toolman Posted July 4, 2022 Author Share Posted July 4, 2022 (edited) Finishing the Exhaust System- The Two Rear 2 1/4" Exhaust Pipes make Right Angles heading to the Mufflers. Midway to the Mufflers, V-Clamps connect the pipe to the Mufflers. Rear View of Rear Exhaust Pipes with V-Clamps. Exhaust Pipes are welded directly to Mufflers to provide clearance for the rear tires. I welded the Two Thrush Hush Turbo 2 1/4" Mufflers together. Note the straight 1/2" Steel Rods are the Upper Muffler Hangers. The Forward Muffler Hanger is bolts to the Rear Deck Floor Pan. Two Rubber Mounts are used because they will be supporting Two Mufflers. The Rear Muffler Mounts are also bolts to the floor pan, Two Rubber Mufflers Hangers are also use to support the mufflers. Pic of the Rubber Hangers seperately. The Two Mufflers can easily installed by pushing the Steel Stud into the Rear Mufflers. Then, lifting the Mufflers upward and pushing the Forward Rubber Mounts into the Forward Stud. Then lifting the Mufflers and insert the Flat section of the mounts onto the Floor Stud Bolts. With the Mufflers hanging from their mounts, you just have align the Two Muffler Exhaust Pipes to the Straight Exhaust Pipes under the Differential. Then, install both V-Clamps. Both Mufflers Hanging up. Rear View of Mufflers Installed. The Muffler Rear Exit Hole was completed with a little bodywork. A 3/16" Brake Tubing was bent to form the Muffler Exit Area shape. It was tacked welded to the body then Polyurethane Seam Sealer was applied to seal the both edges of the brake tubing. Body Filler was applied to smooth out the edge of the Muffler Exit. After sanding the body filler, the area was painted with White Polyuretane Paint. Repairing the Brake Light Socket in Dash Board The Brake Light Socket has a problem with its Grounding Connection. It consists of a Tiny Strip of Brass that contacts the socket hole to make Ground. This Ground Strip usually breaks off or becomes loose. I used the Terminal Retaining Strip on a 6.3 Brass Terminal(See Pic below} Note-Small Terminal Retaining in the Terminal. Using a Small Electronics Soldering Iron to solder the brass strip to the bulb socket. I tested the bulb on a piece of sheet metal with a 15mm hole to stimulate the dash board. Testing the Ground Connection. It Works!! Edited July 6, 2022 by toolman add text and pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkerbk Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 looks good. I really like that double exhaust outlet and most peoples exhaust area is not in the best of shapes so this option would really clean it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted July 21, 2022 Author Share Posted July 21, 2022 (edited) WHEELS AND TIRES- The Wheels that I selected were custom made by Love20Bee in Los Angeles. They specialize in custom wheels especially for JDM cars. I wanted Watanabe Insets with deep offset wheel barrels. The owner has several 240Z himself. The Front Tires are Nitto G2 285/40/17 with 11" Tread Width. The Rear Tires are 315/40/14 with Thread Width of 12" The Wheels are Custom Made with Watanabe Inserts(with Dark Grey Metallic Spokes) with 11" Wide barrel in the Front and 12" Barrels in the Rear. Checking for Leaks. Wheels and Tires Installed. Rear Wheel l Front Wheel Cutting Rocket Flares for Tire Clearance- The Greddy Rocket Bunny Flares had to be cut because of the Deep Wheel Offeset for Tire Clearance. Front Flares before Cutting. Note-Without cutting, Tires could not turn. Inside view of Front Flare before Cutting-clearance. About 3" had to removed for Clearance. Rear of Front Tire Clearance After Frontr Cutting View of Front Tire View of Front Tire View of Rear Tire Rear Tire Front View Rear View of Rear Tire Top View of Rear Flare Rear Tire Clearance with Muffler/Exhaust Pipes. Inside View of Tire Clearance. Full Right Turn Side View of Car Four Watanabe Wheels (Polished lips and Gun Metal Spoked Face---$4000.00 Love20BEE 2nd Day UPS Freight 240.00 Four Nitto G2 285 and 315/17 tires (Amazon) 860.00 __________ Total $5510.00 Edited August 29, 2022 by toolman add text and pic.added more text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonH Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Man what a cool build to follow along! Amazing job so far! How do you like the sound of the mufflers? I recently put the Dynomax super turbo on mine after having a race bullet. LOVE how much more mellow it is. Dont feel like I los tmuch power either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkerbk Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 Did you have to trim the back (rear) of the front fenders? I'm rubbing my 11in wide rims with 275/50r15s on the rear of the fender (trimmed the front just like you did) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted August 2, 2022 Author Share Posted August 2, 2022 Walkerbk, Yes, I had to trim the back area of the Tocket Bunny Flare to provide tire clearance when turning. I tried to maintain at least 1/2" clearance between flare and tire during the full tire movement. I think this tire clearance also allows for body roll too. Toolman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted August 10, 2022 Author Share Posted August 10, 2022 (edited) Removing Fuel Sender unit- To Check your Fuel Tank Sender Unit Electrically, you must remove the Unit from the Fuel Tank. First, you must remove the Passenger Side Strap as it is right over the sender unit. If the Tank is relatively empty, the Drive side strap alone will hold the tank up. Now, you can remove fuel from the tank so when you remove the sender, fuel doesn't leak on you. To remove the sender, most people use a screwdriver and small hammer to tap the sender tabs to release the locking ring. I decided to make a Sender Removal Tool as the tool will make installation easier. Using a Hacksaw, I cut about 1 1/2" section from a 2" exhaust pipe. Then,I cut Four Slots into one end of the tubing. Sender Locking Ring and Removal Tool The slots were cut and bent 90 degrees to fit the Locking Ring. A crossbar was added so a 3/8" socket could welded on to aid in sender installation. Fuel Sender Removal Tool was painted Gloss Black. Testing the Fuel Tank Sender Unit- The Sender Unit can be tested tested electrically using an OHM Meter. Place the two Leads on Sender- Yellow and Blacl-ground wires. Empty Reading should have about a 3.7 OHM reading Half Tank Reading should have about a 32.0 OHM reading Full Tank Reading should have about a 86.4 OHM reading Adjusting the Fuel Sender- Id the Fuel Sender has to be Bent alot, the Arm can be removed to prevent unit damage. Loosening this screw with a Phillips Screwdriver. Bending the Upper Arm Stop will effect the Full Reading Bending the Lower Arm Stop will effect the Empty Reading. Next-Starting Car Up Edited August 10, 2022 by toolman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted September 11, 2022 Author Share Posted September 11, 2022 (edited) Sorry for not posting in a while but I was rushing to get my 240Z finished enough to put it in a local car show. There were some more things to do in a short amount of time. Anyway, back to posting- Door Panel Repairs- Both Door Panels needed to refinish the original Horizontal Chrome Trim on the upper side of the panel. See pic below. To repair this, I purchased 1/4" Chrome Pinstriping Tape from Amazon( for $6). First, I used a small paint brush to apply a layer of Contact Cement on the Trim Piece. Allow the Contact Cement to dry to the touch before applying the Chrome Tape. Apply the Tape lightly first then checking it for straightness before pressing it down with your index finger. Trim ends with a Single Edge Razor or Razor Knife. Closeup view of the Repaired Chrome Trim Moulding. This repair method can also be used on Door Arm Rests. Using Velco Heat Sleeves- Velco Heat Sleeves were used to protect electrical wires near the exhaust from burning, Cutting the Sleeves will allow the Velco pieces to unravel as they are only sewn on. so I use a Hot Glue to fasten the Velco Tape on. Heat Velco Sleeve put on Starter Wiring near the Exhaust. Velco Heat Sleeve on Oil Pressure Sensor Wiring. Holley 3.5" LED DISPLAY SCREEN-one of three possible screen layouts available. ELECTRIC POWER STEERING in OPERATION- Note - Easy turning of Steering Wheel with 11" wheels and 285/17 tires. LS3 First START UP-Sounded Great! Next-CAR SHOW APPEARANCE Edited September 19, 2022 by toolman text and pics added 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted October 2, 2022 Author Share Posted October 2, 2022 (edited) Preparing for Local Car Show- There was a Local car Show in my area on Labor Day. Everybody was encouraging me to enter my 240Z in it. But, there was still a lot of work to make it even decent. Installing the Interior Carpet- Interior Innovations provided a Full Eight Piece Precut Carpet for about $700. The fitting was good and was made of Good Materials. I had to decide which method to fasten the carpeting to the metal floor. Went to Home Depot and found Double Sided Industrial Grade Velco tape (cost $30). So No Drilling and Screws were used. Epoxy Adhesive was used the hold the Velco Tape down. Passenger Door Panel- Driver Side Door Panel- Passenger Side Carpeting- Fabricating Front Tow Hitch- As this car is lowered, In case when the car would need to towed, the normal method of sliding a tire lift under the car would not be possible. The Fiberglass Air Dam is in the way. So Towing on a Flat Bed Towing would be mostly likely method available. But, you still a way to hook up the car to winch it aboard. So I decided to fabricate a Front Tow Hitch. the Hitch was constructed of !/4" Steel Plate and bolted to the front frame rail. Hitch was bolted to the Frame Rail The Tow Hitch sticks through the Front Air Dam under the Bumper. The Labor Day Car Show- There were about 400 assorted cars at the Show. Everything from 32 Roadsters, 57 Chevys, Cobra Cars, Blown Gassers, VWs, Camaros, Corvettes, Vipers, Hell Cats, Low Riders, etc were there. I spent most of the time there, telling people "What kind of Car it was? - !971 Datsun 240z What is a Datsun? Nissan introduce their Brand New Car Line as "Datsun". There were even some Japanese Tourists asking questions about my "FairLady"( name of the.. 240Z in Japan). I did not have time to even walk around and check out the other cars at the show. But my car and I were luck to be filmed for an upcoming Local TV Car Show. Here are some Black and White Versions of the Pics. Black and White Photos really gives a Restro Mod Feeling. Next-Air Conditioning installation Edited October 2, 2022 by toolman add Text & Pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calZ Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 It looks fantastic. Congrats on getting it out to a show for the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted October 7, 2022 Author Share Posted October 7, 2022 calZ, Thanks for the Complement. Rushing to make a Deadline can be exhausting but getting complements make all the work worth-while. Toolman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted October 29, 2022 Author Share Posted October 29, 2022 (edited) Before I go to Air Conditioning Installation. The construction of the Rear Tow Bracket will be covered. A Rear Tow Bracket is a necessity to hold the vehicle securely when towing the car with a Flat Bed Tow Truck. The Bracket also comes in handy if you ever end up in a ditch. Started off by Constructing a Card Board Template . The Bracket will be cut out of !/4" Mild Steel Plate with a Plasma Cutter. Then Finished Shaped with a 4 1/2" Angle Grinder. The Bracket was then Powder Coated RED. It was installed on top of the Factory Rear Bumper Bracket. Rear View of the Rear Tow Bracket. Air Conditioning Installation There are many ways to install Air Conditioning in a 240Z. Since I had constructed my own engine mounts, most After Market AC Compressor Mounts interfered with my Custom Made Motor Mounts.. Dirty Dingo Mount Kit was one example of these kits. ITC Billet was another kit that would not work with my mounts. Kwik Performance #L10291 Air Compressor Mounting Kit that located the compressor in front of the Right Side Cylinder Head. Also, the Location was not too high like many After Market Kits. Because of the 240Z Low Hood Configuration, clearance would be a problem. But, using the Kwik Performance Kit would require replacement of the Water Pump and Harmonic Balancer(about $236 additional cost on top of $230 Kit cost). These parts were required to move the Serpentine Belt ! 1/2" Forward. AC Delco Water Pump # 252-976 from $156-Amazon was used. Note- 1 1/2" height differance AC Delco Harmonic Balancer #19300488 from Amazom $85 Also, Note - 1 1/2" height differance LS Harmonic Balancers require a 3 Jaw Type Puller to remove the Balancer from the Crankshaft. This is because LS Balancers do not have any Pulling Threaded Holes and also require a Spacer Rod under the Puller Screw. If you do not have one, some Part Stores have them to Rent Out. Also, A Harmonic Balancer Installation Tool Note-Spacer Rods under Puller A Harmonic Installation Tool will be necessary to install the New Harmonic Balancer on the crankshaft. Using a heavy hammer to install the balancer can damage the Rubber Inert Ring in the Balancer. i will continue this AC Installation Process later as I am leaving for the SEMA SHOW in Las Vegas this weekend. I will post pics from the show when I return. Edited October 29, 2022 by toolman text and pic corrections Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted December 4, 2022 Author Share Posted December 4, 2022 (edited) SEMA SHOW LAS VEGAS ,NV Nov. 1 to Nov. 4, 2023 I went to the Sema Show from Monday to Thursday. Because of Covid, I missed going to Two previous Shows. This years Sema Show was Huge in size. The Show now occupies the whole Las Vegas Convention Hall area plus all the outside area of the major Halls. Also, They built a Giant Building called the West Hall that was the Convention Hall Parking Lots. So the Hotel Shuttle Buses dropped Attendees about 400 yards from the Convention Property. I was so tired from walking around the Show and must have walked 4 miles each day. I tried to take pics of Nissan and some other JDM Cars for you guys. Please forgive me if I could not remember all the car descriptions to go with the pics. Pics from the outside of the Main Show Halls: Crowd of people watching Live Burn Outs and Optima Street Car Races, Inside the Halls Computer Guided Upholstery Sewing Machine Lowered Nissan 370Z Dodge Charger with a 392 Late Model Hemi with Twin Turbochargers Electronic Controlled Mufflers which Driver could control the Exhaust Sound. Drifting VIDEO- 1500 HP 5.9 Cummins 24 valve turbocharged motor Drifting Demos in Exhibition Area ttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/IgrRcIZNwas Custom Made 4 Rotor Mazda Race Car Driver Seat area This Mazda puts out 2000 HP and costs $500,000 to build!!!!!!!!! Skyline with Full Liberty Walk Body Kit Skyline with RB30 with Huge Turbo Traxxas had a huge Rock Climbing display where people could try driving RC Four Wheel vehicles on it. B is for the Build had a Lambo wit Twin Turboed LS motor with Carbon Fiber Body Panels. This Purple 240Z with LS9 Sugercharged Motor was one of about a dozen cars in the Optima Ulimate Street Csr Races. an Older Nissan Skyline Beautiful Leather Interiot in the Toyo Tires Booth 240Z Motor Compartment exerior of the 240Z Another Build for the Build Project Formula Race Car BMW with a one of its kind V-12 motor Mercedes V12 motor. A Wild Custom A Single UTV Built on Top of Two Big Jet Skis Closup up the Frame between the UTV and the Two Jet Skis !970 Datsun Restro BRE Race Car Another LS Swaped JDM Race car Hand crafted all Alumunim BMB with Suicide Frant Doors Artist used Marker Pen to decorate this car. Next-Back to Finishing Air Condimtioning Installation I will be heading to Tokyo so the next posting maybe after Xmas so Happy Holidays to You and Yours111111 Edited December 24, 2022 by toolman add text and pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted December 23, 2022 Author Share Posted December 23, 2022 (edited) . I just returned from Tokyo, Japan today. While there, I found this video on YouTube.com-JP It was one of the Best Video Restoration of S30 Datsun Fair Lady car . Although it is mostly in Japanese, the video shows in great detail of the restoration process. The videos comes in 39 parts so I will try to divide the videos up into sections. Then you can just go to the restoration part that you may be interested in. Part 1-Painting Stripping, Abrasive Blasting (normally 80 Grit),Epoxy Priming the Bare Sheet Metal. This process gives the Bodyman the True Condition of the Car Body. Then he can start ordering either Repro Parts or Junk yard parts. As this car is over 50 years old, finding even Junk yard parts would lucky. So, a lot of sheet metal must be fabricated by hand. *NOTE-Press "Escape Key" to exit end of video. PART 2-Test Fitting of Replacement Panels and Hand Fabricating the Parts that could not be found. Part 3- Abrasive Blasting Individual Parts and Replacing Floor Panels Part 5 Welding Front Frame Rails A Professional Induction Spot Weld was used to weld up the Front Frame Rails. A 180Amp Mig Welder could be used as a substitute. This would be a good time to think about using a good welding primer that will be welded(spot or mig) to prevent corrosion caused by welding. This treatment should be followed up with a corrosion resistant spray after finish painting the vehicle. Additionally, Drilling Rust Proofing holes and plugs will allow the spray to go where the factory box panels didn't. Part 6-Fabricating Wheel Housing Panels Part7- Replacing Front Door Skins and Lead Soldering Small Rust Damage Part 8-Repaiing Front Fenders and Rear Quarter Panels Part 9-Repairing Rear Quarter Panels-interior and exterior Part 10-Repairing Rear Back Panel Part 11-Repairing Inner Hatch Deck and Taillight Housing Area and Repairing Wheel Housing Part 12-Repairing Side rocker Panels and Tail Light Housing Area - Part 13-Replacing Side Rocker *NOTE- After watching these videos, you may think Japan Body Shops are primitive compared to American Body Shops. The real reason is that Japan has a very strict Vehicle Safety Code. It is so strict that most cars have only a 5 year life especially in urban areas( Tokyo, Osaka,etc). Scrap Yards in Japan are full of seemly good condition vehicles that can not driven on Japanese roads. Japan Body Shops have a huge supply of ":used parts". So much, they can order replacement parts such as car door in the exact factory color needed. As most cars are only 5 years old and under strict safety standards, there is no market to do corrosion repair except for those people will to pay the big dollars to restore popular cars. I could not believe this fact till I saw stacks of "perfectly good cars" with no collision damage on them in the junkyards of Japan. Part 14-REplacing Rear Quarter Panel Part 15-Repairing Rear Panel. . Part-16-Reparing Front Crossmember Part 17-240Z on Frame Machine to check Frame Alignment and pulling the Frame to put it in specifications. The Left Side (Strut Tower) is bent in about 1/2" so they pulled it with a Hydraulic 10 Ton Ram. This was only small damage to the frame but would affect Toe -in, Camber and Caster Specifications. Part 18-Repairing Front Frame Rail Inner Structure Part 19-More Frame Repair Work Part 20-Fabricating Front Crossmember Panel This Video demonstrates creating Contours on Sheetmetal with only Hand Tools. - Edited January 2, 2023 by toolman text and pic corrections Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnM Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 I watched episodes 1-8 in one sitting! Binge Datsun. So good to see the pros making mistakes too. Cut too small or couldn't make a tape template work and had to start over. Gives me encouragement in my project. Thanks so much for the time it took to put these together and post them!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted January 1, 2023 Author Share Posted January 1, 2023 (edited) ShawnM, I glad you enjoyed the videos. Did you notice that a lot of the metal fabrication tools (such as sheet metal bender, bead roller, English Wheel, etc) are brand new. The videos even show the boxes that they came in. The equipment was Made in USA, too. As my Father owned a Body Shop, I can tell that their workmanship is High Quality and would recommend that Body Shop to restore a 240Z. Please bear with lack of English Subtitles, later Episodes will have more English Subtitles!!! Toolman Edited January 15, 2023 by toolman text and pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnM Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 I did notice the new tools, they really know what they're doing. I wasn't implying that they weren't any good, but rather that even the pros aren't perfect. I especially liked that the camera person showed the wall clock at the start of patching the drivers side quarter panel and again when they were almost complete. No 'Hollywood time' on this build! No worries about English subtitles, I am able to infer a lot of what is happening from their hand gestures and tone. Can't wait until I can get back into them later today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted January 2, 2023 Author Share Posted January 2, 2023 (edited) Japan S30 FairLady Restoration Video- Part 21-Repairing Engine Compartment Panels Part 22-Applying body Filler and Sanding Engine Compartment. Part 23-Repairing Core Support and Head Light Doors Part 24-Repairing Upper Engine Compartment ----------------------------------- ENGLISH SUBTITLES NEXT PART------------------------------- Part 26--Connecting Rocker Panel and Floor Pans Part 27-Repairing Right Side Rocket Panel Part 28-Rear Quarter Panel Patch Part29-Tail Light Housing Repair Part 30-Rear Panel Repair- Part 31-Changing Right Door Panel Part32-Repairing Rear Inner Wheel Housing Part33-Repairing Right Floor Pan Part 34-left Rear Floor Pan Repair Part 35-Rear Deck Repair Part 36-Body working the Rear Deck Lid Part 37-Repairing the Car Roof Part 38-More Repairing to Roof and Rear Deck Part 39-Body Filling Interior Floor Panels Part 40-Installing Seat Mounting Brackets Part 41-Rust Patching through out the car Part 42-,Seam Sealing, Priming the Chassis and Undercoating the Bottom of Car I thought there might be additional videos on replacing the doors,hood,and hatch but it seems that the shop is finished with their portion of the job. So this is the Final Video of this 240Z restortation. 2-17-2023 Good News, I was wrong about the previous video being the last one in this series. This video #43 covers more Rust Repair around the Front Windshield. So it seems that there should be maybe one or more videos on this 240z Fairlady Restoration. Video #44 Assemble and Alignment of Right Side Quarter Panel and Door. Also. the video describes in detail how to create Body Lines and repairing Door Gaps. Part #45 Body Working Rear Body Panel, Correctly Right Fender Gap and Right Body Lines #46 Repairing Front Radiator Support #47 Finish interior bodywork #48 Exterior Bo #49 Detailed installation of Asphalt Floor Insulation. I never seen replacement of the Asphalt Insulation in any Restored 240Z before. This video gives a Step By Step Explaination of this process. Edited August 29, 2023 by toolman text and pic corections 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube80z Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 If you like I can add these as an FAQ. I'm going to link to these for now from your other message. Cary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted January 30, 2023 Author Share Posted January 30, 2023 (edited) Kwik Performance Compressor Mounting Kit# L10291 Kwik Performance Kit sits high above the Passenger Side Valve Cover. Sanden Air Compressor($250) Designing the Card Board Template Trial Mounting of New Mount Front View of Mountront View of the Mountt Bolt Arrangement of Alternator Mounting Bolts Comparsion between Old Corvette Water Pump and New Camaro Water Pump Vintage Condensor#03701-OVA 12' Tall x 20" High x .83Thick was utilized($100 Amazon). It was bolted to Front Core Support in Front of Radiator. . New Foam was installed around Outlet Opening of Evaporator Core Unit for sealing purposes. New NAPA Expansion Valve on Evaporator Core was used. Factory Interior Wiring Harness had to be relocated to the Right Interior Panel to create space for High and Low AC Pressure Hoses entering the Core from the Firewall. Pic of the ARA Air Con Unit installed to Factory Heater Unit with Pressure Hoses to the Firewall. A !/2" Rubber Hose was also installed to allow Core to drain water out of vehicle. A High and Low Pressure Valve installed in-line to turn off Air Compressor to prevent its damage. top view of Kwik Performance AC Brackets Next-More Air Conditioning Work Edited January 31, 2023 by toolman text and pic corrections Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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