toolman

Differential Installation- I had additional work on my house after painting it. Sorry again for posting delay. First, I Trial Fit the Rear Differential Support and the Cage before trying to install the Differential. The Trial Fit is make sure all the Fuel, Brake Lines and Hand Brake Cable does interfere with the Differential. Some Early Model 240Z , Nissan widened the Front Differential Mounting Bolt Holes. So make sure your Differential Mounts fit or you must slot existing holes or drill additional ones. Old Mechanical Transmission Jack Installing the Differential- The Best Way to install the Differential is to preassemble the Differential and Differential Support with the Two 14mm bolts. This way you just have to align the Two Main Vertical Bolts with the Two Round Mount on the Support Mount. I used a old mechanical Transmission{ screw version) Jack. One person can install the Differential by himself. If you try to install the Differential after mounting the Differential Support by itself, you need other person to screw in the Two 14mm while you lift that 100Lb Differential- a difficult task. Also, early 240s with a Spare Tire Well, the well is close to the Differential Support on the Left Side Bolt and this 14mm can not even be inserted in. Some owner install Fuel Cells which are much smaller and allow the Left Bolt to be installed. The only problem with the Preassembly Way is the Two 10mm Outer Bolts in the Center of the Differential Support can not be installed with the Cage. So I drilled their internal nuts to 3/8" hole all the way thu the box crossmember. Then, install Two 3/8"x 4" long bolts from the top. Two 2"x 3" x 3/16" steel plates to spread the load over the crossmember top. Two 3/8"NC nuts under the Support Frame to complete this modification. Some people probably don't install this bolt but it is a structural part of this car. More Rear End Modifications coming up.

I found this video on visiting a Metal Supply Shop in Japan. While doing a S30 Fairlady Restoration, the Body Man needed more sheet metal to finish his job. This video shows a side of car restoration that most people never see- where the sheet metal actually comes from. The rest of the video shows detailed 240z body restoration It shows how to repair difficult body areas of the 240z. I hope you guys find this video interesting. Toolman

If your SU carbs were not modified to allow for the larger displacement motor, you might have a fuel problem. Meaning the carb needs to provide a richer mixture to run properly. You can try smaller SU metering rods which would provide a richer fuel mixture. But doing this may still not provide a rich enough mixture as the SU bore size maybe too small.

Ford 8.8 Super Duty 8.8 Differential Installation- First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to finish this posting. I had to paint my house and had some other people's projects to help them with. The first thing that I had to do was to find a method of jacking the front end of my 240z high enough to use high jack stands. Because of the low ground clearance of my Rocket Bunny Front Air Dam and Low Vehicle Height, even my 3 1/2" Low Clearance Floor Jack would not fit. I solve this problem by purchasing a pair of 3 1/2" Car Ramps. They cost about $36 on Amazon. raises vehicle by 3" These ramps were about 28" long and would work on low riding vehicles. Short steep ramps would not work. They are very light weight and can be sacked together (taking a small storage space). jacking cross member The Ramps worked perfectly as my floor jack fit under the Front Cross Member easily. With the Car raised on Four Jack Stands about 6" off the ground, disassembly of the rear suspension can now take place. I designed my exhaust system for easy accessiblty. It consists of Three Sections-One -Front Motor Exhaust Pipes, 2-Middle Section with "X" Pipe after the transmission and Third- Rear 90 degree Exhaust Pipes with Two Turbo Mufflers. The pipes were also, connected together with V Clamps for fast disassembly. Next, the Two Rear Control Arms must be removed from the Strut Spindles. First, the Threaded Cross Shaft must be removed. The Tapered Shaft retaining Pins must be removed. With the Locking Nut removed, the Pins are removed by tapping them cafefully upwards. now, the Threaded Cross Shafts must be taken out. Because of Corrosion and lack of Lubrication, these shafts usually are difficult to remove. You can not hammer them out as both ends has threaded ends and hammering will damage the threads. ZDEPOT sells the Removal Tool but I made mine own. The tool consists of an Internal Threaded Rod which screws to the Threaded End of the Cross Shaft. The Larger External Tube( 1"OD" acts like a spacer of the Threaded Rod. A Large Nut on the opposite side of end of the Threaded Rod operates like a Forcing Screw to pull the Cross Shaft outward. I welded a proper size Lug Nut to the other end of the Threaded Rod. See Posted Pics for Size and Dimensions of this tool. Metric Lug Nut welded to one end of the Threaded Rod 15/16" Nut( pulling nut) placed on the opposite end of the Threaded Rod Removal Tool installed on Cross Shaft Rear Suspension removed With the Rear Suspension and Differential Removed, install the Differential Support Bracket on the two Long 17mm Mounting Bolts for Trial Fit. This test fit checks if any Fuel and Brake Lies and Hand Brake Cable are in the way. In my case, the Fuel Lines had to be extended and Hand Brake Cable modified. Differential Mounting Bracket Trial Fit- Next-Trial Fitting Differential Cage and Mounts Next-Differential Installation

This video is Part 6- This video follows the complete Paint Job of the 240Z. It covers disassembly and rebuilding of the Front Suspension. Some of rebuilding of suspension parts from scratch are interesting but normally beyond normal rebuilding process. But the video was made overseas(probably Northern European Country) where obtaining a Datsun Front Ball Joint is not easy like going to Auto Zone in USA. Though, seeing how parts can be created from scratch is informative.

Wedge, Check out my Jan 30,2024 post in Heavy Duty Frame Rails in Chevy IV section. I discuss why I decided to go with INCREDIBLE EXTREME 8.8 Super Duty Differential Conversion Kit. Toolman

For Information and Installation details on Incredible Extreme Ford Super Duty 8.8 Differential Conversion go to: V8 ZForum-GenIII & IV Chev V8 Z Tech-Heavy Duty Frame Rail and Connectors on Page 19. Toolman https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=502465925737642&id=1065043032290757

Incredible Extreme Ford Super Duty 8.8 Differential Conversion Kit- This Kit was designed and created by Vladmir Zagumennyy located in Golden Valley, Arizona. He has been working on this particular kit for several years and is constantly upgrading it. His kit has been proven to go 8.6 and 161 already. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=502465925737642&id=1065043032290757 My kit arrived in two heavy boxes, Parts are constructed with 1/4" and !/8" Mild Steel with Gussets -Very Robust! Besides the parts to do the 8.8 Differential Conversion, there were Two Adjustable Front Control Arms and Two Upper Rear Strut Plates. I do not plan to work on the Z Front End yet. The Rear Disc Calipers and Pads are left for you to choose. He recommends using Brake Parts fron 2015 -2020 Mustang GT. His Front Control Arms utilize Mustang GT Spindles. This will also allow the use of Bimbo Six Piston,Calipers and Rotors from 2015-2020 Mustang GT. Using Ford Parts(new or Used) will save you alot of $$$ and are readily available. Differential Support -weigh 17.1 pounds Differential Cage-12.6 pounds Front and Rear Control Mounting Brackets-2.4 pounds CV Axle Shafts-15.7 pounds one Ford 8.8 Super Duty Differential-107 pounds Rear Strut Support-9.5 pounds one Front Lower Control Arms-4.8 pounds one Parts were debrred and sandblasted. Ready for Powder Coating. Back from the Powder Coaters. Next-Installation of the 8.8 Differential-

As a exbodyman and auto painter, I agree with the previous individual about the rust condition of that particular FairladeyZ. The rust was definitely covered up with underseal and paint. What you can see, is only about half of the real problem. Having rust work properly in Japan would be very expensive as there are only a few Japanese Body Shops that specialize in rust work. Majority of them are located in rural areas of Japan. If you still wish to purchase your Z in Japan, you try to find Z car guys and make friends with them. They should know about Z prices and places to work on your Z car. Places like UP Garage in Japan sells "second hand" auto parts at almost half the cost as compared to the US. Z body parts are a different story. Because the Z is so popular now, there are many suppliers for z body parts. Z mechanical parts in Japan tend to better quality than Chinese parts if you can find them. If you are interested in restoring a Z, check out Restoration of Z Cars on You Tube in both America and Japan. If you don"t have body fender and mechanical skills, your best option maybe to wait to return to the US and find a Z car in the Southwest part of the US. Places like California, Arizonia, Texas,etc, their drier climates will provide you the best chance of finding a Z with little or no rust problems. Good Hunting!!

Ford 8.8 Super Duty Rear Differential Conversion Kit for my 71' Datsun 240Z There are several different companies that have Ford 8.8 Differential conversion kits for S30 and later model 260 to 280z. However, most of them utilize the earlier model of Ford 8.8 Independent Rear Suspension from mostly 2005 Ford Explorers,Mercury Mountaineers and other SUV models. These differentials can handle 400HP and some even have Limited Slip in them. So they have been utilized in Drift Cars,Ford Trucks, JDM Cars and even BMW Racers. But, finding one is difficult because high demand and limited supply. Fortunately,a New and Stronger Version of the 8.8 came about-the# Super Duty 550 Differential with started to appear in 2015 Mustangs with Coyote Motors and Eco-Boosted 4 cylinder cars. This differential can handle from 600 to 1000HP ( with beefed up). It weighs over 100 lbs and comes a Torsion Limited Slip. I ordered my Super Duty 8.8 from Summitt Racing for $1300with 3.55 Gears. + shipping. At the same time, I ordered the Sonan 8.8 Drive Shaft Adaptor from Summitt Racing for $179. They manufacture Two Versions of this Adaptor. One for Manual Trans and One for Automatic Trans. The difference is the existing Pinion Yoke Size. My 3.55 pinion takes the Automatic Trans Yoke Adaptor. It is constructed of Billet Aluminum and handle alot of horse power. This adaptor costs about $179. Next-Installation of Incredible Extreme 8.8 Differential Conversion Kit

I manage to find two pics that show Model Displays of Scale Motors at AutoBacs Store. Note -the prices of these motors are shown in Japanese Yen. To convert the price into US Dollars- just divide the Yen Amount by 150. The 150 is the Current exchange rate in Japan. One US Dollar is worth 150 Japanese Yen. These Motors have actual cranking movement driven by a small electric motor. I finally found the K Van pic.

Before I start I wish apologize for not having photos of my JDM Tour in Tokyo. I had about 20 pics to show but they got erased while correcting and lost all of them. Anyway while in Tokyo, I found a 5 hour Night Tour covering various Car Related Places to see. I chose the Shared Group Tour (about 6 to 8 people in a large Toyota van) and because it was a night tour, it didn't interfere my daylight plans. The cost of this particulate tour e $250 per person. It started at 4PM and ended about 9PM depending on traffic. Pickup Up point in my case was Toer Records in Shibuya. It was 300 yard walk from the Shibuya Train Station. At the end of the tour, you are dropped off near your hotel in Tokyo area. The First Stop was the Liberty Walk Store which is tiny 2store in a back alley on Tokyo. It was mostly Promotional Type of Store with t-shirts, hat, key chains,etc. Second Stop-AUTOBACS is a two building which houses a Parts Store (similar to our O'Reileys) on the Second Floor. The Top Floor held high end Racing parts(like Nismo, HKS,etc). Foreigners with Passports can get 10% discount off purchases. Their Book Section had car magazines, books,photo ablums,etc) ica 1/64 cars and all types of trucks and heavy equipment were on display... to purchase. Even had a STARBUCKS CoffeeShop. The Ground Floor, there was a Garage that could handle regular car maintenance or installation of even Turbo setup. Last Stop was the Daikoku Parking Area. This large parking is located in Yokohama Harbor. This parking area is next to where the Japanese Cars(Nissann Toyota,etc) are exported to US, Southeast Asia,etc. There was about 200 cars on the Friday Night that I went. Most of the cars there were the typical Street Racer types. Some JDM cars had UnderCar Lighting systems. A few cars had Full Body Wraps(Cartoon Girls Designs were popular). Majority of the cars were mostly on the quiet side probably because Toyko Strict Noise Regulations. There was one vehicle that caught my eye-it was White K Truck with an Extended Cab and Flat Bed. It had a Dual Floating Rear Axles( total of 6Tires and wheels). The rear axles move individually of each other. Unfortunately, the vehicle didn't stop and kept moving thu the parking area. People said the best night for car viewing was Sunday Night but I was leaving Monday morning, maybe next time. I would still recommend this Tour for Car Lovers to learn Japan Car Culture and see some unique vehicles.

Detailing the Interior- Installing the Battery into the Engine Compartment. LS3 Motor installed in car- Roll Bar installed and Chrome Rear Hatch Floor. using Tweezers to put in Door Handles and Window Crank on Left Door. Installing Door Pull on Door Panel on Right Door, Ebay supplied the 240z Morton Race 240z Decal Sheet for $10. After the Red and Blue Stripes with "DATSUN" were put on the cat then Clear was sprayed on. The Finished Car Pics- Top View 240z with Open Doors, Hood and Rear Hatch. Next- Ford 8.8 Differential Conversion

Painting the 1/64 scale 240Z- I masked off the Bottom of the car for the Bright Red Top Coat. I had to mask off the sections that would end up White. Next, After the Red Top Coar was sprayed and dried overnight, the masking paper was carefully removed. Now, the Red Section must masked off for the painting of the White Lower Section to be painted. At this point, the car should resemble something like this. While allowing the White Paint to dry 24Hours, I decided to work on the Engine Compartment. I had to fabricate the Aluminum Radiator. It made from Scrape Flat Plastic Sheet. I glued a tiny piece of fabric to give the radiator finned look. Then, I brushed it with Chrome Silver. Yes, the Radiator is Tiny. That small size of parts gave me the biggest headaches as parts were so easy to lose. Engine Compartment was also constructed with Flat Plastic Sheets. Note-Battery on the Left Side of the Firewall. The Radiator was mounted on the Fabricated Core Support which has the Holes on both sides of the Radiator. The Strut Tops were painted Red Metallic. Tweezers had to be used to installing all of the components (like brake master cylinder,etc) Brake Master Cylinder Finally, the LS3 motor (got from Ebay). but nobody made T-56 6speed transmission. So I craved on out of Balsa Wood. LS3 Motor detailed painted with Gloss Black on most engine components. LS3 AND T-56 Transmission installed in engine bay. Next-Detailing the Interior

Creating Opening Doors and Hood- First thing in creating Opening Doors is cutting the Doors from the Die Cast Body. A Hobby Saw makes this easier if there curves involved besides just straight cuts, Notice the Shape of the Wire( paper clip can be used). The Straight End will attached to the inside of the Door Panel and Cruve Side willbe attached to the inside of the Fender( a flat side of plastic will drilled for the Hinge Pin to be inserted). This will the Hinge Pivot Point. The Body with Door Opening The Door Hinge installed first on the Fender The Horizontal Side of Hinge can be glued to the inside of the Door Panel. You can use masking tape to test fit the door before gluing this end of the Hinge on the inside of the Door Panel. Test Fit the Door by opening and closing the door and checking its alignment. You can carefully bend the Hinge till good alignment is achieved. The Hood Hinge is easily made by drilling a .027 hole in the headlight buckets on both sides of the Hood. Then a straight .025 wire is inserted between the Two Headlight Buckets. A Drop of Instant Glue can be used to fasten the Hood to this Pin. Test Fit the Hood and Bend the Wire carefully to get the Hood Aligned properly. The Car should resemble somewhat like this-Opening Hood and Doors with Hatch Open. Body Work-Rocket Bunny Flares Using Tamiya Epoxy Putty(available on Amazon) I formed the Putty into a Rough Shape of the Rocket Bunny Flares. Using a Sharp Knife, i sharped the Putty into Final Bodywork. Then Hand sanding with # 80 Grit Sandpaper. Then going to# 400 Grit to get the surface smooth. Priming the Car- Now, the Whole Car must be Primed inside and outside with Primer Filler. This will cover any left over scratches and small imperfections. Inside of Car Primered Outside of Body Primered. Next-Sanding and Painting