix.

 

While I had the wheels off, I figured I would paint the new... but already rusting drums... I guess the grey paint they came with and machined surface wasnt going to last long.... 

 

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Then took it for another rip up to Tractor Supply to pick up a bed mat --- 4'x6' ~1" stall mat for $45. Trim out the wheel wells and I am happy with it!

 

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Truck is running pretty well for the most part. Pulls strong. But it is having an intermittent stumble... seems to be mostly at partial throttle at ~2.5k rpms- ie when your just cruising... some sensor is obviously not working right... could be my single wire o2 only on the #4 cylinder... could be mad... could be tps... could be the idle air control that isn't working--- although that should only be idle.... Im sure it doesnt help that I am essentially reseting the ecu every time I park the truck either since there is a drain on the battery --- I am pretty sure I have that narrowed down to the alternator... 

Brakes are still soft... but drivable... I think once it gets warmer I am going to delete the booster--- I just like being able to hit the pedal and have the full feedback, like my 510 has--- probably bump up to a 7/8" master at the same time from a z-car since they were disc front and drum rear as well. Might delete the NSLV valve as well... we'll see...

One last photo to leave on!

 

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Exhaust looks good.

 

One note on the bed liner.  If you have to park outside and water gets under that, it won't get back out.  They can create mean rust pockets.  Just be sure to pull it out and dry off/check the bed periodically.

 

If it doesn't see weather, then please ignore me completely.

 

Sweet truck!

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Just now, Lockleaf said:

Exhaust looks good.

 

One note on the bed liner.  If you have to park outside and water gets under that, it won't get back out.  They can create mean rust pockets.  Just be sure to pull it out and dry off/check the bed periodically.

 

If it doesn't see weather, then please ignore me completely.

 

Sweet truck!

Thanks!

 

Its kept under a cover right now so hopefully ok! Planning on keeping an eye underneath the mat either way.... easy enough to pull out if needed.

 

Hopefully I'll get a new garage built this spring and I can then park it inside with the 510.

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Did some driving today! This truck is fun! I do miss the bucket seats from the 510 --- the benchseat doesn't give the driver much support.... Still fun driving a rolly boaty poor handling vehicle on the backroads. Kinda why the 510 has lost its fun... your going to fast by the time your pushing the limits....
 

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Started the day replacing the O2 sensor. I mentioned before that the truck was stumbling pretty badly especially while cruising at partial throttle... could be a number of things, but the O2 sensor is supposed to be used mostly at cruise  so I started there --- there was a good chance it got fouled when it was running so rich before as well... Any way threw a new single wire O2 sensor in there drove around the block and it already started stumbling.... pulled back in the drive and decided to try unplugging the O2 sensor.... Truck runs fine, although doesn't seem quite as peppy... but.... NO STUMBLE!!!!  Which confirms that it was related to the O2 sensor. A number of the 240sx forums mention that with out the 02 it will run in an loop on a safer map... they also mention that upgrading to the later 3 wire helps with mpg and cruise.

 

The other issue I think I am having is that the O2 is off the #4 runner since the bung at the collector bumps into the steering column.  Forgot to have the exhaust shop weld in another bung... but that might be too far downstream any way... 

Picked up a new 3 wire O2 sensor today... was gonna run it in the #4... but decided to try one of the defouler fittings allowing me to potentially run the O2 in the collector as the fitting is 90 or 45 degrees. Both are coming from amazon... so wont get to mess with it this weekend... running it without the O2 sensor for now.

Also put the truck to work today! HAHAHAHAHA not much work... 
 

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Going to build a simple drop in bike rack to hold the front tire of a bike to make it easy to drop my Mtn  or BMX bike in the back.

 

 

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Not much to update.... But put some good miles on the truck today. Was a little to cold to work on it... but not to cold to drive it! So went on a cruise out to the beach, then some lunch and a stop at my new favorite brewery.

 

 Need to go in and tape up the holes in the firewall though.... the cab is warm enough for a hoody and gloves on a 38-45 degree day, but as soon as you get going the cold air blows right on your feet! Guess I should just put a heater core back in.... eventually... 

Truck has a few little issues... one of my yellow fogs died out already... not sure why need to check the wiring... but oddly the second one in the harness still works, so im wondering if I just got  a bad bulb... Also the fuel gauge pegged... something must have grounded out,... going by the milage for now... 

 

Pretty disappointed in the quality of the JEGS gauges... I guess you get what you pay for.... The speedo and tach are fine, but the mech oil temp isnt working... and then the fuel gauge went... 

Need to figure out a cup holder in this thing too.....

Anyway... here are a coupe photos--- odometer says Im up to 150 miles... but I think the speedo is reading a little high, so its probably slightly less.

 

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