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Tremek posted:Saw this today and thought for a moment about calling thanks to this thread: Somethin's fucky with that one. It has an ID plate for a U20 (as though it were a de-converted 2000, or they swapped the ID plate with one), It's been hit bad in the rear, it's had the side trim strips shaved, the front emblems ( D A T S U N on the hood, in particular) shaved, and it has front fenders from a '69. It's a cheap one, if it's running, but I worry that it might be a previous owner special.  Beach Bum posted:Is... is this your first time with manual timing? Listening to that motor when your timing was utterly hosed was painful. Then again I learned timing by ear on my F250, BMW 318 (M10), and Miata, so I kinda know what to listen for. It's sort of complicated. I sort of knew what I was listening for, having done timing on a ton of other stuff, but I made the mistake of assuming that the timing was perfect, and focusing all of my attention on the carbs, which were very scary and totally untested. It was dumb, because I had the following combination of untested elements in play, all at the same time: - Crane XR3000 optical pickup/ignition control module - 300ZX ignition coil - Plugged vacuum advance - Recurved distributor - 6v to 12v conversion (no ballast resistor) - Distributor is double adjustable, for some reason (screw on base plate, nut to base) I couldn't succinctly explain it in that video, but it ended up being a combination of not having the distributor drive gear on the right tooth, and having the optical trigger in more or less a random position. I set and reset the gear, thinking that it must be my problem, since it was clearly wrong, and I eventually determined that it wasn't the carbs' fault. Once I actually took a look at the pickup, and compared it to the stock points positioning, I realized that I had more or less 180˚ of freedom with respect to where the actual trigger went. Once I put it in what seemed like a good "zero" position, I rechecked the timing with the light, and promptly set the timing completely wrong, because in my mind, it was like an L-series in a Z or 510, and A) the engine spun the same way and B) had the same timing marks. Here's the timing pointer for an L28E:  And here's the timing info for an R16:  So when I was trying to start it, it was variously way too retarded (like -90˚), way too advanced (maybe 35˚), and when I finally did start it, at about 18-20˚BTDC. In short, there's nothing dumber than assuming you're too smart / know too much to make a dumb mistake.   To this day, one of my biggest problems is just being able to step back from something for long enough to make an objective assessment of what's actually going on. I think I got too caught up in the panic of "holy poo poo, my science experiment might be working / catching on fire" to actually check the basics. The rest of the story is coming. I made the mistake of staying on the OS X beta train, and 10.10.3 beta's Photos.app has completely buttfucked my photo library
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Apr 7, 2015 08:52
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Wait a minute, Nissan made reverse-spinning engines? I have the same problem as you do with any complex system. I've started forcing myself to make lists of known and unknowns, on paper, while away from the problem.
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Apr 7, 2015 16:02
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WHELLP. I hosed it all up, folks.  The anual Solvang roadster show is over, and it was fun. It rained a bit, it was cold. My car wasn't there.    As you no doubt expected, I was going full tilt, and preparing to do another awesome video, but instead, I spent my weekend doing this:  But before I can tell you that story, I have to tell you about all the things leading up to this moment, and what it was that caused things to go so horribly, horribly wrong. The Post-Start World After that first start, there was well and truly a fire lit 'neath my nethers. You have to remember: for almost four years, this car had been an art installation. It was yet another rusty lump that I pushed off a trailer, with no certain destiny, and no past to live up to. It was just that thing that stole my time and money on weekends, and gave me no tangible value in return. All of a sudden, things were different. If I had a working clutch, and brakes, I realized... I could drive the thing. Suddenly, all the things in my life that had been competing for my attention became way less important. I started taking time off work, or working at night. I started getting up early. I zeroed out my bank account buying parts I had held off on purchasing for years. I knew one thing only: that I had to keep momentum at all costs. Fixing Fuel One of the biggest problems with the HSRs was that right off the bat, they were leaking fuel. They're designed for a gravity-fed application, so the piddly 3.5psi that my stock fuel pump was putting out was actually way too drat much for them. I needed a way to take the pressure down, but nearly every FPR I could find that was willing to go low enough seemed like total crap. Eventually, I settled on a Holley that seemed like it would do what I wanted, with the added benefit of a second pressurized port for other shenanigans. As ever, my plans started on paper.     I'm sort of all hat and no cattle when it comes to fab work, though. Anything that I can't sort of LEGO together is pretty... average. This came out unusually well.    I had a great spot picked out for it, too.  The only problem was that my linkage rod was in the way. There were some other modifications that I needed to make, too: I had stupidly decided to use one-piece retainers on that rod, forcing me to remove everything from the rod every time I needed to make an adjustment. So the rod came out, I got out the hacksaw and the grinding wheel, and I took some inches off.  Sensing an opportunity, I realized that I could piggyback a bracket for the FPR on the retaining eye for the rod, and bent up and tapped some steel stock that I had lying around.    This seeemed to work out well.     Unfortunately, the shutoff ball valve was just slightly too long, so it didn't make the final cut. Not a great loss, since the FPR holds the fuel pretty well in check, and it's easy to just pinch my "fuel manifold" when removing the carbs. I bought some springs to try out, to try and tune the pedal feeling. At some point, I removed the return springs from the carbs themselves, because they were so stiff that they would take the linkage out of alignment.   This was a heavily trial-and-error based process, but it brought me much closer to a "final" carb package.  At some point, it was pointed out to me that, oh yeah, don't I need heat shields? So I made some.     I can't say for sure how effective these will be, since it's just some thin galv sheeting, but I figure it's better than nothing. While I was at it, I realized that the original method of adjusting the idle on these carbs would be no use to me at all. There are some tiny screws that poke through the body of the carb, and push the slide up ever so sightly. I needed them either gone or fully turned in to get the carbs to not contact, so I cut them all down to clear.      Long term, these will probably be replaced with some normal looking screws, once I figure out what the pitch is. I certainly don't need that bushing or that spring.  For the time being, they worked. Assuming Control The factory control cable for the throttle was frayed, and generally in bad shape. I replaced it with a stainless steel brake cable from a bike shop. It's nearly the same dimensions, and I basically got two cables for the price of one!    Original is on the right. A Brake With Tradition My unconventional brakes were the last thing really keeping me where I was. I had never figured out all the fabrication challenges, and so I was stuck with this weird mish-mash of stuff that really didn't want to fit together. The first order of business was to do something about the master cylinder. The short-stroke Tilton was great for packaging, and clearing that pesky No. 4 carb, but the reservoir was located so far back that it actually wouldn't clear the top mounting stud.  Out came the trusty Craftsman cutoff tool, a rasp, and a die. In the end, it was possible to just barely clear enough of the stud for the brake master cylinder to mount, but it was close.    Another pleasant surprise came when when I discovered that the reservoir tank's cap just BARELY fit. These are the kinds of things that I really ought to have checked out before buying the parts.   Next, to accomodate the phenomenal difference between the massive Volvo brakes in front, and the stock drums in the rear, I needed to install an adjustable proportioning valve. Again, to give you a sense of the size difference between the Volvo girling calipers and the stock Sumitomo-Dunlops...  Luckily, I had bought an eBay special long, long ago that was perfect for the role. It works flawlessly, despite a somewhat simplistic appearance.    You may recall also that I was having a certain amount of trouble getting the banjo bolts to clear my steering knuckle. When faced with the dilemma of "which do I cut down", I decided that the aftermarket, alien part should always be the one on the chopping block, and the non-wear parts of the car should stay as original as possible. So, the grinding wheel came back out.  As luck would have it, a little bit was all I needed.  The next problem was that on both my OEM and braided lines, the fitting was too drat long for the brass manifolds, and had to be cut down.  As you may imagine, it took a long, long time to get this brake system to seal.  I had to take all of that back apart several times to finesse parts and change crushwashers. But eventually, it held, and didn't leak. And, what's more, I was able to get the front wheels to clear the brakes without spacers. Just. Barely.    Eventually, it was time to fill the car with brake fluid, and see if I could get any amount of function into the brake pedal. Unfortunately, it's only DOT3, since enough of the seals aren't qualified for DOT4 that I wasn't going to risk it.    Honorable mention goes to the mid-car connection for the rear brakes. This little fucker WOULD NOT SEAL no matter how many times I reseated it. I have no idea what I finally did to make this thing happy, but it cost me at least two hours I'll never see again   My initial attempts to bleed the brakes went poorly. If you've ever tried to bleed a brake system with new lines, you know why. As the saying goes, it's like trying to push a skunk out of a culvert with a rope. I needed to go bigger. ========== Unfortunately, that's all I have time for tonight. I'll keep going, and I'll explain my in media res opening paragraph later. It's quite interesting. It involves an STP product, parts from a forklift, and getting (metaphorically) struck by lightning twice.
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May 8, 2015 08:40
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Man, this thing is sweet, but with all of the trick custom stuff you're doing, why are you sticking with a suicide circuit? No way to make a dual circuit master fit? I wouldn't want to drive hard something that was one rubber seal or hose away from complete brake failure.
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May 8, 2015 09:58
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Why is your engine in many pieces? This can't be good.. I HOPE that it's something along the lines of "while fixing something I dropped a tiny screw and it bounced around and like the Kennedy assassination the magic screw ended up down the carbs and now I need to find it"
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May 8, 2015 13:28
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tater_salad posted:Why is your engine in many pieces? This can't be good.. I HOPE that it's something along the lines of "while fixing something I dropped a tiny screw and it bounced around and like the Kennedy assassination the magic screw ended up down the carbs and now I need to find it" I have a bad feeling it was his aforementioned excited-tunnel-vision, and he ran into "I think it's x, and I'm going to throw enough time & fiddling at x to make it run kind of better (but meanwhile it's really y, and running it with y as out of whack as it is means poo poo is hosed and I need new bearings)." I hope I'm wrong. This project is amazing, the end result is going to be spectacular, I can't wait.
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May 8, 2015 14:05
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Well... that's not good. I feel you on the custom brake poo poo. Plumbing can be a right bitch if it wants to be.
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May 8, 2015 14:11
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Now I want to buy a Roadster and move to California so I have an excuse to visit Solvang yearly. On the edge of my seat for the next instalment.
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May 8, 2015 14:16
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Jesus, the issues with those carbs just screams for an EFI conversion to me, gently caress the purists. Hell I'd go full restomod, that car with modern EFI, brakes and suspension etc would be ten times better than any modern roadster. Just my opinion though, I applaud your effort and it sucks that your motor has appeared to have exploded all over your work bench 
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May 8, 2015 15:10
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I know it's too late, but look up pressure bleeding. You use either a motive pressure bleeder (or homemade one) or modify a cap with an air fitting and shop air. Seriously the best way to do most brakes.
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May 8, 2015 15:40
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mafoose posted:I know it's too late, but look up pressure bleeding. You use either a motive pressure bleeder (or homemade one) or modify a cap with an air fitting and shop air. Seriously the best way to do most brakes. I hope your engine is ok.
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May 8, 2015 16:17
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Raluek posted:No way to make a dual circuit master fit? 67.5 - 70 had them. You can cut and weld the pocket from the later cars, and change the under dash area, but really what you should do is start with a later car. That also gives you neat things like a collapsible steering column and a torque link on the rear axle. I figure these cars were raced competitively for a number of years, and you don't hear about a lot of brake failures. Still, it does worry me a bit, and hindsight is 20/20. Boat posted:I have a bad feeling it was his aforementioned excited-tunnel-vision, and he ran into "I think it's x, and I'm going to throw enough time & fiddling at x to make it run kind of better (but meanwhile it's really y, and running it with y as out of whack as it is means poo poo is hosed and I need new bearings)." You're pretty close, sadly. It was more a problem of refusing to believe what was right in front of me, and not entering panic mode soon enough. Hopefully this will teach me a lesson, but I think this is just a way in which my brain is broken. I need to count to 10 and walk away from the car before making any decisions in the future. leica posted:Hell I'd go full restomod, that car with modern EFI, brakes and suspension etc would be ten times better than any modern roadster. It's a common sentiment. There are about a hundred of these. Note the automatic transmission. If I wanted something with those features, I have half a million things to choose from. If I wanted something with four carburetors that might explode, my choices are more limited. mafoose posted:I know it's too late, but look up pressure bleeding. NitroSpazzz posted:Best way to do brakes and only way to do it when running new lines. You guys are 100% right. I ended up buying a MityVac pressure bleeder that uses shop air, and it's life changing. I made one feeble attempt to bleed the brakes the "traditional" way, and it didn't work at all. 5 minutes per corner with the MityVac, and this car has the most solid brake pedal in the world.
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May 8, 2015 20:13
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"Ironblock's Datsun Restomod: It didn't fit, so I had to cut it down"
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May 8, 2015 20:30
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Hypnolobster posted:"Ironblock's Datsun Restomod: It didn't fit, so I had to cut it down" I prefer "Out came the trusty Craftsman cutoff tool".
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May 8, 2015 23:52
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Volvo Girling calipers! That's the same things I've got up front in my '68 2002! And modernization be damned, I'm keeping my loving carbs too! Even if it means paying someone else to work on them for me (which is to say I'm pretty sure they need to be rebuilt). So if you're going bigger brakes are you going to go with a Wilwood kit or something? Also, 3.5PSI seems super low, even my 45 DCOE Webers are fine with 5-6.
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May 9, 2015 06:39
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Its not a direct quote but Ballistic Datsun Restomod: "Wont fit? I'll MAKE it fit!"
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May 10, 2015 02:44
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The saga continues, with a twist:
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May 30, 2015 18:51
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ironblock posted:The saga continues, with a twist: not in the head i hope 
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May 30, 2015 19:31
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ironblock posted:The saga continues, with a twist: You are the worst cocktease ever.
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May 30, 2015 21:20
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Huge_Midget posted:You are the worst cocktease ever. I know. But imagine what it's like to actually be me, constantly doing these things to myself. Anyways. That head is special. Remember how I said that there was a forklift which had compatible parts with my engine? That's a Nissan Y44 head for the forklift in question. Unlike my stock head, which is aluminum alloy, the Y44 head is cast iron. That particular head is also NOS, and I got it on eBay for $100. So far, that makes it the best price/performance of any part bought for this car, period. I worked the stock head as much as it was possible to do, including the use of the larger valves from the H20 engine. Five angle valve job, ports matched to the gasket, the works. The iron head lets me do even more. Iron is a harder metal, and many machinists will tell you that it's easier to work with. Among other things, the ports in this head have a gentle bend that puts the end of the port right over the valve head. The stock head has kind of lumpy ports and you can never really get around how the valve guides sit. As a result, the Y44 head is the silver bullet when building an R-series motor for serious flow. Why do I need serious flow all of a sudden? Good question.
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Jun 3, 2015 08:29
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Please stop stomping on my balls. 
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Jun 3, 2015 08:51
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Terminus Est posted:Please stop stomping on my balls. This please
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Jun 3, 2015 13:22
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After seeing this video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UsbfzmPCYX4 I have come to the conclusion that you must have an intense, all-consuming steely determination to stay period correct and not just drop in something far more modern and powerful after all the effort you've gone through. Because seriously, you're putting in a lot of work and $$$$ just to say you stuck to original-era mods. Which I can respect, even if I myself could never resist the temptation to go nuts. Militant Lesbian fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Jun 3, 2015 |
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Jun 3, 2015 14:16
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HotCanadianChick posted:After seeing this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdck07wTRXo I have come to the conclusion that you must have an intense, all-consuming steely determination to stay period correct and not just drop in something far more modern and powerful after all the effort you've gone through. Especially when something like this is also possible for very little money: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsbfzmPCYX4
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Jun 3, 2015 16:10
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KozmoNaut posted:Especially when something like this is also possible for very little money: Doh, that's the video I thought I'd linked, didn't notice the one I posted was something else.
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Jun 3, 2015 16:43
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Every time I think about how to get more power out of this engine, it pleases me. It's extremely silly, and it keeps me up at night. I think it's true love. But seriously, if you think I'm crazy, you should check out the Datsun 1200 guys. They're working with a 1.2L engine that's basically a clone of what I think was an Austin design? And some of them have done completely ludicrous builds with that A12 motor. Anyways it's taking me literally forever to compile this next set of pictures, so by way of apology, I will share with you another piece of the puzzle. These have not been installed yet, but they are the shape of things to come.  
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Jun 4, 2015 09:01
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H beams and a head that flows more? Sounds like forced induction to me! Also aluminum is much easier to work on then steel, except for welding.
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Jun 4, 2015 09:08
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That thing sounds badass! Glad its running. ...6 months ago.
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Jun 4, 2015 12:52
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ironblock posted:Anyways it's taking me literally forever to compile this next set of pictures, so by way of apology, I will share with you another piece of the puzzle. Please hurry up and catch up because I have pictures and at least one video I want to post but can't because of spoiling your story
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Jun 4, 2015 17:57
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MoofOntario posted:Please hurry up and catch up because I have pictures and at least one video I want to post but can't because of spoiling your story You're not my real dad I don't have to do what you want. Anyways. Where was I?   Ah, yes. I had just finished telling you folks about why I had so much trouble figuring out my timing. I now have the perfect image to illustrate the nature of my difficulties.  Imagine, if you will. The nigh infinite number of positions that pickup sensor could be in. The immensity of it all. The effortless chaos of a fundamentally unordered universe. Well, that's exactly what I didn't imagine when I was trying to get my timing set, and it was ultimately pretty freakin' easy once I moved that thing about 90˚ from where it was. Oops. Once I got my timing set up, the next step was to sort of fudge the carb sync well enough that I was able to do a 20 minute engine run-in and change the oil. Even with a very rudimentary sync, it was sounding pretty good. The oil came out pretty muddy.  I don't always do the 20 minute oil change, but given how long this engine was sitting indoors, and how much assembly lube and other crap I put in it, this seemed like the smart money.  I then refilled it with some other stuff. Pay real close attention to that oil filter. It becomes very important later on in the story.  I did this just because I knew someone would tell me not to.  My Next Move Since the engine was pretty well set, and I had working brakes, I needed a working clutch, a place to sit, a way to steer, and a speedometer cable (so as not to barf oil everywhere).  The interior was mostly present, but nothing was bolted down or even bolted together. My exact to-do list looked something like this:  Fortunately, I had just gotten some new toys in the mail. Remember these guys?  The shift knob ended up being perfect. I'm using a shortened shift lever (the stick is shorter, not the actual shift action), and the prevailing wisdom is to use a heavier shift knob so that your throws have some inertia to them. I tried a few, and I wasn't a fan. I like to feel everything that the shifter is doing, so a nice light knob is perfect for me.  Despite a seemingly longer body, the threaded section starts deeper in, so the overall height is about the same.  And compared to the condition of my factory 5 speed knob... well, there is no comparison.   Shifting taken care of, it was time to look at my other controls. So I technically had a way to steer, but...    Just a little bit smaller, with a much thicker rim. And there's just something satisfying about control surfaces that no previous owners have touched. So clean. But, as these things do, it went off the rails a little. Yes, the spline count was right, and it fit with no drama.  But the turn signal canceling pins are 90˚ offset from the position that a 311 wants. I knew it was coming, and hoped that it was something I could work around, but it really means that my turn signals just don't cancel properly. Nothing for it, unless I want a different wheel. I guess I should feel lucky that I even have canceling pins. Ironblock mutilates the car without using a cutting tool So, one of the other interesting discrepancies between the early and late cars is how the transmissions are shaped. The speedo cable for the 4 speed is shorter, and enters the transmission close to the bell housing. The 5 speed's enters near the tail. Similar to how the shift position is subtly different, there's a little bump in the floor pan where the cable head is supposed to go, and I was missing that bump. So I start thinking to myself... What can I do to create that concave shape? I just need a little clearance...  Hmm... I need to apply force in a very small area, directly upward... What tool do I have that can do that...?    PEEK-A-BOO Who says bottle jacks are useless?  Righting past wrongs I decided to take some corrective action against past sins, as long as I was ostensibly getting ready to actually try and drive the drat thing. I put the seal on the soft top's bow:  I pulled the carbs out, and changed the abysmal tubing I was using for high-pressure hose. I don't need it, but the "fuel-rated" hose from McMaster Carr was a loving joke. It was cracking and disintegrating by the end, and it had barely even touched fuel or gotten hot.     Just... what the gently caress, man. While I had the carbs out, I took a look at creative solutions to my clearance problems on the number 4 arm. The thought was to introduce some mild bends into it so that the upper pivot point was moved up and away. More on this later.   Ironblock gets distracted a lot One of my longstanding Datsun goals is to autocross the bejeezus out of my Roadster. My Corvette almost couldn't be more different, car-wise. That didn't stop me from having a blast up at Sonoma.     Downside: The other Datsun guys made fun of me the whole time  Upside: I found THE BEST WALL ART EVER  If you're ever up at Sonoma Raceway, there's a store called Wine Country Motorsports that carries all kinds of weird old kitsch. I got that picture for $20, and it now proudly hangs right next to my bed. My girlfriend hates it so much. The continuing saga There is much more to come, but I need to sleep now so that I can spend all day tomorrow yelling at our remote developers about whether or not the middleware is broken. I can tell you that the dream is real, and I'm still finding new and interesting ways to go broke making this car be not actually all that fast.
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Jun 5, 2015 09:04
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I can save you a day of work so you can spend it on the Datsun instead. The middleware is broken and your offsite developers are refusing to fix it because their boss won't let them do it right. Your to-do lists are very Saul Bass. I like 'em.
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Jun 5, 2015 16:56
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IronBlock's Inter-Continental Ballistic Datsun Restomod: "more on this later"
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Jun 5, 2015 17:25
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Well, as expected, somebody broke the build by reverting a reverted commit, and now they're arguing over whether or not it's a kernel bug in FreeBSD. In much better news, a heavy box from Australia has just arrived for me. What could it be?
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Jun 5, 2015 20:26
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ironblock posted:Well, as expected, somebody broke the build by reverting a reverted commit, and now they're arguing over whether or not it's a kernel bug in FreeBSD. It better be shiny and chrome
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Jun 5, 2015 20:35
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Two superchargers.
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Jun 5, 2015 20:58
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A kangaroo?
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Jun 5, 2015 22:19
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drop bear.
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Jun 5, 2015 23:03
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Quad turbos. And a cane toad.
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Jun 5, 2015 23:05
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And a Wombat
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Jun 6, 2015 00:15
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Your to-do lists are very Saul Bass. I like 'em. For real. What font is that? I wanna use it every day now.
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Jun 9, 2015 15:09
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