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As always, modifications to the modification were necessary...

 

The mounting brackets were not quite right, they were a little too big in spots, so there I put in some serious elbow grease filing them down to the right size...

 

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I also had to oval out some of the mounting holes to get the whole thing to mount up just right...

 

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I then ordered an array of 1 3/8” aluminum tubes in straight and 45 degrees, along with an array of HPS silicone hoses in straight, 45, and 90 degrees.

 

I experimented with these items in different combinations to fabricate custom coolant piping.

 

Once I cut the pieces to the desired length I had to use a bead roller to make a lip for the hose clamps to grab

 

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Here I marked the spot where the bung for the temp sensor for fan controller

 

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When I pulled the McKinney out, I discovered the oil cooler then car came with...

 

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Naturally while I was in there already and the radiator was out of the car, might as well upgrade the oil cooler of course.

 

I went with a larger Mishimoto unit...

 

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The end result was very satisfying, both functionally as well as aesthetically.

 

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The setup looks fantastic, the fans are very quiet, and the radiator cools so well that, depending on the ambient temperature, the water temp on the highway hovers around 150-160 degrees…meaning the fans never even have to kick on as they are set to come on at 180 and shut off at 170.

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The actual project of installing the AC system was a hefty task to say the least, including removal of the dash, so I decided to put that off for a while so I could actually enjoy the car.

 

With everything in place and running well, I was able to enjoy the car as much as I could for a bit, but after a while I craved really putting all of the power to use.

 

That spawned my next project…getting the power to the ground.

 

I did a separate write up on that here:

 

http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/122385-275s-in-240z-factory-well-mission-accomplished/?do=findComment&comment=1144553

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That project worked out perfectly and I’m really happy with the results.

 

But of course, as luck would have it, I was only able to enjoy it for one measly day.

 

On my very first drive with the new setup, after about an hour or two of driving around town, I began to smell something acrid. Next thing you know, I see smoke starting to emanate from my glovebox/dash area.

 

I pulled over immediately, panicked that the car was about to catch fire. But as soon as I turned the car off, the smoke stopped. I inspected around the source of the smoke and discovered that the wiring harness that runs behind the dash had almost melted through.

 

I traced the melted wire to the factory fuel and amp gauge which had been poorly placed in the glove compartment as the factory location was occupied by an Autometer oil temp gauge. The gauge had shifted around in the glove box and it appeared it was grounding out on some metal towards the back. I carefully moved the gauge into a position that appeared not to be touching anything and attempted to start the car…

 

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It fired right up and luckily drove fine. It appeared no critical components were affected by the melted wires. I gingerly drove it home.

 

Not exactly the best luck with the car to that point! But in retrospect...what I came to realize is that "bad luck" was really a direct byproduct of poor work...this was just another step in the arduous process of working out the kinks and fixing all the mistakes...

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Further inspection revealed that the melted harness extended into the engine bay…I decided not to drive it anymore and had it trailered once again to Doug’s shop.

 

We came to the conclusion that the dash would have to be removed and we would have to re-do the harness.

 

Since the dash had to come out anyway…I figured this might as well be the time to install the AC system.

 

Removal of the dash revealed a rat’s nest of wiring, nothing wrapped, nothing secured, nothing organized, electrical tape and butt connectors everywhere. It was a very sloppy job to say the least…it was clear this would be another challenging project.

 

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A little research on HybridZ on AC systems revealed a blower fan upgrade utilizing a blower from a KIA.

 

I followed the write up step by step…thanks to all who contributed to that and made my life easier.

 

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I scribed the housing, and ground it out to size.

 

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I had to slot out the bolt holes on the fan to get it to line up right.

 

I then improvised a little and used a foam gasket from a speaker to seal the blower to the diverter assembly, it fit perfectly.

 

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The AC unit that I received with the car happened to be the unit that is sold by the Nissan dealer as a retrofit kit. It's a draw-through system that is designed to bolt up to the air inlet of the factory blower.

 

As such it mounts under the glove compartment. While not the easiest system to install, you dance with the girl you brung...so I went full steam ahead with it.

 

Here is the draw-through evaporator unit test fitted...

 

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