Re: My "new" car/project.
 

I probably have nearly 30 hours into this since Friday after school.

I didn't feel like laying on the ground to get to the starter so I didn't do that part, everything for acc/run/start checked out with some lights I rigged up.

Everything electrical(except the wipers, I still need to figure that shit out) was connected and functioning. I used that to make a new set of notes. There was a couple of discrepancies between my original notes and the end result.

Everything is now stripped backed out of the car.

I wanted something to show for it so I finished what will be the front light harness. That is now in the car, secured and ready to be connected to relays(headlights/running lights) and the turn signal switch.

I still need to mount the fuse panel and relays, but, I already have a piece of aluminum bent up to mount them to and I know exactly where it's going in the car, I just didn't do it yet. I hope to have that and possibly the rear light wiring finished and installed tomorrow.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

Text only updates are lame.

I have a ton of hours into this wiring project.

Today I have nearly everything finished. I need to get a couple of connectors and hook up the engine stuff, which is all of 7 wires including the senders for gauges and the starter/alternator.

The lights all work, including my indicators on the dash. The high and low beams are noticeably brighter now that they run through a relay instead of the full current through the headlight switch itself. -Even running off of the battery that is just sort of rigged up.

It's satisfying to hear the relays trigger that I added when turning on the headlights, running lights, or clicking the key to start.

I've not yet tied in the reverse light or neutral safety switches as they are part of the new shifter which will be a project all on it's own. I left provisions in the wiring to make this easy.

The same goes for the hazard switch, which is also a simple tie in. The leads are there, just not hooked to anything right now.

The fuse/relay panel. Not yet attached, but, exactly where it will sit on the firewall in the passenger footwell in the space that the old A/C coil used to occupy.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...pslpxkteqi.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ps570aptb8.jpg

It's not totally as clean as I wanted, but, the work involved to make all the runs exactly the same length just so the bend is the same for all of them simply isn't worth the time. I took those yesterday before I had everything connected.

This is how the wiring mess started, I hooked everything up with wire nuts and applied power to check everything out first. This was done without the relays.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psfwystsha.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...pszhckyesn.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psglfcooaq.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psiwmwrd8l.jpg


I'm quite fond of the new look from behind with the new tires.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psrxg8d7kk.jpg

However, I 100% need to change out the studs in front, which I planned on doing anyway. Stock is M12x1.25, the rear is M12x1.5 which is much more common. When I pull the hubs again to swap the front rotors I'll take care of that, too.

The threads are only about half way into the generic short nuts I grabbed from the auto parts store.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psbhzpwetj.jpg

Hopefully it's up and running tomorrow, which will be fun with no exhaust.

Oh, I still need to figure out the wiper thing. I have which lead does what from the switch figured out, but, that's as far as I got on that.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

Amount of work on the car in the last two days = 6 fast and furiouses.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

This thing is going to be nice when it's done!

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

That wiring looks like a nightmare but nice job on getting most of it sorted out!

My lazy ass would just use rainx on the windshield and call it good lol

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

Every time I see one of these wiring posts on a project thread it makes me want to mess with my harnesses even less. :lol:

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

If you can follow a wiring diagram and have a multimeter it's not a hard task, just tedious and time consuming.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

Yea, that's the worst part for me. Kids take more time than anything ever. At least when they are young like mine. Add in my lack of patience, and crusty old 20 year old wiring vs new stuff? Yea, I'd rather just save up and skip the hassle. Wish I had the patience and time for that though!

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

I had it started and running, so that and all the lights check out.

Things left for this leg of the project:

1. Figure out the wipers
2. Mount everything to the car
3. Change out the temp/oil pressure senders for the Autometer ones.
4. Connect the Hazard switch-I have everything run, I just ran out of solder.
5. Connect power to the fan for heat/vent. Simple, I just need to find the plug thats in my mystery box of stuff cut from the car.
6. Wire in neutral safety and reverse switches. This is technically part of the shifter swap.

To mount stuff, I'm waiting on borrowing a rivetnut kit/tool as that's how I'm going to do everything, instead of nuts and washers.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

I had use of a rivetnut kit over the weekend so I have the 3 distribution blocks and the fuse/relay panel mounted.

I wired up the hazard switch and blower motor.

I slightly changed the plumbing of the vents, it now will only blow out the center. The way it was the blower just didnt move enough air to come out the center and both sides(there was otherwise no way to block off any of the vents). I'd rather have it be stronger from one spot than weak from all of them.

The temporary wiring to get it started was cleaned up.

Autometer water temp and oil pressure sensors installed and wired up.

I now have the wiring for the wipers sorted. There will no longer be an intermittent setting, only Off-Low-High.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

I pulled a valve cover to see which heads it actually has, which are crap by today's standards.

I'll be curious to see if they were re-worked at all. The still are not heads that came with the block. The heads were made from '68-'73 and the block is from '79.

Assuming a stock deck height and flat top pistons, the heads on it give ~9.7:1 compression which is up a bit from where anything in 79 would have been.

The issue is just that they don't flow well. I'm guessing this was someone's attempt in the 70's to make power, going along with the 70's vintage Edelbrock intake manifold.

From digging around, even with a cam(which would require lifters, springs, and a different converter), intake, headers, and the carb/timing setup properly it probably wont make much over 300.

I ordered new front suspension parts, not all of which is actually needed, but, it saves me from having to go through and replace everything that is probably 40+ years old.

About a month from now I'll have to actually make the decision on if I do the LS swap or not this winter, which will probably involved going past the budget I set for myself for the car this winter.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

New wheel studs from ARP and open ended lug nuts on the way, along with the front suspension parts.

Looks like I'll be spending next week/weekend changing out all of the front stuff and installing the new front brakes that I've had sitting around for more than a month now.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

I vote LS

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

Nice, a fellow veteran. This thing looks insane.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

Wiring is now 99% complete. I just need to add a spade terminal for the fan relay control wire and wire the dome light, which needs a bulb first.

I pulled the stock gas tank and all the related parts.

I also pulled the stock rear bumper.

I'll be trying to sell all the stuff I took out to fund the LS swap.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

Welp, I decided an LS swap just isn't going to happen this winter.

I could do it, but, it would cut into my summer budget(events and stuff).

Instead, and assuming the shortblock is fine, throw heads/cam/intake/headers on the 350, which can be done for ~$1500, including a new torque converter.

This is about $1000 less than the LS swap would cost, once you add in all the little things.

Who knows, maybe I'll depart from the past and just be happy with a quick street car to drive around for awhile.

Anyway, step 1 is rebuild the Holley, I've had the kit since I had to pull the secondary bowl when the float got stuck.

It's a generic 600CFM vacuum secondary, which should continue to be fine for my setup.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psbevj2dg0.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ps01j6next.jpg


I found this right away, and I'm pretty sure I didn't do it taking it off the motor.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psybqc6gqe.jpg

That rubber cap is under the bowl so I never noticed it even existed. The cap was brittle and falling apart.

I already disassembled the thing(gogo internet). In the process I found that the diaphragm for the secondaries would not hold vacuum, like at all.

Amusingly, I ordered a new one from amazon which shipped from Wisconsin and will be here tomorrow.

So, at best they were only ever partially open. I'm sure that's why it felt like it would fall on it's face.

The spring in the secondary was changed at some point in the past. I bought the different housing that lets you change the springs without pulling everything apart, too. It was a whole $18.



I probably could have just went to an autoparts store and bought one, but, I was buying some other stuff from amazon anyway.

Today my goal is to have everything cleaned up and re-assembled.

After that or tomorrow I'm going to drain the coolant and pull the head on the driver's side(since it's easier to do) to see what the walls and pistons look like.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

I had the carb back together yesterday. Now it has new gaskets needle/seats etc.

The diaphragm came today, but, the quick change housing for the thing wont be here until tomorrow.

I pulled the intake then the exhaust and head from one side of the motor.

There is still a faint cross hatch on the walls. There is no carbon ring at the top of any of the 4 exposed cylinders.

I know there was very little use between when the swap was done in 1990 and now just based on the overall condition of things and the tires that were on it when I bought the car. It would appear that in the 11 years between 1979 and the swap there wasn't a whole lot of use on the shortblock, either.

It has flat top pistons, which is good. There is only minimal carbon on top of the 4 that are exposed, which is also good.

Due to the 1979 date of the block there was some risk of it having dished pistons for mega-low compression.

With a thin head gasket and the 64cc chamber heads I'm going to get it will bump compression to about 10:1.

From digging through the past few years worth of relevant articles from Hot Rod/Super Chevy etc it should make enough power to be plenty fun for the summer.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

The carb is back together.

My stuff from Japan showed up, and just had to quick throw two of the fender flares on with tape.

I'm quite impressed with the fit/finish of the pieces. The flares are made to very closely follow the body lines of the car. Nearly all of the ones available in the US are much more generic.

There are no voids in the fiberglass on any of the pieces and everything is sanded smooth with not a rough edge to be found.

My front suspension stuff will be here next week. Once I throw that in I can play with getting the car to sit where I want and then put on the flares.

I don't know how much that will actually matter in the end, as there is certainly a sweet spot where the flares follow the contours of the car just right.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psu7wmdqhn.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psttqc7jlt.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ps2xzoqumm.jpg

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

The last of my suspension stuff came today.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psaeiakibn.jpg

Front coilovers/control arm/TC rod. All of which is now adjustable. The only adjustment in the OEM Datsun stuff is toe.

The setup uses the same Koni damper that I have in the rear.

Now there is a 225lb/in spring in front and 250lb/in spring in the rear. They're generically a 2.5"x10" coil front and rear which makes for a lot of options should I feel the need to change rates.

Stock arm vs new:

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psai0eekcd.jpg

As part of changing the front, the wheel studs also needed to be changed. I was someone worried about this since the current studs have been in there since the factory, nearly 42 years ago.

To my surprise they came out quite easily.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...pskdvxx3b2.jpg

I already had new ARP ones, which are much longer and also M12x1.5 to match the rear. OEM was M12x1.25.

I had the new studs in the freezer, with the hope it would make install easier. I don't know if it made a difference, but, it was pretty easy going.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ps5iqlsdge.jpg

Now that I have all the parts I can also throw in the brake swap that I've had sitting around for a couple of months now.

This involved separating the disk from the hub, there are 4 bolts and it's sort of press fit on. This also came apart without drama, I expected things to be corroded together because well, it's brakes.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ps4fteneqn.jpg

Im not super into the drilled/slotted thing, but, that's the only way they come with this kit.

I finished one side of the car. I could have worked on it solid and probably finished the second side today too, but, there's no hurry.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psl9mo7ij4.jpg

vs old:

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psqpwp2n4h.jpg

I did have to clearance the dust shield or whatever it's called so the bigger caliper would fit, the backing plate of the inner pad also needs to be clearances slightly(not actually near the pad material itself). Pretty minor modification for OEM brakes from another brand that otherwise bolt right up.

Re: My "new" car/project.
 

Tits! You get your flares mounted permanently yet?