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hornedcow

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Everything posted by hornedcow

  1. hornedcow
    Yeah I went back and saw it, it's my mistake. Between getting the fronts and rears and rear hubs done at the same time I just forgot about it.
  2. hornedcow
    Got mine today along with a bunch of other Z parts. Was hoping to post some installed pictures for everyone but either I didn't see the part about the center bore of the rotor or I selectively forgot about it. Therefore, my rotors won't fit over the Z hub. Oops. Everything else looks good. Hopefully I can get back in touch with my machine guy and get them knocked out. Thanks Arif!
  3. hornedcow
    Yes running the DD low alternator mount since I wanted to run A/C and I really don't like the look of the high mount setups.
  4. hornedcow
    Dingo works CXRacing headers, also works with their low mount alternator setup. Would most likely work with stock low mount setup as their stuff puts it in the same location but I cannot say 100%. If you do use the low mount alternator setup with the dingo mounts, you lose about 1/2" to 1/4" of travel with positioning the engine. You lose about 1" if you keep the stock F-body alternator with that big plastic snorkel on the back. You lose less if you use an alternator off of another vehicle without the big snorkel. I think I got one from a late model 4.3L engine. Utilizes the same casing and rear mounting tab but with a flat back casing. If you max out the mounts all the way back, the mount hits the charging post on the alternator. No good. I picked up a charging post extension off of a Ford alternator that brings the charging stud off to the side of the alternator. Still a tight fit, but better than before.
  5. hornedcow
    Flares look good! BTW, I have the CXRacing exhaust on my Z and while I haven't started it yet I can confirm they fit with DD mounts. Passenger side is tight and had to install it and the starter at the same time but it all goes together. Are any of your wires touching on the primary tubes? Cylinder 6 on mine is at an odd angle where I can't even fit a plug socket onto it and the wire rests on the tube. Was hoping to just run stock wires but that's out the window along with my wallet
  6. hornedcow
    I wanted to keep everything looking somewhat nice in the engine bay, so I bought some new coil brackets to use with the new coils I've had kicking around here for awhile. The old coils work but it would take more effort than I care to to clean all the crap out of every crevice on the coils, brackets, and harness. Of course, the newer style coils I have take a different bracket, so I can just keep the whole assemblies as spares. Old vs. new Disregard the Jethro throttle cable. Just wanted to see if it would reach. Looks like the OE location inlet/outlet on the Z radiator will work pretty easily with the LS hose locations.
  7. hornedcow
    Got a little bit more work done, nothing too crazy. Got the rest of the exhaust fitted. Ground clearance right now is great but the rear is going to come down a bit on the coilovers to match the front height so I'll reserve final judgement on that for now. Also had some loose dimensions in mind for a condenser, looked up the dimensions for about 30 different small cars and finally found one that is a good fit. Was hoping to find one with the drier built in, as that means not only one less piece to buy, but less hose fittings, one less bracket to make, and less clutter in the engine bay. Used the smoke tester on the fuel tank with the new in-tank pump setup and then again with the radiator. Radiator had a nice rust colored stain down the side and I couldn't tell if it was from a bad connection or seepage. Just a loose connection on the old overflow, all is well on both the radiator and fuel tank. Because of the extra height of the fuel pump assembly on the top of the tank, I will need to raise a small section of the trunk flooring. This will also give me an access panel for pump access in the future. Also need to find an appropriate charcoal canister for venting. Once those two are out of the way I can mount the tank and then some electrical wizardry and she might start!
  8. hornedcow
    Sweet! They'll be here before I have the engine running
  9. hornedcow
    Got the Wilwood clutch master cylinder installed, I tried to re-use the Nissan pushrod but it caused more problems than it solved. I ended up adapting the Wilwood pushrod to work with the pedal setup. Got it bled out and clutch feels good, engagement/disengagement looks good from what I can see in the bellhousing window. I got the driveshaft back from the shop, looks good as expected. He cut it shorter than we discussed but I think it is still within the acceptable amount for a slip yoke. Almost got ahead of myself installing it, first I re-checked my driveline angles. Pinion was at 0*, trans was pointed down 3*. Shimmed up the nose of the diff to 2* up and the transmission mount to be 2* down so now they are parallel to each other. Just got the shipping notice for the CV axles, I should have those back next week. Working on the in-tank fuel setup, hopefully get some progress made tomorrow on that.
  10. hornedcow
    Looks real nice, kind of a mid-mount vs a low mount. Nice option if you aren't going to run AC on that side!
  11. hornedcow
    That's a good idea! Might use it if there is a driveshaft clearance issue. I had my Q45 hubs and 300zx rotors redrilled for a 4 lug bolt pattern. Already had the wheels, no other real reason to go to 5 lug other than to dump $ (a lot!) on 5 lug front hubs that serve no other benefit. Guy I had do them is really nice, just wants me to install a motor mount in lieu of payment. Works for me. With the hubs and bearings now ready to go, I put together the shop press and used it for the first time. Only had enough studs to get one side done, but everything went smoothly. Plenty of clearance around the face and edges of the caliper and more importantly everything lines up. The amount of camber adjustment in the strut bolts is pretty crazy, even more so when you consider I have additional adjustment in the LCA's as well. Just waiting on the axles and driveshaft and the drivetrain portion of the swap will be complete. Then on to the fueling and electrical!
  12. hornedcow
    Nice pictures! Looks solid and I doubt there is a motor mount design that gives you any more clearance than those.
  13. hornedcow
    Almost a roller again! Got the backing plates, new bearings, transmission crossmember bushings, and new rack boots all today. Installing the poly trans bushings was easier than expected, which I attribute to the welding I did on the crossmember. All set in place now, nice and solid. Have the hubs, front rotors, and rear rotors set to go to a friend to have the bolt patterns re-drilled. Going with Z32 rotors and 2 piston aluminum calipers for the rear, and Honda Odyssey rotors and Z32 4 piston aluminum calipers up front.
  14. hornedcow
    Made (modified) my own harness. Also did the harness for the LS swap in my Colorado and the 3800 swap in my Corolla. HPTuners for all of them.
  15. hornedcow
    Went to go check clearance on a few things, and to this point I have been amazed at how well everything has fit. I have finally run into a slight snare, although not too bad. When I test fitted the engine the first time (sans starter and transmission) the passenger side header literally dropped right in from the top. The driver side wouldn't go in, it appeared that the steering shaft might have to be moved and then re-installed post header. Because of the way the strut rod mounts protrude into the engine bay, you actually have to remove the steering shaft and lift the motor up slightly to install the driver side header. And you do it from underneath. Not ideal, but not too bad. On the passenger side, things are even tighter with the starter in place. Header can not be installed on-car with the starter installed. No biggie, just pulled the starter and the header just about slipped into place. Unfortunately, when I then went to re-install the starter I realized there was no room to slip the starter in. You have to have the header roughly in place (but not bolted in) and you can slip the starter by and barely get enough room to tighten the bolts. Then you can finish installing the header. Luckily, neither of those things are likely to be getting moved on any regular basis. And the header is v-band so no worries about broken flange hardware when the time does come. Clearance may be slightly better if I used a short bolt/long bolt starter instead of a starter with two long bolts. It's an updated and better design though, there have been a few issues with snapping off the short ear on those, which is why they changed the design (at least on whatever application I looked up to pull a starter) Next I finished the shifter relocate for the transmission. Needed to move the shifter back about 4.5". Used a piece of 3/4" square tube and slotted 2 ends so that it would slide over both sides of the shifter stub, then welded it on. Did the same for the other end. Also found a new shop buddy There are a lot of local basilisks here, but usually not in the shop. Must have come in the other night while we were working. This one is a juvenile female - I scurried her away as the concrete floor is not friendly to cold-blooded creatures.
  16. hornedcow
    Must be a busy shop! However, that's usually a good thing ...
  17. hornedcow
    Plan for tonight was to modify/fabricate the transmission crossmember to fit the TKO transmission location. Was a good night, pretty much everything went to plan as I was laying it out in my mind. The TKO transmission mount location sets the mounting point about 2.5" rearward and about 1" below the stock height. I basically cut out the center section of the crossmember (it is very small, only the width of the tunnel) , extended the sides with new steel and rewelded the perches in the new location. The bushings were pretty bad before, now they are completely trashed as you would expect from the heat of welding pretty much right on top of them. Energy suspension makes replacements, and of course it doesn't come in the master kit I have. So I'll get that on the way and I'll be set. You can see the crossmember is at a downward angle, sagging from the failed bushings. Will be fixed soon enough. With the transmission and engine in place, I can get my measurements for driveline angles and driveshaft length and get those balls rolling. Coming together!
  18. hornedcow
    Made some progress on the Z again. Got the correct mounting bolts for the diff so that is all done, just waiting for the axles and knuckles now. I had a custom clutch line made, which as you may recall was the reason I couldn't drop the motor in over the weekend. So here we are. Transmission is being held in place with a jack, took a few preliminary measurements and things look pretty good. If things go well tomorrow I'll cut up the old transmission crossmember and make it work for me.
  19. hornedcow
    Yes, that is a good idea. Some of the pictures on the TTT site show a cut mount holding the control arms in place in the front, others show the stock mount in place. I wonder how much that bracket increases rigidity (just thinking out loud) Overall I had to reuse the front diff mount (just for LCA mounting point) Hardware for the old diff mount Hardware for the new diff mount The bushing end caps for the control arms The lower plates for the drop bars at the rear of the control arms And I need to buy bolts for the front diff to front diff mount. Old bolts are too long. Just a few more little pieces and literally every nut bolt and part would be new. Would have been nice for that to be included but as long as it performs like it looks I'll be happy!
  20. hornedcow
    Was planning on dropping the engine back in today but realized I need a clutch hose now as it cannot be installed with the transmission in the car. Luckily, the NAPA close to me makes hydraulic hose fittings. Unluckily, they don't have the fittings I need. With that plan scratched, I figured I would see how much I could get done on the rear end. Got the mustache bar mounted first to the diff Then lift the whole assembly into place Installed the drop bars that secure the lower control arms as well as the tie bar linking the two. Installed the lower control arms Then buttoned up a few things Need to get the correct length bolts to bolt the differential to the front mount, the old bolts are too long. Otherwise, everything went together pretty smoothly. Would have sucked doing this on the ground or without a trans jack, though. Would have been nice for the kit to have 100% of the hardware and parts needed, there are a few brackets and bolts that need to be re-used from the OEM setup. Going to have my clutch hose made tomorrow, then I should be able to get some things done up front.
  21. hornedcow
    10lbs out of a 2000lb car makes a lot more difference than 10lbs out of a 4000lb car! Reducing weight is the heart of braking, handling, and speed! That being said, I dislike the hydro setup for the same reasons you stated. Just didn't want to rebuild the parking brakes but I likely will. I received the mustache bar from the suspension kit, still waiting for the backing plates/knuckles. Inspected/cleaned/painted the diff as well as a few other parts. Tomorrow should be able to get some real stuff done. Hoping to install the clutch/flywheel and get my measurements for the hydraulic throwout. Once that is done I can mate the engine and transmission for good! (hopefully)
  22. hornedcow
    I don't understand why one would work differently on one chassis vs. another. I have one laying around from my Corolla. It's a lot less complicated and lighter than a drum in rotor style parking brake setup, as you can ditch pretty much everything in the rotor hat. Downside is trying to work the new handbrake mounting and lines into the car. I may just get the car rolling/driving for now and rebuild the parking brake setup at a later time.
  23. hornedcow
    Yes, looks to be an anodized aluminum. Mine did come with cables, I'm debating between rebuilding all the parking brake hardware that was there or switching to a hydraulic setup.
  24. hornedcow
    Progress! Somewhat! On Tuesday, my new tires arrived along with my donor Q45 drivetrain bits. Got the tires mounted on my new wheels, and stripped down the Q45 parts for what I will need and what I won't need. Everything from the Q45 will need to be thoroughly cleaned or it is going to look like crap alongside all the brand new suspension parts. Old vs. New Parts EXPLOSION I did get the Q45 brakes with the dropout parts, but they were always plan B. Plan A was Z32 300ZX brakes for the rear (and eventually front). Thank you Nissan for keeping things simple! Caliper bolts right onto the Q45 spindle, rotor slides right on, it isn't perfectly centered in the caliper but it is within a couple MM. Even with brand new pads clearance is fine so if this all bolts to the stock spindles it should all bolt together on the new spindles as well. This setup looks a lot better than the sliding single piston caliper that the Q45 offered (lighter too!). Plus, it will match the fronts when I'm done. Today, most of the T3 rear conversion kit arrived, with the rest of it coming tomorrow. Coilovers, cross bar, front differential mount, control arm drop mounts, and control arms came today. It all looks amazing - very nice stuff. I think all I'm missing is the spindles/backing plates, and the mustache bar, although I could be overlooking something. I cracked open the Q45 rear diff and everything looks new inside, gear oil actually didn't even smell that atrocious, which is odd. Just need to clean up the casing and get it ready to install. I may have to take a short Datsun hiatus, as I have a C5 Corvette I need to source and install a new transmission in. At least that job will put some cash back into the Datsun fund when complete. Probably have a few more days anyway to work on my car before the new tranny shows up.
  25. hornedcow
    Thanks! Sweet baby jesus things got a little hairy bringing the diff down on the transmission jack. Maybe I shouldn't do things like that all at once without someone else here. About halfway down the control arms decided they would rather swing backwards and bring the center of gravity over my feet rather than over my transmission jack. I was stuck holding them both in place so the whole assembly wouldn't fall off the trans jack. After a few choice words I was able to operate the transmission jack release with my foot, and once it got down to the bottom I was able to shift the assembly forward some so it won't tip over. I probably should have either itemized the removal or secured the arms better. Next time.
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