A musician's therapist (The $300 Z)

[Zetsaz]

30 minutes ago, NewZed said:

 

Actually it's the shift rod opening that needs to be opened up slightly for the thicker shift rod, along with the gear clearance and the counterbearing work.

 

Here are some references.

 

http://zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/240SX5spd/transmission.htm

 

http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/240sxtransmissioninstall/index.html

 

And Hybridz member Nigel had a Motortopia page but it is gone now.  I think he might have moved the info somewhere else but can't remember where.  @Nigel

 

 

 

Sorry, was quickly writing this and didn't  notice the slip in terminology. Yes it's the shift rod opening and that's the instructions I gave the shop. I've edited the previous post so others don't read it and mess something up as a result of my little mental mistake. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by Zetsaz

[Zetsaz]

New purchases arrived this week as I make progress on the turbo bits among other things:

 

-3" stainless exhaust tubing, flex coupler, two V band joints, and O2 bung

 

-Picked up the bellhousing. Machining only cost me $80! Started degreasing and cleaning it slowly so I can paint it in aluminum paint like I did the rear housing. Debating whether or not I want to just get it rebuilt for peace of mind now or run it as-is until it starts to bother me.

 

-Skillard front splitter, mostly already installed, but I have threaded holes where bolts broke... and then my bolt extractor also broke  The main piece is fully functonal as-is (it doesn't normally attach to the radiator core support on a 240z, but is designed to be capable of that for the 280), but the smaller rear attachment that connects it to the engine crossmember is only connected there by one bolt right now. Will have to figure out how to get the broken bolt out. 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: I'm about ready to hack up the skillard front grill. While it's a very nice piece and a good change if you're removing the 280 style turn signals, not having the lower portion open when you need to get your hands in there is a huge pain in the ass AND you can't remove it without removing the front bumper. 

 

That combined with the flexing in the Skillard front bumper mounts on bumps due to their design (which rubbed off a not-insignificant bit of paint on my headlight buckets near the bumper) makes me want to go back to the older style conversion brackets I had and just cut off the bottom half of the grill for better accessability like original 240z grills had) 

Edited November 15, 2021 by Zetsaz

[Zetsaz]

Small update:

Didn't realize how burnt out I was when I pulled the trans and wanted to upgrade to turbo. Progress has been SLOW compared to the past couple years.

 

Transmission is now finally off for a rebuild. Getting new bearings, synchros, seals, and a new 3rd gear. Have redline fluid ready to go for when I get it back.
 

The only turbo upgrades I have left are the intercooler and charge piping. Will probably purchase this month so I can cruise again by the start of spring.

 

I was recently offered a job at an international school in Mexico that i'm still debating, but there's a high likelihood I make a big push to enjoy this thing in the spring and tune it up to really make the most of it this summer before possibly moving to Guadalajara!

More to come...

[rossman]

On 3/1/2022 at 1:19 AM, Zetsaz said:

Small update:

Didn't realize how burnt out I was when I pulled the trans and wanted to upgrade to turbo. Progress has been SLOW compared to the past couple years.

 

Transmission is now finally off for a rebuild. Getting new bearings, synchros, seals, and a new 3rd gear. Have redline fluid ready to go for when I get it back.
 

The only turbo upgrades I have left are the intercooler and charge piping. Will probably purchase this month so I can cruise again by the start of spring.

 

I was recently offered a job at an international school in Mexico that i'm still debating, but there's a high likelihood I make a big push to enjoy this thing in the spring and tune it up to really make the most of it this summer before possibly moving to Guadalajara!

More to come...

Good to hear you are still working on it! I hear ya bout motivation, that brand new z32 gear box I bought a year or so ago is still sitting on the garage floor. 

[Zetsaz]

She's in! Need to bleed the clutch to check everything but it's all bolted up to the engine side and alternator is back on.

 

Waiting on a new speedo cable, reverse switch, and shifter gasket before I fill it up. Afterward I'll get the new driveshaft in and double check everything  

 

Spent a decent chunk of time before it was rebuilt cleaning the bellhousing and tailhousing so they were painted and cleaned up a bit. It's looking nice with that new T3 crossmember even though it's not perfect. 

 

Currently on the way are a new intercooler and piping among a few other things. 

 

Edit - Also removed the clutch weights from the Centerforce clutch per a L series builder's recommendation. Supposedly makes it difficult to shift once you start getting up to about 6k rpm. I don't expect to get there often, but with my modest goals and the added rotational weight, it feels like the added clamping force isn't worth the tradeoff of some questionable shifting at high rpm

Edited March 7, 2022 by Zetsaz

[jpndave]

Nice Omar! Looking good! 

[rossman]

Nice! Gotta love the shiny bits!  Which gearbox is that?

[Zetsaz]

12 hours ago, rossman said:

Nice! Gotta love the shiny bits!  Which gearbox is that?

"71c" transmission. Technically this one was out of a Silvia, but it's the same as the late s14 ones.

[Zetsaz]

New parts tease. 

 

Friend of a friend who's welding all the stainless for me is hoping we can get it all done the end of next week. Should give me enough time to make or order some intercooler brackets and finish up the cold side piping

[Zetsaz]

Downpipe made. Need one more weld on it tomorrow plus the O2 bung then we'll hopefully finish up the mid pipe 

[1969honda]

Nice! 

[Zetsaz]

Have spent maybe another 10 hours mocking up and test fitting back from the downpipe since my last post.

O2 bung is welded in but might have to be relocated. It ended up being angled just a biiiiiit close to the transmission. Perfectly workable for now and no clearance issues getting it in or out. 

Mid pipe is done and welded. Back end is tacked up. Doing a quick realignment of the muffler today then we'll be able to fully weld the back end and get the hangers done.

 

Super close! This will be a nicer exhaust than I ever imagined having. Pics to come as soon as we finish it up

[Zetsaz]

15 hours of work later...

 

The video is a bit better despite poor lighting. Some of the welds are great, particularly in the V band flanges, some of them slightly less so because we weren't as careful as necessary about heat like the short pie cut just before the muffler that gets the angle right where we wanted it. 

 

That said, even the worst welds are better than the weld on the rear pipe off the HKS muffler. It's a nicer exhaust than I ever thought I'd have on the car, and I still have loads of room on the straight for a resonator or a second muffler if I decide it's too loud. 

 

Finishing the hangers tomorrow and it'll be done  

 

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by Zetsaz

[Dat73z]

Very nicely done. Where are you planning to place the hangers? Are you going to brace the downpipe before the flex as well? 

[AydinZ71]

Ooooo looks great! What equipment did you use to weld it up? Appologize if you already mentioned this higher up on the thread. 
 

in my experience it’s always harder to get butt welds to look as nice as 90/degree corners like you probably had on your V-bands. The molten metal tends to make a nice clean filet that is repeatable when welding into a corner.

 

this is a project coming-up in a few months for me. I was planning on using an SS wire on my MIG, but ideally it should be tack welded on the car and TIG welded off the car. I don’t mind if the welds look gooopy, il just grind them down. 

[Zetsaz]

19 hours ago, Dat73z said:

Very nicely done. Where are you planning to place the hangers? Are you going to brace the downpipe before the flex as well? 

 Will post pictures here when i get home later. Right now it only has the two hangers near the stock locations for the muffler. One about 6" from the muffler casing, and one towards the back close to the rear valence. I'll probably try to figure something out for the midpipe or just before the differential crossmember down the road, but we made the clearances pretty good and it's pretty tucked up just from tightening the V band clamps. 

 

The issue with another hanger in the middle is I don't have the stock shield over the transmission tunnel that the 280z had, nor do I have the mounting points for it because the floors were replaced by the previous owner. 

 

2 hours ago, AydinZ71 said:

Ooooo looks great! What equipment did you use to weld it up? Appologize if you already mentioned this higher up on the thread. 
 

in my experience it’s always harder to get butt welds to look as nice as 90/degree corners like you probably had on your V-bands. The molten metal tends to make a nice clean filet that is repeatable when welding into a corner.

 

this is a project coming-up in a few months for me. I was planning on using an SS wire on my MIG, but ideally it should be tack welded on the car and TIG welded off the car. I don’t mind if the welds look gooopy, il just grind them down. 

 

Yeah, the V bands were definitely the nicest, but even the butt welds are really good, they're just not internet "weld porn" pretty haha. we didn't clean them up at all either, so it looks much nicer in person than on the dimly lit stuff I've posted so far. 

 

We tig welded all of it (well... my friend who's charging me the "homie discount" did).  Don't have the things to back purge, but we used solar flux to make sure the back of the welds were clean. Essentially becomes glass on the back of the weld and shields it from oxygen so you don't get the oxidizing and "sugaring" that can happen when the other side isn't shielded.

None of the welds are ground down. They're pretty smooth as is. I'm probably just gonna wipe them clean and let them be whatever color they're going to be after heat cycling when it's running again. 

[Dat73z]

@Zetsaz Another option for the mid section might be the transmission ear(s) if you have those. I think the midpipe originally hung from that location. I was considering there for the midpipe and maybe a bracket to the bellhousing for the downpipe but I'm curious what you come up with. Looks great! 

[AydinZ71]

Sweet! Yeah I don’t have a TIG  

I was going to butt weld with a MIG, but leave no gap with a bead on-top so I don’t penetrate too deep and make a mess inside the pipe. Sounds like you are going to have a sweet finish. Mine is for a race car afterall, so no one will ever see the welds 😂

[rossman]

Looks great! Look forward to seeing it installed.

 

On 4/1/2022 at 4:10 PM, AydinZ71 said:

Sweet! Yeah I don’t have a TIG  

I was going to butt weld with a MIG, but leave no gap with a bead on-top so I don’t penetrate too deep and make a mess inside the pipe. Sounds like you are going to have a sweet finish. Mine is for a race car afterall, so no one will ever see the welds 😂

Want to know what's worse than not having a TIG?  Having a TIG and still not welding worth a crap! All work and no play make Ross a crappy welder...lol!

[AydinZ71]

😂😂 I know how it is  Honestly I can’t TIG worth a damn but I suppose I would practice more if I had the equipment. It’s a lot to invest in new equipment, materials, skills, etc. when you are already limited on space and have narrow priorities (it’s a hobby, not a living).