I've already half convinced myself to just redo the entire harness from scratch, it would be much simpler.

As I've mostly been concentrating on suspension and steering, Sigfrid has been researching engine "mods" and every night I get emails with junkyard shopping lists.
So far I've harvested the throttle body from a 240SX (allows for cable conversion from the wonky stock hard linkage), the distributor from a 280ZX (completely electronic with integrated ign module) and I'm hunting for a suitable alternator with integrated voltage regulator. I also found and have prepped the larger booster/MC from the ZX.
I have no idea if any of this **** actually works but we'll see.



It's been seven years since my last Z car ('71 240) and twenty years since Sigfrids, so we'll both be surprised how this feels.
Torque will be interesting to have...

I like to think I respect a car's philosophical integrity but would swap the engine in my FC without hesitation or qualms and if this Z requires the same, we'll do it.
The point is not to have a good Z, it's to have a fun car.

Besides, I'm of the opinion that Datsun half-assed the engine from the beginning...it's the exact same straight six they were using in large sedans and trucks, they didn't even give the Z a hot cam. There is absolutely nothing special about it.

Looking in the bay, the first two engine cylinders are in front of the steering rack and it's difficult not to imagine how much better the car might handle with a shorter V-6 or turboed straight 4 replacing the straight 6 cylinder.

That said, we've already invested quite a bit in parts for this motor, we're trying to make it work. We have a full exhaust, so at the very least, we should sound good.
At this point we just want a good, solid platform to evaluate, any radical mods will wait till we get some seat time.

 

turbo sr20?

 

It's been considered.

 

true to both! isn't the engine related to the mercedes straight 6 from the 50's?

 

This has become the grown-up lounge. Look at all the off-topics. No one cares as it is a relaxing place to hang and shoot the breeze...

 

got any pics on the sideskirts yet? Would be Nice to see how that turned out. And i have to put in my two cents on the Engine swap. Dunno exactly how much of a pita it would be but with what i have seen, i have no doubts about your ability to put an rb25 in there. Of Course this would make it alot more expensive than it already is. Just going from your statement that you want a fun car =). very impressed with your tempo man you get A LOT of **** done in a short period of time.

 

There are a couple of reasons for that...

I am Superman.
Obviously.

Access to high quality weed and good music.
Nothing like Golden Goat and Tubular Bells to get you through eight hours with a wire wheel to derust suspension parts.

The car itself is amazing.
We looked at many other Z's (all much more expensive than this one) that had rust issues. Our car looked worse, but under all the surface crud, it is almost pristine.
I've only broken two bolts during the entire disassembly. For comparison, I broke eight on my FC.

The car is so simple.
The suspension is ludicrously rudimentary, so there are fewer pieces and fewer bushings to replace. There is only one press-in bushing per side on the front suspension.

Parts are dirt cheap.
Because the model was basically unchanged for so long, parts are unbelievably cheap.
Motor mounts are $6, LCA ball joints are $5...it's all like that. Our budget has allowed for massive parts acquisition without waiting (I'm getting multiple deliveries every day this week), so down time has been minimal.

We're doing the easy stuff first.
Dirty and hornet-ridden as it's been, so far everything I've done is straightforward mechanical. Unbolt, clean, paint, reassemble.
No fiddly "fitting" or modding, just regular ole wrenching.
The interior and electrical will be much slower.

Experience.
The Z is about the 25th car I've renovated like this and Sigfrid and I collaborated on the V-8 FD, so we know how to do it efficiently.
We both believe that a total stripdown at the beginning saves time and energy down the road and we both know that it's dirty, messy and not especially fun.
Powering through the boring stuff gets you to the fun part quicker and more reliably and we have the patience to do that.
Do it once, do it right and don't look back.

I'd also credit the materials we're using for the pace of the process.
Both the Rustoleum Bedliner and the VHT high temp satin black engine enamel are very easy and forgiving to work with.
We're doing the best we can for prep but it's hardly ideal and both of these paints have gone on perfectly without a problem. No runs, fisheyes or adhesion issues.
No clue yet how they hold up but she'll look great for a little while at least.

We're supposed to get rain for a few days starting tomorrow, so I'm racing to get the painting done today. There are still a few suspension bits to do and bedliner for the inside of the hood and fenders. All the parts are in the cleaning process and it shouldn't be a problem.
In fact, the hood has been the biggest problem so far, for a completely unexpected reason. When the car was repainted from factory silver to burgundy (why would you do that?), they painted the inside of the hood, so I figured just a wash and some scuffing with a scotchbright pad was all the prep it'd need.
I douched it with Purple Power and then hit it with the garden hose and the paint started falling off the surface!

They had done absolutely zero prep and it was only habit holding the red paint to the factory primer.
About sixty percent of the paint came off with water pressure but of course, the hard parts (all the inside bracing) required hand work.
So, instead of spending 1/2 hour cleaning the hood, I spent 2 1/2 hours stripping all the paint.
Oh well.

We're on schedule to have the front end back together by Sunday, with all new suspension, steering and brakes.
I'll then move to the rear of the car and begin the process all over again, Sigfrid will begin piecing the engine bay back together.
When the back is done, we both begin exterior bodywork (very minimal) to prepare for PlastiDip. Even if she's not running yet, we want the painting done and out of the way.

We actually expect the engine to run fine, she started (and drove!) under horrible circumstances already...we found finger tight spark plugs, two loose plug wires, bad injector clips and totally rotten gas.
We have all new injectors and pigtails, every engine sensor and full gasket set, new waterpump and oil pump (it's external!), upgraded distributor and throttle body, so we expect it to be OK.

I should stop droning on and drive over and get to work.
I don't really want to.

Sigh.

@Meercat:
Nope, sorry.
The sideskirts have been put on hold as I frenzy on the Z...I'll get back to them as soon as I can but it's not a real priority now.

 

this is the problem with the FC, Mazda went from the Rx3 which is rudimentary, to the 1st gen, which is also pretty simple, to the FC which is complex. tons of weird fiddly parts that are year specific...

agreed! after all the stuff i did to my Tr3, it was clear if i ever got another it needs everything mechanical looked at...

shoot i have a long list for the Rx8's too, step one, interior comes out (20minutes), and goes in the sink for a cleaning

 

hahaha what a coincidence! i havent dabbled in the herbal side of things for ten years but i had a couple tokes yesterday and had the best skate ive had in a long time! as dave chapelle said, "you aint crisp, but you can function" hehe

no worries with the sideskirts when you have them ready itll be interesting to see. im just not too hot on bodykits on the fc. im of the opinion that they got it right first time. im going to put on the s13 pignose lip on mine later i reckon im gna wait until i have sorted out the wheels and dropped it and do it all at the same time. got a feeling that this will make me start looking at sideskirts later tho =)

couldnt agree more with the whole silver to bergundy paint thing. wtf. by the way your not supposed to expose your identity. its superhero rule nr1 dontcha know =)
at least i know why there arent any pics of you on your thread

 

I have been remiss with the appetizers, sorry.

My image does not process digitally.

I begin assembly of the front end today.
All the painting/cleaning...let's call a spade a spade, the drudgery, is over (at least until I begin the rear) and the fun can begin.
We now begin three days of heavy rain, which may slow things down since the car is unprotected outdoors but if so, I'll just move inside and strip the intake manifold.
And of course, there will be a plethora of little brackets, etc. to detail as the bay goes together, so I might as well get started on them.

Sigfrid and I are of two minds about the suitability of bedliner for the engine bay.
I really like it, especially given the enormity of the job had we tried to prep for regular paint. Sigfrid would prefer paint, I think.
I intentionally dripped some brake fluid on a hidden space, just to see how the bedliner held up. I wiped it off after @10 minutes, it didn't leave a mark, so this stuff is reasonably chemical resistant at least.

The VHT engine enamel worked great on all the suspension parts (and the engine block) but is probably not the best choice for more cosmetic things. It's a little thick, I think the regular satin black I've been using works better on parts you'll actually see.

Sorry about the lack of progress pics but I've been too greasy/grimy to touch a camera. Now that I'm in a "clean" stage of work, I'll do better.

J9...
Yes, The RX7 (as well as the Z platform) got progressively fatter and more complex as the series evolved but in many ways they got immeasurably better as well.
Having just gone through my FC, I'm very aware of how bloody crude the Z car is.
Really, the Z is a much closer relative of the Healey 3000 than the GT-R.

I've already noted how little plastic there is on the Z (the Z's bellypan is almost identical to ours but is a metal stamping- very cute!- instead of ABS) and now, looking at the suspension, I'm struck that there's no aluminum either.
All the suspension bits are stamped/welded steel fabrications and even so, are willowy and flimsy looking compared to our beefy alloy castings.

This realization has led to the biggest rift 'tween Sigfrid and I about our engine path.
He has been assuming from the beginning that we would eventually swap engines (I actually didn't realize before last night how certain he was about this) and I'm becoming increasingly convinced that more power might ruin the car.
In theory, our six should be making @ 140rwhp or so, he's looking for somewhere @ 300rwhp, which really can't be done with the six.

I think 200-250hp would be about as much as the suspension/tires can handle.
We're squeezing 225/45 tires on eight inch rims into the wells and even those will probably require a fender pull...our options for going bigger (and swapping to five lug wheels) are expensive and few.
Why invest in power you can't put to the road?

We'll just have to see what she's like when driven.

 

im sorry man i know its a bit nerdy but i just HAD to show you this. i heard some years back that they made a live action movie of wangan midnight in the 90s or something which is a manga series basicly about a 600bhp fairlady z. thing is, for the movie they got a company called SSS (which incidentally has gone out of business now) to build a real replica! not sure if i was bullshitting myself, i had a little search around the interweb for it and actually found the bugger.

Original Devil Z - ZDriver.com

maybe not within your time/budget projections but cool nonetheless. pretty too!

p.s im still waiting for that picture heh

 

Picture of what?

Here's a picture of where I started yesterday morning:



And a few hours later:


By day's end, the entire front suspension and steering were installed and done.

While I installed mechanical stuff, Sigfrid powered away on bodywork.
By tonight we hope to have both front fenders and the hood in primer with bedliner on the insides.

Today I will finish up with some front end pieces (brake dust shields, hubs, hood hinges/torsion bars, etc. and begin to prep for the rear end, where I'll be repeating last weeks process in the wells and suspension.
The fuel tank will be dropped to inspect/renovate (also so I can remove the bumper shocks). I have to replace the 4 u-joints in the halfshafts...I hate doing that job.

If all goes well, by next Sunday the entire suspension and undercarriage should be done and she'll be sitting on her new shoes for the first time.
I still have to rebuild the front calipers/rear drums and install brake lines, too.

Once I've finished the rolling chassis, it's on to the engine bay.
Meanwhile Sigfrid will be continuing with bodywork.

Realistically, the "schedule" beyond this next week is pretty hypothetical.
So far, the dis/reassembly has gone smooth as silk but something is bound to fight back eventually, I'm just waiting to see what it will be.
And hoping it's not too terrible.

 

You have the more realistic idea on the power level. With the amount of power that Sigfrid is talking about, you are going to need a 10-point cage just to keep it from turning into a pretzel. Not to mention a stronger trany and something more substantial than a R200 differential.

 

With the front substantially finished*, yesterday I began work on the rear suspension.
Jeebus Gawd, the components are massive...and all steel, naturally.

I was grateful however that the trend continued and everything came apart without issue, even the notoriously seizure-prone rear hub>LCA kingpin.This car is in remarkable condition for a 40 year old.
An interesting (and mildly humorous) detail about the lower control arms...
They are multi-piece fabricated steel arms (tubes and gusset plates) and Datsun uses the same part on both sides, they just flip it and run it "upside down" on one side.
Saved on inventory, I guess.

This is about the spot I'd normally post some pics but as you can see, Photobucket is being cranky till I purchase some more bandwidth, which I've done. We'll see how long it takes to process.
So, sorry.
Temporarily.

My goal for this week is to finish the rear suspension/undercarriage and get the car permanently on her wheels.
For the nonce, we're keeping the rear drum brakes and stock front calipers til we can evaluate the ride and see what we want to modify. I'll be rebuilding the rear brakes now, I have yet to touch the front calipers.

Sigfrid has been powering through the bodywork, the front fenders and hood are nearly finished.
We (well, Sigfrid, mostly) are doing all the prep and will deliver the car to the Plastidip guy in fresh primer.
So far, the work looks fantastic.
And, just like the suspension, underneath the surface corrosion and crap, the sheetmetal is in great shape. The only panel that may require replacement is the front valence panel that fills between the end of the hood and the windshield...it's pretty bad.
We are also missing the lower front bodywork (like where the front airdam might go) but we're waiting to see what the now bumperless car looks like before deciding what to do.
Deleting the bumpers and associated parts (mainly, the bumper supports/shocks) has easily dropped 100lbs from the car...they are crazy heavy.
(We are hoping for a final running weight of @2450lbs., BTW)

So, off to another fun day of cleaning/painting.
When Photobucket catches up, I'll post more pics...

*We (I) forgot to order front hub oil seals, so the hubs/rotors cannot yet be installed. The seals are now on the way.

 

Clokker, you truly are an inspiration. I've got a 88 celica all-trac that me and my buddies are fixing up to do some rally racing and you've almost got me convinced to go crazy with a full on restore like you've done. Almost.

 

Ah, I see Photobucket has accepted a small monthly donation to keep my pics alive.
Good.

Front suspension in place:


Well, yesterday was quite productive and today will be a milestone in my Stage 1 of this project.
The entire rear suspension has been removed, cleaned and painted.
The monstrous (86lbs.!) R200 diff remains in place though, I didn't feel like horsing it around and see no reason to pull it.

Today I drop the fuel tank. With it gone, the entire undercarriage will be exposed for cleaning/bedliner.
We have found absolutely no signs of any body rot or even much to be concerned about at all...this car is remarkably intact.

I have been basing my time estimates on the work I recently did to my 7 but the Z has actually come apart/gone together faster and easier than I expected. I'm now nearly two days ahead of plan and have almost caught up with the new parts supply.

I hazily recall pulling the tank on my old Z and it seemed like a real bitch but I don't remember why.
I guess I'll find out in a few hours.

I forgot my camera over at Sigfrid's, so new pics will be delayed again, sorry.

Just for Meercat though, here's a shot of me under the car, evaluating the undercarriage aerodynamics, thinking very hard:



As you can see, the intense concentration disturbs space/time and screws with digital images.
It's a burden.

 

I have a good friend of mine that is currently building his 7th or 8th S30 - basically taking a rust free AZ epoxy primer shell and installing parts from another car or two.

These rear suspension parts are very nice (if they fit into the budget);

240z/260z/280z Chromoly Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arms

Since Ross passed away, I am not sure if the Modern Motorsport units are still available.

Not sure I would run these rod end aluminum ones on the street;

http://www.arizonazcar.com/lowarms.html
Billet Rear Lower Control Arms

 

Wow, that's super clean... The cleaned/new bolts and stuff really top it off. Awesome job.

 

Thanks, wish I didn't have to start all over again on the rear.

But I do...


Got two of those and turned them into a pile of crap:


Then started cleaning/painting/bushing.
We got lucky and were able to sneak a few things in for soda blasting:




Both the hinges and drums were sprayed with a natural aluminum epoxy paint.

After the main bits of the suspension were off, I pulled the fuel tank (which, despite my earlier reservations, was not bad at all):


The outside is in great condition, the inside is all sorts of munged up.
We're exploring options.

I had planned on leaving the diff in place but we have a leaking side seal so I figured I may as well remove it altogether and do a nice cleanup while I replace the seals.
What's another few bolts and 75 pounds at this point?

The wheelwells have been scrubbed down three times and will be bedlinered tomorrow.
I've cleaned/painted the wiper linkage (you'll see why in a few weeks) and just need some circlips and teflon washers to reassemble.

And a billion other things I can't remember off hand.

 

Just a quickie before I begin for the day...

Bloody ******* Z forums absolutely suck.
Majorly.

I've run into an issue with the bushing install and it's the kind of problem that would have multiple write ups here but the Z guys bitch and moan about it without posting a resolution. I really have no idea how to proceed, so I'll sit on it for a while and see if a eureka! moment occurs.
One can only hope.

Today should be my last "dirty" day.
After dropping the diff and removing a few more crossmembers, from this point on I'll be working with freshly cleaned/painted parts.
I threw out the clothes I was wearing yesterday as I don't think the rotten fuel smell will ever wash away.

Speaking of rotten fuel...
The tank is being dropped off at an industrial radiator/tank servicing shop (I think they do mostly big rig diesels) to see if it can be salvaged...the inside is really nasty. Hope to hear soon if it can be saved. Dunno what we'll do if it can't.

On a more relevant rotary note...
My 7 has been logging more miles than usual (just driving back and forth to Sigrid's is 40 miles per day), so I've been filling up more often than normal. Last night I filled up and got my fifth consecutive 20+ MPG which is a major improvement over the 16 MPG I'm used to.
Also, the car is running absurdly cool, even in nearly 100° weather and heavy traffic the fan rarely triggers on (low speed activates at 195°).
I am simultaneously happy and deeply skeptical...but facts is facts and I'll take it if the car is willing to keep it up.

She'll probably spit an apex seal today.

 

Now you did it, you have jinxed it for sure!

BTW, those are nice mileage numbers - mine are normally around 16-18 MPG with about a 50/50 mix of city and highway. The best numbers I have seen on the highway are 21-22 MPG with the cruise set at 72-73 MPH.

When I installed the new radiator and hoses, I went with a 180 degree thermostat. Not sure what the "on" temperature is for the Hayden electric fan controller, I just followed their setup instructions - when the upper radiator hose get warm, turn the **** until the electric fan comes on. It works great. I have noticed per the factory "guess-ta-mate" coolant temp gauge, that the needle is a bit lower than it was before. I think the Volvo lip is forcing more air through the radiator as well as creating a lower pressure area behind/below the radiator. That combo makes for improve air flow through the radiator. No issues on hot humid days with the a/c running either.

 

Yup, probably.

Yesterday I spent nearly the whole day covered in greasy disgusting mung as I cleaned the diff and remaining suspension bits. Underneath the crap the diff was in pretty good shape, I'm replacing the side seals (which is why everything was so grungy) and back in she goes. The rest of the pieces are clean and painted, ready for install.

The transmission crossmember is the only part left to remove and overhaul, I hope the mount arrives today.

The rear wheelwells and floorpan have been bedlinered.
The fuel tank should be done today.

The "workshop" (the back patio) looks like a disaster zone and Sigfrid is freaking out because the wife and kids return Friday night but I'm not worried, all that stuff should be installed by tomorrow and she'll be on wheels and rolling without issue.
He says with naive optimism.

Brakes will be the final part of this stage of the project, I still have to rebuild/paint the front calipers (we're using the stockers for now) and Sigfrid will be doing the rear drums (because I don't recall how drum brakes work anymore and don't care to relearn).

The suspension in this car is absolute ****, the design and execution are amusingly crude. Rube Goldberg would be proud.
I can't wait to feel how she handles.

 

sparks flying when thinking hard? i usually smoke from the ears especially when trying to figure out auxilary port actuation =)

great job so far. as per usual your attention to detail and turd-polishing skills are worthy of a nobel prize! i cant beleive how you get these 30 year old parts to look so damn new!

ps i never got my head around drum brakes (not for want of trying) i gave up after what i recall another gentleman described his hands as have "been in a razor fight with a hooker" drum brakes are one of the innnovations i think most mechanics are glad to forget..

 

Well, today is the big day...I hope.

Everything is prepped and ready to go back on, all I need are the two side seals for the diff and assembly can begin.
Because naturally, the diff is the first thing that must go in.

Originally I hadn't planned on touching the differential but it was so filthy I knew something was going on and sure enough, under the grunge, a bad seal.






The gas tank was cleaned (one day turnaround, $90 and it even smells good for some reason) and bedlinered:


All I need is an oring to seal the sending unit and it's done...even painted and rerubbered the straps.

By far the biggest battle I've had in this project was fitting the strut/rear hub to the lower control arm.
The "spindle problem" is a legend in the Z world, the experienced mutter about it darkly, the noobs have no clue.
Usually, the spindle is frozen in the hub and cutting, torches and presses are needed to remove it.


Our spindles pulled out by hand and were in excellent condition.
My problem was getting the hub and the LCA mated/lined up...the new Energy Suspension bushings were too wide.
Here you can see the arrangement after three and a half hours of misery:


I sanded chamfers on the leading edge of the bushings to get things started and the first one just went right together. The other side fought every step of the way.
Thing is, force was actually detrimental, when perfectly aligned they'll slide in place easily but getting the alignment was pure luck.
I'm so glad that's done.

Note the lower control arms...Datsun makes one part and just flips it over on one side...looks like it's assembled wrong but it's not, promise.
I'm expecting the seals this morning and once installed I can have the whole suspension back in in prolly two hours or so.
The car will look more like a car and the patio will look less like a junkyard.
Win, win.

When done with suspension, Stage One of the project will be finished.
The main point of this stage was to closely inspect the body for damage/rot, replacing the suspension is an excellent way of getting all over the body to check things out.
After this primary thrash is over, I'll be taking a little break to do some stuff that got pushed aside for the big things...rebuild calipers, refresh the wiper linkage, etc.

Sigfrid's wife/kids return from a month long vacation tonight and then Monday they have guests arriving, so the car will be put aside for a week or so as Sigfrid attends to social obligations (gotta placate the wife!).

I can use the rest.

 

Haha those control arms are hilarious! very smart financially though