Finally got one...now to make it mine: 1973 240z Refresh / Personalisation

[bhbarr]

What cam are you using? that could be part of the flat spot issue?

[73str86]

Well I finished the move to Colorado, driving a 26ft Penske truck with the 240z behind was not an enjoyable experience.

 

She arrived dirty, and I didn't have my DD in Colorado.

 

 

I had to drive her in two days of snow before I decided on another vehicle.

 

 

 

 

It looks like it'll be up to 62 this weekend so I have a feeling I'll take the Z out. She seems to be drinking the 91 octane decently at this elevation, and I haven't even had a chance to touch the carbs. The timing advance didn't need to be changed, and she's running like a bandit. I have concluded the sputtering out at 5500 rpms is that the engine/carbs are sucking the float bowls dry. I have sourced a used NISMO electric fuel pump to remedy this. As of now it acts a bit of a rev limiter. It is leaving 1500 rpms on the table.

 

I plan to do a 5 speed / 4.11 R180 swap this winter with a bushing refresh.

[73str86]

If the video is too large, you could load it on YouTube and just post a link to it on this fourm.

Dennis

 

Done! This was taken at the end of October.

 

 

I'm going to post it in the Exhaust section for reference as well.

[73str86]

Just a quick update...

 

I decided to go ahead and put her on jack stands for a little while. With 10-16" of snow coming this weekend, I figured it was a good time.

 

 

Yesterday I soaked some of the rear suspension in penetrating oil. Today I basically wheeled around under the car, a few nuts and bolts at a time, reapplying the penetrating oil. 

 

After a few hours I removed the exhaust, rear sway bar, rear differential, half shafts, mustache bar, driveshaft, and diff strap.

 

 

 

There's one bolt left on the driveshaft that needs some heat. I also decided to go with the RT diff mount.

 

It's tough to decide how far to tear into the car. I'm planning on cleaning/repainting all of the rear suspension components. What I'm trying to decide is whether or not to install my Koni struts and Suspension Techniques springs while I'm at it. I'd like to be driving her again by April/May.

 

 

 

 

[73str86]

All of the rear suspension is officially out from under the car.

 

Three main items next on the agenda:

 

-Remove spindle pins (the auto shop on Ft. Carson has a 26 ton press)

-Remove/replace driveshaft/halfshaft u-joints

-Remove original 4 speed

 

 

 

 

 

I have one coil spring out, still need to do driver's side. Lesson learned: I should have broken the nut free on top of the struts before dropping them!

[73str86]

I thought it was interesting that my passenger's side strut mount insulator still shows the factory part number. The passenger's seat shows that no one rode on that side of the car, either.

 

 

The struts essentially felt blown. One was bubbly to compress then never rebounded, and the other had what felt like air pockets in the tube while being compressed. 

 

I want to confirm a question regarding lowering spring height vs. original old spring height before deciding on which springs to go with.

 

http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/51073-lowering-springs-vs-original-springs-height/

 

I also tackled the spindle pins yesterday. I was ambitious and also brought my half-shafts and driveshaft to press out the u-joints. I had sprayed PB blaster in the lock bolt holes and ends for about a week. It turned out the big press at the auto shop on base was getting repairs, so I used a 50 ton hydraulic press. This thing must have weighed at least 500 pounds. I was able to move a 53kg anvil but couldn't lift the steel shelf.

 

It ended up only taking around an hour and ten minutes to remove both spindle pins. One was simply pressed out after finding a few sockets and bolts to help press the spindle pin through two chunks of steel. 

 

 

 

The second was a little more difficult. This was the driver's side, and also the one I smacked with a BFH enough to mushroom a spindle pin end. With about 15-20 tons of pressure, the pin moved about 1/4". It seemed like it was seized to one end of the bushings. We took a break and ended up laying it on a bench and using an air hammer to pop it out. 

 

All in all it wasn't too bad.

 

For the u-joints, I believe all but one are original. Most of the half-shaft ones were binding. I tried many methods. First was with a vise, hammer, and socket. This did not work for me. After moving to the press, I crushed some caps, some wouldn't budge under 20 tons of pressure and I stopped there because the steel in the halfshaft was flexing.

Edited March 8, 2015 by 73str86

[73str86]

I feel very lucky today. I got home around 6pm and decided to give the strut gland packing nuts a quick attempt. With two 18" pipe wrenches from HF, I had both gland nuts and struts out of their tubes within 10 minutes.

 

 

The nuts had marks on them as if the struts had been replaced in the 80s perhaps. One thing is for sure, the struts were fully shot with no rebound left.

 

 

 

Can anyone tell me if I can reuse these original strut gland packing nuts?

 

I have a set of used original Koni red adjustable struts with no hardware. I found the part number for the Koni red/Datsun 240z gland nut as 73.25.01.003.1 with measurements of M48 x 1.5p.

[73str86]

I made some more progress on my rear suspension. With the help of this sandblaster, all of my suspension components, except springs and strut towers, have been sandblasted.

 

 

 

 

I can use it for $15/hour with unlimited sand and a massive air compressor that never stops. Total time spent was about 2.5 hours.

 

I was also able to remove the transmission crossmember bushings. Now all that's left for bushing removal is control arm bushings.

 

I successfully removed the original 4-speed. Only injury was a busted lip. I also took the '77 five speed out of its tuff bin and test fitted the shifter. I used to have a close-ratio '83 ZX transmission in the garage, but traded it and decided to keep this one because it looked much cleaner. Just waiting on new sensors from Black Dragon.

 

 

 

I quickly discovered after I unwrapped my rebuilt 4.11 R180 that it was a K R180. My original stub axles are bolt it. The K R180 uses clip-in stub axles. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After finding some photos from hybridz.org and a helpful video on ratsun.net, I'm took apart the old howling diff for the threaded buttons in the center of the diff to swap into the K R180.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The drift pin would not cooperate. I broke a brand new heavy duty punch. My only guess is the diff whine may have created extra heat and seized the drift pin. Note to anyone attempting this, do not use drill bits to try and hammer the pin out as stated in the ratsun.net video. It does not turn out well.

 

Finally, since I only needed parts from the center of the diff, I proceeded to cut the outer casing in half. Hopefully the K R180 will come apart easier since it was recently rebuilt and never run.

 

I still need to clean/paint the strut towers, and paint all rear suspension parts with Rustoleum satin black. I'm also debating on cleaning the underside of the Z and spraying some new undercoating before everything goes back together.

 

 

[73str86]

For my reference, link to ratsun.net video

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/42794-how-to-convert-an-open-25-spline-clip-in-r180-to-bolt-in-for-a-510/

[rossiz]

dude... you hulked out on that!!

[73str86]

Some positive progress. After having to cut the last one in half, I was worried about taking apart the rebuilt 4.11 K R180. Between parts and labor, I have right around $600 into this differential. I couldn't break a single bolt above the ring gear free by ratchet and hammer so I had to use the 1/2" air impact gun. This one came apart in about 10 minutes total, including the roll pin.

 

 

All parts were cleaned, with the threaded buttons from my original R180 pressed into the side gears. It would be great if the thrust washers PN 38426-U3000 were an available item. I'm calling Courtesy tomorrow.

 

I test fit the differential and all parts assembled easily. I will take it apart once more to replace the thrust washers and lube it with gear oil. I may also have all rear suspension parts painted by this weekend. I have access to an entire paint booth for $10/ hour.

[73str86]

dude... you hulked out on that!!

 

Part of me felt bad, but the pin just would not come out. 

 

Then it was a little enjoyable!