toolman Posted November 23, 2020 Author Share Posted November 23, 2020 (edited) Yes, I am trying to keep some things original as possible. Back to Fuel Pump Modifications: After measure the tank depth and setting the pump length. the pump was installed. This pump can be rotated any direction that you prefer without drilling new mounting holes. Left to Right- Return Line, Fuel Feed Line and Vent Line. The pump mounting bolts were torqued to 50 in lbs in a Star Pattern and three increments. Using the Borescope, you can see the filter on the bottom of the tank inside the surge tank. View of upper side of Fuel Pump Because of the Fuel Pump location, the new Fuel Sender Unit had to be modified to clear the walls of the Surge Tank. Using a Vise Grip, the Float Arm was bent to clear the Surge Tank Walls. The Float Arm can be adjusted further after putting Fuel in the Tank and comparing Fuel Gauge reading, A 100 micro Inline Fuel Filter was installed between the Pump and EFI fuel Inlet. This Filter This Filter uses a Stainless Mesh Filter so it is reusable. A Two Piece Bracket is constructed to hold the Fuel Filter. It was made of 1/8" plate Steel. 4Life Nickel Copper Fuel Line 3/8" x 25 feet purchased from Amazon. Came by Federal Express in a small 18" x 18" x1" box in one big coil. Start by slowly unwinding the coil slowly keeping the roll as straight up and down as possible. When the roll is about 6 feet high, it is time to go outside. Use you feet to hold the lower part of the roll as you are unwinding and sliding your feet on the line. Keep going till the line is relatively straight. Cut the line in half to about 12 1/2 feet long to make it easier to handle. A straight piece of 1/2" electric conduit(about 7-8feet) was fastened to a portable work bench using two Vise Grips. The conduit should be small as possible for the best result. Sliding the tubing back and forth rotating the tubing at the same time. Eventually the tubing should come out relatively straight. Next Step to Make AN Fittings and Braided Steel Hose for the Fuel Lines. Happy Turkey Day to All!!! The bracket will be powercoated when completed. Edited November 23, 2020 by toolman add text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alainburon Posted November 23, 2020 Share Posted November 23, 2020 That's a good idea to straighten the tubing. I used a tubing straightener since I had multiple diameters of tubing I was working with including brake lines. It was just much easier to adjust to different sizes, not to mention it came out perfectly straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted December 13, 2020 Author Share Posted December 13, 2020 (edited) Sorry for my delay in posting, I was busy putting up Christmas decorations for my house. AN Fitting Installation- Wrap Electrical Tape 3 or 4 times tightly around Braided Line. The Tape prevents the wire from unraveling. Cut across the tape with a 24" Cable Cutter or use a Cutoff Tool. Cutter will crush the hose like this but just squeeze it till round again. Tip-Wrap a Plastic Cable Tie slightly down from the cut. I find it holds the braided wire tightly together ,otherwise the wire tends to spread outward when pushing into the socket. I wrap the socket fitting with a wrap of masking tape to prevent scratching. Put Socket Side in a Vise to hold it tight then push the Braided Wire Counterclock wise while pushing inward into the socket. When the leading edge of the Braided Wire fully enters the socket, cut the Cable Tie off. Continue push the Braided Wire in until the inner Black Rubber Hose( check by looking inside the opposite end) just barely touches. Once that happens, use a Felt Marker and put a line on the Braided Hose and edge of the Socket. Lubricate the Threaded Section of fitting with Light Machine Oil or WD40. Screw the Threaded Section in by Hand Clockwise until it gets tight then use a wrench to tighten it down. Remember to watch the Felt Line that you made. If the Line moves away from the fitting is means that the screw is pushing the fitting outward and not screwing into the rubber section. If it is, you have to disassemble it and cut it off and start over. Finished product. Of course, the Real Test is to check under pressure. This procedure was utilizing 6AN fitting which is 3/8" Fuel Line size. Braided Fuel Line Installation From the Fuel Pump to the In Line Fuel Filter then to the 3/8" 4Life Nickel Copper Fuel Line heading the Engine Compartment. The other( the closest) Braided Line is the Return Fuel Line to the Pump. Both 3/8" Fuel Pressure and Return Line in the transmission tunnel. Pic of Fuel Line Clamps. Made from sheet metal then powdercoated Gold. Used Nutserts to attach the clamps to the tunnel. Replacing the Door Hinge Pin- This replacement two Door Hinge Pin came from Malta and cost about $50. It normally takes about 4 months to ship but the first shipment was lost in the Mail. So I finally got my set in about 6 months. The pic shows the measurements of the replacement pin and brass inserts. A machinist should be able to make in no time. Usually only the Upper Door Pin wears out as the weight is mostly carried on this pin. pic of assembled hinge pin The Pin Bushing is removed tapping the pin out with a punch and hammer. I used Anti-Seize on the pin to prevent further problems. Edited December 28, 2020 by toolman text corrections, spelling.delete pic & text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 (edited) NEW CAR DOLLY- I constructed a new car dolly to move the body around for engine and transmission installation. I used a lot of materials from "old car dolly". This dolly was about one foot higher off the floor to make working under car easier. Bottom view of Dolly Side view After it was completed, I removed the jack stands and slid the Dolly in. WIRING HARNESS- The original wiring was in bad shape. The tape was starting to unwind and was covered with Rustprooting from in the quarter panels. What a mess! The wiring harness was hung from ceiling to straighten it out while I wait for the new harness wrapping tape from Ebay. Fuel Evaporation Hoses First, the Vapor Tank was cleaned and sandblasted. Using the Borescope, I checked inside the Vapor Tank. It surprising clean. Then PowderCoated. The !/2" and 3/4" vapor hose had springs added to the hoses from pinching. These were regular springs for now as the proper hose protectors were unavailable until January. Vapor Hose diagram Hot Wheels 240Z modifications HOTWHEELS240PRIECT.mp4 I started this project about May 2020. Using the Hot Wheel Fugu 240z, I wanted to make it have opening door, hood and hatch. When I was a kid, I made model cars then modify them with opening doors and trunk. Then, made tube frame and working suspension. Even, advanced to lettering the race cars by hand. I am keeping my eyes for a Hot Wheels LS motor and transmission, racing seats, roll bar and exhaust system. Then, paint this car when I am not working on my Big Z. Edited January 2, 2021 by toolman text corrections, add pics,more text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) Rear Rocket Bunny Flares Moduicications The Front Lower section of the Rear Quarter Panel Flares was not sufficiently secured down So. I installed one 6MM x 1.0 nutsert to the underside of the rocker panel. Then, made a 16 gauge sheet meta; plate to go over the nutsert. To give this plate additiona; strength, another plate on the exterior of the flare. A hole was drilled through both plates. So you ended up with the flare sandwiched between both plates. Also, a right angle was added the inside edge of the plate so it was against the rocker panel pinch weld. Side view of Quarter Panel Reinforcing Plates. Late Christmas Present Santa Claus delivered my Christmas Present at the end of December: 2020 Chevrolt LS3 #19370416 6.2 Liter 430HP/ 425 Lbs Ft torque. It came from Scoggin Dickey Chevrolet in Texas. Cost was about $7600 plus $900 freight( truck and ocean freight). The shipment took about 3 weeks from Texas to Honolulu. My local Machine Shop offered me the use of his Dummy LS Motor to make mounts and check fitment issues. Side View Bottom View Because its light weight, it was very easy to put the motor in and out of the Z to check fitment issues. Differential Mount Modifications With the additional torque from the LS motor, the original Differential Mount was modified. Some people use solid Differential Mounts but didn't want excessive vibration and noise. However, the factory Differential mount has a low profile and is small in size. My solution was the cut off the corners of the original mount then add Four 1/4 Right Angle Tabs. The Right Angle Tabs being welded to original mount with a piece of 1/4 "steel providing the "Air Gap". This design allows the Differential mount to operation normally until Load is applied then it will be "solid" mount. Finished Differential Mount. Bottom View Rear View Side View Rear Differential The Differential Cover was Glass Beaded then hand sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. Then the cover was polished wih Aluminum Buffing Rouge on the Buffing Wheel. The Cover was painted with Polyurethane Clear. The Clear will prevent the cover from dulling out. The Carrier was painted with black Polyurethane. I had forgotten that this R200 differential contained 3:70 gears. This gear ratio is much better suited than the usual 3.34 gears in most 240zs. Especially since, my T56 has a 2:55 First Gear. The combination should provide Wicked Acceleration. LS3 Motor awaiting installation. Edited February 19, 2021 by toolman add more pics and text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 (edited) Motor Mounts- Originally I planned to used Dirty Dingo Z LS conversion motor mounts. But after installing on my Dummy LS Block in my car, I decided I wanted more engine setback than they could provide. Also. looked ICT BILLET Mounts So I decided to basically make my own mounts of 1/4" Steel Plate. As you can see, my version is 4" to 5" longer. I knew this was longer than necessary but usually go longer, just in case,, i need extra area to construct AC mounts too. I can always cut them shorter later. On the left bottom side of LS, there are two plugs. The front one is a oil gallery plug. I plan to use this one to lubricating the motor before firing it up. The other plug is a freeze plug. The left mount was modified to give clearance of the oil gallery plug. I took the oi pan measurements from my LS motor on the engine stand and place them on the Dummy Motor to check clearance between oil pan and rack. It had. Checking engine level (length and sideways) Checking body level (length wise and side side ways) Checking engine rear clearance The Steering Shaft was also checked for clearance. Motor to Firewall Clearance checked Note-Use of Wooden Blocks to temporary suspend engine while constructing mounts. Tack welding the Mount Motors Note- A Square Tubing Spacer was created to limit welding distortion. Also, the mount was tack welded to table for the same reason. Between this final version of the Motor Mount and the first version, there were probably Three others (some only 1/ 4" difference in height). Trial and error had to be done to achieve the necessary results. Also, while designing the mounts, one has to consider for other things(like air condition condition, power steering, alternator,etc). Motor Mounts- Powdercoated Note-access holes drilled for oil gallery and freeze plugs. side view Left Side View Top View Edited February 28, 2021 by toolman text and photo corrections, corrections Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 (edited) Bottom View of Bell Housing Clearance Left Side Top view Removed Hood Lock Mount to gain more clearance. Right Side Room for Exhaust not bad Front View-Motor Mounts 1/2" Clearance between Balancer and Steering Rack Bottom View-Right Side Tight Clearance between Firewall and Motors Tight Firewall to Motor Clearance Front view of Both Motor Mounts Next-Transmission Crossmember Edited February 19, 2021 by toolman text and photo correction,more text/pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Z-LS3 Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 Nice work on the motor mounts. Interested to see your Trans mount design to compare with my prototype. I too decided to make my own mounts because all the companies that offer LS swap mounts place the engine quiet far forward. Mine are puck style and till messing around with design. Currently they come off frame rails but may rethink design to come off cross member. When the DIY stainless steel header kit I ordered arrives will help answer any remaining questions on engine placement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exposed Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 Great job on the motor mounts, what thickness of material did you end up using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 I used 1/4" Steel Plate. Toolman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 (edited) Sorry about the delay in posting but I ran across an unforeseen problem: my used T56 transmission that I picked up about 15 years ago would not bolt up to my crate LS3. After a lot of research, I found out to correct this problem there were basically Two Methods to convert my LT1 T56 to a LS1 T56 transmission. First and cheapest was shipping the Front Midsection Plate to a Mainland Machine Shop to machine it to accept a LS1 input shaft. The cost would be about $100 plus shipping( To and Back). Also, beside that I would still need a LS input shaft( used about$120) and LS Bell Housing( used about$150) The Machine Shops are in Washington State and Texas. I didn't want to ship the Front Cover to them and have something happen. So the other option was to purchase a new or used Front Cover Plate, LS1 Input Shaft, and a LS Bell Housing. So I purchased a new LS1 Input Shaft and LS1 Front Cover from AMP Distributing in Texas( for $210 and $240). Shipping was $60 First Class Mail. The GM Bell Housing was about $280 from Amazon. Total= $510 including freight. Fortunately, I only paid $1000 for a low mileage Iroc Camaro T56 trans back then. Engine Side View of LTI T56 LS1 T56 Difference mainly around Input Shaft Area and Casting Holes for LS Hydraulic Slave and Bleeder Difference between LT1 LS1 Transmission Side View Relatively No Difference Input Shafts Differences LT1 LS1 much longer Bell Housing Differences LT1- Top LS1- Bottom required Bigger Flywheel Input Shaft Replacement- First, Remove Front Cover while pushing the Input Shaft inward to prevent Blocker Ring from falling out(can use a small screwdriver to hold it in position). LT1 Input Shaft Removed by rotating it and "wiggling" shaft. At the same tie, Keep pressure on Input Shaft to prevent Blocker Ring from falling out. Take your Time. Remove bolt Input and Counter Shaft Bearing by placing Eight Fingers on the inside of the races pulling outward while Rotating the Bearing Race at the same time. The Races should come out easily. Once out, remove shim under races and measure their thickness. Input and Countershaft have different diameters shims. I used a Felt Pen and write their thickness next to their bores. I ordered a Tremec T56 Shim Kit ($50 from Ebay). Then, after cleaning I replaced the Input Shaft Race with the New One and original shim. Then. put Counter Shaft Race with original shim inside. Setup Dial Indicator to check end play of both Input and counter shafts. I followed the Tremec factory manual to obtain Endplay and PreLoad for Input and Counter Shaft. Even made their Special Tool(consisted of a Metric Threded Steel Rod) to insert in Counter Shaft. But I found the readings were too erratic. So I searched the Internet to find another method. A Transmission Rebuilder came up with this method. This method was basicially over shimming the bearing under till the shaft "Binded" then remove .002 shim. Retorque it and test it again. The Test consists "Feeling by Hand" . DO NOT LAUGH!! I have seen racers adjust Rear Differentials by Hand and come out with Perfect Tooth Pattern. Note- The Tremec Shim Kit has 8 various thickness shims so you have to "play" (add and subtract ) shims to obtain .002 removed shim. Dial Indicators don't lie- .002 Endplay and Preload If you need to check Pressure Plate to Clutch Throwout Bearing Clearance- Using Straight Edges-One across the Bearing, measure distance to transmission face. Place Straight Edge against Bell Housing Face and measure the distance to Clutch Fingers. To get Clutch Fingers to Throw Bearing Clearance, just subtract the Two Measurements for Clearance. Engine Stopper- I fabricated my Engine Stopper out of 1/8'" steel to hold motor from turning when tightening flywheel and pressure plate bolts. Installed on Block Next-PreLubing the LS3 motor Edited March 10, 2021 by toolman add video , correct text,add text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted March 28, 2021 Author Share Posted March 28, 2021 (edited) Prelubing the LS3 Motor- I borrowed a Oil Pressurized Tank to prelube my LS3 motor as LS motors can not be easily prelubed like the older 350 motors. The operation is simple-Motor Oil is pressurized in the tank to about 50PSI and fed though the oil gallery plug. On the LS motor, it is located on the Front Left Lower Side. After starting to pressurizing the oil gallery, I rotated the motor about 1/4 turn to allow the oil enter all of the passages. Keep rotating the motora 1/4 turn while checking the amount of oil in the tank to prevent creating air pockets in the oil passages. Continue until the oil reaches the rocker arms and springs or the recommended oil amount( 5 1/2 quarts in this case). Motor rotated with a 1/2 breaker bar. Clutch Slave to Clutch Fingers Clearance- The Holley T56 Shim Kit ($39 from Amazon) arrived. The kit consists of 3 Thickness of Aluminum Round Shims 0.059, 0.125 and 0.185. The shims are installed to obtain the recommended clearance of 0.125" to o.200" between the measurements between the Throw Bearing(fully compressed) and transmission case face subtracted from the measurement between Clutch Fingers and Bell Housing Face. See pic below. Holley Shim Kit Bell Housing to Clutch Fingers Measurement Using Straightedge and Machinist Ruler s Clutch Slave(with Spring Removed) to Transmission Case edge Measurement Do not forget to remove Clutch Slave Spring while measuring. In my case, only the 0.185 Shim was required to obtain the Proper Clearance. Clutch Master Cylinder- I used Wilwood 3/4" Clutch Master Cylinder( $49 on Amazon). Also, used Russel 45 degree Banjo Fitting with Copper Sealing Washers for it. Bench Bleed the Wilwood Clutch Master before Installation. Wilwood Clutch Master installed with 36" Braided Stainless Steel 3AN Hose Testing the Clutch Master and Slave before installing Motor and Trans into the Car Most people probably would bother to test the Clutch System before putting it into the car but I rather be ":Safe" than "Sorry" and having to remove the motor and trans for a leak. I picked up a 3AN Union fitting to extend the clutch line to about 6 feet to do the system testing. Before the Clutch Testing, Clutch Pedal Endplay and Pedal Stop adjustments were done. To physically test clutch operation, Put the transmission in gear. The output shaft should not able to turned by hand. Now, pushing in the clutch pedal should release the output shaft and allow it to be turned by hand. This test verifies that the clutch is functioning properly. Also, a Visual Inspection was done utilizing my Borescope. No leaks at Bleeder Screw or Clutch Line Inlet. Video of Throw Out Bearing operation MELS8541.MP4 Edited March 29, 2021 by toolman text correction,added pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 (edited) Drive Line Angles Now that I have my Motor Mounts made and LS motor installed, the construction of the Transmission Cross Member could to be done. But first, the measurement of the Drive Line Angles is necessary. This because the Transmission Cross Member will determine the Motor and Transmission Drivetrain Angle #1. If the Crossmember was constructed before checking Drive Line Angles and I needed to adjust Angle #1, it might require making a new Crossmember to change the angle. So checking the Drive Line Angles now and establishing Cross Member height before makes sense. Angle #1 is the Motor/Trans Angle Angle#2 is the Drive Shaft Slope. The Last one is Angle #3 -Pinion Shaft Angle. The measurements (if possible) should be with the Vehicle Level and at normal Ride Height. How To Measure Drive Shaft Angles – Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts (4xshaft.com) This article gives a good overall view of the measurement procedure. I downloaded the Tremic App from the App Store to my IPhone. I used the Klein Digital Angle Finder from Home Depot-$39. It has a strong magnet and very easy to use. The digital readings are big and with the black background readable even outdoors. All measurements were made in the Center Line of the Drive Train. Angle# 1 Motor/Trans Angle measured at Front Driveshaft Yoke Angle# 2 Measured at Driveshaft Center-Driveshaft Angle Angle# 3 Measured at Rear Driveshaft Yoke-Pinion Angle I transferred these measurements in the Tremec App. The Results-Everthing in the Green-PASS If there was a measurement in Red, there would be a problem with that Angle or Angles and should be corrected. Shimming or other methods can be employed to adjust the angle. For those without Iphone or Digital Angle Finder can get a similar results with a manual Protractors and a Straight Edge. The Formula is: Motor/Trans Angle-2.3 Degrees minus Drive Shaft Angle-2.0 Degrees =0.3 Degrees Pinion Angle-3.9 Degrees minus Drive Shaft Angle-2.0 Degrees = 1.9 Degrees Using my measurements in this case Next-Transmission Crossmember Edited April 19, 2021 by toolman text corrections, text spacing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 When’s the next update? This is one of my favorite threads on Hybridz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted April 26, 2021 Author Share Posted April 26, 2021 (edited) Transmission Cross Member- As always, the first thing to do is to create a card board template of the Transmission Cross Member. Then, the Trial Fitting of the Template. As you can see, there are plenty improvements to do the card board board template. The Transmission Crossmember will have to built with a much "tighter fit" to accommodate the big exhaust pipes (2 1/4" to 3") with sufficient ground clearance too. A 14" Chop Saw was used to cut the 1/4" steel plate. I bought 1/4" x4" x 20 foot steel plate for $67 to save time in cutting the long lengths. That left me more time to work on just cutting 4" width cuts. By cutting only half away through through the plate made it easier to bend since I did not a Heavy Metal Press Brake. If you cut it right, you can still bend it by hand but it will be strong enough to test fit it on the car. . The Klein Angle Finder was utilized to check the plate angles. The Stock Transmission Mounts was trimmed to gain additional clearance. Stock Mount Before Mount After Trimming Four Corners This trimming allowed the Plate to be closer to the Mount. The Cross Member was first tack welded then test fitted then fully welded. The Cross Member was tack welded to another 1/4" steel plate to prevent warping / Note-There is a change in the shape of the Trans Crossmember. These changes created maximum space for the exhaust pipes. Cross Member Powder Coated Black. Because of the Extreme Motor/Trans setback, the Reverse Lock Out Solenoid was touching the trans tunnel. I could have eliminated the Solenoid or Modify the Trans Tunnel. I decided to do the Later. I fabricated a small Sheetmetal Hump to provide Solenoid clearance. Interior View of Tunnel Modification I also added Four 1/4" Steel Plates to reinforce by "sandwiching" the interior floor panel between the Transmission Cross Member. Remember, that they are Two !"X 3" x !/8" Rectangular Steel Tubing Frame Connectors under the floor pan, too. These are the Two 1/4" Reinforcing Floor Plates being fabricated. Trial fitting of Reinforcing Plates and Crossmember bolted together. Cross Member Powder Coated Black Passenger Side Interior Reinforcing Plate Bottom View of Cross Member Back View-Note Tight Fit compared to First Version Bottom view-Cross Member Cross Member, Upper and Lower Reinforcing Plates held together with 3/8" Yellow Zinc Bolts Outer Reinforcing Bottom Plate( one on each side-Left and Right Interior Upper Reinforcing Plate( one on each side-Left and Right Left Side Interior Upper Reinforcing Plate( Note-Frame Connector passes under this plate Close Up View of Trans Mount Next-Finalizing Fuel Tank Venting Hoses Edited April 27, 2021 by toolman added text and pics, corrections Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted May 9, 2021 Author Share Posted May 9, 2021 (edited) Fuel Venting Hoses- One of the problems of the 240z is the Gas Smell in the interior of the vehicle. Leaking Hatch Weather Stripping,Leaking Tail Light Housing Gaskets, and Leaking Fuel Vapor Hoses. There are Three Different Fuel Vapor Hoses used in the Fuel Tank area. The usual sizes (inside Diameter) are 5/16", 5/16" and 3/4" Neoprene Fuel Hose. Instead for searching for various sizes of Rubber Hose Sealing Grommets, I decided to fabricate my own. These were four for $4. The Local Hardware Store had 1" or 1 1/8" Wooden Chair Leg Tips. First, I drilled a 1/8" Pilot Hole in the Chair Tip and drilled it with a Blair 5/8" Hole Saw. Then Drilled it with a Blair 5/8" Hole Saw. Chair tip fitted on Hose Test Fit Note-Tight Sealing Tip For the Fuel Vapor Hoses going through Sheet Metal Holes, the Tips Tapered Exterior Body was utilized. The Chair Tip was "Notched" at appropriate diameter with a File and Hack Saw Blade. The Notch became a Locking Edge to hold the Chair Tip in place. Check Upper Left Corner to see the Locking Notch Chair Tip installed on a 5/16" Fuel Vapor Line. Bottom View of Fuel Output, Fuel Return and Fuel Tank Vent Hoses on tank. Bottom View of Upper Fuel Tank 5/16" Vent Hose next to Fuel Filter. Bottom View of Fuel Outlet and Fuel Return Hoses above Differential. Rear Interior View of Fuel Vapor Hoses in Rear Tail light Panel. Passenger Side Interior View of Fuel Vapor Tank and Connecting Hoses Next-Heater Box and AC Evaporator Repair Edited May 31, 2021 by toolman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted May 23, 2021 Author Share Posted May 23, 2021 (edited) Heater Box and AC Evaporator Unit Repair pic of A.R.A. Evaporator Unit apart A company called A.R.A. provided their AC Conversion Kits for the local Nissan Dealers 240Zs which did not come with OEM AC until later models. The kits were bolt-in operation with Condenser, Evaporator Unit, York Compressor & Engine Mounting Bracket, Dryer, and Hoses. Installation time was about 4-5 hours. In those days, only R12 Freon was utilized . Major Crack found in Evaporator Case. This interior area of the plastic Housing will also be repaired with Fiberglass and reinforced with a Steel Metal Plate on the exterior. Reinforcement Plate .After Repair and Painting Found the Evaporator Outlet cracked Making Paper Template for Reinforcement Section for Outlet Paper Template Cutting 16 gauge Metal for Reinforcement Section with Shears Reinforcement Finished r Test fitting of Reinforcement Section in Housing Reinforcement was later fiberglass laminated to the interior in housing. Exterior was also laminated to repair broken sections, l New Firewall Mount finished. The Heater Box is normally attached to the Cowl Inlet Vent with Four Small Screws. I decided to mount the Heater Box by a different method. Instead of the screws, I made a Right Angle Bracket that would support the Heater Box from the Top of the Cowl Cold Air Inlet. Two Threaded 10-32 Rods would be suspended from that bracket. The rods would go through another bracket attached to the Heater Box Housing. Two nuts on the rods were be tigntened till they supported the Heater Box to the Cowl Inlet. This similar hanging mount was utilized on 64 to 70 Ford Mustangs Heater Boxes. Top View of the Heater Box Mounts. Normally, the Cold Inlet Vent is covered by a Sheet Metal Cover. Note- To tighten the two Mounting Rod Nuts, the Duct Door made be in "Open" Position to access the nuts. Both Heater and Evaporator Cores were cleaned with AC Condensor and Evaporator cleaner. Cleaning removes grim and mildew from the Aluminum Fins. The Foaming Action cleans the cores. All Cleaned. The Heat Box Completely Disassembled. Heater Fan Unit and Evaporator Unit attached together. Both Heater Box and AC Evaporator attached to Firewall and Cowl Vent. AC Control (mounted on left side of Console Panel Was Touched up with a Brush and Chrome Silver Paint. Finished off with Clear Spray Next-Dashboard Installation Edited June 10, 2021 by toolman add and pics, add more pics and text,corrections Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossman Posted May 23, 2021 Share Posted May 23, 2021 (edited) Lookin' good! Those "stock" units never really worked well, especially by today's standards. The condenser relies on a drop in pressure between the fan and the condenser to pull air across it. As such, it won't work well if there are ANY air leaks (gaps, cracks, etc.) between the fan and condenser. Additionally the coil is an old school inefficient design AND parts are difficult if not impossible to find. Because of all that, I installed a Vintage Air Gen II Mini system and couldn't be happier with it. Anyway, just and FYI. I am sure Hawaii is at least as hot and humid as Houston so you will appreciate a strong air conditioner as much as I do. Edited May 23, 2021 by rossman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted June 13, 2021 Author Share Posted June 13, 2021 (edited) Sorry for the delay in posting but couple of unforeseen problems came up. I was planning to go over the installation of my Reconditioned Dash Board but could not find the SEM Products Textured Dash Board Spray Paint on the island. Since Federal Express and UPS won't ship Pressurized Containers, my Spray Paint would have to come by Boat. That trip would two to three weeks so I went to another item to restore. Front Bucket Seats Restore Both Left and Right Seats had lot of wear so probably would go Restoring them in Leather. First Step was to Disassembly to check the internal condition of the seats. Removing the seat coats just requires removal of the Hog Rings that hold the covers on. Sand Blasting Seat Frame and Back They put a Thin Clear Plastic Sheeting over the Seat Foam to make it easier to "slip" the new Seat Cover over the Foam. It can be replaced with any real Thin Plastic Sheeting(like the kind from Dry Cleaning Shops). Both Seats had Broken Seat Support Straps( located under the foam seat cushion). If you plan to repair the seats, you need to save the Metal Support Wires that hold the seat covers to the frame as they might not come with new seat covers. I used Webbed Belts from Ratcheting Cargo Straps to replace the Broken Straps. Loop the Cargo Straps around the Old Factory Strap Connectors . Hot Glue is used between the Folds to provide additional strength. A 1/4 Air Riveter is used to install the 1/4 rivet to secure the webbing tightly too. Solid Aluminum Rivets can be utilized. Close Up View of Repaired Strap Both Seat Frames were sandblasted and painted with Black Urethane Paint. Seat Cushion Straps installed. Seat Cushions installed awaiting Seat Covers. Pricing both Vinyl and Leather Seat Covers on Amazon and Ebay came out to $400+ for Vinyl and about $700 for Leather Seat Covers. I decided to wait and possibly look for Junk Yard or Craigslist for a Pair of fBucket Seats. Next-Exhaust System This should be interesting as It will be the First Time that I will Tig Weld and Weld Stainless Steel Exhaust. Wish me Luck! Edited June 16, 2021 by toolman text corrections, add pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonH Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 (edited) Do yourself a favor, but the Inteiror Innovations and be done with it. I was held up on the leather and coat… pulled the trigger and LOVE the fit and finish for the price. It was not a hard process either! Long time follower and your work is top notch. I tried to hunt online for months for bucket seats, tried a few from other cars and they just didn’t look / fit right. So I overhauled my OEM seats! Edited June 20, 2021 by DonH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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