Vg30et 521

[bonvo]

 

 

Paint stripped, picked clean, scuffed, masked, about 5 coats of color (it wasnt coming out heavy), un masked, lapped over 600/800 grit for hours and shot with 6 coats of clear

 

and you really have to see it in person to appreciate it...the camera wont capture the pattern of the lapping

 

saw this in person the other night hyphy your rigght pics do not do it justice

[Hyphy]

Mocked up the power steering rack last night. The overall length would have been fine with shorter rod ends, but the input shaft is pointed right into the driver motor mount/frame/crossmember location. While it could be possible to fab this in, its a bit more than im willing to do. Doing so would also limit the accessibility of the control arm and crossmember bolts and since i dont have the motor in yet either, it may conflict there aswell.

 

Im thinking of ditching the rack idea and tryin a powere steering box replacement. Does anyone know If any of the later datsun/nissan pickups came with power boxes? Will they swap?

[mklotz70]

The 720's did, but they mounted on the outside of the frame. The 280zx unit should work, just have to turn the pitman arm around.

[Hyphy]

any specific year? I didnt find any 280's in my trips to the local PnP yards

[mklotz70]

Maybe somebody else knows. I don't think the box stayed all the way through the zx model years. I think the later ones went to rack/pinion.

[Hyphy]

So i either such at the search function or theres too many hits to dig thru... and im a lil impatient.

 

I cant seem to find info regarding the steering column for the 521 and removing it. I was gonna pull the dash apart on clean everything up while im waiting for the motor, but i cant seem to get the steering coulmn out of the box. The outter tube moves, but somethings keeping it attached to the box.

[mklotz70]

Take the seat out of the cab, remove the pitman arm and bolts holding the steering box to the frame...lift the box over the core support to remove it. The steering shaft is one single piece that includes the worm gear for the ball bearings. You have to turn the shaft and/or get the wheels off the ground so they can move to get the shaft out. Much better to NOT remove the shaft from the box!!!! If you can't get the pitman arm off...remove the tierod end.

[Hyphy]

overkill much? Seriously, what were these japanese guys thinkin? " oh hey, lets just make this piece a frickin JIGSAW PUZZLE!"

 

lol, anyway. In my endeavor to remove it, i discover the ball bearingswere shot/missing, probly about 3 of em were gone. the metal retaining piece appeared to have been broken, or they just happned to fall out when i moved the outer shaft away from the box. :(

 

The box and column are still in, but the dash is out!! - and completely disassembled.

 

there was sand EVERYWHERE..lol. Me and my sandblaster :)

[mklotz70]

pics

[Hyphy]

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v233/VCslapahoe/Datto/

 

way too many pics to link directly so I made an album for the datto.

Edited March 27, 2009 by Hyphy

[Hyphy]

pulled out the heater aswell.

 

 

This is with the blower out. I eventually got the core out too.

 

The cab air intake was pulled aswell. Im basically prepping the cab for paint and restoring the parts as i pull em. ...and finding more rust.

 

The heater control valve knob is missing and the valve was jammed, possibly leaked at some point. Ill be getting the core checked soon. The blower housing and main intake were blasted and painted today. Impeller cleaned out. I was surprised to find that the impeller was actually a clear plastic. Pics of paint tomorrow when its good and dry...cuz i forgot to take em before i left for the day.

[mklotz70]

Here's a couple of links if you want to try to tackle your heater core yourself.

 

Check the link in the first post of the first one here.

 

http://forum.ratsun.net/showthread.php?t=10467

 

 

I just added some to one of my threads.

 

http://forum.ratsun.net/showthread.php?p=145024#post145024

[Hyphy]

Good info to have, thought ive already been through everything except the core reconditioning itself. What size o-rings did you use and was it just the one? After toying with the valve for a few mins, it moves much more freely. Ilike the idea of being able to remove the valve and clean it up myself. Tho ill likely still take it to a pro to clean and test it.

 

I actually swung by Ace this morning and picked up some rubber foam. The good black stuff, not the cheap PVC white foam, and some rtv. Ill probly pull the valve out tonight.

 

Still need a new knob tho. Got any photos of the oem knob?

[bonvo]

good to see work keeps on progressing bro i got to see this thing soon

[mklotz70]

The ring was out of one of the HF kits...don't know the size. I think it was just one.

[Hyphy]

1-- found the perfect o-ring for the heater control valve, but i havent assembled it as im still workin on a flush/re-core for it.

 

2-- Picked up a nice, clean full rear subframe from a S13 today.

 

 

It will need to be shortened, exactly how short i havent determined yet. Itll likely be a compromise between an offset i like and increasing dificulty in how short I can go and still fit everything. The S13 diff is almost, if not exactly, the same width as the z32 diff. Tho the diff side half shaft mounts need to be changed. Theyll need the z32 matching plates or the diff side gets redrilled (which isnt ideal). They'll also need to be shortened. Again, length tbd later.

 

If the s13 diff is lsd... I may just leave it in. Tho I would rather use the z32. So ill probly still do the swap.

[Hyphy]

So ive been rackin my brain plannin for the rear since im still waiting on the motor. Im trying to decide the best option for weight support. Should I go with the OEM s13 struts, bags, if bags where/how would I mount em?

 

If i go with the strut idea, ill need to fab a top mount for the strut, which will be a rather large addition to the frame and the bed would definitely have to be modified to fit this.

 

If i go bags and mount the bag to the top of the UCA that has the hole designed for strut passage, I still have to make an upper mount.

 

If i go with a link bar to the original lower strut mount, theres torsion on the bar and mount in the wrong direction. The arc created by the bar would want to pull/push on the spindle with suspension travel and torque the mount up and down at the same time. Granted the longer the bar, the less force that actually is, but its still there. This Is assuming I do a bar parallel with the frame (from front to back). I might have better luck with a perpendicular bar setup (diff to spindle). And the arc is more natural to the suspension. Not to mention the space for a true perpendicular bar just isnt there, so it'd have to be a 'triangulating' bar assuming no interference and space to do so.

 

gahh

 

ideas?

[hessianben]

First off, props for going a route with less examples, but a possibly very great turnout!

IMHO, since you have the possibility of having a very good handling vehicle with IRS, stick with struts- gives you a ton of options as far as adjustable coilovers.

You could even things out up front with a spindle/balljoint setup and fab a taller/stronger shock mount so you can run coilovers there too. (probably want a thicker sway bar as well)

The S13 diff is most likely open, unless the PO did any kind of driving...

There are a ton of LSD's avail for that rear- lots of used on the Zilvia forums.

You could always weld it while looking for a good one! Nothing like breaking loose at 15mph! :D

 

Cool build!!!!

[Roostmonkey]

First off, ALL z's and zx's came with rack & pinion steering. And that diff pictured has the finned back cover that came on the LSD rear ends. Spin one hub if the other turns in the same direction, its an LSD. If they go opposite, its an open diff.

[mklotz70]

...hhmm...I guess datsunaholic and I were smoking crack when we were looking at a zx box to put in a 521. :)

 

[hessianben]

First off, ALL z's and zx's came with rack & pinion steering. And that diff pictured has the finned back cover that came on the LSD rear ends. Spin one hub if the other turns in the same direction, its an LSD. If they go opposite, its an open diff.

 

pretty sure that's not a z-car rear though. almost positive it's a 240sx.

most came with open diff.

[72240z]

All z's did come rack and pinion, that pic there must be just a reference pic because its wrong.

 

Its a s13 rear as he said already. Most usdm s13 difs came open, and all finned.

 

A J30 vlsd bolts in its place without modification.

Edited April 8, 2009 by 72240z

[Hyphy]

Ben- Thanks and thats basically what im doing. 720 ball joint front setup and likely qa1 coilovers. Tho I already have a z32 n/a LSD for use. Ill have to get some custom axle shafts tho. Either diff i use, the whole subframe has to be shortened so id have to get custom shafts.

 

Mike- Thats one tall box. Still plannin on workin that up? If it fits...Im all over it. Assuming that pic is correct, but 72240z does have a point with standard pics for reference and its not uncommon for morons to pic the image of an entirly wrong unit for reference..

 

Verified the S13 is indeed open, tho i didnt bother to mention it in last nights post. Finding some reference photos if anyone has done a strut mount tower for the rear of a truck anywhere would be great for ideas. Obviously doing a custom strut tower mount has structural written all over it. Perhaps something like the off road guys upper shock relocator brackets for those longstroke additional resivoir units could be used. Similar idea anyways, with a flat mount plate at the top. A strut tower brace would look pretty bitchin across the back too. Then again, there goes a large amount of bed functionality...which may never have been used anyway..cept for those long drives to shows ala canby.

[Hyphy]

What about instead of the OEM style strut.....use these.

 

 

Smaller than the strut assembly means less bed intrusion. A well mounted and supported shock relocator bracket could function as the upper mount. The only caveat being the existing lower mount rod sizing.

[motavated]

My bros 240sx is vlsd..... 1990 vlsd...