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ironblock posted:the more impractical and convoluted my solution to the problem is, the happier it will make me.
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Jan 10, 2014 17:04
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ironblock posted:I just caught "the process" in action. I'm rewriting Twitter Bootstrap's CSS file from first principles because everything LESS generates is total poo poo. So that means I need a sanity project, so I decided I would make a virtual Nixie tube clock in CSS, no images, and minimal Javascript. That got me looking up reference images of Nixie tubes, which eventually led me to realize that they look kind of like vacuum tubes, which made me realize that a modern, solid-state amp maybe isn't really in keeping with the original vibe of the Roadster. Do you like Huey Lewis and The News?
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Jan 10, 2014 17:10
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InitialDave posted:Me, RScott and others can see if anyone in aerospace is hiring if you like, you'll fit right in with a design office somewhere. God drat if this aint the truth.
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Jan 10, 2014 17:14
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extreme_accordion posted:Do you like Huey Lewis and The News? Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes.  InitialDave posted:Me, RScott and others can see if anyone in aerospace is hiring if you like, you'll fit right in with a design office somewhere. Tempting, but then who will make a CSS Nixie tube clock?
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Jan 10, 2014 17:21
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ironblock posted:I just caught "the process" in action. I'm rewriting Twitter Bootstrap's CSS file from first principles because everything LESS generates is total poo poo. So that means I need a sanity project, so I decided I would make a virtual Nixie tube clock in CSS, no images, and minimal Javascript. That got me looking up reference images of Nixie tubes, which eventually led me to realize that they look kind of like vacuum tubes, which made me realize that a modern, solid-state amp maybe isn't really in keeping with the original vibe of the Roadster. Hope you like microphonics or buying expensive tubes.
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Jan 10, 2014 17:31
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In all seriousness I can't see the point of dumping money into a stereo for a car you'll be in no more than ... 10hrs a week? I get the 'show' point of it. I just can't get past the cost. Doesn't seem like you are making a car to be parked hard. edit: a word extreme_accordion fucked around with this message at 17:47 on Jan 10, 2014 |
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Jan 10, 2014 17:40
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I see the tiny solid state amp as more in line with the car. Being a sixties car transistors were becoming a thing and your solid state amp is just the furthest progression of that. Vacuum tubes would look better if you had a nice place to view them on the expansive plains of a 40's dash. I think it would look out of place on the Datsun.
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Jan 10, 2014 18:43
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ironblock posted:It's sorta like... the more impractical and convoluted my solution to the problem is, the happier it will make me. I like the thought that I could be flying around a corner thinking "Gee I hope this doesn't hurt the vacuum tubes". It's fundamentally absurd, and I'm becoming more convinced minute by minute. This is how I am with my Royal Enfield 
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Jan 10, 2014 18:51
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Again, it's one of those things. Nobody but me knows that I powder coated the rear axle's U bolts silver. It doesn't make a lick of difference driving the car, but I know. And it makes me happy.djdanno13 posted:I see the tiny solid state amp as more in line with the car. Being a sixties car transistors were becoming a thing and your solid state amp is just the furthest progression of that. Vacuum tubes would look better if you had a nice place to view them on the expansive plains of a 40's dash. I think it would look out of place on the Datsun. They're also cheaper and smaller. I could fit one in the passenger footwell, where the original speaker was. Though honestly I was kind of thinking about putting the XR3000's control unit there. I guess it bears more consideration than I'm giving it. Really I just like the idea that the best way to make music in a sports car could be with fragile glass tubes.
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Jan 10, 2014 18:53
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ironblock posted:So now I'm thinking that maybe I need a vacuum tube amp in the Roadster. Thoughts? That really isn't "period correct"... I'm all about a boomin' system but something like this stashed somewhere will keep your stock look and have Maiden pumping out your doors in minutes. edit: this sure looks rad tho 
dubzee fucked around with this message at 18:58 on Jan 10, 2014 |
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Jan 10, 2014 18:54
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ironblock posted:Tempting, but then who will make a CSS Nixie tube clock? It's not CSS, but forums goon Nonentity already has the Nixie tube clock angle well covered: http://www.slothfurnace.com/sabers/NixieClocks_01.html And to agree with the other posters, "solid-state" and "'60s Japan" are a better match than Vac tubes. Vac tubes'd be great in an old vintage Jag or Caddy from the 40's or 50's though.
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Jan 10, 2014 21:45
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gently caress, I've been stuck in the code dungeon since the start of the year, so haven't had time for a proper update. However, the fact that it's now 2014 means that I was able to call John Parker and use the line "So I bought some carbs from you last year..." He gave the expected litany of excuses - death in the family, serious medical problems, Mikuni supply problems, trying to do "heavy" work right now, etc etc etc. He explained that he was going to have a surgery that would keep him off the heavy work, and that this week he was going to "try" and get my carbs done, and advised me to call him again this Friday. It's not the answer I was looking for, but I'm going to babysit this until the carbs get done. Once I have shipping confirmation, I'm going to clear up two weeks, go back to California, and finish the car. I have a shitload of meetings today, but after that's all done, I'll see what I can do about the next update for you patient folks.
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Jan 20, 2014 18:49
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gently caress's sakes. Life lesson: If your boss asks you why you aren't working as hard as everyone else, don't respond by saying you're taking a vacation and asking for a raise.  Pursuant to that, we lost a developer, and I've been in Super Code Hell: Deluxe Edition ever since. But enough of my e/n problems. It's time for the only problems y'all really wanna hear about. Where was I? Ah, yes... So when last I spoke, the engine was more or less together, but I had left the United States. I came back most of December 2012, before my final move in January. Since I had the body back on the frame, I needed to start reinstalling some poo poo - both to feel the warmth of measurable accomplishments, and because my garage was full to bursting with all the crap that came off the car. I got the engine back on the hoist, and examined the situation. I hadn't seen the rear end end of this engine in a long time, and it could use a little touching up. At least I remembered the pilot bushing.   This is actually an interesting opportunity to gently caress up your car. The U20's 5 speed uses a backing plate twice as thick as the R16's 4 speed - meaning that if you don't swap it out, you'll load up the input shaft like crazy and everything will explode.   This is the U20 backing plate. It didn't necessarily need to be painted, but I got a nice thick coat of Rustoleum on it, which should make it faster to wick oil off after the rope main seal inevitably vomits Valvoline VR1 all over my clutch.  Speaking of...  The bolts I bought were too long, god dammit. Had to make a run to the metric store the next morning, and lost a night of work.  Round two went much better. While you may balk at my use of a stock clutch on a 9.5lb flywheel, I'd remind you that this is the stiffest clutch that Nissan put in any car until the 300ZX Twin Turbo [citation needed].   I realized, too late, that I needed to change the fuckin' throwout bearing, which is press fit onto a little collar. Since I can't get my act together and buy a real press, I had to... improvise (again).   And what a beautiful unit this turned out to be. The shifter is slightly shorter in length (but not in throw), and machined from billet aluminum. I have a Delrin shifter knob around somewhere, as well - it just wasn't on for this picture.   The forklift motor connection is always a source of fun parts. This tiny gear reduction starter was about half the size of the stock unit, and I should be able to remove it without the engine out (real talk, it's a bitch on the early cars).  With that taken care of, I had a (reasonably) complete powertrain to slide back into the willing chassis. But first, I have to tell you about something else... Shiny part is best part One of the many quiet phone calls I made while the body was off in playland was to a company called Classic Tube. These guys specialize in making new stainless steel lines for old cars. Given that the original lines were rusted nearly through, and given that I wanted to stomp on the brake pedal without risking death/dismemberment, I decided that I needed every hydraulic line on the car replaced with new stainless. And the fuel lines, too. I don't have any direct pictures of the lines, for some reason, but you'll see them starting to show up in some of the later pictures. I just wanted to give the shoutout that these guys were due, because the fitment and the quality were PERFECT. Lie back and think of England  No, of course it didn't just drop straight in. The 4 speed mount is a totally different shape than the 5 speed mount, which wants to sit lower. The solution? Drop the 4 speed mount bracket down one set of holes, cut off the remainder.  Okay, now it will just drop straight in, right? Wrong! There's a little U bracket that's providing questionable additional stiffness to the transmission tunnel, and it's right where the 5 speed shifter wants to go! I had completely forgotten about this goddamn thing, so I spent about 45 minutes with a one handed hacksaw, snipping my way through.  Okay, that let me get the engine in, NOW I can bolt it down, and... and...    Surprise! The 4 speed mount's bolt holes are too far forward! I had to pull the engine back out a bit so that I could slot the mounting holes for the transmission. That sorted the rest out, and enabled these kick-rear end bonus shots of the engine in the car, with stainless hardlines gaily skipping to and fro around it.    The next step for the chassis was to get some kind of exhaust system on it, but since I still had some daylight left, I decided to work on the dash. A dash of folly I got the dashplate laid bare, and started examining its rustier qualities.   Satisfied that it wasn't going to fall apart, I made friends with some caustic goo that really hosed up my bare skin wherever it managed to land. I wore thick gloves, but some tiny drops of toxic death still managed to burn some new spots on my arms. I will let you all know if I discover additional superpowers.   Once all the original paint had boiled off, I tried a mockup with my new fibreglass dash cover. Not bad.   For some reason, seeing the dash like this gave me a moment of somber introspection. The last person to see the bare metal of this dashboard was a Japanese factory worker in 1966. I wondered if he had any sense, at the time, of how the community would grow around the cars he was helping to build. With the seriousness taken care of, I sprayed some rust converter on some places and rushed my way to some completely moronic decisions that I now regret. Namely, I tried to cure a textured/wrinkle finish in my garage on a cold, damp night. How on Earth could that gem of wisdom not have worked?    It didn't work worth a drat, leaving me to nurse my pride and consider options that didn't suck rear end. You exhaust me Trigger warning: lovely welding. Ultimateforce please skip this section k thanks <3 I've been going to the same exhaust shop for years, and I'll continue going there until I have a good reason not to. They're cheap, efficient, and fast. The quality is not the best ever, but I was in full on "race to the finish" mode by now. I just wanted what I wanted, when I wanted it. But first, I had to fix something that was bothering me...  Well, that only took several months of wondering why the suspension was too high in the rear. I think I lost about 6 inches when I got it right. That said, it made it really easy to work on the rear end, so maybe all's well that ends well. Loaded her on the trailer, and pulled her down the hill.  Seeing the roadster in a normal sized parking spot made me realize just how small these cars are. They make NA Miatas look big, which is a tall order. It was nice to get a chance to see under the car. The front crossmember seems to have been the jack point of choice for its entire life, but this gives glorious context to the relative size of the 23mm front swaybar, and the reasons you don't want the 7qt aluminum oil pan.  It was also my first chance to see the rear springs in their natural resting state. As I mentioned before, these are negative-arc springs. A lot of Datsun race guys I know absolutely despise these for reasons they can't properly articulate. The specs made sense to me on paper, so we'll have to see how I feel about them after some autocross and other fun.  Let me tell you something about the factory exhaust. It sucks. It sucks bigtime. The R16 cars used (I believe) a 1 5/8" pipe, which is absolutely no good considering the work that I put into the head, ports, valves, displacement, cam, header, etc. The problem is that there's a limiting factor. The exhaust passes through the "X" in the frame, where there are oval cutouts to allow the pipe through. You can see them on the right side of the above picture if you look carefully. People on the forums cautiously recommend that "m-maybe you can f-fit a 2" pipe through". That sounds like some weak-rear end poo poo, if you ask me. I need the biggest, largest, meanest exhaust possible on this tiny Datsun. So we started with a flex pipe, to get some give in the system, and then they ovaled a section of pipe to fit through the frame. It just barely cleared, and the mounts on both sides are really all I have to keep it from buzzing against the frame. Awesome.  It travels through a second ovaled section until clear of the X member, and then reverts to a circle shape for the remainder of its travel. So, non optimal, but I got a 2 1/4" exhaust from the header to the tips. This is supportive of my current and future plans.  They didn't have a Magnaflow with the specs I wanted, so I started with a Dynomax "SuperTurbo" muffler. I like a loud exhaust as much as the next guy, but after the ear-pounding freeway experience I had with the Magnaflow in my 280ZX Turbo, I decided something a little quieter was in order.  The axle-back section of the exhaust closely mirrors the factory setup, right down to the soul-crushing crush bends.  And for the tip, I decided to eschew the usual megaphone tip, in favor of dual stacked tips, like on the 240Z and some early performance Roadster exhausts. It's a completely aesthetic decision, and it was executed about as well as could be expected, given the bottom-dollar price I paid. Some day, I may redo this.    Next time, on DATSUN BALL Z In the next episode, I learn about the power of aftermarket lighting, install accessories, and realize that there's a lot of checks my brain has written that reality can't cash.
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Jan 23, 2014 00:28
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I'm enjoying the hell out of this thread. From seeing  to the finished frame and big giant brakes and all of the other work that's gone on I really applaud you and hope when it's completed that it gives back as much as you put in.
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Jan 23, 2014 02:42
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Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment, and I have kind of the same hope. I know it must not seem like it, but the stuff that I've shown so far has been the easy, obvious stuff. Every time you want to make a new modification to a car like this, there's a huge impact on the timeline, since you essentially have to re-engineer for the unknown. I still don't have the manifolds on my brake calipers because part of the steering knuckle is in the way. I'm going to have to pull the hubs apart again and do some grinding before I can move forward on that. Similarly, once I have the carbs, it's going to be an adventure in learning to actually get them connected to everything. I don't even know if I have a choke cable. The biggest frustration is knowing that I have problems left to solve, but not being able to examine any of the components without buying a $600 plane ticket.
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Jan 23, 2014 05:46
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It's cute that you think you'll actually get parts from VPD sometime this decade.  
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Jan 23, 2014 05:52
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zundfolge posted:It's cute that you think you'll actually get parts from VPD sometime this decade. I have to call him tomorrow, so I'll report back with my findings. Come hell or high water, I will have those carbs.
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Jan 23, 2014 05:56
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ironblock posted:I have to call him tomorrow, so I'll report back with my findings. Come hell or high water, I will have those carbs. As much as I love this thread, the carb saga really has my attention here. Do you have any legal ground to base a threat on?
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Jan 23, 2014 17:16
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Hard to know. I'm not a lawyer. I have receipts from the transaction, and email between myself and John corroborating the price and the timing. Here are the tricky parts: - I am a US citizen, I'm not a US resident - I paid for them using a VISA issued by CIBC First Caribbean, which has no US branch and is not subject to any US banking laws - I paid him in May of 2013, which is a while ago now So given that I'm not a lawyer, I can't really say what my recourse is. I assume I'd be able to do something, but I'd really like to just get the carbs - otherwise I'm out almost two grand.
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Jan 23, 2014 18:39
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You may be able to reverse the transaction through Visa if it comes down to it. Your comment about grinding the steering knuckle...Make sure you have the steering arm that bolts onto the spindle oriented the right way. One way is correct (tie-rod connection farther outboard) while the other way interferes with the caliper manifold. Ask me how I know...
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Jan 23, 2014 18:49
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Boaz MacPhereson posted:Do you have any legal ground to base a threat on? The problem is that Mr Parker has far more experience failing to deliver and dodging his customers than any of them do at pursuing someone who won't deliver. He's mastered the art of telling you what you want to hear and buying months with the promise of a week. From what I've heard he just puts his in-person and racing customers first and everyone else can get hosed. Some people get their parts, others never do. Sorry man, and good luck.
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Jan 23, 2014 20:41
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If that's the case, I'm willing to become an "in-person" customer for as long as it takes to get what I want. I got air miles, and I can work from anywhere.
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Jan 23, 2014 23:08
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ironblock posted:If that's the case, I'm willing to become an "in-person" customer for as long as it takes to get what I want. I got air miles, and I can work from anywhere. If this happens, please get video. *knock knock* "Carbs please."
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Jan 23, 2014 23:13
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Boaz MacPhereson posted:If this happens, please get video. I'll chip in to buy Ironblock a go-pro with audio just to see this.
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Jan 24, 2014 03:35
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CroatianAlzheimers posted:I'll chip in to buy Ironblock a go-pro with audio just to see this. I've got an HD Hero 3, I think. If this comes to pass, I will document my experiences for your collective entertainment.
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Jan 24, 2014 04:59
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Parker isn't picking up his phone. My rage... is building.
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Jan 24, 2014 18:57
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Aren't google voice numbers still free? 
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Jan 24, 2014 22:00
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Z3n posted:Aren't google voice numbers still free? First one's free, then $10 for every change thereafter.
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Jan 24, 2014 22:45
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Beach Bum posted:First one's free, then $10 for every change thereafter. First one's free then it's free for every different e-mail address you have with google.
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Jan 25, 2014 00:18
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tater_salad posted:First one's free then it's free for every different e-mail address you have with google. Yeah I guess I could have been a bit more descriptive  Seems inevitably like the only way to fix these problems is to basically annoy the poo poo out of the person until you're a larger pain in the rear end than their in person customers.
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Jan 25, 2014 00:36
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Maybe we could all call and say Give IronBlock his carbs.
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Jan 25, 2014 00:52
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tater_salad posted:Maybe we could all call and say Give IronBlock his carbs. I was thinking this, and I'm down. I also have access to a lot of phone numbers.
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Jan 25, 2014 01:27
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I'm in for a call. And in a few months when I have money again and might be going to get a certain set of LTBs, I might see if I can harass another person in the area into joining the "show up in person and demand carbs" army...
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Jan 25, 2014 01:38
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I'm down for a phone call. I'm way too far for a visit, but I'll happily look angrily into a webcam if someone wants to drag a laptop to his door.
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Jan 25, 2014 01:52
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I'm not ready to get hostile yet, since it seems like things are finally moving along. Calling from my Google Voice number worked, and John is now fully aware of my frustrations. He swore up and down that he needed two weeks, which I'm going to hold him to. After that, the gloves are off.
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Jan 27, 2014 18:23
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ironblock posted:I'm not ready to get hostile yet, since it seems like things are finally moving along. That man's charisma must be as big as universe to get away with so much bullshit. I applaud your infinite patience.
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Jan 28, 2014 12:13
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It's not charisma so much as he has more leverage than me unless I want to get really nasty. Thinking about buying backup Webers for the time being, since the new bullshit ones are actually pretty cheap.
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Jan 28, 2014 15:46
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In 2 weeks he's going to have another excuse about how he just needs some thing to make the best carbs ever or some bullshit. Just gotta be more of a pain in the rear end then the next guy to get them. Id call him every day at random times from a new number checking in on your carbs. The reason his in person customers can get their parts is because they're more annoying than just doing the work. Also his phone must have a giant address book of numbers that say "do not answer". Sort of mind boggling. Isnt it coming up on a year plus already? It's really sad to see such an awesome build held up by some fuckhead who can't keep his promises  I just wanna see it all put together!
Z3n fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Jan 28, 2014 |
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Jan 28, 2014 16:49
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Well it's been a week. Have you checked in at all with this clown?
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Feb 4, 2014 20:20
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Boaz MacPhereson posted:Well it's been a week. Have you checked in at all with this clown? He's posted some stuff on his website, which I choose to believe is targeted at me. I think the multiple passive aggressive phone calls did the trick. http://www.v-performance.com/news.html I'm basically working 14 hour days, 7 days a week trying to get our domain registrar ready for general availability on some of the new generic strings, and I've had basically zero time for anything else. My life has been reduced to a countdown on the whiteboard by my desk. I've started to assemble my final parts list for the roadster, and I'm going to put in an order for everything outstanding that I can think of. My plan is that after we launch, I'll take 2-3 weeks off in March and go back to California to (hopefully) finish the car. If I get truly desperate, I have some SUs that I could make work, even though they would be literally the worst.
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Feb 5, 2014 21:36
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