HLS30-01222 Project

[BZIG]

very nice write up, like the direction of this project.

[ksbeta]

Pulled the dash on Saturday and began to install the new wiring harness and bulbs. Despite having checked my Part Numbers for the Dash Harness before attempting the project, I apparantly didn't do enough research. I worked my way from the driver's side to the passenger's side re-doing the connections. I got to the passenger's side footwell to reconnect the 3 harnesses (Dash/Body/Engine) only to find out the connections there are different. That was at the 7 hour mark (I work slow) so I tabled the project and vowed to return when my eyes, back, and legs were fresh. Could be trouble. I need to hunt down a Series-1 wiring diagram, both for the car at large, and the dash harness. I've seen both before for later 240z's, but want to make sure I'm looking at the right one.

First question: My hazard light relay has 2 connections that run into it... a green wire, and a white wire (if I'm remembering correctly). When I went to connect it to this new wiring harness, there was only a single white wire to connect to the relay. I haven't had a chance to research it yet, but can someone shed some light on this?

[ksbeta]

Sweat. Lots of it. For hours on end. Dripping down from the forehead, running off the nose; your shirt clinging to your body, screws lost in your grip. It was that kind of day in the garage. 'Heat Bubble' was the weatherman's term. 98 in the shade and 80% humidity made the hours drag by. All eleven of them.

Jason got back into town Friday night. From Germany. He stepped off the plane in Jeans and a long sleeve shirt, describing the weather back home as having 'nearly hit 70 degrees.' When the doors of the terminal swung open to let us into the parking lot the wall of heat made him lose a step. Nearly a day of travel to sit in a garage to mend a 41 year old Japanese car. He was clearly re-thinking his decision.

Honestly he flew in for a wedding, but since my progress on the electrical system has been... unimpressive (Read: An Embarrassing Catastrophe) he was held up to work on the Datsun.

The car went in for it's VA Safety Inspection on June 30th. Classic tags would avoid this headache but the car would lose some of it's swagger. Like an Aircraft Carrier museum. A once mighty war machine now tied up and rusting from below, guns silent as tourists half-heartedly walk it's decks waiting to be impressed. Lest anyone think this green 240z has lost some of it's temperament, those VA Plates were going to stay on my car. It is, after all, a fire breathing beast. On July 1st I was going to begin pulling the dash to replace the wiring harness, bulbs, and install the radio. At the same time I was going to install new Aux Driving Lights, and so I didn't concern myself with the non-functioning fog lights that were on the car already. Those fog lights caused the car to fail the inspection.

"Can I un-bolt them? Will only take a minute."

"Sure ya can. Gotta' pull it out of the garage first. Can't promise I won't find something else though."

This was pointless. I let it fail the inspection and took it home to begin the simple task of replacing some bulbs, some wiring, and adding a stock radio. This would be a breeze.

After four 8-hour days of crushing heat and endless wires, I was defeated. Despite researching it extensively, the replacement harness was wrong. The radio sat silent and dark. And there may have been a small mishap that 'tested the rigor' of some wires. This exercise in futility was documented elsewhere on this site. I will not recap here. My ego simply won't allow it.

So in walks Jason on Sunday morning to find this scene of utter despair. When he left months ago, the car ran like a top and looked great. Now it appeared to be four wheels and the insides of a washing machine. Pretty ugly stuff. Heat shrink and wire clippings covered the floor. Wiring diagrams and tools cluttered the roof, and desperation hung in the air like a bad cologne. He set to work in the engine bay, trying to diagnose why the engine wouldn't turn over. Fifteen short minutes later the car sprang to life without even using the choke (understandable, as the engine was already 100 degrees from the ambient temperature). Things were looking up. I set about cleaning up the interior wiring situation and he tackled the wires up front. Somewhere late in the morning the new Driving Lights sparked to life, and late in the afternoon the radio coughed up it's first static in years. The new speaker and 280z antenna worked in concert to deliver the most beautiful noise we'd ever heard: "Photograph," by Nickleback. Hm. You'll be hard pressed to find that written anywhere else on the internet. The station was quickly c€hanged and the system put back together.

Site Note: That antennae is loud when it extends and retracts. All I could think is back in the '70's some young guy was probably trying to make some moves at the end of a date, and as he slowly reached to turn the radio on to let some quiet, smooth jam play and set the mood, that 'WWRRRRRRRR' noise would punctuate the moment like a tap on the window. On a second thought, the image of the antennae extending might have been quite suggestive. Perhaps this played to his favor.

The car finally got a glovebox installed (2 hours at the DMV a month ago because I lost my registration may or may not have had anything to do with this), along with a glovebox light switch. My dome light now works, which is evident because my door switches clearly do not. Dome light does not turn off.

The PO had installed an aftermarket oil cooler citing overheating issues. Having replaced the thermostat a few months prior, the decision was made to remove this extraneous appendage. Oil pressure issues might diminish, and the slight ticking the valves emit when letting off the throttle would hopefully disappear. Both turned out to be true, and there still aren't any issues with overheating. If it was going to happen, it would've happened yesterday. The wiring harnesses were all wrapped up properly, leaving a clean car all around as far as the wires were concerned.

Buttoned back up around 8:30, the beast pulled out of the driveway under it's own power for the first time in a month, and took off eagerly to the gas station. It turned out to be a somewhat humbling trip. A stranded motorist needed a jump and the Datsun shared it's spark to bring the other vehicle to life. The car started the day as a non-moving electrical nightmare and ended it as the road-worthy machine it truly is.

Not all my photos are off the camera yet. Will post them over the next few days.

Edited July 25, 2011 by ksbeta

[olzed]

Your ability to tell a tale is indeed remarkable. Put this thread altogether in a small book. It is brilliant, and humerous.

[ksbeta]

Haha Thanks olzed, I'll attribute it to the extreme relief I had that this part of the project was over. Took the car out to Middleburg the other night (~2 hours round trip) for a quiet drive, and aside from failing to have the battery secured down tight enough (fun surprise when I entered a round-about with gusto) it went off without a hitch. Photos coming, hopefully tonight.

[Darrel]

I wonder what the '66 2 door pontiac that he traded in for $600 was?

found it. 66 GTO for $600 TRADE IN.

http://www.yearone.com/updatedsinglepages/Id_info/gto/vingto.asp

Edited August 2, 2011 by Darrel

[ksbeta]

[ksbeta]

It's been awhile on this thread. Not for lack of activity - don't get me wrong. Let's call it a lack of direction. Enamored with the realm of possibilities, the build changed direction a few times. Fortunately, we're back on track with a firm vision.

About this time last year, I stumbled upon a set of Triple Solex carbs, of the 44phh variety. Together with the manifold and linkages, this ran me about $100 from someone parting out a car. "This is a sign," I thought, that my car was destined to run with the best. With parts from Wolf Creek, we went about rebuilding them ourselves, and matted them up to the engine. So, let's get on the same page: Stock L24 & E31, matted to the original 4-speed and drivetrain. While Eiji at Datsun Spirit worked miracles getting them tuned, it was painfully obvious that no matter how much I wanted it to happen, those carbs would always be a bit too much for that engine. In 4th gear at 4-grand they sounded majestic; every underpass and tunnel in the Northern VA area has rang with the chorus of the straight echoing through the resonators. It's intoxicating and addicting. I wanted this setup to work - but something would have to change. The carbs came off the car, and were shipped up to Wolf Creek (still there). They'll be going on my '71 later this winter, but more on that later. Can't steal the thunder from here.

The SU's from #1222 were sent up to Z-Therapy and given the full treatment. They're back, and ready to roll. We'll be doing a full-rebuild this fall. One of the other members on here was in possession of an E31 head that had been rebuilt by Kim Blough of Idaho Z Car back in 2004. He must have taken pity on me, because after 8 years of carefully storing it on a shelf, he sold it to me. It's fantastic. Straight and true, never been milled. Had a cleaning pass of just .002. That's it. Hardened seats have been installed as well, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better head than this. Possibly anywhere. The member who provided this should know he has breathed life back into this project in a big way.

So there's the direction. We're going to return this car to its early, near-original glory. And why not? The reason I fell in love with this car in the first place was its power in spite of its simplicity. Complicating all that would be a waste, so the guiding principles will continue along the lines that the project started with: Originality, and simple quality of life changes (within reason). Along those lines, we'll be considering the transmission. Another project provided an FS5C71A 5-Speed, which research and discussions have revealed would have been the only option for putting in a 5th gear back in the early '70s. Provided we can prove its functionality, this will likely go in the car as well, so the highway runs to Skyline Drive don't have me spinning at 4,500.

So that sets the plot. The next couple weeks will see some of the tear-down, and over the winter we'll get this put together. Thanks for your time.

[EuroDat]

Nice post you got going here. Good detail makes for a good read. Keep up the good work.

[EuroDat]

One small piece of advice, photo 3429. Try to get out of the habit of using the fenders as a workbench (black socket set and other tools) you will regret it later. They can dint so easily. Once she is all paint and shining, the smallest dint is so visable.

[ksbeta]

Ended up doing some major work in the engine department this winter. The triples were underperforming, needed to be rebuilt, and so I decided they'd be better served on '71 project (which will be the subject of another thread later on). Sent the 4-Screw SU's off to Z-Therapy to work their magic, and back they came looking great. We pulled the L24, tore it down, and sent the block off to the machine shop. Some pitting in the #4 cylinder was still present after a 0.40 bore, so we ended up sleeving that cylinder. The block is original to the car, so I felt obligated to make it work. Here's some shots from the tear down.

Edited January 17, 2013 by ksbeta

[ksbeta]