Jeff G 78

I have the same springs and retainers in my car and I have taken them on and off at least three times with the KD3087 tool . It's not super easy next to the towers, but it will work. I simply remove the hook closest to the tower and clamp a pair of vice grips on the cam right next to the other hook to keep the tool from sliding or twisting. It works pretty well and I have never had to fight with it.

You do have a FSM, right? If not, download it from http://www.xenons30.com. You should ALWAYS refer to the wiring diagrams if you are having issues like this. On my race car, we struggled for a full day trying to diagnose why the car wasn't charging. After testing component after component, we finally chased down every single wire in the charging circuit and discovered that a teammate had removed a wire that he thought wasn't needed, but it was. It wasn't until we checked continuity on every single wire that we found the source. Both ends were accounted for, but he removed a chunk of the harness we weren't using. Once we ran a new wire, we were back in business. Unfortunately, it cost us a whole day of testing at the track, but at least we found it in time to hit the final practice before the race. :stupid:

You know what they say... Pics or it didn't happen.

Hey Steve I forgot to ask, but do you have a 45° taper in the threaded end of your rod to match the taper on the spindle pin where the threads transition to the smooth section?

Thanks for the report Steve. Was there any sign of mushrooming from the wedge key? I think that can be as bad as the corrosion issue.

About 14 years ago, I sent my plugged injectors in to Marren Fuel Injection for cleaning. They tried to refurbish them, but called to say that they were beyond repair. They informed me that if I wanted, they would sell me a set of flow matched injectors. I can't remember the exact cost, but it was around $60 a piece. I agreed and they said it would be a week to get them in. A week later, they called me and told me that my injectors were ready to ship and that they had a hell of a time with them. They said that they had to order something like 36 injectors to find six within the proper flow range. They said that they couldn't believe how far off spec most of them were. In the end, I paid $360 for a set of injectors, but I know that they are all within spec. BTW, the injectors were made by Ram which is a very common brand. I'm sure you can find cheap injectors from Ebay or any number of other sources, but unless quality has improved a lot, you might be better off buying them from a real injector supplier that flow matches them prior to shipping.

Fixed back race seats can be made to fit without any additional height, but with a cage, even that is too tall. With a cage, the seat needs to be lowered which requires cutting the catalyst hump from the tunnel and lowering the seat. I have a Sparco seat in my 260 on the stock sliders and I have plenty of room to the roof itself. I plan to do some cutting and swap to a Momo seat on Momo sliders to get down below the halo bars.

Yep, rear drums are functionally just as good if (and only if) properly adjusted and they are harder to maintain than discs. The drums tend to corrode onto the hubs and getting to the bleed ports is harder than on the discs. Do it for looks and future time savings if you wish, but don't do it for better braking performance.

The old OE Tercel flush mount mirrors look better IMHO, but I doubt they are easy to find any more. They mount the same as the MSA mirrors, but they are shaped a bit better and are higher quality than the MSA reproduction Sentra ones.

Looks great Steve. How is the flare done on the tube? Is that a washer welded to the tube and ground smooth, or is it something else?

There are lots of reviews on here about those mirrors. In general, the quality is so-so and the tend to vibrate. I thought about them a few years ago, but I decided against them after the reported issues with them.

I have always wondered if the lock wedge serves any purpose at all. The nuts at each end hold the pin from moving lengthwise and I don't see the harm in allowing it to rotate as long as the nuts are installed with threadlock. One of two thins will happen It will either continue to rotate and will likely never get stuck again, or it will soon find a spot it likes and stay put just like the wedge would have done. When I installed new pins in my '78, I did install the wedge, but I was tempted to leave it out and simply RTV the holes closed to prevent moisture from entering the knuckle.

Yep, great deals. I've been using them for years as well.

Steve, just thinking out loud here, but have you tried to reinstall the pin with the puller rod still attached and use the wedge bolt to hold it tight while you remove the rod via double nutting it?

Thanks for the update Fergus. I have never met Victor other than through this forum, but it still feels like a close friend is in need.

Steve, be sure to upload pics of your latest puller when you get a chance. Thanks.

OMG... Weems Lettering Guide! I haven't heard that term in 25 years. That said, I still have one and just saw it when I was fishing around in my old drafting supplies to find pencils and triangles to make my first puller drawing. . For those young guys who have no idea what we are talking about, here is a lettering guide. I just looked and mine is an Ames. BTW Guy, No, I didn't use it. I did it freehand.

I am very familiar with the "rifle shot" sound. In one of my posts above I describe the pin movement exactly as a rifle shot. It scared the crap out of us the first time we heard it. We were in a fairly small room that held the lathes, mills, and presses and the "rifle shot" echoed off the concrete block walls. I think I will drill and tap both ends as well. That's a good idea and will make it easier to finish the job if a pin does break. Stopping in the middle of the extraction to drill out the broken pin doesn't sound like fun.

If anyone hears from him, please let us know how he's doing.

Thanks for the info Steve. What type of threads did you go with on the stud (all-thread) and what pitch? What type of thrust bearing are you using? As for the big wrench needed, I thought about taking a cheap black oxide 1-1/2" (1-5/8" for acme) socket and cutting it in half to remove the square drive so it can slide over the 1" all-thread. The socket could then be made into a jumbo wing nut with some spare steel and some welding. It would be cheaper than a wrench and, if designed right, would be easier to use. Please post the pics of your new puller when you can.

Thanks Lee. Let me know what kind of feedback you get from ZCOT members. A cross-drilled hole would be a simple add to install/remove the rod from the spindle pin. Depending on the amount of space left beyond the nut once the tool is attached, the hole location might be best at the far right end as you look at the drawing. That way, the rod could be installed/removed with or without the pipe in place and the hole could be used to hang the tool on the wall for storage.

OKAY, This drawing is a wee bit better. It's NOT a proper drawing since I decide to mix sections and plan view for clarity. Let me know if you have any suggestions on my drafting techniques. It's been a LONG time since I last did a proper drawing. I did the drawing in AutoCAD 2000 (old school), printed it and scanned it as a picture. If anybody wants the CAD file, let me know.

Hey Cap'n. If you go to McMaster and search "acme" you will see the threaded rods. The one I chose is the alloy ASTM A193 Grade B7 which is a chromoly 4140 quenched and tempered to a 4142. So yes, it is hardened and yes, it can still be machined. For now, I will buy just a 1"-10 x 12" rod as well as the same thing in a standard thread 1"-14 x 12" which is the same material spec as the acme rod. It certainly won't machine like a low carbon steel rod, but my buddy says it will do fine.

I asked my friend and he said that 4142 machines fairly well with lots of cutting oil. I'll post some links to the couplers in a bit. I'm playing with Autocad right now.

Zombie thread alert! Welcome Datsun Clark. Z cars work fine for tall people as long as you don't try to cage and race them. For the street, all is good.