Stock Car Mafia's '78 280z LS2 Build

[Stock Car Mafia]

I forgot the post any pictures of the flares!  

 

I replaced the thermostat for cheap insurance.

 

 

Here are the flares after I got them all bolted.  I must have been in a hurry and got one of the rear nutserts misaligned in the rear.  The whole was drilled oblong and I didn't think twice about it.  Lesson learned.  

 

 

The great thing about where I work is there's a scrap yard across the road.  They have been very kind with working with our business for some time.  I was able to get the car on the scale last year and now this year again.

 

If I recall right, the car was 2,680 lb. without me all stock.

 

I pulled on the scale and was SHOCKED to see 2,700 lb.!  

 

 

I had to step out just to see the actual weight of the car... 2,560 lb. 

 

 

Keep in mind I don't have my exhaust fabricated yet but all the interior minus a couple small trim pieces are in.  Definitely happy with this!  I just can't stop looking every where I stop...

 

 

It's been pretty astounding by how many people want to stop and talk.  They either know what kind of car it is or ask "what the hell is this thing?"  

 

I've got about 300 miles in the books over the last two days.  Everything seems to be working great so far.  I've gotten in it a couple times and this thing is like a bucking horse!  The diff I got is pretty noisy.  It howls while slightly getting in the gas in 5th/6th gear.  I did check the run out and backlash prior to installing and all spec'ed out.  It may have been run incorrectly from someone else in its lifetime.  

 

The fuel pump works great so far!  I can hear the sound of the pump get just slightly higher in dB (very very little increase) when I get around a 1/4 of a tank so I've been sure to fill around this time.  I already have filled up 2 times since getting it on the road

[Stock Car Mafia]

Last and not least I did receive the shortened half axles and companion flanges from Chequered Flag Joe!  There was a snafu with the Postal Service mishandling the package.  Joe shipped it on the 19th I believe and it was shipped but shown no tracking scans or updates.  It finally populated data yesterday and shows no record of it crossing the states between here and CA.  From what I can tell is the box was poorly handled and badly damaged.  They shrink wrapped it all but of course the parts were banging against each other and the zinc plating is nicked in quite a few spots.

 

Now the next steps of the dream are as follows:

 

 - Get a front end alignment.

 - Rebuild axles so the car can go on the dyno.

 - Get a cam and install this along with new springs, titanium retainers, pushrods, and possibly an oil pump?  

 - Get the car on the dyno and dial it in.

 

I hope I'm not boring anyone with my posts but DAMN I am more than stoked to have the car on the road!  I am enjoying the car more than I probably should!

[BLOZ UP]

Wow that's light. Very curious to see what mine ways with the VG. Probably close to the stock L, I imagine due to less block weight but more exhaust and turbo parts.

 

Didn't take long to do the flares. How does it feel to have cut up those fenders, huh? Guilty?

[Stock Car Mafia]

BLOZ UP, do you have any estimation on how much the VG weighs compared to the stock L28? I'm sure yours will still be light. I'd like to gwt mine on a set of scales.

 

The flares were really quite easy. I haven't started tack welding and seamsealing but the fitting is critical. I had to warp the front a little wider to make enough room.

 

I don't feel guilty because the purist have their own mind set! I was nervous though. I mean the car is in great shape and I would hate to mess it up!

[Stock Car Mafia]

Just a small update.  I've been driving the car everywhere I can!  I've got about 650 trouble free miles so far.  Front end alignment will be done tomorrow at noon.

 

I have a small window to play around with the collection of CV axles.  I ended up tearing in to the pair that had a boot missing (that came with the CLSD diff).  I got them apart with relative ease and will do a write up on it as I wrap it up.  I decided to scuff and paint the parts too as the green is not attractive to me.  

 

 

I called DB Performance in Rogers, MN about any tuning sessions that may be open in the next month.  They were pretty booked solid.  July 15th is the state car show I really want to be ready for so I the soonest I could get in was July 11th.  Just in time.  I have 5 weeks to get the following done on top of weddings, graduations, plans, etc.

 

 - Route and finish exhaust 

 - Rebuild axle and install

 - Possibly reroute intake tube to front of radiator?

 - Install cam and components

[bramagedained]

Danny and Shane at DB are solid people.

 

The Evo I had was there a few times for different things over the years I had it.  The last of which was the big boy fuel system to run E98 and Shane's tune to get ~900hp and ~700tq out of a 2.3L.  The motor which I put several thousand miles on that way, then went into a friends car for a few thousand more.

 

I was bummed when Danny told me they don't do any carb stuff, they would have been my first choice for the Datsun, too.

[RebekahsZ]

Beware, every CV axle I have rebuilt that had lost a lotta grease was toast-got really hot with use due to worn bearing races. But every axle that I have rebuilt that has good boots that hadn't lost grease has been fine with just new grease. Moral of the story-rebuild and use the ones that look the best. Get prepared to use a 3# sledge in anger and to hate c-clips. Your first axle will be hard to rebuild but your second one will be easier. Do one at a time so you don't mix up and put the wrong stub on the wrong shaft. We've all done that and had to tear down a second time and switch them around.

[Stock Car Mafia]

Danny and Shane at DB are solid people.

 

The Evo I had was there a few times for different things over the years I had it.  The last of which was the big boy fuel system to run E98 and Shane's tune to get ~900hp and ~700tq out of a 2.3L.  The motor which I put several thousand miles on that way, then went into a friends car for a few thousand more.

 

I was bummed when Danny told me they don't do any carb stuff, they would have been my first choice for the Datsun, too.

 

I hear nothing but good things about those guys.  I took the mustang there once to do a couple pulls to check an email tune I had.  Solid guys who love what they do.  Running E98 is just nuts.  I don't know how you ever got bored with that thing!

[Stock Car Mafia]

Beware, every CV axle I have rebuilt that had lost a lotta grease was toast-got really hot with use due to worn bearing races. But every axle that I have rebuilt that has good boots that hadn't lost grease has been fine with just new grease. Moral of the story-rebuild and use the ones that look the best. Get prepared to use a 3# sledge in anger and to hate c-clips. Your first axle will be hard to rebuild but your second one will be easier. Do one at a time so you don't mix up and put the wrong stub on the wrong shaft. We've all done that and had to tear down a second time and switch them around.

 

The only bad axle out of the bunch is the rusty one.  I am might just steal parts from it here and there.  

 

The ones I rebuild had decent boots that weren't torn.  They look find to me but you can see the wear marks on the outer cage which I'd assume is normal.

 

I think I got them right when I was looking at them.  Shorter shaft and shorter stub = Driver.  Longer shaft and longer stub = Passenger.

 

They are rebuild now and ready to go in the car.  I fracking fought with the damn boots for 50 or so minutes trying to get the effin' hose clamps to tighten without the boots slipping.  It doesn't help everything you touch gets covered in grease.  

[bramagedained]

I hear nothing but good things about those guys.  I took the mustang there once to do a couple pulls to check an email tune I had.  Solid guys who love what they do.  Running E98 is just nuts.  I don't know how you ever got bored with that thing!

 

I didn't.  The transmission just didn't hold up, and I didn't want to drop several grand on one that would stay together.

 

http://imgur.com/a/fZKmZ

 

That happened mid pull as it came up on boost in 4th.  I broke 3rd the same way shortly after. 

 

I should have maybe kept the motor and the AEM EMS for the Datsun, though.  Someone sells adapter plates/flex plates to bolt up a TH350/400 to a 4G63.

Edited June 8, 2016 by bramagedained

[Stock Car Mafia]

Those gears look a little rough...I am kind of curious to see what kind of torque the stock T56 tranny can hold in these cars.  I think that motor would have been quite different to stuff in to a Datsun!

 

I just placed my order with Vengeance this morning.  They suggested going with just the VRX5 cam:  236/238 .601/.605 113+.  I went with the 8660 steel alloy cam.  I picked up the 0.660" dual valve springs with titanium retainers, hardened pushrods, and the newer bushing trunion upgrade kit.  I've read a lot about premature wear with just the Comp Cams trunion kit.  The bushing kit seems relatively new but allows the trunion to spread the load out more over a larger surface compared to the needle bearings.  There is a ton of info on the LS1Tech site on this.  

 

Here's the data from the alignment done with "The Alignment Guy" Jeff yesterday.  It was only $50 to have him true up the front and check on the rest.  I really can't adjust much in the back but you can see there is some need for adjustability if I choose to road course at some point.  

[Stock Car Mafia]

I believe I got my CV's rebuild and shortened for install over the next few days.  It may be something the girlfriend and I can do this weekend.  I will have to say she almost loves the car more than I do!  

 

I started with popping off the dust shields.  It was easy by tapping on the outer shell with a rubber mallet.  The grease is definitely 30 years old.  

 

 

The shell was knocked off and the ball bearings were popped out.  The little circlip was removed.  The outer shell was taken off too so I could remove the inner race with a 3 jaw gear puller.  This was WAY easier to do than hammering it off.  I will tell you it felt like it was glued on.

 

 

After the inner was pulled off the outer cage came off as well.  The boot clamps were removed with a screw driver and hammer to release the clips.  The boot was then slid off.  Man was that grease just NASTY.

 

 

The inner CV was a different beast and took some creativity to remove.  I know they make an inner bearing race driver that makes this chore quite simple but I opted for the brute force method.  This involved a 3 lb. sledge and a large steel chisel.

 

 

I was "gentle" to begin with to make sure I wasn't going to damage the inner race.  The metal must be hardened as it didn't leave any marks on the metal.  The best place I found to place the chisel was on the small indentations towards the outer portion of the inner race.  I have 3 out of the 6 circled in the photo below.  

 

 

And off came the CV

 

 

I cleaned both the inner and outer portions the best I could with brake cleaner.  You can see where some wear is on these axles.

 

 

 

And of course I couldn't leave them the aged green look so I hit them with paint before I called it a night.  

 

 

Here is the comparison between the stock shafts and the ones supplied by Joe at Chequered Flag Racing.

 

 

 

I got a little trigger happy and forgot to take many pictures of the reassembly.  I repacked the inner CV the best I could by hand.  The new grease got worked around a little to make sure most of the air pockets were gone.  I removed the circlip from the inner portion of the old axle.  This gets put on the deeper groove on Joe's axles.  The tricky part was gently bumping the new axle in to the inner CV.  The circlip needs to be massaged in as you hammer little by little.   When it gets centered and is inserted, you can hammer away to set the axle in the CV.

 

I had a bitch of a time getting the damn boots on.  For some reason the boot wanted to keep slipping off as I tightened the hose clamp.  I am a little weary of his workin without the clamp coming undone and spraying grease all over.  I know RebekahsZ has used the hose clamp trick and I liked the simplicity of it.  We will see how it holds up.  

 

 

The inner races were driven on the new axles with a rubber mallet at first.  Be sure to put the cage back on the axle before the inner race.  I didn't flip my cages and you can't get the cage back on after the inner race is driven on.  Once they were flush with the axle, I used a impact socket to drive them on all the way.  The retaining clip was put back on the axle.  I then packed the CV with grease and assembled the rest of the axle.  Again the boots were a complete B*tch!

 

 

Now the axles are ready to go in the car when I can find time.  They turned out pretty nice!

 

[auxilary]

Dang, man. Killer progress. Car sounds fantastic

[Stock Car Mafia]

Thanks bud.  I will say this has been quite a journey.  Currently I am still driving around with open headers which just sounds bitchin'.  It sounds identical to the dirt cars.  Just need to muster the ambition to keep working on the car.  It's too enjoyable just to take it out every night I can!

 

 

Dang, man. Killer progress. Car sounds fantastic

[bramagedained]

Not worried the inner small hose clamps are going to cut through the boots?

[Stock Car Mafia]

Not worried the inner small hose clamps are going to cut through the boots?

No, I had to reposition them a little farther down the axle so the worm portion of the clamp doesnt rub. I think it should hold up.

[RebekahsZ]

I think the new boots fit well enough to omit the small hose clamps. Let's all stay on the look out for narrower large hose clamps!?

[Stock Car Mafia]

Keith, you are right.  I think I could do without the clamps, but I'll keep my eye on them for any issues.  Smaller hose clamps would be great.  

 

Did you have issues with getting the larger clamps to keep the boots secure?

 

 

I think the new boots fit well enough to omit the small hose clamps. Let's all stay on the look out for narrower large hose clamps!?

[RebekahsZ]

I had one slip off at a track day because the CV was worn (it was one I got from a junk yard that had lost grease in the past) and it got hot. When it got hot, the boot got slimy from the heat, which allowed the clamp to slip. It was the loose clamp quietly jingling around that caused me to pit and find the problem. I had brought spare CVs, grease, boots and a vice and press to the 3-day event. I swapped The offending CV, reused the clamp and enjoyed the rest of the track day. It was wear that caused the failure, not torque or power. That's my one and only track day CV failure. These parts are 40 years old.

[Stock Car Mafia]

I think I will be ok.  I might just get a banding tool at some point because you get new bands with every boot you buy anyways.  I've banded a couple 2 inch banjo's on the transfer hoses we have at work so I know it isn't too tasking.  It just takes a couple practice bands to get good at it.  

 

I will have to recheck mine before they go in the car.

 

 

I had one slip off at a track day because the CV was worn (it was one I got from a junk yard that had lost grease in the past) and it got hot. When it got hot, the boot got slimy from the heat, which allowed the clamp to slip. It was the loose clamp quietly jingling around that caused me to pit and find the problem. I had brought spare CVs, grease, boots and a vice and press to the 3-day event. I swapped The offending CV, reused the clamp and enjoyed the rest of the track day. It was wear that caused the failure, not torque or power. That's my one and only track day CV failure. These parts are 40 years old.