Zetsaz Posted December 21, 2024 Author Share Posted December 21, 2024 The new shroud Fran at Galgo designed and made for me is done and shipped yesterday. Might not get it by Christmas but it'll hopefully arrive by next weekend at the latest. Since the brakes likely won't ship while I'm home for my break, I'm gonna focus on wiring this up and maybe finally fixing the rear main seal leak. I have new trans fluid ready to go and meant to inspect the throw out bearing among other things, so it may be time. If I'm diligent in the planning I might be able to get it done in a single day. Other than that I'm still hung up on how much I want to use hard lines for the AC. I think at a minimum I want one for a tight bend off the condenser. The original had lines coming off both sides, the new one only has them on one side. I don't want to route a thick hose across the entire length of the radiator core support - just seems like unnecessary bulk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jboogsthethug Posted December 22, 2024 Share Posted December 22, 2024 Dang that is a nice piece of hardware! That is seriously so clean. Is that the Mishimoto radiator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetsaz Posted December 22, 2024 Author Share Posted December 22, 2024 11 hours ago, Jboogsthethug said: Dang that is a nice piece of hardware! That is seriously so clean. Is that the Mishimoto radiator? Yeah, Mishimoto. He had a similar shroud already made for the Wizard cooling radiators which are a bit different. They actually have a dedicated 280z one which is taller than the early ones just like OEM. Waved design costs for me since I fronted the cost of the radiator for design which he's returning to refund me. I think all in this actually cost me the same as a cheap shroud like from zcardepot or others, but was custom designed and had the fans at same price I could get them from Summit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dat73z Posted December 22, 2024 Share Posted December 22, 2024 I'm also going to Vintage Air hardlines to clear all of the cooler packaging, and running everything else tucked on the DS reduce bulk. Another option are the EZ Clip style lines and hoses from Eaton, Vintage Air, etc. I'm running those in the cabin and they're much smaller in diameter with much tighter bend radius than traditional AC softline. They can also be disassembled for service or re-clocking unlike the crimped soft lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetsaz Posted December 22, 2024 Author Share Posted December 22, 2024 6 hours ago, Dat73z said: I'm also going to Vintage Air hardlines to clear all of the cooler packaging, and running everything else tucked on the DS reduce bulk. Another option are the EZ Clip style lines and hoses from Eaton, Vintage Air, etc. I'm running those in the cabin and they're much smaller in diameter with much tighter bend radius than traditional AC softline. They can also be disassembled for service or re-clocking unlike the crimped soft lines. EZ clip do seem slightly more space efficient, but it would be a waste to just not use the lines I already bought years ago. I think for sure I'll do some hardlines to route roughly where the original ones were and then not stress too much about the rest. I guess if the crimped lines ever give me trouble or for some reason need to be replaced I'll replace with the EZ clip lines for serviceability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetsaz Posted December 26, 2024 Author Share Posted December 26, 2024 Got the spindle and hug swapped on the side that burned out. Was a bit stressed at first thinking the spacer ring and the stock rotor didn't work but it turns out the new hubs just have much tighter tolerances. Some antiseize on the inside and we were good to go. The only downside to the replacement spindle from T3 to thread right into my BCs is it seems the threaded portion is maybe an inch shorter. Not a big deal but I was worried about minimum thread engagement. I had about 80mm before and I measured roughly 65mm now. I'll consider it safe it's more than the thread diameter by about 10mm, but I think BC recommends 80 meaning I'm basically at max ride height right now. Since I'm waiting on some things to ship due to Christmas I figured I'd pull the transmission to inspect the rear main. Honestly... I'm not sure I know what I'm looking for haha. There was oil on the lower inside of the transmission bellhousing, but the back of the flywheel looked dry. The dust cover also looked dry and seemed to have a clear line where it was dry where it meets the block, and very oily below it. It's a good thing I pulled though. It looks like my throwout bearing is already worn, and i don't know how bad the wear on the pressure plate fingers is. Tomorrow I'll buy the new throwout bearing, then pull the clutch and flywheel to see if the rear main is actually the culprit. If it isn't, then it looks like most of my oil leak comes from the oil pan gasket which I have ready to go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dat73z Posted December 26, 2024 Share Posted December 26, 2024 Take a really close look at those side seals as well. I did a rear main once on an L then got to do the job all over again along with the pan when I got the car back together realized the side seals were also leaking, masked by all the oil and years of grime on the rear of the block. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetsaz Posted December 26, 2024 Author Share Posted December 26, 2024 (edited) 3 hours ago, Dat73z said: Take a really close look at those side seals as well. I did a rear main once on an L then got to do the job all over again along with the pan when I got the car back together realized the side seals were also leaking, masked by all the oil and years of grime on the rear of the block. I have OEM side seals ready to go as well. I asked on the Church of L Series facebook page about the oil pan gasket and it seems most people recommended using RTV only like Ultra Black and no gasket unless you're using the MSA Nissan Comp reproduction or your pan is super straight, which I doubt mine is. The FSM says to apply sealant to the side seals and the corners of the rear bearing cap. What did you use for sealant? Same RTV as I'm planning for the oil pan? Edit for addition - I'm planning on cleaning it up a much as possible. Like yours was, mine is super grimy. The leak must have gotten worse while on my trip to Washington this summer. The entire bottom of the transmission and exhaust were just caked in grime that got caught by the hot oil slowly making its way front to back while driving for so long. Edited December 26, 2024 by Zetsaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dat73z Posted December 26, 2024 Share Posted December 26, 2024 Personally I have almost solely used Hondabond moving onto 2 decades now and I always use an OEM oil pan gasket, rear main, and side seals. For the pan make sure it is absolutely straight all the way around verified on a flat surface, otherwise any slight bend or wave and you'll start leaking again. This includes the bolt holes which can get dimpled and ovalled. I got frustrated enough with the OE pan that I eventually went AL pan with a machined flat surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpndave Posted December 26, 2024 Share Posted December 26, 2024 (edited) Get ultra black in the "easy cheese" can. Prep is absolutely critical. Is has to be completely clean and degreased/free of any oils. A fingerprint can cause a leak. I've done a lot of transfer cases and other parts. The only leaks were prep errors (see previously mentioned fingerprint reference). You want a nice consistent bead, just enough for a slight even squeeze out. That's where the pressurized can comes into play. Big excess chunks cause problems especially on the inside... Edited December 26, 2024 by jpndave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetsaz Posted December 27, 2024 Author Share Posted December 27, 2024 Managed to get the pan off tonight. Was way more work than expected since I'm running my intercooler piping underneath right now in the space between the sump and the engine crossmember, but once I had that and the turbo drain hose out it came out fairly easy. A few things: -One of the rear seals looks bone dry, but the other side looks like it was maybe leaking. Still need to remove the clutch and flywheel tomorrow to check the rear main. -The oil pan looks relatively straight, but I don't think too much oil was leaking around it actually. At least not enough to warrant the amount of oil and grime on the underside of the pan. -The front of the engine was probably even more grimy than the pan. I thought a while ago when I went to the Kameari oil pump that it was the oil pump gasket (and it at least partially was then), but now I'm suspecting that the front seal is bad, or is leaking under boost. The front cover is completely coated, but there doesn't really seem to be any leaks from the front cover gasket or the head gasket. All that said, I think some of these partially failed due to poor PCV when I first got this thing running. I think when I finish I'm going to temporarily run the system identical to how it was in a stock configuration and monitor very closely for leaks before any longer drives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetsaz Posted December 27, 2024 Author Share Posted December 27, 2024 Additional thought now that I've gotten some sleep: It literally would have been easier and faster to just pull the engine block at this point. I really need to help my folks clear out their space and organize. They've been empty nesters for a while, and now that they're both fully retired they spend more time on the ranch in Mexico than in the US. I probably use the garage and shed way more than they do, but whole batches of wheels and crusty tires are just taking up all the space haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetsaz Posted Wednesday at 09:50 PM Author Share Posted Wednesday at 09:50 PM Well, it took FAR longer than I hoped but the car is running again. Things that got finished -Rear seals done. -Oil pan got the OEM seal I forgot I had. Straightened the flange braces a lot. If it leaks again I'll go full RT -Replaced oil drain plug -Cleaned up some glazing on the flywheel and pressure plate. Clutch seems to be working well -Replaced throw out bearing while I was at it -Removed transmission dust cover on the back that made removing the driveshaft difficult. -Wiped down all oily surfaces including the exhaust, engine/trans plate, oil pan, trans crossmember, diff crossmember... -Engine oil got Valvoline VR1 20w/50 for upcoming summer weather next time I drive -Transmission fluid replaced with Ford Motorcraft XT-M5-QS manual trans fluid aka "unicorn tears" and very well liked in the Miata crowd. Supposed to be better than the redline MT90 I had before) In progress or needing extra work -Retorqued front crank bolt for now, but I think I'll have to replace that seal as well but it's only available online. I'll replace if necessary when I wire and properly do the electric fans -New coolant overflow tank hasn't arrived but will install as soon as it arrives to get things tidier -Waiting on a big C clip and wave washer so I can use the Nismo solid shifter. ISR shifter went back on with very light rtv for now. I plan on on somehow adapting the stock 240sx lower shift boot to the stock S40 lower shift boot bezel. Might require more printing or at least cutting from a sheet of aluminum or steel. -Driver window either got misaligned or off the track when I was rolling it up today 😢 doesn't seem to go down without way too much force. Little or no progress -Haven't installed the AC bulkhead plate, but I think I'll have enough time to at least do the interior lines and install the plate. Will cover the openings for now. -Still no radio/digital media receiver. We'll see if I can get something at least fitted to the console before I leave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetsaz Posted yesterday at 05:59 PM Author Share Posted yesterday at 05:59 PM Last day in Utah Only managed a couple more things. -New reproduction door seals from S30 World went in. They are MUCH softer and more compliant than what I've used before and fit much better, though I kinda wish I had bought the later style from Resurrected Classics. I think they released just after, but the RC ones are a single piece like later seals instead of separate rubber and harder C channel -New coolant overflow finally arrived. Love how it fits and looks MUCH better than the old one. Will upload pics this afternoon. -Bought a Kenwood Media player and mounted it to the console. Still haven't done wiring. Did a test with just some spade connectors and cut the original plug off. Wasn't working, but I think it might just be the glass fuse being out. Full wiring might have to wait until summer, but I'll use the new Deutsch connectors I have for all my wiring from here forward. -C clip and wave washer to get my Nismo shifter on won't arrive in time, but I'll swap to it over summer. -Oil pan seems to be dripping around the starter area, but I'm mostly certain it was just that a few of the bolts weren't snug. A ton of people were recommending the MSA reproduction of the Nissan Competition gasket. I think I'm gonna order that for summer and swap that in next time I do an oil change if the drip continues. Some said it was the best they'd ever used and should be reusable and much less messy than the RTV solution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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