datto_610 Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/35423-datto-610s-c31-laurel-hardtop-sedan/ I have a new daily!!! My Caldina was rear ended about a month ago and was deemed a write off. So after I got my insurance payout was time to find a new daily. Was driving my sisters 120Y coupe round for a while in the mean time which was pretty cool but wanted something of my own. Was so keen to get another datsun as a daily and saw this C31 Laurel and wanted it straight away. I went down to Temuka last weekend to have a look and took some cash down just incase I wanted it then and there. Seemed all good so after a test drive and a once over I handed over the cash and preceded to get it home. Now it wasn't all smooth sailing I stopped in Ashburton breifly and upon starting the car back up all the dash lights stayed on was a bit puzzled by this but thought nothing of it(silly me) so it died just a few kms out of Ashburton luckily my step dad who took me down wasn't far behind and had AA membership. At first we thought it was fuel pump as it would turn over but no fuel was coming through the carb he towed me to mechanic in Ashburton and had to leave it there along with the key. Turns out the plug for the alternator had come out who knows when though and blew the voltage regulator. They had to put a second hand alternator in and got that recond. I had two volt regs in the garage so sent them down hoping one would work but no luck there so thought stuff it I want this home so got my brother to drive me down so I could bring her home. Brock sorted me a volt reg and all seems to be good! Except the fuel gauge has stopped going since it's been at the mechanic's.... Anyway's I wont bore you all any longer here are some pics! Full pimp spec bonnet ornament Factory 14x5.5'' mags yo! Pretty lol tow bar Window seals are pretty haggered will look into fixing them soon The blown voltage regulator L24 power house Is in dire need of decent sounds there's only so much coast fm a metal fan can take Was originally LPG but has been disconnected still has tank with what looks to be about 50L still in it will be removing that as all the extra weight won't be doing wonders for fuel economy Plans at this stage are to just leave it as is until the 180 is done then maybe slam it with some nice wheels and maybe slap some twin SU's or something on there but who knows. Gonna be such a sweet car to cruise round in over summer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 Ripped out the LPG tank today man that thing was heavy so much boot space now!. Also found that it wasn't even bolted down was just sitting in there. So glad I got it out sooner rather than later. Just need to get the fuel gauge sorted and just enjoy it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 Fuel gauge is fixed!! Whipped the sender out and had a look at it but didn't really know how to tell if it was faulty or not. Had another look under the dash and saw a loose wire that was the same colour as the one for the sender, took a gamble and hooked it back up turned key and presto! Fuel gauge works. What's even more awesome is that I have about 1/2 a tank left. Something less awesome happened yesterday though... Hopped in the Laurel on my lunch break to get my rims for the 180 off Brock and noticed the front screen was leaking water inside!!!(was pissing down in chch yesterday) Water is coming through from the top and dripping onto steering wheel and me not happy. Grabbed a big tarp from work and chucked it on as soon as I got home. Had a better look today while the weather was nicer and looks like the whole outer seal needs replacing the chrome trim is quite loose, want to get it sorted asap. Anyone know of any good places to go in chch that won't sting the wallet too badly?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Alrighty! A few weeks back I took the old girl to see my friend L series master Vaughan, we changed spark plugs fitted new points, set dwell and adjusted timing. She runs so much sweeter now. Does not run terribly from cold any more although still needs a decent warm up in the mornings otherwise she'll stall at intersections etc. Also for the NZ Datsun Hanmer cruise not so long ago I decided to fit the B-Bombs from the 180B for the fun of it. Can definitely go wider all round quite easily! Wheels are in need of a balance though as I was getting some nasty vibrations through the steering wheel at high speeds which in turn made my right front wheel bearing quite noisey. Replaced wheel bearing on Sunday and re-fitted factory wheels. Did get some shots of the B-Bombs on though look pretty good on there, and before anyone says anything. YES I KNOW IT NEEDS MORE SLAM!! So may look into finding some rims for her at some stage and touch of low. But 180 is the priority right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Have also scored some twin SU carbs which I will clean up and rebuild before fitting to the old L24. Should put a bit more go into her! Also got another cam cover which I will polish up before installing, got to have a bit of bling under the hood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 Called Jeremy at Southern Autoglass on tuesday, looks like it's going to be $218 fitted for a new screen. But the downside is the screen is in Auckland and could be $50 to ship it down Really want to get the new screen done, manual conversion and some slam before the Mainland Meet to Hanmer. Going to be very busy these next few weeks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 I'm house sitting for a mate in a few weeks for a month but convinced him to let me put the Laurel in his garage a few weeks earlier hehe. So now I have a dry place to work on getting the manual conversion finished and hopefully she can dry out a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 Almost saved enough to get the screen done! So in the mean time thought I'd get a few things done that didn't cost money. The pedal box from the R30 I stripped out was quite rusty and pretty crispy from the fire it was in, but I'm getting it sandblasted to see how bad it is underneath poked a few holes in it from chipping off some rust Also took it all apart to get the pedals out and will get those sand blasted and powdercoated black with gold zinc springs, shaft, nut etc Because I'm a hoarder I kept the draglink and idler arm to reco and swap into the Laurel at a later date so today(last wednesday) I took it all apart and was pleasantly surprised to find Nolathane bushes already in the idler arm score! Going to get all those parts sandblasted and powdercoated black also. The joints in the draglink feel pretty good not notchy so might be able to get away with just re-greasing them and new boots instead of getting them rebuilt. Taped up all the important bits and shoved in some hose to protect the taper. Once I'v got some more coin I'll get new inner and outer tie rods for each side as the boots are split on the ones in the Laurel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 Got my steering parts, pedals and pedal box back from blasting on friday, if anyone in chch needs sand blasting done I highly recommend Blaine from Fast Blast. Quick turn around and well priced! I think I'll cut my losses with the crispified R30 pedal box heaps of blow through from the thin rusty metal left over from the fire it was in. But the auto C31 pedal box already as the studs for a clutch master cylinder so if I use the pedals and pedal shaft from the manual box all should be gravy! Oh and of course all the springs,nuts,washers and shaft got the gold zinc treatment Will get the windscreen sorted before I spend more money on the steering etc but really want to get everything done soon. Pics for fred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted July 15, 2014 Author Share Posted July 15, 2014 Pictureless update but today I went round to my mates place where the car is, seems to be drying out which is good! Took out the auto brake pedal in anticpation of the manwell conversion ended up breaking the nylon bush trying to remove it... but my mate is an engineer and said he'll whip up 2 new ones this weekend and it was kind of his fault that it broke haha. Because Nissan are awesome the auto and manual pedal boxes are identical! So I can use the one that's in already and just use the shaft and pedals from the R30 one. Also called Jeremy at Southern Auto Glass and he's going to order my windscreen and call me when it arrives Exciting things are happening! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Draglink, idler arm, idler arm mount, clutch and brake pedals are getting powder coated in gloss black should have them back early next week Also blank zinc coated the tie rod adjusters and gold zinced the lock nuts. Took apart the spare front end this afternoon and got out the LCA's so I can get the ball joints pressed out to spruce them up too! She's going to be pretty blingin with a reco'd front end. Can't wait to take that first drive after it's all done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 My mate picked me up this morning and took me into Lyttleton Engineering so he could spin me up some new pedal shaft bushes out of teflon. Even made one a tighter fit over the end which had been quite pitted by rust so they are both a snug fit , also took in the LCA's to see if it was possible to press out the ball joint.... It was! Wasn't that difficult to get out with a press, hoping replacement ones are still available. So once brake and clutch pedal are back from powder coating I'll install them along with the manual pedal shaft and new teflon bushes. Will get the LCA's blasted and powder coated also. and maybe the steering knuckles. I need to put all this motivation into getting the 180B finished! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 Well after going to see Brock at BNT and seeing if I could get new ball joints to replace the ones I pressed out, found out that you can only buy replacement arms so mine are now useless lol. So for now I'll just leave it and get on with the manual conversion. Jeremy from Southern Auto Glass came round on friday night and fitted my new screen :D The only slight hitch is that some of the trims are a bit bent out of shape so he can't glue those down until I've got that sorted. Thinking it might be easier to have someone come around and do it as opposed to getting them straightened elsewhere so they fit 100% and I don't have to go back and forth until they fit. I zinc plated the sandwhich plate too because I can no ones going to see it but it was all grubby and not shiny haha. Still waiting on my parts to come back from the powder coaters will chase those up this week as I want to get pedals in asap. Going to have to get the clutch done really soon if I want to make this Oldschool cruise at the end of the month..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 Yeah so no manual conversion just yet. Can't afford to buy clutch etc and get it all fitted by the end of Aug for OS cruise. So going to get the windscreen trims sorted so they can get glued down and properly seal the seals on the back door windows and get a wof, maybe I can lower her instead looking at using R32 Skyline front struts in the back and lowering springs and shortened shocks in the front :thumbsup: Got a sweeeeet new low pro trolley jack from my parents for my birthday too! Stoked. It's going to get so much use. So jacked up the rear and went to adjust the hand brake as that's been slack for quite some time. Was so good to get the rear end a nice high working height. Tightend the adjuster up where the cables join still a bit average adjusted the wheels on each drum 4 clicks and it's still not the greatest drum shoes seem to have plenty of life left anything I've overlooked or done wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 Got my steering parts, brake and clutch pedals back from powder coating finally. Apparently they forgot about them but I ended getting a rather good deal so it's ok! Got a cheap strop from bunnings to secure my spare wheel in too, should do the job can't move it, it justs looks a bit rangi haha... DJZ was kind enough to gift me a spare clutch master cylinder so that's one less thing on the list for the manual swap. I did something I didn't want to do but joined the RB parts buy/sell/swap facebook page lol to see if I could get a pair of R32 Skyline front struts to lower the rear. Got a pair today for $30 stoked as! Once I've got a wof I'll play around with lowering the old girl. Will need to get shorter springs and shocks for the front. Still need the trims for windscreen sorted going to see if Josh Helm is keen Slowly getting there with this. After the Oldschool meet it will be manual conversion and rear disc brake swap. Just need some nice wheels and she'll be done! Well for now anyway. Almost forgot! So when Brock stripped out the red C31 I got quite a few bits to pretty mine up a bit. The head lights on mine were always missing a bit of chrome plastic trim that went underneath them. So today I put those on and it looks so much better! Plus one of the indicator lenses on the spares was in way better condition so swapped that over too. Before After Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 Borrowed some spring compressors off Karl and started taking apart the spare R30 struts. Had a ruh roh when undoing the shock top nut.... the shaft sheard off just under nut when I tried to undo it luckily with a lot more CRC the next one came apart just fine. Trying to track down some lowering springs have a few leads so might take an R30 spring to compare with my potential slam springs. In the weekend I re-sealed the door window seal that I replaced a while ago but sealed in very poorly. Borrowed some urethane from a mate quite some time ago so finally got round to using it. No photo's as it looks the same as when I first fixed it just held in properly this time. But now it is time for the other side! I thought I had taken a before photo but didn't think to check til after I removed the old seal whoops. If you go back through my thread you'll see how bad they were. Got 98% of the old urethane off the window and it's all ready to have the replacement glued in! Should keep the cold out a bit better and cut down wind noise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Made use of the breif sunshine after work today and glued in the seal for the drivers side back door. All went to plan, have put duct tape on the seal so that it remains in place until the urethane sets. It's not 100% pretty a few dings and marks on the stainless trim from removing them from the donor windows. But that's alright as long as they seal better and keep the warmth in I'm pleased how they came out! Also replaced the fuel filter. Found out where it was while I was adjusting the rear shoes thought it probably wasn't a bad idea to replace although the old one didn't look too bad. Wof booked in for friday afternoon! All going to plan she passes! I still need to get the windscreen trim straightened but that can wait for now as long as it's legal I'm not too fussed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Took the tape off today and she's all good! Just need to get rid of all the sticky residue, cbf'd today so will do it before the wof. Also got a new PBR clutch kit from Flauski. DJZ notified me of the trade me auction so I swooped it up! Arrived today so one less piece of the manual conversion ticked off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 Went in for warrant today, not the best result but nothing too major! *Horn to work (took connections off and sprayed crc on them works now! :thumbsup: ) *Adjust steering box play (the fella said he wasn't too concerned about how much I adjust out as long as it's better than it was) *A few holes in the exhaust need filling up (anyone got a mig I could use?) *Worn right rear brake hose (will buy a new one) *Brake ballance uneven (mentioned I should just bleed the brakes and replace with new fluid) So not too big a list to cross off before next weekend! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datto_610 Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 Chris Wildey (CUL8R) sorted me out yesterday morning with the exhaust leaks Was only two small pin holes so didn't take long at all Chris also helped me with adjusting the steering box seems much better now! Got a new brake hose yesterday too so just need some fluid and bleed the whole system up and done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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