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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/26/19 in all areas

  1. Merry xmas people. Got the old man to come down with his truck and bring the pit up to theirs as we were heading up for Christmas, and present it to my brother there. Threw on a bit more paint as it got a little scratched up in transit and gave it a clean out on the inside. My brother was pretty Fucking stoked and all my family were pretty impressed with it so was pretty happy with that. I gave him a hand throughout the day and we got it roaring to burn it out. We created a fire in both the firebox and the cooking chamber as well. Got the firebox up to about 650 Fahrenheit for a bit and the cooking chamber up to about 400 for about 3 hours. Cleaned it out again then sprayed canola oil throughout and got it going via the firebox for another 3hours to season it with a drip tray and primarily Manuka to season it. It seals up pretty well once the exhaust starts extracting but it takes a little while to get it going. We also struggled to get the cooking chamber above 200 Fahrenheit when we seasoned it so we need to learn how to get it going hotter. Will try different brickettes and heat beads as we primarily just used wood when we seasoned it. Pretty stoked nonetheless. Will get some meat on it tomorrow hopefully and see what we can come up with. Cheers
    21 points
  2. Super motivated to rebuild the motor over Christmas break except stupid me overlooked that machinists take Christmas off too! So I have just cleaned everything up and made measurements where I can. Gearbox has come up pretty good after 2l of kero, bearings flushed out and appears visually OK, syncro rings all measure up in the upper limit which is handy, i'm pretty certain now this box had a rebuild not long before the rust became too much. Just need two new seals and it can go back together. Oil pump is a little concerning, while it measures up in spec, it has considerable scouring, speaking with L series folk this is relatively normal and should still push around sufficient oil, have tabs on a spare if required. Last day of work the sidedraft manifold adapter blank arrived, i'm in two minds as to how to proceed, CNC the ports or just get in there with a die grinder - leaning to option 2 as i'd like to port match it in any case. As much as I want it done, going into work during holidays is not high on my want list. Had word Supercheap had some Datsuns on the shelf, couldn't resist a mini-me. Have given the electronic ignition a bench run and it seems to be playing nice, will get that polished and fit it to the car to see what improvements it offers.
    5 points
  3. 46V should be the right code. It's the colour we went with for the racecar at Uni this year, it looks unreal. Dooooo iiiiit.
    5 points
  4. hit water at 6.2M i was a meter off my calculations, now to dig through the water and get a good drawdown rate for pumping water. deeper than it looks
    5 points
  5. Recently collected my latest project... A 1972 Toyota Crown MS75 Custom Coupe. One of just a few known to exist in the UK. Previous owner had it since 1979, sat since 1990. Aiming to make it useable, then make it mint at a later date. If anyone has contacts for parts it would be appreciated.
    4 points
  6. With the brake rotors slowly making their way to me from across the planet, I wanted to get the TVR in for a Warrant Of Fitness inspection to see if there was anything else I needed to order. Its been a little nerve-wracking, knowing that this would be the longest trip the car has taken in about 3-4 years, and it's still only a 40km round trip. Nothing for the other two cars, but for the TVR, it seemed like half the country away. To prepare for it I took the TVR for a backroad shakedown the other day; just a short 15km trip, but further than down the road and back I've done previously. The car ran and drove well, but did show up a couple of weak points. The rear shocks are feeling a bit tired and bouncy, and as I already knew, the brakes shudder badly. Today was the day though, the first time I've had the car on the motorway at open road speeds, and for a longer distance. The car did well, felt comfortable enough on the open road, but the higher speeds did show up an annoying shake at about 80kph, which I suspect could be the old tyres on the car, similar to when I got Tess (which had also been sitting for years). Otherwise everything was fine. The steering was nice and direct, the temps were good and steady, and the gearbox shifts well. She sure turns heads though; can't imagine why. I made it in one piece, with the top down even, despite some light drizzle on the way in. After waiting oh so patiently, the car was finally on the hoist and it was inspection time. The inspection required two inspectors, since the TVR was so far out of their normal parameters (both are old enough to remember working on the donors like the XJS and Capri/Cortina but haven't touched anything like it in years), but after a while, I had my answer. It was a fail. Not completely unexpected, but unfortunately one thing I hadn't counted on was the front lower ball joints having excessive play in them. It's not the end of the world, they're MK4 Cortina parts, so I have a pair on the way already. There were a couple of other advisories, such as the brakes shuddering, and the front tires starting to show signs of perishing, but overall I think its a pretty damn good list considering the car was last on the road 2015/2016. I've had worse on cars that have been already been on the road recently. The rear rotors arrived today, and the fronts are en route from the UK currently. I'm looking into options for some new shocks to help with the bounce in the rear, and some new tyres will have to be on the list now too. It seemingly never ends, but once its done it should be a good solid car. So yes, Merry Christmas to everyone, and I hope you all have a good break. Get out there and either work on, and/or drive your cars, and I'll be back in the new year.
    4 points
  7. Here's another neat one
    3 points
  8. Cheers man! We had another play around with the temps on this today. modified the firebox and removed the coal basket locator so we could push it right against the side by the cooking chamber. Half filled it with the Kingsford heat beads and a few bits of Manuka which worked a treat. Firebox was around 700 Fahrenheit and the cooking chamber got up to around 220 on the gauges. The heat gun was showing around 210-230 external heat across the chamber and we checked the grill plates later and they were showing approx 270. Realistically I think the internal/smoke heat might be around 230-250 which is perfect, might be worth in getting some other probes or upgrading the temp gauges down the track. Will be doing it's first proper cook tomorrow.
    2 points
  9. spade with the handle cut off, then into a ss bucket hauled up on a rope and pulley. same way to get out just pull myself up on the rope
    2 points
  10. Na, everything is covered in shit. Takes weeks to get rid of the mess
    2 points
  11. I like the prices and ease of use Amayama provides, but bloody hell the shipping takes forever! My oil pump gasket finally arrived today though (ordered a month and a half ago), which let me assemble the rest of the short block finally The part number on this gasket has been superceded a couple of times over the life span of the 4G63 SOHC, but this is apparently the replacement for all earlier versions, and is the gasket for a 6 bolt DOHC motor. Everything seems to line up, so I'm sure its fine. Once that was torqued up I could install the oil pick and get the bottom end buttoned up. Sump has had a few hits in the front of it, but still serviceable. I gave it a quick blast and paint a couple of months back. I find CRC Black Zinc works really well for stuff like this, but you need to give it at least a month to properly harden up before handling. Had a bit of time up my sleeve, so did a bit of a dry-fit of the rest of the pieces to see what I need to finish off. Routing for the crank sensor wiring will work out okay. I'll make a couple of brackets and cabletie it in a couple of places to keep it out of harms way. It can exit up by the head, as there is an opening there as clearance for the distributor. Speaking of distributors, I've got one on the way to me to cut up and hopefully turn into a cam trigger. I've looked at mounting something behind the cam wheel, but there are no easy mounting points there. I could weld a boss to the head, but if I can make it work tidily with a chopped up dizzy, it's an easier solution. Finally offering up the turbo to the head was a pretty good moment, I like the way it looks, because I like 80's excess :-). Its an EVOIII big 16G, but with a larger compressor cover. Looks like a much 'bigger' turbo than it is ;-). Next up I think I'll tackle the mods to the inlet manifold. Need to make up a flange for the throttlebody and weld it on the front. Trim off all the crap at the rear and weld that closed. I'll also cut off the original thermostat area, and make a piece to weld on to give fitting locations for the heater and bypass hoses. I want to move the thermostat housing to the front of the head though to keep the flow through the head the same as originally intended. Will give the manifold a quick scan too, as I want to pick up on some bolt hole locations to make a sheetmetal mount for a set of LS2 coils. They're just cheap aliexpress knockoff ones, but I've heard good reviews... Will see how they go :-). Happy holidays all!
    2 points
  12. Ah Michael, your humor knows no bounds. I was going to paint it in the many hues of your inability to finish anything, but of course, I'm only painting a car, not an aircraft carrier.
    2 points
  13. Long range fuel tank Gn400 tank. Kinda rare I guess, they only made them for 2 years on the 80s. Pretty sure it's Gona be lumpy under the paint, there's a funny ripple bend/dent in the underside spine of it. But anyway. It holds over 12L compared to the gn125 10L. Looks like it holds 3L in reserve, gn125 is 2L. So I should happily crank another 50k with this and should be able to get to work without filling up twice a week. Probably paint it black I guess
    2 points
  14. Stripped the head and block today for a scrub up, they always looks better without the grime. Made an improvised valve spring compressor with a long socket, extension and strong magnet tucked up inside, crush the spring and the collets jump out onto the magnet, quite effective. Will drop the head off for hardness testing and a clean, then i'll dive into measuring and making a plan for the build. No picture, but the front cover off the head had "Datsun b/bird" written on it indicates it or the engine is not original... Found this organiser at the warehouse last week for ~$10, helps with the workshop OCD
    2 points
  15. In my experience with shocks, the finish is usually pretty thin and i have sanded off any paint. The remaining paint in the lettering comes off easy with a wire brush, A coat of primer and whatever colour on top will see them better than factory applied finish. Standard masking tape round the shaft will be fine.
    1 point
  16. hada blast in the new industrial park new roads no buildings. Racing along with mates good times
    1 point
  17. Apparently you can find a cbr250 stator in these by tapping the M5 bolts out to M6 Apparently it has more output Also the winning combo of every gn125 scrambler/cafe racer seems to be 340mm rear shocks and raise the rear of the fuel tank 25mm to have it line up with the frame.
    1 point
  18. Are ya still digging in the hole? That must be tricky what's the diameter of the hole. Great work thou!
    1 point
  19. VFD? Allow to slowly build the speed up to limit current draw on startup.
    1 point
  20. The colour is Mazda soul red. Im a little confused about the exact code, it's either 41V or 46V. For paint stripping I use strip discs on the grinder turned down to about half speed, then I use the little belt sander to get the little hard to reach spots then I use the 50 or 75mm DA Sanders with 80 grit paper to finish up. It takes ages but it's got to be done.
    1 point
  21. Lol Valiant.. I may sometimes push the speed a little when I'm on the way home from work.... ;-). d.p.n.s - I miss it sometimes too. Well, the access to parts anyway, hah. No, I still have my black Starion, its sitting, waiting for some attention. 2020 might be the year? :-).
    1 point
  22. Bloody hell you get though some work! Your missus must encourage shed time?
    1 point
  23. Okay, I'm totally over working on cars right now...its time to go enjoy this thing and hit the streets.
    1 point
  24. So got the last bits sorted today. Cut some steel and made some grilles. Had to stuff around with the firebox grille to get it functional as the setup was different to the cooking chamber. Also because the rails I fitted to the cooking chamber weren't square I had problems getting the lower one to look right. Everything is kind of shortly but it is functional and looks pretty awesome. I've actually finished this and got it all together but we shall wait til xmas to get some better photos. Hopefully my brother is as stoked as I am with it haha.
    1 point
  25. Yay. So I started sanding and it became immediately apparent that there were a bunch of layers and lots of them are fucking nasty. There is a layer of black dulon in there which is fucking everything up. Nothing for it but to strip it all back to metal. Side sharn, I bought this car in 2006 but I'd seen the car in about 1999. At that stage it had a black engine bay and a 3T sitting in it. The rest was in primer. He must have primed over the black art some stage. So anywho, fast forward to today and most of the paint is gone. I'm feathering the edges where it's a real cunt to get to and hopefully the epotec will seal the nasties from coming through. Time will tell. On the plus side I'll probably get primer on it before crissy then it can sit for a while before I sand it. Give it some hope of settling down. Still got strut tops to do and the top of the firewall
    1 point
  26. Couldn't stop there, went into overdrive and cleaned it with some simple green degreaser then a few go's with the wax and grease remover. Then finally got this in one colour, just used the rustoleum high temp paint from bunnings. It had a picture of a bbq on it so it must be legit. Looking pretty swish, almost like a brought one haha. I only had a few cans of paint and it didn't go very far so only got about 2.5 coats on it. It will be interesting to see if it lasts or not. All that remains is fitting the wood and making the grills. This will be tomorrow's job if all goes well. Chur
    1 point
  27. Sorted out the front bench. Cut up some 25x3 box and some 25x3 angle and welded up a frame (forgot to take a pic with the angle fitted). Drilled some holes and tested fitted with the mounts in place. Then placed the macrocarpa on top to have a skeeze.
    1 point
  28. And the creme de la creme. Had a mate at one stop cutting shop sus this out. Did an awesome job and it adds that finishing touch. So happy with how it's looking now. Had also welded up the remaining holes and bent the firebox lid so it sits a bit better and tried to sand back the paint on the inside of the firebox. All that's left now is to sort the front bench, drill some mounts for the thermometers/temp gauges and paint! Home stretch! Chur
    1 point
  29. Alright, got a half day in on this today with the help of the mrs and I'm Fucking stoked with where I'm at. Can finally see the finish line. Started off with sorting the chimney and flue. Cut a length and a bend, welded in some locators for the adjuster and made a top hat that's fixed to a chipping hammer as the adjuster. I positioned the handle offset so the flue can be fully opened for max heat. Pretty tall stack, mounted it about 3 inches above the main grilling plate and high enough so people don't have to try and dodge smoke all day.
    1 point
  30. Was thinking of painting my Morrie that colour. We can park together at shows!
    1 point
  31. 1 point
  32. Many people must have broken down on the way - Kiwibirdman, MIRAGE-MAN, Styles, locost_bryan, Dire, michaelme, Ghostchips, not to name names... On the bright side, we had four times the attendance of recent meets! Oldschool's back, baby.
    1 point
  33. Missed the original deadline as the bros birthday was on Monday but it doubles up as an xmas present as well so he can wait. Did some more work yesterday and smashed out the inner firebox/coal cradle thingy. Cut some steel, mostly being 5mm angle and plate. Put it together with some of the expanded mesh. Then did a top frame thing with some left over 3mm angle. It actually looks pretty good once it's sitting in place. There's a decent amount of weight to this so it should help with heat retention and it's easily removable to help with cleaning out the old ashes. All that's left on the firebox now is the damper vent, a grill and the handle. Cheers
    1 point
  34. Here's the baffle/tuning plate setup. Used 3mm plate with an overlapping step to try and keep everything sealed half decent. Might look at changing to 5mm plate later and possible more plates to help with different heats. It's all removable for easy cleaning. It's not the tidiest but it should be functional, keep in mind a lot of this has been rushed as I don't have much time left and I'm not a precision engineer haha. And my minion/fiance gave me a hand with the sanding and metal prep which helped a lot! Gotta love the Samoan safety boots.
    1 point
  35. Summer is back! Time for WOF and general Datsun activities Got the CNC cut boot badge back from a mate Also waterjet cut some stainless fender badges and boot badge just in time for Datsun Nats Very fortunate to have a visit of a private track for general tyre demolition Many Datsuns, much fun! With now a year since agreeing to purchase, I finally picked up the 5 speed box and spare engine from Karl, cheers Will for getting it done with the forklift What i'm most excited about here is that it is indeed a 5 speed dogleg box, an oddity from Datsun where reverse is located in 1st and 1st in second. The plan is to strip the box, give it the once over and rebuild as needed. Was the "cool" swap to do back in the day, think hooning between 2-3rd on winding roads.... When we dropped the oil on removal the sump plug had all the furry bits...So no fucking about and I had it in pieces. Appears that all the grinds came from reverse gear, reminder to mind the gears coming up to the lights! Initial inspection it appears to have had a birthday not long before getting parked up but i'll get in close with measuring gear and the workshop manual just to be sure. The other end of the bargain was another L20b, again unknown condition and seized, looking down the carb looks heathy and the oil was relatively clean. I was banking on the usual Datsun story, parked up cos of rust with mechanicals just run in. Again I couldn't help myself and chipped away at it after dinner, head off, no glaring issues, same with the sump Only find so far is the 1mm oversize pistons. Flipped over and nothing untoward downstairs either Last thing to do was push the pistons out......What a fight! took a fair amount of bashing to get them to move, even after soaking in CRC! It appear the pistons are all carboned up and potentially some corrosion on the rings (I'm still to clean them up fully to inspect) I'm mostly happy the block appears serviceable, I can now move forward with the plan... The big L20b plan: New flat top pistons, raise compression, Polish up head to assist the above, Maybe some minor port tickling, Investigate cam options, Investigate valve options, install/port match sidedraft manifold, Make adapter for sidedraft manifold for GTiR throttle bodies that were meant to be on the Niva, Use the speeduino originally built for the Niva, Build up on an engine stand so its running before swapping out with the current nice running motor. The whole plan is pretty loose, I really just wanted an excuse to build up another motor, but ultimately make it fun, still want it street drive able. And got the Sumitomo calipers all finished up, have to say i'm quite happy with them, just wish they were going in my Datsun! Only thing that pissed me off was the bolts, couldn't find small head M10 fine by deadline so had to run with capscrews, not quite the period "look" but operational beats looks anyday!
    1 point
  36. So old mate Ben gave me a kick in the ass Saturday and we cracked into it. Counter sunk and drove the hex heads down, then planed the fuck outta it for a hour or two, made a lot of mess! Little bit of boiled linseed oil and looking good for a bunch of reclaimed recycled and remanufactured junk. Finished off the end bit today, very happy, can't wait to bolt the vice down. Thing is stupid heavy, solid and will keep everything inside tidy.
    1 point
  37. Quite an odd delivery from the family parts horde this week via some friends in town for swapmeet. The original brake master, pedal and booster from the Datsun plus a front diff housing for the Niva. Also snuck into the crate was some interior trim I was missing and a boot badge. This is the only badge I don't have an original of. Without messing about I drew it up on the computer and hopefully will have a replica sorted by the time this one is due home. Also keen to try cast it, the geometry is quite challenging, but only one way to find out! Have been putting in some hours on the Sumitomo MK63 4 pot callipers from my fathers race 1600, they are coming up nice and i'm struggling to resist fitting them to mine! So far we've sourced a set of NOS pistons and seals, just need to suss the pads and hopefully some dust boots Picked up some paint today and scrubbed out the last of the rust, looking forward to seeing these rebuilt. And just to tease, here's a 45 year old picture of the car they'll be going into....
    1 point
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