my 1932 datsun replica build

removed the rat's nest of fuel hardlines. (lots of fun. Some stupid engineer decided to save $0.12 by using the same bolt to hold the bracket for the fuel lines, the bracket for a water line, and one of the pulleys. They did it again after a 90 degree bend in the line....same bolt for an engine lift point and a lines.) Hoping this will enable me to find the other bolts tomorrow

crap, I still owe you pics of the steering column and rack.

I will get those tonight.

yell at me if I don't!

Rob R.

PM sent

Spent two weeks ignoring the intake, pretending it would magically remove itself; i.e. occasionally shooting PB blaster at it, but never turning a wrench. I spent most of today at work, but towards the end of the day I finally got out into the garage. I loosened up some of the bolts, but the light was failing, so I gave up. none of them have broken so far!!!

About an hour ago I decided to try - again - to take the little cover plate off the intake to get to the center bolt. (It is held on by two stubborn phillips head screws which had started to strip the last time I worked on the intake.) PB blaster got one screw loose enough to turn out, but the other one continued stripping. The fuel lines and pressure regulator were already out of the way (pulled the last time I was working on this.) That meant that I was able to get an angle grinder in there to cut a new slot in the screw and remove it with a flathead screwdriver.

Maybe tomorrow I'll try getting other intake/exhaust bolts loose so I can remove the intake.

Puttering about in the garage, trying to avoid the news in Boston. I went to lowes and bought some extensions for the socket set....was able to spin two more of the manifold bolts free.

THE INTAKE IS OFF!!!!

I finally have the maxima/280z intake off the L24e.....I plan to replace it with a 240z intake....after that is in place, I can run the steering. That's one of the last things to do before putting the firewall in.

BTW, PB Blaster FTW! No broken bolts!!

I had to run a friend to the airport today, but after that I actually got a chance to do car stuff.

If you've been following along, you know that the drivetrain was pulled from a (1981???) datsun 910/bluebird station wagon. That means an L24e block with an N47 head and a W24 intake. In simple terms, that's a 2.4 liter engine with the same intake/injection setup as the 2.8 liter found in a california-emmissions 280Z.

I want to change the intake to the roundtop carb intake off a 240z. It might help the engine breath a little better, and it will DEFINITELY be be simpler in terms of the tune-it-with-a-screwdriver ability. Ultimately, the goal is to have an engine that is reliable enough to use as a daily driver; I'm not going to tune it to the point it breaks all the time

Today. I put the center bolt cover and "rat's nest" (i.e fuel hard lines, injectors and pressure regulator) back onto onto the fuel injected intake that I took off of the L24 engine earlier. (The best way to keep track of all the tiny bits is to keep them hooked together so I know that all the bits needed to make it run are present and accounted for....you never know if I might later want to sell the intake, or convert the engine back to fuel injection.)

The 240z intake is in place, and surprisingly, it takes a LOT of room. I may need to end up doing something drastic to clear the carbs and get the steering to work, maybe following GM's example from 1955

I went back out to the garage, and played with a steering wheel support bracket that I had tacked together before. I had to trim it (some of the tubes were oversize....I'm a firm believer that it is better to build things with the tubes a little oversized and then trim down to fit. That's much better than the opposite approach) but it looks like it will fit.

I hope to finish triming/shaping the bracket and tacking it into place this week. If not, next weekend.

I went out to the garage to drill holes and install more rivets in various body panels; fender, "floor" under the rear seat area, the upper edge of the the curved rear panel, both rear quarter panels. I still have some spots on the floor, and the entire passenger door skin, that I need to permanently fix in place.

Then, fiberglass and body filler to clean up some seams.

[I'm not sure when I'll get to that......this was simply an excuse to get back into the garage and get something done. I've been stumped for months about how to hook up the steering without having it interfere with the air filters and/or intakes, and it is rather depressing. I decided to move to something else for a while....something that I could do without much thought.]

http://www.streetrodderweb.com/tech/1011sr_street_clear_steering_system/viewall.html

or the homemade: http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=6938429

im sure if you can build a body from scratch and used appliances that you can make one of these. id just put a lexan cover over the gears to keep out debris.

Hmmmm.....it's an option worth considering. I like the double chain for redundancy.

I'm pretty sure that 914Driver did something similar with his VW van, but I have not seen any pictures of the setup.

I just filled some small gaps in the flange at the top of the quarter panels with JB weld putty. When it sets up I will sand it smooth and then lay fiberglass across the surface. When THAT is smooth, the seams will be hidden. If it works, I may use a similar technique on major panel transitions (e.g. where the water heater metal at the back laps the quarter panels made of A/C air handlers.)

Photos later (if it works)

sow's ear ==> silk purse (or, Polishing a Fabrication Turd) take your pick of descriptions

Yes, I NOW know that I should have had a shrinker/stretcher to make that corner instead of hacking the metal, and I know that filler and fiberglass is lame. What's the worst that's going to happen, though? Somebody might tell me the build is garbage?

probable steering arrangement; near horizontal until I can pass the carburetor intakes. At this point, that looks like it may require fabricating non-standard mounts for the air cleaners..

As noted above,, the idea of a horizontal steering column is not without precedence

jagged metal edges to lacerate your fingers while hand-sanding are nature's way of telling you to walk away from the car and go do something else.

I just got an ugly cut on my left index finger. Before that, I added another layer of fiberglass on that corner.

more putty and glass on both corners. (photos later)

made an air filter cover/faceplate so I can put a two smaller K&N filters on the intake instead of the stock 240z air filter. (I need the something thinner that won't interfere with the steering)

Rough mockup with sponges approximately the size of K&N air filters

hammer forming a cover for a modified K&N RA-0750

tight tolerances, but I think that will work. Now I need to set up the steering

This build is so cool. You're really making a car out of a Maxima wagon and a pack of old washing machines.

Thanks for the kind words.

I'm doing it, but it's slow.....just having to figure stuff out as I go. When I started the project, I had no idea how much I'd have to learn just to get this far.

You might want to look at using USC All Metal filler instead of JB Weld and fiberglass. All Metal will stick like crazy, but finishes like body filler.

JoeyM wrote: removed the rat's nest of fuel hardlines. (lots of fun. Some stupid engineer decided to save $0.12by using the same bolt to hold the bracket for the fuel lines, the bracket for a water line, and one of the pulleys. They did it again after a 90 degree bend in the line....same bolt for an engine lift point and a lines.) Hoping this will enable me to find the other bolts tomorrow

Hey, to be fair, twelve cents in 1932 bought a lot more than it does now!

Also I see you have the SU's on now. Good job with that, they look clean. I'd use MMO in the pots.

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Don49 wrote: You might want to look at using USC All Metal filler instead of JB Weld and fiberglass. All Metal will stick like crazy, but finishes like body filler.

I'll look into it. I'll have to do a LOT of filling on the hood.....It warped pretty badly when I welded the sides together. (I still have trouble with thin stuff like sheet metal, and water heater skins are fairly thin, anyway.)

crankwalk wrote: Also I see you have the SU's on now. Good job with that, they look clean. I'd use MMO in the pots.

MMO? do you have a link?

Marvel Mystery Oil

Ah. Thanks.