Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 More Z progress! Mounted Tilton 7/8 master cylinder and bled the clutch. The remote bleeder made this job super easy! We just used the original Datsun clutch rod / fork in the new master to avoid welding on a new SAE nut or something. Installed an oil pressure sender for the autometer gauge. We decided to mount this in the original oil pressure sensor location so it wouldn't be down by the exhaust. With this intake most people use an AN line with a bunch of adapter but we just made an extended 1/8 npt tube and bent it on the press to give enough clearance. I also spent some more time making the electrical system a little safer. I added a big rubber washer to the alternator to avoid shorts. Ground the engine to the frame: Finally, I also started researching windshield wiper options. The delay relay units for intermittent wipers didn't come with the car so I'll probably just bypass those. It looks like most people use a honda motor but I found this over on classiczcar and I think I'll give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted August 7, 2019 Author Share Posted August 7, 2019 Big Update! Here's the first start: Started right up first try without any huge issues. It built oil pressure right away up to 35 psi at idle. The only problem is it started burning some wires but I had not even ziptied them out of the way or anything so this was honestly expected. I'll add another post with some details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted August 7, 2019 Author Share Posted August 7, 2019 Here's an electrical update first. I've spent a lot of time making sure the original Datsun wiring is good to go. The first issue was no dash lights. I found out that the dash lights were not getting any power and traced this back to the combination switch.There was a burnt out connecter here that wasn't making a solid connection. I punched that pin out and replaced it with a spare. The car also had an issue where it would blow a fuse when the washer fluid button was pressed. I found that somehow the wires were grounding out on the steering column so a quick piece of rubber fixed that. I found a few other shorts but they were all easy to fix.One issue I kept having during the trouble shooting process was intermittent grounding of all the interior circuits. Just to help other people out here, make sure the fuse block isn't just laying on the floor pan and grounding out all the circuits can be super frustrating. I also made sure the turn signals, headlights, and reverse lights work. I also cleaned up the wire management on the passenger side. I spent one solid day restoring all the lights. Before: After: Before on the taillights: Some plastic welding with a soldering iron: After: The Engine bay also got some attention to detail on the electronics. Adjustable fan controller: This probe goes into the coolant engine discharge line to get the temperature Also created a plastic battery tray... should prevent future rust Now I need to figure out how to route the wires in the engine bay away from the exhaust and then just A/C and sound system wiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted August 7, 2019 Author Share Posted August 7, 2019 Cooling update: First we found some radiator hoses off of this site that were super cheap on amazon. The upper hose with a T fitting for the steam vent. Next, we used a single 16 inch fan and the factory Datsun 280z fan shroud with some modifications. This fan fit perfectly in the radiator so we felt comfortable just mounting it with some radiator zip tie things: We also added a coolant overflow tank using the bracket from the original charcoal canister: Cold Air intake: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted August 7, 2019 Author Share Posted August 7, 2019 We also finished the fuel tank filler tube. We just used the original filler tube and connected it to the tank with a piece of powder coated steel pipe that came with the tank. I also added hose clamps at all the joints Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted August 7, 2019 Author Share Posted August 7, 2019 (edited) Finally, to finish off the update here's the throttle cable and exhaust. To use the original Datsun pedal I fabricated a bracket to house a lokar universal throttle cable. I used a piece from the original throttle arm to get the correct firewall bolt pattern: Installed with cable shortened to correct length. I just drilled out this rotating arm: For exhaust headers we used JCI's new 1 3/4" headers which fit great! We were apparently the first customers to get this new design. One of the center spark plug wires is difficult to install on each side but still manageable. The engine sounds great and seems healthy! the next steps are to install the A/C system and finish up wiring. Then we can get the interior in and focus on paint and body work. Edited August 7, 2019 by Whitley_280z_2+2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted October 28, 2019 Author Share Posted October 28, 2019 (edited) Car is at the exhaust shop right now. New wheels (Rota RB 16x8 +4 with 4 mm spacer), Achilles tires (ATR sport 2's), Rolled Fenders, Vintage Air A/C + heat, Electrical system finished, New steering wheel, Next up paint! I'll probably post details at some point... but here's a video about how it's running. Apparently, the exhaust shop couldn't have the car parked outside because to many people kept stopping by asking about it and they couldn't get any work done Edited March 12, 2021 by Whitley_280z_2+2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 Just painted the car Dodge Destroyer Grey. Took many many hours (75+) and still haven't even cut and buffed it. Now working on the wipers. The arms under the cowl panel were completely rusted frozen and I broke one of the swivel platforms trying to press out one of the spindles. Also, the wiring is a nightmare . . .thought I had it working but now it doesn't. None of the grounds that trigger high and low speeds are connecting and I already loomed the wiring in the cab. I'm sure i'll figure it out eventually but I would much rather wire another whole engine swap or paint it again than figure out these rusted wipers. Fun stuff . . . I want to be done and just drive the thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manninen Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Havent read all the comments but i saw you have one PU bushings used on tension bars. If you wanna "gain" some PU performance you should put PU bushing to inner side not outer. Im happy you have half rubber bushing used, i myself wont risk at all and im going full rubber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 On 1/13/2020 at 7:36 AM, manninen said: Havent read all the comments but i saw you have one PU bushings used on tension bars. If you wanna "gain" some PU performance you should put PU bushing to inner side not outer. Im happy you have half rubber bushing used, i myself wont risk at all and im going full rubber. Thanks for the tip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 Thoughts on Mopar destroyer grey Datsun . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torynich Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Just from the picture it kinda looks like it's in primer to be honest, if you add some black it could totally transform it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, torynich said: Just from the picture it kinda looks like it's in primer to be honest, if you add some black it could totally transform it though. Yeah I agree, it definitely needs something. Looks kinda like kia which I can't have Gonna go black hood vents, grille, bumpers, badges, mirrors, and maybe tint. Edited January 22, 2020 by Whitley_280z_2+2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) After a cut and buff... really changed the look for the better. It looks much less like primer!I’m happy with it for our first time doing a paint job and body work. Edited February 2, 2020 by Whitley_280z_2+2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torynich Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 Very nice! 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted March 22, 2020 Author Share Posted March 22, 2020 I gotta know is it like this for everyone else? Got a bumper off of craigslist that took a lot of work to weld up rust and bondo old trim holes. Finally got it painted and went to mount it up and realized the brackets weren’t even close. A solid day of welding/ fabrication later And the paint and bondo is pretty much ruined. Hey it lines up now but gotta redo the paint and everything now. That was a lot of work. Also, pretty much finished making a custom 2+2 interior. Looking really good and even got a new sound system. The to do list is getting real small! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 (edited) First off, finally got the wipers installed and working! Found some new arms on eBay and they work great! Also, installed the rear glass, antenna, and front bumper. The rope trick worked great for getting the glass in! Time for door cards (currently shipping) and seat (waiting on some brackets). Cockpit looks real good now! Side note... the aftermarket head unit requires constant positive voltage for memory and main power. Since the hazard switch is right there, I spliced into it for the constant +12. To get the radio to turn on I had to plug it in and unplug it many times and I thought this was just an anti-theft thing at first Today, I flipped on the hazards while the radio was on and it lost all power. I definitely forgot how hazards work with the flasher unit pulling the +12 to ground to make the lights flash So basically, don’t be stupid like me! Edited March 29, 2020 by Whitley_280z_2+2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted April 3, 2020 Author Share Posted April 3, 2020 Did some badge restoration using epoxy and red dye. The car will have red accents so hopefully these will look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted April 11, 2020 Author Share Posted April 11, 2020 First real test drive went great! Filled the gas tank up for the first time and the gas gauge works (didn’t think it worked originally). Also quick trip to Oriley for wiper blades! The car drove great and seems plenty fast although haven’t really tested acceleration yet. Brakes feel awesome, oil pressure and temp are great, and the whole drivetrain seems to be working well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitley_280z_2+2 Posted April 12, 2020 Author Share Posted April 12, 2020 Quick shot of the interior! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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